Colorado Abduction - By Cassie Miles & Marie Ferrarella Page 0,25
bedroom was the second door on the south. Without knocking, he stepped inside.
A tall glass cabinet beside the window housed a display of riding trophies and blue ribbons, but that was the only hint of cowgirl. Her furniture was modern with clean lines. Blond wood and burgundy. Her bed was neatly made.
In different circumstances, entering her bedroom might have been akin to entering the Promised Land. Not now. The tension in this room was thick.
Carolyn stood by the window, scowling fiercely.
Dylan’s hands were clenched into fists. He looked like he was ready to punch a hole in the smooth, cream-colored wall. Apparently, Carolyn had already given him the bad news.
“I can’t believe it.” His jaw was so tight that his lips barely moved. “A traitor. One of my own men.”
“I’m sorry,” Burke said. And he meant it.
“There is good news,” Carolyn said. “I’ve made all the arrangements for the money. It’ll be delivered by three o’clock.”
“Dylan,” Burke snapped his name, compelling his attention. “The information about the ransom is the kind of thing we need to keep secret. When the kidnapper calls again and you talk to him, don’t tell him you have the cash. Ask for more time.”
“Why?”
The truth was brutal, but it was better to face reality. “As long as he doesn’t have the ransom, he needs to keep Nicole alive. She’s his bargaining chip. And we need proof that she’s all right. Do you hear me?”
Dark circles surrounded Dylan’s eyes. In their depths, Burke saw a terrible pain. He’d experienced that agony. He knew the hell of losing someone you loved, and he knew there was nothing he could say or do to alleviate the suffering.
Dylan squared his shoulders. “Until the kidnapper calls, what do we do?”
“We investigate. As we speak, the sheriff is executing a search warrant on Nate Miller’s house.”
A commotion from downstairs interrupted him. It sounded like twenty cowboys on horseback had stormed through the front door.
The three of them hustled from the bedroom to the staircase. A redheaded cowboy waved from the bottom of the staircase and held up a manila envelope. “I found it. Here it is. I found it.”
Burke reached down and plucked the sealed envelope from his hand. In square block letters, it read: “Dylan Carlisle. Proof.”
“Where did you find this?” Burke asked.
“Tied to a fence post in the south pasture.” A huge grin split his face. “I went to feed the herd and there it was. I didn’t open it. On account of it was addressed to Dylan.”
Dylan patted his shoulder. “You did the right thing.”
Actually, Burke would have preferred having the envelope left in place. There might have been clues, like footprints or the way the knots were tied. “Agent Silverman is going to open the envelope. He’ll need to handle it carefully in case there are fingerprints or DNA.”
In the dining room, they stood waiting while Silverman—wearing latex gloves—slit the edge of the envelope and removed a photograph.
“A Polaroid,” Silverman said. “You don’t see many of these anymore. Not with digital cameras.”
The picture showed Nicole with a determined smile on her face. She held the front section of today’s newspaper.
“Proof of life,” Carolyn whispered.
Silverman placed the photo on the table. “Don’t touch it. I doubt we’ll find fingerprints, but we might get lucky.”
As the others crowded around to take a closer look at the photo, Burke moved to the end of the table where Corelli was still monitoring phone calls. In a low voice, he issued instructions. “That’s a Denver newspaper. Find the delivery time in this area, the locations for delivery and a list of local subscribers. Get the sheriff to canvass stores where the paper is sold.”
“Got it.” Corelli gave a nod.
“Is there any way to set up continual surveillance on that south pasture? It’s about thirty acres.”
“I could do it with satellite,” he said. “I don’t have that kind of equipment here, but I could interface with Denver. Don’t get your hopes up, Burke. The mountains are hard to search. It depends on sight lines and location.”
Burke grabbed the red-haired cowboy who was still beaming proudly. “I need for you to think carefully.”
“Sure thing.”
“Describe the terrain in the area where you found the envelope.”
“It was up by the trees. I wouldn’t have noticed at all except for this.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a long yellow scarf. “I saw it flapping in the wind.”
“It’s Nicole’s.” Dylan took the scarf from him and gently caressed the material. “I bought it for her