Hannah's fingers tightened around his. Like him, she didn't care for where this story was going.
"What else?" she asked tightly.
"The landlord said Kelly had a boyfriend—Russ Miller. He worked as the night manager at the Bentley Hotel. I called the hotel to speak to him, but he disappeared three weeks ago, and no one has seen or heard from him since."
"The same time as Kelly," he muttered, as Adam's gaze swung to his.
"Yes," Adam confirmed. "Kelly withdrew $300 from an ATM two days after she was last seen at her apartment. Russ Miller did the same one day later. Neither one has used a credit card since then or accessed their bank accounts. Mr. Miller has not been in contact with his employer."
"What about the credit card in the name of Kim Slater?" Hannah asked. "The one she used to book our cabin."
"I contacted Kim Slater. She is one of Kelly's friends from her time in Florida," Adam replied. "She hasn't seen Kelly in over a year. She said Kelly might have been able to access her credit card number from the computer she gave her, but she has the actual card in her purse, and she hasn't paid much attention to it because she just had a baby a few months ago. She did say that Kelly had called a few months ago and mentioned that she was having trouble with a guy."
"What kind of trouble?" Hannah asked.
"She said there was a man who was harassing her, but she was handling it. When Kim tried to press her, she just told her to forget she'd said anything."
"If the boyfriend was harassing Kelly, maybe he's the reason she's on the run," Jake interjected.
"And why she left Brett with me," Hannah said, turning her head to meet his gaze. "She wanted to put her son somewhere safe. But I still don't know why she didn't go to the police or warned me against doing so." She looked back at Adam. "This Russ Miller doesn't have any ties to the police department, does he?"
"No. It's still early in the investigation, but from the surface read I did on Mr. Miller, I don't see any link between him and the police. He also has no history of domestic violence or legal problems. I haven't been able to talk to his coworkers yet, but I will be following up with them as well as his neighbors."
"Maybe Kelly's boyfriend has a relative or a friend that's a cop, someone that he's using to hold over Kelly's head," Hannah suggested.
Adam shrugged. "Possibly."
"If Kelly left Colorado Springs three weeks ago," Hannah continued, "and she showed up at our family cabin yesterday, where has she been in between?"
"She was in Denver two days ago," Adam said. "That's where she rented the car—with Kim Slater's credit card. We've sent out an alert on the license plate."
"That's good. Do you think Brett is in danger?" Hannah's gaze moved back toward the carnival.
"I don't know," Adam said. "But my gut tells me that your sister is the one in trouble, and we need to find her as soon as possible."
Jake's stomach twisted at the somber tone in Adam's voice. And he could feel Hannah's tension as her fingers curled around his once more. She probably didn't even realize she was holding his hand. But he liked the fact that her instinct was to rely on him, to trust him to be there for her.
"What can I do?" Hannah asked.
"What you're doing," Adam said. "You're taking care of Brett."
"I will do that, but I also want to do more."
"Everything that needs to be done is being done," Adam assured her. "And I'm sorry, Hannah, but this investigation is now on the books. I need the resources of the department and the manpower. I've read Brodie in, and he'll be my right-hand guy on this. There's nothing we want to do more than bring your sister home for Christmas."
"I would really like that, too," she said, her voice thick with emotion. "Thanks for getting on this so fast, Adam, and working on the weekend."
"No problem. I'll let you know as soon as I hear anything else. And if you hear from Kelly…"
"I will get in touch with you immediately," she promised.
Adam smiled and tipped his head. "Exactly the answer I was looking for. Take it easy."
As Adam walked away, Hannah let out a breath and then suddenly started. She let go of his hand with an awkward look, as if she'd just realized she'd been holding hands with him.
Clearing her throat, she said, "What do you think, Jake? I don't know what to make of everything Adam just told me. My head is spinning. My sister's life sounds complicated and sad and worrisome. She lost Brett's father. She's moved a couple of times. Now she's apparently on the run, maybe from her boyfriend. And she stole someone's credit card number. What kind of person is Kelly? Who has she turned into?"
"She sounds desperate to me, Hannah. And if she stole the credit card to get out of a bad situation and protect her kid…"
"I know I shouldn't judge her without knowing all the facts, but what I know so far is disturbing. It's also frustrating to have to just wait."
"I completely understand. But you are doing everything you can to help your sister."
Hannah frowned, doubt in her eyes. "I feel like I should be looking for her."
"The police can do that far better than you. And you're doing the most important thing for Kelly. You're taking care of her
