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  Rosa Morales rushed forward, followed closely by Bert. Dory gave her parents a quick rundown of what was happening. Her mother, who had always been Dory’s rock, gripped her husband’s arm with a trembling hand.

  Brad and Logan approached, faces set in grim lines. Jack told them Adrian’s approximate height and weight, and what he was wearing. Brad gave Dory’s hand a brief squeeze. “Dory, is Adrian aware that his father has escaped from prison and is in the area?”

  Dory nodded.

  “Any idea why he would wander off?”

  She thought about the conversation she’d had with her son in Trish Gallagher’s sunny kitchen. She stepped away from Jack, rubbing the back of her neck to ease the tension. “To protect me, maybe?”

  “How would wandering off protect you?” Jack asked.

  “I don’t know, but when we talked about Rodrigo having escaped, his biggest concern wasn’t for himself. He was more afraid ‘the man,’ that’s what he calls Rodrigo, would hurt me if he could. Maybe he’s got some idea he could get to his father before his father could get to me.” The thought did nothing to alleviate the icy chill snaking down her spine.

  Brad’s radio buzzed, and after a brief conversation, he turned to Dory. “Is there anywhere you can think Adrian would go, where he’d feel safe?”

  “Our house, maybe, or my parents’ house.”

  “I’ve already sent units to watch both locations.”

  Jack’s and Brad’s radios both alerted, this time in unison. The dispatcher’s voice carried clearly. “All units be advised, an individual identified as Rodrigo Calderon was spotted twenty-five minutes ago in the area of Main and Pine Streets, wearing denim jeans and a dark brown shirt.”

  “That’s only three blocks from here.” The ice spread to encase her heart.

  ***

  Not much surprised Rodrigo Calderon anymore, least of all how his hometown seemed caught in a time warp. Nothing had changed. Only two years had passed since he’d been sent to prison, but you’d think something would be different.

  He’d changed. As bad as prison was, it had made him smarter, taught him patience. The mind-numbing boredom of spending day after day in a cage had pushed him to do something with his brain, so he’d checked out books from the prison library, he’d worked out to build himself up physically and keep other inmates from messing with him, and he’d waited. He’d gotten damn good at waiting, and while he’d waited, he’d planned.

  The books he’d checked out had helped him with those plans. He’d read about great military leaders, generals like Alexander the Great, Hannibal, William Tecumseh Sherman. Every one of those dudes had used their brains and developed strategies to lay waste to their enemies. He particularly liked the Union fixer, General Sherman. If you wanted to crush your enemy, you destroyed everything he valued. You took his food, killed his livestock, wrecked everything in your path. As Sherman said, you made the enemy howl.

  Rodrigo could have been a great leader if he’d followed a different path after high school. Not in the military, because you had to follow orders before you rose in ranks and could give orders. He wouldn’t have joined a criminal organization either. They were too much like the military with their rules and hierarchies. He was more of a lone wolf, though one who used people as necessary. TJ had proved useful. If any evidence turned up that could identify who’d burned the barn at the Circle M, it would point directly at TJ. Then he’d been crazy enough to launch himself at Jack when he and Rodrigo had been fighting, occupying Jack’s attention enough to allow Rodrigo to get away.

  Dory deserved the blame for thwarting his opportunities for greatness. She’d gotten her hooks into him, then gotten pregnant, and he’d been trapped. She’d never been happy, always on his case to get a job, and even when he did get work, she’d nag him senseless.

  The only reason he’d stayed with her was because of the regular, if mediocre, sex. Plus, she belonged to him, and he wasn’t leaving her available for some asshole. He was one hundred percent positive Jack would have made a move if given half a chance.

  Dory had sabotaged Rodrigo’s plans and had only stopped nagging him when he’d beaten the habit out of her. He still couldn’t believe she’d stuck to her guns, testifying against him in court. Strategic mistake on his part, hitting the kid in front of her. He hadn’t thought she’d have the backbone to stand up to him. That he’d ended up in prison was one more reason for vengeance.

