She Can Hide (She Can #4)(62)

Abby tucked her laptop under her arm and followed him. Ethan didn’t stop until they were in the street.

He turned to face her. Temper flashed across his face. “Someone broke into your garage through the window.” He paused. His breath blew out in an angry foggy huff. “And left what appear to be homemade explosive devices on the floor.”

“Homemade explosive devices?” Abby’s head whirled. “You mean bombs?”

He pressed buttons on his cell. “Yes. I’m calling in the bomb squad.”

“Someone tried to blow up my house?”

“Maybe. These look like bottle bombs, which are usually made with household products that have a chemical reaction when combined. Mostly kids use them to blow up mailboxes. People have lost fingers or been blinded by the liquid that disseminates upon detonation.” He swept a hand through his black hair.

“But you don’t know what’s inside these bottles?”

“No.”

“So I can’t go back into my house?”

“Sorry, not until the building has been cleared. We’ll have to clear out your immediate neighbors too.”

“I don’t understand.” Abby put a palm to her forehead.

“Movement can make them explode,” Ethan explained. “So if you had gone into the garage and started picking up bottles or tripped over one…”

“Chain reaction.”

“Yes,” he said.

“I’m going to move the rental car.”

“I’ll do it.” Ethan set down her luggage and took her keys from her hand. He backed the sedan into the street and parked it two houses down. Abby walked over. She put her suitcase in the trunk and Zeus in the back, then dumped her purse and computer in the passenger seat.

She turned and scanned Derek’s house. Krista’s car sat in the driveway. No truck. But a light glowed upstairs in Derek’s window. “Derek is home.”

Ethan’s lips flattened out. “Get in the car with Zeus and lock the doors. I’ll go knock on the door.”

Derek didn’t answer Ethan’s knock. The boy was probably afraid. Abby grabbed her phone and called his house. He answered on the second ring, and she gave him a quick explanation. A minute later, light spilled onto the cement as Derek opened the front door, jacket and sneakers in hand. Ethan hustled the boy down the driveway.

Abby got out of the truck. “Is your mom home?”

Stooping down to slide his sneakers onto his feet, Derek shook his head.

Two official county police vehicles parked behind Ethan’s cruiser, lights swirling. Derek sidled behind Abby as the cops got out and spoke to Ethan.

“It’s all right,” Abby said.

But the despair that washed over Derek’s face disagreed.

Abby’s stomach clenched. “What’s wrong?”

A tear slipped out of Derek’s eyes and caught the moonlight. He gave his head a fast shake.

“You need to tell me if it’s important, Derek.”

He sniffed. “It’s Joe.”

“Your mom’s boyfriend? The bald guy?”

“Yeah.” Derek took three rapid breaths as if hyperventilation was imminent. “I think he’s cooking meth in the basement.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Stuff I saw down there. Chemicals. Equipment.”

“I need to tell Ethan.”

“I know.” Derek looked away.

Abby waved at Ethan.

Ethan walked over. “They’re going to start clearing out all your immediate neighbors.”

“Derek says his mother’s boyfriend brought some suspicious stuff into their basement.”

Ethan’s posture sharpened. “Is he there now?”

Derek shook his head.

“Do you know where he went?” Ethan asked.

“No.”

“When did he leave?”

“I don’t know,” Derek said, his voice cracking. “They were gone when I got home.”

Dread pooled in Abby’s belly.

“Where’s your mom, Derek?” Ethan asked.

Derek’s shoulders shook. His silence sent another wave of unease rippling through Abby. Derek feared two things. That something would happen to his mom because of her addiction and that he’d end up back in the foster care system. Tonight, his worst fears could be realized.

Ethan and Abby exchanged a look. Ethan’s face was grim.

“When did you see her last, Derek?” Abby asked gently.

“This morning. Before I went to school.”

Abby whipped out her cell. “I’ll call the restaurant where she works and see if they’ve seen her.”

But as she dialed the number she already knew they hadn’t seen Krista.




Krista’s head lolled. The hit Joe had given her earlier was wearing thin, but her mind was still fuzzy and cluttered. She blinked hard. The cab of Joe’s pickup came into focus. A whir and clang startled her. She looked beyond the inside of the truck. A two-car garage. An old sedan was parked next to her.

“Rise and shine.” The door opened. Joe grabbed her by the hair. Pain made a vague stab at her tingly and numb scalp. She pressed her hands to her head. She stumbled out of the truck and fell. Her knees hit the concrete. “Where are we?”