Kidnapped by Dee Henderson Read Free Book Online Page A

project. Or maybe Sharon and Mark had talked and changed their plans, intending to come into Atlanta together. Every scenario Caroline drew had someone calling to say they would be here late. She could start calling hospitals.
    Jesus, what do I do? Where are they?
    Caroline looked around Mark’s expensive home. She was so far out of her league in this place, for this problem. It was family. She couldn’t let it sit. I’m scared now.
    * * *
    â€œThis is going to be another dead end.” Luke shifted his hand on the steering wheel to hit the turn signal, taking the exit to get them off the highway and out of the bumper-to-bumper holiday traffic. The gas station off of I-20 had cars at every pump and two cars waiting in line.
    â€œOne of the leads will pan out eventually.” Jackie shuffled her paperwork and called to confirm their arrival with the coordinator assigning the leads.
    â€œMarsh beat us here.” The state cop car was parked to the east of the gas station office, taking the space between the advertisement for tire rotations and the flashing sign for cold sodas. Luke parked beside him and waited until Jackie got out of the car, then locked the doors. He walked past a long display of windshield washer fluid on sale this Labor Day weekend, breathing in gas fumes and stale coffee.
    Jackie held the door for him. “Come on.”
    â€œI’m relishing the fact this is about the thousandth gas station we’ve invaded in our lives and they all look remarkably the same, down to the gum you managed to step on and are now leaving in strings behind you as you walk.”
    Jackie looked down and studied the bottom of her right shoe. “Great. Why can’t people just take two more steps and toss the stuff in a trash can to begin with?” She scraped what she could off on the concrete step.
    Luke took hold of the door from her. “Ice. You can buy a fountain drink, pour it out because it’s going to taste horrible anyway, and use the ice to freeze that gum fragment off your shoe.”
    â€œDon’t smile like that, Falcon. I could have gone off duty a while ago and saved my favorite pair of shoes, you know.”
    â€œYou could have,” Luke agreed easily, knowing it was an idle threat. Getting Jackie off this search for some reason other than her kids’ soccer game or the fact her family was out of clean laundry wouldn’t happen. Jackie was married and loved it, but perish the criminal who thought that would give him a little breathing room.
    â€œI’m thinking you should just keep more shoes at the office now that you’ll have a huge new office to clutter with stuff and won’t have to put your extra pair in my unused bottom desk drawer.”
    â€œYou never actually put something in your desk; you just stack it on top. How you keep your house spotless and yet keep a desk like you do . . .” Jackie headed inside to find Taylor Marsh and the manager who had phoned in the tip.
    Luke picked up a Tootsie Roll as he passed the candy display, offering the clerk a buck and tearing the paper as he waited for his change. Taylor was deep in debate with someone who looked like the store manager, a video punched up on the security monitor. There wasn’t enough room behind that counter for the manager and three cops unless they turned the clerk into a Popsicle. He’d let Taylor and Jackie sort out the first impressions.
    â€œHow’s business been tonight?” Luke asked the clerk.
    â€œStick around a few more hours, and maybe I won’t get some flipped-out idiot trying to rip me off tonight.”
    â€œThat good, huh? You’ve worked this corner awhile.”
    â€œSix years.”
    Luke tugged a couple photos from his pocket. “Have you seen either of these people before?”
    The clerk slid the photos over the counter to see them better. “The lady goes for two packs of cigarettes and a pint of ice cream; the