Today I’m releasing Chapters 5 & 6 of A Runaway’s Reunion. (See previous post for details and earlier chapters.) I’m working hard on getting it done so I can post the entire book for download this month, hopefully sooner rather than later.

I hope you enjoy your reading.

Here are some other FREE downloads on this site:

A Baby for New Year’s (Contemporary Romance), Destiny’s Desire (Historical Romance), Danger in Paradise (Romantic Intrigue)

Just click the book cover picture, and you will be connected to the FREE download.

Five

Frantic voices called to each other, but all Deirdre could comprehend was Adam’s arm around her as he tried to pry her hand from the steering wheel.

“Did anybody get the license number of that car?” a man nearby shouted. “He hit mine.”

“All I saw was that it was a big yellow thing!” a woman returned.

“A Cadillac or Lincoln, I think,” another man said.

“Hey, mister!” the first man called. “Is that lady okay? He didn’t hit her, too, did he?”

“I don’t know,” Adam replied. “How about it, Deirdre? Are you all right?”

She wanted to answer while he helped her from her van, but she couldn’t utter so much as one word. When she tried, nothing came out. Nodding, she gazed up at him, her heart pounding. Whoever had been tailing her was gone, but she felt no relief. Someone had been following her, watching everything she did, going everywhere behind her, not once stopping the unnatural pursuit or interfering in her life. She thought it was Adam because he hadn’t bothered her. But if it hadn’t been him, who had it been? And why had he been following her?

One minute she was standing beside her car, listening absently to the conversations around her. Her next thought was of how secure it felt to cling to Adam in his motel room while he smoothed down her hair with a caressing motion. Slowly, still a bit unsure of her surroundings, Deirdre pushed away from him just far enough to gaze into his dark eyes.

“Oh, Adam,” she asked, “what have I done?”

“Hush now, honey,” he whispered. “Just relax for a few minutes.”

She reveled in the caressing hold he had on her head, on the basic internal rhythms of his heart and lungs. Why couldn’t her involuntary functions be as calm as his? “I can’t relax, Adam. I’ve never been so scared in my life. I did something really stupid.”

“Your explanation can wait until you calm down a little.”

“No!” she exclaimed. “I have to tell somebody, and you’re here. Again. Thank you, Adam. Thank you for saving my life the other night. And thank you for being here now.”

“Don’t you ever stop talking, Deirdre?”

He lowered his head toward hers again, but she had no strength to stop his lips from meeting hers. His kiss was tender at first then the increasing passion sent flames of desire, dormant for years, coursing throughout her body. She clung to him, desperately needing this embrace, dreading the thought that it could end at any second.

It didn’t matter when or how he kissed her, whether it was during an argument or on the spur of the moment or in the fury of fear, she always responded. She didn’t want to; she just didn’t have a choice. Her body took over and preempted every bit of common sense that she’d ever possessed. This time, though, despite his re-creation of long-forgotten excitement, she pushed away, breaking all contact.

She had to remain businesslike and detached. She had to let him see that she wasn’t a whimpering woman who couldn’t take care of herself, who feared every shadow in the night. To hide her lust-crazed thoughts, she questioned him angrily. “Why do you keep doing that?”

Staring down at her, he asked, “Do you want the truth?”

“You know I do,” she snapped.

Striding to the dresser, Adam dropped several pieces of ice into a glass then poured some whiskey over it. Taking a sip, he went to the lavatory and returned with a can of Sierra Mist and another glass. He tore the paper off the glass on the way back to the dresser, then dropped ice into it as he looked at Deirdre in the mirror.

“Do you want this straight,” he asked, “with Sierra Mist, or with water?”

“I don’t drink that stuff,” she declared.

“Sierra Mist it is.” After splashing just a little liquor into the bottom of the glass, he filled it with soda then stirred it with his finger. When he held it out toward her, she refused to accept it. Shaking his head, he placed it in her hand. “I don’t care if you drink whiskey or not, Deirdre. You sit down on the bed and finish every drop of that. It will relax you. Besides, I didn’t put that booze much in it. Unless you’re a recovering alcoholic, that is. Are you?”

“No. If you don’t mind, I’d feel safer if I sat on the chair.”

“Suit yourself.” He dropped onto the edge of the bed with a heavy sigh while she sat on a chair by the round table across the room. “You don’t have to worry, you know. I’m not going to seduce you.”

“How can I be sure of that when you keep kissing me? Why do you do it, anyway?”

He another sip of his drink. “You probably won’t believe this, Deirdre, because even I find it hard to believe, but I really don’t know why I do it.  The first time you wouldn’t shut up, but that was no excuse to kiss you. So were a couple of other times. And the time in the street? I wanted to make sure you would be careful. This time … well, this time I just did it. You didn’t stop talking, but that had nothing to do with my kissing you. It just happened.”

“Well, don’t let it just happen again. Your wife would be either furious or devastated if she ever found out.”

“My wife?” he repeated. “Is that why you always get so bent out of shape when I kiss you?”

“I get bent out of shape because I don’t even know you, and you can’t seem to stop doing it.”

“If it’s any consolation, Deirdre, I haven’t had a wife since shortly after Robin left. I kicked her out because I thought she was the reason my niece ran away.”

“You were right about that, Mr. Colter.”

“Tell me what you were talking about earlier,” he suggested, “but first tell me why you’ve gone back to Mr. Colter. What happened to Adam?”

“I was still stunned when I called you Adam. I’m back in control now, and it isn’t appropriate for me to call you that.” Taking a sip of the drink in her hand, she grimaced with distaste then asked, “Have you been following me around again?”

“Of course not. I’ve been too busy doing Zoom meetings for work to follow you. Oh, I’ll admit that I considered it, but I told you I wouldn’t. I’d also told you that I’m a man of my word.” Adam paused and narrowed his dark eyes suspiciously. “Why are you asking?”

“If you weren’t, somebody else has been watching me since the night Mandy was attacked.”

“Mandy. The girl in the hospital?” he asked, his voice getting louder in his fury. “The same attack the police suspect that guy thinks you witnessed? The same girl who had only your card for identification like the boy in the article? Why the hell didn’t you tell somebody before this?”

“I thought it was you because nothing else happened. That’s why I came here tonight—to tell you to back off.” Deirdre shuddered at the thought of what had happened then took another sip of her drink. “When I saw your rental car and your room light on, I knew I was wrong. But I didn’t know what to do. I was scared stiff. All I could think of was making enough noise to scare him away.”

Adam chuckled. “You sure succeeded. I thought I’d never get your hand off the horn. See the lights flashing out there, honey? I’ll bet the guy who’s car got hit called the cops. Let’s go give him a statement, tell him everything that happened in the last few days.”

