Sheriff Coleman tilted his head toward Katherine. His lips formed a grim line. Start from the beginning and tell me everything you remember.
She talked about the pumpkin patch.
Do you have
a picture we can work with? he asked, looking up from his notepad.
Her head shook, her lips trembled, but she didnt cry. No. I dont. Lost them along with my purse and everything else I had with me. Not that it would do any good. Hes only been living with me for a week. We havent been down to clean his mothers apartment yet. I dont have many of his things. A few toys. His favorite stuffed animal.
She rambled a little. Not many women could hold it together under this much duress. Her strength radiated a flicker of light in the darkest shadows of Caleb. Places buried long ago, which were best left alone.
Lets go over the description then, Coleman suggested.
Black hair. Big brown eyes. Three and a half feet tall. About forty pounds. Hes beautiful. Round face. Full cheeks. Curly hair. Features of an angel.
And the men who took him? he pressed.
One of them had gray eyes and a jagged scar from the left side of his lip. He had a dark tan.
How big was the scar?
Not more than a couple of inches. It was in the shape of a crescent moon. She sobbed, but quickly straightened her shoulders and shook it off.
The sheriff glanced away, giving her a moment of space. Caleb dropped his gaze to the floor, respecting her tenacity even more.
He mentioned the name Kane. He said Kane wouldnt like it.
Well run the name against the database.
Im sorry. Its not much to go on. My nephew is alone. Sick. Scared. If he gets too upset, he could have an attack. Without his inhaler or medication, he wont be able to breathe.
Silence sat in the air for a beat.
Coleman cleared his throat. If Caleb didnt know any better, hed say the sheriff had moisture in his eyes. In this small town, they didnt deal with a lot of violent crime.
Well do everything we can to bring him back to you safe and sound. Thats a promise, Coleman said.
Thank you.
Whats Noahs last name?
Foster.
You said you havent had a chance to clean out his mothers place. Wheres that?
Austin.
That where youre from?
She shook her head. I live in Dallas.
Caleb couldve told the sheriff that. She had a polished, city look. The jeweled sandals on her feet were one of the most impractical shoes she could wear to the country aside from spiked heels.
Whens his birthday?
March. The seventeenth.
Caleb looked at her. He could see the tension in her face muscles and the stress threatening to crack, but to her credit, she kept her composure. Probably needed to be strong more than she needed air. Caleb knew the feeling for reasons he didnt want to talk about, either.
Hed known she was different from any other woman hed met when hed showed up to help her and shed thanked him with a makeshift knife to his ribs. Hell, he respected her for it now that he knew the circumstances. Shed probably believed he was working with whoever had taken Noah and that hed showed up to finish the job. Shed bucked up for a fight.
When she pushed herself up, it took everything in him not to close the distance between them and pull her into his arms for comfort. No one should have to go through this alone.
If Katherine Harper wanted to do this her way, he wouldnt block her path.
The sheriff asked a few more routine-sounding questions, listening intently to her answers. You fight with anyone lately? A boyfriend?
Caleb tried not to look as though he cared about the answer to that question. He had no right to care.
Katherine looked down. Nope. No boyfriend.
What about other family?
None. My parents died during my freshman year of college.
He didnt want to think about what that would do to a person.
Coleman asked a few more questions about family. Katherine looked uncomfortable answering.
Ill notify my men to keep an eye out for your belongings. What were you doing out here with your nephew?
I wanted to take his mind off things. Get him out of the city. We planned our trip all day yesterday. Hed never seen a pumpkin patch. He loved the open space. I didnt think much about letting him run around. Weve been in my small apartment all week. Didnt look to be anything or anyone else around for miles. He followed a duck out to the tree line. When I went over to take pictures, two men came from nowhere and snatched us. I panicked. Couldnt believe what was happening. I remember thinking, This cant be. I fought back. Thats when I ended up tangled in the barbed wire and they took off. If only I hadnt been so stubborn. If I hadnt fought.
Dont blame yourself for this, Coleman said quickly.
They told me if I came any closer or called the police, theyd
kill him.
The sheriff nodded, but Caleb caught a flash behind Colemans eyes. Caleb made a mental note to ask about that when they were alone.
Ever see them before or hear their voices? Colemans gaze was trained on his notepad as he scribbled.
No. Nothing about them was familiar. They asked for a file, but I dont have the first clue what they were talking about. Wondered if theyd confused us with someone else.