Finding Amy by Carol Braswell Read Free Book Online Page A

with every passing car. Clear blue skies held no hint of clouds to threaten the forecast. Carson shoved his food around with his fork and stared out the window at the Wyoming country. The evergreens reminded him of the Piney Woods of East Texas; where huge oaks and towering pines grew. He wanted to go home and the sooner he completed this mission, the sooner that would happen. He pulled the cell phone from his jacket and dialed Stan.
    “Hello.” Carson sat up straight when he recognized Stan’s gruff voice.
    “Good morning Stan, this is Carson. I hope I’m not disturbing you but I can’t find Amy. Have you heard from her?” He knew his statements were running together but couldn’t control the anxiousness that had taken him over.
    The hesitation from the other end of the line worried Carson. He intended to fill Stan in on the trouble following Amy, but he didn’t want to do it over the phone. Before he could insist on meeting Stan somewhere to talk, Stan answered, “She’s fine. Why don’t you drive out to my place and have coffee with me and Bess? We’re easy to find and I’ll fill you in on what’s going on when you get here.”
    Carson breathed a sigh of relief. “That sounds good. Give me the directions.” Grabbing the pen in his shirt pocket, he wrote the directions on a napkin.
    Fifteen minutes later, Carson eased his dually down the winding drive to the log home. The front door swung open and Stan stepped out on the covered porch. Carson wiped his boots on the welcome mat and followed Stan through the house to the kitchen. Removing his Stetson, Carson held it with both hands.
    “Hi Bess .” He greeted Stan’s dark haired girlfriend who stood at the kitchen sink pouring another cup of coffee.
    She smiled. “Have a seat , Carson.” She set the cup in front of him and took a seat.
    Carson set his hat in an empty chair and joined Stan at the table. “Where is she?”
    “Amy left town for a f ew days. She’ll be back Tuesday,” Stan stated and poured cream in his cup.
    After sipping the steaming hot coffee, Carson said, “I went by her apartment. What happened?”
    Stan leaned against the back of the chair. “Someone broke in. She didn’t find anything missing, but her nerves weren’t in the best condition to do a thorough search. She’ll check it out closer when she returns. We made her come out here and spend the night.”
    “Did she file a police report?”
    Stan shook his head. “She refused.”
    Carson hung his head. He knew why she wouldn’t file a report. Reaching for his wallet, Carson produced his ranger badge and identification. “Stan I’m a Texas Ranger and have come to Wyoming to find Amy and her sister. They are both in grave danger and I need to get them back to Texas and in protective custody as soon as possible. If you have any idea where she may have gone, I need to know.”
    Bess gasped. Stan took the ID and badge to examine. Handing them back to Carson, he stood and paced back and forth in front of the glass doors. “I knew it. I never believed that story about an old boyfriend.” He paused and rested his hands on the back of an empty chair. “What kind of trouble are they in?”
    Carson rubbed his jaw. “We believe Amy’s brother-in-law has sent someone to harm them.”
    “Like a hit man?” Stan yelled. “Damn.” He ran his hand over his face. “Let me think. She has taken several trips but never told me where she went. I have no idea.” He turned to Bess. “Did she ever confide in you?”
    Bess shook her head. “No. Never.”
    Carson felt sorry for Stan. He knew how it felt to have someone you care about in trouble and being powerless to help. “I believe she’s gone to see her sister. She mentioned a lake in Montana and I think that’s where her sister is living. Has she ever mentioned her sister?”
    Stan glanced at Bess again who shook her head. “Not to us. I didn’t even know she had a sister. Jesus. This is horrible. What can I do? I worked for