Leah stiffened. Why would he ask her such a thing?
“Leah?”
“Of course not,” she said. “What are you implying?”
“I just want you to be honest with me. There may be something you haven’t shared that might lead us to your sister.”
“I told the police everything. But maybe I shouldn’t have called them.” She stood and crossed to the Christmas tree, toying with a reindeer Ruby had made out of clothespins. “The note warned me not to.” Emotion choked her voice. “If Ruby gets hurt or…worse, it will be my fault.”
RUBY HUGGED HER Matilda doll to her chest, tears trickling down her cheeks. She wanted to go home, back to her mama’s house, back to Leah.
But the man with the mask said that Leah didn’t want her anymore.
A sob wrenched her throat and she rolled to her side on the hard cot, coughing at the musky smell. It was dark and cold way up here in the attic. The man had brought her here and left her all alone.
There weren’t any kids to play with, no toys, no swing set, no tree house or bicycles.
No Christmas tree….
Just a few crayons and paper, and she’d almost used them all up.
She looked into the doll’s eyes, her chest hurting as she thought of home and how far away it seemed. Would she ever see her four-poster bed again? The unicorn spread? The pillow her mommy had made for her?
Her sister?
Would she be home for Christmas? How would Santa ever find her here?
Chapter Three
Gage scrutinized Leah, from her facial expressions and body language to the intonations of her voice, looking for a clue to indicate she was lying.
But her tears and those luminous, sad green eyes instantly tied him in knots. So did the smell of freshly baked cookies, as if she had made a batch to welcome her sister home.
He understood her terror as well as her guilt.
And even with anguish lining her features, she was the most beautiful woman he’d seen in a long time.
But he couldn’t allow himself to focus on that. This was just a case and Leah meant nothing to him.
Besides, he’d detected her moment of hesitation when he’d asked her if she was hiding something.
A moment that had confirmed his fear.
Whether or not it had anything to do with Ruby’s disappearance was another story.
But he suddenly wanted to unravel the secrets she had—especially why she didn’t want him here.
And why she’d avoided him in high school after she’d blown him off and hooked up with his brother.
“Leah, you can’t blame yourself. Most of the time it’s best for families to contact the police.”
“But what if this man hurts Ruby because of me?”
“It won’t do any good to second-guess yourself now. Why don’t you go over everything with me and we’ll see if the police might have missed something?”
She blinked back tears and nodded. “All right. If you think you can help. I’ll do anything to find her, Gage.”
If he’d thought she had anything to do with Ruby’s disappearance, he didn’t think so now. Her pain was too raw.
“I’d like to review all the information about the investigation. But first, why don’t you show me Ruby’s room.”
Again, guilt and worry strained her face, but she moved as if on autopilot to Ruby’s bedroom.
“She’s in my old room,” Leah said, gesturing at the lavender walls and stuffed animals covering the white, four-poster canopied bed.
He noted the unicorn bedspread, the pillowcase hand-embroidered with Ruby’s name. A pair of discarded sneakers lay by the closet door, a lime-green backpack beside them. A hot-pink jacket, fuzzy gloves and hat sat near a toy box overflowing with games and dolls.
Instincts honed from years on the force kicked in, and he knew he had to remain objective and push Leah. There had to be something the police had overlooked.
“Tell me exactly what happened.”
She averted her gaze, walked to the window and looked out as if seeking answers. “I woke up early that morning—it was still dark. The wind was howling but I thought I heard a scream. Maybe it was Ruby…crying out for me to save her.” Her hands rose to her cheeks, wiping at tears. “But I was too late. If only I’d woken up a few minutes earlier.”
“Was her bed still warm when you came in?”
She turned to him, angling her head as if in thought. “I…don’t remember feeling it. I panicked, then called for help. I kept thinking that if the kidnapper was trying to leave town the police could find him before he got too far away.”
“There was no ransom note?”
She shook her head. “Just the note on the bed by the shredded teddy bear warning me not to call the police.”
“And you haven’t received any other calls or messages since?” “No.”
“Do you have any major investments, money tucked away that someone might know about?”
“No, nothing like that.” She gestured at the room. “As you can see, my house is modest.”
He folded his arms. “Can you think of anyone who’d want to hurt you or Ruby?”
“No, no one specific.” She sighed and dragged a hand through her hair. “I’ve already told the police all this.”
“I know, but humor me. Like I said, maybe they missed something. Think about the school where you teach. Any parents—fathers perhaps—that you’ve pissed off?”
Her mouth twisted. “There was a man, a single dad, who got angry with me last month.”
“What happened?”
“His son had some bruises on his chest and legs and I asked him about them, but I think the police questioned him already.”
“What did the man have to say about his son’s bruises?”
“That his little boy is clumsy and accident-prone.”
Gage grimaced. He’d heard that before.
He moved inside the room, examining the space without touching anything. Everything indicated that a happy, normal child lived within these walls but appearances could be deceiving. “Your bedroom is on the opposite side of the house?”
