Read Online Crossing Danger: A Shelby Nichols Adventure by Colleen Helme - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Colleen Helme
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didn’t think Chloe would fare any better. It could be neither of them, and I hated wrongly accusing an innocent cop. On the other hand, I could just talk to each of them. After a few questions, I’d know who the real bad guy was. That could work...as long as Dimples would go along with it.
He’d been in Chief Winder’s office for a while now, but I didn’t dare interrupt, so I went back through the roster again. Finally, the door opened, and Dimples stuck his head out and motioned me inside. I logged off the computer and grabbed my notes.
“Shelby, have a seat,” Chief Winder said. “We need to notify Chloe’s parents that she’s safe. If they will cooperate, I’d like to keep a tight lid on this so that no one else finds out. Harris and I would like you to help us with that. Right now she’s at your house and no one else knows. Is that correct?”
“Well...my two kids know. They’re home with her. But they’re the only ones.”
“Okay. This is what we’re going to do,” he said. “Harris will head over to the parents’ house and fill them in. If they’re okay with it, I’d like to know if you’re willing to keep Chloe at your place until a decision is made.
“Given the delicate situation, I don’t want to put her under police protection, so it’s up to her family to keep her safe until we find the cop who may be after her. In the meantime, I want her to look at the roster and see if she can identify the cop.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I can take the roster home with me to show her.”
“Good.” Chief Winder held out a large binder. “Everyone in the department is in there.”
Taking the heavy binder I said, “Just so you know...he might be watching her house in case she shows up.”
“Yeah,” Dimples agreed. “I’m sure he’d recognize her from the AMBER alert. If we hadn’t found her backpack, we wouldn’t have known she’d even been there. He must have missed it under the bed. That was our lucky break.”
A shiver ran down my spine. That was lucky, but I had a feeling Chloe would have found me anyway. She was one gutsy kid. “I’ll be going then. Let me know what happens.”
I held the heavy binder under my arm and made a quick exit, noting that this time Bates blatantly stared at me. He was thinking that the chief better let him in on what was going on, or he was going to be really mad.
As long as he left me alone, I was okay with that. It took longer than I liked to get home since I got stuck in rush hour traffic. I pulled into the garage and hefted the binder inside the house where I plopped it on the kitchen counter. “I’m home!” I called.
Savannah rushed into the kitchen making little shushing noises. “Mom...she’s asleep.”
“Oh? Where?” I asked.
“On my bed. After her shower, she looked so tired. I told her she could lie down if she wanted, and she fell asleep. Just like that.”
“I’m sure she was exhausted,” I said.
“So what’s going on? What are we going to do?”
“Hey,” Josh said, coming up the stairs. “Yeah...what’s going on?”
“I need to talk to Chloe...”
“I’m here,” Chloe said. At the sound of her voice, we turned toward the stairs and watched her descend. Her face was still pale, but the nap and shower had done her some good and, even better, the fear in her eyes was gone. “What happened?”
I snatched up the binder and set it on the table. “I brought this home for you to look through. Hopefully, you’ll be able to identify the cop you saw at the house. Detective Harris is talking to your parents to decide where you’ll stay until we find him. But you’re more than welcome to stay here if you want.” I explained the details of the plan, while she sat down at the table and opened the binder.
I picked up that Chloe wasn’t sure how comfortable she’d be staying with us, but when Josh smiled at her, she changed her mind. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad with him here. He was really cute, and she
He’d been in Chief Winder’s office for a while now, but I didn’t dare interrupt, so I went back through the roster again. Finally, the door opened, and Dimples stuck his head out and motioned me inside. I logged off the computer and grabbed my notes.
“Shelby, have a seat,” Chief Winder said. “We need to notify Chloe’s parents that she’s safe. If they will cooperate, I’d like to keep a tight lid on this so that no one else finds out. Harris and I would like you to help us with that. Right now she’s at your house and no one else knows. Is that correct?”
“Well...my two kids know. They’re home with her. But they’re the only ones.”
“Okay. This is what we’re going to do,” he said. “Harris will head over to the parents’ house and fill them in. If they’re okay with it, I’d like to know if you’re willing to keep Chloe at your place until a decision is made.
“Given the delicate situation, I don’t want to put her under police protection, so it’s up to her family to keep her safe until we find the cop who may be after her. In the meantime, I want her to look at the roster and see if she can identify the cop.”
“Okay,” I agreed. “I can take the roster home with me to show her.”
“Good.” Chief Winder held out a large binder. “Everyone in the department is in there.”
Taking the heavy binder I said, “Just so you know...he might be watching her house in case she shows up.”
“Yeah,” Dimples agreed. “I’m sure he’d recognize her from the AMBER alert. If we hadn’t found her backpack, we wouldn’t have known she’d even been there. He must have missed it under the bed. That was our lucky break.”
A shiver ran down my spine. That was lucky, but I had a feeling Chloe would have found me anyway. She was one gutsy kid. “I’ll be going then. Let me know what happens.”
I held the heavy binder under my arm and made a quick exit, noting that this time Bates blatantly stared at me. He was thinking that the chief better let him in on what was going on, or he was going to be really mad.
As long as he left me alone, I was okay with that. It took longer than I liked to get home since I got stuck in rush hour traffic. I pulled into the garage and hefted the binder inside the house where I plopped it on the kitchen counter. “I’m home!” I called.
Savannah rushed into the kitchen making little shushing noises. “Mom...she’s asleep.”
“Oh? Where?” I asked.
“On my bed. After her shower, she looked so tired. I told her she could lie down if she wanted, and she fell asleep. Just like that.”
“I’m sure she was exhausted,” I said.
“So what’s going on? What are we going to do?”
“Hey,” Josh said, coming up the stairs. “Yeah...what’s going on?”
“I need to talk to Chloe...”
“I’m here,” Chloe said. At the sound of her voice, we turned toward the stairs and watched her descend. Her face was still pale, but the nap and shower had done her some good and, even better, the fear in her eyes was gone. “What happened?”
I snatched up the binder and set it on the table. “I brought this home for you to look through. Hopefully, you’ll be able to identify the cop you saw at the house. Detective Harris is talking to your parents to decide where you’ll stay until we find him. But you’re more than welcome to stay here if you want.” I explained the details of the plan, while she sat down at the table and opened the binder.
I picked up that Chloe wasn’t sure how comfortable she’d be staying with us, but when Josh smiled at her, she changed her mind. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad with him here. He was really cute, and she
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