Page 107 of Weight of Guilt

“That’s Mason’s,” Cody muttered, his shoulders slumping with defeat.

Nash put his hand on her shoulder. The motion somehow helped to ground her.

“He keeps it on his pillow.” Wren’s voice came out gravelly, like she’d been screaming, though she hadn’t. “He’s had it since he was two. The person who broke into my house . . . he must have taken it.”

Luke came toward them with the stuffed animal held away from his body in both gloved hands.

Wren rose to meet him.

“He didn’t take that rabbit out of your cabin because he wanted it as a keepsake,” Nash said. “He took it so he could send a message.”

Luke put the rabbit into an evidence bag and handed it off to a deputy. Then he walked down the hall pulling off a glove.

He glanced at Nash. “Walk with me.”

Nash fell in beside him, while Cody came off the wall without invitation and took Luke’s other side.

“I’m calling the Bureau.” Luke stripped the second glove and shoved both in his pocket.

“I think that’s a good idea,” Nash said.

“I’ve got men stationed on the highway leading out of town.” Luke stopped walking. “But I need the gap roads shut before dark, and I don’t have enough manpower. I’ve pulled most of my guys from another scene, but I’m still short. I’m going to call the highway patrol and state police to help.”

A map of the area appeared in his mind. There were too many roads. Nighttime was coming too fast.

They needed a better way to lock down this area.

“What about an Amber Alert?” Cody asked.

“They’ll want a vehicle description,” Luke said.

“You could push anyway,” Cody said. “You’ve got an abductor on camera, right? That’s more than most of them get.”

“Let me see what I can do,” Luke said.

“What about a search?” Cody continued to push. “I can have twenty men here in an hour. We can canvas this whole area.”

Luke paused. “Mason isn’t lost out in those woods, Cody. People searching fields is only going to clog up what we need to do.”

“I’ve got to do something!” Cody’s jaw tightened, and he closed his eyes as if shutting out the helplessness lingering there.

“You can help me by searching out cameras in the area,” Luke said. “Every gas station and market and church parking lot between here and the interstate. I need to know which businesses have them.”

Cody’s eyes brightened. “I can do that.”

“Make a list and let me know.”

Cody was already moving away. As he did, Luke’s phone rang, and he stepped away to answer.

Nash stepped back and let everyone work around him.

Wren stood at the far end of the hall with her arms crossed over her chest. A woman in a windbreaker had a clipboard out, asking her something, and Wren answered without looking at her.

Everything in Nash wanted to cross that hall and pull Wren into his arms again.

But he didn’t. Not now.

Luke ended his call. “Prine’s leaving Pilcher Road. She’s on her way here.”