Broken Trust (14 page)

Her voice wobbled.

“Not yet. She’s probably just late.
Come on, I’ll take you home.” He opened the front door and she hurried outside,
pocketing her cell phone.

“I’ll be back as soon as I can,”
Toni called over her shoulder to Holly. “Tell Grams not to worry.”

Why couldn’t her sister mind her
just once? She had explained the dangers of going home alone and prayed Cara
had stopped off somewhere safe.

Toni didn’t speak as Mac drove
through traffic. The stop lights seemed to take forever to turn green. Anxiety
caused her to breathe faster than normal. She should never have agreed to let
Cara go over to Shannon’s house. She should have driven her over and picked her
up herself. If anything happened to Cara, she’d never forgive herself.

At the front door of her house, Mac
took her keys, then swung the solid oak panel wide so she could step inside.
Looking up, Toni froze. The English drop-leaf table lay on its side, the table
lamp shattered across the tiled floor.

She stared with disbelief. Had
Grandma’s cat done this?

Shards of glass crunched beneath
her shoes as she and Mac stepped further inside. The formal living room had
been torn apart, the cushions of the sofa shredded. Grandma’s long, brocade
drapes showed jagged rips in each panel, as if someone had sliced them with a
knife. Stuffing from the sofa lay all over the pale Berber carpet. Lamps and
tables had been overturned and broken. Books and papers littered the floor.

“Toni, get out of here now,” Mac
ordered, pushing her toward the front door. She tore away from him, running to
the kitchen, then the family room at the back of the house.

“Cara!” she yelled as she went.
“Cara, are you here?”

No response.

“Toni, stop! Go outside and call
the police.” Mac hobbled after her, but she evaded him easily.

She bounded up the stairs. Mac
couldn’t stop her. Her heart pounded as she searched each and every bedroom,
looking for her sister.

“Toni, are you okay?” Mac spoke
from the bottom of the stairs. Anxiousness filled his voice and she knew he
couldn’t follow her easily on his lame leg.

“I’m fine,” she called. Satisfied
that Cara was not in the house, she returned to the living room.

Mac shook his head, his expression
dark and angry. “That wasn’t smart. What if the person who did this was still
in the house?”

She didn’t meet his eyes. He was
right, of course. But nothing mattered now except finding Cara. Toni whipped
out her cell phone, intending to try her sister’s number again. Maybe she had
stopped at another friend’s house. Maybe she went shopping at the mall—

Something on the floor caught her
eye. She gasped, pressing a hand to her mouth. “Oh, no! My vase.”

She stared at the three pieces of
delicate green glass lying beside the fireplace. Eric’s picture lay next to
them. The vase had been knocked to the floor. No doubt the soft carpet had kept
it from shattering into a thousand pieces.

She moved into the room and sank to
her knees before picking up one piece of broken glass. She cradled it on her
palm, her jangled nerves causing her hands to shake.

“Toni, I’m sorry.” Mac stood beside
her, his long fingers squeezing her shoulder.

She thrust his hand away,
trembling, barely able to breathe. “Don’t, Mac. I want to yell and scream and
hit something, I’m so furious right now. I’m angry, and I don’t even know who
to be angry at.”

Mac crouched beside her, his
injured leg held out straight as he balanced himself with one hand on the
floor. He took hold of her arm and turned her so he could look into her eyes.
“Be angry at me. I’m to blame, Toni. I’d trade places with Eric if I could. I’d
give anything to have him here at home, safe and sound.”

“But this isn’t your fault.” She
indicated the room, trying to sort through her emotions. Trying to think
clearly.

Her temples pounded as she glanced
at her watch. Almost eight o’clock. Grandma was safe at Aunt Holly’s, but where
was Cara?

“Toni, go over to the neighbors and
call 9-1-1,” Mac urged as he helped her stand. “Your neighbors might have seen
or heard something.”

She tugged on his arm, trying to
pull him with her. “You come, too. Don’t stay here alone, Mac.”

He hesitated, glancing over his
shoulder. “I’ll be okay. You already ensured that whoever did this is long
gone. Go on, now.”

