Love Inspired Suspense May 2015 - Box Set 1 of 2: Trail of Evidence\Gone Missing\Lethal Exposure (10 page)

“Unfortunately, there's no way to tell.”

Jonas nodded. He shoved out of the vest and set it on one of the waiting room chairs. “Claire, why don't you go on home? I'll take care of the rest of the day.”

His assistant glanced at the clock. “Not much day left anyway. I'll see you tomorrow?”

He hesitated. “Call before you come, all right?”

She frowned then shrugged. “Sure.” She left with a wave.

Nicholas and Chase pulled Brooke to the side and another intense conversation ensued. Jonas figured Felix had had enough time to cool off and went to find him. His heart ached at his son's pain and he had to fix it. Not that he really believed he could actually “fix” it, but he had to try and do
something.
Convince him that going to a safe house wasn't an act of punishment, but an act of love. Brooke had told him he was a good dad. Now he needed to put those words into action and stand firm in his decision.

He glanced in at the two cots that formed an L-shape. His under the window, Felix's on the adjoining wall. No Felix. With a frown, he looked to the bathroom. The door was cracked. “Felix?” He crossed the room and peeked in the bathroom. “Hey, where are you?”

When he didn't get an answer, he opened the door to expose the whole bath area. Shower to the right, sink straight ahead, toilet and linen closet area to the left.

But no sign of his son.

Panic started to creep in, but before letting it grow further, Jonas wanted to check the rest of the building. He started with the exam rooms, then his office, the storage area and out through the swinging door connected to the kennel. Nothing.

He froze, his brain spinning. He turned to the door that led out to the back and found it unlocked.

He never left it unlocked.

A wave of nausea swept over him.

Felix was gone.

TWELVE

“F
elix is gone,” Jonas said from behind her. Brooke spun to find him standing in the doorway that led from the back.

“What?”

“He's gone.” He rubbed a hand over his face, his weariness palpable.

“There's no way anyone could have taken him,” Brooke said.

Jonas shook his head. “I don't think anyone took him. I think he left on his own. I'm pretty sure he slipped out the back door.”

“That door doesn't sound the alarm when opened?”

“Not if the alarm is cut off. Felix knows the code.”

She looked at Chase, who bolted for the door. Nicholas spoke rapidly on the phone, then hung up and followed after Chase.

“We'll search around here, you start calling friends,” Chase said. He shut the door behind him.

Brooke snapped her gaze to Mercy who lay near a line of waiting room chairs. “She's not a search and rescue dog, but she's had some training. I'll see if she can pick up his scent.”

“Felix slept on the cot in the back last night, the one on the left as you walk in the room.”

“Good. Mercy, heel.” The dog leapt to her feet and rushed over to plant herself at Brooke's side. Brooke led the way to the back with Jonas and Mercy at her side. In the room, she stopped at the cot, snagged the pillow and held it to Mercy's nose. “Find him, girl.” The dog sniffed, nudged it and sniffed again. Then her nose went to the floor, back into the air. She darted out of the bedroom, down the hall and to the back door.

Brooke pushed it open. Mercy darted out. Her nose quivering, she led them to the edge of the property that backed up to another building. Here she stopped, whined, sniffed the ground, tested the air then sat. “She lost the scent.”

“What does that mean?”

“Felix could have gotten into a car. Do any of his friends drive?”

“None that I know of. He's thirteen. If he's got older friends, they'd be from school and I don't know about them.” He paused. “Actually, some of the guys on the track team drive, but he doesn't hang out with them.”

“That you know of.”

“Yes.” He paced three steps then back. “What if he was picked up by the people after him? What if they were watching, just waiting for a chance to grab him?”

Brooke hated that he voiced her thoughts. She'd been hoping he wouldn't think about that. “Let's just pray he contacts you soon or that we find him.” She looked around. “Your security cameras won't reach this far, will they?”

“No.”

Brooke led Mercy back to the office and let her inside. “We need to find him,” Brooke said to Jonas. “Would you call the friend he was with the night someone broke in?”

