Agent Undercover Read online

  All of this, and Will only stirred to mutter a short protest before nodding back off on Dylan’s shoulder. Dylan carried him back into the den and placed him on the sofa. The little boy sighed in his sleep, but his forehead was smooth. Like he’d given himself permission to rest without fear anymore.

  Just speaking the words, sharing the burden he’d been carrying around inside him for so long with the adults he trusted seemed to give him a new measure of peace and security.

  Soon he saw headlights flash across the front window and figured Paige had arrived. However, he wasn’t ready to take that for granted. Walking to the window, he looked out.

  As his pulse hummed, he watched Paige climb from the vehicle with a glance to the sky. The kiss they’d shared at his house seared his mind. He’d seen her grief, her weeping because she thought he and Will had been in the house during the explosion.

  And he knew she cared. Probably much more than she wanted to admit. He saw the love in her eyes when Will hugged her.

  But loving a child was different than wanting to take on the full responsibility of parenting one.

  She rapped on the door and he opened it.

  And handed her a towel.

  Paige took it with a smile. “Thanks.”

  “Will’s asleep on the couch,” he told her. “I’m just not ready for him to be out of my sight yet.”

  “I understand.” She kept her voice soft.

  “If we sit in the kitchen, I can still see him and maybe our voices won’t disturb him.”

  She nodded and set her keys on the kitchen counter. Dylan walked to the cupboard and pulled down a coffee filter. He added water to the maker and pressed the button to start the process.

  Soon the smell of fresh-brewed coffee filled the room.

  When he turned back to Paige, her gaze slammed into him.

  And he sucked in a deep breath.

  Realization came fast and not necessarily wanted at that moment.

  He loved her. He loved another woman who wouldn’t be able to commit to him and Will.

  Now what was he going to do?

  He looked shell-shocked. Who wouldn’t after this night?

  “How’s Cheryl?” she asked.

  Blinking, Dylan shook himself. “Awake and holding her own. I checked on her on the way over here. Let her know that something had happened with my house and asked her if she minded us staying here.”

  “And of course she didn’t.”

  He smiled. “Of course.”

  Paige finally asked the question that she’d been meaning to ask for a while now. “Where are you parents, Dylan? You’ve never said.”

  “They died within a year of each other. Mom of cancer, Dad of a heart attack.” He sank into the chair next to her.

  She clasped his fingers. “I’m so sorry. Recently?”

  He squeezed back. “No, about six years ago. Right after Will was born.”

  “No wonder you were so protective of Sandra.”

  He nodded. “I tried, but she was already hooked by the time Will was born. It’s a miracle he was born so healthy. I don’t think she was doing cocaine at that point. That stuff came later, but still …”

  “Where’s Will’s dad?”

  Dylan shrugged. “I don’t know. Sandra got married right out of high school. He took off, and about year later, she was pregnant with Will.” Sadness filled his eyes, and her heart went out to him.

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  A knock on the door brought Paige to her feet, hand on her gun.

  Dylan stood and said, “It’s probably just Eli.”

  It was.

  Eli entered the kitchen and took a seat at the table. Dylan sat opposite him, and Paige found herself in the middle.

  Eli looked at her, leaned back and crossed his arms. “Can you fill me in?”

  She looked at Dylan, back to Eli, and started talking.

  After she’d brought him up-to-date on everything with the case, she said, “So, as you know, the only evidence found in the fire was a school ID that had all of the information burned off except partial letters of the elementary school’s name.”

  “What about Larry and Sandra?”

  “Larry was undercover in the high school. He was subbing as a math teacher. The man was a whiz with numbers. Anyway, he said he met Sandra in the teacher’s lounge one morning and could tell she was on something.” Paige shot an apologetic look at Dylan who blinked and looked away. “To make a long story short, he fell in love with her, convinced her to get clean, trust him and give him names of those involved with the drug running. She told him about the two elementary school parents who’d been arrested on drug charges, but didn’t know who the top dog was. That’s what Larry was working on finding out when he was killed.”

  “So that’s two connections to the elementary school. The parents and the ID tag,” Eli murmured.

  “Right. Which is why we decided to focus on the elementary school rather than the high school.”

  Dylan’s eyes sharpened. “Then you need to figure out which staff member is missing an ID.”

  “We tried that. Two people reported lost IDs and had replacements made, but they checked out clean.”

  Eli paced to the kitchen and perched on a bar stool.

  “Could the ID belong to a past employee who just happened to have it on him at the time of the fire?”

  Respect for the sheriff blossomed. “We thought about that, too. The dates on the ID were still discernable. They were for this year.”

  Dylan interrupted. “The two people who were questioned about their missing badges, did they say what happened to them?”

  “One went boating and dropped his wallet in the lake. He never did recover it. We checked that story and it was legit. He applied for a new license, new credit cards, everything.”

  “And the other?” Eli asked.

  “She said she left her badge in the top drawer of her desk like always. One day it was there, the next it was missing.”

  “That wouldn’t happen to be the day after the fire, would it?”

  Paige nodded. “The very one.”

  “Okay, so a staff member—” Dylan started.

