Shadow Of Suspicion

FRAMED

First, computer specialist Laney Ryan’s accused of kidnapping her neighbor’s daughter—and now someone’s trying to kill her. The police don’t believe Laney’s story...except for Detective Mark James, whose instincts say Laney isn’t guilty. Together, Mark and Laney must figure out who really abducted the teen and uncover why they’re framing Laney. But when their search for the truth turns deadly, Mark realizes his feelings for Laney aren’t strictly professional and that he’ll stop at nothing to keep her safe. With a dangerous suspect swiftly closing in, can they find the missing girl and clear Laney’s name...before their possible future together is fatally cut short?

Another gunshot rang out.

More glass shattered. The tension in her chest tightened as anxiety gripped her.

“Stay here,” Detective James said.

Laney didn’t have time to argue. He pushed away from her, his gun drawn, and approached the door.

Please don’t let him get killed, she silently prayed, her palms pressed into the cool tile floor of her entryway. Shards of glass lay around her, a reminder of the gravity of the situation. Would they make it out of this alive?

The detective had been a thorn in her side, to say the least. He’d put her through the ringer at the station. Then again, she supposed he was just doing his job. But still, she didn’t want to see him hurt. Especially not after he’d shown a halfway-human side of himself in the car.

“Sol, put the gun down!” Detective James yelled.

Laney sucked in a quick breath. Sol? Sol was shooting at her? Had the man lost his mind? Was this what grief did to a person?

Laney knew the answer to that question: yes.

Dear Reader,

I’ve always loved spy stories. I think because they’re so out of the realm of my ordinary life that they seem a bit like a thrilling roller-coaster ride—full of high-stakes adventure yet safe. The more dangerous, the better. Bring on the excitement—as long as I can stay safe in my little suburban house!

I’ve gone through the Citizens FBI Academy, as well as my local Citizen’s Police Academy. People have asked me if I’d ever want to go into law enforcement. My answer is always a quick no—I’d be terrible doing those jobs!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know Laney and Mark. Their stories certainly intrigued me and kept me guessing as I wrote. Laney was falsely accused and was desperate to both clear her name and to rescue her neighbor.

Have you ever been falsely accused? Maybe your situation isn’t anything like Laney’s, but it’s not fun when people make assumptions about you. I’m comforted by the fact that God loves me and sees me as I am.

I’d like to give a special thank-you to those who serve our country. From police officers to firefighters, to the military and even the CIA—you’re doing a job I could never do. For that, I tip my hat.

Many blessings,

CHRISTY BARRITT’s books have won a Daphne du Maurier Award for Excellence in Suspense and Mystery and have been twice nominated for the RT Reviewers’ Choice Best Book Award. She’s married to her Prince Charming, a man who thinks she’s hilarious—but only when she’s not trying to be. Christy’s a self-proclaimed klutz, an avid music lover and a road trip aficionado. For more information, visit her website at christybarritt.com.

Shadow of Suspicion

Christy Barritt

www.millsandboon.co.uk

And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

—Micah 6:8

This book is dedicated to those who put their lives on the line in order to protect others: police, firefighters, military and countless others. Thank you.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Dear Reader

About the Author

Title Page

Bible Verse

Dedication

ONE

TWO

THREE

FOUR

FIVE

SIX

SEVEN

EIGHT

NINE

TEN

ELEVEN

TWELVE

THIRTEEN

FOURTEEN

FIFTEEN

SIXTEEN

SEVENTEEN

EIGHTEEN

NINETEEN

TWENTY

EPILOGUE

Extract

Copyright

ONE

Laney Ryan paused, her fingers poised over her keyboard midstroke. A noise outside her suburban home caused her spine to clinch and a moment of fear to seize her thoughts.

She was being silly. The sound was probably her neighbor across the street returning home. Or maybe a deliveryman was dropping off a package. It was nothing to be concerned over.

Her instincts blazed, and she was unable to believe either of those scenarios. Something was going on outside her house—something she needed to prepare for.

Quickly, she turned off her computer and stashed it in the locked drawer hidden beneath her desk. Wasting no time, she stood. She had to get to her bedroom to grab her gun.

She’d only taken one step in that direction when her front door burst open.

A flash bang exploded in her entryway, and smoke filled the house. Feet stampeded across her floor as an unseen army invaded her space. As enemies breached her territory. As danger closed in.

She ducked by the dining room table and stifled a scream, unwilling to give away her presence even though panic rushed through her. She grabbed the edge of a chair, unable to see. Smoke blocked her vision, filled her lungs, burned her eyes.

What was going on? Had someone discovered what she did for a living? Would they try to make her talk using whatever means necessary?

Fear trembled through her bones. She’d known this day might come, but she’d hoped it wouldn’t. Prayed it wouldn’t.