“If you don’t mind, I’d rather do it here. Would you ask them to come to your room?”

“All right. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

When Adam was gone, Deirdre called Jared to let him know she would be home as soon as she could. Thankfully, Jared didn’t question her further, except to ask permission to visit Robin, to which she agreed.

With that done, she placed a phone call. While she waited for the party to answer, Adam entered with a female police officer. Deirdre put the cell phone against her chest to block her words in case someone answered.

“I’ll be with you in a few minutes. I’ve been trying to contact Mandy’s mother ever since yesterday, and this is another try.” At last, a woman answered.  Deirdre returned her attention to her work. The other two made themselves comfortable in the conversational grouping. When a lady answered, Deirdre said, “Hello, ma’am. Is your name Jennifer Blackwell?”

“Yes.”

“I’m glad I finally got hold of you. My name is Deirdre Ingstrom, and I run Mackenzie’s Halfway House for Runaways. I’ve located your daughter Mandy, and …”

“I don’t have a daughter named Mandy,” Mrs. Blackwell replied, “and she knows it. I told her I’d never take her back if she ran away again.”

“But Mandy needs you. She’s in crit. . .”

“I don’t care anymore. She’s already given me more trouble in her lifetime than I can take.”

An ache came to her heart, but Deirdre couldn’t let the woman hear it. She had to stay detached because that was the only way she could be rational. “If that’s how you really feel, it would probably be better if you weren’t here. She also asked that you contact her father. Would you be willing to do that much for her?”

“I don’t talk to him unless he misses his child support payment three weeks in a row. If she wants him there, you call him.”

“All right. Could I please have his area code and phone number?” After writing down the number and repeating it, Deirdre thanked the woman then hung up, facing Adam and the officer. “Poor kid. Her mother doesn’t want a thing to do with her. Here she is in critical condition, and her mother doesn’t even care. I sure hope her father does.”

“I’ve heard a lot about you at headquarters, Mrs. Ingstrom,” the officer said. “People say nobody can handle runaways and their families like you can. From what I hear, you’ve had more successful reunions than statistics on other workers and homes show. By about sixty percent, too. By the way, I’m Officer Drake.”

“Thank you for waiting, Officer Drake. I’m just happy to be helping these kids. But your statistics give me hope that someday I’ll be able to convince a certain person that I know what I’m doing,” she said, glancing at Adam.

“I’m sure you will. Now why don’t you tell me about this person who’s been following you? Mr. Colter says it could be the same guy who almost attacked you the other night.”

“For the first time, I think he’s right.” Deirdre explained that the man had followed her everywhere and that she’d seen the same car in the area on many occasions. Then she admitted that she hadn’t said anything sooner because she’d thought that it was Adam.

“Did you see this guy so you can give me a description?”

“Never up close. He was always way behind me. And when he was parked, his face was always shaded.”

“What was the make and color of the car?” Drake asked.

“I think I heard somebody say it was yellow. But if it was the same one, it was more of a cream color, maybe two or three years old. As for the make, I really couldn’t say. I thought it was Mr. Colter, so I didn’t pay that much attention. I’d forgotten that he drives a red rental until I saw it again tonight.”

“And the driver made no advances toward you?”

“None. All he did was follow me.”

“Don’t forget to tell him about the clipping and Mandy,” Adam advised.

Deirdre sighed then sipped her drink before she acquiesced. “I suppose you’re right—but even you don’t know it all. There was a clipping about Mandy in my mail today. That’s how I came by the clipping you saw.” Turning her gaze to Officer Drake, Deirdre explained. “Mandy was the girl attacked in the alley. As far as I know nobody’s found out who the boy in the first article is, but he only had my card to give the police a clue, too. I spoke to him once, but he’d never told me his name, so I couldn’t help.”

“I think this is more than a coincidence,” Adam insisted, “especially now that I know about the second clipping. It’s a message to Dee. I know it is.”

Deirdre cringed when Adam used that name again. After the officer left, she would have to tell him how much she hated it.

“You’re probably right,” Officer Drake agreed. “I’m glad you told us about it, ma’am.”

“I don’t think I had a choice, officer,” Deirdre returned, glaring at Adam. “Mr. Colter probably would have forced me if I hadn’t.”

“You’re lucky he likes you,” Officer Drake said with a grin. “What happened isn’t something you should keep from the police, especially since other things have happened, too.”

“Yeah, real lucky.” Deirdre took a deep breath to recover her calm. “So, Officer Drake, what’s going to happen now? Will I have some kind of protection to make sure this guy doesn’t try anything?”

“Unless he confronts you, there’s nothing we can do.”

“What do you mean there’s nothing you can do?” Adam demanded. “There are laws against stalking, and that’s what this guy is doing. You can’t just let this nut follow her around all the time without so much as surveillance on her.”

“I’m sorry, Mr. Colter, but there’s nothing we can do yet. We don’t even know for sure what color or make the car is. Let us know if anything else comes up. In the meantime, we’ll look for a large cream-colored or yellow car with a dent in the left front end. We’ll be checking car repair shops and the streets.” Rising, Officer Drake headed toward the door while Adam hurried after her. “I’ll write up my report tonight, Mrs. Ingstrom. You can come to headquarters and check it tomorrow.”

“Okay. Good night,” Deirdre agreed.

To her surprise, Adam announced that he would be back shortly and followed the woman out the door. Alone again, she picked up her cell phone and placed another call.

All of a sudden, she was exhausted. Now that her adrenaline rush was behind her and the drink had soothed her nerves, she felt totally relaxed. With a long yawn, Deirdre sat back against the headboard and stretched out on the bed. When a woman answered, she was in the midst of yet another yawn and spoke upon completing it. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I’m really tired. Is this the Frank Reagan residence?”

“Yes,” the woman replied suspiciously. “Who’s this?”

“My name is Mrs. Deirdre Ingstrom. May I please speak with him? It’s quite important.”

“Just a minute.”

While the line was quiet, Deirdre’s eyes slid shut. She jerked them open again, keeping them wide as if that would help her stay awake. In only a minute, a man answered the phone. “Hello, Mr. Reagan. My name is Deirdre Ingstrom, and I’m the director of Mackenzie’s Halfway House for Runaways. Do you have a daughter …”

“Is this about Amanda?” he asked frantically. “Did she run away again? I told her mother the last time that I wouldn’t stand for the way she treated our daughter.”

