He scoffed. “For picking up an envelope out of a trash can. Not hardly.”

  “Your comment might fly if you weren’t carrying the burner phone used to call Ms. Grant and threaten her.”

  Vandale tried to cross his arms but the cuffs prevented it, so he jutted out his chin in defiance.

  Gavin sat higher. “Take that attitude, and you’ll soon be going away for murdering Dr. Grant.”

  His mouth fell open. “I didn’t kill the guy. He was alive and kicking when I left him at the airstrip.”

  His statement almost knocked Gavin off his chair. “So you admit to meeting him at the airstrip?”

  “Yeah, I...well...guess I shouldn’t have said that. But I didn’t kill him.”

  “So you didn’t take the envelope, then?”

  He paused for a moment as if searching for the right answer. “The only envelope I took is the one I picked up today.”

  “What was your connection to the doctor?”

  Vandale sat quietly for a moment then shrugged. “I’m done talking until you cut me a deal.”

  “The only thing on the table is us telling the DA that you cooperated,” Gavin said, but his father would have to arrange it, as Gavin wouldn’t give a guy who’d stalked Lexie a break. “And that offer expires in thirty seconds.”

  “Fine. That’ll have to do.” Vandale took a breath and let it out slowly. “Dr. Grant wrote Medicaid prescriptions for me. I didn’t dispense the meds but billed Medicaid. Was pure profit.”

  More Medicaid fraud. Unbelievable. “Why would Dr. Grant do that?”

  “For a kickback. Said he was going to live like a king in retirement. Then he disappeared and I kinda freaked out. Thought maybe you all were onto him, and he left information about our little side business behind. So I looked for the files.”

  “Starting with ransacking Dr. Grant’s office and home right after he disappeared,” Gavin clarified. “And more recently Ms. Grant’s truck and Ruth Paulson’s house.”

  “Yeah. I mean, I had to know.”

  “But you didn’t find anything,” Gavin prompted.

  He shook his head. “And with Grant missing it worried me sick. Then out of the blue the doc calls me. Tells me he’s coming back to town to meet with his daughter. Says he wants the money I owe him in cash or he’ll hand over proof of my fraud to the authorities.”

  Odd. “Why would he do that when it would implicate him, too?”

  “He was bluffing. He told me at the airstrip that he was dying and claimed he’d destroyed all the Medicaid information so no one would find it. He just wanted me to show up and give him the money from the last quarter.”

  “But you were still worried that he didn’t destroy the records and Ms. Grant had them.”

  “Thought she might find something when she went through his stuff. Had to push her to see.” Vandale slunk down in his chair.

  “Tell me why I should believe you didn’t kill the doc.”

  “I’m not a killer—that’s why.”

  “Or are you just trying to avoid charges even more serious than defrauding our government?”

  Vandale sat forward as if suddenly realizing he was in serious trouble. “Look. You have to believe me. For one, I don’t even own a gun. And two, I wouldn’t have any idea how to blow up a plane. I was as shocked when that happened as you. I mean, the fireball was huge.”

  “You were still at the airport when it exploded?” Gavin asked.

  “Didn’t trust Grant. So I hung around to see what he was up to.”

  “You witnessed the murder, then.”

  He nodded. “Some dude on a dirt bike. Skinny. Crazy. Hiding behind his face shield.” Vandale shook his head. “Could hardly believe what I was seeing. Then you rode up, so I took off. I was going to leave a phone and message for Lexie at her house, but I saw her truck. Figured right after seeing her daddy die, leaving the phone in her truck would scare her even more, so when I contacted her, she’d comply.”

  Gavin fisted his hands and had to breathe deep to keep his anger in check. “But you saw the killer take the envelope. It could have held your information.”

  “Could have, but the killer was focused on a syndicate. That had nothing to do with me.”

  Gavin had heard all he’d needed to hear. This wasn’t their killer. Especially since his voice didn’t match the man Lexie had heard. He got to his feet.

