occasional cypress knee protruding from the edge of the small bayou on his left. It would be very easy for someone to disappear in the swampland.
Ace inched deeper into the forest, but only found more of the same.
A few minutes later, he was convinced nothing was there. Not even an animal. No prints. No clues. No nothing.
All three men emerged from the woods and replaced their weapons in their holsters.
“Are you ready now to bring her in?” Sheriff Dawson cleared his throat when they reached the front door. “I think formal questioning is in order.”
Dread pooled in Ace’s gut. What choice did he have? Right now the only suspect they had was Lexi. And the evidence was stacking up.
“Yeah. I’m ready.” He pulled a caramel from his pocket. This time the sweet liquid sliding down his throat didn’t quench his urge. It took everything he had in him to ignore the craving. He couldn’t even savor the rich flavor because his mouth tasted like bile. He pierced both Sheriff Dawson and Deputy Owens with a determined look. “But I’m the one who’s going to do it. Got it?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Lexi’s questioning blue eyes met them at the door, hope flaring in their limpid depths. “Did you find anything?”
“No.”
“Must have been my imagination then.” Lexi shook her head as dull acceptance replaced the hope in her eyes. “This whole situation has me jumping at every little thing.”
“I’m sure it does. Keeping up the charade must be exhausting.” Sheriff Dawson’s disgusted snort grated on Ace’s nerves. Did the parish cop have to be so blatant with his accusations? No wonder Lexi didn’t trust anyone in the town if this was all the support she was getting. Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned ‘innocent until proven guilty’ motto?
Lexi flinched. “There is no charade. I don’t understand why everyone thinks I’ve done something to my child?”
Ace shot Sheriff Dawson a warning look then cleared his throat.
“What Sheriff Dawson means is that we’ll need you to come down to the station for a few more questions.”
“Why the station?” Lexi’s lips thinned into a straight line. “Am I being charged with something?”
“No. Not yet. We just–”
“Not yet?” Lexi’s voice rose an octave. “Not yet, but soon. Is that what you are trying to tell me, Agent Valdez? In other words, you have no idea what happened to my little girl, and because you all can’t seem to do your job and find her you’ve decided to convict me.”
“Now, see here, Mrs. Yates.” Sheriff Dawson’s faced darkened angrily. “We’ve done everything humanly possible to find your daughter. The problem is all the evidence we have is pointing at you.”
“What evidence? The fact Mrs. Jenkins claimed I picked up my daughter? The fact someone in town claimed I was seen with Anna after she was picked up?” Lexi clenched her fist. “I don’t see any real evidence. I don’t see anything that you or the FBI has done to find Anna other than assume I’m guilty of this horrendous crime.” Lexi took a step toward Sheriff Dawson and pointed her finger toward him. “You, sir, have tunnel vision. You assumed from the git-go that I did something to Anna and you haven’t done one thing to find her real abductor.” Lexi’s voice cracked. “Someone still has my little girl and all you want to do is charge me with the crime.”
“No one is charging you with anything right now, Lexi. We do have to bring you in for formal questioning.” Ace’s voice softened. “We saw the surveillance video. You were at Bill’s Best Burgers with Anna an hour and a half after she disappeared. There’s no denying that.”
Lexi sank against the wall with a sob. “Why is this happening? That is not possible. I wasn’t there that day. I had a peanut butter sandwich at home for lunch.” She buried her face in her hands. “I don’t care what the surveillance camera supposedly shows. I wasn’t
Ace inched deeper into the forest, but only found more of the same.
A few minutes later, he was convinced nothing was there. Not even an animal. No prints. No clues. No nothing.
All three men emerged from the woods and replaced their weapons in their holsters.
“Are you ready now to bring her in?” Sheriff Dawson cleared his throat when they reached the front door. “I think formal questioning is in order.”
Dread pooled in Ace’s gut. What choice did he have? Right now the only suspect they had was Lexi. And the evidence was stacking up.
“Yeah. I’m ready.” He pulled a caramel from his pocket. This time the sweet liquid sliding down his throat didn’t quench his urge. It took everything he had in him to ignore the craving. He couldn’t even savor the rich flavor because his mouth tasted like bile. He pierced both Sheriff Dawson and Deputy Owens with a determined look. “But I’m the one who’s going to do it. Got it?”
CHAPTER FIVE
Lexi’s questioning blue eyes met them at the door, hope flaring in their limpid depths. “Did you find anything?”
“No.”
“Must have been my imagination then.” Lexi shook her head as dull acceptance replaced the hope in her eyes. “This whole situation has me jumping at every little thing.”
“I’m sure it does. Keeping up the charade must be exhausting.” Sheriff Dawson’s disgusted snort grated on Ace’s nerves. Did the parish cop have to be so blatant with his accusations? No wonder Lexi didn’t trust anyone in the town if this was all the support she was getting. Whatever happened to the good old-fashioned ‘innocent until proven guilty’ motto?
Lexi flinched. “There is no charade. I don’t understand why everyone thinks I’ve done something to my child?”
Ace shot Sheriff Dawson a warning look then cleared his throat.
“What Sheriff Dawson means is that we’ll need you to come down to the station for a few more questions.”
“Why the station?” Lexi’s lips thinned into a straight line. “Am I being charged with something?”
“No. Not yet. We just–”
“Not yet?” Lexi’s voice rose an octave. “Not yet, but soon. Is that what you are trying to tell me, Agent Valdez? In other words, you have no idea what happened to my little girl, and because you all can’t seem to do your job and find her you’ve decided to convict me.”
“Now, see here, Mrs. Yates.” Sheriff Dawson’s faced darkened angrily. “We’ve done everything humanly possible to find your daughter. The problem is all the evidence we have is pointing at you.”
“What evidence? The fact Mrs. Jenkins claimed I picked up my daughter? The fact someone in town claimed I was seen with Anna after she was picked up?” Lexi clenched her fist. “I don’t see any real evidence. I don’t see anything that you or the FBI has done to find Anna other than assume I’m guilty of this horrendous crime.” Lexi took a step toward Sheriff Dawson and pointed her finger toward him. “You, sir, have tunnel vision. You assumed from the git-go that I did something to Anna and you haven’t done one thing to find her real abductor.” Lexi’s voice cracked. “Someone still has my little girl and all you want to do is charge me with the crime.”
“No one is charging you with anything right now, Lexi. We do have to bring you in for formal questioning.” Ace’s voice softened. “We saw the surveillance video. You were at Bill’s Best Burgers with Anna an hour and a half after she disappeared. There’s no denying that.”
Lexi sank against the wall with a sob. “Why is this happening? That is not possible. I wasn’t there that day. I had a peanut butter sandwich at home for lunch.” She buried her face in her hands. “I don’t care what the surveillance camera supposedly shows. I wasn’t
Similar Books
