The Clock is Ticking...
Julie Montgomery left for work but
never arrived. Her husband, Luke, reports her disappearance, but Officer
Terrence Cooper isn't convinced anything’s amiss. As he looks into the case, he
discovers that not only are Luke Montgomery’s fears warranted, but that Julie
had been hiding a dark secret.
Julie vanished in an instant. By the
time Terrence unravels the truth, will it be too late to get her back?
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Excerpt
A demanding voice broke through
Terrence’s concentration.
“I don’t care if your policy says to wait forty-eight hours. I want someone to help me look for my wife.”
He glanced up from the stack of paperwork to the man berating the front desk clerk. Late twenties, he guessed. About five foot ten, dark blond hair, fit. Probably worked with his hands, judging from the calluses visible on his palms from across the room. The man’s face shone beet red, and he glared at the poor rookie. Jack turned from the angry man and met Terrence’s gaze. He raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes.
Terrence groaned, handed the file he’d been flipping through to Officer Clark, and sauntered over.
The distraught man shifted his gaze to meet his straight on. Terrence ignored the pain reflected in the man’s eyes. Anyone could fake emotion.
“What’s the problem, sir?” He steadied his voice, exuding calm instead of the irritation bubbling inside. The best way to get someone to placidity was to lead them there.
The man spoke through clenched teeth. “My…wife…is…missing. I want someone to help me find her.”
“OK. Let’s start with the basics. What’s your name?”
“Luke Montgomery. My wife’s name is Julie.”
He held the man’s challenging stare. Mr. Montgomery refocused the conversation off himself and back to his wife. Interesting. Most missing wife cases turned out to be the husband. Deflection could be a cover. “OK. Your wife is missing. How long has she been gone?”
“About two hours.”
He blinked several times instead of rolling his eyes as he wanted. Montgomery’s wife probably decided to take a long breakfast with a girlfriend or do some early morning Christmas shopping. The possibilities were endless. “Two hours? She could be anywhere, passing time, goofing off with a friend.” He took a deep breath. “Give her some more time. She’ll show up, and you’ll laugh about it over turkey in a couple weeks.”
Terrence turned to leave, but a hand gripped the sleeve of his uniform, spinning him back around. Heat seared through his veins. “Remove your hand, sir.”
Tears pooled in the man’s eyes, throwing Terrence off balance. He stepped back, and Mr. Montgomery let go of his shirt.
“You don’t get it.” Mr. Montgomery raked his fingers through his hair. “She should be at work. Her car’s where she always parks it. She’s as reliable as a clock. She’s missing, and I know every minute ticking by means the chances of finding her diminishes.”
Terrence’s blood cooled to a simmer. He glanced at Jack and met sympathy in the young cop’s eyes. Great. This guy isn’t going away until someone talks to him. “All right, Mr. Montgomery. Why don’t we get some coffee, sit down, and tell me about your wife.”
The man’s shoulders dropped. “Thank you.”
He turned to the rookie. “Jack?”
“Interview room two is open.”
“This way, Mr. Montgomery.” Terrence led him through the desks, paused to fill two cups of coffee, then continued down a hallway and into the room with a large “2” pasted on the door. He closed the door, flicked his hand toward the metal chair on the opposite side of the table, and plunked down. He glanced behind him. Jack would have sent someone to observe from the other side of the two-way mirror in case this guy got a little too passionate about his missing wife.
He sipped from one of the steaming cups and set the extra one on the table in front of the troubled Mr. Montgomery. The man shook his head.
“OK, tell me more about your wife. When did you last see or talk to her?”
Montgomery splayed his fingers flat on the cold, hard table and stared at them. “About six-thirty when she left for work.”
“What about before that? Did y’all have a fight?” He slurped from his cup again. Black and strong. How he perceived himself. How he preferred his coffee.
Montgomery’s jaw twitched. “No. The morning went great. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until her coworker Sue called to say Julie never showed up.”
He studied the man. Creased brow, open arms. He didn’t appear to be hiding anything.
Terrence leaned back in his chair and ran his thumb along the top rim of the Styrofoam. “Let’s go back to before she left. Give me the play-by-play of the morning.”
The muscles in Montgomery’s face relaxed, and he also leaned back. “We got up at five and went for a run, like we do every weekday morning. I fixed breakfast while she took a shower. We ate together, and she finished getting ready while I showered. We kissed good-bye, got in our cars, and headed to work.”