With his training and stubborn
temperament, she realized he wouldn’t budge. Wounded, he was in no condition to
fight off bad guys, no matter how skilled or tough he was. She left him only
because she was certain he was alone in the house. Hurrying outside, she
sprinted across the lawn, hurdling the low picket fence surrounding the
Wilson’s yard.

Toni soon returned, followed by
Clarence and Maggie Wilson, their neighbors for the past thirteen years.
Clarence gripped a shovel, prepared to use it as a weapon if necessary.

As expected, Toni found Mac’s
crutch leaning against the wall by the front door as he hobbled around,
searching the house.

“Did you call 9-1-1?” he asked, his
jaw locked.

“Yes, I reported a burglary. Any
sign of Cara?”

Mac shook his head and Toni’s heart
felt as though it sank through the floor. Where was her sister?

“Unbelievable,” Clarence Wilson
spoke behind her as he stepped around debris littering the floor. “We didn’t
hear a thing, did we, Maggie?”

“Did you see any vehicles parked
out front?” Mac asked.

Clarence shook his head.

“I can hardly believe this has
happened in our quiet neighborhood.” Maggie gaped at the living room.

The place looked as though a
tornado had struck. Toni felt invaded. Robbed of all security. She breathed in
short, quick bursts. Tears and a tantrum weren’t an option right now. Instead,
she got angry. Good and mad. How dare someone come into her home and tear the
place apart?

“Mac, this has something to do with
what happened in Clarkston, doesn’t it?” she whispered for his ears alone.

“My instincts say yes.”

That wasn’t the answer she wanted
to hear.

Sirens filled the air as two squad
cars parked out front. Toni went outside with Mac to greet the police and she
tried to remain calm.

Everything became a whirl of
activity. Toni sat inside one of the squad cars filling out paperwork while Mac
stood close by, leaning against the open door. Cops went inside, guns drawn.
Toni stared wide-eyed, thinking how insane her life had become. If only she
understood Eric’s letter and what it meant.

Half-an-hour later, Toni had called
all of Cara’s friends and Aunt Holly, to see if her sister had turned up. No
one had seen the girl for several hours.

Toni promised a burly police
sergeant that she’d make a list of anything missing in the house. She’d need to
file an insurance claim. She kept glancing at her watch. Cara should be at Aunt
Holly’s by now.

The evening dragged by and Toni
couldn’t deny the absolute terror stiffening her shoulders and causing her
hands to shake. Someone had shot at her, then ransacked Mac’s cabin and stole
Eric’s letter. Ponytail man tried to run them off the road.

Now Cara was missing.

“Mac, what if Cara was here in the
house? What if she came home and someone took her?”

Tears burned her eyes and she
couldn’t speak around the lump in her throat. Her anger simmered beneath the
realization that this nightmare wasn’t over and someone else she loved could be
hurt.

Mac stood close by, offering his
support as cops searched inside and out of the house, tromping on Grandma’s
mariposa lilies.

“Everything’s gonna be okay,” Mac
whispered and gave her a hug.

His presence soothed her raw
nerves. She caught his clean masculine scent and felt the strength in his
powerful arms. As she drew away, Toni glanced at his face. In the deepening
shadows of the summer evening, she saw his stern expression. Something sparked
in his eyes and she shivered. He didn’t say so, but she saw the fury simmering
beneath his icy control.

“Did you notice anything missing
from your house?” he asked.

“Just my computer. The police don’t
understand why the burglar didn’t steal Grandma’s valuable jewelry and silver.
I told the cops about the man who shot at me on Thorne Mountain and later tried
to run us off the road. They don’t know what to think about Eric’s missing
letter either. I still don’t know who to trust.”

“I know. Let’s wait on that piece,
until I can speak to my commanding officer. I think this is a matter for NCIS.”

Toni remembered him telling her
that NCIS was already investigating the ambush in Afghanistan.

“Colonel Wilkinson can bring them
in to help us,” Mac said. “I’ve called him and he’s planning to visit with us
tomorrow morning.”

Lights came on inside the house and
policemen walked past the wide picture window in the formal living room.

Toni clenched her hands. “You think
we can go inside now?”

