As Hunter listened to Sarah tell him what she remembered about the evening before their wedding, conflicting emotions—from anger that he couldn’t protect her to sadness that they’d both lost so much that night—battled for supremacy. The regret and grief won out in the end.
He parked in the lot in front of the Cimarron City College Library, wishing he could hug her and never let go. If only she’d told him... “Are you sure you didn’t see the guy’s face? You might have if you saw the class ring. You could have suppressed it.”
“I wish I could remember. The only reason I saw the ring was because someone left the campground and had turned on their headlights. When the driver quickly backed out and left, everything went dark again.”
“What about the sound of his voice? Anything familiar about it?”
“Not that I remember. Let’s go talk with Alex Peterson. I’m glad he could meet us here. I want to walk through the library after interviewing him. I watched so much tape this afternoon I feel like I know this place and yet I don’t. This library was built ten years ago, so I’ve never been inside.”
“Actually, I haven’t either.” Hunter climbed from the SUV and met Sarah at the front of his vehicle.
Their gazes embraced, and all he wanted to do was hold her and never let her go. If only things had been different. If only she’d felt she could come to him and share what happened to her rather than leaving. Together they could have dealt with it. But looking back on their past, he could see now why she didn’t. He’d wanted to be a law enforcement officer. Her father and he had been close. When he was ten, his own dad had died while serving his country, and Paul had filled the massive void.
But after what he’d witnessed earlier today, when Paul heard about what Sarah had gone through and had reacted badly, Hunter saw Sarah’s relationship with her dad differently. She hadn’t trusted how her father would have handled the situation, and now Hunter understood.
“Sarah, before we go into the library, I want to tell you I’m sorry you couldn’t share with me what happened sooner. I knew you and your father weren’t close, but I should have seen the depth and width of your separation.”
“And I should have shared more, but you and Dad were growing closer. You looked up to him because he was the police chief, and he was good at his job.”
“I wanted to be the kind of cop he was or so I thought. After working under Mark’s leadership at the police department, I realized Paul had issues managing some of his officers effectively.”
“Before I leave and after we get Alicia back, I need to have a long conversation with my dad if I can get him to listen.”
“I hope you can, but I also want to talk to you when we aren’t so consumed about finding your niece and Donna.” Hunter strolled toward the main entrance, feeling for the first time in years that they had a chance of letting go of the past and moving forward—together.
“I feel we put a spotlight on Donna by interviewing her. We have to find her.”
Their arms brushed against each other as they mounted the steps to the library. Hunter looked sideways at her and clasped her hand. He didn’t break the physical connection between them until he spied Alex Peterson in the lobby, panning the area.
“I’m Detective Davis and this is Special Agent St. John with the FBI.” Hunter shook the young man’s hand. “Thanks for coming here on such short notice.”
“I can’t believe the woman I helped was kidnapped today.”
“Did you know Donna Conroy prior to the incident in the parking lot?” Sarah gestured toward an empty table and chairs off to the side, away from the foot traffic.
“I’ve seen her in the library occasionally and around campus, going to and from classes, but we aren’t in any together.” Alex sat at the table.
Hunter took the chair across from the young man. “Why did you think Donna was in trouble and needed help?”
“Donna left the library right before us, but my friend, Derek Taylor, called out to me. I stopped and waited for him, and then we exited together. He wanted help with our calculus test we were having the next day. Derek saw Donna stumble, and she nearly stepped in front of a moving car. We hurried forward and stopped her. I knew immediately something was wrong. She acted drunk, but I didn’t smell any alcohol. Then I thought maybe she’d taken some kind of drug, but she insisted she hadn’t. She waved at her car at the back of the lot then started for it, and we decided to go with her. I offered to take her home so she wouldn’t drive, but before she answered, she collapsed. Derek caught her and laid her gently on the ground while I called 9-1-1.”
Hunter jotted the information from Alex on his notepad. “Did you see anyone near her car or anything unusual?”
His brow knitted, the young man thought for a long moment. “When I first came out, there was a man standing by the tree near her Chevy, but while I called for an ambulance, he quickly left.”
“Which way?” Sarah asked.
“To the right.”
Sarah drummed her fingers on the table, something she did when stressed. “Did you notice if he got into a vehicle?”
“Maybe. Derek distracted me when he said Donna had lost consciousness. I checked to see that she was breathing. When I heard a siren, I stood back up. At that time, an old black van drove out of the parking lot. It could have been that man’s. It left from the direction he’d been walking. I didn’t think too much about it because I was worried about Donna.”
