Page 25 of Snowbound Threat

Her phone buzzed under her leg. “Maybe I should just leave you to it.”

She didn’t want to be all dramatic thinking that the trust they had between them for her whole life was gone now. Sheshould just be glad he was alive, and they could rebuild their relationship.

Caleb’s text popped up on the screen.

I’m good. Hope your father is okay.

How was that helpful? She wanted to know where he was, but maybe he didn’t want to tell her over text. Tessa didn’t know how to do any of this clandestine line federal agent stuff.

She shifted to the edge of the seat just as there was a knock on the door.

“Get that, will you?”

She rolled her eyes and went to open the door. “Sheriff. And…”

Sheriff Cartwright motioned to the man beside him, dressed in a dull gray suit with bright white hair and a pale face. “This is FBI Special Agent Timothy Danvers. We’d like to talk to your father.”

The Special Agent had pink cheeks and inset eyes. But she really shouldn’t judge a guy by his looks, because maybe he was an excellent FBI agent.

“Dad?”

“They can come in.”

She held the door open, and the two men stood on one side of the bed. She closed the door and retook her seat. No way she was leaving now when they were going to ask her father questions, and Tessa wanted to be around to hear all the answers.

The sheriff looked at her father. “Preacher, are you feeling up for answering some questions?”

“Better to get it done, I figure.”

Her father could sound like a country boy whenever he wanted. And yet, he could also hold down the conversation ina fancy restaurant with a high-powered business leader or local government leader.

She admired his ability to be all things to all people. But right now it seemed like he was falling back on something as a façade. Drawing a line of distinction between him and these two law men. She couldn’t help wondering if it was so that he could protect the secrets he needed to keep.

“Great.” Sheriff Cartwright pulled out a notebook and pencil. “Special Agent Danvers has some things he’d like to ask you about the men who took you. But maybe you could start with what happened.”

Tessa pulled out her phone, trying to look disinterested. Why she got the idea, she wasn’t entirely sure. But she quickly navigated to the voice recorder app and started the recording so that she could capture everything they said.

Her father shifted on the bed. “I was driving home from town, taking the long way so that I could pray over some things and spend some time listening to worship music. I saw a couple of guys on ATVs on the side of the road. They waved me down and got me to pull over, so I figured they needed some help. But as soon as I stopped, they dragged me out of my car.”

Sheriff Cartwright said, “Any idea what they wanted?”

“Seemed like they wanted to kidnap me.” Her father’s voice had a tone to it, but she didn’t think anyone else would’ve noticed. Tessa only did because of how much time they’d spent together.

She would’ve said just days ago that she knew everything about her father. But right now it seemed more like the man in the hospital bed was a stranger.

“I fought back and managed to shove one of them into the other. So I ran into the woods as fast as I could.”

Special Agent Danvers said, “It was three against one. Care to tell me how you managed to fight them off?”

Her dad said, “Once a Marine, always a Marine. It’s been a long time, but some instincts are hard to forget.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, they caught up with me pretty quickly. They didn’t shoot me, so I knew they didn’t want me dead. They were trying to capture me alive, so I made it as hard for them as possible and got a concussion for my trouble.”

Tessa frowned. He was making it sound like something of this nature wasn’t completely foreign to him.

Her dad said, “They took me to this hunting cabin and I was able to…” He cleared his throat. “I used what I could and fought them again. I managed to call Tessa and she picked me up.”

Nothing about the envelope.

Nothing about Caleb.