Read Online The Christmas Rescue by Laura Scott - Free Book Online

didn’t much care for the tedious parts of the job. “Get back over to keep an eye on Yancy, if he moves and you’re not there to tail him, Sanders will not be happy.”
    â€œYeah, yeah, I’m going.” Evan hung up and Rafe let out a sigh as he snapped his phone shut.
    He quickly dressed and headed downstairs to the kitchen, his stomach rumbling loud enough to wake the dead. The few hours of sleep he’d caught had been better than nothing, but another cup of Kayla’s coffee would certainly help clear the remaining cobwebs from his brain.
    Ellen and Brianna were seated at the large oak picnic table in the kitchen when he entered the room. He sniffed the air appreciatively. “Something smells wonderful,” he said by way of greeting.
    â€œGood morning, Rafe. You’re in for a treat, Kayla made her raspberry pastries,” Ellen informed him. “The raspberries are from her garden. She freezes them to use throughout the year.”
    â€œHi, Mr. Rafe,” Brianna chimed in.
    â€œHello, mi nina, ” he said, ruffling her hair as he walked past.
    â€œHave a seat,” Kayla said, and he was surprised when she flashed him a smile. Had she already forgiven him that easily? He could only hope.
    â€œThank you,” he murmured. When she put two pastries on a plate for him, along with a steaming bowl of oatmeal, he was impressed with her cooking abilities all over again. He bent his head and silently thanked God for the food before taking a healthy bite of the raspberry pastry. “Delicious.”
    Kayla blushed a bit and turned back to the stove. He made small talk with Brianna and Ellen as he ate but as soon as he was finished, he stood to leave. “I need to run a few errands, Kayla. Will you please set the security alarm until I get back?”
    She looked startled, but nodded. “Sure. How long will you be gone?”
    If he had his way, he wouldn’t leave at all, but he did have a job to do. His commanding officer expected him to interview Charlie Turkow. Once he did that, he hoped to convince Luke to let him stay here for the next few days. After the second break-in attempt, he was even more convinced he needed to go through Jeremy’s things. If Kayla would let him.
    â€œI shouldn’t be gone longer than a couple of hours,” he told her. “But I really need you to stay inside while I’m gone.” The last thing he wanted was for the intruder to return, catching Brianna, Ellen and Kayla home alone.
    â€œWe’ll stay inside. We have to finish putting up the Christmas decorations, don’t we?” Kayla glanced at Ellen and Brianna for confirmation.
    â€œYay!” Brianna exclaimed.
    â€œThat was the plan,” Ellen agreed.
    Great. More decorations. How many more did Kayla need? He tried not to grimace, knowing he’d put up with the festive atmosphere if it meant the women would stay inside with the security system on. “Sounds good.”
    Leaving Kayla and Brianna was harder than he’d imagined. He waited until Kayla had engaged the security system, and even then had to force himself to walk out to his jeep, when every cell in his body protested. He sped down the highway toward Pelican Point, trying toreassure himself they’d be fine with the security system engaged.
    Thirty-eight minutes later, he reached his destination. Normally the distance was a good forty-five-minute drive. If he kept up like this, he’d end up with a speeding ticket in no time.
    He searched the lakeshore for Charlie. Sure enough, Charlie’s boat, distinctive with the large bold letters of Charlie’s Charter along the side, was docked at the pier.
    He parked his jeep and tried to think of the best way to approach the grizzled old man. If Bill Schroeder’s business had been legitimate, then he would have been a direct competitor of Turkow’s. If something shady was going on, he couldn’t help but think