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"Inside that massive closet thing in your room," Jack said. "The one that looks like it's straight out of those Narnia books."
Tommy had helped Nick carry the massive antique wardrobe into their room after Holly won it at an auction this past summer. It was the perfect place for Noelle to hide, especially if her tiny form had been concealed within the collection of scarves he'd seen Holly store inside.
Noelle's tear-streaked face peeked out at him from over her mom's shoulder, her eyes wide with fear.
"Aw, sweetheart, you had us all worried sick," Holly cooed gently, stroking Noelle's hair.
"Kids," Nick deadpanned, shaking his head. "You do realize they're gonna be the death of us, right?"
Holly frowned at her husband. "Hush."
"They really are though," Robin agreed, her face softening as she looked at Noelle. "But we can't help but love 'em."
As the lighthearted conversation continued, Tommy couldn't help but smile, his own worry momentarily forgotten. The warm glow of relief spread through the room, and even the storm outside seemed slightly less threatening.
Well, as long as you had your ears plugged and didn't look at how high the snow was piled up against the windows.
"Where's Grace?" Robin asked, looking behind her. "She should know we found Noelle."
"She's probably still looking," Tommy said with a short laugh. "I'll go tell her."
"Wasn't she searching the upstairs rooms?" Mrs. P asked.
"Last I saw, she was headed down the back hallway," Jack replied. "Might not have heard me call out that we found this little bug."
"I'm not a bug," Noelle said, speaking for the first time since they'd found her.
"You're right, baby, you're not a bug," Holly said, kicking her brother lightly in the shins. "Unky Jack was just being silly."
"Unky Jack" glared at Holly behind Noelle's back, but when she turned to look at him, his scowl during into a smile. "Yep, Mommy's right. Just being silly."
Tommy shook his head with a grin, then hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "Be right back."
As he moved through the inn toward the back hallway, he peered into every room along the way, searching the faces of the guests huddled in each one. A sudden tightness in his chest appeared, growing stronger with each step he took, his mind conjuring images of her hurt or trapped somewhere.
But that was him being just as silly as "Unky Jack," wasn't it? It was Noelle who'd been missing, and Grace was simply off looking for her. He was just on edge from all the drama of the night, made worse by the collective restlessness from every human in the place.
The back hallway of the inn was dimly lit and eerily quiet, the storm outside casting unsettling shadows on the walls. It magnified the growing sense of dread that weighed on him like a leaden cloak, but he refused to think it was his trusty instincts at work. But as he pressed onward, not finding Grace in the hallway like he'd hoped, he couldn't help but wonder if the nightmare they'd been trying to protect Grace from had finally caught up to them.
"Grace?" Tommy called out, his voice barely audible over the howling storm outside, somehow louder back here than in the front of the house.
Either that, or it'd gotten stronger.
When would this dang storm end?
"Where are you?" he called out again.
His police training kicked in, and he moved with purpose. The thought of the mystery emailer finally escalating to violence clawed at him, making the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
As Tommy approached the basement, a sense of dread filled him. The door was slightly ajar, and he hesitated for a moment, reassuring himself that she'd gone down there looking for Noelle and simply hadn't heard the good news.
He slowly slipped through the doorway, and that's when he heard it—Ethan's voice, laced with obsession and delusion, echoing through the basement.
"I've been following you for years, Grace," Ethan was saying, and Tommy froze as he listened. "Years. Not just online, but from place to place, too. I can work from anywhere, remember?"
Grace sniffed loudly, and Tommy had to grip the bannister to keep from charging down the stairs. He needed to hear as much as he could before he went in half-cocked. He had his service weapon in its holster on his side, but for all he knew, Ethan had a gun, too. The last thing he wanted was for Grace to be caught in the cross-fire.
"I've used different names and stuff when we emailed, though, just so we could get to know each other without you thinking I was some crazy, obsessed person," Ethan said with a near-hysterical laugh. "Grace, I know you better than you know yourself. That's why I knew it was time to make you settle down."
