Lynette Eason - Missing

Just looking at the photo choked her throat and brought an overwhelming longing to wrap her arms around her girl.

Catelyn took the picture out and she felt Mason shift so he could see it. His gasp sent her heart thudding.

Mason felt the breath leave him.

He no longer wondered if Bethany was his. A feminine version of himself smiled back at him. A full-body shot, the picture showed a girl who was tall and lanky, with reddish-blond hair and vivid blue eyes. She was beautiful. He could see some of her mother in her, too, like the light dusting of freckles across her nose and the shape of her face, but there was no doubt she was his.

Somehow having that confirmed made it all the more real.

He had a daughter. He wondered if she liked the same things as he did. What kind of talents did she have? What were her hobbies? What…

“Do I need to get flyers printed?” Lacey’s shaky voice dropped him into the present with a thud.

Joseph nodded. “It would probably be best. You’re new in town—or at least Bethany is—so it would help to have her face plastered on as many surfaces as possible.”

Mason saw Lacey swallow hard. Her hand trembled as she took the picture back. Her eyes lingered on the photo before returning it to her purse.

“All right,” Catelyn said. “Here’s the game plan. Lacey, you said the last person to see Bethany was probably Georgia Boyles. She’s who we need to start with.”

Mason glanced at the wall clock. “Summer school’s almost over. If we get over there within the next thirty minutes, we can catch her.” He looked at Lacey. “Does she walk, drive or ride the bus?”

“She drives. A blue Mustang, I think.”

Joseph blew out a breath. “All right. I’ll work on things from this end.” He looked at Mason. “You and Catelyn can work the field if you’re willing.”

“Oh, I’m willing.” He was more than willing. In fact, no one had better try to stop him.

And if the look on Lacey’s face was any indication, she wasn’t going to be left behind, either. Her arguments with Catelyn proved him right. “I’m going.” Her jaw jutted and she narrowed her eyes. “I’ll just follow you, if you won’t let me go.”

Catelyn sighed. “I could have you arrested for obstruction.”

At this, Lacey’s throat bobbed. “Then I’ll post bail and keep going.” She sighed. “Look, I promise I won’t be in the way. I just have to do this.”

“Don’t you have a job?”

“Yes, but I’ve already called and requested some time off. Finding Bethany is all that matters. I have my cell phone. If she calls, she’ll call that.”

Catelyn finally gave in, albeit grudgingly, and the three of them headed for their cars. Mason didn’t want to leave his vehicle behind so Catelyn drove separately. Lacey rode with him. Interesting—he’d have thought she’d have taken the opportunity to put some space between them and climbed in with Catelyn.

Then again, she had come to him for help. To find her daughter. His daughter. He was having a hard time wrapping his mind around the fact, but the picture cinched it for him. Bethany was his.

Mason followed Catelyn to the high school. As it came into view, memories he thought he’d buried hit him. Hard.

He pulled into the office parking lot and turned off the engine. Lacey bolted from the vehicle as though she couldn’t get out fast enough. She must have been flooded with the same memories.

Then she paused, her eyes locked on something in the distance.

“What is it?” he asked.

“Across the street, there’s a photo shop. If I hurry, I could get some flyers printed and get back to hang them around the high school before the bell rings.”

“That might be a good idea.”

She fixed him with a determined stare. “But you’ll tell me everything Georgia tells you?”

“Everything. I promise.”

She nodded. “All right. I’ll try to be back within thirty minutes.”

“I’ve got my cell phone. Just call and I’ll tell you where we are. You want a ride?”

“No, it’s not that far.”

He shrugged. “All right. If we get done before you’re ready, I’ll pick you up at the shop.”

She nodded and her gaze softened as she opened her mouth to say something else. She must have thought twice about it because she snapped her lips together, turned on her heel and headed across the street for the photo shop.

Lacey wanted to hurry. She wanted to get back and find out what Georgia had to say about Bethany. But she knew the faster she got these flyers printed, the faster she’d have Bethany’s face plastered around the city. And beyond if necessary.

She pushed open the glass door that had enough flyers taped on it to wallpaper her bathroom and entered the store. She jumped when the bell rang to announce her presence. A clerk who looked to be in his mid-fifties and needing a shave came to the counter. “Can I help you?”

“I need to print some flyers. My daughter is missing and I need to get the flyers put up as soon as possible.” She pulled the picture out and handed it to him.

He frowned down at Bethany’s picture. “I’m sure sorry to hear that. I’ll be glad to get these printed. You want to add her name and a contact phone number on here?”

Of course, why hadn’t she thought of that? She was so frazzled! “Um, yes. That would be great.”

Get it together, Lacey, Bethany’s counting on you.

“Won’t take me a minute to scan it into the computer, add the information and then get everything printed up. I’ll do it as a rush job for you.”

Lacey felt tears mist her eyes. “Thanks, I appreciate that.”

She gave him the information to add to the flyers and while the clerk went to work in the back room, she paced back and forth in front of the counter, thinking of the different locations she could put the flyers. Locations that offered the best traffic where the most people would see it.

A shadow passed by the door and she turned, expecting to see someone enter.

No one did.

She went back to her pacing.

Again, movement by the glass door caught her attention. Strange movement, like someone bobbing up and down.

Thinking someone needed help opening the heavy door, she walked over to it, and pulled it open. No one was there.

Huh, that’s odd.

Just to make sure, she stepped outside to look to the right.

Nothing.

As she looked to the left, something slammed into her lower back propelling her against the wall. The breath left her so fast, she couldn’t even scream. In shock, she felt her face scrape the side of the building.

Before she could gather her stunned wits, a voice whispered in her ear, “She’s mine now and you’ll never find her.”

Fear careened through her and she struggled to turn around on legs that felt like jelly. Her face burned and her back felt bruised.

The blue sky turned dark and for a moment she was afraid she would pass out.

Running footsteps echoed back to her, mocking her, letting her know she was helpless. With a frustrated and angry cry, she slid down the wall to sit on the ground and weep for her lost child.

Mason ground his teeth in frustration at Georgia’s refusal to cooperate. The fact that she even had to attend the summer session due to a flunking grade in English had already spiked her attitude. Being questioned about a wreck she claimed to have nothing to do with sent it skyrocketing.

Her wide gray eyes flicked back and forth between the three adults staring at her. Her lips clamped together in a tight snarl. Mason thought they might need a blowtorch to pry them apart.

The principal had asked to stay in the room. Since Georgia was over fourteen, they didn’t need parental permission to question the girl although they had given her mother a courtesy call.