Page 6 of Christmas Homecoming Secrets

Before he had a chance to decide what he should do, Heather returned to the kitchen. “The BOLO is out and my brain is so scrambled, I can’t for the life of me think what we should do next. How’s that for being a detective for you? I’ll never judge family members of a missing person ever again.”

“You should stay here,” Jade said, “in case Frank shows up. Bryce and I will call you if we find him. And you call us if you hear from him.”

“Just sit here and worry?” Heather scoffed. “Not happening.”

“Come on, Heather, you know you need to stay. Just in case he shows up.”

“He’s not going to show up here, I don’t think. He’d go home.”

“Well, you can’t go there. If he’s truly missing, his house will be treated like a crime scene.

Bryce and I were careful, but even our searching may have disturbed something.

Don’t add to it.” She knew she sounded bossy, but she also knew Heather might be tempted to throw caution to the wind in her desperation to find Frank.

Heather pursed her lips and looked like she wanted to argue, but finally nodded. “If I decide to go over there, I won’t go inside. I may just sit and watch the house.”

Jade nodded. “If you feel like you have to be there, then yeah…okay. I don’t think we’re going to be doing much of anything else tonight.”

Heather hesitated, then gave a groan and a nod. “Fine. But please stay in touch.”

“Absolutely.”

“Okay, so, tomorrow…we need to what?” Heather gave a short laugh. “See? I told you I couldn’t think.”

“We need to find out where he was last seen.”

Heather rubbed her forehead. “No one seemed to be able to tell us that,” she muttered.

“I talked to him on the phone around ten o’clock this morning,” Bryce said. He glanced at the clock. “Or, rather, yesterday morning. So we just need to find anyone who saw him after that.”

“Heather,” Jade said, “why would Frank have Tony Swift’s name written down? Was he meeting with him for something?”

“At the shooting range?” Heather shook her head. “I don’t know. He didn’t say anything to me if he was. He could have just been practicing.”

“True.” Jade looked at her watch. “All right. I need to grab a couple of hours of sleep before we get started looking for him again—assuming he doesn’t show up in the next little bit.”

Heather nodded. “I won’t be able to sleep, but I can make a list of more people and places to check with.”

“Do you want me to stay here?” Jade asked. “I can crash on your couch.”

“No. It’s not that comfortable. We’re getting a new one, but not until after the wedding. Just go home. You have to help your mom in the morning with the kids anyway, don’t you?”

“Kids?” Bryce asked. “Are your parents still taking in foster children?”

Her face blanked for an instant. Then she nodded. “They are.” She rubbed her eyes, then narrowed them at her friend. “Are you sure you’re going to be all right?”

“Yes. Go and help your mom. I think we should get some sleep if we can. None of us will be any good if we’re so tired we get sloppy and miss something. Besides, there’s probably some logical explanation for where he is. Missing sleep isn’t going to help finding out what that is.”

She had a point, but Bryce was itching to keep looking.

The only lead they had was the shooting range.

He glanced at his watch. Three o’clock in the morning.

It had been seventeen hours since he’d talked to Frank, and he needed to know his friend was okay.

Even if he went back to his sister’s and tried to sleep, he knew he’d be tossing and turning.

He kept his mouth shut until they were back in her vehicle, but once he clipped his seat belt, he said, “I want to go find Tony Swift, ASAP.”

She gave a slow nod. “I was thinking the same thing. Let me see if I can call him and give him a heads up. No need to wake the whole family.” Using the laptop mounted on the dash to her right, she pulled up Tony’s license and noted the address. Next, she dialed his number.

“Hello?”

The groggy Southern voice came through the squad car’s Bluetooth. “Tony, this is Detective Jade Hollis with the Cedar Canyon PD. I’m so sorry to be calling this late, but we’re looking for Frank Shipman. Can you tell us the last time you saw him?”

Click.

She frowned and lifted a brow. “Well, okay, then.”

“Call him back.”

She did and it went straight to a busy signal. She tried his cell phone and got voice mail. Bryce locked his gaze on hers. “I don’t like the implications of that.”

