Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(52)

Thin patches of snow still dotted the playground. Where the ground cover had melted, the grass was wet and squishy underfoot. Major Barrett didn’t seem the kind of man that would mind some mud on the floor. Besides, Carson desperately needed the fresh air. Julia, too. She was grounded for a to-be-determined length of time. Sitting in the house had been making all three of them depressed.

After Julia’s stunt with Taylor, this was as close to the outside world as she was going to get for a long time. Mom was really mad. Not yelling mad, but quiet mad, which was way worse. Now she was freaking out about Nan’s broken foot, too. She’d probably be angry that Nan had suggested Julia take the kids to the playground.

With a woof, AnnaBelle raced to Julia. She spit a tennis ball next to her, then danced backward, barking. Julia hurled the ball across the park. The dog streaked off after it.

“I wish I could throw that far,” Carson said, climbing off the seesaw. He jogged over to the slide and started climbing.

Julia checked the baby again. She slid off her glove and reached under the blanket to make sure Faith’s body was warm. The space under the fleece blanket felt toasty.

A sharp bark drew her attention. AnnaBelle was racing across the muddy ground toward her. She slid to a stop.

“Where’s the ball, AnnaBelle?”

But the dog wasn’t looking at her. His ears were pricked toward the street. A white van was parked at the curb. She’d seen that vehicle before, but when? Julia’s neck prickled.

To keep the small kids away from the street, the playground was separated from the sidewalk by a basketball court and rectangular patch of grass. The space between the van and the kids didn’t feel like nearly enough distance.

Instinctively, she glanced around for Carson. He was scampering off the bottom of the slide.

“Carson,” she called.

He ran over, bits of mud flying from under his snow boots and splattering his waterproof pants. His eyes were bright as he chewed on the end of his mitten. “What?”

Julia put a hand on the stroller handle. The van’s door opened, and a man got out. He looked familiar, but she couldn’t place him.

“It’s him again.” Carson backed up a step. His eyes filled with apprehension.

“Have you seen him before?”

Carson nodded. “He knocked on the door the night Mommy and Daddy left, remember?” The little boy’s expression darkened, the happiness of playing in the mud wiped out as he remembered his new reality.

But movement pulled Julia’s gaze back to the man. He was walking toward them. She searched her memory but came up with nothing except a weird, creepy sensation that made her want to get away.

“Let’s go home.” She pushed the stroller in the opposite direction.

“Hey,” the man called. “I need to talk to you.”

Julia walked faster. So did he. The stroller wheels slogged in the mud. Julia leaned into her task. Carson tried to help, clutching the handle with both mittens and pushing hard.

“I’m a reporter. I just want to ask you a few questions.” He increased his speed.

There was no way they’d get away with the stroller bogging down in the muck. Julia reached into the stroller and picked up the baby. “Run, Carson. I don’t think he’s a reporter.”

One glance at Carson told her he didn’t believe the man was with the press either. Carson darted for his house.

Clutching the baby to her chest, Julia broke into a run. There were no cars in any of the driveways between them and the house. No one was home from work yet.

At her side, Carson’s boots splashed in the mud. The little boy’s short legs couldn’t cover much ground, and Julia couldn’t go any faster carrying Faith. The man was gaining on them. AnnaBelle ran between them, barking. Julia’s lungs burned. She slipped in the mud and nearly went down.

“Hurry,” Carson cried. He grabbed her sleeve and pulled. Julia straightened out her legs, but she’d lost precious time. The man was closer. She could hear his ragged breathing as he sprinted toward her.

A whimper slid from her lips. Her shoes hit the pavement. A few seconds later, she heard his boots scrape asphalt. No! Barely thirty feet separated them.

What could she do?

He was going to catch them. They didn’t stand a chance of escape. Maybe if she slowed him down, Carson and Faith could get away. She couldn’t fight him off carrying the baby, and Carson had no chance against a full-grown man. AnnaBelle barked, but Julia doubted the retriever would attack.

“Carson.” Still running, she shoved the baby toward Carson. “Can you carry her?”

He nodded, stopping to take his sister before waddling toward the house with his heavy burden.

“Get help!” Julia moved between the man and the children. Facing the threat, she backed toward the house, praying that assistance came before the man hurt her. Her body shook. He ran closer. She trembled as her gaze locked on his face and registered his fury.





Chapter Twenty


With her mind occupied with estate paperwork, Hannah flipped through financial statements at her brother’s desk. She reached for a paper clip. Lee kept them in a small, misshapen bowl at the edge of the blotter. To Daddy from Carson was carved into the cavity in sloppy, lopsided letters. The vessel was roughly formed, obviously by childish hands, and cracked, but Lee had displayed it proudly. Hannah surveyed the office. Where had he gotten the money? She couldn’t think he’d been involved in anything shady. Not Lee. But why had he indebted his family to buy this monstrosity of a house and lease a BMW? He’d never been concerned with prestige or image in the past. Had ambition finally snagged Lee the way it tugged at Hannah and Grant?