Proof of Innocence. Lenora Worth

it look as if Daniella’s mobster father, Terence Fagan, had done the job. Congressman Jeffries knew the nurse had seen his birthmark, the same birthmark that Michael and little Juan Gomez had on their shoulder. More evidence that Juan was a Jeffries.

      That admission at least showed Leon Ridge as a henchman for the congressman and proved that the congressman wanted the Capitol K-9 team to stop this investigation.

      Ridge was a witness to whatever really happened the night Michael was murdered, but he refused to even discuss Erin’s involvement.

      Someone had put a muzzle on Ridge. Why?

      Was the congressman trying to get to Erin before she could finally tell the truth about what happened at his estate that night?

      “I know you didn’t do this,” Chase said, his gaze scanning the countryside. Fiona Fargo, who worked as a technician for the team, had been helping to track any chatter regarding Congressman Jeffries or Erin Eagleton, and had seen some interesting search efforts in the internet cafés in and around this area. When she’d found a Wi-Fi hot spot at a local hotel, she’d let the team know some of the searches might be coming from Erin. And she’d found evidence that Erin was picking up work there as a waitress. That explained how she had cash to carry her through.

      Chase hoped he could find Erin soon, and he wished he could have helped her the night of the murder, or at least stopped her from going to the Jeffries estate. But they’d bumped into each other near the Washington Monument and the tension between them had somehow overshadowed any clear thinking.

      She hadn’t even realized Chase was jogging along the path until he stopped and called her name. “Erin?”

      Erin had whirled, her honey-blond curls collapsing in a silky waterfall around her face and shoulders. She wore a patterned scarf bundled loosely around her shoulders and a short wool jacket over jeans and high-heeled boots. A gold necklace sparkled against her skin and the blue pattern in the cream-colored scarf matched her deep blue eyes.

      “Hey, Chase.” Her gaze moved over his fleece hoodie and back to his face, surprise masking her obvious discomfort. “Still staying in shape, huh?”

      He jogged in place, and then relaxed. “Yep. Part of the job.”

      She walked closer, her arms wrapped against her midsection to ward off the winter chill. He could see she’d been crying.

      “Are you okay?”

      Lowering her head, she looked down at her boots. “I’m fine. Just working through some things.” She stared off into the lights twinkling all around the city. “I wonder if it’ll snow tonight.”

      Her tone suggested she didn’t want to talk about anything but the weather.

      Chase had never known when to give up, however. “Erin, are you sure you’re all right? You shouldn’t be out here alone.”

      “I told you, I’m fine.”

      He tried one more time. Seeing her made his life hard, but he cherished their brief encounters all the same. “Anything I can do?”

      She shook her head and wiped at her eyes. “No, nothing. I have to go.” She pivoted, her eyes holding his. “It was...good to see you again, Chase.”

      Chase reached out to her, his fingers brushing against her scarf. “Erin, you know I’d do anything for you, no matter what.”

      “I don’t need your help,” she replied, ripping away from his touch. “Not anymore.”

      That comment brought out a pent-up bitterness in Chase. “You mean, because you don’t need me in your life now, right? I saw you with Michael Jeffries at that recent White House dinner. I guess your father is still calling the shots.”

      “I have my own life now, Chase. No one tells me what to do.”

      “Okay,” he said, hating himself for caring. “Or maybe you still don’t have the courage to stand up to your daddy.”

      The hurt in her eyes as she turned away made Chase want to take back that accusation. But it was too late for that. Too late for a lot of things.

      “Erin?”

      “I have to go,” she’d said, her expression as chilly as the night wind blustering through the bare branches of the nearby cherry trees.

      She’d taken off so fast her scarf fell away from her jacket. The soft material fluttered toward the ground like a dying butterfly, but Chase caught it up in his hands.

      Chase had held it and called out to her. “Erin?”

      But she’d already slipped out of sight.

      Chase had been one of the last people to see her the day of the murder, and he’d beaten himself up over that tense conversation. What had she been crying about that night? Why hadn’t she let him help her?

      A few hours later, he’d seen her broken starfish necklace in an evidence bag and Chase had become obsessed with finding Erin. It might be too late for them, but he wouldn’t let time run out on saving her.

      This latest lead from Fiona and the research team had brought him to a rural area of Virginia about forty miles southwest of DC. Months ago, someone matching Erin’s description had been seen by a couple, Edward and Mavis Appleton. The elderly Virginia husband and wife had helped Erin in the days after the murder, but they’d been attacked by some thugs also looking for Erin. Since then, no one had come forward with any concrete sightings, but the team had proof that she’d been using internet cafés and remote libraries to do some online research, all of it pointing toward a strong corruption case against the supposedly upstanding Congressman Jeffries. Smart. She’d tried to bring down Jeffries on her own.

      Since the man was now wanted on said corruption charges, Erin had obviously been onto the truth. Because the congressman had fled and was now missing, Chase wanted to find Erin before one of the congressman’s henchmen did.

      The big dog at his feet whimpered and danced around, dark eyes staring up at Chase with anxious clarity. Valor was ready to get on with things, too.

      “Yeah, boy, I know,” Chase said to his K-9 partner. Trained in search and rescue, Valor knew only that he was needed to find someone. But how could Chase explain to his faithful companion that they’d gone off the grid—way off the grid?

      Leaning down, Chase allowed the fawn-colored Belgian Malinois to sniff the now-familiar cream-and-blue patterned cashmere scarf.

      “We need to find her, Valor,” he said, praying that after so many months of uncertainty regarding Erin Eagleton’s whereabouts, one of his leads would finally pay off.

      Valor sniffed the delicate material, then started trembling. The big dog was ready to go. Chase held tight to the leash and made sure Valor’s protective vest was secure. Then he gave the command to “Find.”

      Valor took off into the Virginia woods located along a jogging trail near a narrow stream. Chase held tight and ran along with the animal. Had they hit on something so soon?

      Was Erin somewhere nearby?

       TWO

      She was running in circles. Every tree hulked like a giant monster waiting to grab her. Every snap of a branch caused her to whirl in a dizzy spin of fear and slap at some unseen assailant. Earlier, unable to sleep, she’d heard someone outside her room—and she’d seen a man dressed in dark clothing and carrying a gun. Erin hadn’t stayed around to see if he’d come to call on her. She was used to mysterious assailants trying to kill her. Going out the back and over the balcony, she’d taken the first path into the dense woods, thinking she could circle back and hide somewhere in the small town and then board a bus out. Somehow.

      Now it was dark and she was soaked with sweat and the bugs were trying to finish her off. The short dark auburn wig she wore seemed to be shrinking on her head.