Carly had seen the shotgun in her father’s grip at the range hundreds of times. Bill had believed that if a man kept a gun in his house, every person who lived there needed to be comfortable and safe with the weapon. She and her siblings had grown up shooting targets and clay pigeons, but she’d never seen the gun in her mother’s hands. Her mother was a small woman, and the long Winchester looked like an elephant gun against her shoulder. But as a woman born and raised in the country, Patsy handled the weapon just as deftly as she’d worked pie dough that morning, and her eyes were as cool as the winter wind blowing through the front door.
Her mother was the sweetest woman on earth, but one did not threaten Patsy Taylor’s family.
The man froze, featureless and terrifying in a ski mask and black knit hat. The gun was at his thigh, pointed at the floor.
“I am giving you this choice once.” Patsy’s voice was as level and solid as her aim. “Put that gun on the floor or I will shoot you.”
He hesitated.
“Your choice,” Patsy said. “Carly, cover the girls’ eyes.”
The front door of Patsy’s house was wide open.
Icy fear solidified in Seth’s gut as the cruiser stopped. “Something’s wrong.”
“Maybe they had their hands full and didn’t get the door closed yet,” Phil said.
“Maybe.” But that explanation didn’t feel right. “It’s bone-cold out here. Call it in.” Though by the time backup arrived, whatever was going to happen here would likely be over and done.
Drawing his weapon, Seth got out of the car. After updating dispatch on the radio, Phil mirrored him on the other side of the vehicle. They walked toward the house, staying out of the line of sight of the gaping door. They flanked the entry. Seth peered around the doorframe.
Patsy stood in the hall, facing the kitchen at the back of the house. Bill’s big Winchester looked like a cannon in her arms.
“You keep backing up,” she commanded.
Arms raised, the intruder took a slow step backward into the dark kitchen.
“It’s Seth. I’m behind you, Patsy,” Seth called out as he moved down the hall. As he passed the doorway on his right, he scanned the trashed living room.
A door slammed at the back of the house. His mother-in-law lowered the weapon and let the barrel tip toward the floor. Seth sprinted down the hall and raced out the back door. A dark figure was halfway across the meadow. Seth bolted after him, fury fueling his legs to pump faster. He was gaining distance when the man hit the woods. A few seconds later, the high-pitched whine of a dirt bike split the cold air. Seth slowed his stride as the sound faded. He was fast, but he couldn’t outrun a motorcycle.
He veered off to check the guest cabin he shared with Carly, but it hadn’t been searched. Seth turned back toward the house and jogged across the hard ground. Phil met him on the deck. The air felt hot on Seth’s chilled face as he went through the back door. Or maybe it was pure rage heating his skin.
Someone had broken into the Taylor house and threatened his family. Seth wanted to kill him with his bare hands. He hurried into the living room. Carly had the baby over her shoulder and was hugging Brianna close with her other arm. As soon as Brianna spotted Seth, she detached from Carly and ran to him. He lifted her into his arm and held her tight.
“I was.” Sniff. “So scared,” Brianna said between gasps for air.
Seth heart broke. “You’re safe, baby. Everything’s all right.” Seth was going to find the man who’d frightened his baby and make him very sorry.
Patsy was talking to Phil. She broke the shotgun and plucked out the shell.
“Are you okay?” he asked Carly.
She nodded, but her face was pale as ice. She walked to him. Her hands were full of sleeping toddler, but she pressed her face into his shoulder. He wrapped his free arm around her and absorbed the feel of her body against him. Everyone was fine, but he’d been at enough violent crime scenes that he could envision a dozen ways the situation could have ended badly.
His family could have been hurt and it would have been Seth’s fault. He’d brought them into this case when he called Carly to take Amber Lynn’s baby.
Rage and frustration stampeded through Seth. This had to be tied to Amber Lynn’s death. Robbers didn’t randomly target houses in the middle of freaking nowhere. The Taylors weren’t a wealthy family. They didn’t keep large amounts of cash on hand. Patsy didn’t own expensive jewelry. They were simple people.