  Now was his time to give a little payback. Dory, Jack, the whole fucking town of Hangman’s Loss would feel his wrath.

  It was time to make his enemy howl.

  ***

  Dory walked with Jack out of the gym, only his hand on her arm keeping her from rushing to the front of the school to search for her son. They passed through the front office where Red Cross volunteers were registering evacuees. A uniformed officer now stood at the entrance, monitoring those who came in. She was aware that once the police had learned of Rodrigo’s escape, the perimeter of the campus had been secured to funnel everyone through the front doors. The added security had made her feel safer when she’d arrived with Adrian that morning, but she now realized she’d been fooling herself.

  Thoughts raced in a dizzying circle through her mind. Had Rodrigo grabbed Adrian, or had her son chosen to leave the area on his own? As protective as he was, she’d have thought he’d want to stay close to her, but maybe he’d somehow convinced himself that she’d be safer without him. Trying to figure out the reasoning of an eight-year-old was challenging in the best of circumstances, and these weren’t the best of circumstances.

  Jack had a brief word with the officer at the door, and Dory hurried outside ahead of him. He caught up with her as his cell signaled from his pocket.

  He brought the phone up to his ear. “Morgan.” He stopped walking, listening intently, his grim expression bringing her to a stop, giving her heart an uncomfortable jolt. Something had happened. He could be hearing the worst possible news, that Adrian—

  Jack must have known her brain was traveling down a rabbit hole because he gave a quick shake of his head. “It’s not about Adrian.”

  Dory breathed in slowly, held her breath, then exhaled carefully, telling herself hyperventilating would not help find her son. She needed to hang on to the positive—no news was better than bad news. They’d find Adrian and he’d be fine. Then Rodrigo would be arrested and sent back to prison.

  He probably hadn’t done anything yet to warrant a life sentence, but she could hope a judge would put him away for a very long time. At least he’d no longer be eligible to serve his time at a conservation camp. And while she was dreaming, she’d dream that the fire would miss the town, and her world would get back to normal with all the people she loved safe.

  Still on the phone, Jack swore ripely, then said, “Most likely it was Rodrigo. We’ve got to find the bastard.” He signed off, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Fire at Maddy’s café.”

  Dory pressed her hand to her mouth in horror. “Oh no. Maddy’s business. Is it out? Was anyone hurt?”

  “It’s out. ¬The café is closed because of the fire emergency, so no one was there and no one was hurt.”

  “You think Rodrigo started it.”

  “Yeah, and so does Brad. It started in the dumpster behind the store. Fucker lit the trash inside then pushed it up under the eaves to try to get the building to catch on fire. Landon Halloway was at his store only a few doors down. He saw the smoke and ran over with a fire extinguisher. He was able to push the dumpster away from the building and put the fire out.”

  “Thank goodness. Did he see how it started?”

  “No, but if it was Rod, that puts him about a mile from here twenty to thirty minutes ago.”

  “He could get here easily in that amount of time, even if he’s on foot.”

  Jack was shaking his head. “I don’t think so. With what Cameron said, Adrian disappeared about fifteen minutes
ago. That makes the timing too tight. I think lighting that fire shows what’s on his mind, and right now it’s destruction, not you or Adrian.”

  “Unless he simply saw an opportunity and took it.”

  “Maybe, but given the timeline, I don’t think he took Adrian.”

  “Okay, that’s good.” Dory allowed herself a small sigh of relief.

  Jack took her hand, linking his fingers with hers. Despite their sharp words earlier, his touch let her know she wasn’t alone. They crossed to the parking lot. The air felt hot, sticky, and the smoke left a nasty taste in her mouth.

  Two police vehicles were parked at the front of the school. Officers were talking to three teenagers, and Dory wondered if the kids were the ones Cameron had mentioned. The police needed to talk to them about spreading unfounded rumors about citizens being in danger of getting their throats slit.

  Sergeant Monica Valdez left the group to join Brad and Dory.

  “Hey, Dory. I know it’s impossible not to worry, but we’re going to do everything possible to find your boy.”