  “Book him,” he said. He left his dad to move Vandale into lockup and went to the conference room to update Lexie.

  Her eyes lit up when he entered the room. “What did he say?”

  Gavin explained his connection to her father.

  She took in all the information, her expression tightening with his every word. “Seriously, Dad was involved in prescription fraud, too?”

  “Again, we have no proof, but I have no reason to think Vandale is lying.”

  Her phone rang, snagging her attention. “It’s Ruth. I asked her to pick Adam up from school so I could be here, and to call me when they got to Trails End.”

  Lexie answered, her love for Ruth burning in her eyes. Gavin couldn’t help but be reminded of the days when she’d looked at him with such love, too.

  She listened for only a moment and her face went deadly pale. “No, no. That’s not possible. Are you sure?” She grabbed on to the wall.

  “What’s wrong?” Gavin asked, his cell ringing in the tone he’d assigned to Deputy Erickson.

  “It’s Adam.” The words came out in a strangled cry. “He’s missing.”

  * * *

  The room spun. Lexie couldn’t breathe. Her brother was missing. Gone. No one knew where. She was hyperventilating and her legs wouldn’t hold her, so she slid down the wall and landed on the floor with a bone-jarring thump.

  Gavin rushed to her side, took her hand, and she let him hold fast. Walt entered the room and Gavin filled him in on the development.

  “How in the world did Erickson lose the kid?” Walt shouted.

  “That’s what I’d like to know.”

  “I’ll call Erickson.” Walt snapped his phone from the belt holder.

  Lexie watched him like she was in an out-of-body experience. She felt numb. Lost. Like she couldn’t do a thing. But she had to do something to protect her baby brother, right? But what?

  “C’mon, sugar. Let’s get you to a chair.” Gavin helped her across the room, his warm arm around her back thawing a bit of her frozen state.

  “Let me get you some water,” he said and stepped into the hallway.

  As if water could help her. Help Adam. She was a basket case. But she was no good to Adam this way. Ruth had few details to share except that she’d arrived to discover he was gone, and Deputy Erickson hadn’t known he was missing. They’d called Adam’s cell, but he hadn’t answered.

  That’s it. Maybe he knew he was in trouble and wouldn’t answer for them, but might take her call. She grabbed her phone and dialed him.

  “C’mon, bud, pick up,” she whispered, her heart shattering into tiny pieces as it continued to ring then went to voice mail. She left a frantic message, then stared at the phone in her hand while trying to come up with where he could be.

  Gavin returned with the water and gently pried the phone from her hand. “We’ll find him.”

  Would they? She took a sip of the water, but could barely swallow.

  Walt hung up and came to sit across from her. “Erickson said he went out for a smoke. Two minutes was all, but he had to step off the property so he didn’t violate school rules. He kept the front door in sight, but when he came back, Adam was gone. All-fire stupid thing to do.” Walt slammed a fist on the table, sloshing the water. Gavin jerked in response. For all Lexie knew, it reminded him of the way his dad had reacted when Emily was shot.

  Gavin stood. “I’ll head straight over to the school to look at surveillance videos.”

  “Don’t bother,” Walt said. “Budget cuts kept them from installing them.”

  “Then I’ll interview teachers and students.”

  “I’m going with you.” Lexie struggled to her feet.

  Gavin opened his mouth, but she wasn’t about to let him waste time trying to talk her out of it. “I’m going. Period. No discussion.”

  “I wasn’t going to argue,” he said gently. “Let’s go.”

  Walt got up. “I’ll be right behind you, and I’ll get Matt and Tessa over there, too.”

  Her legs still felt wobbly, so she let Gavin help her to the SUV. He quickly got them on the road toward the school with sirens and lights running, but despite the noise and flashing lights, it still seemed to take forever to get across town to the school. What if they were too late and something awful had happened to him?

