The Christmas Rescue by Laura Scott

you were getting frustrated.”
    â€œTrue.” She laughed and the sound wrapped itself around his heart. He tried to ignore the sensation. He was here to protect Kayla and Brianna from harm, and to help her find the path to the Lord. Nothing else.
    So why did his thoughts keep heading down a dangerous, more personal path? He turned up the Christmas music on the radio in an attempt to drown out his thoughts.
    Unfortunately, the Christmas music only made him think about Angela. And their unborn son. And how his lack of planning had failed them both. He scowled, tempted to change the station, but suspected that seeing as there was only a week until Christmas, it was likely the other stations were also playing Christmas tunes.
    Several long minutes passed before Kayla spokeagain. “You really think it’s possible this man killed Bill Schroeder?” she asked, staring at the sketch.
    â€œYeah. I do.” Keep focused on business, he reminded himself. Distractions would only put Kayla in harm’s way. “If not him personally, then someone he works for. Either way, he’s the best lead we have at the moment.”
    â€œPoor Bill,” Kayla murmured. “I should really give Jeanine a call. I know she divorced Bill, but this still must be a horrible shock.”
    â€œThey didn’t have any children?” he asked, even though he knew from his research they didn’t have any, he was curious about the guy. Often the motivations behind the crimes were the toughest to figure out.
    â€œThey tried, but apparently it wasn’t meant to be. Jeanine wanted to adopt, but Bill refused. I think in the end their marriage suffered because of it.”
    It was a little odd to be thinking of their main suspect as a man who’d tried to have a family. So why had Bill Schroeder become involved in the criminal smuggling ring? Money? Greed? For thrills? What?
    At this point, they might never figure out what his real motives were. And truth be told, he was more interested in shutting the operation down than understanding the why behind the crime.
    He pulled into the parking lot of the coast guard substation a few minutes later. Taking the sketch from Kayla’s hands, he led the way inside. He headed straight to Luke Sanders’ office. His commanding officer saw them coming and rose to meet them halfway.
    Rafe raised his hand in a sharp salute. “Sir. This is Mrs. Kayla Wilson, owner of Kayla’s bed-and-breakfast. Kayla, this is my lieutenant commander, Luke Sanders.”
    Luke returned Rafe’s salute and then accepted Kayla’s outstretched hand. “Pleasure to meet you, ma’am.”
    â€œLikewise,” she murmured shyly.
    â€œHere’s a sketch of our suspect,” Rafe said, getting straight to the point. He handed the sketch to Luke. “He rented a room at Kayla’s B and B under the name of Gregory Landrum, giving a Chicago address. But the real Gregory Landrum from Chicago is at least ten to fifteen years older and heavier by almost a hundred pounds.”
    â€œWhy would he rent a room under an assumed name?” Luke asked.
    â€œAs a cover to search through her husband’s business records,” Rafe explained. “Mrs. Wilson stored everything from the charter fishing operation in the attic and we discovered someone has been up there, going through them. Everything had been pulled out of the boxes and tossed on the floor. From what we could determine, all the photographs are missing. We believe this man is the one who keeps trying to break in.”
    His commanding officer’s glance cut over to Kayla, as if gauging how much she knew about her husband’s business dealings. “The stolen photographs aren’t enough?”
    â€œApparently not, sir. We think it’s possible something is still hidden in her home. Or someone thinks there’s something still hidden in her home. Either way, we need more time to complete a