Executive Protection(44)

Reluctantly, Thad left her and approached a detective he’d worked with on other scenes who stood at the front door. After greeting him, he went inside. He saw Rosanna facedown on the floor, a pool of relatively fresh blood beneath her. He’d seen it many times before, but this time it felt more personal.

“She made the call after the child was taken,” the detective said. “She was stabbed three times in the chest.”

And as she lay dying, she’d called for help, knowing that Sophie had been kidnapped. “Murder weapon?”

“Haven’t found it.”

“Any witnesses?”

The detective shook his head. “None so far.”

“Who took her?”

“The ex, or soon-to-be. She told the operator.”

Thad nearly closed his eyes. At least he had a lead. A solid one.

When he imagined what the little girl might be enduring, a cold sweat broke out in him. Quickly following that, brewing rage. He would do anything to bring Sophie back to safety. Anything.

Surveying the scene and taking in every detail, Thad spotted some photos on a white bookshelf. Going there, he looked at each one and stopped when he saw one of a birthday celebration. He couldn’t tell whose it was, but Layne was in it. He stood on a balcony. The day was sunny and in the background was a river. It looked like some kind of vacation home. There was a planter shaped like a fish, and a fish wind chime hanging from a jutting soffit.

“Do we know anything about this?” he asked.

The detective came over to the shelf. “What about it?”

“Did Layne have a vacation home by a river?” A fishing house, as Sophie had called it.

Suddenly, a feeling in his gut had his feet moving.

He went back outside to Lucy. She hugged herself, guilt-ridden over not keeping Sophie with them. He felt a little of it himself. He was relieved when Lucy had taken her back to Rosanna. The child would no longer be around to challenge his views and his reason for having them. Now he struggled with doubt over whether those views were justified, or even real.

A scream emanating behind them caused them both to turn around. A woman tried to break through two officers blocking her attempt to gain entry to the home.

“Rosanna!” she cried.

Police tried to calm her. Letting her inside would not only disturb the scene, it would gravely upset the woman.

“I’m her mother! Rosanna!”

One of the officers spoke to her and Thad could tell when he revealed that Rosanna was dead. The woman crumbled to the ground and screamed louder and much more gutturally.

Thad went over to the group. “May I?”

“Sure,” one of the officers said.

Thad crouched before the woman and told who he was. “Ma’am?”

The sobbing woman looked at him. With tears shining on her face, she said, “You have to find Layne. He did this.”

Lucy turned her head sharply toward him, and he nodded once to let her know that’s what he’d learned when he’d gone into the crime scene.

“Rosanna was afraid of him,” the woman said. “He threatened her more than once.” She leaned with her hands on the lawn and cried again. “Get him out of the house, I told her. Get him out. We thought she’d be safe once she did.” She resumed her sobbing.


Thad was certain he wouldn’t take Sophie to his new residence. “Did Layne have anywhere else he could go other than here or at his new home? A vacation home? There’s a picture inside of a place where he fishes.”

The woman regained some of her composure. “Yes. He fished a lot. Near Jordan Lake. His parents have a place there.” She gave him detailed directions on how to get there but didn’t know an exact address. It was enough.

“Do you have any idea why he’d kidnap Sophie?” Lucy asked.

And Thad understood the reason she’d asked. He wondered the same. And the image of that man taking pictures kept running in his head.

“No.” The woman shook her head. “He didn’t care much for kids. Not like Rosanna. Rosanna loved children. She wanted some of her own someday.” More tears spilled free. “He must have done it to spite her.”

But Rosanna was dead. If Layne had killed her, why take Sophie? Rosanna was no longer alive to care. No, the man who’d taken pictures had discovered what Sophie meant to him. More than even Thad had had time to comprehend.

“Thank you.” Thad stood and said to the policemen, “Take care of her, would you?”

The one closest to him nodded. “We will.”

Thad took Lucy’s hand and hurried to his car. There, he called Darcy, who could help him find the place Layne’s parents owned. Sophie could be anywhere. This was a shot in the dark, but it was the only one they had.

* * *

Lucy saw the average-sized house as Thad drove by. There were a few lights on, but no activity was evident from here. After they were out of sight from the house, Thad parked.

“Wait here,” he said.

But Lucy got out with him. “I’m coming with you.” If Layne hurt Sophie, she’d kill him.

Not arguing, Thad pulled out his pistol from the holster he hadn’t bothered to cover when he’d left the estate. He’d put it on over his T-shirt. Going to the front door, he tried the handle. It was locked. Listening, he heard no sounds. No cries from a child. No talking.