“Of course.” He reached for his phone, his face pale, jaw tight. She figured he might be experiencing a wide range of emotions. Anger for Felix for leaving, fear his decision would result in tragic consequences. Indecision about what to do next.

Brooke frowned and set out a bowl of water for Mercy. The dog lapped it up.

While Jonas spoke on his phone, Brooke called the local PD and requested a BOLO be issued. It was a long shot, but sometimes they got good response from a Be On the Lookout order. She snapped a picture of the framed photo on Jonas's desk. Felix stared at the camera, a half smile on his lips as if he had secrets to share, but wasn't interested in doing so. She sent that to Fiona. “Get this to all the officers and tell them to be on the lookout for him, will you?”

“Consider it done.” Fiona disconnected without bothering to say goodbye.

Jonas hung up and shook his head. “They haven't seen him.”

“Can you think of where else he would he go?”

“No. I don't know.” He started his pacing again, from one end of the office to the other. “I can't think. Travis is the only friend he really hangs out with. They're on the track team together and while he and the rest of his teammates get along, they don't do much together. He has some acquaintances from the youth group, but he's not close enough to any of them to go to one of their houses. At least I don't think so.” Guilt flashed across his features and he came to a stop in front of her. “And that's my fault. The lack of friends at church.”

“Don't go much?”

“No. Not much.”

“We need to call them anyway, just to be sure.” He nodded. She remembered his strong faith back when they worked together at the kennel and the fact that he always said the blessing before meals. His faith wasn't totally gone. “What happened?”

He gave her a sad smile and a shrug. “Life.” He clasped his hands between his knees and looked down. “I think I need to reassess that, though. Make God a priority in my life again.” He looked up. “And not just because trouble has found its way into my house. I've actually been thinking about it for a while, feeling...convicted might be the right word.”

“I understand that.” And she did. She struggled every day with questions for God. Some she asked, some she ignored. Some were just too painful. But she refused to shove Him aside, instead choosing to believe His promises that He had a plan for her future. If she didn't believe that, she wouldn't be able to function on a daily basis. But that didn't mean she couldn't understand what Jonas was saying. Feeling.

“Only now I may have waited too long and Felix is going to suffer the consequences,” he said.

“I don't think God works that way. Felix isn't in trouble because you put God on the back burner. He's in trouble because of his choices—and the choices of those after him.”

Jonas looked thoughtful and worried all at the same time. “Yes, I know you're right. It's hard not to let those thoughts intrude, though.”

Jonas stayed quiet, then pulled his phone from his pocket. “I'll call the school and ask the principal to get a list of any older kids that Felix has been seen hanging around with.”

Before he could punch in the number, Nicholas opened the front door and stepped inside. Jonas hesitated, waiting, his eyes hopeful. “Anything?”

“Nothing.”

Chase brought up the rear and shut the door behind him. “We took the car and searched up and down the road. No sign of him, I'm sorry.”

Jonas slumped against the wall and stared at his feet.

“Hey, do you need to sit down?” Brooke asked.

He lifted his head, his eyes weary, face drawn. “No. I need to find my son.”

“We'll find him, Jonas.” She stepped forward and rested a hand on his arm. “Chase, could you call the school and get any information about students Felix may have hung around with who have cars?”

“Of course.” Chase stepped outside to make the call.

“We've got to have more coverage on this place,” she said to Nicholas while Jonas held the phone to his ear and paced the floor. He went to the window every other pace and looked out only to resume his going-nowhere journey of back and forth.

“You know as well as I do it's a manpower issue, not a willingness issue,” Nicholas said.

“I know that, but we're talking about people's lives. If this is related to Michael Jeffries and Rosa Gomez's deaths and the congressman's shooting, then we know they won't hesitate to do whatever it takes to get rid of them. The thug who is after them has already set fire to a children's home, Nicholas. He's desperate.” She paused. “Or just has no conscience. Or both.”