  Lexie took several deep breaths, trying to calm her nerves. She had to focus on finding Adam...not jump to the worst-case scenario. “With Vandale in custody, this proved there really are two suspects.”

  “Vandale could have hired someone to take Adam,” he countered.

  “But why would he do that if he thought he was getting the information from me today?”

  “After we gather facts, I’ll question Vandale again.” Gavin blew out a breath. “Who knows? We could arrive to find out Adam was just in the bathroom. Or cut class and he’s fine.”

  She shot him a questioning look. “Do you really believe that?”

  “I don’t know what to believe.” He slammed a fist on the steering wheel. “I can’t fathom the thought of anything bad happening to the kid. I love him, you know. And this happened on my watch.”

  What? Love? She’d known he’d once loved her little brother, but hearing him say he still did gave her hope she had no business embracing. Even if her heart wanted to go there, she had to let it go until after Adam was found and she could think about it. “This didn’t happen on your watch but on Erickson’s.”

  “Don’t give me an out, Lexie. I’m in charge of your and Adam’s protection.”

  “Actually, that would be your dad.”

  “No! Stop! Don’t give me an excuse. This is my fault. You can’t convince me otherwise.” He swung into the parking lot.

  Lexie didn’t wait for the SUV to stop rocking before bolting outside and starting up the walkway.

  “Hold up,” Gavin called out, his footfalls pounding closer. “This could be a trap to get you here, and I want you by my side.”

  He slid an arm around her waist to draw her close. They moved quickly, bursting through the door to find Deputy Erickson waiting for them.

  “Any updates?” Gavin asked.

  “I located one of Adam’s friends. She said he got a text from Lexie telling him she’d pick him up early and to meet her in the back parking lot.”

  Lexie stared at the man responsible for her brother’s absence. “I didn’t text him, and he’s a smart kid. He’d know the text didn’t come from my phone.”

  “Supposedly the text said you had to get another phone because yours was tapped. Adam bought the story and was glad to get out of school even a few minutes early, so he readily followed the directions.”

  “What time did these texts arrive?” Gavin asked.

  “The friend said two thirty or so.” Erickson worried his lip between his teeth.

  Lexie changed her focus to Gavin. “Then Vandale couldn’t have sent them.”

  “Doesn’t mean he didn’t have someone else do it for him,” Gavin replied. “In fact, maybe he planned this in case anything went wrong at the drop. Then he would have leverage to try to get us to release him.”

  “I’m sorry, Lexie,” Erickson said. “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have left the school.”

  Lexie agreed, but she also knew people were fallible. Like when Emily had been shot. Gavin hadn’t meant her any harm. He’d only wanted to help. So had Erickson. “Just help us find him.”

  Ruth came out from the office, her face pale, her hands shaking. “I don’t know what to do. Tell me what to do.”

  Lexie had never seen her strong aunt shaken like this, and it upped Lexie’s own anxiety. What were they going to do? She didn’t know, but calling out for God’s help felt like the right thing to do.

  SIXTEEN

  Striking out on any other leads at the school, Gavin drove Lexie back to Trails End. They hung their jackets in the silent house, and he felt his family’s absence acutely. While Tessa combed the school for forensic leads, everyone else had hurried into town to help man the phones at his dad’s office. They were calling students just in case someone had seen something and could provide additional information on Adam’s whereabouts.

  Lexie wanted to make calls, too, but Gavin and his father agreed that they needed to slow down, review the investigation and work on a more expansive plan to find Adam. Since Lexie knew him best, they wanted her in on the discussion, too. But lingering in the office and continuing to hear call after call that didn’t produce a lead had raised her panic level, so they’d returned to the ranch to talk.

  Gavin wished Ruth could be there with Lexie, but they’d sent her home with a deputy to monitor the landline. If Adam had been abducted, and all signs were pointing that way, and the kidnapper wanted to contact Lexie but didn’t have her cell number, he would call the house.

