Free A Barricade in Hell by Jaime Lee Moyer Page A

hall and out the front door. The sun was sinking behind the cloud bank that covered the bay and stretched out to sea, leaching the last bit of fog-dimmed light from the sky. Transparent mist had become a solid wall of murky gray, smelling of salt and making it difficult to see the car parked at the base of the steps.
    Jack stood with him on the porch, silent and brooding. Gabe fiddled with his cuffs and the collar of his coat, giving his partner a little time. They wouldn’t find Amanda Poe tonight, not unless Baldwin suddenly regained his memory. The trail was cold. Any witnesses who might have seen Amanda on Friday night were scattered, likely unaware they’d seen anything of note.
    Not many missing persons cases ended happily once families and loved ones called on the police for help. Gabe wasn’t ready to give up on the idea of finding her alive, not yet, not until they knew more, but they needed a starting point. He’d been a cop long enough to understand that life didn’t hand out happy endings often. As Jack and Sadie’s friend, he wanted this case to be an exception.
    Gabe wasn’t in any hurry to start hunting for bodies. “Marshall Henderson, Dodd, and Baker are all on duty tonight. I want to send Marshall and Dodd out to see what they can uncover about Effie Fontaine and the people around her. It’s long odds, but maybe they can find someone at the church who remembers Miss Poe and saw her that night before she disappeared. Baker’s good at picking up gossip in taverns and on the docks. I’d like to know if there’s any word on the street about the pacifist crowd.”
    â€œThat makes sense. It’s a good place to start.” Jack peered at him. “What are you expecting to find?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe a zealot who believes her own message. Maybe a confidence artist after Amanda’s money. I won’t know until we start digging.” Tendrils of damp air crept down the back of his neck, making the hair stand on end. He told himself it was just the fog and a cold January night, not anticipation of disaster. “The housekeeper made it sound like Amanda was deeply involved in Miss Fontaine’s movement. Knowing how she was involved and who she associated with might give us a place to look. I don’t want to risk Miss Fontaine leaving town before we get a chance to question her.”
    â€œAnd you can’t bring Miss Fontaine in just because Amanda attended a few lectures, but she’s the best lead we have.” Jack glanced over his shoulder at the front door and lowered his voice. “I can’t help thinking that something terrible happened to Amanda after that lecture. For the life of me, Gabe, I can’t imagine why she’d stay away this long without getting word to Maddie. Not unless she can’t come home.”
    â€œWe don’t know that.” Gabe couldn’t get the specter of Baldwin’s bloodstained shirt out of his head. “We don’t have proof of anything yet.”
    â€œWhat we do have is a probable suspect in her disappearance: Archie.” Jack scuffed the toe of his shoe on the porch. “But I can’t believe Archie Baldwin would hurt her. He just doesn’t have it in him.”
    Maybe Archie truly was a gentle man before he went to war, but that war had changed him, changed the man he was now, today. Even Jack couldn’t deny that.
    But he might try, if only within himself. Gabe started down the steps. This was difficult for both of them, but more so for Jack. “If he was in his right mind, I might agree. I know he’s your friend, but I can’t dismiss the possibility he’s responsible. If you need to excuse yourself from this case, I’ll understand. I can square things with the chief too. Just say the word.”
    â€œNot a chance, Captain Ryan, I’ll stick it out. I’ve got a stake in this case. If something has happened to Amanda, I