LITMIR.BIZ

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alive.

      Maybe Lacey was right. Maybe the kidnapper had an accomplice. Lacey could identify him, but Jude was the one who had been on his tail. Jude figured it was only a matter of time before he became a target too.

      When there was a lull in the conversation, Lacey bolted up from her chair. “You know, I think I’ll go upstairs. Are you coming, Jude? I need to talk to you about something.”

      “Sure.” What was she up to?

      Jude nodded his goodbye to the other men and then walked with Lacey across the expansive wood floor.

      Once they were out of earshot in the hallway, Lacey turned toward him. Desperation filled her voice. “Help me search the hotel.”

      “What are you talking about?”

      “Ray said there was no way anyone would go out in this. Whoever attacked me must still be hiding in this hotel. He must have snuck in before the storm got so bad,” she said. “I want to know what he was doing in my room. And I want to know that it won’t happen again because he’s been caught.”

      He heard the fear in her voice. “Sure. It’s not like I have a busy social schedule.” He hoped the attack on Lacey wasn’t connected to the kidnapping. It was a thin hope at best. He didn’t like the idea of Lacey being in danger after she had risked her life to save his.

      “Okay, come with me so I can get my flashlight out of my room,” she said.

      She headed toward the stairs, moving outside of the cone of illumination his flashlight made.

      “I don’t want the others to know we’re looking. Just in case it was one of them who was in my room.” She stepped on the first stair and turned, waiting for him to come toward her with the light.

      They hurried upstairs. While Lacey got her flashlight, Jude retrieved his gun from the nightstand drawer. He shoved it in his waistband at the back and untucked his flannel shirt so it would be covered.

      Had Lacey been chosen at random to be robbed? Had she been chosen because as a woman she was more vulnerable? Or was this connected to what had happened on the mountain?

      They met in the hallway, both of them holding flashlights. “Let’s search this floor first,” she said. “He ran off this way. At the time, I just assumed he took a back entrance and escaped out into the night.”

      He spoke in a low voice as they made their way down the hallway. “Is there something controversial about your research?”

      She swung the flashlight back and forth after stepping into an area that may have been some sort of meeting place for hotel guests. There was a fireplace in the center of the room and a very dusty-looking oriental rug. A couple of cardboard boxes were stacked in a corner.

      “I don’t think there is anything controversial about my research. If anything, it helps hunters and campers. Why are you asking?”

      “Just trying to figure out a motive for the attack.” He really wanted the attack to be unconnected to the kidnapping.

      “Motive for the attack? You sound like a cop.” She shone her flashlight in his direction.

      “I used to be.” The comment was friendly enough, but he could feel himself retreat emotionally. “Let’s just leave it at that.”

      “Sure, Jude.” She swept past him and up the hall, then looked over her shoulder. Even in near darkness her auburn hair had a glossy sheen to it. “I told you everything about my job, but you don’t want to talk about yours.”

      He hurried after her. “I said I used to be a cop.”

      “So why did you stop being a cop?” She stood in front of an ancient-looking elevator with an out-of-order sign. Her gaze rested on him, waiting for a response.

      He reached out and touched the out-of-order sign that looked like it might have been hung during the Carter administration. “Let’s take the stairs.” Jude felt like someone had stirred his insides with a hot poker. Thinking about the past did that to him.

      He’d kept all the pain from his past at bay, but here was this redheaded woman showing curiosity about who he was as a man. A part of him wanted to open up to her just to have another person bear the burden with him.

      Lacey bounded down two flights of stairs. “He probably wouldn’t hide on the main floor since it is the most used.” At the bottom of the stairs was a large wooden door.

      Jude pushed on it. It screeched open, revealing a dark corridor with a series of doors and walls made of stone.

      Lacey held the flashlight up to her chin and spoke theatrically. “The belly of the whale.”

      He laughed. Her sense of humor was infectious. “You go first, my lady. I’ll back you up.” Maybe too, the humor covered up the fear she must be wrestling with.

      They brushed away cobwebs and stepped into the hallway. Their footsteps echoed on the concrete. Each room they searched revealed various items: stored furniture, a broken chandelier and some kitchen appliances. All of it looked like it hadn’t been used in a long time. Lacey stepped into the room where a stove was stored. She shone a light on the dusty surface. Her body went rigid.

      Jude stepped toward her. “What is it?”

      “This looks fresh to me.” She aimed her light on the dusty stove top where there was a handprint.

      Jude shone his light all around the concrete room. All the other rooms had had an abundance of cobwebs but not this one. “Yeah maybe someone was in here recently.”

      He saw the fear in her eyes. He patted her shoulder, hoping to comfort her. They continued their search. “It could have been Ray for whatever reason.”

      The only room that looked like it was used on a regular basis was the laundry room, which was clean and contained folded linens, three washing machines and two dryers. Some towels hung over a drying rack. They had worked their way down the entire corridor to the other end of the hotel where there was another staircase leading back to the main floor.

      “Let’s head back upstairs,” he said.

      She rubbed her forehead, still standing at the base of the stairs. “The one thing I know for sure is that someone was in my room and that at one point they had their hands around my neck.” Her voice faltered.

      He leaned a little closer to her. “I know an attack like that can be really scary. I think the best thing to do would be to try to get some sleep. If it would help at all, I can sleep in the chair in your room.”

      “Thank you. I think I need that.” She turned to face him. “We were strangers less than ten hours ago. I guess we’re in this together for now.”

      He did feel a bond growing between them. It was unusual for him to have an instant connection with anyone. His relationships with women seemed to fall apart before they ever got started. There wasn’t much he could do about liking Lacey other than enjoy the time they did have together. His work here would be finished soon enough, hopefully with a happy ending. He’d head back to North Dakota. His gut twisted into a tight knot when he thought about the kidnapped child.

      They made their way upstairs, taking a little time to search the main floor. Laughter spilled out from the ballroom. When they peeked inside Ray and Eddie had set up a chessboard. Eddie’s son must have returned to his room.

      They stepped away from the ballroom and headed back to their rooms. They stood on the mezzanine looking down on the ornate but worn carpet in the lobby.

      The most likely scenario was that whoever had been in Lacey’s room had been there to rob her. All the same, he could not shut off his cop mind. “Is there some reason why someone in this town might be mad at you or your family?”

      “I don’t have any connection to this town. I’m from the other side of the state.” She leaned forward, gripping the railing with her hands and staring off into space.

      “I

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