“And I want you to be completely focused on getting Sadie back, but I will tell you it didn’t feel like a mistake to me. It felt wonderful, and now I’ll go pack up my things.”
When she left the room, Evan drew in a deep breath. Yes, it had been wonderful to have her in his arms again, but he wasn’t here to explore a relationship with her. He had a job to do.
Thirty minutes later they were in the rental car and heading to Annalise’s home. The ride was silent other than her giving him directions. He was grateful for the silence and he used it to recenter himself.
Annalise’s rental ranch house was located in a quiet neighborhood with lots of mature trees. The first thing he did when they arrived was a quick walk around the house to orient himself to his new surroundings. Then she guided him into a pleasant living room decorated in browns and golds.
“You can use this bedroom,” she said as she showed him to one of the guest rooms.
He scarcely noticed the bedroom, instead intent on getting his work area ready. The dining room table was large, and on a desk nearby was her computer with a large monitor. He set up his computer on the table and immediately checked in with Davis, Nick and Daniel back at the hotel.
While he was talking to his men, Annalise powered up her computer at the desk. He checked his watch, shocked to realize it was only a little after two in the afternoon.
He definitely wanted to have Sadie back before nightfall and right now he racked his brain to see what else he could do to make that happen.
HENDRICK AWOKE WITH a start. He sat up, raised a hand, raced it through his hair and tried to shrug off the last of his sleep.
When Director Pembrook had insisted he needed to get some rest, he’d finally gone to a break room where there were several cots for the agents to use. He’d fallen asleep almost as soon as his head had touched the pillow.
He checked his watch, thankful that he’d only been out for about two hours. What was going on with the case? What had he missed while he’d slept? He hoped it was all over, that Sadie had been found and Jacob and his creepy wife were behind bars.
He got up and headed to the locker room for a quick shower. Once the shower was done, he changed into a clean pair of jeans and a T-shirt from his locker.
Immediately after that he headed to the nearest coffee machine. He filled up a disposable cup with the dark brew and then hurried to the tech office where Agent Curt Corkland was seated in front of the computers.
“Hey, man, anything happening?” he asked.
“You weren’t down for very long,” Curt said. “I didn’t expect you back so soon.”
“I feel pretty refreshed. I’ve never required too much sleep. So, tell me what’s going on?”
“I’ve just been working on gathering the backgrounds on some of the school faculty members. So far nothing is bringing up any red flags. There are still a few to check out.”
Hendrick frowned. “Evan seems certain that Jacob and Gretchen had inside information when they entered the school, and the van belonging to the school seems to confirm that. I just want to catch that rat.”
“Well, there are a few more people I haven’t gotten to yet. Maybe you’ll find your rat among them,” Curt said.
“Heard anything from Evan?”
Curt shook his head. “No, nothing from anyone.”
Hendrick took a drink of his coffee and motioned Curt up and out of the seat. “I’m good now. Thanks for manning the post.”
“No prob,” Curt replied. He showed him the list of faculty and staff that he’d managed to get through so far, and then he left the room.
Hendrick settled in his chair and began the background search on the next person on the list. He’d been dividing the background checks, not only checking out the staff at the school, but also the members from the Brotherhood of Jacob. He was trying to discover if any of them had any property anywhere, any place where Jacob and Gretchen might be able to go into hiding.
He clicked over to the page where Annalise hoped Sadie would make contact. So far...nothing. He took another drink of his coffee and fought against a level of frustration he’d rarely felt since leaving the cult behind.
Before going down for his brief rest, he’d also been in touch with the men at the compound who were sending him the tag numbers of the cars coming and going. Hendrick had been pulling up DMV records to identify the owners.
His biggest fear was that the vehicle Jacob was now using was one that had left the compound before the police presence there had been established. It was also possible somebody connected to the school had provided Jacob with another ride. Who in the hell was the insider who had helped organize the evil that had taken place at the school?
Another night would soon approach, and the more time that passed the less the odds were of finding Sadie alive. God, he wanted to help rescue this kid. He needed her to be okay.
Despite the fact he knew it wasn’t true, he felt somehow if they didn’t manage to save little Sadie, then it would mean he’d never really escaped the bonds of the cult that had nearly destroyed him.
Chapter Nine
It felt odd being in her house, among her things. She made them sandwiches, and then they settled side by side at the table to eat.
After two years with Annalise, Evan knew what was important to her and what was not. Almost three years had passed since they’d been in each other’s lives, but he didn’t really want to know anything more about her than