  His father’s phone rang and broke the silence. He answered and dread filled Gavin’s gut.

  “Hold on, Larry,” his dad said. “Nothing about Adam, but I have to take this call.” He went down the hall toward his office.

  “Let’s go in the dining room.” Gavin gently took her arm and escorted her into the room.

  They settled in chairs and Gavin kept his focus on Lexie. With each passing moment, her distress escalated and he hoped the conversation didn’t make things more difficult for her.

  She folded her hands on the table. “Do you think Vandale’s lying and he hired someone to help him?”

  “No way to be sure at this point,” Gavin said. “But since kidnapping carries such stiff penalties, it seems pretty aggressive just to cover up a simple white-collar crime. My gut says Vandale’s issues are unrelated to the envelope, and we need to keep our focus on the patient billing fraud.”

  She nodded.

  “Still,” Gavin said, “it’s important to keep the burner phone with you in case the kidnapper is connected to Vandale and he uses that phone.”

  Lexie dug both phones from her pockets and placed them on the table. “Why doesn’t he call already?”

  “He could be drawing this out to make you suffer so when he does call, you’ll jump to do his bidding and give him the information.”

  “I can’t, though.” She grabbed Gavin’s arm. “I don’t have what he wants, and he’ll kill Adam. I can’t lose him, too.”

  “Don’t cry, sugar.” He rested his hands over hers when all he wanted to do was to lift her into his arms and promise he’d fix this for her. “We’ll find Adam.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  He couldn’t, but then, he wouldn’t tell her that, either, so he continued to hold her hand and prayed for Adam’s safety.

  Lexie sat staring out the window for how long, Gavin didn’t know. He couldn’t sit and do nothing, so he got up. Paced. And thought things through. Grasping for anything they might know to locate Adam. But what? What rock had they left unturned?

  The will.

  He pivoted to face Lexie. “Your dad’s will could contain information to point us in the right direction.”

  “Wouldn’t Mike Alexander bring it to our attention if it did?”

  “Confidentiality might keep him from revealing anything. Or if your dad left a sealed envelope for you, Mike wouldn’t know what it held.”

  “You think?” Her face brightened for a moment, and then the hope vanished. “But I can’t... I mean hearing... I—”

  “What if I read it so you don’t have to?” he offered, as he knew where her thoughts were going.

  “Yes, that would be perfect.”

  “Then give Mike a call while I see if Dad will go pick it up.”

  “Can you go?” she asked. “I feel silly enough about not taking care of this myself, and I don’t want to send the sheriff to run an errand for me.”

  “He cares about you, Lex, and he wouldn’t mind.”

  “Still, I’d feel better if you’d do it.”

  She wanted something from him. Exactly what he’d been hoping. Maybe not this particular thing, but there was no way he’d say no. He’d be gone for thirty minutes at most, and if a half hour might help repair the rift between them, then it was worth the risk of being gone when the kidnapper called. Besides, if the kidnapper phoned, his dad could immediately notify him.

  “You get hold of Mike, and I’ll ask Dad if he can stay home long enough for me to pick up the will.”

  She picked up her phone and Gavin started for the office. It felt weird to be going to ask his father for a favor. Even odder, that he trusted his father to keep Lexie safe. But surprisingly he did. Completely.

  His dad was stowing his phone on his belt clip when Gavin stepped through the doorway.

  “Something new happen?” he asked.

  “No, but I’m wondering if Dr. Grant might have left a letter to Lexie with his will that might explain things.”

  “Good thinking. You call Mike to bring it out here.”

  Gavin had let his emotions to help Lexie color his thinking and miss this obvious solution. Still, he wasn’t going to back out on telling her he’d go. “Lexie wants me to head into town to pick it up.”

  “It’s not a good idea to take Lexie into town.”

  “I totally agree, which is why I wanted to ask if you can stay here to keep an eye on her.”

  “Me? You want me to handle her protection?”