“As a matter of fact, she did run away. I already talked to Mrs. Blackwell, but she wasn’t interested in hearing the news. That’s why I’m calling you.” Deirdre struggled to stifle another yawn. “I’m sorry I keep yawning, Mr. Reagan. The last few hours have been exhausting for me. I’m practically falling asleep on the phone. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is because Mandy’s in the hospital here in Orlando. She was attacked the other night and is in critical condition. She wanted both you and her mother here. Would you mind coming down?”

“Mind! I’d love to, but I don’t know how I can. The only reason Amanda was with her mother is because her stepfather makes more money than I do. I can’t afford the plane fare.”

“I have a special fund for emergencies like this.” Reaching into her purse, she withdrew her wallet and pulled out the charge card she reserved one for cases where parents of runaways couldn’t afford the trip to reunite with them. After telling him that she would arrange for plane tickets and getting his required information, she offered to email him the flight information he would need and got his email address at work. Then she suggested that he call her at either her cell or office numbers when he landed in Orlando so she could pick him up. From there, they would arrange a rental car for him.

“I really appreciate this, Mrs. Ingstrom,” he said. “Does Mandy know who did this to her?”

“If she does,” Deirdre explained, “she isn’t talking. At first, she didn’t even want to tell anybody her name.”

“Well, thanks for everything, Mrs. Ingstrom, but I’d better let you go. You really do sound tired. Good night.”

“Good night, Mr. Reagan,” she returned with a yawn.

Hanging up the phone, Deirdre took a sip of her drink then called the airline for reservations. Now if Adam would come back, she could listen to whatever he wanted to say then go home. Taking another sip of her drink, she held it on her slack-clad thigh and lay her head against the wall behind the headboard.

Opening the door, Adam saw that Deirdre had fallen asleep. With a soft smile, he strode to her side, took the glass from her hand, then tried to wake her. When she didn’t respond, he tugged the covers from under her before removing her shoes, slacks and blouse so they wouldn’t get wrinkled. He hung them in the small closest before laying her down. Gazing down at her, he sighed. She had such a well-proportioned body that it was hard to think about sleeping beside her without touching her, but he had to leave her alone if he ever wanted to gain her trust. And he wanted to do that more than anything else right now.

Covering her up so he wouldn’t be tempted by seeing her nearly naked, he went outside to park her van properly. Finally, he pulled a chair over by the bed and settled down with his drink to watch a late movie on cable television.

When Deidre’s cellphone rang about midnight, he jumped in surprise then picked it up and whispered into it. “Colter here.”

“Mr. Colter?” a male voice replied in amazement.

“That’s right. Who’s this?”

“Jared. Mrs. Ingstrom said she would be home as soon as she could, but I sure didn’t expect her to be with you.”

“She’s here, all right—and sound asleep. Is it really so important that I have to wake her up? She’s exhausted.”

“She’s sleeping there?” Jared exclaimed.

Adam chuckled. “Yes, Jared. She’s sleeping here, and that’s all she’s doing. Do you need her for something important?”

“No. I was just worried because she hadn’t come home yet. I’m supposed to be asleep, but I never can when she’s not here.”

“You two have quite a rapport, don’t you.”

“Sure. She’s terrific. We really get along well. Everybody gets along with her—everybody but you, anyway. That’s why I’m so surprised she’s spending the night with you.”

“It wasn’t something she planned. After she talked to the cop, I went outside to talk to the officer privately. When I came back, Deirdre was out cold with an unfinished drink in her hand. Apparently, she crashed.”

“Why was she talking to a cop?”

“I’ll let her explain all that when she sees you. What did Robin say when you told her that I’m not married anymore?”

“Just that it didn’t change anything. She’s still not ready to see you, Mr. Colter. She’s still afraid of something.”

“All right. I’ll give Deirdre a little more time to work with her. If she thought I was following her, she probably hasn’t even gone near Robin.”

“It’s nice of you to be so understanding. Does Mrs. Ingstrom know?”

“I’ll tell her tomorrow. Look, I’d better let you go now. I don’t want to wake her up. She needs her sleep. Night.”

Vaguely realizing that she was shivering, Deirdre curled up on the bed to get warmer. When that didn’t help, she backed up and bumped into a warm body that could provide some heat. Rolling onto her other side, she draped her arm around the person and snuggled closer. She fell back into a deep slumber as a warm arm covered hers and linked their fingers together.

Oh, how she hated it when a man sweated in the night! Now she was all sweaty, too. Backing away from the hot body, she suddenly realized that she wasn’t alone. With a start, Deirdre bolted upright in the bed. The covers fell to her lap, and she stared down at Adam while he rolled onto his back. An expression of awe instantly crossed his face. Letting her gaze follow his to her body, she saw that she wore only her brassiere and panties. Quickly grabbing the blankets, she clutched them against her chest.

He grinned up at her. “Aw, you spoiled my fun. There’s nothing like waking up to see a gorgeous woman in your bed.”

“How could you do that?” she demanded.

“Do what?”

“Take my clothes off me. What kind of man are you? And what kind of woman do you think I am?”

“Relax. The only reason I took off your clothes was to save you embarrassment. I didn’t think you’d want Jared and the others to find out you’d spent the night sleeping in somebody’s bed. I figured if your clothes weren’t wrinkled, they’d ask fewer questions. Unfortunately, Jared already knows.”

Her eyes widened, and she gasped in shock. “What? How did he find out?”

“He called your phone looking for you. He was worried when you didn’t come home. He worries about you a lot, you know. Which reminds me, just because you’re only his guardian, it doesn’t mean you have to give up that emotional attachment when he turns eighteen. I told him that, too. Anyway, I didn’t want to wake you if it wasn’t important. Since it wasn’t, I let you sleep.” Pausing to examine her, he added with a grin, “You sleep nicely, too, especially when you get cold.”

“You just forget this whole incident, Mr. Colter,” she ordered to cover her embarrassment. “I don’t want to hear another word about it.”

“Don’t you realize that you’re obligated to call me Adam now?” Stunned by his remark, she stared at him in astonishment while he chuckled. “You spent the night with me, Deirdre. You even cuddled against me. That makes us almost intimate friends.”

“Stop talking like that! It’s not true.”

“Oh, settle down,” he grumbled. “I was just teasing. Don’t you have a sense of humor?”

“Not when it comes to what you’re talking about.”

“Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say not when it comes to me? Jared told me that I’m the only person you can’t get along with.”

“So what? That doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of humor. Now if you’ll go into the bathroom, I’ll get dressed so I can go home. I’m expecting a call to pick up Mandy’s father at the airport.”

“Okay,” he agreed, getting out of bed wearing only his jogging shorts. “Just don’t take off before I change. I talked to Officer Drake last night, and we agreed that I should follow you to make sure nobody else does. If you want to talk to Robin, let me know. I’ll back off for a while.”