Whoever had broken into the house had been looking for something specific. But what? His gaze landed on Charlotte. The only thing that tied his case to tonight’s break-in was the child. What could a toddler possibly have to do with her mother’s murder?
Hours later they had no additional clues. A patrol car had been sent to find Bob, but he wasn’t at Fletcher’s or his house. Phil issued a BOLO on the bar owner. There was still no sign of Travis. Seth had patrol actively looking for him. Leaving an armed Stevie with Patsy, Seth and Carly brought the two kids to their little house across the meadow. Patsy hadn’t argued when Carly had offered to take the baby. Brianna had finally fallen asleep on Seth’s shoulder. He laid her in the middle of their king-size bed, then locked the doors and set up the portable crib in their bedroom.
Carly tucked the baby into the crib.
“I can’t believe she slept through the whole thing,” she whispered.
“Amazing,” he agreed.
Carly changed into pajamas, brushed her teeth, and crawled into bed with Brianna. Seth stretched out fully dressed and armed on his daughter’s other side. There was no way he’d be able to close his eyes. Tonight he’d keep watch over his family.
CHAPTER TEN
Following the sound of a wailing toddler, Carly hurried into the tiny kitchen of the cabin. She reached for the baby on Seth’s hip. “Has she been crying long?”
“Mamamama,” the baby cried.
Seth handed her over. “No, but she’s definitely missing Amber Lynn.”
Carly patted the sobbing baby’s back, the little body stiff in her arms. “Thanks for holding her while I showered. I forgot how impossible it is to get anything done with a toddler in the house.”
They’d moved into the cabin the previous winter, and all their baby paraphernalia was in storage in the back of the barn.
“I’m sorry I have to go to work.” Seth rubbed the baby’s chubby arm.
Carly bounced to soothe the baby. “It’s fine. I understand.”
“I wish I could give the case to someone else.” Seth obviously hadn’t slept at all last night. His eyes were shadowed, the lines around them more pronounced. He raised his coffee to his lips and drained the cup.
“Seth, I know we pledged to put our family first, but there will be times when you have to do your job. I’m sure it will happen to me too. You have to catch whoever broke into my mother’s house, to keep us safe.” Carly lifted the hem of her sweater so he could see the handgun strapped in the holster behind her hip. “And as my mother demonstrated last night, we Taylor women can hold our own. I’m carrying my gun until you catch whoever broke in.”
But the gun didn’t make her feel as safe as she’d like. As she’d learned last night, protecting the children was a two-woman job. They should all be safe enough in the crowd this afternoon, but Carly’s nerves were still humming.
“Your mother was pretty spectacular,” Seth said, grinning.
“She was.”
He sobered. “I promised Brianna we’d take her to see Santa together, and I intend to make good on that. I’ll meet you at the firehouse around noon.”
“That’ll make Brianna very happy,” Carly said.
All the kids in town lined up to see Santa on Christmas Eve. It was a Solitude tradition that Seth and Carly had never missed with their daughter.
Carly cupped Seth’s jaw. “I love you.”
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“Back atcha.” Seth wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. His green eyes were filled with worry. “Is someone staying with your mom today? She shouldn’t be alone here right now.”
“Nell and a few other women from town will be here in an hour to help get the house sorted out. Debra is coming to finish the prep for Christmas brunch.” Because not even a break-in would keep Patsy from delivering all her children’s favorite holiday dishes. “Stevie is coming at noon to shuttle her to the hospital to visit Bruce.”
“How is he?”
“I texted with him an hour ago. He wants to come home, but the doctor is keeping him one more night. The nurse who connected me to his room said he was in a lot of pain.” Carly was sure every inch of her brother hurt this morning, especially his heart.
“Be careful.” Seth kissed her and left.
“Where did Daddy go?” Brianna stood in the doorway. Her hair hung in a knotted tangle to her shoulders.
