The Perfect Couple (Last Stand #4)(87)
Author: Brenda Novak

He had nothing–except a very bad feeling about the Bells and a sense of urgency–probably because he’d heard from Jasmine again, right after he’d spoken to Tiffany, and she’d been frantic.

She said he needed to find Sam now.

That gave him no time to go through other channels. A warrant could take days, if it happened at all.

A quick look around was the quickest, most efficient way to achieve his goal. And he didn’t feel too guilty about it. If he was right about the Bells, this could save Sam’s life. If he was wrong, there’d be no harm done, especially if he was careful.

Vacuum strokes scored the carpet, and the place smelled mildly of lemon furniture polish and other cleaning supplies. That meshed with what he’d seen from the front door when he’d spoken to Colin on previous occasions, so it didn’t seem unusual. But he knew this level of cleanliness wouldn’t bode well for finding any residue of Sam’s presence–if she’d ever been here. Jasmine insisted she was in a forest somewhere, but if Tiffany had kidnapped her–which had to be the case since Colin hadn’t been home at the time–Sam would’ve been in this house at some point.

An extensive search provided no proof of it, however. Except for the master bedroom, the rooms upstairs were mostly devoid of furniture, which made them easy to check. One had a desk and scrapbooking materials in plastic organizer drawers–obviously a crafts room for Tiffany. Another, heavily soundproofed, had a set of drums and nothing else. But that wasn’t surprising, either. Young couples often furnished only the main rooms of the house until they had children or some other reason to spend the extra money.

The mirror affixed to the ceiling of the master bedroom might be a tacky addition, but certainly wasn’t proof of wrongdoing. And he saw nothing kinkier than that, nothing he would’ve expected to find in the home of a man who could torture a child for months.

Thirty minutes later, after going through every nook and cranny including the attic and garage, Jonathan returned to the living room. He’d discovered some sleeping pills in the cupboard over the refrigerator. They were the same brand as the ones Zoe had supposedly bought the night he found her in the motel room. But it was a very common brand, so that wasn’t incriminating in itself.

He’d also noticed a mattress leaning against the wall in the garage–probably a hand-me-down–and some dog food. A large sack that was open and partially used, it called to mind Toby’s claim that he’d been treated like a dog, especially because the Bells didn’t seem to have any animals. But for all Jonathan knew, Colin and Tiffany occasionally agreed to dog-sit for a friend.

Regardless, Sam wasn’t here. There wasn’t a single solid indication that she ever had been. And he’d seen nothing to make him believe Colin and Tiffany were anything other than what they appeared to be.

Shit. He was going to lose this one, was going to lose Sam. Zoe’s child….

Every heartbeat pounded like a fist as he closed his eyes. He’d never felt so frustrated, so helpless or so inadequate. Apparently, he’d been wasting his time today, chasing a very unlikely culprit, just when Sam needed him most.

Maybe it was the discouragement, or the fact that he was preoccupied hashing over every detail of the past week, wondering where he’d gone wrong and what he could’ve done better, but he didn’t realize someone was home until he heard the jingle of keys.

And by then, there was no time to get out.

Where was Jonathan? After what she’d learned from Tiffany Bell, Zoe desperately wanted to reach him. But she’d tried his cell at least a dozen times, and her calls kept going to voice mail.

She’d just left him another message and was leaving one for Detective Thomas, as well, when Tiffany’s call–the call she’d been waiting for–came in. "Hello?"

"I have the directions," Tiffany announced, more somber than strident.

The adrenaline pouring through Zoe’s system brought a quaver to her voice. "So you think you can find it?"

"The cabin’s pretty remote, but…" Her sigh seemed nervous. But Zoe could understand why she might feel out of her element. It was a serious accusation she’d launched against Colin’s father. "…I’ve been there before and can probably manage. I just worry that I could be wrong. In a way, I hope I am. But, God, it would be terrible to make this kind of mistake."

"I appreciate your willingness to come forward. I know it couldn’t have been an easy decision."

"It feels really disloyal. I hate it. But Colin wanted me to call you just in case."

"How many times did Paddy mention Sam?"

"Over the months? A few. He said…well, you know, that she was pretty."

Zoe couldn’t help wincing at the way he must’ve meant that compliment.

"Still, I never would’ve thought anything of it, even after he went missing," Tiffany explained, "if Colin hadn’t reminded me of…of his own childhood. It’s really Colin you have to thank. He’s the one who remembered the cabin, too."

Guilt made Zoe repent the negative thoughts she’d entertained about her neighbor. He’d had a horribly abusive childhood. It was astonishing that he’d turned out as normal as he had.

"And the cabin’s surrounded by pine trees? It’s in the mountains?" She knew it was, but she had to hear it again.

"Yes."

Jasmine had told Jonathan that Sam was in a forest. It all fit. The second Zoe had received Tiffany’s initial call, her intuition had told her this was it. She’d found her daughter–or would, soon.

Now it was just a matter of getting to Sam as soon as possible.

"It’s the best lead we’ve had so far, definitely worth a shot," Zoe said.

Maybe her gut was wrong, but after spending all morning with Toby, who could barely recall his own name, let alone the name of the man who’d beaten him, Zoe was willing to take almost any risk if it might bring her daughter home.

"I don’t know," Tiffany mused. "I’m sort of having second thoughts."

"About what?"

"About taking you with me. Maybe you should stay here and let me go by myself. I could call you."

"There’s cell reception?"

"Not at the cabin, but…I’d just drive partway back."

That could take forever. What if Sam needed her mother? "No, I want to be there. You shouldn’t go alone, anyway."

"Oh, Paddy would never hurt me. He’s not like that."

He was if he was the man who’d nearly killed Toby. "I hope you’re right."

"I could ask Colin to come with me instead," Tiffany suggested.

Zoe dug at her cuticles. It might be good if he joined them, in case Paddy got violent. Tiffany said Paddy wasn’t like that, but Zoe wasn’t convinced. "Is he available?"