“I don’t understand,” she said, her tone of voice mellowing despite her desire to remain angry. How would she ever stay distant toward this ruggedly built man? Especially when he wore no shirt. His muscles were so prominent all she could think of was dragging him back to bed to find out what she’d been missing since Parker had become too ill to make love with her. But she couldn’t think that way! She had to concentrate on work. “I thought you were so desperate to reunite with her.”

“I am, but you haven’t paved the way yet. I gave it a lot of thought last night and decided that you’re right. I shouldn’t push her.”

Watching him head toward the bathroom, she added, “Mr. Colter?”

“Adam, or I don’t answer any more questions.”

“All right. Adam. Thank you for understanding.”

He stopped in the doorway and faced her. “If it hadn’t been for what Officer Drake said last night, I probably wouldn’t be so understanding. I don’t know. Maybe I would. I heard some other things about you, too, and I can’t say that I wasn’t impressed. I’ll give you a chance, Deirdre. Just don’t expect my patience to last forever.”

***

Although she expected to be, Deirdre wasn’t uncomfortable with Adam following her—to her home, to the airport where she picked up Frank Reagan, to the hospital where she dropped him off because he hadn’t wanted to use her money for a rental car. When she returned to the area where Adam had aborted her attack to search for Patty some more, however, he got out of his car.

“What the hell are you doing back here?” he asked in concern. “Trying to get yourself killed?”

At least, he’d finally stopped scolding her. Maybe now she could be civil as well. “I still haven’t found Patty, Mr. Colter.”

“Who?”

“Patty. Surely, you remember the name since my search for her started all of my problems.”

“That’s not what I meant. You’re supposed to be calling me Adam now. Besides, this isn’t just your problem. It’s mine now, too. If that guy is behind those clippings, he’s not going to let me go scot-free. I got a look at him. Granted, it wasn’t a very good one because I was so busy fending off his blade. But I can tell you that he was about six-three, 250 pounds, with dark hair and a mustache.” Grasping both of her hands, he gazed down at her with pleading dark eyes. “Can’t you understand how dangerous it is for us to keep coming back here?”

Her eyes met his. Until the previous night, he’d been argumentative. Now he seemed almost protective. She didn’t understand the change, but she was glad that it had taken place. After everything that had happened lately, she welcomed the support of a man. She just hadn’t expected it to be someone she disliked so intensely.

“You do understand, don’t you, Deirdre?” he asked. “We can’t keep coming back here if we want to stay alive.”

“I understand,” she replied, “but you need to understand something, too. I called the Wilders from the hospital. Patty’s still missing. They have no idea where to find her, so I have to try.” Deirdre pointed to a dilapidated, three-story, brick building down the street. “She lived in that hotel, Adam. I want to see if she went back there. Don’t you see? She wants to go home, and I’m the only person who can facilitate that.”

“Then I’ll just have to help you.”

In an instant, Deirdre became defensive. “I told you not to interfere.”

“I don’t see it as interference. I see it as protection. That man is out there somewhere, Dee,” he said with a wide sweep of his free arm. “We don’t know when or where he’ll strike again. I didn’t see anybody following you today, but we can’t be sure that I wasn’t followed. I was too worried about your safety to think very much about mine. I checked in my rearview several times and didn’t see any car more than once. But quite frankly, my mind was preoccupied with a few other things as well as your safety—like Robin and my business.”

Pushing some hair out of her eyes, Deirdre studied him. From the look on his face, he was upset about something. What could it be? Robin? His business? Having to protect her? Whatever the cause, it was obvious that he would much rather be anywhere but on the street corner with her.

Even though she was beginning to feel a kinship with Adam—or maybe because she was—Deirdre knew she must do what she could to limit any danger to him. To her surprise, her heart ached when she said the words. “You don’t have to stay with me.”

“I wish that were true,” he admitted with a slow shake of his head. “Unfortunately, if I want you to live, I have no choice. The cops won’t put protective surveillance on you.” With her hand still in his, he led her down the litter-laden street toward the hotel. “Let’s go check on Patty.”

Deirdre didn’t like Adam taking charge, but she didn’t know how to tell him to leave her alone other than what she’d already said. This whole thing was more dangerous than she cared to admit. Besides, he was right. She wasn’t alone in this; he was part of it, too, since he’d fought that man in the alley.

Adam paused at the hotel door and glanced in all directions. Although curious as to his actions, Deirdre said nothing as she followed him into the dark, dirty building. She shuddered at the words written on the entry walls—graffiti that was the most vile language she’d ever seen. Oh, how she hated this building! But she had to find Patty, and this was where she’d lived.

The boards creaked under their weight as they mounted the stairs. On the landing between the second and third floors, a large rat scampered through a hole in the corner. Deirdre stifled a scream and tightened her hold on Adam’s hand.

They reached the third floor, and Adam pushed open the door slowly. Adam poked his head inside as though he was inspecting the hallway for signs of life. He pushed the door completely open and stepped into the hallway, pulling Deirdre behind him.

“Which way?” he whispered.

“Left,” she replied. “Room 323.”

Again, neither spoke as they made their way to Patty’s room. Adam rapped on the door, but no one answered. Turning the doorknob, he hesitated before he pushed the door slowly, and Deirdre cringed at the sharp screech it made.

“I feel like I’m in an Alfred Hitchcock movie,” Deirdre whispered as they stole into the room.

Adam closed the door with only a slight click. “I know how you feel. Let’s search the room and vamoose. I’ve never been fond of Hitchcock movies.”

Finally releasing her hand, Adam strode toward the dresser and searched the drawers. “I thought you said this was Patty’s room, Deirdre. There’s nothing in this dresser but men’s clothes.”

“I can’t explain it, Adam. This is the same place I met her before.”

While Adam did his job, Deirdre stood where she was, unable to move. This was worse than she’d thought. Although she’d been to the hotel before, Patty had never invited her into the room. They’d always spoken in the hallway. Now Deirdre understood why. The room was filthy. Even in the dim light, she could see dirty dishes crusted with food in the small sink. The three throw rugs in the small sitting/sleeping area had spots and stains all over them. The bedspread, tossed carelessly over a chair, was also soiled, and the bed was unmade. How anybody could live like that was beyond her comprehension.

But standing there wasn’t helping. She had to search for clues as to what had happened to Patty. Forcing herself to move, Deirdre went to the tiny kitchen area. With one fingertip, she moved a bowl with old cereal and congealing milk aside. Three cockroaches scurried across the counter and down beside the small refrigerator.

