that two women were in danger. He only hoped they would be able to find some evidence that led them to the missing ladies. God knows what the kidnappers were doing to them.
* * * *
Hay lowered his shield as he and his brothers scanned the north side of Chadron. He concentrated on filtering the emotions until he was able to read each individual’s feelings and then discard them when nothing evil came his way. Whit was walking down the pavement on the other side of the street, and Dalton had taken one street over. By the time he and his brothers got to the center of town he was frustrated that he hadn’t been able to find or feel anything. He’d only felt normal emotions coming from people going about their day-to-day life. Nothing he felt had felt nefarious or out of place. It frustrated the hell out of him, making him feel helpless when there were two women’s lives at stake.
The receiver in his ear clicked and then Whit’s voice came through loud and clear.
“Okay, everyone, when you’ve finished scouting we’ll meet back at the motel and talk about what we’ve found if anything. Hay, Dalt, and I are heading to the sheriff’s office. We need to get more information on the missing women. Out.” Whit signed off.
Hay turned right down the next street and headed to the west to where the sheriff’s office was situated. Dalton was already waiting outside by the time he and Whit arrived.
“Okay, let’s go and introduce ourselves to the local law,” Whit said. “Tony sent me an e-mail letting me know he was going to inform the sheriff of our presence.”
“Good thing, too,” Dalt said. “The last thing we need is for the law to be on our backs because we haven’t gone through the correct channels.”
Hay headed for the door and stepped inside. An elderly woman looked them over as he and his brothers walked up to the counter.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?”
When Hay explained who they were and why they wanted to see the sheriff, she led them down the hall to the open door at the end, gave the sheriff their names, and left.
“Come in, gentlemen. I’m Sheriff Nick Parker.” The sheriff stepped forward and shook each of their hands. “Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No thanks, Sheriff.” The sheriff returned to his desk, and Hay and his brothers took a seat and then, without being asked, Nick handed over a manila folder. “In there are photographs and information on the two missing women. Sara-Jane Cantor has been missing for just over a week and Nicole Maynard has been missing for two days.”
“Where were the women last seen?” Whit asked.
“At the Chadron Hotel, it’s the only hotel in our town. We have a club where the young people go to dance, too, but the hotel seems to be the most popular. Both went out on a Saturday night and neither woman ever made it home.”
Hay picked up the folder and flipped it open. His breath caught when he saw two pictures of the beautiful women. Both women were in their early to mid twenties, and both of them had blonde hair and blue eyes. But it was the woman with the gold blonde hair that caught his attention. He felt like he’d been sucker punched as he stared at her beautiful image.
The hair on his nape stood on end, and he sat up straighter in his chair. His whole body had just gone on alert. The disappearance of two women with the same coloring was definitely ringing his alarms.
“Were they out alone or with friends?” Hay asked.
“They were with friends. From the information their friends told me the two women left the hotel earlier than their peers. Both were heading to the taxi stand just down the street.”
“How many taxi drivers in this town?” Dalt took the folder from Hay and studied the photos.
“We don’t have a very large population, as I am sure you are aware,” Nick said. “There are a total of ten cab drivers. My deputies and I have questioned each of them and none of those drivers even sighted the women that