ROCKY MOUNTAIN RESCUE by Cindi Myers

there as soon as I’m done filling the tank.”
    When he came inside she was adding cream and sugar to a large cup of coffee. “You should get something to eat, too,” he said.
    “I’m not hungry.”
    “I know. But we’ll both feel better if we eat.”
    She selected a couple granola bars while he added a ham sandwich to their purchases. While he waited for the clerk to tell him the total, he suppressed a yawn.
    “I know the feeling,” the clerk said. “I come on shift at three this morning—I was supposed to get off at eleven, but the other woman didn’t come in, so I had to work a double.”
    “I’m going to go on outside to wait,” Stacy said, gathering up her coffee and snacks.
    “I’ll be right out,” he said. He handed a twenty to the clerk. “When you were working this morning, did you see a little boy, about three years old, with blond hair? He was probably with a man.”
    She counted out his change. “Who wants to know?”
    He took out his ID. Showing it was a risk; if she’d seen the bulletins saying Durango police were wanting to question him, she might conclude he was a fraud or somehow on the wrong side of the law and contact the authorities. He didn’t have time to waste straightening out this mess. But if she had seen Carlo and his captors it would confirm he was on the right track.
    He decided to risk it, and flipped open the leather folder. She studied it and nodded. “Who is it you’re looking for, again?”
    He took out his phone and clicked on Carlo’s picture. “This is the boy I’m looking for. His name is Carlo. He was taken from his mother last night. We think the men who took him headed this way.”
    She leaned close to study the picture, then nodded. “I saw him. At least I’m pretty sure it was him. He was crying, kind of throwing a temper tantrum, the way kids do when they’re so tired. The man brought him in to go to the bathroom and the boy didn’t want to go back out to the car. He sat down on the floor over there and the man had to drag him away. All the while he was crying and calling for his mommy.” She looked stricken. “I wish I’d known. I thought he was just being a brat. I always watch for those AMBER Alerts and such. I haven’t seen anything about this kid.”
    “It’s a sensitive case. We’re trying to keep it quiet for now. Can you describe the man he was with?”
    She frowned, concentrating. “He was maybe six feet, kind of thin, dark clothes. He was bent over the boy, so I never really saw his face.”
    Patrick slid the phone back into his pocket and checked her name tag. “Thank you, Marne. You’ve been very helpful. Did you see what kind of car they were in?”
    She shook her head. “Sorry. They parked around on the side and it was dark over there.”
    “If you remember anything else, call this number. Let them know you spoke to me.” He handed her his card.
    “I will. I hope you find him.”
    “Thank you.”
    He waited until he’d driven away to tell Stacy. “We’re on the right track,” he said. “The clerk back at the store thinks she saw Carlo early this morning. He was with a man who sounds like the one who snatched him from your room.”
    “She did? Why didn’t you tell me before?” She turned to look back the way they’d come. “We have to go back. I have to talk to her.”
    “There’s no need for that. She already told me all she knew.”
    “Turn this car around now! I want to talk to her.”
    The intensity of her anger hit him like a wave. He held on to the steering wheel more tightly, half believing she’d rip it from his hands. “Will talking to her really make you feel better, or only upset you more?” he asked, trying to make his voice as calming and gentle as possible. “It would definitely upset you. Isn’t it enough to know we’re on the right track?”
    She wilted back against the seat. “Nothing will be enough until he’s safe again. But if I could just talk to her....” She looked back again,