With a gasp of surprise, Deirdre jerked back her hand. Nothing there was going to give her any information, anyway. She moved on to the bathroom. It was no cleaner there. Dirty towels cluttered the floor, and the toilet hadn’t been flushed after its last use. The rust-stained sink was covered with dirt and blood.

Six

Horrified at the thought, Deirdre shrieked then slapped her hand over her mouth. In an instant, Adam was at her side.

 “Are you crazy, woman?” he whispered. “You’re going to get us arrested for breaking and entering.”

“Look,” she returned in a like tone as she pointed to the sink. “Blood.”

He bent closer to the cracked porcelain and examined it without touching it. “Looks like a handprint, too.”

“We have to call the police.”

“With what? Evidence that somebody cut himself and cleaned up in the bathroom? That ought to get us locked up in the funny farm real fast.”

“But we have …”

A noise in the other room startled her into silence. Adam glanced over his shoulder then pushed Deirdre toward the tub. When he didn’t stop pushing, she stepped into the grungy tub and automatically recoiled into a corner. Taking one last glance around the bathroom, Adam grabbed the plunger then followed her. Finally, he pulled the shower curtain just far enough to conceal them.

He stepped back against Deirdre, shielding her from whatever might happen next, and then pointed the handle of the plunger toward the curtain. Deirdre was certain that it had taken several hours for the man to enter the bathroom, but in reality she knew it could only have been a few minutes. Then, to her horror, a man threw back the shower curtain to reveal them.

An instant later, Adam rammed the plunger into the man’s midsection, crying, “Hi-yah!” at the top of his lungs. The man doubled over in agony while Adam rolled his hand into a fist and delivered a blow up under the man’s chin. It was so loud Deirdre could have sworn somebody in the next room could hear it. The redhead flew backward and landed on his back in the middle of the bathroom. As Adam grabbed her hand, Deirdre numbly stepped out of the bathtub to follow him out of the building.

They raced from the hotel room with the sound of a man’s irate shout ringing in their ears. Deirdre could hardly keep up as Adam ran down the stairs. The last four she stumbled down when one broke under his weight. She scarcely had time to regain her balance when he opened the door and pushed her out.

Again, she stumbled, but he grabbed her around her waist and dragged her into a deep doorway in the alley beside them. This time he pinned her against the door. His back was so tight against her that her breasts ached. It was difficult to breathe—if she could have, in fact, drawn a breath with such terror coursing through her veins. Soon she heard running footsteps race by the alley, and Adam leaned forward.

“Come on,” he said, taking her hand again.

“Where are we going?” she asked when he went deeper into the alley.

“The long way around. Then we’re going to wait to make sure it’s safe to go home.”

Dodging garbage, boxes and cans, the pair hurried about three blocks down the alley then slowed to a walk. Deirdre panted, but Adam didn’t stop. Her heart pounded in her chest. Her lungs ached with each breath. But she had to keep moving. She had to let Adam do what he could to get them out of the area alive.

After they’d walked five blocks to their left, Adam stopped. Deirdre breathed a sigh of relief as she collapsed against a building. “That was close.”

“Don’t be so confident that it’s over,” he warned. “We were caught in that man’s hotel room, and that’s breaking and entering. We could be arrested for what we did. My assault and battery wouldn’t help, either.”

“Why would anybody who lives in that dump care enough to tell the police?”

“I don’t have time to explain. Let’s head back to the cars. We can probably make it safely now.”

***

By the time they returned to the mansion, it was well after noon, so they went inside to discuss her morning over a late lunch.

“Tell me something, Deirdre,” he said as he sat down on a bar stool at the island. “Do you have a death wish or something?”

“Of course not,” she returned, taking some sandwich makings from the refrigerator and setting them on the counter. “I just want to find Patty.”

“You’re going to find a hell of a lot more than that if you don’t stop this damned search.”

She transferred everything to the island and sat down beside him. “Fix what you want.” She began her own sandwich while he made his. “You don’t understand, Adam. I can’t stop the search.”

“Call the cops and report her as a missing person.”

“Be realistic, Adam. What kind of attention do you think they’ll give her when they find out that she’s a chronic runaway?”

“I suppose you have a point. But you’re still going to get yourself killed if you do things like you did today. As far as I could see, Patty never lived there. Are you sure you had the right apartment?”

“Positive. I’ve been to it several times.”

“Alone?” he asked in shock.

“Of course, alone. And I was perfectly fine—until you decided we needed to do a little cloak-and-dagger investigating.”

“All right. I get your point. I got a little carried away. But by God, I feel like I had a right to be extra careful. So far I’m the only person following you—at least, that I know of. I assume that guy’s laying low until the heat cools off. But it won’t last forever. He’ll come out of hiding eventually, and you’ll be the first person he goes looking for.”

Licking some mustard off her index finger, Deirdre looked over at him, and Adam stifled a smile. Judging from the look in her deep blue eyes, she found him attractive. Granted, he liked the idea, but he wasn’t interested in romancing a woman he couldn’t get along with, despite his attraction to her. As far as he was concerned, being attracted to a woman and wanting to date her were two entirely different things. And he wasn’t about to get involved with a woman when he couldn’t even get along with her.

To avoid his thoughts, he concentrated on making his sandwich. Several more seconds passed before she questioned him. “Why are you so interested in what’s happening to me, Adam? Because of last night? If so, you won’t get any more from me now than you did then.”

“I don’t want any more,” he lied, keeping his inflection flat to hide the desire that swept through him at the mere thought.

“Then why do you get so upset about me trying to find Patty?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because I’m involved, too. More likely, though, it’s for the same reason you feel like you have to go—out of a sense of duty. I was there to save your life once; I should be there in case you need it again. Besides,” he added with a grin, “what kind of man would I be if I just let it drop?”

“Don’t you have a job to do somewhere else in the country?” she asked.

He stared at her, startled by her changing the subject the second he tried to charm her with a little humor. After a momentary pause to regain his mental footing, he said, “I have a job. In fact, I own a business. But I’m not indispensable. I have perfectly responsible employees. Nobody is indispensable, Deirdre, despite how you feel about yourself. I delegate most of my authority, so I don’t have to be there unless something important comes up. Besides, I have been working—right here in the area. I brought my laptop. Since I own the company, I can do things like that.”

“I don’t think it’s fair of you to classify me as someone who feels she’s indispensable, because I don’t. I just feel a responsibility to these kids, and I want to see them reunited with their families. I ran away from home myself, so I understand what they’re going through. That doesn’t make me indispensable, but it does make me empathetic. It makes me someone they can talk to. If you see me as so egotistical that I think I’m indispensable, I’ll have to live with that. I know what I am. And that’s all that really matters, isn’t it?”

