Proof of Life Read online

  Close. That was way too close.

  Thank You for keeping her safe, Lord.

  The whispered prayer came instantly to his mind, and he couldn’t help but wonder if Shanna was right about having faith. Maybe he could learn something from her.

  “Are you okay?” He managed to find his voice after a long minute. The taillights of the car had already disappeared down the street, and he couldn’t help feeling frustrated that he hadn’t been able to get the tag number.

  No way did he think this was some sort of accident. Not after the way Shanna had been attacked in her home the evening before.

  “Yes.” The sound of her voice was muffled by her face buried against his chest. He ran a reassuring hand down her back, thinking he could hold her like this forever.

  But, of course, Shanna was too strong, too independent to lean against him for long. All too soon, she loosened her grip, lifted her head and took a step back. He reluctantly released her, although he kept a steadying hand on her arm, unable to break all physical contact with her.

  “That guy shouldn’t be allowed to keep his license,” she said grimly, pushing her tangled dark hair away from her face.

  “Shanna, it wasn’t an accident. He headed straight for you,” he said, his tone coming out harsher than he’d intended.

  She glanced up at him in surprise. “Are you sure? Because for a moment I thought he was heading toward Maggie.”

  “Maggie?” Quinn spun around, sweeping the area with his gaze, searching for Anna’s roommate. Then he saw her about ten yards away, sitting next to a grassy embankment beside two orange barrels lying on their sides. Quickly, he headed over. “Maggie? Are you all right?”

  Maggie lifted her head, and the sight of her tear-streaked cheeks hit him hard. He knelt beside her, searching for signs of injury.

  “I’m fine,” she said, brushing her fingertips over her damp cheeks. “Just scared.”

  “I don’t blame you for being scared,” Quinn murmured. “You’re sure you don’t hurt anywhere?”

  “I’m sure. I jumped out of the way,” Maggie admitted. “But I didn’t think he was trying to hit me. From what I saw, he was heading straight for her,” she said, waving a hand at Shanna who’d come over to stand beside him.

  “I’m so glad you weren’t hurt,” Quinn said.

  “Me, too,” Shanna agreed. “Maggie, did you recognize the car at all?”

  “I couldn’t even see the car with the bright headlights blinding me,” she admitted.

  “I know. I think he had the high-beam lights on,” Shanna said. “I couldn’t see what sort of car he was driving, either.”

  “I’m pretty sure it was a dark green Honda Accord,” Quinn said. “But I only caught a glimpse once I realized the idiot driver was trying to hit you.” Replaying the sequence of events in his mind, he couldn’t say for sure which woman was the primary target, since Maggie had been just a short distance from Shanna. It was pure luck that he’d noticed and had time to yank Shanna out of harm’s way.

  He was ashamed to admit he hadn’t even thought of Maggie.

  But no matter what Shanna’s or Maggie’s impressions were, he firmly believed this was the work of Shanna’s stalker. The guy must be following her, since their decision to go to the library had been made on the spur of the moment.

  “But I don’t understand. Why would he try to hit one of us?” Maggie asked.

  “I feel like I should apologize to you, Maggie, because I was probably the real target,” Shanna said. “Some creepy guy has been stalking me.”

  Quinn was surprised at how Shanna took the blame. Obviously, after thinking about it, she logically knew she must be the target. But what about her impression that he’d aimed for Maggie? Unless in the darkness, he’d momentarily mistook Maggie for Shanna?

  “You have a stalker?” Maggie echoed in horror. “That’s awful. So he really was trying to hit you?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Shanna said. “I’m so sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” the young student murmured. And Quinn sensed Maggie was somehow relieved by the news.

  “Maggie, why did Anna run away?” he asked, bringing the conversation back to the events prior to the attempted hit-and-run.

  Maggie’s expression turned guarded. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  Quinn’s patience thinned. “Stop it,” he said with a touch of annoyance. “Be honest. You waved at her, and the minute Anna saw me, she took off running. Tell me what’s going on. Is she afraid to talk to me for some reason?”

