down the door. Put down the knife.
“So, you’ve been employed by the Bremertons for six months?” Detective Harper asked.
“Yes, since the baby was a month old.”
Harper had asked that twice already.
“And the vehicle you saw blocking your car was a dark SUV?”
That was the third time he’d asked that one.
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t see the plate numbers?”
She was done with this irritating line of questioning. She assumed he was stalling until he could somehow get more information about her juvenile crime.
“Shouldn’t you be looking for Mr. and Mrs. B.?”
“Maybe if you gave me more information it would help me find them.”
Right, keep her talking until she said something he could use against her. She knew how it worked.
“Detective, I have been chased, shot at and assaulted,” Carly said. “I’m tired and would like to leave now.”
Harper shot her a displeased look, but she wouldn’t be intimidated. She wasn’t that thirteen-year-old girl, scared, alone and charged with felony menacing because she’d been trying to protect her little sister.
“I’ve answered your questions. Am I free to go?” she pushed.
“You haven’t answered the most critical one—what were you charged with when you were thirteen?”
She clenched her jaw and stared at the door behind him. Giving Harper that piece of her history would convince him she was guilty of something, anything. Today she was guilty only of loving and wanting to protect baby Mia.
“Lawyer, please,” she said.
Harper’s eye twitched.
A young deputy in his twenties popped his head into the room. “Detective, an emergency call just came in. A child’s been abducted from Saint Mary’s Hospital.”
Carly stood. “Mia?”
Detective Harper turned to her. “What do you know about this?”
“What could I possibly know? I’ve been in here with you.”
He narrowed his eyes as if assessing her honesty. Finally, he said, “You’re free to go. Not back to the Bremerton estate. It’s a crime scene.”
“My car’s there, and my clothes.”
He nodded at the young deputy. “Schneider, give Miss Winslow a ride to her car and make sure she vacates the premises without taking anything from the house.” Harper turned back to Carly. “I’d prefer you not leave Summit County.”
Oh, she had no plans to leave the county or even the small town of Miner, Colorado. Carly wasn’t going anywhere until she knew Mia was safe.
“Ma’am.” The young deputy motioned.
She accompanied the deputy and left the police station, hopefully never to return.
* * *
Twenty minutes later Deputy Schneider pulled up the long driveway of the Bremerton estate. The gates, which were usually closed, were wide open to allow access to law enforcement officials. Carly felt uneasy, knowing how much the Bremertons valued their privacy.
Deputy Schneider parked beside her car.
“Thanks,” she said. She got out of the patrol car and glanced at the house. It was hard to believe everything that had happened. She said a silent prayer for Mr. and Mrs. B.’s safety.
“Ma’am?”
She turned to the deputy.
“I need to escort you out,” he said.
“Sure, of course.” As she approached her blue compact car, the echo of men’s voices drifted to her from the deputy’s shoulder radio. She caught part of the conversation. Someone said, “Mountain Pass Drive” and “white minivan.” She guessed they were in pursuit of the vehicle Mia’s kidnapper was driving.
Hope sparked in her chest. She calmly slid behind the wheel of her car. It was foolish to think she could help. However, her love for Mia drove her to want to do something.
A familiar feeling of helplessness chilled her heart. She would not accept it. Even though she’d been unable to save Greta from their horrible parents, that didn’t mean she’d give up on baby Mia.
Carly pulled out of the driveway and the deputy followed her onto the main road. She should find temporary lodging somewhere, perhaps at the Juniper Inn. They knew her there since Renee, the owner, was in Carly’s Bible study group.
She’d get a room later. Right now even the most comfortable room would offer little solace since Mia was out there, frightened, being held captive by a stranger. The image of Mia’s red, crying face inspired Carly to follow her heart, even if it landed her in trouble.
She drove a bit, a plan forming in her head. She pulled into the Juniper Inn parking lot and Deputy Schneider drove past, lights flashing.
Waiting until he was out of sight, she left the parking lot and headed for Mountain Pass Drive. It was a long shot, but she didn’t know what else to do.
Carly was desperate to save Mia.
If she happened to find the minivan, or even show up at the scene when police found it, would they assume Carly was involved? Officially arrest her this time?
Keep your distance, reason dictated.
Help the child at any cost, her heart countered.
With firm hands gripping the steering wheel, she stayed calm and pushed aside the fear that the kidnapper might hurt little Mia. Who could possibly look at her sweet face and want to do her harm?
A few minutes later, as she approached Mountain Pass Drive, she hesitated at a four-way stop. She was about to press the accelerator when a car sailed through the intersection.
“Yikes!” Carly cried out. Through her rearview, she spotted the vehicle that sped off.
A minivan.
White.
“Unlikely.” Possible.
Carly made a U-turn and followed the car on the off chance it was the kidnapper. Stranger things had happened. Where were the police? Maybe she was being silly, but it was worth a try.
She wasn’t sure what she’d do once she caught up to the minivan. In the meantime, she decided to call the police and report its location. If the van happened to be the kidnapper’s vehicle, Carly would make sure it didn’t disappear, along with Mia.
She pulled