Although her question was obviously rhetorical, Adam felt compelled to respond. The guilt of unjustly accusing her was more than he could silently endure. “I suppose it is. So, what is it, Deirdre? What do you have that puts you in such high esteem with people I talk to about you?”

“You talk to people about me?” she asked. “Why?”

He shrugged. To his amazement, it actually helped relieve some of the sexual tension coursing through him. “You intrigue me. You’re the only person I’ve ever met that I can’t get along with, and I want to find out why.”

“You should have talked to me then because I know the answer. Your attitude sets me off every time.”

“Just like yours does me,” he mumbled. Even though his mind reeled with personal questions to ask her, the timing was wrong for that type of conversation. Instead, he changed the subject. “Are you going to see Robin today?”

“I thought I’d run out there after I clean up the lunch dishes.”

“Why don’t you go when you finish eating? I’ll clean up then go do my own work for a couple hours.” Gazing into her eyes, he questioned her in concern. “You will come right back here, won’t you, Deirdre? You won’t go back to look for Patty?”

“I’ll come straight home,” she agreed. “I promise.”

***

The next morning Adam called and announced that he would be tied up with business until about eleven. As disappointed as she was that he would be late, a part of her was glad. Adam emitted a decidedly sexual magnetism that disoriented her. He threatened her sensibilities, and she could hardly bear to be around him because of it.

The thought of him brought back the excitement of being in his arms. Why, when she disliked him? Those same memories caused her so much confusion that she found herself recalling them often if she didn’t keep busy. To occupy herself, she went to the mailbox. To her dismay, the mail had not yet arrived, so she watched for nearly an hour and a half. As soon as the mailman was gone, she hurried out to retrieve her letters.

Sorting through the stack of correspondence, she tossed all of the junk mail directly into the wastebasket marked recycle beside her desk. The bills she put in a file basket marked as such. That left one letter, which she really didn’t want to open. Like the two clippings she’d received, her address was typed and there was no return address. And it had been mailed from yet another nearby town.

Deirdre stared at the envelope for a long time before she got up the courage to open it. With trembling hands, she tore into the envelope and pulled out the paper folded once. The paper shook as she unfolded it. Typed in the middle of the page were five words: YOU WON’T FIND HER THERE.

The doorbell rang, and Deirdre dropped the message like it was a poisonous snake. Panic coursed through her.

The bell rang a second time, followed by a loud banging on the door. Gathering her courage with a deep breath, she pushed herself out of her chair. As she made her way across the foyer, Adam’s frantic voice erupted on the opposite side of the door.

“Deirdre! Are you in there?”

“Adam!” Relief flooded through her. Racing to the door, she threw it open and embraced him. “Oh, Adam! I’m so glad it’s you.”

He returned her hold, escorting her into the foyer then shutting the door with his foot. “What happened, honey? You’re shaking like a leaf.”

“He knew we were looking in Patty’s apartment yesterday.”

“How do you know?” he asked as he took her to the living room.

They sat down on the couch before Deirdre released him. To her delight, he continued to hold her while she leaned against him. It felt good to be in his secure embrace, as though nothing could ever harm her again.

From the first time she’d heard his voice, she’d disliked him. Then from his first kiss, she’d found herself attracted to him. Initially, she’d wanted him out of her life. Now his presence was comforting, even though they couldn’t spend more than a few minutes together without snapping at each other.

That brought her to another question. Why did she derive comfort from knowing he was around? Because he’d saved her life, of course, and she knew he would do it again if necessary. Maybe she had trouble getting along with Adam, but he was the only man she could trust. That had to be the reason.

“Deirdre, honey,” he said, breaking into her thoughts. “You didn’t answer my question. How do you know he saw us?”

“There was another message in my mail today. It said You won’t find her there. And that’s all it said. There was no return address, and it was mailed from Kissimee.” She paused to gaze up at him. “Now what do we do? Call the police again?”

“And have them tell us they can’t do a damned thing?” he asked, his voice filled with anger. Her jaw dropped in surprise at his response, and he slid his fingers into her hair and smiled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t take my anger at incompetent cops out on you.”

She flashed a quick smile to acknowledge his apology. “So, what do we do?”

“I don’t know yet, but I do know we don’t go back to that hotel. The guy I decked might have reported that it was us. Do you have any other ideas of where Patty might be?”

“Not even one.”

“Then I suggest that I spring for two lunches. After we eat, you can check on Mandy while I make a couple of business calls. After that, you can run out to see if Robin’s back at work. I’ll bide my time by doing a little work of my own.”

Deirdre sat up and grinned at him. “Work last night, this morning, and work this afternoon. What happened to that dispensable guy I talked to yesterday? You remember him, don’t you? The one who delegates authority?”

“Very funny,” Adam returned with a chuckle. “Actually, I’m only dispensable in San Francisco. In Orlando, I have to do things myself because there’s nobody to delegate to. Now get your purse and keys so we can go. And lead me to your favorite Chinese place. I have a craving for some Mongolian beef.”

To her disappointment, Deirdre’s day wasn’t very productive. Not only was she unable to think of where Patty might be, Robin had called in sick. And poor Mandy wasn’t doing well at all. Her condition hadn’t worsened, but her vital signs still hadn’t stabilized.

Stress and tension had caused Deirdre to have another argument with Adam in the hospital parking lot. Now that she was home, she couldn’t even remember why they’d fought. All she knew was that she felt bad because she had started it.

***

“Hi, Mr. Colter,” Jared greeted when Adam opened the motel room door for him. “What did you want to know that we couldn’t talk about over the phone?”

“I have some questions about Deirdre.” Adam led the youth to the conversational grouping and pointed to several sodas on the table between the two chairs. “I didn’t know what kind you like, so help yourself.”

“Thanks,” Jared said as he sat down. As he popped the top on a can of Pepsi, Adam opened a Sierra Mist. “So, what’s up?”

“I overheard somebody talking about how Deirdre got in the business, and I wondered if it was true. Did she really run away because her mother was making it with a guy Deirdre had her sights on?”

“Pretty awful, huh?”

“And she was never able to reunite with her folks because they both died?”

“That’s what she told me. It’s still pretty hard on her because her brother wouldn’t believe her side of the story. It’s a real shame, too. He’s all the family she has—unless you count me. I guess that’s why she tries so hard to reunite other runaways. She doesn’t want them to suffer through the guilt she does.”

“Well,” Adam said with resignation, “at least, she has friends to support her.”

Jared shook his head. “I wish she did, but she doesn’t have friends. The two of us talk a lot, but it’s always about my problems or her work. We never talk about her problems. Deirdre’s a very private person, so I guess that’s why.”