“I know that,” Nicholas said, “but we're going to have to get Gavin's, maybe even Margaret's, clearance on it.” He ran a hand through his blond hair. “That phone call I got before we went to look for Felix was from Harland Jeffries. He's ready to talk to us first thing in the morning.”

She noticed Jonas had hung up and was listening in. “I'll have to go, Jonas,” she said.

“Of course you will. You can't babysit me 24/7.”

“I don't consider it babysitting,” she said and frowned. She didn't want him to think she felt obligated. “I care about you. I want to make sure you're safe.” His eyes warmed and he cleared his throat but didn't look away from her. She was the first to drop her gaze as heat started to rise from the base of her neck. She could almost see Nicholas's amusement at her discomfort. That was fine. He could be entertained as long as he kept his mouth shut. “There will be cops all over this place, watching out for you and looking for Felix.”

He nodded then straightened as his eyes sharpened. “Wait a minute. Felix said he wanted to go home.”

“What?”

“Right before he walked out. He said he wanted to go home. What if he did?”

Brooke frowned and shot a look at Nicholas. “It's possible. You only live about a mile from here, right?”

Nicholas nodded. “Absolutely. Let's go.”

They made their way to the cars and headed to Jonas's house. Less than two minutes later, they pulled to the curb and climbed from the vehicles. Brooke placed a hand on Jonas's arm to keep him from bolting to the house. “Give me the keys and stay in the car, will you?”

“You think someone else might be in there besides Felix?”

“I don't want to take a chance.”

He fished the keys from his pocket and handed them over to her. “I don't like this,” he muttered. “I don't like it at all. You could get hurt. I should—”

“I have the training and the gun. It's better this way.”

He almost smiled through the tension and worry over his son—not to mention the fact that it appeared someone wanted him dead. “Right. But I'm staying behind you.”

She started to protest, saw the look on his face, the set of his jaw, and stopped. “Stay behind, close but not too close.”

He nodded. She walked up the front steps and handed the keys to Nicholas. She could hear the huge fans blowing on the inside. The restoration company had come and gone. She and Nicholas positioned themselves on either side of the door and had their weapons drawn. She could feel Jonas behind her. Still, tense, desperate to find Felix safe. Adrenaline pounded through her.
Please let him be here, God.

Nicholas unlocked the front door and twisted the knob. The door swung in. Brooke stepped over the threshold, weapon ready. The smell of smoke still hung in the air, but it wasn't overpowering. At least she could breathe. The foyer was clear. Nicholas stepped around her and headed up the stairs. Concerned, she watched him, knowing the roar of the fans would mask any sound an intruder might make. Then again, they would hide their arrival, too.

She looked to the left. To the right. Nothing so far. Jonas slipped inside and moved to stand with his back to the wall.

She waited for Nicholas's call as she moved into the kitchen. Neat, orderly, nothing disturbed. She backed out and moved into the den, noticing Jonas still in the same place, hands clenched, a muscle in his jaw jumping.

In the den, the smell was stronger. Cleaning solution and old smoke. She ran a hand over the couch. Still slightly damp.

“Clear!”

“Clear!” Brooke echoed. “Did you find any evidence of Felix?” She shouted to be heard.

“No.” He came down the stairs. Brooke slid her weapon into her holster. “You?” he asked.

“No,” she sighed, worry ramping her pulse back up. “He's not here.”

“Nothing?” Jonas asked.

She turned to face him as he stepped into the den. “No. Sorry.”

He blew out a sigh and shook his head. “Okay, I'm staying here tonight.”

She frowned. “I don't know if that's such a great idea.”

“Felix wanted to come home. He may wait until nighttime to do that. I'm going to be here in case he does.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Fine, but you're not staying here alone.”

Nicholas rubbed a hand over his chin. “I've got him covered. I'll take the night shift.”

“Good,” Brooke said. “Because I think we may be dealing with more than one person. We've got Tommy's white-haired man with the gun and the person who broke into Jonas's house.”

“I agree. It's definitely more than one person.”

“And unfortunately, I don't think the people causing all of this trouble bother to sleep.”