Read Online Murder in the City: Blue Lights by Clare Tatum - Free Book Online Page A

mayor.
    Lainey turned toward him, still with one arm wrapped around Helen’s shoulders. Brice waited until the mayor looked at him before nodding. “Ma’am.”
    She met his eyes, attempting a smile. But it failed badly.
    An overwhelming wave of sadness and desperation flowed off her, washed through Lainey and lapped against the edges of Lainey’s own self control. Lainey kept her arm around the mayor’s shoulders, although her own body vibrated with the fear of what if .
    The mayor glanced at Lainey with a weak smile. “We’re both shaking so hard, I don’t know where your tremors leave off and mine begin.”
    Tears strained to erupt from Lainey’s eyes. She leaned her head sideways against the mayor’s, tightening her grip on her shoulders. “We’re going to get them both back.”
    Helen nodded. “At least, they’re together. Julie is so strong, I know she will prop up Tiana.”
    Who would prop up Julie? She might be feisty but she was still a little girl.
    “When did you last see Tiana?” Brice asked without any emotion, as if sensing that was the best way to bring Helen and Lainey back from the brink.
    Strength returned to the mayor’s face and she straightened, pulling away from Lainey, clasping her hands together. “This morning when our driver picked her up, same as usual, same as he does every school morning.”
    “Same as usual? You saw him?”
    Doubt wrinkled around Helen’s eyes. “I didn’t actually see him. Was just expecting him, saw the car and saw him wave through the tinted window.”
    “But, you didn’t actually see him?”
    Collapse crept back into her expression, along with the self doubt and recriminations that often overwhelmed victims, leading them to blame themselves.
    “Helen,” Lainey spoke emphatically so that the mayor looked at her. “Let’s not go there. No one thinks this is your fault. We’re just trying to figure things out.”
    The mayor tightened her lips and nodded. “I didn’t actually see the driver’s face, just his hand waving and I sent Tiana out.”
    Brice nodded. “And just the one phone call since?”
    Her face tightened and she glanced away.
    “Helen? What?”
    The mayor met Lainey’s gaze. “He called twice.”
    Brice’s eyes narrowed, as he focused on her face. “Yes?”
    The mayor glanced away before looking back directly into Lainey’s eyes. “He said not to tell.”
    Lainey reached for her upper arms, holding her reassuringly, willing her strength into the mayor. “What did he say?”
    “He said,” she took in a deep gulping breath. “He said to stop the police furloughs.”
    Shock rolled through Lainey. “Like a political statement or something.”
    She’d never heard of such a thing on a local level. International kidnappings, yeah, but never a homegrown kidnapping with such a political demand.
    She looked at Brice, but his eyes gave nothing away, a man practiced at hiding his thoughts.
    Just then, Brice’s cell phone rang. He answered it, turning away so Lainey couldn’t quite hear his conversation. After a moment, he hung up. “Let’s go,” he said to Lainey. He nodded his head to the mayor. “This detective will stay with you in case you get any more phone calls or information. They’ve found your usual driver tied up at his home. He’s okay,” he answered the question before it came out of her open mouth.
    As they walked out the door, it was as though they’d stepped into a washing machine of noise. Reporters talked into microphones for live shots for their stations, camera men yelled across the distance to their live truck operators.
    But through all the chaos, she saw John Canton’s eyes burrowing straight into her, as he approached the yellow tape that had been pulled to keep the press at a distance from the mayor’s front door. He looked directly at her.
    “Is the mayor going to stop the police furloughs?” he yelled from behind the tape.
    A streak of cold ran down Lainey’s body then back up again, centering