  Maggie’s shoulders slumped, and Quinn sensed he finally got through to her when she reluctantly nodded. “Yes. She is afraid to talk to you. She’s afraid you’re going to try to prove she hurt Brady. And frankly, I’m tired of being dragged into Anna’s problems.”

  Quinn couldn’t help the surge of satisfaction. “She never planned on coming to the library tonight, did she?”

  “No, she didn’t,” Maggie admitted. “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s okay,” Shanna said soothingly. “It’s not your fault.”

  Quinn didn’t necessarily agree since Maggie willingly tried to protect her roommate, but he kept quiet, sensing Shanna had a better chance of getting through to Maggie than he did.

  “You don’t have to keep protecting Anna,” Shanna continued. “Loyalty is one thing, but breaking the law is something completely different.”

  “I wasn’t lying about Anna being in the dorm the night of Brady’s party,” she said earnestly. “Anna isn’t perfect, but she wouldn’t murder anyone. Especially not Brady. She loved him.”

  Quinn wasn’t sure he believed that, either. “I heard she got mad at Brady and that she has quite the temper.”

  “She might get mad easily, but I’ve never seen her hit or be violent with anyone, ever,” Maggie protested.

  There was always a first, but he didn’t mention that. For some reason, he couldn’t help feeling Anna held a key to the mystery surrounding Brady’s death. “Tell me the truth, Maggie. Anna was mad at Brady, wasn’t she?”

  “She was mad he’d planned a party on the night of her last performance,” Maggie admitted. “But that’s all. She was annoyed more than anything, certainly not angry enough to hit him in the head.”

  “Are you sure she wasn’t upset with Brady because he was flirting with other girls?” Shanna persisted.

  At first, Maggie shook her head, but then she shrugged. “That might have been part of the issue with the party,” she allowed. “I mean, he knew Anna couldn’t come to the party due to the performance, right? So maybe she did wonder if there was another girl. Anna didn’t confide in me that Brady might be cheating on her, though.”

  Cheating with the infamous Phoebe? Quinn wished he knew for certain. “Okay, thanks for your help,” Quinn said. He stood and held out a hand to help Maggie up. “Now, how about we walk you back to your dorm room?”

  “Sure,” Maggie murmured, taking Quinn’s hand and allowing him to assist her. “But I have to tell you, I doubt you’ll find Anna there.”

  “We just want to make sure you get home safe,” Shanna said quickly.

  They walked across campus, heading for Dorchester Hall, where Maggie and Anna lived. Once inside, they took the elevator to the seventh floor.

  “Room 724?” he asked, as they stepped out of the elevator.

  “Yes, this way,” Maggie said, taking the first corridor to the right.

  He and Shanna waited patiently as Maggie pulled out her key and unlocked the door. She pushed it open and then waved a hand. “See? Told you she wouldn’t be here.”

  Quinn poked his head inside the room, verifying that it was indeed empty. Both girls had their beds raised up off the floor on stilts to give them more space to sit underneath. Clothes jammed the closets, spilling out onto the floors, so there was no way to hide in there, either. The dorm room was messy but definitely empty.

  “Thanks Maggie,” he said, moving back outside. “I’m sure it won’t do any good
, but tell Anna I’d still like to talk to her, okay?”

  “Try to reassure her that we don’t believe she hurt Brady,” Shanna interjected. “But we do want to know more about Brady’s friends. Because someone at his party struck him in the back of the head and killed him. Anything more she can tell us might help.”

  “I’ll tell her,” Maggie said. “I’m not sure it will help any, but I’ll try to convince her to cooperate.”

  “That’s all we can ask,” Shanna said. “Take care, Maggie.”

  “Bye,” Maggie said, before closing the dorm-room door.

  Quinn let Shanna lead the way back to the elevators. It was too late to go looking for Anna any more tonight. Besides, he had an almost desperate urge to get Shanna somewhere safe.

  “That was an interesting night,” she said as they rode the elevator down to the lobby.