“It’s probably more than that. No matter how mature you are, you can’t understand an adult’s problems. She might not feel comfortable confiding in you.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Let’s get back on topic. Do you know where Deirdre grew up?”

“On a farm outside Erie, Pennsylvania. Why?”

“I want to know about her, and I doubt she would answer my questions.”

“Why should she when all you two do is fight?”

Adam grinned. “Good point. That’s why I want to get to the bottom of it, because I don’t like not getting along with people. If I can find out what makes her tick, maybe I can understand her better. What about her brother? You said he didn’t believe her reason for running away, but you didn’t give me his name. Do you know it?”

“Brandon Mackenzie, but I don’t see how that could help you.”

“I thought I’d talk to him. Maybe he can give me some insight into why Deirdre and I can’t get along.”

“Are you nuts?” Jared asked, aghast. “If she finds out what you did, she’ll be furious. She’ll never even look at you again.”

“That’s a chance I have to take.”

Jared tilted his head back and took another swig of Pepsi before he said, “You know, Mr. Colter, Deirdre doesn’t like you very much as it is. She’ll hate you if you talk to him. She feels bad enough because he doesn’t want anything to do with her. If you drag him into …”

“I’m just going to talk to the guy, Jared. Do you know where he lives?”

“No, but she keeps his address and phone number. She sends him birthday and Christmas cards every year. She never gets any back, but she doesn’t seem to care.” Pausing a moment, he stared at Adam in astonishment as though he suddenly understood the motive behind Adam’s question. “Oh, no, Mr. Colter. No way! I won’t get that number for you. If she finds out that I was involved, I’ll be in as much trouble as you.”

“Then I guess I’ll have to tell you the truth.” Adam wandered to the dresser and stared into the mirror while rubbing his beard. He hadn’t trimmed it since the morning he’d left home, and it was beginning to look straggly. Insomnia had taken over his nights, and he barely had enough time for coffee when he got up. When Jared left, he’d have to find out if he still had a razor and scissors and use them!

When Adam didn’t continue, Jared prompted, “What is the truth, Mr. Colter?”

“Don’t tell Deirdre, Jared,” he said as he turned to face the teen, “but I want to see if I can help her reunite with her brother. She’s done it for all those kids, so somebody should do it for her. I also want to find out about her childhood from him, so what I told you wasn’t exactly a lie. It just wasn’t the whole truth. But remember. I don’t want her to know that I’m trying to get her brother to agree to a reunion unless I can bring it about. Understand?”

“Sure. You don’t want to hurt her.”

“Then you’ll call me with his address and phone number?”

“Okay, but only if you promise not to tell Deirdre how you got them.”

***

Again, he kissed her, and again, she forced herself away from him after only a couple of minutes. To get involved with the handsome blond standing before her was ridiculous. This time, he grabbed her shoulders a second time and pulled her against him. Embracing her, he captured her mouth with his. Her will to escape deteriorated so rapidly that she released a soft moan of pleasure, even though her arms were pinned against his chest by his strong hold.

At first Jared thought he had unintentionally awakened Deirdre just by opening the door. On second glance, he saw that she was dreaming, and the smile on her lips showed her enjoyment of it. He didn’t want to disturb her, but he had to get her out of the room to look up Brandon Mackenzie’s address and phone number. Kneeling beside her, he laid his hand on her back.

“Stop doing that!” she demanded as she jerked upright in her chair. Then as she stared at Jared, she blushed. “I’m sorry, Jared. I was dreaming about that aggravating Adam Colter.”

He grinned at her but decided against telling her about her contented expression. “If you were already asleep at eight, you’re working too hard. You need to take some time off and do something by yourself.”

“The last thing I need right now is time by myself.”

“The first thing you need is sleep,” he insisted. “Why don’t you go to bed?”

“What I really need is a shower. It’s so humid today I feel grungy. Before I take it, though, tell me what the emergency was.”

“Oh, that,” he said, sitting down cross-legged on the floor. “Turns out it wasn’t really an emergency. Mr. Colter …”

“You’re not supposed to have anything to do in reuniting Robin and her uncle,” she reminded him.

“It wasn’t about Robin. I asked before I agreed to meet with him. He wanted to know about how you got in the runaway business. He was really interested.”

“Why?”

“He said he didn’t like not getting along with people, and he wants to find out what makes you tick. He even wants to contact your brother.”

“You’re kidding!” she exclaimed. “He can’t do that without my permission.”

“I wouldn’t put anything past Mr. Colter. He found out how to get in touch with you, didn’t he?”

“That doesn’t mean he’ll find out how to contact Brandon. I’m the only person who knows, and I’ll never tell him.”

“He seemed awfully determined to find out about you. He even wondered about your friends until I told him that you don’t have any.”

Exasperated, she groaned, “That’s just great. Well, I guess I’ll have to take matters into my own hands again. I’m going upstairs and take a shower, and then I’m going to his motel room myself. Don’t you tell him I’m coming, either.”

“Okay, Deirdre, if that’s the way you want it.”

Deirdre went to the door then turned around to smile at Jared. “Thanks for calling me Deirdre. I’ve wanted that all along, and you finally using it gives me hope that your eighteenth birthday won’t turn you into a stranger. I know I haven’t said it before, and I suppose I wouldn’t be saying it now if Adam hadn’t knocked some sense into me. But I think of you as family. I always want you in my life.”

Jared smiled. “I’ll always be there.”

“Good. Maybe things will start going better around here. Maybe we’ll find Patty soon and reunite Robin with her uncle. That way he’ll be out of my hair forever.”

***

After giving Adam the information he wanted, Jared mentioned that Deirdre had been asleep at her desk when he got home. Then he hung up, wrote a note telling Deirdre where he’d be, and left the house to see if Robin was at work. If so, maybe he could take her home, and they could discuss the situation between Adam and Deirdre. Something had to be done to get the couple on friendlier terms or Adam might grow impatient and force a reunion before Robin was ready.

When he entered the coffee shop at a quarter to nine, Robin was busy with a customer. Sitting at the counter, he waited until she set a cup of cocoa in front of him, then he ordered a hamburger. She repeated it to the cook before she looked him in the face. Instinctively, Jared gasped in shock at the large bruise on her right cheek and eye. She had tried to conceal it with makeup, but it hadn’t helped much.

“My God, Robin!” he exclaimed. “What happened?”

“Glenn found Deirdre’s business card. He was really mad, and he hit me. He told me that if I talk to her again, he’d see that Uncle Adam never finds me.”

“How did he find out Mr. Colter was in town?”