  “—or a very clever volunteer—” Paige interrupted.

  “—stole the badge and now has access to the school,” Eli finished.

  “Right.” She nodded and took a sip of water.

  “I suppose changing the locks and codes for the cards are out of the question,” Dylan muttered.

  “Too expensive. The school doesn’t have the funds for that kind of thing.” She’d thought about that herself and looked into the cost. It was astronomical. Way too costly for a school already hit hard with cutbacks and layoffs.

  Eli glanced at his watch. “First thing in the morning, we’re going to take care of this.”

  “The only way to do that is to check every staff member’s ID card. That teacher’s missing badge keeps ringing in my mind. What if the person who killed Larry and Sandra lost his badge at the scene of the murder? He sure wouldn’t want to report the fact that it was missing.”

  Dylan caught on to her line of thinking. “So he stole a badge and forged himself a new ID using some kind of computer software.”

  “Right.” Paige nodded. “All he would have to do is place his picture and name on the badge. Duplicating the barcode on the back would be way too complicated unless he has some super-sophisticated equipment.”

  “But as long as he has the stolen one, he can put anything on the front, and it’ll work just fine.”

  “And as long as no one looked too close, it would be very easy to get away with it,” Eli muttered. “Of course, this is all speculation, but it makes sense to me. I’m going to bring in some officers from Bryson City to be on standby. However, I don’t want that school in a panic.”

  “And we sure don’t want to tip off the wrong person that we’re searching. We’ll have to be subtle,” Paige agreed. “Make up a story about key cards needing to be re
programmed due to some kind of technical glitch in the system. Whatever. The guidance counselor often helps out in different situations. No one would question me taking their key card and returning it ‘reprogrammed.'”

  Dylan rubbed his eyes. “I’m taking Will away from all of this. I’ll let him sleep in late in the morning, then we’re going to take a little trip out of town.”

  Paige felt a crack in the vicinity of her heart. She understood Dylan wanting to leave, but she sure didn’t like it.

  The plan made, Eli left with admonitions to keep him in the loop from now on. By the time Paige touched base with Charles and filled him in on everything, it was pushing ten o’clock.

  Dylan looked like he’d been hit by a truck. She probably did, too.

  “Please say goodbye before you leave tomorrow.” Her throat clogged on the words.

  And then she was in his arms for the second time that night. She breathed in his scent, a mixture of smoke and cologne. And maybe some leftover fear.

  His hand cupped her head and brought her face up to his. “I don’t want to leave you.”

  “But have to. For Will. I know and I understand.”

  “We’ll be back.”

  Paige nodded and felt his fingers slide through her hair to massage her scalp. Closing her eyes, she let her muscles relax as his hands moved from her head to her shoulders, to her upper arms, then back up to her neck.

  His lips touched hers once. Twice. She let her arms slip around his waist and rested her head on his chest. “God answered my prayers tonight.”

  “Mine, too.”

  “Thank you for showing me how to find Him again.”

  She felt him smile against her hair. “He wasn’t lost.”

  Paige felt her lips turn up. “I know. I was.”

  “Be careful tomorrow. Whoever tried to kill us tonight isn’t playing games.”

  “I’m the cop, remember?” she chided him.

  “A cop I care about. A cop Will trusted enough to break his silence with.”

  Paige bit her lip and looked in the direction of the den. She hadn’t forgotten about Will. But it seemed like all of her reasons for staying away from Dylan and Will were being deleted one by one.

  Especially her argument that she would make a lousy mother. Dylan didn’t believe that.

  And Paige was starting to wonder if she’d been wrong all these years. That she could have a family. That she could be a better mother than her own mother had been. That she could forgive herself for Ben’s death.

  Dylan held her for a few more moments, then gently escorted her to the door. “Get some sleep. Morning will be here before you know it.”

  Sleep. Right. She had a zillion things to do in preparation for tomorrow. Instead of telling him that, she looked in the direction of the couch.

  “Where did Will go?”

  SIXTEEN

  Dylan’s breath lodged in his throat as he spied the empty couch. “Will? Where are you?”

  No answer.

  “Will?” Paige joined in. Moving from room to room, they searched the house and came up empty.

  Panic clawed at Dylan even while he told himself to calm down. “There’s no way someone got in here and snatched him. We were right there. All the doors were locked …”

  Raking a hand through her already mussed hair, Paige clamped her lips tight. Fighting tears, he thought.

  “No, no one got in, Dylan. I think Will left voluntarily.”

  Incredulous, he stared at her. “Why would he do that? He knows someone is trying to hurt him.”

  “I don’t know.” She walked to the sliding-glass doors just off the den. “Look. They’re unlocked.”

  “But I went through the house checking windows and doors, making sure they were—”

  “That’s what I’m saying, Dylan. Will let himself out. Call Eli and tell him what’s going on. I’ll go after him.”

  Dylan stopped her move to open the door. Reaching behind him, he grabbed the cordless and placed it into her palm. “It’s your turn to call. I’m going after Will.”

  He left her punching in Eli’s number.

  Sliding the door open, Dylan stepped onto the deck, ignored the pouring rain and raced down the steps to the backyard.