  “I know, Monica. Thanks.”

  “What did those kids have to say?” Jack asked.

  “Mostly stupid kid stuff, spreading rumors, and if the facts aren’t juicy enough, making shit up.” She nodded to the three kids. “The short one? He’s a bully, knows Calderon is Adrian’s father, and was hassling him. Warren is setting them straight.”

  “Have they seen Adrian since their earlier conversation?” Fear was making Dory’s voice waver and her insides shake. Every second they spent talking was time when she wasn’t looking for Adrian.

  “They haven’t. They went into the evacuation center and managed to snag donuts from the volunteer desk. Warren is taking them to the volunteer coordinator to assign them jobs so they can earn those donuts. I think trash duty sounds like a good character-building exercise.”

  Jack nodded. “Good. Dory and I are heading to her house, her parents’ place, anywhere Adrian is familiar with that we think he might go.”

  Monica responded to a call on her radio, then replied. “Brad wants Warren and me to check out the elementary school, see if he headed in that direction.”

  “The baseball fields are near the school, so check them out, too. Adrian plays Little League.”

  Monica nodded before rejoining her partner, and Jack led the way to his police SUV parked in the shade of a tall oak tree. He stood at the passenger door, but before unlocking it, he turned to Dory.

  “We’re going to find him. Trust me.”

  “He’s only eight, Jack. No matter what reason he has for wandering off, he’s scared. He won’t have food or water. What if he’s not found and it gets dark?” Tears choked her throat, but she refused to let them fall.

  Jack took a step toward her, his hand up like he would touch her face. She backed away, shaking her head. “Let’s go, I want to find him.”

  They got in the car, and Jack steered the cruiser away from the middle school, driving slowly. With her cell phone clutched in her hand in case a call came in about Adrian, Dory stared out the passenger window, scanning for any glimpse of a red shirt. There were so many places a boy could hide if he didn’t want to be found. Though directly overhead the sky was a clear blue, clouds of smoke were building again to the north and west. Helicopters flew overhead, the loud chopping noise of their rotors getting louder as they dropped down to fill their water buckets from Hangman Lake. Aerial firefighting planes roared overhead on their way to the fire. Dory didn’t even want to think what would happen if the rising wind meant a return of the fire threat to Hangman’s Loss with Adrian still missing.

  Jack circled the area around the middle school a second time. “Since it’s closer, let’s go to your parents’ place and see if he’s there, then we’ll go to your house.”

  Dory nodded silently keeping watch on the terrain as they drove past stands of pine trees, then open meadows, and clusters of houses. “Wait,” she shouted. “There’s something.”

  Jack slowed the vehicle to pull over, and Dory had the door open and was out before it was fully stopped.

  “Damn it, Dory. Hold on.”

  Dory wasn’t sure whether he was barking at her for jumping from the moving vehicle, or to wait for him before chasing after what she’d seen. It didn’t matter, because no way was she waiting. She began running to where she’d seen a flash of red between two houses on a short cul-de-sac. A man stood in front of one of the houses. She didn’t so much as acknowledge him as she darted down a dirt pathway between his house and a neighbor’s.

  “Hey.”

  She ignored the call, intent on searching for the source of that flash of red. The path between the houses became a trail that wound around clumps of aspen trees and outcroppings of boulders. She saw it again and rushed forward, heart hammering in her chest. Then a girl whizzed through the trees on a BMX-style bike, pigtails flying from under her helmet, her red t-shirt bright in the sun.

  Dory stumbled to a halt, panting heavily. Not Adrian. The disappointment was so keen she doubled over, hands on her knees as she concentrated on breathing past the sudden queasiness in her stomach. When she thought she wasn’t going to throw up, she forced herself upright and began retracing her steps. The girl on the bicycle had stopped next to the man who was talking with Jack.

  “You think he’s in this area?” the man asked Jack.

  “He was last seen at the middle school. We don’t know where he went from there.”