Ugh. How disgustingly bland. No one could be that boring. He had to be leaving something out. “But she never made it.”
He scrunched his eyebrows. “No.”
“I don’t care if your policy says to wait forty-eight hours. I want someone to help me look for my wife.”
He glanced up from the stack of paperwork to the man berating the front desk clerk. Late twenties, he guessed. About five foot ten, dark blond hair, fit. Probably worked with his hands, judging from the calluses visible on his palms from across the room. The man’s face shone beet red, and he glared at the poor rookie. Jack turned from the angry man and met Terrence’s gaze. He raised his eyebrows and widened his eyes.
Terrence groaned, handed the file he’d been flipping through to Officer Clark, and sauntered over.
The distraught man shifted his gaze to meet his straight on. Terrence ignored the pain reflected in the man’s eyes. Anyone could fake emotion.
“What’s the problem, sir?” He steadied his voice, exuding calm instead of the irritation bubbling inside. The best way to get someone to placidity was to lead them there.
The man spoke through clenched teeth. “My…wife…is…missing. I want someone to help me find her.”
“OK. Let’s start with the basics. What’s your name?”
“Luke Montgomery. My wife’s name is Julie.”
He held the man’s challenging stare. Mr. Montgomery refocused the conversation off himself and back to his wife. Interesting. Most missing wife cases turned out to be the husband. Deflection could be a cover. “OK. Your wife is missing. How long has she been gone?”
“About two hours.”
He blinked several times instead of rolling his eyes as he wanted. Montgomery’s wife probably decided to take a long breakfast with a girlfriend or do some early morning Christmas shopping. The possibilities were endless. “Two hours? She could be anywhere, passing time, goofing off with a friend.” He took a deep breath. “Give her some more time. She’ll show up, and you’ll laugh about it over turkey in a couple weeks.”
Terrence turned to leave, but a hand gripped the sleeve of his uniform, spinning him back around. Heat seared through his veins. “Remove your hand, sir.”
Tears pooled in the man’s eyes, throwing Terrence off balance. He stepped back, and Mr. Montgomery let go of his shirt.
“You don’t get it.” Mr. Montgomery raked his fingers through his hair. “She should be at work. Her car’s where she always parks it. She’s as reliable as a clock. She’s missing, and I know every minute ticking by means the chances of finding her diminishes.”
Terrence’s blood cooled to a simmer. He glanced at Jack and met sympathy in the young cop’s eyes. Great. This guy isn’t going away until someone talks to him. “All right, Mr. Montgomery. Why don’t we get some coffee, sit down, and tell me about your wife.”
The man’s shoulders dropped. “Thank you.”
He turned to the rookie. “Jack?”
“Interview room two is open.”
“This way, Mr. Montgomery.” Terrence led him through the desks, paused to fill two cups of coffee, then continued down a hallway and into the room with a large “2” pasted on the door. He closed the door, flicked his hand toward the metal chair on the opposite side of the table, and plunked down. He glanced behind him. Jack would have sent someone to observe from the other side of the two-way mirror in case this guy got a little too passionate about his missing wife.
He sipped from one of the steaming cups and set the extra one on the table in front of the troubled Mr. Montgomery. The man shook his head.
“OK, tell me more about your wife. When did you last see or talk to her?”
Montgomery splayed his fingers flat on the cold, hard table and stared at them. “About six-thirty when she left for work.”
“What about before that? Did y’all have a fight?” He slurped from his cup again. Black and strong. How he perceived himself. How he preferred his coffee.
Montgomery’s jaw twitched. “No. The morning went great. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until her coworker Sue called to say Julie never showed up.”
He studied the man. Creased brow, open arms. He didn’t appear to be hiding anything.
Terrence leaned back in his chair and ran his thumb along the top rim of the Styrofoam. “Let’s go back to before she left. Give me the play-by-play of the morning.”
The muscles in Montgomery’s face relaxed, and he also leaned back. “We got up at five and went for a run, like we do every weekday morning. I fixed breakfast while she took a shower. We ate together, and she finished getting ready while I showered. We kissed good-bye, got in our cars, and headed to work.”
Ugh. How disgustingly bland. No one could be that boring. He had to be leaving something out. “But she never made it.”
He scrunched his eyebrows. “No.”
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