  He stopped and looked around. Did he dare call out for the little boy? What if someone had followed them to the house? If Dylan yelled Will’s name, that person would know Will wasn’t in the house.

  If he didn’t know it already.

  Dylan ran around to the front of the house, then stopped.

  He glanced up the street, then back down. It was hard to see anything in the pouring rain. The darkness didn’t help, either.

  Which way would Will go?

  Where would he go?

  The front door opened, and Paige loped down the steps to join him on the street. “Any sign of him?”

  “No. Is Eli on the way back?”

  “Yes.”

  “Should we split up?” Dylan wondered aloud as he desperately tried to decide the direction he should take.

  “First, you need to talk to me. Where would he go?”

  “I don’t know.” Frustration and worry filled him. “I was just asking myself that question a minute ago.” He threw his hands up. I can’t think of a special place for him. Where he would go for comfort.” Dylan cut his eyes to Paige. “Maybe to your place.”

  She lifted a brow. “But I’m here.”

  “I know. I’m desperate. Grasping at straws.”

  “How far did your sister live from here?” Paige asked him as Eli’s car pulled into the drive.

  “About a mile.”

  “So it’s pretty reasonable that he could walk that,” she muttered.

  “Yeah, but it’s all uphill. Sandra and Will lived next to one of the trailer parks not far from the little church on the hill.”

  She rubbed her eyes then nodded. “All right. Then you and I will go that way while we send Eli in the other direction.”

  Walking over to the police cruiser, Dylan leaned in and explained the situation. The words rushed from him as his adrenaline surge urged him to hurry and start looking for Will.

  Windshield wipers going full speed, Eli backed from the drive with the promise to call if he found anything.

  Dylan turned to Paige. “Let me get a flashlight, then we can go.”

  When he returned, they headed in the direction of Sandra’s house. Dylan wondered if the person after Will had already snatched the child from the dark street. He shuddered and determined not to think along those lines. Not until he had some sort of proof.

  Right now, the evidence said Will had wandered off on his own.

  But was someone waiting for a chance to take him? Were they searching in vain?

  Please, dear Lord, please keep him safe.

  “How often does he stay with Cheryl here?” Paige’s questions interrupted his stream of never-ending prayers.

  “Often enough to be comfortable, to know the neighborhood. He passed it every day for six years to get to his home when Sandra was alive.”

  “So he knows the way.”

  “Definitely.”

  Dylan’s already-elevated blood pressure notched up as he scanned the darkness. Trees on either side of the lonely road rose up like skeletons wavering in the downpour, reaching out, mocking him, telling him Will was forever lost.

  He went back to his prayers, pushing aside the taunting voices, shoving down the raging fear, and concentrated on not missing one detail of the area around him.

  They walked in silence, just the crunch of their shoes interrupting the quiet. Rain pooled around the collar of her raincoat and dripped down her back. By the time she reached their destination, she would be soaking wet.

  “Should we call for him now that we’re away from the house?” Dylan asked Paige.

  “Yes, I think that might be a good idea.”

  A car approached, and Paige shoved Dylan to the side of the road behind a large tree as the headlights grew c
loser. “Do you recognize the car?” she asked.

  “No, not yet. I can’t see it well enough.”

  “Then let’s stay out of sight until you can.”

  Tires whooshed on the mountain road and Dylan froze, feeling the heat radiate from Paige—as well as tension. She kept her hand on her gun, waiting and ready.

  Finally, the vehicle was almost on them.

  And Dylan took his first deep breath in minutes. “That’s Cal.”

  “Cal?”

  “One of the deputies and a good friend of mine,” he said as he waited for the right moment to make his presence known.

  “Oh, right. Fiona’s brother.”

  Dylan stepped out and flagged down the deputy.

  Cal pulled up beside them. “I got the call from Eli about Will going missing. Thought I’d check up here.”

  “That’s where we’re headed,” Paige said.

  “Want a ride?” Cal offered.

  “No, thanks,” Dylan said. “We’re checking the woods on either side of the road. He may be scared. Hiding out.”

  Cal nodded. “I’ll head on up to the house and see if he’s there. I’ve got your cell number if I spot him.”

  Cal drove off and Dylan’s jaw tightened. “Will! Where are you?” he hollered.

  He heard the desperation in his voice, but couldn’t do anything about it.

  Paige’s fingers curled around his and squeezed her support.

  “I can’t lose him, Paige. I’ll never forgive myself if …”

  “We’ll find him. We have to.”

  Her quiet words strengthened him. “Pray for him,” he asked.

  “I haven’t stopped since we saw he was missing.”

  Dylan’s heart throbbed with conflicting emotions, aching for his nephew. And glad Paige seemed to have found her peace with God.

  “Please Lord …” he whispered. And couldn’t force another word past the huge lump in his throat.

  “Amen,” Paige ended. Dylan looked at her. She shrugged and gave a watery smile. “God knows our hearts and our pain. He’ll fill in the blanks.”

  Dylan squeezed her to him in a quick hug, his emotions near to overflowing. Then he stepped back, and they continued their search.