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Secrets of the Rose

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2019
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Shelby opened her eyes, stared at the beloved face once more. As she did, she felt the band of tension around her heart begin to ease. God knew what she was going through. He understood. In the depths of her mind, she comprehended that He was in complete control of everything that happened to her. But somehow she wished she understood why He’d allowed this.

She remembered Tim’s words. A little bit of faith.

Right now, that’s about all she had.

She replaced the photo and, with a sigh, turned back to the computer. God would do His part. Now it was time for her to do hers.

By the time Shelby had completed the last of the files, the clock on her computer read 10:45. She’d checked in twice with Natalie. No call had come in regarding Aimee’s whereabouts, no ransom call had been made. No note had been delivered, no new evidence reported. Natalie sounded curt, as if she were holding back her temper when she said Russ had dropped by the house. So had Tim.

In an odd way, Shelby understood Natalie’s frustration, knew exactly how she felt. They had all gone over and over the same things. If there had been some tiny clue to latch onto and ferret out, she could sink her teeth into it, bury herself in figuring it out. But there was nothing. Whoever had done this knew exactly what he was doing and had left no trace evidence, no witnesses to their silent departure, not even any footprints in the freshly turned soil below Aimee’s window. Natalie must be as frustrated as she.

For Shelby there was no reason to go home. The house was empty without her daughter. But she did need to rest, shower, change clothes. Besides, if she hung on to that crumb of faith, maybe tonight the nightmare would end.

Reluctant to stop, but well aware that she’d made little progress, Shelby logged off, secured the file with her password and waited while the machine shut down. It seemed to take longer than usual and she made a mental note to have the company technician check for malfunctions. She locked the files in her desk, pocketed the key.

She was almost at the door, about to leave, when a knock halted her actions. Her nerves inched up a notch, though she knew the company’s security system would be on, that no one who didn’t have the correct security clearance would be able to get into the building. But…

“Come in,” she called, fingers clenched around her purse.

“So you are still here.” Daniel stuck his head in. “I’m not sure it’s good for you to be working such long hours your first day back, but I am glad you’re here. Have you got a moment for me?”

She wanted to go home, to see if her faith had worked, if someone somewhere had found out where Aimee was being held. But Daniel’s serious expression stopped her.

“I was leaving, but I can spare a few minutes. Nothing to rush home to,” she tried to joke, then bit her lip.

“We’ll find her, Shel. Just keep hanging on.” He moved toward her, patted her shoulder. “Actually, that’s why I wanted to talk to you. I heard about the ruckus with our resident bad boy this afternoon. I’d have been here, but I only found out a couple of hours ago, too late to be of assistance.”

“It’s all right, Daniel. Russ just wants to help.”

“And you’re letting him?”

The tone of his voice bothered her.

“Why not? You two used to be best friends. Has something happened to change that?” Shelby watched the guarded look cloud his eyes. “Have you argued with Russ about something?”

“Not really. I just thought you and I agreed that I would head up things here. But now Russ has practically taken over, countermanding my orders—”

“Daniel.” She stepped closer, laid her hand on his arm. “You know that I’ve depended on you, and will continue to depend on you to keep Finders going. You have my full support. But this is my child, and she’s missing. I can’t afford to turn down anyone’s help.”

“Ah, but why should she refuse my help, eh, Daniel?” Russ stood in the doorway, hands on his hips. “I am the only one who seems to get results.”

His arrogance had once made Shelby laugh. But now, the word results took her breath away. “You found something.”

“Ja. I found—something.” He strode in, leaned one hip against her desk. “This Natalie, the oh-so-elegant police detective. You know her well?”

“I don’t know her at all. Except that when I called the police, she came. Why?”

“Curious.” He shrugged. “The lack of clues, that is surprising, yes?”

“I guess they were very careful.” She nodded. “But yes, to answer your question. I would have thought there would be something they could use.”

“Yes, I think that, also. But Miss Natalie—she says there is nothing. The security panel has only one code entered for that night, a code which the good Natalie says belongs to you. The fibers from a snip of cloth left in the window belong to material in men’s pants sold by the thousands. It may have been there for months. These police find no fingerprints, though they have thrown their powder all over the house. Even the handwriting on the mirror is childish, like that of a thousand kindergarten children—and so virtually untraceable.”

