Left to Kill (Adele Sharp #4) - Blake Pierce Page 0,15

nothing. This time, phone calls from nations away couldn’t simply be static—white noise against a backdrop of calamity. No. This time had to be different.

Adele swallowed back the bile rising in her throat. She closed her eyes against the sudden images lashing the insides of her eyelids. And then, exhaling, she did her best to listen.

Mr. Johnson was still speaking. “…anything at all? Is there any way we can help?”

Adele swallowed again. Her voice sounded raspy in her ears, and for a moment, she felt Marshall’s eyes on her, watching. At last, she croaked out, “Some of the best doctors in the world are here. They’re doing what they can. And… And so will I…” She bit off this last sentence. The urgency—the need to promise. To settle the fears, the terrors swirling through Amanda’s family. Adele knew the fear, but to her, it had been laden with grief. For now, the Johnsons were spared this particularly bitter barb. But eventually, if the doctors didn’t come through… they too would partake.

“Honey,” said the second voice, a gentler, smoother voice. “Honey, it’s going to be okay. Have faith. It’s going to be okay.”

She heard a pause, and another whispered conversation between kind voices, not contentious. Adele felt a small glimmer of relief. In her experience, there were two reactions to bad news like this. It would either draw families closer together, or tear them apart completely, leaving only rubble. At least for now, the Johnsons were taking it in their stride. They would need each other in the coming days.

Adele said, “I’m sure we’ll be able to update you as soon as we know anything new. One way or the other.”

This time Mr. Johnson spoke. “Our Amanda is a tough girl. She’ll cover. She will. Trust me.”

Adele cracked a small, sad smile. But it faded as the same emotions from before contended for her attention. Bleeding… Always bleeding… “I certainly hope so. She is strong. You’re not wrong about that.” Adele thought of the doctor’s comments. Running for hours in the forests, the cold, her feet bleeding, cut. A dislocated elbow, reset. Bruises all up and down her body. The girl had suffered something horrible. The same way Elise had suffered. At least Amanda had come out alive.

“If there’s anyone I would bet on, sir, it would be her. But look.” Adele again maintained a professional tone despite the sudden ambushing of her thoughts. A practiced skill—but one that didn’t come lightly. “I need to know, was it usual for your daughter to travel with friends?”

This time, the female voice answered over the phone. “Inspector, sir,” said the voice, suggesting Adele hadn’t been on speakerphone.

“Yes, Mrs. Johnson?” she said, inflecting the question.

“Oh, yes. Sorry. Miss.”

Adele kept her tone gentle, entirely free of rebuke. “My name is Agent Sharp.”

“Agent Sharp. Our daughter would do these trips all the time with her friends. They would sometimes split up and head off and explore for a while on their own, before joining up again.”

“And this is when she disappeared? When she split off?”

“Yes,” said the woman’s voice, cracking for a second, but then warbling and continuing. “As best as we can guess.”

“Was there anything strange at the time? Any phone calls? Anyone who had been bothering her? Perhaps even one of her friends?”

“Nothing. Nothing like that. Amanda was overjoyed for that trip. All her phone calls were filled with laughter as she told us of the things she’d seen. She loved traveling. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

“Mr. Johnson?” said Adele.

“I just said nothing,” said Mrs. Johnson’s voice.

There was another fumbling sound, and Mr. Johnson’s voice came on. “I’m sure she didn’t mean anything offensive by it, dear. She just wants to get all the facts.” Louder now, he said, “Nothing. Just like my wife says. Amanda was happy. Excited. Who would do something like this to her? Was she…was she herself? When we were first contacted, German police said they’d found her. Did someone speak to her? Do you have any suspects?”

Adele hated this part. The necessary, but painful veil between loved ones and the investigation. She did her best to handle it by saying, “Eventually, we hope to find out everything. For that to happen, I’m going to have to take some time though. I hope you’ll allow that. From what I saw and heard, your daughter is a very strong girl. I would focus my thoughts on that. Leave the rest up to me, okay?”

Some heavy breathing, but then, “All right. Thank