More smoke stung her eyes. A cough caught in her throat, and she tried to hold it back. Shouts sounded around her.

How many of them were there? How many men had infiltrated her home? How long would it be before the smoke cleared and they found her?

Her house—her haven—suddenly felt like a war zone. She swallowed hard, trying to remember all the training that had been drilled into her in case she was ever captured and interrogated. Silence was of the essence. She knew secrets that could bring this country down. And in the wrong hands... She shuddered to think about what would happen.

A man in SWAT uniform appeared in front of her, his gun raised. “Laney Ryan, you’re under arrest.”

“For what?” she demanded.

Another cop pulled her to her feet and jerked her arms behind her with enough force to snap her bones as he pressed handcuffs around her wrists. Her body instantly ached.

“You’re the prime suspect in the disappearance of Sarah Novak.”

Her heart plunged. Sarah? What had happened to her sweet neighbor? The girl was only fifteen, and Laney thought the world of her.

“What’s wrong with Sarah? What happened?” Her voice trembled as she braced herself for whatever news was about to come.

No one answered her. The cop behind her shoved her toward the front door as more officers invaded her home, searching every nook and cranny. Probably looking for evidence of what had happened. But why there? Why her?

Each step felt surreal, like something that happened on a TV show, but not in her real life. Panic threatened to engulf her as reality set in. She was being arrested. She had to stop this before it had a domino effect on her future.

“You’ve got this all wrong. I would never hurt Sarah,” she rushed to tell them.

The cop behind her didn’t seem to hear anything. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will...”

The words faded as a haze came over her. Laney had just seen Sarah that morning. She and her father, Sol, had stopped by and asked for help hemming a skirt for a school event that weekend.

Sarah was only fifteen. She had so much of life ahead of her. What if she was hurt? Or worse? The thought caused Laney’s heart to lurch.

Please, Father, let her be okay. Watch over her. Protect her.

A shock of cold air hit her as the cop shoved her onto the front porch. The stay-at-home mom across the street stood in her front yard, gripping her toddler’s hand as she watched everything unfold with a look of horror on her face.

That wasn’t even Laney’s biggest concern at the moment. She couldn’t care less about what her neighbors thought. Her biggest concern was Sarah.

Shouting sounded in the distance. Laney pulled her gaze toward the noise. What now?

Sol, she realized.

He stood on the edge of her lawn, between her house and his. His face was red with anger, and a female cop restrained him from lunging at Laney. His body language clearly screamed that he was in attack mode.

“Where’s my daughter? What did you do with her?” the slight man shouted. He looked ready to spring. “You’re a monster!”

Laney’s heart plunged. How could Sol think she had anything to do with this? She loved Sarah as if she were her own daughter. She would never, ever do anything to put her in jeopardy.

She opened her mouth. She wanted to say something. To convince Sol of her innocence. To explain that she had no idea where Sarah was.

But no words would leave her throat.

Poor Sarah.

Had she seemed okay that morning? No. Now that she thought about it, Sarah had seemed melancholy when she was at her house.

She’d whispered to Laney before she left, “Can we talk sometime?”

Laney had smiled and told her, “Of course.” She figured it was the typical teenage problems: boys, college, grades, pimples even.

Would things be different right now if Laney had taken the time to listen to her then? But she hadn’t been able to. Sarah had to go to school, Sol had been there, and Laney had to start working. She knew the dilemma would haunt her, though. The what-ifs were the worst.

She’d experienced them many times before. She’d lost sleep over questions like that. Nearly lost her mind, for that matter.

The officer shoved her into the back of a brown police sedan and slammed the door. At least the inside of the vehicle was warm, a stark contrast to the brittle winter day outside. The scent of evergreen filled the air, strangely comforting. But only for a moment.

The man in the front seat turned toward her, his eyes perceptive and hard—yet disturbingly beautiful with their crystal coloring. He was broad and imposing with light brown hair, a square jawline and a five-o’clock shadow.

“Ms. Ryan,” he started. “My name is Detective Mark James. We need you to answer a few questions.”

“Of course.”

“What did you do with Sarah Novak?” His voice sounded all business, like he wasn’t the kind of person to be messed with or questioned or who you wanted on your bad side.

“Nothing. I have no idea where Sarah is,” she told him, sagging into the seat.

Laney needed to contact her boss, Nicholas Mclean. He would be able to explain who Laney was, why she was trustworthy and incapable of this. Her job with the CIA was classified, and they even used a different company name as a front.

“Don’t play games, Ms. Ryan. We have a witness that proves you were the last person to be seen with Sarah. There’s no need to draw this out. You’ll only make this harder on yourself.”

