Just One Kiss (Whisper Lake #4) - Barbara Freethy Page 0,22
to my knowledge, no one ever located her. I asked Brett a few questions, but he just said they live far away. He appears to be well taken care of. When I got to the cabin, Kelly had left food for Brett, and the heat was on. I'm pretty sure she stayed until I came. Jake saw a car leave right after we got to the cabin." She paused. "But I don't want to defend her too much, because what she did was irresponsible and foolish."
"Or desperate," Adam suggested.
She was surprised that he was giving Kelly's disappearance a more positive spin. "Really? I thought you'd be ready to arrest her for abandoning her child."
"I might still do that. But first I want to find her, and if she needs help, I want to help her. She's your family."
"I want to help her, too, even though she probably doesn't deserve it."
He gave her an empathetic smile. "Family relationships can be complicated."
"Your family seems perfect. You and Lizzie and Chelsea are tight. I don't know about your other brothers."
"We're close, but we all have our moments. And we were fortunate enough not to suffer through the kind of tragedy that you experienced."
"You were lucky."
"Do you think Kelly kept in touch with anyone in this town?"
"No," she replied.
"What's your sister's full name?" he asked, pulling out his phone to take notes.
"Kelly Marie Stark. She was born on May 22nd. She has blonde hair and green eyes. She graduated from Whisper Lake High School. I have no idea where she's been since she left town."
"All right. And your property manager?"
She gave him Debbie's information as well as the address of the cabin and an extra set of keys, because he wanted to drive up to the cabin and take a look around.
"What about your mother?" Adam asked. "Is she aware of the situation?"
"No, not yet."
"I'd like to talk to her about Kelly."
"She won't know any more than I do."
"It's possible she might," Adam countered.
She frowned. "I don't really want to involve her yet. She's not good in a crisis, and her sobriety can be tenuous. Can we leave her out for the time being?"
"You don't ask much, do you?" he said lightly, giving her a dry smile.
"I know I'm asking for a lot."
"It's fine. I'll dig into the information you've given me so far, and I'll let you know what I find out."
"Thank you so much, Adam," she said as she walked him to the door.
"No problem, Hannah. But talk to your mother, because I am going to need to have a conversation with her very soon."
As Adam left, Jake came down the stairs. "Brett is playing in the fort we built in your guest room with pillows and blankets," he said.
"You're a fun babysitter."
"I'm a fun everything," he said lightly.
She wasn't going to touch that comment.
"How did it go with Adam?" he asked.
"He's going to start looking for Kelly. He's happy to leave Brett with me until he gets more information."
"You must be relieved about that."
"I am. And I know that Adam is my best hope to find Kelly fast." She paused. "I do want to thank you, Jake. You've gone above and beyond."
"I'm happy to help. And I'd like to hear the update whenever it comes in. Why don't we exchange numbers?"
She hesitated as he took out his phone. The last number she wanted to have in her phone was his, but it seemed rude to refuse. She gave him her number, and he quickly sent her a text back.
"I need to take off now if you're good," he added. "One of my skiing guides just called in sick, and I have a group that wants to ski Skyhawk this afternoon."
"That's a little risky after such a big snow last night, isn't it?" Skyhawk was one of the most dangerous trails in the mountains above the lake, and there had been a couple of avalanches in the area.
"It should be fine. I know which trails to take."
Jake didn't seem at all bothered by the danger of that mountain, but it bothered her. "I hope the skiers know you can be overconfident."
He gave her a direct and pointed look. "I would never risk someone else's life, Hannah. I'm not reckless."
"I would hope not. But you do like to push the boundaries."
"So do these skiers. However, they're smart enough to know they need an expert guide to lead them down the mountain."