Hour of Need (Scarlet Falls #1)(54)

Hannah slid into a kitchen chair. Faith babbled in her ear. The baby wailed for ten hours every night for no reason, but being chased down the street by a strange man thrilled her.

Carson and Julia took chairs at the table, too. Grant crouched down in front of them. “You’re both all right?”

They nodded.

He removed Carson’s coat and boots and put them by the back door. Julia removed her outer garments as well. She shivered and sat next to her grandmother. Nan wrapped an arm around the girl’s shoulders.

“Somebody needs a change.” Grant took Faith out of the room.

Hannah looked down at her feet. Her formerly gray socks were black and soaked through. Her feet tingled, almost numb with cold. Mud spattered her jeans.

AnnaBelle announced the cop’s arrival with a bark and a wag.

Detective McNamara. The cop’s expression was shuttered, as usual. He’d kept his cool when she’d practically cross-examined him the other day, too. Didn’t anything tweak this guy? His gaze swept over the children at the table. Was that a spark of anger in his eyes? Maybe he did have emotions.

“Who’s bleeding?” McNamara pointed at the mud-streaked hall behind him. Barefoot prints were smeared with wet red smudges.

Hannah glanced down at her feet. She was the only one not wearing shoes.

“That must be me.” She peeled off her socks. A cut on her heel dripped with blood. “I must have stepped on something sharp. It’s not bad. I don’t think it needs stitches. Doesn’t even hurt.”

“Yet.” McNamara crouched next to her and lifted her foot for inspection. His hands were unexpectedly callused. “That needs to be cleaned. Come on.”

“I can do it myself.” She pushed to her feet.

“The bottom of your foot?” He didn’t roll his eyes, but she could tell he wanted to, which was a relief. Most of the time, the cop acted like a robot. He put his arm under her elbow.

With his help, she hobbled to the powder room. “I think there’s a first aid kit under the sink.”

“Got it.” He made quick work of cleaning the cut and covering it with a Band-Aid. “Is that all right?”

“It’s fine,” she said, although her foot was beginning to throb. “I’m just glad no one else was hurt.”

McNamara got to his feet. “You were lucky. Those kids could’ve been hurt.”

“You don’t have to tell me that.”

The cop frowned down at her. “There’s no point beating yourself up. No one had any idea the kids were in danger.”

Hannah would never be able to close her eyes without seeing that man chasing them down. Her lungs contracted, and pressure built behind her ribs. “Regardless, I should have gone to the park with them.”

“When you learn how to predict the future, let me know. That ability would certainly make my job easier.”

Not sure how to take his statement, she studied his face.

“That was a joke,” he sighed. “Look. The kids are all right. Take a minute to breathe and appreciate that. Sometimes, you have to balance being worried with being grateful.”

Hannah breathed. The weight on her chest eased, but the relief was minimal. “Why would anyone go after the kids?”

“I don’t know, and that’s what’s most terrifying.” He took a small notebook and pen from his pocket. “I’d better take your statement first. What did he look like? Tell me everything.”

For a few seconds, Hannah wanted to let all her fears and insecurities spill out. But he was only asking about the incident, not volunteering to be her therapist. Besides, who had that much time? Her gaze raked over his lean, hard physique. No. The cop didn’t look like any shrink Hannah had ever seen.

“I didn’t get a good look at him. He took off as soon as he saw me.”

She steadied herself and relayed the event in a logical and linear manner. But in the back of her mind, all she could see was that man chasing down the children.

“One more question for you.” The cop pointed his pen at her. “Your brother had two large cash deposits hit his account a couple weeks ago, both just small enough to avoid federal reporting requirements. Do you know of any assets he could have sold, accounts he could have closed?”

“No.” As much as Hannah didn’t want to face the possibility that Lee could have been involved in something illegal, she had no explanation for the sudden appearance of nearly twenty thousand dollars.



Grant changed Faith’s diaper. She alternated between sticking her toes in her mouth and babbling. The baby talk made his chest ache. She could have been hurt this afternoon. Carson and Julia, too.

He zipped up her one-piece footed coveralls. With her feet secured, she chewed on her fist. Drool ran out the side of her mouth. Grant wiped her chin with his sleeve, which should have been gross but didn’t bother him.

Why would anyone chase the kids? What did that guy want? Did he kill Lee and Kate?

He leaned over and pressed his forehead to Faith’s. She grabbed his hair with both fists and let loose with a high-pitched, excited shriek. He wouldn’t be able to take it if anything happened to these kids. They’d already had their parents stolen from them. Kate should be here for every baby squeal. Carson should have his father to comfort him after a nightmare.