What was he talking about? That couldn’t be true. Plenty of people would have seen Sarah since then. First at the bus stop. Then at school. “I’m telling you—I would never do anything to hurt Sarah. I think of her like a daughter.”

He raised his chin, his gaze still assessing. “Like the daughter you always wanted? How far were you willing to take that?”

Her mouth dropped open at his implications. “What are you saying? That because I’m childless I would kidnap someone else’s daughter and stow her away somewhere?”

“Yes, that’s precisely what I’m saying.” Those beautiful crystal eyes now looked steely blue.

She shook her head with every ounce of her strength. She had to get through to him and convince him of her innocence. “You’re dead wrong. I would never do that. Never. I don’t know where all of this came from, but the last time I saw Sarah, she was with her father and she was about to head to the bus stop.”

“A witness places her back at your house at 11:30 this morning.”

Her jaw dropped. “11:30? That’s ridiculous. I wasn’t even home at 11:30. I was walking around the neighborhood, getting in my exercise, just like I always do.”

“Can anyone prove that?”

She let out an audible sigh, realizing the futility of her argument. “A couple of drivers passed me, but no one I know. I walk almost every day at the same time. It’s part of my routine.” A routine that anyone observant enough would have noticed.

Laney should have been more careful. But she’d always been a creature of routine. Routines brought her comfort, something she immensely needed in her life since the murder of her husband three years ago.

“So, no? You have no one to corroborate that?”

She nibbled on her bottom lip, the first touch of despair creeping into her psyche. This was bad. Really bad. But once the police dug deeper, certainly they would see her innocence. They’d know whoever placed Sarah at her house at eleven thirty was wrong.

“No, there’s no one I know of who can verify that,” she finally said. “I live alone. I’m a bit of a loner.”

Why couldn’t she have run into someone today of all days? Normally she’d at least catch a glimpse of a neighbor as she was out. But not today. It had been cold and overcast out, the kind of weather that kept people inside. Up until six months ago, it would have kept Laney inside also. She’d used any excuse possible. She’d been so proud of herself for stepping outside of her comfort zone, for taking baby steps toward a more normal routine and out of the isolation that had consumed her.

“Mr. Novak said you’d been arguing with him about his daughter lately.”

Laney let out a little gasp. How in the world had that come up? And did the police really think it was relevant? Obviously they did since the detective had mentioned it. They thought it gave her motive.

“I just hated to see her so unhappy,” Laney started, the car suddenly feeling hot and stuffy. “It wasn’t my place to speak up about how Sol was raising her. I admit that. I even apologized to Sol for interfering. Sarah just looked like she needed someone to talk to.”

The detective shifted, his eyes perceptive and keen as he watched her every reaction. “What didn’t you agree with?”

Laney had done nothing wrong, she reminded herself. She just had to speak the truth and trust that honesty would win over the accusations against her. “Her father was so hard on her, and she’s such a good girl. She was never allowed to do anything. She came home, took care of the house after school and did her schoolwork. Day after day. She had no life. No chance to hang out with friends. Sol took being overprotective to the extreme.”

“I take it he didn’t react well to your reprimand?”

Laney frowned. “Not at all. I apologized for interfering. I usually keep to myself. But I guess my talk did some good because Sol finally decided to let Sarah go to the school social this weekend. I was going to be a chaperone. It was the only way he would say yes. I’d never seen Sarah look so happy.”

“I see.”

Laney rubbed her forehead, feeling a headache coming on. “Look, I have no idea where she went or what’s going on, but I know every minute you spend focusing on me is a minute spent focusing on the wrong person.”

Her words didn’t seem to affect the detective. “I’ll be the judge of that.”

With that, the man exited the sedan, leaving Laney in the backseat feeling like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders.

* * *

Mark James stepped from his police issued sedan and approached the head of the SWAT team, a man who also happened to be his partner. Jim Swanson stood near the porch of the stately brick home as the rest of the SWAT members filed out. A team of detectives now swarmed the inside, looking for any evidence that Laney had taken Sarah. If there was anything there, they would find it.

He mentally reviewed the time line. Sol got a call from school around twelve saying Sarah never showed up, so he’d reached out to a neighbor who said she’d seen Sarah go into Laney’s at eleven thirty. Sol claimed he tried to call Laney from work, but that her line had been busy. In a panic, he’d decided to head home and check things out himself.

While in his car driving home, he’d gotten a ransom call from someone claiming to have abducted Sarah. The kidnapper wanted one-hundred thousand dollars and indicated that Sol should stay tuned for directions. Sarah had been placed on the other line as confirmation that she was alive. Before she was cut off, she’d mentioned a woman and she’d said Laney’s name.

