Don’t Keep Silent

by Don't Keep Silent (epub)

  “I’m so sorry.”

  Sam shrugged. “She was surrounded by father figures. And I won’t lie, a couple of stepfathers too. But a man became obsessed with her. He was one of our clients, actually. She couldn’t get him to leave her alone.”

  “And did you tell the police?”

  “Of course. What could they do? Nothing, really. Not until he actually hurt her, and then a spoiled wealthy type would lawyer up and make it all go away. Tawny left with my blessing. I had hoped that she wouldn’t be gone long. That she would come back. That we would keep in touch.” Sam’s eyes teared up. “Sometimes I’ve regretted telling her to disappear. Sometimes I wish . . . I wish I would have hired a hit man to get rid of him. It just isn’t right that she should have to lose so much. That I should have to lose her because he wanted something, someone he couldn’t have.”

  The woman’s passion and emotion washed over Rae in waves. She felt her pain to her core. There was a story there too. A way to make a difference.

  Sam’s eyes took on a distant look.

  “What’s the stalker’s name?” Rae asked.

  “Simon Astor.”

  Rae committed that name to memory. She could find him after she left Sam. Find him and also find out if the police were looking at him—he could have taken Zoey.

  Was it a stretch to think that Zoey had been taken by this Simon guy five years ago when she disappeared the first time? She’d left her home because of a stalker. Changed her name, the works. What if he’d found her again? After all, it had been easy enough to find Sam’s name on Zoey’s birth certificate. Astor could’ve had a resource like Reggie at his fingertips and found her if he’d wanted. Then, because he was obsessed, he abducted her.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me?” she asked.

  “I’ve told you everything.” Sam rose from the chair and moved to stare out her window again.

  Rae empathized with her. She could understand the woman drew strength from the scenery. But she also sensed that Sam was lying—she hadn’t told Rae everything and was intentionally holding back.

  Rae grabbed a pen and paper from her bag. She had everything except a business card inside, of course! “If you think of something else, please call me.” She wrote down her personal cell number for Sam.

  Sam moved from the window and reached over her desk to take the paper with Rae’s number. She stared at it, tapping one edge with a short but manicured nail. She glanced up at Rae, startling her again with the brilliant blue eyes. “Why should I call you instead of the police?”

  Rae arched a brow. “I didn’t say you should call me instead. You should tell the police everything. Offer up anything that can help them. I’m sure you understand why you should tell me as well.”

  Sam nodded, a knowing look in her eyes.

  “Like you,” Rae said, “I have a personal stake in this—she’s my sister-in-law and mother to my niece. My brother’s wife. My task lies in finding Zoey.”

  “What’s she like?” Samara set the paper on her desk.

  “Who?”

  “My granddaughter?”

  Sorrow squeezed Rae. The ache of unshed tears rose in her throat. “Callie is beautiful and wonderful. She’s special.”

  I’m so sorry you’ve been denied that relationship.

  “Special. The way you say it . . . how so?”

  “Callie is, well, she’s autistic. But not in the way people usually think. She isn’t afraid to look people in the eyes or to have anyone touch her. She’s too friendly.” But rigid and inflexible in other ways. “She has the most amazing, beautiful blonde curls. Big blue eyes like her mother’s and . . . her grandmother’s.”

  Tears shimmered again in Sam’s eyes as she nodded, a deep, painful frown lining her features. Maybe Sam had long ago prepared for the possibility she would one day hear news her daughter had met a tragic end. Rae was only beginning to understand Zoey’s escape from her past. She had reinvented herself to protect herself as well as her mother. All because of a dangerous stalker? Rae had a feeling much more was going on.

  “I hope you find my daughter. I hope someone finds her. And when they do, enough of this. I’m going to see her and be part of her life again. I can’t believe we’ve let Simon ruin our lives like this. But now it can finally be over if only Tawny is found alive.”

  “Do you think he could be involved in her disappearance?” Rae asked.

  Sam pinned Rae with her gaze. “Simon Astor is dead. The story made the news this week when his remains were discovered.”

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  From her vehicle, Rae watched the Mountain Valley Adventures facilities. What should she do now? Where should she go? She’d seen on the news the story about remains being identified and had all but forgotten about it. Those remains belonged to Zoey’s stalker, and now Rae’s theory had fallen apart. He couldn’t have been the one who took her two days ago, though admittedly that had been a loose theory.

  And now they had reached the forty-eight-hours mark.

  Oh, Zoey.

  How was Alan holding up? She should call him, but not yet. She needed something to give him hope. She needed to stay focused and keep working before she made that call, because she was sure that she would be down and out for the day after talking to him.

  Rae grabbed her camera and took a few snapshots of the place. The wide, flowing river, skirting patches of ice. The lofty mountains, their jagged peaks frosted in thick white icing.

  She heard the rotors long before she saw the helicopter swoop in and land on the helipad. A guy hopped out, then assisted others out of the helicopter and piled gear high on the helipad. Skiers sorted and grabbed their skis, bags, helmets, and more. The man she assumed was the guide left them and jogged toward the lodge. Rae took more pictures. She zoomed in on the guy before he disappeared inside the building.

