Free Evil Without a Face by Jordan Dane Page A

But I need you sober, sis. Joe made coffee. Use it. If Nikki calls and wants to come home, I want you to contact me on my cell.”
    “You think…?” She looked up at him. The fragile hope glistening in her eyes wrenched his heart. “Please find her, Payton. All I want is one more chance to make it right. Please.”
    “We’re gonna find her. I promise you’ll get that chance, Susannah.”
    He had no business making that promise, not with his track record, but his heart pulled rank over his good sense. When he stood and caught the eye of Joe Tanu, the harsh reality of their undertaking took hold, and his belly churned hot with the prospect of another failure. But he didn’t see the sense in shoving his sister off the same cliff. For now, he had no qualms with letting her believe he could do it.
    “You comin’, Joe?”
    His friend lifted a corner of his mouth—his version of a smile—and handed him the pages of Nikki’s code.
    “Just try and stop me.”
    Payton stuffed the computer printouts in a pocket of his flannel shirt and headed for the front door, but by the time he got there, the phone rang. He stopped dead in his tracks, and for a split second stared at Joe and his sister. It didn’t take long for him to jump to some pretty dark conclusions. He knew this call could change everything.
    For the mother of a missing child, every phone call could bring life or death. His sister raced to the phone after the initial shock wore off.
    “Hello.” Susannah held the phone tight, her knuckles white with the strain. She shut her eyes tight—to block out the rest of the world—and fresh tears squeezed onto her cheeks. After listening for a long moment, she fixed her eyes on Payton and shook her head.
    He stepped closer, feeling the weight of Joe by his side. Payton reached for his sister’s hand and locked his fingers in hers.
    “Can I put you on speaker, Trooper Fitzgerald?” she asked, her voice trembling. “I’ve got my brother and Joe Tanu here. I need them to hear this too.”
    By the look on his sister’s face, Payton wasn’t sure what to expect.

CHAPTER 6
    Susannah punched a button on her phone and spoke again.
    “Go ahead. You’re on speaker.” She wiped the tears from her face with both hands and took a ragged breath.
    Payton recognized Dan Fitzgerald’s voice when he came on the line.
    “I know you folks are waiting for good news, but I just wanted you to know we’ve had a break. And in cases like this, we gotta run down every lead.” The trooper cleared his throat. The sound came across far too loud in the quiet room. “Hey, Joe. Long time.”
    “Yeah, Fitz. What’s happening? You got something to chase?” Joe kept the man on track, but by using his nickname, he reminded the trooper of their personal connection.
    “Yeah, it seems some kid from Anchorage spotted Nikki getting into a car up at River Park around one. He was camping there with friends and he told us Nikki tried to pretend she was using the restroom, but she had a duffel bag with her, hidden in the bushes.”
    “And where’d you find this kid? Could he be blowing smoke? Maybe he’s trying to divert the search.” Joe’s take on the case deflated Payton’s fragile spirit.
    He knew Joe had made valid points, but only wished that Susannah didn’t have to hear them. She looked desperate and in need of encouragement. Reality would come soon enough. The trooper’s voice broke in and pulled him from his morbid thoughts.
    “Nah, some folks in town have seen this kid and vouched for him. And he recognized her from the photo we used to canvass the town. A lucky break, I’d say, ’cause he was fixin’ to leave today. We caught him packed up and eatin’ breakfast at The Moose Nugget, Joe.”
    “Did he remember the car? See anyone inside?”
    “Too dark to see anyone inside, he said, but he remembered it was a Subaru and gave us a partial on the plate.” Fitzgerald described the Subaru in more detail, then asked, “Any of