obvious again, but sometimes it helped her to talk it through.
“We’ve flagged his credit cards and bank accounts, so if he tries to use any of them, we’ll know.”
Emily bit down on her bottom lip, hesitant to tell him where she was and why she really stepped off the case. But it was now or never. “Sweetheart,” she used her sweetest tone, “don’t be mad, but…”
“But what? Emily, what’s going on?” Colin’s voice was normally smooth and deep, but Emily could hear suspicion and concern coloring the tenor of it.
“I’m playing a hunch.” She grimaced, knowing he couldn’t see her, but hoping that as a cop, he would understand.
“What kind of hunch?”
“Something Maggie said last night got me thinking—who would benefit the most from Elise’s disappearance?”
“Hmm. Her husband maybe?”
“Bingo.”
“But he seems so genuinely shaken that she’s gone, and more than willing to cough up the two million for the kidnapper.”
“Like I said, it’s just a hunch.”
“Where are you now?”
“Just outside of town. I’m following him up Highway 21. I stuck a tracker on his car after I gave him the good news that you were close to finding Elise and Jake Mitchell.”
“You did what?” His voice rose with irritation. “You know that’s not true. And you can’t put a tracker on his car without a warrant.”
“That’s why I stepped off the case as a police consultant. I’m doing this as a concerned citizen.”
“You mean as a private eye.”
“Same thing.”
“This better not come back to bite us in the—”
“It won’t.” Emily crossed her fingers.
“Hmmm, we’ll see. Anyway, so you think he’s going somewhere to check on Elise? Assuming he knows where she is.”
“Maybe, if I’m right. Or I could be wrong. He might be on his way someplace totally unrelated to this case, an appointment or something. But since we haven’t been able to locate Jake, I thought this was worth a shot.”
“You should have let me come with you. Where is he now?”
“We’re just beginning to climb into the mountains, still on the highway,” she replied. Her phone began to beep. “Uh-oh. I’m running out of battery.” Her chest tightened as she said it. “I’m going to lose you in a sec.”
“Pull over and wait for me,” he demanded. “I mean it.”
“I can’t,” she snapped back. “I might lose the GPS signal if we go much higher in elevation. I’ve got to stay on his tail while he’s still inside our jurisdiction.”
“Emily, pull—”
Her phone died before Colin finished his sentence. Now she was on her own.
Chapter 12
An uneasiness rippled through her body. Maybe she should have told Colin what she was doing before she went off half-cocked and her cell phone died. What was she thinking?
Perhaps she should have listened to him—pulled over and waited—but she couldn’t risk losing Patrick Murphy’s car. Elise’s life might depend on it.
Colin would definitely be angry with her for pulling such a dangerous stunt. Hopefully, if her hunch paid off, he would be so happy she solved the case and found Elise that he would let it go.
She hoped that’s how it would play out. But now she was alone in the mountains without her phone and no one knew where she was.
The GPS continued to function. She remained far enough behind him that he could not see her headlights, but it also meant she couldn’t see his car either. According to the monitor, though, he turned off on a road just up ahead.
She located the narrow side road and pulled over just before it. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she swallowed hard. Should she wait for Colin on this main road? Or should she continue to follow Patrick Murphy?
The thought came to her to leave Colin a sign. She glanced around her car, looking for anything she could use to catch his attention. Spotting a teal scarf in the backseat, Emily grabbed it and jumped out of her car. She ran to the sign that held the name
“We’ve flagged his credit cards and bank accounts, so if he tries to use any of them, we’ll know.”
Emily bit down on her bottom lip, hesitant to tell him where she was and why she really stepped off the case. But it was now or never. “Sweetheart,” she used her sweetest tone, “don’t be mad, but…”
“But what? Emily, what’s going on?” Colin’s voice was normally smooth and deep, but Emily could hear suspicion and concern coloring the tenor of it.
“I’m playing a hunch.” She grimaced, knowing he couldn’t see her, but hoping that as a cop, he would understand.
“What kind of hunch?”
“Something Maggie said last night got me thinking—who would benefit the most from Elise’s disappearance?”
“Hmm. Her husband maybe?”
“Bingo.”
“But he seems so genuinely shaken that she’s gone, and more than willing to cough up the two million for the kidnapper.”
“Like I said, it’s just a hunch.”
“Where are you now?”
“Just outside of town. I’m following him up Highway 21. I stuck a tracker on his car after I gave him the good news that you were close to finding Elise and Jake Mitchell.”
“You did what?” His voice rose with irritation. “You know that’s not true. And you can’t put a tracker on his car without a warrant.”
“That’s why I stepped off the case as a police consultant. I’m doing this as a concerned citizen.”
“You mean as a private eye.”
“Same thing.”
“This better not come back to bite us in the—”
“It won’t.” Emily crossed her fingers.
“Hmmm, we’ll see. Anyway, so you think he’s going somewhere to check on Elise? Assuming he knows where she is.”
“Maybe, if I’m right. Or I could be wrong. He might be on his way someplace totally unrelated to this case, an appointment or something. But since we haven’t been able to locate Jake, I thought this was worth a shot.”
“You should have let me come with you. Where is he now?”
“We’re just beginning to climb into the mountains, still on the highway,” she replied. Her phone began to beep. “Uh-oh. I’m running out of battery.” Her chest tightened as she said it. “I’m going to lose you in a sec.”
“Pull over and wait for me,” he demanded. “I mean it.”
“I can’t,” she snapped back. “I might lose the GPS signal if we go much higher in elevation. I’ve got to stay on his tail while he’s still inside our jurisdiction.”
“Emily, pull—”
Her phone died before Colin finished his sentence. Now she was on her own.
Chapter 12
An uneasiness rippled through her body. Maybe she should have told Colin what she was doing before she went off half-cocked and her cell phone died. What was she thinking?
Perhaps she should have listened to him—pulled over and waited—but she couldn’t risk losing Patrick Murphy’s car. Elise’s life might depend on it.
Colin would definitely be angry with her for pulling such a dangerous stunt. Hopefully, if her hunch paid off, he would be so happy she solved the case and found Elise that he would let it go.
She hoped that’s how it would play out. But now she was alone in the mountains without her phone and no one knew where she was.
The GPS continued to function. She remained far enough behind him that he could not see her headlights, but it also meant she couldn’t see his car either. According to the monitor, though, he turned off on a road just up ahead.
She located the narrow side road and pulled over just before it. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she swallowed hard. Should she wait for Colin on this main road? Or should she continue to follow Patrick Murphy?
The thought came to her to leave Colin a sign. She glanced around her car, looking for anything she could use to catch his attention. Spotting a teal scarf in the backseat, Emily grabbed it and jumped out of her car. She ran to the sign that held the name
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