“I don’t, either. I think we should head over to his house.” She cranked the car and backed out of Heather’s drive.

“You think Frank’s alive?” Bryce asked softly.

“I don’t know, Bryce. You saw what I saw.”

“Two bullet holes and all that blood doesn’t give me much hope.”

“It might not have been him wearing it,” she said. “That’s what I’m holding on to—and feeling guilty for doing so. I don’t want Frank to be hurt or dead, but I don’t want anyone else to be, either.”

“And yet, it’s highly likely someone is.”

“Yeah. Someone is.”

But who?

* * *

Jade slipped her weapon into her holster and rubbed her bleary eyes. Last night she and Bryce had found Tony Swift’s wife home alone. “I don’t know where he went,” she’d said. “Just bolted out of here like his tail was on fire. Didn’t even take his cell phone.”

So now, Jade planned to show up at the range and hope he had the good sense to be there.

As much as he loved his business, he wouldn’t just leave the place unopened.

She hoped. She’d already talked to her supervisor and he’d given her his approval for her plan for the day—after making sure she didn’t need to take the day off.

As if she could. Heather had texted that Frank hadn’t shown up and she still couldn’t get him to answer his phone.

Little arms wrapped around her legs and her heart lifted. She turned and scooped her five-year-old daughter into a gentle hug, and she breathed in her sweet scent. “Good morning, little bear.”

“Morning,” Mia said. “I want eggs and bacon.”

“I think that can be arranged since that’s what I smell cooking all the way over here.”

Mia sniffed. “I don’t smell it.” She smacked her lips. “But I can almost taste it. And pancakes.”

“Wonderful.”

“And I want to decorate for Christmas. When can we do that?”

Jade smothered a small groan. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to decorate. It was just the energy decorating required. Energy she was lacking right now thanks to a still twinging head. It wasn’t pounding, but it didn’t feel great, either. “We need to do that, don’t we?”

“So, when?”

“How about tonight?”

“We can go tree shopping?” Mia asked, her eyes widening, her joy practically tangible.

“Well, as long as you bundle up really good.”

Mia frowned and wrinkled her nose. “Oh, right. It’s very cold outside, isn’t it?”

Her daughter had no use for cold weather.

“Well, yes,” Jade said, “it is. What about if I just come home with the tree and you and the twins can help decorate. Is that okay?” Her heart ached for Jessica and Gage, the ten-year-old twins who’d been removed from their home and placed with her parents a little over four months ago due to neglect.

Mia nodded. “It’s okay with me. I don’t really care about getting the tree, I just want to make it pretty. I’ll ask Gage and Jessica. If they want to go, you can take them. Can we string popcorn?”

“If you can manage not to eat it all.” She tickled the little girl’s ribs, and Mia’s giggles soothed her worried heart. “Are Jessica and Gage ready to eat?”

“They’re always ready to eat.”

That was true. Jade gave thanks that they were good-natured children in spite of everything they’d been through and had adjusted well to the routine of the home—managing to steal all of their hearts in the process.

Last week she’d learned the twins’ parents had finally released them for adoption. Her parents had talked to Jade about plans to adopt them, and Jade thought it was a fabulous idea. She just hoped the twins did, too. They were happy here and made no secret of that.

Of course, the fact that there were horses on the property didn’t hurt.

Jessica had already attached herself to Belle, one of the horses her parents used to teach the kids to ride.

“Tell Lolly, I’ll be there in just a few minutes.

” Jade’s mother was named Adelaide. When Mia started talking, all the child could manage to wrap her tongue around was Lolly. Her mom had been fine with that.

“Okay.” Mia ran down the hallway toward the stairs, her long, dark hair flying around her head.

She’d go down the steps and out the bottom door that led to an enclosed walkway.

At the end of that was her parents’ kitchen.

Her father had closed in the area about six months ago so Mia could travel between the houses without having to go outside—and ease Jade’s mind about keeping a constant eye on her when she wanted to see her grandparents. “All by myself. I can do it, Mommy.”

Her little girl was growing up.

Jade’s throat tightened as she thought about telling Bryce he had a child.

