his best to calm her down, but his careless words had started him thinking, too. She was right. The woman just might take the child and leave. She could have relatives anywhere. “This is her home. She’s not likely to just pull up roots and head off to parts unknown.”
“I would,” Marcie said. “If it meant keeping my child safe. I’d do that—I’d travel to the ends of the earth.”
Joe nodded. She was right. He’d do the same thing to protect his child, or Marcie.
“We’ve got to go out there. We’ve got to talk to her, reason with her, before that man gets his hands on our child.” Marcie wrung her hands, then rubbed her temples. “We’ve got to go now.”
Chapter Five
They forwarded the home phone to Joe’s cell and headed northwest to Killian. They made it in just under an hour. As the car rounded a curve and the house came into sight, Joe muttered a curse under his breath.
“What is it?” Marcie asked. She’d held on to the grab bar the entire trip. When she let go, her fingers cramped. “What’s wrong?”
Joe pulled up near the sidewalk that led up to the wooden front stoop of the house and stopped. He put the car into Park, and left it running. “Wait here,” he said.
Marcie grabbed at his arm, latching on to his rolled-up shirtsleeve. “Tell me what’s wrong. I’m tired of you ignoring me and refusing to answer my questions.”
“When have I—?”
“Joe!”
He settled back down in the driver’s seat and looked at her sidelong. “The Nissan was parked out here in front of the house yesterday beside a beat-up green truck.”
“Oh,” she said, then, “Oh.” She squinted at the house and the yard, trying to see if there were any signs of the car being driven around to the back. But there were no tire tracks in the yard, or anywhere that she could see, except for the dirt road and the space where Joe had pulled in.
“So you think they’re gone?” Her voice tried to quit on her, so great was her fear that they’d fled with her child.
Joe nodded grimly. “It looks like it.” He shifted, preparing to climb out of the driver’s seat.
Disappointment settled like a stone in her stomach. “I’m going with you,” Marcie said, steeling herself for an argument, but to her surprise, Joe didn’t say anything. He just reached back inside the car, cut the engine and removed the key.
“Watch your step,” he said as they started up the sidewalk to the stoop.
“Did you go inside when you were here before?” she asked.
He shook his head with a wry smile. “Didn’t get the chance.”
“What did you do?”
“I parked there, just about exactly where the car is now, and I stood by the driver’s side door. Rhoda was on the porch there, with a rifle.”
Marcie gasped in surprise. “A rifle? Joe, she didn’t shoot at you, did she?”
“Three times, I think. Maybe four.”
Marcie felt like a bullet had just slammed into her own chest. She pressed a hand against her hammering heart. “Joe!”
“Once while I was standing there at the car door, and then at least twice more as I drove away.”
“You could have been killed!”
He made a dismissive gesture. “I got the definite feeling that if Rhoda had wanted to wound or kill me, she’d have done it. Nah. She was making a point with those shots,” he said as they reached the porch. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Wait here,” he murmured.
“No—”
“Marcie, I don’t think there’s anybody here, but I want to make sure,” he muttered sharply. “Here are the keys. If I yell, run back to the car and get out of here.”
“I’m not going to leave you here alone,” she said, refusing to take the keys.
He grabbed her hand and pressed the key ring into it. “Neither one of us is going another step until you promise me you’ll do what I say. I can take care of myself, but Howard is a big man. If he grabs you, we’re sunk.”
She took the keys, glaring at him. “Fine. I’ll just leave you
“I would,” Marcie said. “If it meant keeping my child safe. I’d do that—I’d travel to the ends of the earth.”
Joe nodded. She was right. He’d do the same thing to protect his child, or Marcie.
“We’ve got to go out there. We’ve got to talk to her, reason with her, before that man gets his hands on our child.” Marcie wrung her hands, then rubbed her temples. “We’ve got to go now.”
Chapter Five
They forwarded the home phone to Joe’s cell and headed northwest to Killian. They made it in just under an hour. As the car rounded a curve and the house came into sight, Joe muttered a curse under his breath.
“What is it?” Marcie asked. She’d held on to the grab bar the entire trip. When she let go, her fingers cramped. “What’s wrong?”
Joe pulled up near the sidewalk that led up to the wooden front stoop of the house and stopped. He put the car into Park, and left it running. “Wait here,” he said.
Marcie grabbed at his arm, latching on to his rolled-up shirtsleeve. “Tell me what’s wrong. I’m tired of you ignoring me and refusing to answer my questions.”
“When have I—?”
“Joe!”
He settled back down in the driver’s seat and looked at her sidelong. “The Nissan was parked out here in front of the house yesterday beside a beat-up green truck.”
“Oh,” she said, then, “Oh.” She squinted at the house and the yard, trying to see if there were any signs of the car being driven around to the back. But there were no tire tracks in the yard, or anywhere that she could see, except for the dirt road and the space where Joe had pulled in.
“So you think they’re gone?” Her voice tried to quit on her, so great was her fear that they’d fled with her child.
Joe nodded grimly. “It looks like it.” He shifted, preparing to climb out of the driver’s seat.
Disappointment settled like a stone in her stomach. “I’m going with you,” Marcie said, steeling herself for an argument, but to her surprise, Joe didn’t say anything. He just reached back inside the car, cut the engine and removed the key.
“Watch your step,” he said as they started up the sidewalk to the stoop.
“Did you go inside when you were here before?” she asked.
He shook his head with a wry smile. “Didn’t get the chance.”
“What did you do?”
“I parked there, just about exactly where the car is now, and I stood by the driver’s side door. Rhoda was on the porch there, with a rifle.”
Marcie gasped in surprise. “A rifle? Joe, she didn’t shoot at you, did she?”
“Three times, I think. Maybe four.”
Marcie felt like a bullet had just slammed into her own chest. She pressed a hand against her hammering heart. “Joe!”
“Once while I was standing there at the car door, and then at least twice more as I drove away.”
“You could have been killed!”
He made a dismissive gesture. “I got the definite feeling that if Rhoda had wanted to wound or kill me, she’d have done it. Nah. She was making a point with those shots,” he said as they reached the porch. He stopped her with a hand on her arm. “Wait here,” he murmured.
“No—”
“Marcie, I don’t think there’s anybody here, but I want to make sure,” he muttered sharply. “Here are the keys. If I yell, run back to the car and get out of here.”
“I’m not going to leave you here alone,” she said, refusing to take the keys.
He grabbed her hand and pressed the key ring into it. “Neither one of us is going another step until you promise me you’ll do what I say. I can take care of myself, but Howard is a big man. If he grabs you, we’re sunk.”
She took the keys, glaring at him. “Fine. I’ll just leave you
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