  Interesting wasn’t the word he would have used. But he noticed she usually downplayed the danger she was in.

  “Shanna, will you do me a favor?”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Maybe. What kind of favor?”

  “After everything that’s happened, will you please let me take you back to the hotel tonight?”

  For a moment, she grimaced as if she might argue, but then she slowly nodded. “All right, Quinn. I’ll go back to the hotel for another night.”

  He didn’t bother to hide his relief. “Thanks, Shanna.” He was glad she didn’t try to fight him on this issue.

  And as they walked through the Dorchester Hall lobby and headed outside, he decided that this time, nothing was going to prevent him from staying in a room at the hotel with her.

  Nothing.

  Shanna couldn’t believe it when Quinn asked for two hotel rooms side by side. She didn’t have her same room, since she’d checked out earlier that morning. “There’s no need,” she tried to tell him, but he clearly wasn’t listening.

  “Thanks,” he said to the clerk behind the desk, as he took both room keys and then slung her duffel bag over his shoulder.

  “You don’t even have any luggage,” she tried pointing out, catching up with him as he strode toward the elevators. “Quinn, be reasonable. You made sure no one followed us. I’m perfectly safe here.”

  “I’m not leaving you,” he said flatly.

  His protectiveness was sweet, but she couldn’t help feeling guilty. She knew she was keeping him from investigating his brother’s death. And yet he’d asked her to come here for the night, as a favor to him.

  There had to be something she could do to help him.

  He paused outside the first room, handing her the key and waiting while she unlocked the door. “Thanks, Quinn,” she said, when he finally handed over her bag. She swung the bag inside the room, setting it on the floor with a thud.

  “You’re welcome,” he said, bracing his arm on the door frame and staring down at her for a long moment.

  His gaze was mesmerizing, making it impossible for her to look away. She sensed he wanted to say something, but then he surprised her by bending to press his mouth warmly against hers.

  Her lips clung to his, and she reveled in the sensation, remembering those moments when he’d held her close in his arms. But the kiss was over too quickly, as he broke away and took a step back. “Remember, I’m right next door if you need anything,” he said gruffly.

  Unable to speak, she could only nod and watch, bemused as he took the few steps to get to the next door down.

  “Good night, Quinn,” she finally managed, after he unlocked his door and waited rather obviously for her to go inside.

  “Good night, Shanna.” Only after she shut and locked her door did she hear the click of his door closing.

  And she couldn’t help admitting how incredibly safe she felt, knowing Quinn was right on the other side of the wall.

  The next morning her phone rang, waking her from a sound sleep. “Yes?” she answered groggily.

  “Shanna? Would you like to meet me for breakfast?” Quinn asked.

  She blinked away her fatigue, thinking he sounded far too cheerful considering the early hour. “Uh, sure. Could you give me about a half hour to get ready?”

  “No problem,” he assured her. “Meet me downstairs in the restaurant, okay?”

  “Sure.” She hung up the phone and pushed her hair out of her eyes, yawning widely. She’d struggled to fall asleep last night, her mind dwelling on Quinn’s kiss. Reliving the moment. Wondering why he’d kissed her. Wondering if he’d kiss her again.

  Pathetic. She needed to stop thinking about Quinn and the feelings she was beginning to have for him and keep focused on trying to find Skylar.

  It took her a little longer to get ready, making her a few minutes late when she finally arrived in the restaurant. Quinn didn’t seem impatient; he was just sipping a mug of coffee and reading the paper.

  “Sorry,” she murmured, sliding into the seat across from him in the booth.

  “No problem.” He folded the paper and tucked it away. “I’m sorry, Shanna, but I’ll need to drop you off somewhere this morning. I have a few errands I have to run for my mother.”

  “Oh, sure. Of course.” Flustered, she glanced at the menu, but then brought her gaze back up to meet his. “We can skip breakfast if you need to get going.”

  “No, please. Order whatever you’d like.”

  Quinn seemed anxious to leave, so she decided to order a simple bowl of oatmeal. Quinn surprised her by choosing the same thing.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked after the waitress left.