“He had to go to work.” Carly smiled. “How about some French toast?”
The little girl nodded.
“Get dressed while I make breakfast,” Carly said. “And later we’ll go see Santa.”
Brianna brightened. “Is Daddy coming?”
Carly hesitated. Seth had said he’d be there, but who knew what would come up during his day? He was chasing a killer. “He’ll do his best.”
“But he promised.” Brianna’s voice rose to a whiny pitch that made Carly’s teeth ache. But she could hardly expect the best behavior from a child who’d gotten only half her usual amount of sleep. A nap for Brianna went on Carly’s mental schedule, right after the trip to see Santa.
Carly dragged the portable crib into the main room to use as a playpen. Her cabin was not babyproofed. It took her a ridiculous number of hours to feed, wash, and dress the two girls. By the time she had them ready, they were hungry again. Charlotte definitely did not like being confined, and her repeated cries for her mother cracked Carly’s heart. Lacking appropriate baby toys, she handed her a wooden spoon and a pot, then showed her how to play drum. An hour later her head felt like a gong and she regretted her choice of impromptu toddler entertainment.
Carly tucked both kids into winter coats and hats, then checked the supplies in the diaper bag.
“We’re going to be late, Mama.” Brianna propped her hands on her hips.
“No, honey. Santa will be at the firehouse all day.” Carly shrugged into her parka and tugged the hem over her gun. Between her heavy sweater and her down coat, the weapon was invisible.
Finally Carly loaded both kids into the Jeep. After tossing the diaper bag behind the seat with her purse, she drove into town.
“Did Daddy call?” Brianna asked.
“No, sweetheart.” Carly handed her phone over the seat to her daughter. “Why don’t you call him?”
“Daddy?” Excitement raised Brianna’s voice as she talked to Seth.
Charlotte babbled in a singsong voice from the backseat. Grateful that the baby wasn’t crying, Carly turned down Main Street. Wreaths decorated streetlamps. Lights and garlands were strung across the road. The plate glass window of the Dairy Queen had been painted with images of Santa, his sleigh, and all nine reindeer. Carly spotted James walking down the sidewalk with Donald the pharmacist/realtor and Andrew, the potential buyer of the O’Rourke resort. James was working hard to make the sale of the O’Rourke property happen. Too many people were out of work in Solitude, and the business was sorely needed.
Carly cruised past the firehouse but didn’t see any parking spots.
“Mama, Daddy says he’s almost here,” Brianna said from the backseat. “Daddy, there’s the puppet show!” she squealed.
Charlotte clapped and emitted an ear-piercingly happy shriek in response.
The Rotary Club had put up the usual hot cocoa booth and puppet show to entertain the kids while they waited in line. Scanning the curb for parking spots, Carly turned down a side street. Everyone was here to see Santa today. She stopped at an intersection.
“Mama,” Brianna said. “Daddy wants to know where we are.”
With his official vehicle, Seth could park behind the firehouse.
“Tell him Third Street,” Carly said to her daughter’s reflection in the rearview mirror. She spotted an empty space at the curb and glided the car into it. She eased closer to the bumper of a minivan.
Something tapped on her window. Carly turned, and her heart stopped.
A man pointed a gun though her passenger window. “Get out of the car.”
No. No. No. She couldn’t let anything happen to the children. Terrified, she froze.
“I said get out of the fucking car,” he screamed. From the tight distance, the muzzle of the gun looked huge.
Carly’s heart thudded against her sternum as she shifted into reverse. No matter what happened, she would not leave the children.
“Now!” He shifted his aim to point directly at Brianna.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Seth overheard Carly and Brianna’s conversation as he parked his cruiser behind the firehouse. “I’ll meet you on Third Street.”
“Daddy!” Brianna screamed over the phone. “There’s a man pointing a gun at Mama. He’s getting in the car.”
The call went dead, and Seth’s pulse stuttered. This couldn’t be happening. Rage and fear surged through his veins.
