Lisa Harris - Taken

He shook his head at the unwanted memory. He needed to stay on track. “Has your sister traveled recently?”

Kate closed the lid of the trunk and sat down on it. “She went to Paris three months ago. I’ve been looking through her photos and journals to see if something happened there that might give me a clue as to what Chad might be involved in—or any suspicions she might have had—but so far, I can’t find anything out of the ordinary, except for one thing...”

“What is it?”

“It’s probably nothing, but I can’t find her passport, which is strange. Rachel’s very compulsive and orderly. She’s going to have a fit trying to put this house back together.”

“Where does she normally keep the passport?”

“At one time she kept it in this trunk, where she keeps a lot of her important papers like birth certificates and financial papers. She probably just moved it.”

“Do you think she’s involved with something illegal?” he asked.

“Rachel? Never.”

But he’d seen Rachel’s financials and knew her credit cards were maxed out and she was behind on her house payments. Money could be a powerful motivator. Which was why he couldn’t dismiss the possibility of her being involved in what happened today. Or that Kate Elliot knew more than she was letting on.

* * *

Kate stood up and started past the red stain on the carpet. Nausea swept through her. The room smelled like death and she needed some fresh air. “I need to return to the hospital. If I don’t take my mother home, she’ll stay there all night.”

“Wait...before you go, I need to ask you a few questions. It won’t take long. I promise.”

She hesitated, then reluctantly sat back down on the edge of the trunk. She was tired. Tired of the questions that she didn’t have answers for. Tired of waiting on an update from the hospital. Afraid of the panic that had yet to lessen. And this man, Marcus O’Brian, was simply adding to that panic.

“You and your sister are close?” he began.

“For the most part, yes.”

“What about Chad? How was their relationship?”

“That was a subject we didn’t talk about often. I didn’t think he was good enough for her and she resented that. So we avoided the subject.”

“Why didn’t you think he was good enough for her?”

Kate hesitated, wondering how her sister’s marital relationship was going to help find her shooter. She might not have thought he was the best choice for her sister to marry, but Rachel loved him and he was the father of their child.

“Please understand,” Marcus continued. “I realize I’m probing into something very personal, but the more I know about Chad and your sister, the easier it will be for me to find out the truth as to who was behind this. And for now, I can’t go to her with my questions.”

Kate let out a sharp sigh. “It bothered me that he put his job above his family. He traveled a lot, which meant he was gone more than he was home, something I know she resented. Especially because of Sophie.”

“Where did his job take him?”

“They have an apartment in Paris. He worked in both the US and Europe as a buyer. Occasionally he traveled to Africa.”

“And his traveling took a toll on their marriage?”

“It was more than just the traveling, but yes. Six months ago, he moved back to Paris. I think divorce was on the table, but there wasn’t anything official.”

“Did they still communicate?”

“Some. My sister went to Paris three months ago to try to see if they could give their marriage one last chance.”

“And when she returned, what did she tell you about the trip?”

“Not much, but it was clear that it didn’t go the way she’d hoped. I think she still loved him—that she still does—but it became clear to her that he had no intentions of settling down and giving her what she wanted.” Her gaze dropped to the stained spot on the carpet.

“What is it?”

Kate grabbed one of the throw pillows off the bed and hugged it against her chest, wishing he wasn’t able to read her so well. “While we were waiting for the ambulance, she told me Chad was scared about something.”

“About what?”

“I don’t know. All Rachel said was that they would do anything to get what they wanted.” She looked up at him, the fear she’d been feeling all day gripping her tighter. “Do you know what Chad’s involved in?”

“Let me ask the questions for now. Later, I’ll answer those that aren’t classified.”

“Classified.” Kate shook her head, irritation weaving itself through the fear. “You sound like James Bond.”

“No. Real life doesn’t play out like the movies.”

No, it didn’t. And today had become an extreme example. One couldn’t simply go home once the credits rolled.

“Do you think Rachel knew what he was involved in?” he asked.

She tried not to show her resentment of the question. “No.”

Marcus took a step forward. “Did she ever mention being suspicious about his behavior?”

Kate shook her head. “You have to understand that I want to help, but there is nothing I can tell you that is going to help us find Sophie and my sister’s shooter. We need to talk to Chad. He’s got to know—”

“We?” Marcus shook his head. “What you need to do is let the police—and myself—handle this. We are looking for him right now, in fact, and when we find him, we’ll interview him. But you’re not a part of we .”

“But I know Chad.”

“And I know what happens when civilians try to get involved in police business. Trust me, it doesn’t work.”

“So you haven’t been able to locate Chad yet?”

He hesitated. “No.”

“Then what about Sophie?” she rushed on. “You have to know something. Have some lead as to where she might be. Sophie, she’s...she’s four years old, full of energy and has the biggest imagination I’ve ever seen. She’s silly and loves to tell jokes—”

“Kate—”

“She loves macaroni from the box and strawberry licorice,” Kate continued, as if she were pleading her case in court. She might sound desperate, but needed him to realize this wasn’t just some missing person, or some domestic dispute in another case he was working on. “Sophie loves Dora the Explorer, going to Sunday school. She can’t sleep without her one-eyed bunny, Lily.”

Marcus’s eyes widened. “I don’t have an update about your niece, except...”

“What do you know?” she prodded.

“You told me your sister’s passport was missing.”

“Sophie’s has to be missing, as well.”

“We checked airline manifest lists since her father lives in France.” Hands clenched at her sides, she waited for him to continue. “Both passports were used to fly to Paris. A woman and a little girl, presumably your niece.”

A ball of emotion tangled inside Kate as she fought not to cry. “So Sophie’s in Paris?”

“That’s what we believe.”

Chad was AWOL... Sophie was missing...

Kate pressed her lips together, because at the moment, there only seemed to be one solution. No matter what Marcus O’Brian, with his perfect profile and piercing blue eyes, had said, she’d already made up her mind. There was only one person in her mind who had the answers. She needed to talk to Chad. Even if that meant flying to Paris and finding Chad herself.

TWO

At nine twenty-nine Wednesday morning, Central European time, Kate was already second-guessing herself and wondering—not for the first time—if flying halfway around the world had been a sane decision.

She clutched the strap of her pink tote bag and pressed through the crowded promenade running parallel to the famous Champs Elysées. Lined with boutiques, chic restaurants and fancy storefronts, it was exactly how she’d imagined Paris. But after thirteen hours of travel, two planes, the RER train into the city and a taxi, her decision seemed impulsive, even reckless. But what choice did she have? She needed answers. Needed to speak with Chad. Needed to find Sophie. Careless or not, she was still convinced that coming to Paris had been her only option. Chad was the key to finding Sophie.