  “Yes, it’s fine,” he answered. “But my brother’s body is being released today and my mother needs some emotional support.”

  “I understand.” And she truly did. After the way Skylar’s kidnapping ripped her family apart, she knew only too well the impact of a terrible tragedy. Thinking of Quinn’s mother made her wonder if she should try, once again, to talk to her father. After all, he couldn’t keep ignoring her forever. Could he?

  Maybe once they found Skylar, he’d find it in his heart to forgive her.

  When their food arrived, Shanna bowed her head and prayed. “Thank You, heavenly Father, for this food we are about to eat. And guide us on Your chosen path while keeping us safe in Your care. Amen.”

  “Amen,” Quinn echoed.

  Startled, she opened her eyes and looked at him. She hadn’t even realized she’d spoken out loud until he’d responded. “Sounds as if maybe you’ve found your faith after all,” she said.

  Quinn slowly nodded. “I haven’t prayed in a long time,” he admitted. “But I’ve found myself thanking God for saving you, both last night when you narrowly missed being hit by that car, and the night before when I found you lying unconscious in your doorway. Praying has given me peace. And I can’t help but think God really is watching over you.”

  She was touched by his admission. “God is watching over all of us, not just me. He’s watching over you, too, Quinn. He’s always with us, even if we’re not always paying attention.”

  A ghost of a smile played along his features. “I hope so.”

  “I know so,” she argued lightly. “Trust me.”

  “I do trust you, Shanna,” he said seriously. “Very much.”

  The waitress interrupted then, asking how their food was and they assured her the oatmeal was fine.

  “Where would you like me to drop you off?” Quinn asked, as he prepared to pay the bill. “My house.”

  He narrowed his gaze. “Shanna, I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

  “I need a change of clothes and I need my car. There’s no reason you have to drive me around everywhere I go.”

  “There is a reason for me to drive you around.” Quinn’s expression turned stubborn. “For one thing, we know this guy has followed you, so he knows what car you’re driving. And a red Camry will be easy to find and follow. For another, I think it’s better if we stay together, so he has less of a chance to find you alone.”

  She knew attempt
ing to get her car was a long shot, but she’d wanted to give it a try. Quinn was going out of his way to be nice, but she still couldn’t help feeling guilty. “Surely you have better things to do than cart me around.”

  “Nope.”

  She sighed and gave up, realizing that if she kept arguing he’d be delayed even more. “Okay, then for now drop me off at Carlyle’s admissions office. Later, you’re going to have to take me home so I can get a change of clothes.”

  “What are you going to do at the university?” he asked as they left the restaurant and headed out to his SUV.

  She waited until he’d stored her overnight bag in the back and climbed into the driver’s seat. “I’m going to search for Phoebe.”

  “Okay.” Quinn started the engine and backed out of the parking space. “Promise me you’ll keep me posted on whatever you find.”

  “I will.”

  The ride from the hotel to the university didn’t take long. When she reached for her bag, Quinn’s brows rose in surprise but he didn’t say anything other than promising to call her once he was finished before he drove away.

  Shanna returned to the computer station she’d begun to consider her own, and began searching for students with the first name Phoebe. Nothing.

  She stared and tried again, using Phoebe as the last name. Still nothing. She unzipped her bag and dug out the articles related to the other children who’d gone missing around the same time as Skylar.

  Her gaze settled on the Kenny Larson story, the four-year-old who’d been kidnapped from the shopping mall. To refresh her memory, she read through the article and then turned back to the computer.

  After finding the website dedicated to missing children, she pulled up Kenny Larson’s page, just to make sure nothing had changed and that he hadn’t been found.

  Unfortunately, Kenny Larson was still listed as missing. So she clicked on the age-progression photo. For several long minutes, she stared at the picture, trying to figure out why the face looked familiar.

  Then suddenly she knew. Dennis Green. Her heart leaped as she quickly pulled up his university ID. Seeing the two photos side by side, there was no mistake. They were one and the same.