Christy Barritt - Shadow Of Suspicion

“Sol, put the gun down,” Detective James yelled.

Laney sucked in a quick breath. Sol? Sol was shooting at her? Had the man lost his mind? Is that what grief and worry did to a person?

Laney knew the answer to that question: yes, it did. Grief could tear a person’s heart in half and make them act erratically. Make them feel crazy, off balance, like they didn’t care about anything while overly caring about everything.

“You released Laney. She took my daughter,” Sol called from a far distance. “She’ll get justice one way or another. I’ll make sure of that.”

“Shooting her would do no good. It won’t help you find your Sarah,” Detective James shouted, peering beyond the door frame. He was pressed against the wall, looking strong and capable with a gun in hand and wearing a black leather coat.

He could easily pass for one of those larger-than-life detectives on TV.

Laney shook her head. Where had those thoughts come from? And why now of all times?

“She needs to pay,” Sol shouted.

“Let the law be the judge of that. If she’s guilty, we’ll find evidence to nail her. She’ll be behind bars for life. Shooting her would be too easy.”

Gee, thanks, she wanted to mutter. But if the detective’s words saved her life, then so be it. Laney would clear her name herself if she had to. But she was never going to be able to do that under these circumstances. Here, she was a target. Her life was on the line. In fact, if the detective hadn’t been there, that bullet could have taken her out.

She couldn’t stay there tonight, she realized. It was too dangerous. But where would she go? She had no coworkers or family. Even church...though she attended each Sunday, she always slipped in late and left early. She was the poster woman for being reclusive lately.

Nate wouldn’t have wanted this.

But it was too late to make any changes at the moment.

Detective James was on his radio, calling for backup, she realized. This situation could easily escalate and someone could end up hurt...or worse.

She felt frozen, though, unable to move from her spot on the floor. Too afraid to breathe even. She’d be dead right now if the detective wasn’t with her.

But if Sol really thought she took Sarah, why would he try to kill her? Then he might not ever find his daughter. The man was acting irrationally. Come to think of it, he’d seemed distracted this morning, as well. Did he know more than he was letting on?

Her thoughts raced, as if playing in fast-forward. Who could have taken Sarah? Laney had no idea. In those quiet moments in the integration room, that’s all she’d thought about. But she’d drawn no conclusions. She couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to hurt the girl.

Please, let this be a misunderstanding.

What if Sarah had run away? Maybe she’d never been abducted at all. There could be a logical explanation for all of this. Would the police ever see that, though?

“Sol, we need you to put the gun down,” Detective James called, still pressed against the wall. “Can you do that for me?”

“You’re only going to let her go.”

“We’re going to keep investigating,” he said. “We’re not done yet.”

Just then, red and blue lights flashed in the front yard. Backup had arrived, Laney realized.

A moment later, amidst the yelling outside, Detective James lowered his gun and approached her. His eyes were narrow with worry and concern. “Are you okay?”

She nodded and pushed herself from the ground, mindful of the shards of glass surrounding her. “Yes. Thank you. I... I don’t think I’ll stay here tonight.”

“Probably a good idea.”

She wiped her hands together, trying to ignore how badly they were trembling. None of this seemed real—yet it was. “I’m going to go grab some things. A change of clothes and my purse, at least.”

“I can drive you to wherever you’re going.”

“You don’t have to do that.” She shook her head, another surge of panic rising in her. She desperately wanted someone to trust, but the detective wasn’t that person. Besides, she needed to be there alone so she could grab her computer—if the police hadn’t gotten it yet. Her work for the past nine months was there. In the wrong hands... She shuddered to think about what would happen if the program she’d developed ended up at the mercy of terrorists.

Detective James’s gaze assessed her again, his calm demeanor somehow quieting her trembles. “Your hands are shaking badly. I don’t think it’s safe that you get behind the wheel.”

“But...then I won’t have a car.” She desperately needed some type of control in her life. She felt like everything was being taken away, and so quickly at that.

“I’ll have one of my guys bring it by later. Sound okay?”

Hesitantly, she nodded. If she protested too much, she’d probably only look guilty. Besides, she was awfully shaky. There was no need to add “auto accident” to an already horrible day.

“I guess so. Thank you.”

* * *

Thirty minutes later, Mark pulled to a stop in front of a nice hotel in an upscale area outside of Richmond. He supposed that he shouldn’t go out of his way for a potential suspect, but she was also potentially innocent. In fact, she was technically innocent until proven guilty. He intended to treat her as such.

He remembered Captain Hendricks’s instructions to him: get on her good side and keep an eye on her. The captain hoped Laney would let something slip and she’d lead them to Sarah.

Mark was uncomfortable with deceit. If it could save a life then he was more inclined to justify his actions, though. He knew what it was like to be in Sol’s shoes—to be sick with worry over a loved one’s disappearance. He had to do whatever was necessary to get the girl back.

Their encounter with Sol still stained his thoughts. The man had been in Laney’s front yard. The other officers had taken his gun and restrained him. But he’d still been able to hurl insults at Laney, calling her every name in the book. Her trembles had returned as he’d walked her to his car.

Laney glanced at the front door of the hotel and then back at Mark. “What’s going to happen to Sol?”

“We’re taking him down to the station.”

Lines of worry appeared at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t want to press charges. He’s just reacting out of grief and anxiety. He doesn’t need any more heartache on top of what he’s already experiencing.”

Her compassion impressed him, especially considering her situation at the moment. “I’ll make sure to pass that along.”

“Thank you for bringing me here. I appreciate it.”

Before she could object again, he opened the door and stepped out. He was walking her inside, whether she liked it or not.

Almost hesitantly she seemed to step out. He sensed her shivering beside him as they ventured through the brisk winter air. Darkness had long since fallen, adding even more eeriness to an already tense situation. He grabbed her bag from the backseat and walked with her to the front desk.

“She needs a single,” he told the clerk behind the counter. A table with coffee and cookies waited beside the check-in desk, and the scent of them both made his stomach rumble.

Lauren had loved chocolate chip cookies. She ate some every night before bed and never gained an ounce. At sixteen, she’d been as skinny as a rail without even trying.

The memory made his heart pang.

Laney pulled a credit card from her wallet and slid it across the counter. The police would be tracking all of her financial movements, of course. They were looking for anything that might give them a hint as to what was really going on here. Finances often showed a trail leading to answers.