It was obvious he had no clue about Mia.

Which was the way she’d originally wanted it.

But then she’d felt so guilty about keeping that secret, she’d done her best to get in touch with him.

Her only source had been Frank. She’d asked him to let Bryce know she really needed him to call her.

Frank had said he’d told him. Obviously, Bryce hadn’t deemed it important to do so .

Which really hurt. And made her mad. Maybe she should just ask him and give him a chance to explain before giving up on him. Maybe.

But first things first.

She’d wolf down the food, then head over to the shooting range and hope Tony had come to his senses. If not, she was going to have to sit down with her chief and other investigators and figure out a plan of action.

For now, she’d have breakfast with Mia, Jessica and Gage. She made her way to the kitchen and found everyone gathered around the table.

“Jessica and Gage said you could get the tree and bring it home. They don’t want to get cold, either.”

Jade smiled. “All right. Sounds like a plan.”

“Glad you could join us this morning,” her mother said.

“There’s no way I’d miss this spread.” Eggs, bacon, sausage, grits and biscuits.

Her mother’s heritage might be Korean, but she cooked straight Southern when she was in the mood.

“Unfortunately, I’m going to have to rush through it, though.

” She took Mia’s small hand in her right and Jessica’s in her left.

“I’ll bless it.” She said a short prayer and, after a round of amens, looked back to her mother. “Where’s Dad?”

“He’s already eaten. He had to go move the horses to the south pasture so they could start clearing the land for the new barn.”

In addition to raising foster children, her parents boarded and raised thoroughbred horses. Each week seemed to bring one or two new clients. A good problem to have, but a lot of work as well. “I’m sorry I can’t help him.”

“He’s got help. Eat your food, then go do that job you’re so good at.” She paused. “I thought today was your day off.”

“It is. Was. I’ve got some things I need to take care of that won’t wait.

But I’m hoping it will be a short day.” Somehow she doubted it.

Not with Frank still missing. But she could hope—and she had to bring a Christmas tree home.

She winked and turned to the children. “Eat up, little people. The bus will be here in thirty minutes. And don’t forget, we’re pulling out Christmas decorations.

You can start when you get home from school.

It’s the last day before break and you don’t want to miss all the candy that will be passed around. And cake at the party.”

“And Christmas games,” Jessica said with a shy smile.

“Sounds like a perfect day to me.” Jade brushed the bangs from the girl’s eyes and tapped her nose. “It’s going to be fun.”

The children cheered, and Jade’s mother grinned at the happiness at her table.

Jade hadn’t told her parents about Frank. It had been so late when she’d finally slipped into bed that she hadn’t had a chance. And no time this morning. Not in front of the kids. They adored Frank—especially Mia.

“Lolly?” Jessica’s hesitant voice caught Jade’s attention as well as her mother’s.

“What is it, darling?” Her mom paused to give the child her full attention.

“Are we going to be here for Christmas?”

“Well, now, that’s a really good question.” She sighed. “I wish I could say a one hundred percent yes, but you know how this system works as well—or better—than I do.”

“Oh.” Jessica looked back at her plate, her shoulders slumping.

“But we sure hope you will be,” Mia said.

“Me too,” Jessica mumbled around a mouthful of bacon.

Gage’s bright gaze bounced from one person to the next. “I’m staying here. I don’t care what anyone else says.”

“We’ll see,” Jade said. “Just know that we all want you here more than anything.”

“Absolutely.” Her mother gave a firm nod.

“Thanks,” he whispered.

Jade’s heart stuttered with love for the little boy and his sister.

She caught her mother’s eye and saw a sheen of tears hovering there just before she looked away.

Bless her. Such a tenderhearted woman. All she wanted was to make the world right for kids who didn’t know what it was like to have that happen.

And so did Jade. “I’m going to stop by my office first, then pay a visit to someone I need to question about a case. ”

Fifteen minutes later, with her mind on Frank and Bryce and trying to keep all of her emotions under control, Jade kissed her mother and daughter goodbye, gave hugs to Jessica and Gage, and took off for the station, praying she could dig up something that would tell her where Frank was.