“I don’t think he did. He’s been using that threat for years, so I’ll keep living with them.” She grabbed his wrist tightly. “Please, Jared. You can’t tell a soul about this. If Glenn finds out Uncle Adam is here, he might kill him. I don’t want that.”

“Is this why you won’t go to the halfway house?”

“Especially now. That’s the first place he’ll look. Jared, please. Promise you won’t say a word to anybody—not even Deirdre or Uncle Adam. I’m going to run away from the Thomases, but I can’t right now. They’ll go straight to Deirdre and find out about Uncle Adam. Please promise me.”

“Okay, okay,” he agreed. “But that doesn’t mean I think you’re doing the right thing.”

“I want to go back to Uncle Adam now that I know Aunt Natalie isn’t with him. You have to believe that. But I want to do it so it’s safe for him. Otherwise, we’ll never live together again. And it’ll be my fault.”

“It wouldn’t be your fault, but I still won’t say anything—yet. But if that man ever touches you again, I won’t keep my mouth shut. I’ll tell Deirdre and Mr. Colter.”

“Glenn won’t hit me again as long as I do what he says. One of these days, though, I’m going to get out of there. And I’ll do it before he realizes I’m gone.”

“Where will you go?”

“I don’t know. That’s one reason I can’t leave yet. When I do think of a place, though, I’m long gone. And I’m calling Deirdre as soon as it’s safe.”

Behind her the cook hit the bell on the counter to signal that Jared’s order was ready. Robin turned around to retrieve the hamburger and placed it in front of him before he said, “Let me know if you need my help.”

“I’ll try, but I doubt I’ll be able to. I’m going to wait for the right chance and grab it. When I take off, I’m not telling anybody. I won’t have time.”

“But I could help you. I could divert Thomas or something. I know! I could start dating you. He’d never know the difference if we went out and you just plain didn’t come home.”

She shook her head. “That won’t work, and you know it. The first place he’d look is with you, and that would lead him to Deirdre. Then she’d tell him about Uncle Adam, and Uncle Adam would get hurt. I can’t take that chance.”

“I guess you’re right. Just promise me one thing. If Thomas hits you again, get the hell out of there right away.”

“If he does hit me, I won’t be able to. Last time he locked me in my bedroom the second after he hit me. And there was no way out, because where we live there are bars on the windows. It was like being in Alcatraz. I couldn’t have escaped if I’d wanted to. It didn’t matter, though, because I wouldn’t know where to go. Now do you see what I’m up against?”

“I sure do, but I don’t like it. You’ve got to get out of there as soon as you can.”

“And I will. Just leave the time up to me. I know the Thomases, Jared. I know how they’ll act.”

“Okay,” he agreed in concern. “Will you call me when you decide to do something?”

“I’ll try.”

“I guess that’s all I can ask.” He grinned to lighten her mood and changed the subject. “So, can I drive you home from work tonight?”

“I can’t date, and Glenn would really be mad if he saw you. Then I’d get in trouble again.” Smiling at him, she also changed the topic. “What about Deirdre and Uncle Adam? Do they still fight all the time?”

Jared explained the talk he’d had with each of the adults that evening, adding, “I’m not sure that Mr. Colter doesn’t like Deirdre. In fact, I think he likes her a lot.”

“I don’t know why else he’d try to get her together with her brother. He probably thinks it’ll get him on her good side.”

“I’ll bet that’s it,” Jared agreed. “If it is, maybe they’ll start talking like a couple of human beings instead of going at each other’s throats like a couple of animals. I sure hope he paid attention when I told him how hard Deirdre’s been working lately.”

“Why?”

“Maybe he’ll take her out to dinner or something. Then they can find out that neither one of them is as bad as the other thinks. They can work together to get you back with Mr. Colter.”

“And maybe,” Robin said mischievously, “they’ll find out that they like each other more than they’re willing to admit. Wouldn’t that be great?”

“Wait a second. You’re not trying to play matchmaker with them are you? Is that why you won’t go back to the halfway house?”

“Of course not. But it would sure be nice to see them together, wouldn’t it?”

“Only because Deirdre needs a social life. I don’t think anything else should happen.”

***

“Is this Brandon Mackenzie?” Adam asked the man on the opposite end of the phone.

“Yes,” he responded with a note of curiosity.

“Do you have a sister named Deirdre Ingstrom?”

“Did she put you up to this phone call?” Brandon demanded. “If so, I don’t appreciate her manipulating me like this.”

Adam chuckled. “Quick tempers must be a family trait. Actually, she’d probably be just as furious as you are if she knew I was calling.”

“Then why are you?”

“For two reasons. One is that I can’t seem to get along with her, and I’m trying to understand why. Can you tell me what she was like growing up?”

“I’m not answering any questions until you tell me what your interest is—and who the hell you are.”

“My name is Adam Colter, and my only interest is in getting along with your sister.” After an almost imperceptible pause, he added, “So we can work together, of course.”

“Oh, of course,” Brandon said. “Listen, Colter, my sister is a married woman. So, back off.”

“That’s an awfully protective attitude for a man who doesn’t care about his only sibling. Too bad you didn’t keep in touch with her. If you had, you’d know that Deirdre’s been a widow for years.”

“A widow?” he repeated in shock. “I … I didn’t know. I never open the cards she sends me, but the return address label always says Mrs. Parker Ingstrom.”

“That’s the proper way for a widow to be addressed. You really do care about her, don’t you, Brandon.”

“She’s my sister.”

“Then tell me about her.”

“I don’t know what I could say. She’s seven years older than I am. What I remember best is that everybody liked her. She was a quiet person, almost withdrawn when I look back on it. And she was like a second mother to me. When Mom couldn’t meet me after school, I always waited for Deirdre. That was at least twice a week. She was always there for me, too—until she ran away.”

“It sounds like the two of you were pretty close back then,” Adam observed.

“That was before she killed Mom.”

“I thought your mother committed suicide.”

“She did, but it was because of Deirdre. I found her in the car, and I read the note she left. I’ll never forget it. She wrote that she hated herself because Deirdre left and apologized to me for having to find her.”

“How did she know you would find her and not your father?”

“He was away on business and wasn’t due back until the next day. Mom died because of Deirdre leaving, and I’ll never forgive my sister for that.”

“If your mother worded the note the way you remember, it sounds more like she was overwhelmed with guilt.” As he sat on the bed, Adam noticed a shadowy figure at his window. Moving casually, he stood and turned so his side was exposed to the intruder. “I seem to have unwanted company, Brandon. You won’t hang up if I go check it out, will you?”

“Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t.”

“Because you still care about Deirdre whether you admit it or not. Just don’t hang up, no matter what you hear. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.”