Blaring his horn, Seth backed out of the spot and turned the vehicle around. As he accelerated toward Third Street, he used his radio to call for backup. Then he called Zane at the Solitude PD for help. “I think Carly was carjacked.”
Seth explained in a few sentences as he turned onto Third Street.
Damn it. Where was she?
He put his phone on speaker and used his app to find Carly’s cell. “Zane, she’s headed north on Third Street. She just crossed Oak.”
Seth followed the blinking light on his phone’s display. At the edge of town she turned onto a narrow road that led to a park. After driving through a bend in the road, the dot stopped in a green area by the river. Seth slowed as he made the turn. Woods shielded his car from sight. The road ahead curved, and Carly’s Jeep hadn’t moved on the map. Had she stopped? Was she all right? He parked behind the trees and gave Zane his location.
Drawing his gun, he got out of the vehicle and approached. The Jeep was parked under a big pine. The car door opened and Carly got out. Lifting her hands in the air, she moved away from the vehicle.
A man got out of the passenger seat, his gun aimed at Carly.
Travis White.
Seth’s finger twitched. He wanted to shoot him, but Carly was between them.
Travis was holding Carly’s black purse in his free hand. He dumped the contents on the hood of the Jeep. Fishing though the pile, he shouted, “Where is it?”
“Where is what?” Carly asked.
“The fucking bag. I want Amber’s fucking bag.”
Seth could hear the baby crying through the closed doors of the Jeep. But at least the gun was away from the kids. Seth approached in a crouch. Hiding behind a tree, he waited. All he needed was a clear shot. Then Seth was taking him down. He eased closer, using the underbrush for cover, but it didn’t seem possible to circle around so he’d have an open line between him and Travis. Seth was out of underbrush. The rest of the area was open space.
How fast could he cover the ground between him and Travis? Not faster than a bullet. He’d risk his own life to save his wife in a heartbeat, but what if Travis shot Carly instead? Charging him wasn’t the right move.
“I don’t know,” Carly said. She stepped sideways, obviously trying to draw Travis away from the car. “Didn’t she have her purse with her?”
“Not her purse. The bag that she kept the baby stuff in. It’s black like this one,” Travis screamed as he pointed to Carly’s purse with his
damaged hand. In the other he waved his gun, still aimed directly at Carly.
What to do? Seth scanned the surroundings. He needed to distract Travis.
Hoping to draw Travis’s focus away from Carly and the kids, Seth stepped out into the open. “Put down your gun, Travis. You can’t get away.”
“Fuck me.” Travis looked around Carly’s body to see Seth. “I’ll kill her.”
“You don’t want to do that, Travis. You’re in enough trouble already. If you kill anybody, you’ll never see the outside world again. You’ll spend the rest of your life in prison.” If Seth took three steps to his right, he’d have a shot. He eased over.
“Stop!” Travis screamed, his gaze darting back and forth between Carly and Seth. “Don’t move. I swear I’ll kill those kids if you take one more step.” His hand moved, arcing toward the vehicle.
Seth saw the scene in slow motion. Sickness rose in his gut as the barrel of the gun swung toward the children. Desperate for a clean shot, he lunged sideways. He landed on one knee and steadied his aim on Travis.
Carly drew her handgun from under her coat and fired. The shot echoed in the cold woods. Travis dropped the gun and crumpled, one hand pressed to his thigh. Seth raced past his wife and took Travis to the ground. Relief swept through him as he handcuffed Travis and rolled him to his back.
“Are you okay?” Seth called to Carly.
“Yes,” she said in a shaky voice as she moved toward the Jeep. Seth could hear her consoling the children as she crawled into the backseat. “It’s all right. You’re safe.”
Thanks to her. Pride welled up inside Seth. His wife was one of a kind.
Zane pulled up and got out of his police vehicle. He brought the first aid kit from his trunk and applied pressure to the bullet wound on Travis’s leg. “Paramedics are on the way.”
Tracks of Her Tears Page 8