  Then she put Sam’s home address into her GPS. Was it the same home where Zoey had grown up? A look at public records might give her that information, though she wasn’t sure it would be vital in her search for Zoey. She could wait and see what else Reggie came up with.

  Rae drove slowly down a winding path for a half mile, then found a large luxury log cabin tucked away deep in the woods. Samara Davidson must make a nice living from the heli-skiing business.

  Rae examined the GPS map to find what was public land versus what was private and steered along the narrow road until she found a shoulder to park on. She got out of the vehicle and took a few pictures of the home and the surrounding area. However, if she was going to hike in those woods, she’d need snowshoes. Good thing she’d thought ahead. A good camera and sturdy snowshoes were a must in the Rockies during the winter. She knew that much from living in Colorado. She got the snowshoes from the back of the car, strapped them onto her boots, and then slung her camera over her shoulder.

  Rae hiked into the forest to take pictures of the home from various angles. She didn’t expect to find Zoey at the home, but neither would she discount the possibility—she’d seen too much in her experience to be surprised.

  Just . . . be alive, Zoey. Somewhere.

  Rae took other pictures as well so anyone looking on would think she was a nature lover out for a walk. According to her GPS, the national forest surrounded Sam’s home. Public lands.

  When she was about fifty yards from the road, the sound of a vehicle drew her attention. Through the trees, she spotted a new Jeep driving up to the Davidson home. Zooming in on her camera, she caught the model—Grand Cherokee Trackhawk.

  The vehicle stopped on the circular drive in front of the house.

  Crouching behind a tree, she positioned herself with the camera. Okay, so she didn’t look like a nature lover out for a hike if anyone spotted her at this moment. Sam got out of the vehicle, followed by the guide from the last group. They entered the home.

  She’d mentioned that after Zoey’s father died, Zoey had a c
ouple of stepfathers, and then the male guides served as her father figures. Perhaps the two female guides Rae had seen in the brochure were like sisters or friends. Just one big happy family.

  Rae might need to schedule a heli-ski tour and see what she could learn from the guides, specifically this one who was close to Sam. Taking photographs of them wasn’t the best journalistic technique. But the code of conduct included situations where this kind of activity was justified. She wasn’t working for anyone and wasn’t officially an investigative reporter, and she promised her brother this wasn’t a story. Then why did she care about the code?

  She zoomed in. The curtains remained pulled back from the large windows. Sam stood near one window and stared out—just like she had at her office—only she was on her cell. While she spoke, her features contorted, and she lowered the mini blinds and probably pulled the curtains shut, too, for good measure.

  Who would she call after a visit from someone like Rae? Maybe it had nothing to do with Zoey’s disappearance. But Sam wanted to find her daughter. Rae had to believe that about the woman and that her story about their so-called estrangement involving a stalker was true. A story that Zoey hadn’t told Rae. Footfalls crunched in the deep snow behind her. If she kept perfectly still, maybe whoever was in the woods wouldn’t spot her.

  Oh. Right. Her big footprints would give her away. Plan B, then. She could stand up and resume taking pictures of the woods, but she sensed it was too late.

  Her pulse skyrocketed. She reached for the pepper spray and prepared to defend herself as she spotted the blue jeans bursting from the deep snow.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Rae aimed a can of pepper spray at him. He held up his palms in surrender, catching himself before he reacted according to his training and was much too aggressive. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  Her shoulders drooped. He was relieved she hadn’t sprayed him in the face.

  A full ten seconds passed as she regained her composure, pressing her hand against her rapidly rising and falling chest. “You scared me to death. You followed me?”

  “You’re outraged that I followed you? Look, didn’t you learn anything?”

  “I’m not facing off with drug dealers or human traffickers. This isn’t like that. It’s personal.”

  He looked forward to hearing about that. Not really. It could only mean trouble. “Let’s get out of here before whoever you’re watching sees us and calls the police.”

  He offered his hand and she took it. He practically pulled her to her feet. “Since when are you the kind of reporter who tries to see inside someone’s home?”

  “I know what you think about my methods.”

  “That I think this is a questionable endeavor? Well, then you’re right. Are you done taking pictures?”

  “Now that you’re here, sure, I’m done.”

  “Then let’s go.” Liam turned to walk back to the road, and Rae followed. He hoped their voices hadn’t carried. He didn’t want to draw attention to their proximity to the home in the woods.

  He almost smiled. He had to hand it to her—she was the most determined person he’d ever met.

  As they approached her rental, Rae hiked past him and stood next to the hatch at the back. She said nothing as she worked to remove her snowshoes, taking out her frustration on the equipment. Finally, she tossed the snowshoes in the back and slammed the hatch shut. “Okay, now you can tell me why you followed me.”

  “Because I had a feeling you were putting yourself in harm’s way again.”

  “I know I came looking for you earlier today, but I don’t need you to take a bullet for me this time.”

  No one ever planned for that. “I don’t know what you’re doing here, but I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  Again.