Hunter looked from Sarah to Alex. “Did you see a license plate number or any distinguishing marks on the van?”
“No. It was two rows over with a pretty full parking lot.”
“Do you have a way to contact Derek?” When Alex nodded, Hunter slid his pad toward him.
“He lives on campus in the McClain Dorm, but I don’t know which room. I have his phone number.” The young man wrote it down.
Sarah folded her hands together. “Did you see anything else that might help us find the van?”
Alex tilted his head and squinted his eyes. “Actually yes. The back windows were painted over with black.” He rose. “I have a paper due that I need to work on. If I think of something else, I’ll call you.”
Hunter handed him his card. “Again, thanks for your help.”
After the young man left, a long silence fell between Hunter and Sarah until she asked, “Have you seen an old black van with painted windows?”
“No, but I’ll have headquarters run down all the black vans in the county.”
“Have an officer also check traffic cams around the time Donna was drugged at the library and before she was kidnapped.” Sarah stood and stretched. “Let’s go look at where she studied that night.”
They rode the elevator to the top floor and headed to the spot Donna said she’d been. As she’d described, there were two tables with several chairs and one cubicle. While Hunter searched for any kind of security camera in the vicinity, Sarah explored the area. The only cam was the one by the elevator, pointing toward the stacks but not into them, which Sarah had already viewed.
She walked toward a door and opened it. “Hunter, I found an exit I didn’t know about. The steps lead downstairs like the set by the elevator.”
He followed the sound of her voice and found her standing in the open door.
“There are staircases on both the east and west side of the building. For some reason, I thought there was only one set.”
Hunter glanced toward where Donna would have sat, but the view was blocked by one of the large bookshelves. “Someone could have come up this way and never been caught on the camera on this floor. Let’s walk down. There must be a door that leads outside. I would think it’s most likely locked at all times, but it might not be during library hours.” He held the door open for her.
When they descended to the main floor, they found two doors. Sarah tried the door opposite the one going into the library. “Go outside and see if you can come back in.”
Hunter did, but when he tried to get back in, he couldn’t open it. “It’s locked.”
Sarah let him into the stairwell. “It wouldn’t be hard to prop the door so it would open.”
“Or it could have been accessed by someone who had a key. Let’s go see who has a set of keys to the building.”
As they entered the first floor, Sarah withdrew her cell phone and looked at its screen. “Go ahead. I need to use the restroom before we leave. I’ll meet you at the front entrance.”
Hunter crossed the large room to the main desk, glancing back as Sarah ducked into the women’s bathroom.
Hunter showed his badge and asked, “May I speak with the person in charge?”
The young lady nodded and left. She soon reappeared with an older woman. “May I help you?”
“Who has keys to this building? Is there a master key that will open all the outside doors?”
* * *
Sarah’s hand shook as she pushed into the women’s restroom. She stared down at the text message she’d received: If you want to see your niece, you have five minutes to get the phone taped under the first sink. Then go out the back entrance by yourself. I’ll contact you unless the police are nearby. Throw your phone in the trashcan in the restroom. If anyone follows you, I’ll kill Alicia.
The last sentence sent a bolt of fear through her. She had to try and save her niece. Alicia was most likely targeted because of their relationship. Quickly, she snatched the phone from under the sink then looked around for a camera. If she texted Hunter from her phone, he might react too quickly and jeopardize Alicia’s safety, but she did need his help. She dug in her purse for a pen and quickly jotted on a paper towel: Hunter Davis, killer contacted me about Alicia. If you can follow me at a long distance, do. Going out the back entrance. Someone may be watching.
When Hunter realized she was missing, he would call her phone. Maybe someone would hear it and get it into the right hands. She tied the message around her cell and dropped it into the trashcan. When she went to the restroom door, she cracked it open a few inches and glimpsed Hunter talking to an older woman. She hurried out and into the library then exited the rear of the building, noting on her watch she made it under five minutes.
Her heartbeat thumped against her ribcage. Her breathing came out in short puffs. Now what?
The phone she held in her hand rang. “Walk to the white car parked to the right ten yards away. The key is under the seat. Drive south on Third. You’ll get instructions soon if I don’t see anyone following you. Put the phone on speaker and do not disconnect.”
She needed Hunter to follow but not be seen. Her pulse rate increased and sweat popped out on her forehead. Had she just signed his death warrant by telling him what she was doing?