Kidnapped by Dee Henderson Read Free Book Online

late to troublingly late. Caroline punched in Sharon’s car phone number again, listening to it ring as she walked through the condominium. Surely if the phone were dead it would be a fast busy signal instead of this constant ringing.
    Caroline pulled out the chair and sat at Mark’s desk. She looked at names on the pad of paper. She’d started writing the list an hour ago as a way to control her worry. She couldn’t wait and wonder any longer; she had to know.
    She dialed Mark’s car phone again, and finally hung up after twenty rings. He wasn’t near his car phone, and his cell phone was either out of range or the battery was dead. Mark would walk through that door any minute and he’d know what was best to do. He probably assumed Sharon and Benjamin were already here. He had no reason to suspect otherwise and was himself only half an hour late from his tentative arrival time.
    Caroline knew she tended to see a problem where there was none; ample personal history testified to that. But this late—it was trouble. She took a deep breath and dialed the Benton sheriff’s office, hoping Linda was working tonight. She had taught the lady’s two girls last year.
    She asked for the dispatcher and was forwarded. “Linda, I’m so glad you’re working tonight. Sharon and Benjamin are late, and I’m a bit worried about them. They were driving into Atlanta tonight. Have there been any reported car accidents on I-20?”
    â€œNothing but an overheated engine, and it was a tourist from Kansas. Sharon hasn’t called?”
    â€œNo. And the hospital hasn’t received an answer to their page to her either.”
    â€œThat is odd. I know Lewis is on patrol along I-20 between Benton and Sandy Hill. Sharon is driving her car?”
    â€œYes.”
    â€œI’ll punch up the DMV records for the license plate info and have Lewis keep a lookout for her car.”
    â€œThanks, Linda. I’m at Mark’s condo if you hear anything. I really appreciate it.”
    Caroline hung up and looked again at her list. No matter what scenario she scripted, it didn’t end in silence. There had to be a way to somehow get in touch with Mark. His Benton office automatically transferred to an answering machine with a message about being closed for Labor Day.
    Feeling like she was prying into private matters, she opened drawers in Mark’s desk until she found a personal address book. She started turning pages, looking for the home phone number of one of his partners.
    â€œMr. Jenson, it’s Caroline Lane. I’m looking for Mark Falcon. Do you know what house he was looking at tonight, or how I might be able to reach him?”
    â€œHe’s not in Atlanta?”
    â€œNo, and I can’t raise him on the phone. It’s pretty urgent.”
    â€œHe left the house about five thirty after we figured out a problem with the skylight. He mentioned he wanted to stop by the bank before closing and then needed to buy gas, but that should have taken only twenty minutes or so. He was in a hurry to get to Atlanta.”
    â€œDo I have his phone numbers right?” She read them off her list.
    â€œYes. Let me try them from here. If I can’t raise him, I’ll make the drive back to the house and see if he had car trouble or something.”
    â€œI’m sorry to interrupt your evening, but I really appreciate it.”
    â€œIt’s no problem.”
    Caroline looked at her list again. She was running out of options. Sharon and Benjamin were somewhere unreachable. Mark couldn’t be found.
    She taught fifth graders. She knew that Murphy’s Law often happened. Their phone had been accidentally left on and the batteries were dead . . . They had remembered something left behind and went back to the house . . . There had been car trouble . . .
    Mark could have easily been delayed by a conversation at the bank over a construction