The Christmas Clock and A Song For My Mother - Kat Martin Page 0,71
it against his ear. “Sheriff Bennett.”
“Reed, its Millie. There’s been a kidnapping out at the mall. Or at least that’s the way it looks. It’s Emily Carter’s little boy.” Reed’s stomach went cold. “Emily says a woman named Anna McAllister took him. Deputy Wilcox responded to the call. And Deputy Murphy is on his way, as well. He insisted on going. I don’t think a herd of wild horses could have stopped him.”
“What have you got so far?”
“They found a car registered to Robert McAllister out in the parking lot. Robert is the woman’s son. Since she didn’t take the boy in the car, we think she’s somewhere in the forest behind the mall. A female shopper on her way to her car confirmed it. She said she saw a woman and a child heading into the woods. She thought it was odd at the time. Patrick thinks we should ask for volunteers to help with the search.”
“Good idea. Put the word out. Get the TV and news stations involved. Tell Murphy to start setting up a command post in the parking lot.”
“Will do.”
“I’m heading there now.” He signed off and shoved back his chair.
“Something’s come up. Might be a kidnapping.”
“Oh, my God.”
He turned to Barney Andersen, the owner of the restaurant, a big, blond Norwegian whose family had settled in the northern part of the state in the old logging days. “Hey, Barn, can you take Marly home? I’ve got an emergency.”
“No problem, Sheriff.” Barney tossed his rag up on the bar and started toward them.
“And put the word out, will you? Little Timmy Carter is missing. He was taken from his mother while they were in the mall. See if you can round up some volunteers to help with the search.”
“You got it.”
“Is that your friend Emily’s son?” Marly asked as she rose from her chair.
Reed nodded grimly.
“I’ll help, Reed.” She looked over at Barney. “I’m going with Sheriff Bennett to help with the search.”
Barney nodded. “I’ll close up here, gather as many folks as I can, and be out there as quick as I can get there.”
“Thanks, Barney.”
The big Swede pulled his apron off over his head. “You just find that little boy.”
Reed looked down at Marly and fought to control his emotions. “Let’s go.” He clenched his jaw. Emily had already suffered so much. He could only imagine how terrified she must be.
They crossed the parking lot. He unlocked the station wagon and opened the passenger door. As Marly climbed inside, he rounded the car to the driver’s side. Reed slid behind the wheel, stuck his portable light on the roof of the car, and started the engine.
“I know how hard this must be for you, Reed.” Marly looked over at him as they roared out of the parking lot. “But you have to believe this is going to turn out all right. It wouldn’t be fair for Emily to lose both her husband and her little boy. God wouldn’t do that to her.”
Reed looked at her hard. “I’d appreciate it if you would remind Him of that, Marly. I’m sure Emily would appreciate your prayers.”
Marly shook her head. “I’m afraid I stopped praying years ago.”
He stepped on the gas and the car surged forward. “Then maybe now would be a good time to think about starting again.”
Marly said nothing more as the car careened down the road. The landscape rushed past in a blur. He tried to fix his attention on the steps he would need to take once he reached his destination. But all the way to the mall, Reed prayed that little Timmy would be all right.
When he glanced toward the passenger seat, he saw that Marly’s head was bent and he realized she was praying, too.
That was the moment he fell completely in love with her.
Marly rode anxiously next to Reed. When they pulled into the mall parking lot, one of his deputies walked over to Reed’s side of the car. The sheriff rolled down his window.
The deputy was an attractive man with a slightly crooked nose, hazel eyes, and brownish-red hair. “We’re getting the command post set up,” he said, “and we’ve sealed off the area in case she went some other direction.”
“Nothing turned up on your preliminary search?”
“We canvassed the mall. They weren’t there. We found some footprints on the trail leading into the forest but they disappeared in some rocks. We’re ready to go back in as soon as we’ve got a search grid.”