“Your other son.”

She tightened her lips into a narrow line and it shortened her face another inch. “What about him?”

“Where is he?”

She looked down at the business card again. She had yet to meet his gaze.

“When’s the last time you heard from him?”

This time he didn’t even get a shrug. Anger boiled under his skin and he checked his temper.

“Look. Innocent people are dying and your son is a suspect, but the police can’t find him for questioning. What name is he using?” His voice was too loud.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Michael could only describe her look as churlish. Damn it! His shoulders and chest widened as he took a deep breath and cast about for the right words to throw at her.

Lila immediately cowered and darted away two shaky steps, raising an arm to protect her face.

Michael’s jaw dropped. Anger evaporated. “Jesus. I’m not going to touch you!” What kind of life had this woman led?

Sam touched his hand. “Let me talk to her.” Her calm eyes were confident. “Why don’t you wait outside for a minute?”

Michael studied her composed face. She believed she could get the woman to talk. He glanced at Lila, who was eyeing both of them with trepidation, and saw her hands quiver. Without a word he strode toward the door.

Outside, he sucked in deep breaths of clean air, but couldn’t get the stink out of his nose.

The man studied the computer screen in front of him and tightened his fists. Shit! Where was she?

Maybe he could rationalize where Lacey Campbell went. He squeezed shut his eyes and pressed them against the heels of his hands. Concentrate. Last time he’d seen her she’d been with Harper. That old coot of a neighbor had said Harper spent the night. Could she possibly still be with him? Something had occurred between those two. His jaw tightened. It wasn’t right, but at the moment that didn’t matter. He had to get back on track and find her.

Where would that jerk take her?

He cursed his lack of foresight. He’d placed a GPS unit on Lacey’s truck, but not Harper’s. They could be in any hotel in the state. Or on a plane.

It wasn’t supposed to go this way.

A sour scent swirled around him. The scent of carefully orchestrated plans falling apart. More things were going wrong. Like the recent newspaper article about the missing woman. He bit the inside of his cheek, tasting the metal tang of blood. He hadn’t laid a hand on Kelly Cates. That had to be someone else. But who?

Maybe the police were planting stories to confuse him. He pushed away from his desk, turning his chair to stare at the blank wall. Maybe the police were trying to draw him in with some convoluted trap involving Cates. But he’d carefully checked out the Cates’s residence. A distraught husband and teary-eyed daughter were the only inhabitants he’d seen and their pain seemed real. Would the police use a young, innocent girl like that to trap him?

A brief, possessive anger swept through him.

He calmed, breathing steadily and deep. He couldn’t worry about Cates and her daughter now. It was time to track down Lacey Campbell. He settled back at his computer, cracked a knuckle, and ran a search for property owned by Jack Harper or Harper Developing.

The listing of real estate was insanely long. He scanned the screen. What exactly was he looking for? Did he expect a red flag to jump out? Here she is! She’s staying here! He made a grunt of disgust and forced himself to read slowly.

Jack Harper owned three private residences in three different counties in Oregon. Even one in Mount Junction. The man raised his brows. What a coincidence.

He didn’t have the time to visit them all. Chances were slim Lacey was at one anyway. He was grasping at straws. Frustration boiled in his gut. He shot out of his chair and stomped into his kitchen. He grabbed a Diet Coke from the fridge and slammed the door shut. Where in the hell should he look for Harper?

Maybe Harper would look for him.

The plastic bottle hovered an inch from his lips as his brain grabbed the thought and held tight.

Make Harper look for him.

He didn’t move, afraid the idea would slip away if he shifted a single muscle. What would make Harper hunt for him? His mind kicked into overdrive. He could think of several possibilities.

Fuck, yes! He took a deep drink and enjoyed the sensation of the carbonation on his throat. He dabbed at his mouth with a napkin.

He was back in control.

Jack leaned one shoulder against the big fireplace and smiled, watching Lacey in his kitchen as she poured hot water into the mugs of chocolate mix. He’d stood like this before. In her kitchen a few nights ago. Then she’d been petrified and nervous. Now she had a warm smile as she looked up at him and stirred the chocolate. He stepped around behind her, slid his arms around her stomach, and tugged her back to him.

She’d relaxed as they entered the cabin. All the tension during the drive up had melted away after he’d kissed her. He wasn’t getting the uncertain vibes that’d hung about her for several days. She had come to some sort of decision about him.

He hoped it was the same one he’d made days ago.

“That smells great.” He wasn’t talking about the chocolate.

Lacey lifted a mug and took a sniff. “I know. I can’t be in this cabin during a snowfall without some hot chocolate. It puts me in the right mood.”

“Good.” He nuzzled her hair and felt her relax into him. The sun had set and he watched large snowflakes blow against the kitchen windows. The smell of the fire was drifting through the big room. He flipped off a switch in the kitchen and the cabin fell into a lovely warm light from the flames. She shivered.