Reluctant Runaway Read Online Free Page B

is your family?”
    “With my niece’s disappearance? Try 100 percent. Dean and I used to be an exception, but now I don’t have a marriage except in name. Everyone else is widowed or divorced, sometimesmore than once. Same song, second verse, for generations.”
    Tony whistled. If he were hot on a case, he’d call that consistency a strong chain of evidence. But evidence of what? He sat in a chair by the sofa. “Start from the beginning, and give us—”
    “—the facts, ma’am, nothing but the facts.”
    Tony shot her a look. Guys had a few “looks” in their arsenal, too. Desi clamped her mouth shut; Max gave a husky chuckle. The mood in the room lightened. Probably Desi’s intention. Smart lady.
    The smile faded from Max’s face. “Here’s the scoop then.” She folded her hands on her lap like a witness on the stand. “I was in bed, and the phone rang around midnight. No problem. I wasn’t asleep. Not unusual these days.” Her gaze lowered. “But I wondered who’d call at that hour. Thought maybe it was you or Des, but it was my sister Jo from Albuquerque, bawlin’ her eyes out.” Max moaned. “I hurt so ba-a-ad for her.”
    Okay, derail the tears and get back on track. “So Jo’s daughter is gone?”
    “Right. Her name is Karen, Jo’s only child. I’ve prayed hard over that girl. She used to run with a rough crowd, an outlaw motorcycle gang. Then she met Brent Webb. He coaxed her to visit his church singles group. She found a new bunch of friends, broke away from the gang, put her life in the Lord’s hands, married Brent, and—”
    “Wait just a New York second!” Desi sounded as confused as he felt. “Is this Dean’s brother Brent Webb?”
    Max nodded.
    “Your niece is married to your husband’s brother?” Desi’s voice rose a notch.
    “It’s not illegal or immoral.” Max glared.
    Desi shook her head. “No, but a tad on the odd side. How come you never told me?”
    Max’s stiffness melted. “I meant to. You were out of the country on that Madrid job when this whirlwind romance grafted the family trees. By the time you got home, the elopement wasn’t at the top of my mind anymore. Then things got crazy with the FBI castin’ suspicions on HJ Securities about art theft and … ” Max shrugged.
    Tony rubbed his chin. “You say your niece ran off, but you’ve also termed it a disappearance. Did your niece leave of her own accord, or is foul play suspected?”
    “The police don’t know
what
to think. Karen’s purse is gone, but all her clothes are hangin’ in the closet. Their clunker of a second car is missin’, but the baby was still in his crib. How could any mother run off and leave her newborn alone in the house?”
    No answer he cared to share on that one. He’d seen too much of the seamy side. “If she left on her own, why would she have done it? Do you blame yourself?”
    Desi stared at him like he’d lost his mind, but tears flowed down Max’s face.
    “You think the scandal about Dean wrecked your niece’s marriage.” He made his words a conclusion, not a question.
    Max hugged herself. “I don’t know. Maybe our mess gave someone … ideas.” Her voice came out muddy “I can’t take this again.” She dropped her arms to her sides. “Maybe Dean’s family has a curse, too. Native American artifacts were stolen from the New Mexico Museum of Art and Anthropology, and a guard is in the hospital. Karen and Brent are suspects. She’s a receptionist, and he’s an archaeology graduate student interning at the museum. Her running off seems suspicious to the police. And if she didn’t run … if she was taken … it still looks as if she knew—”
    A movement caught Tony’s eye, and shock jolted throughhim. He cut Max off with a lift of the hand and leaped to his feet. “President Curtis.”
    Dressed as King Arthur, the lean, shrewd-eyed president of the United States stepped toward them. George Washington trailed at his heels, and Emperor Constantine