Karen Rose - Count to Ten

"We'll find her. You get out." One of the men pushed him out the front door into the grip of an EMT. "This is Lieutenant Solliday. His kid's inside. Don't let him back in."

Reed jerked away from the EMT, but another fit of coughing left him breathless. The EMT led him to the ambulance and strapped an oxygen mask to his face.

"Breathe, Lieutenant. Now sit. Sir."

"Beth." His body was limp. He could only stare as one of the windows shattered.

The EMT was bandaging his hands. "They'll find her, sir."

He closed his eyes. Beth's in there. She's dead. They won't be in time .

I didn't save my own child . Numb, he sat. And waited.

Saturday, December 2, 11:10 P.M.

The men had gathered around the pool table, and Mia guessed at least two of the guys were ones who'd kill to be with her. In the past she would have been flattered, but like she'd told Reed, the trouble never had been the sex. It was the intimacy. But the one man she'd been truly intimate with, sharing her deepest secrets, didn't want her.

Not the way it counted, anyway. She had no doubt that Reed Solliday wanted her sexually. She even knew down deep he wanted to want her emotionally. But he was afraid. As was she. And until she got past that fear, she'd come home to an empty place and be Aunt Mia to everyone else's children.

"I won." Larry Fletcher laid his cue across the table.

"You cheated," Mia corrected with a smile. "It's been fun, but I gotta go." Where, she wasn't sure. The two flatterers protested, then everyone went quiet at the radio call. When it was clear it wasn't for the 172, the chatter resumed, but Mia heard a phrase that made her heart stop. "Quiet."

"It's not us. Mia." David said, but she was already running for the stairs.

"That's Reed's house," she said over her shoulder and saw Larry's grim face.

He'd heard it too. "I'm coming with you," Larry said, right behind her.

Saturday, December 2, 11:25 p.m.

Mia ran to the ambulance. "Reed. My God." His face was lifeless but for the tears streaking his cheeks. His hands were wrapped in bandages. An oxygen mask dangled from his neck. She dropped to her knees. "Reed?"

"Beth is inside," he said, his voice flat. Dead . "I couldn't find my little girl."

She took his bandaged hand in hers. "Where is Lauren?"

"On a date," he said tonelessly. "It was just me and Beth."

"Reed, listen to me. Did you check Beth's room?" He nodded mechanically. "She wasn't there."

Little bitch , Mia thought, furious with the girl for causing her father such grief. Beth went out the window again. "Larry, wait with him." She stalked off to the side, radio in hand. "This is Mitchell, Homicide. I need a cruiser to proceed at fastest safe speed, with lights and sirens to the Rendezvous Cafe." She gave the address. "They're looking for Liz Solliday. Tell them to make a scene. And if she's there, scare her shitless."

"Ah, understood. Detective Mitchell." Dispatch said warily.

"No, you don't. Her house is burning down and her father thinks she's inside."

"Unit dispatched, Detective." Mia waited impatiently, tapping her foot, watching Reed grieve for nothing. Her anger faltered. What if she was wrong? What if Beth was in there? She could be dead. Kates had struck here , right in Reed's home.

After what seemed like an eternity of watching Reed stare at his burning house, the radio crackled, calling her name. "Mitchell, here."

"Girl is safe, sound, and uh, scared shitless. You want them to bring her home?"

"Yeah. Make her ride in the back. And make sure everybody sees them." Mia walked to Reed on shaky legs. "Reed, Beth's okay. She wasn't in the house."

His eyes snapped to hers. " What ?"

"She went out the window. She probably hasn't been home for a few hours."

His eyes darkened. "Where is she?" His mouth precisely formed each word.

"At a slam poetry competition downtown. Place called the Rendezvous Cafe. I have a cruiser bringing her home, sirens and lights." Her lips quirked. "I told them to scare her."

He came to his feet, trembling. "You knew she'd gone there?"

"Not tonight. I knew she'd gone last night." Warning alarms began to sound in her mind. He wasn't just angry at Beth. He's angry at me .

"You knew my fourteen-year-old had gone out the window and you didn't tell me."

"She promised she'd tell you herself. I told her if she didn't tell you, then I would."

"Well, you didn't." He spat the words and Larry Fletcher frowned.

"Reed, she's okay. Beth's fine. And Mia tried to help."

Reed towered over her, fury in his eyes. "That wasn't help."

Mia stepped back, trembling herself now. "I'm sorry. I thought it was the right thing to do. That's why I don't have kids." She swallowed hard, then remembered Percy. The cat was as lucky as she was, but still her heart pounded. She found the chief in charge. "The girl you thought was inside was somewhere else. She's being returned."

The chief's eyes narrowed. "I risked my men's lives for an AWOL kid?"

"Hey, she's not my kid. But my cat's inside on the other side of the duplex."

"We've contained the fire to this side, but we'll go in for your cat when we can."

"Thanks. Oh, and there was a puppy. Fuzzy dog, this big." She gestured.

"Over there. We found him by the tree. Leg's broke. Otherwise he's fine."

"Thanks. Tell me, is the house destroyed?"

"Mostly the top floor. Everything in the bedrooms."

Mia remembered the book he'd held in his hand. My darling Reed . The book was gone. She closed her eyes on a wave of regret. She couldn't blame him for being angry. He'd had a giant scare. She should have told him about Beth. She'd had plenty of opportunities throughout the day. But she'd so hoped Beth would tell him herself.

She shook herself back into action. This was the work of Andrew Kates. He was close by. She called Jack and Spinelli, then noticed the four calls from Murphy, all within the last fifteen minutes. With all the noise, she hadn't heard her cell ring.

She called him back. "Murphy, it's Mia. What's happened?"

"I can barely hear you, Mia."

"That's because Kates burned Reed's house down. I'm surrounded by fire trucks."

"Was anybody hurt?"

"No, but Kates found us. Reed was the taiget this time. What did you find?"

"Three of the four Youngs. The father and mother are both dead, natural causes. Tyler Young died in a fire last night in Indianapolis. I faxed Kates's photo to the PD."

They'd been too late. "Thanks, Murphy. I'll let Reed know." Mia walked back to Reed, her posture apologetic. "I'm sorry, Reed. I was wrong not to tell you about Beth." He glowered and said nothing. "Murphy found three of the Youngs. One of them was killed in a fire last night."

His glower softened to a glare. "I know. Indy OFI posted it to the database I've been searching all week. I was going to call you when I got confirmation, but this happened."

"So we have one more target left to find."

He nodded. "Thanks for telling me. About the Youngs."

"Reed, I didn't want to come between you and Beth." She watched as the cruiser approached, its siren adding to the chaos of the scene. "The prodigal daughter returns."

"We won't be killing any fatted calves," Reed said darkly and marched over to the cruiser. Beth got out, face stark with shock and horror. Reed glared, bandaged fists on his hips, then caught his daughter in a fierce embrace that made Mia's eyes sting.

Behind her, Larry cleared his throat. "Mia, I've known Reed Solliday a lot of years. He's a good man. He didn't mean to hurt you. He was just scared mindless."

"I know that." She also knew he'd keep hurting her until this was over. Wearily she wished it was. "I'm going to get my cat and go to a hotel. Make sure he's okay, Larry."