The Prime Objective

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“Not yet.”

“What! But—”

“Look, Mick, she has almost a two-day head start on us.”

“All the more reason to go after her now, before she can widen the gap.”

“Okay, say we go to Big Springs. Then what? From there she could have taken off in any direction. She may even be doubling back by now.”

“She could just as easily have decided to hole up there,” Kate argued.

“Maybe. Although I doubt it. My gut tells me that she’s still panicked and running aimlessly. My hope is that soon she’ll calm down enough to devise a plan and head for a specific destination.” Jack started the engine and put the SUV in Reverse. “But, if you’re right and she is staying put we’ll know it the next time she makes a purchase and Mr. Hurley relays the information.”

“And if she’s left Big Springs?”

“Then we continue to track her movements.”

“But, Jack, Colleen is out there all alone and terrified.” Kate’s voice broke on the last word and she had to press her lips together to keep them from quivering.

These past two days she’d been worried sick about Colleen, but now that she had a general idea of where her sister was, she was more anxious than ever. All she could think about was finding her. Protecting her.

Though Colleen was older by twenty-two months, Kate had always protected her.

In the second grade Kate had whaled the tar out of a little boy who had made her sister cry, and in their teens she’d hovered over her like a broody mother hen, double dating with her, confronting anyone who dared to bother her.

The pattern had continued through the years. As teenagers, Kate had been the rebel child, the daredevil who’d given their parents more than a few gray hairs. Colleen had been the docile, obedient one.

Even so, Joe and Maureen Mahaffey had worried no less over their eldest daughter. All of her life Colleen’s painful shyness made her cling to the familiar, the safe.

After high school she had gone directly into the family business, claiming that for her, college would be a waste of time because she could learn all she needed to know from their father and on-the-job experience. Privately, Kate believed that the idea of going away to a strange university, in a strange town, where she knew no one, had simply been more than her sister could handle.

Over the years, no amount of prodding or confidence-boosting pep talks or assertiveness training or therapy had brought Colleen out of her shell.

The only place she was remotely comfortable making decisions was the family business, which she knew inside out. Yet even there, ever since their parents had died and she had assumed the position of manager, more often than not, she still sought Kate’s opinion.

Looking out for her sister had become an ingrained part of who Kate was, and even though Jack’s reasoning made sense, the need to head west was eating her up inside.

One glance at Kate’s anguished expression and Jack brought the SUV to a jolting halt, backed halfway out of the parking slot. He reached across the space between them and cupped her wobbly chin. “Take it easy, Mick,” he murmured. There was so much tenderness in his eyes and deep, gravelly voice that the tears she was struggling to control spilled over. Solemnly, he wiped one away with his thumb.

“Look, sweetheart, I know it’s tough to wait, but it makes no sense for us to go chasing after Colleen until we know, or at least have a fairly good idea, where she’s heading. When we do, we’ll go after her. If we use a direct route and drive straight through we shouldn’t be too far behind her.”

“Why not fly? We’d catch up with her faster.”

“Because we can’t take our guns on a commercial airline, and from what I saw last night, we may need them.”

She winced, fear skittering down her spine. She wanted to argue, but she couldn’t, and after a while her shoulders slumped. “You’re right. I guess we don’t have a choice but to wait.”

“Good. I’m glad you agree. In the meantime, I think we should check out the scene of the crime.”

Kate’s eyes widened. “Oh, my goodness! The store! I’ve been so concerned about Colleen that I forgot all about the store. The staff must be going out of their minds wondering what happened to us. And my assistant is probably wondering where I am.” She drew a deep breath and wiped her eyes with her fingertips. “You’re right. We should check it out. It’s probably locked up, but I have my keys with me, so we can get in.”

“Maybe. Maybe not. Depends on whether the CSI team has finished gathering evidence. It could still be cordoned off with crime-scene tape.”

“Oh. I didn’t think of that.” Kate closed her eyes. “Oh, dear. What has happened to Bobby?”

“If the police haven’t found his next of kin or no one has come forward to claim the body, he’ll be at the morgue.”

“Oh, that’s awful,” Kate moaned. “Poor Bobby. Colleen and I are the closest thing to family that he has. I should be planning his funeral.”

“There’ll be time for a funeral later, after we’ve straightened things out and all the smoke and dust has settled.

“Right now, it’s first things first. And our next stop is Mahaffey’s Interiors.”