Mac nodded. “Yes.”

They headed for the front door. As
Toni disappeared inside, Mac looked down the street. A movement caught his eye.
A lone figure stood in the shadows of a palm tree one block away. From this
distance, Mac couldn’t make out the man’s face. He could be a neighbor, drawn
out of his house by curiosity at all the police cars and activity. Under the
circumstances, Mac felt overly suspicious of everyone right now.

With his crutch pressed beneath his
arm, he plodded toward the stranger. The man didn’t seem to notice as he
stepped away from the tree and headed down the street at a brisk walk. It was
futile to attempt to catch him. Instead, Mac returned to Toni’s house and
reported the stranger to the police.

“We’ll check it out,” an officer
promised.

Mac doubted they’d find the guy.
The cops wouldn’t be here much longer and he stayed close by in case Toni
needed him.

He bummed four aspirin from Toni,
then called Miriam at the diner in Clarkston to ask her to get word to his
parents that he was safe in Vegas. In return, his folks had left a message for
him that they were fine and hadn’t seen any more intruders. Mac wasn’t
surprised. No doubt whoever had torn up the cabin had followed him and Toni to
Vegas.

To do some of his own sleuthing,
Mac walked around the outside of Toni’s house, searching the windows and doors
for signs of a break-in. The cops had found a tire iron at the back of the
garage. Someone had used the iron to jimmy open the back door and gain entry to
the house. A detective was already dusting for fingerprints.

An hour later, the police finally
left. Toni came outside and found him in the back yard.

“I called Shannon again,” she said.
“The cops said they’d be on alert, but they won’t let me file a missing
person’s report until Cara’s been gone at least twenty-four hours. I don’t
understand why they can’t help us. We know more about Eric’s missing file than
they do.” She wrapped her arms around herself, looking miserable and
vulnerable.

Her voice sounded bitter and coated
by fear. He stood beside her, his common sense telling him Cara was in trouble.
He didn’t understand why the police wouldn’t help find Cara either. If she’d
just come up missing, that was one thing. But with all that had happened,
surely they realized the girl could be in big trouble. “Maybe Cara made a pit
stop at someone else’s house.”

“That’s possible, but I’ve called
everyone I can think of. Even some of her teachers. I’m worried.”

He took her hand and squeezed
tight, offering her support, wishing he could do more. A protective feeling
rose up inside of him. He’d failed Eric, but he was determined not to fail
Toni. “She could be with a new boyfriend. Remember Cara has stayed out late
like this before.”

“Yes, that’s just the problem. I
don’t know if I should go out looking for her or stay here.” Toni fidgeted with
a pen, her tone turning angry. “Oh, when I get a hold of that girl. I can’t
decide if I want to hug her or ground her.”

Doubt filled her eyes and her
shoulders slumped in defeat. Fading sunlight glinted off her hair, deepening
the red highlights to golden fire. He’d always loved her beautiful hair. He
lifted a hand and cupped her soft cheek in a caress meant to soothe her jangled
nerves. When she turned her face and kissed his palm, his heart melted. Regret
swamped him and he wondered how he’d ever let this woman leave his life. He’d
been such a fool, seeking after worldly pursuits.

“She’ll turn up.” He tried to sound
positive, but he couldn’t shake a bad feeling.

“I hope you’re right. But when I
get the chance, I’m going to buy a big dog. A mastiff like Grunt.”

Mac almost laughed, knowing Toni
had been converted. “Grunt’s a giant teddy bear, but definitely a deterrent to
intruders.”

In fact, Mac wished the big mongrel
was here with them now. He doubted an intruder would want to take on such a
fierce dog.

Toni turned to go inside the house,
but he caught her arm and pointed at the flowerbed. “The cops found the
footprints of the burglar. They look the same as those we found at the cabin. I
think it’s the same man.”

Her expression hardened. “I’m not
surprised. I just wish we knew who we were dealing with and what they wanted.”

He followed her past the flowerbeds
to the back sliding glass doors.

“They stole my laptop, but I think
they want the flash drive,” she said. “I’m so glad we had the common sense to
keep it with us.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Me, too.”