  “You didn’t seem interested in hearing my story earlier.” Rae stomped around to the door and opened it as if to get in and leave him standing there, but she leaned against the vehicle instead. “I don’t intend to get hurt. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do. I don’t need your help, after all.”

  “So you say now. You came to me and asked for my help.” This . . . this contentious exchange between them had never been their way before. Liam blamed himself—he didn’t want to let her get under his skin. He’d set the tone earlier and now Rae was continuing it.

  “And you told me in no uncertain terms to go away.” She blew out a breath, then a bird caught her gaze as it fluttered away in the branches above.

  Liam took in her blue-green eyes. As always, the shift in their color amazed him. They appeared greener now as the forest closed in and wrapped around her, framing her face. Her long neck stretched as she watched the bird. There was a time when he thought he couldn’t get enough of looking at Rae’s eyes. Of being with her. Even as they were both caught in the middle of a tough and dangerous investigation, he’d somehow fallen for her.

  That was then.

  This was now.

  “You’re right. I told you that,” said Liam. “But you’re not going away, are you? You’re here in my neck of the woods and you might not know this, but I’m not that big of a jerk.” Her eyes softened, and he felt that familiar kink in his heart. “I only act like I’m a big jerk.”

  That elicited a smile she so obviously fought, but then a chuckle escaped too. She straightened and composed herself before squinting and angling her head as if considering his words. “Okay. I didn’t mean to give you a hard time. But you gave me one earlier. I don’t have time to play games or act like I don’t need your help, because I do.” She shivered. “I’m freezing. Let’s go somewhere warm and I’ll tell you everything. Snow is beautiful on a postcard but not much fun to sit in while you’re on a stakeout.”

  “Is that what you call what you were doing?”

  “I hadn’t intended to stay long, so call it what you want, but you were right before.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “I should’ve been a private investigator. Except, well, I want to help the public, not individuals.” She got into her car. “I’ll follow you.”

  “Okay. I know the perfect place.”

  “Um . . . unless it’s on the road heading back to the Jackson Hole Mountain Ski Lodge where I’m staying, I might need to say no. I don’t want to get caught somewhere far from the lodge if it gets dark. I’m not that great at driving in this stuff at night.”

  “How did you get a room? The place would have been booked months out.”

  “I told the lodge I was going to write a story for World Tour. The marketing and publicity person there seemed impressed. As it turns out, they need extra publicity with the latest, greatest resort’s grand opening this season. I got a discounted rate. Go me.”

  “Wait. You work for World Tour?” Her deception hit him all wrong, but he had no right to throw stones. “The reporter extraordinaire, Rae Burke, daughter of Buckner Burke, working for something as lighthearted as a travel magazine?”

  “Don’t look at me like that, Liam. I am going to write that article for the magazine. I’m interviewing with them, and since I don’t have a lot of samples to give them on travel, they wanted to see this from me first.” She flashed a grin. “If I can dig up dirt, write exposés to take down organizations or just plain evil people any day of the week, surely I can write about”—she waved her hand around in the air—“something as frivolous as skiing in Jackson Hole. No problem.”

  He couldn’t wait to read it. “Okay. You convinced me. Now follow me back to your place.”

  A good half hour later, he parked his truck and Rae pulled in next to him. The red Suburban that had followed her into the parking lot slowed, and the driver watched her.

  The hair on the back of Liam’s neck prickled. Rae got out of her vehicle, and Liam climbed from his truck. He stepped in front of her, instinctively shielding her, and the vehicle sped away.

  “I t
hink someone might have followed you.”

  An image from the past flashed through his mind. Rae tied to that chair. Gagged. Her eyes wide with fear as Liam tried to free her, though he knew it was a trap set for him.

  He had gained access to a far-reaching trafficking organization. They suspected that an undercover cop had infiltrated, but no one in the organization knew he was the cop. Not until that moment when someone walked in to find Liam setting Rae free. Still, they didn’t know his true identity. They knew him as Liam Mercer.

  He took that dive then to catch the bullet meant for her.

  Rae sucked in a breath, drawing him back to the present.

  He had never wanted to see this woman again.

  So help him, God, he wanted to walk away from her now. But he’d experienced what could happen when it came to Rae’s determination. He knew he wouldn’t walk away.

  He’d prayed one simple prayer—that God would open a door for him to walk through, and look what happened.

  God, please don’t let this be a repeat.

  And it wouldn’t. He couldn’t let it be. Because what were the chances that he’d have to take another bullet for her when there were so many other ways to die?

  CHAPTER TEN

  Wednesday, 2:27 p.m.

  Jackson Hole Mountain Ski Lodge

  Rae’s pulse jumped. She searched the parking lot but didn’t see what had spooked Liam. “Please don’t scare me like that.”

  “I wouldn’t make it up.”

  Liam stood tall and intimidating. His shoulders were broad, and he sported a Jason Statham five-o’clock shadow even in the early afternoon. Wariness lingered in his eyes—only this time, he was suspicious not of her but of whoever he thought had followed them.