Plain Pursuit. Alison Stone

said.

      * * *

      After Anna took care of the paperwork at the morgue, Eli guided her up the stairs to the main lobby. Before they reached the exit, a clamor came from down the hall. The double doors leading to another part of the hospital swung open, then bounced off the wall. A tall, well-dressed man strode in. His facial features contorted in obvious pain. He held on to a woman at her waist. Her wailing and sobbing scraped across Anna’s already fried nerves, and she froze by the stairwell to let them pass.

      “Beth,” the man cooed in the woman’s ear. He ran a hand down her blond hair, pulling it back from her face. “Please,” the man pleaded, apparently unsure of how to handle the woman’s grief.

      Eli put his arm around Anna’s shoulders and pulled her close. It seemed the most natural thing to lean into him. To accept the comfort he was offering. “Let’s get you out of here,” he whispered.

      The woman stumbled forward. A groan escaped her lips. As her companion guided her toward the exit, her unfocused eyes drifted to Anna and Eli. Her head snapped up. “Who are you?” Her words slurred as if she had been drinking. She slapped at the tears trailing down her cheeks, wearing off her smooth foundation.

      “I’m sorry. I don’t think you know me. I’m not from Apple Creek.” She struggled to keep her voice from shaking. Eli’s grip tightened around her shoulders.

      “You’re his sister.” The coldness in the woman’s eyes chilled Anna to the bone.

      “I’m sorry....” Anna swallowed hard, confusion clouding her brain.

      “Mrs. Christopher,” Eli said, “now is not the time.”

      “Get out of my face.” The woman pinned Eli with her steely gaze. The two apparently knew each other. With lightning speed, the woman reached out and brought her palm against Anna’s cheek with a resounding smack. “Your brother dragged my baby onto that plane. She wasn’t supposed to be there.” A tear dripped from her quivering chin.

      “Mrs. Christopher, please, everyone is hurting here.” Eli tucked Anna behind him.

      Anna’s mind whirled as she stood dumbfounded, her hand pressed to her stinging cheek. Her mouth worked but no words came.

      Mrs. Christopher’s eyes narrowed into hateful slits. “My baby girl is in there.” She jabbed her long manicured finger toward the double doors but didn’t turn her head. “They don’t know if she’s going to make it.”

      “I am so sorry.” Anna’s chest grew heavy.

      “You will be,” the woman said. “I will make sure of it. Your brother was reckless. He had been drinking. Someone saw him at the diner with a beer. Before he took my baby up in his plane.”

      Anna’s heart stuttered. She struggled to catch her breath. The conversation seemed to wind down in slow motion. She slipped her hand around the crook of Eli’s arm, grateful for the support.

      Eli led her past the grieving couple. The man—speaking for the first time—hollered after them. “Special Agent Miller—” disdain evident in his tone “—I suggest you keep Miss Quinn away from us. Her brother has destroyed my family.” He lowered his voice. “It would be best if she took care of her business and left Apple Creek immediately. Our family has suffered enough without her here as a constant reminder.”

      “I wish Tiffany well,” Eli said, his voice tight. “Miss Quinn has experienced a terrible loss of her own. If you’ll excuse us.”

      Anna locked gazes with Mr. Christopher. Fury shot from his eyes. The fine hairs on the back of her neck prickled to life, convincing her if she didn’t leave town, he’d make her wish she had.

      * * *

      Outside the hospital’s main entrance, a black limousine straddled the ramped pavement. Tom Hanson, the driver, leaned against the hood and read the newspaper under the artificial light, seemingly unaware he was being observed. The Christophers were the only people pretentious—and rich enough—to have a chauffeured limo in Apple Creek. Mr. Christopher had created a cable-industry empire and located it in his hometown. The company had satellite offices all over the East Coast but kept their main headquarters in rural Apple Creek. Eli suspected they enjoyed the “big fish in a small pond” cachet it afforded.

      Despite Beth and Richard Christopher’s angry display in the lobby, Eli’s heart ached for them. All the money in the world couldn’t buy them happiness if their family was ripped apart. He hoped Tiffany pulled through.

      Once inside his vehicle, Eli shifted in his seat. The yellow light from the parking lot lamppost cast Anna’s face in deep shadows. “Are you okay?”

      Anna’s pink lips pulled down at the corners. “Did you know about the poor girl who was on the plane with my brother?” An accusatory tone laced her question.

      “Yes.” Tense silence hung heavy in the air.

      “Why didn’t you tell me?”

      “I didn’t want to burden you.”

      “You couldn’t hide it from me forever.” A dark line creased her forehead. “I know you don’t know me, but I’m not a fragile woman. Don’t hide anything from me. Not when it concerns my brother.”

      Eli glanced toward the main entrance of the hospital but didn’t say anything. Tom opened the back door of the limo and the Christophers disappeared inside.

      “How did those people know I was Daniel’s sister?”

      “Probably because you’re with me.”

      Covering her face, she sighed her frustration. “Don’t they realize this is the last place I want to be? There’s so much I need to do before I can go home.”

      Eli reached across and touched her delicate hand, drawing it away from her face. He was secretly pleased when she didn’t pull away. “I can help you.”

      “Why would you help me?”

      Because your brother is the last solid link to Mary’s abduction. He turned away, afraid he’d chase her off if he told her the truth. He stared at the SUV logo emblazoned on the center of the steering wheel until it blurred. “I’ll be in town for a few weeks. I’m here if you need me.” He met her gaze.

      Anna nodded, skepticism evident in the delicate lines around her eyes. Tipping her head back against the headrest, she yanked the rubber band from her hair, allowing her chestnut hair to fall in loose curls over her shoulders. For the briefest of moments, he wondered if her hair felt as silky as it looked. “Can you take me back to my car?”

      “Sure.” Tugging at his tie with one hand, he turned the key in the ignition with the other. They drove through the center of Apple Creek. Most of the businesses were closed for the night. When they reached the country road, his headlights cut through the blackness. Silence stretched between them as Eli struggled with how much he should tell Anna about his suspicions regarding her brother. Daniel was dead, so nothing could hurt him now. But what about Anna? She seemed fiercely loyal to him. He wrapped his fingers tightly around the steering wheel. She had suffered enough for today. From what he knew of her childhood through his investigation into her brother, she had suffered enough for a lifetime.

      He’d tell her the truth tomorrow.

      When they finally reached the crash site, Eli turned into the driveway rutted with wagon wheels and horse hooves. Anna’s car was parked on the lawn where he had left it. Sighing heavily, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Where is the nearest hotel?”

      They glanced at each other and a slow smile spread up her pretty face, no doubt anticipating his answer. “Um, all the way back in town.” Eli laughed.

      “Exactly what I thought.” She lifted her hair from her forehead and held it there. Her shoulders slumped. “I just want to grab something to eat and go to sleep.”

      “What about staying at your brother’s