“She kicked an officer of the law,” Rad pointed out.“I’d say assaulting an officer is a serious offense. One you should absolutely arrest her ass for and take her the fuck away from me.”
“See?” Hunt whispered in her ear. He let her go, turned her to face him and pulled her back and away from Rad. “You’re too smart to fall for his game. We need to do this the right way so that he pays for whatever it is he did.”
“He killed her and took the baby somewhere. Probably his parents’ place.”
“I’ll have an officer go there and do a well-check, then. We’ll file a missing person report on your sister and start investigating. We’ll find the evidence we need to put him away.”
“You want me to just leave here without knowing anything?”
He gave her a pained look. “I wish I could get you the answers, but he’s not going to just admit what he did. He is the baby’s father. We have to assume either your sister did leave and took the baby with her, or more likely he did something to your sister and took the baby to someone who would take care of her. But until we have proof, we can’t arrest him. Not on a hunch.”
“Lana,” Cyn told him. “Her name is Lana JoyWilson.” Not Harmon, like Rad.
He cupped her face again, swiped his thumbs across her wet cheeks and stared into her eyes. “I won’t stop until I find them.”
She didn’t like the idea of leaving without answers and Rad behind bars, but she did believe Hunt would live up to his name and do everything in his power to find her sister and niece.
“Fine. But you have to send someone to his parents’house. If I know the baby is okay, maybe I’ll be able to breathe without feeling like I’m drowning.”
Hunt hugged her to his chest and pulled out his phone.
Rad paced back and forth by the porch, unable to hear them from where Hunt had pulled her down the driveway.
“Hey, it’s Hunt.” He paused to listen. “Yeah, I know I’m supposed to be off duty and sleeping.”
That reminded Cyn that he’d been up more than twenty-four hours. He had to be exhausted. And now that she checked his haggard face, he looked it.
“I need a well-check on the Harmon family out on Pinecrest Road. Specifically, I’m looking for a six-week-old baby girl named Lana Wilson. If she’s not there, interview the Harmons and anyone else on the property to determine when they last saw their granddaughter. If Lana is not there, we’ll need a missing person report and possibly an AMBER Alert for her. I believe the father, Rad Harmon, may have harmed or killed the mother, Angela Wilson. I want a BOLO put out on her, her vehicle, and a missing person’s case opened. She’s been missing since around three p.m. this afternoon. She drives an old green Subaru Outback. You’ll find the details in the system. I’ll send over photos of Angela and Lana in a few moments. I want this spread throughout the state ASAP to all law enforcement. I don’t think Lana’s been taken out of the state.”
Neither did Cyn. Rad hadn’t had enough time to drive that far and come back and be here when Cyn arrived.
She appreciated that Hunt had taken charge, thoughtthings through, even on no sleep, and was doing something to help her.
“I want an officer out at Rad’s place.” Hunt rattled off the address. “Because of my personal involvement, I’ll leave it to one of the other officers to question him about his girlfriend and daughter’s disappearance. Expect him to be uncooperative.”
Hunt listened for another minute or so, making Cyn’s insides tense with anticipation. She just wanted this to be over. She wanted her sister back. She wanted her niece to be safe and loved and away from the man who had tormented her sister and changed her into someone Cyn didn’t recognize but always loved. She didn’t want her niece to grow up with him taunting and ridiculing and controlling her.
Hunt rubbed his hand up and down her back, soothing her.
It was then she realized she was pressed up against him, her hands fisted in the sides of his shirt, holding on to him like a buoy in the turbulent sea her life had become. She released him and stepped back.
He frowned and held her gaze, but continued to listen to whoever was on the line with him. “Four minutes out. Great. I’ll take Angela’s sister home. She can give a statement tomorrow morning at the station and we’ll move on whatever information we gather tonight.” Hunt listened again. “No. I doubt he’s going to give permission to search the home and property here. We’ll need a warrant and right now we don’t have enough to get one.”
Cyn spoke up. “I was in the house. There’s nothing that indicates a struggle. No blood. The only thing thatpoints to her not leaving of her own free will is that her stuff is all inside the house. Her clothes, the baby’s stuff, everything. Her car is missing, but her purse is hanging on the coatrack.”
Hunt relayed the information to the officer on the line, then hung up and stared at her for another long moment.
“We had a plan.” Her bottom lip trembled, but she held it together. Barely.
“I know. I’m sorry.”
“You know, just like I do, she’s not coming back.”
Hunt didn’t say anything.
“I need you to find them.”
“I won’t stop looking until I do,” he promised her a second time.