“Stop being melodramatic and tell us what you found.” Daniel’s eyes blazed with anger. “Can’t you see how you’re upsetting her?”

Russ glanced once at Daniel, his face hardened. He seemed about to say something, but after a glance at Shelby, changed his mind.

“I apologize, Shelby. I do not mean to act inadvisably. But before I say more, I must ask a question. When you stood at the window that night, you did not hear a car, did not see someone drive past? Perhaps you heard footsteps below, running away?”

She shook her head.

“No. Russ, you talked to the police. You’ve been to my home. You know Aimee’s room is at the back, above the garden. Grandmother owned a huge section of land behind the house, which I’ve kept undeveloped. There’s no road back there for a very long way.”

“Exactly so.” He straightened, crossed his arms over his chest. “Yet this thief, this abductor, he steals this child, not a tiny sleeping baby, you see, but a little girl who is liable to awaken when picked up by a stranger. And yet, there is no sound. Why? Does he drug her? C’est possible. But I do not think there is time before Mama Bear arrives. And he has no getaway car waiting for him at the back, therefore he must carry the child around to the front of the house.” He shook his head. “Very strange.”

Russ had been partly raised in France. Perhaps that’s why he fell into the language whenever he spoke of Aimee. Shelby said nothing, simply stood, waited. Russ was onto something, she could see it in the glint of his eyes.

“He is a wonder, this phantom of ours. In truth, our thief is so accomplished, he does not even leave footprints in the flower beds below. How is this possible? Is he a ghost? I do not believe in ghosts.”

“The police said there was no evidence of footprints.” She glanced at Daniel. Clearly he didn’t understand what Russ was getting at, either.

“No, there is no evidence. This I checked for myself.”

“And?”

“There is no evidence of footprints because someone has raked the area.”

“Raked it? But how? When?” Shelby shook her head. “I was there, Russ. I hit the alarm as soon as I heard someone in the hall. I couldn’t find Aimee. The police came almost immediately and they were all over the place. Surely they would have noticed if someone had worked in the garden.”

“I am not so sure of that. You yourself were there but a few hours before, no? Your neighbor said he saw you raking the ground under some bushes near the house.”

“Yes…” Tim. It would have been he who’d seen her. The old carriage house he rented was the only thing near enough their yard, since originally the two properties were one.

“And yet, on this freshly worked soil, there is no outline of a shoe, no markings whatever.” Russ shook his head. “No.”

“So someone came along behind and raked over his tracks? Is that what you’re saying? But what does that tell us? That there was an accomplice?” Shelby couldn’t wrap her mind around whatever he was intimating. The entire thing seemed like a nightmare, something that would happen to someone else. Not to her. Not to Aimee.

“Yes. I’d like an answer to that question myself. What exactly are you trying to say, Russ? You insinuated that you had something big to tell us. Well, let’s hear it. Or is this another one of your hot air dances? Promise the world, deliver nada.” Daniel’s lips curled in a derisive smile.

“I always deliver. And you would do well to watch what you say, my friend.” The words were spoken calmly enough, but it was the steel threading through them that made the impact. “I have nothing to apologize for. My record is clean. Can you say the same?”

“Why don’t you come right out and accuse me of Grant’s death?” Daniel demanded, his jaw locked so tightly it grew white with strain. “Why pretend to be a friend when all the time you blame me for not being here, for not backing him?”

Shelby gulped. The gloves were off now, and she had no idea how to stop this. They looked like two raging animals, each daring the other to step past an invisible line. But what was it all about? Daniel mentioned Grant. What had he to do with this feud? Did he feel guilty for his friend’s death?

“Yes, you are right. I do blame you, Daniel. You should have been here. He was on a case that only you knew about. If you could not be there for him, you should have phoned me. I would not have left him here alone. To die.”

“Stop it!” Shelby stepped between them. “No one knew the fire would start, Russ. Daniel wasn’t here because Grant insisted he simply wanted to check out something. Who could have imagined he would get caught….” She stopped, drew a breath. “You have nothing to be guilty about, Daniel. The fire was an accident. Grant is gone. But I cannot, I will not lose Aimee. So say whatever you’re getting at, Russ, and let’s get busy trying to find her.”
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