Mark could see Sol standing in his yard. The man’s eyes were glazed, his shoulders hunched and his expression haggard. Two officers surrounded him, making sure he didn’t do anything irrational. They were also monitoring his communications so they would know when Sarah’s abductors contacted him again and hopefully be able to trace the call and find out their location.

“What do you think?” Mark asked.

Jim Swanson shrugged. “She looked shocked when we came into the house. I didn’t see any guilt in her gaze. Only surprise and fear. You?”

Mark looked back at his sedan and remembered the moisture he’d seen running from Laney Ryan’s eyes earlier. He’d been in this line of work for long enough to know not to let tears get to him. They could be deceitful. But, for some reason, seeing this suspect crying clutched his heart.

“The woman across the street placed Sarah here at Ms. Ryan’s house before she disappeared,” Mark said. “They say the girl went inside and never came out.”

Jim shook his head. “Sarah’s not in the house now. If that’s true, where did she go? Where could Laney have taken her?”

“Our guys are checking out the backyard now to see if there’s any evidence of a scuffle back there, right?”

“That’s right. But what about motive? That’s what doesn’t make sense.”

Mark thought about the conversation he’d had with Laney in his sedan. “It’s hard to say, but she didn’t sound very impressed with Sol’s parenting skills. Maybe she was trying to help the girl in some kind of twisted way.”

“We need to bring her in until we can thoroughly investigate,” Jim said.

“I agree. I’m not sure we have enough evidence to keep her in custody, though.”

“We can stall for as long as possible, until something turns up.”

Mark turned back to the sedan and watched Laney for a moment. He hadn’t known what he’d expected, but certainly not the beautiful woman who’d been led out in handcuffs. The petite woman had light brown hair that was cut level with her chin. She was bookish and looked smart. Her green eyes had a hint of firecracker behind them while her voice had sounded soft and kind.

None of those things meant anything, though. The only thing that mattered was finding Sarah Novak. He wouldn’t let another girl disappear forever.

Just like Lauren had.

He’d never gotten over the loss. It was one of the reasons he’d requested to be on the Missing Persons Unit here with the Richmond PD. He didn’t want other people to go through what he had.

Just then, Sol began shouting into his phone from across the yard. His demeanor went from defeated to wired.

“Sarah? Is that you?” he yelled.

Mark rushed toward him. The man put his phone on Speaker, a frantic look on his face—a frantic expression Mark understood all too well. He’d lived it before.

“Dad?” The line was broken and only bits of sentences were getting through. “Help...me.”

“Darling, I want to help. Where are you?”

“Dad...don’t know...” Static filled the line. “But Laney...”

Sol’s face turned red. “Laney what? Laney took you?”

“I’m...” Garbled words filled the silence until she ended with “Please help.”

“Please, honey, can you tell me where you are? Who took you?”

“...Laney,” Sarah said again.

The line went dead.

TWO

An hour later, Laney sat across from the handsome yet cold detective at the police station. Since they’d been in the room, he’d been even-keeled—not friendly, not angry. In fact, he’d been so calm that it was almost unnerving. He had eyes that didn’t easily trust. A gaze that was assessing. Body language that screamed cautious.

She might be trained as a computer programmer, but her entire life she’d practiced reading people. She’d always preferred to stay on the fringe, in the places where she could observe and study others. Her peers had thought she was strange in high school because she’d been so quiet, but she’d always thought that she was being the person God created her to be. She’d rather be different than compromise her authenticity.

Her gaze flickered around the room now. The space reminded her of the detective: stark and neat. There was no table, nothing to use as a barrier to separate herself from the man across from her. There were only two chairs. The setup left her feeling exposed and vulnerable.

Laney was sure they’d planned it that way.

She was the police’s number-one suspect, she realized. They weren’t focusing on anyone else right now—just her.

That was a mistake.

That meant that the real person who’d abducted Sarah was getting farther and farther away. The thought made her gut turn with disgust.

Earlier, when she’d been given a phone call, she’d tried to reach Nicholas, her boss with the CIA. He hadn’t answered—and he always answered. What did that mean?

Panic tickled her gut, her nerves, her thoughts.

At the moment, silence filled the room—probably another method of trying to get Laney to talk. It was working.

“You’re focusing on the wrong person.” Laney had already repeated that several times, but no one seemed to care. How could she get through to them?

“Ms. Ryan, Sarah called. She said your name.” The detective leaned toward her, his gaze like a laser.

Her heart lurched. She knew how it sounded. But she also knew the truth. “She was probably calling out for my help. She trusts me. She knows I’d never hurt her.”

“Which makes it even worse that you would betray her like this.”

“But I didn’t betray her!” Tears rushed to Laney’s eyes, and she pulled her sleeve-covered hands over her face as despair bit deep.

This system seemed so messed up, and she was helpless to do anything about it. She was at the mercy of this detective. Of the justice system.