  Dory spoke to the girl. “Did you see anyone when you were riding your bike? I’m looking for my son. He’s about your age and is wearing a red t-shirt.”

  The girl scrunched up her freckled nose. “What’s his name?”

  “Adrian Morales.”

  “My name is Mikayla. I know Adrian. We go to the same school. He was in Miss Godfrey’s class.”

  “Yes, he was. If you see him, will you tell a grown-up so they can call the police? I really want to find him.”

  “Okay.” Mikayla nodded her head solemnly. Mikayla’s dad promised to spread the word to the neighbors to keep a lookout.

  Back in the police SUV, Jack drove, his face set in grim lines. He turned onto the drive to her parents’ home. Dory was having a hard time imagining that Adrian would leave the middle school only to go to his grandparents’ house, but they had to look anyway.

  “Shit.” Jack picked up his radio. “Beth, Jack here. I need backup at the mayor’s house.” He rattled off the address, then clicked off the radio.

  Dory stared at the front of her parents’ home. Windows were shattered, and the front door stood wide open. The sapling Japanese maple tree her mother had been babying since she’d planted it this past spring lay on its side, hacked in two. Dory put her hand on the door handle.

  Chapter Eighteen

  “Stay here.”

  “No, I—”

  “Dory, look at me.”

  Shock was giving way to anger as she turned to face Jack. “Rodrigo did his. He’s ruined their house.”

  “He sure as hell did. I’m going to check it out. You are not to leave this car. The fucker could still be here. Do you understand?”

  A thought screamed across her mind. “But what if Adrian was here? He could be inside.” She scrambled for the door handle again, but Jack grabbed her by the shoulders.

  “Can I trust you to stay here? Because if I can’t, I’ll cuff you to the steering wheel, so help me god. You are not to leave this vehicle.”

  She slumped back in the seat, eyes glued to the gaping doorway. “Go then. I’ll stay. Be careful, Jack.”

  She didn’t know if he heard her last words because he was already out, shutting the door softly behind him.

  Jack had called for backup, but he wasn’t waiting. Gun drawn, he moved cautiously to the doorway, then disappeared inside. The next ten minutes were the longest in her life. Jack was coming around from the back, his gun holstered, when another police SUV roared up the drive, blue and red lights circling, but no
siren.

  With the inside of the SUV heating up, Dory opened the door as Brad exited his vehicle. She didn’t often see him in uniform, but today the police chief wore a bulletproof vest under the official police-issue uniform shirt. Given that Rodrigo had already attacked one officer, Dory was glad he’d opted for the extra armor today. Brad took in the destruction to the front of the house, shaking his head.

  Dory got out to stand next to him as Jack approached. A stiff breeze had sprung up and lifted the hair off his forehead. His gaze locked on hers. “There’s no sign of Adrian.” He sighed, hand scrubbing his jaw. “I’m sorry, Dory. That asshole did a number on your folks’ place.”

  “Rodrigo,” Brad muttered his name like an oath.

  “No doubt. Looks pretty similar to what he did to my brother’s place. He likes the Pulaski. Used it to break down the door, then smashed the hell out of everything that could be smashed. I guess we’re lucky he didn’t burn the house down.”

  “Any indication how long ago he was here?”

  “Couple hours. Looks like he made himself a sandwich, and there’s food strewn over the counter. It’s dried out enough that I’d guess it happened before ten this morning.”

  Brad turned to Dory. “What time did you all leave?”

  “Around nine.” She suppressed a shiver. What if Rodrigo had come when she’d been home with Adrian and her parents? Or if her parents had been home by themselves?

  “Which means he did this before lighting the dumpster on fire at the café,” Jack concluded. “What the hell is he planning, to go after everyone he’s ever known?”

  “He’s going after people associated with me. People who helped me get away from him. Mom and Dad were with me every day at the trial. And remember how Maddy and Emma fought him when he tried to kidnap me in the parking lot of the Brew Pub?”

  “I think you’re right.” Brad frowned. “Jack is part owner of the Circle M. Rodrigo started there, and he made sure Jack was sent to that cabin.”