Free Mad Love: Madison by Lisa Boone Page B

ago while he was putting his luggage in his car. Apparently, he was
late and Mom wasn’t too happy about it. I did a little checking on him and
found out where his mom lived. It looked like he was heading that way. I stuck
with him for about twenty miles and then returned to town. I think you’re safe
for now. You’re heading to your granddad’s tonight, right?”
    “Right after church. You’re still coming tomorrow,
aren’t you?”
    “I’ll be there. I’m looking forward to it.”
    “So am I,” she said with a soft smile. “I almost
hate to tell you this, but I’ve got another problem I need you to look into.”
    “Is this about the email you just sent me?”
    “Yeah, I need you to find Quincy Sullivan. He was
the PI we used before you came to town. I need to find him immediately.”
    “Sounds serious.”
    “It might be. I’ve suddenly been getting weird
phone calls.”
    “How weird?”
    “So far, they’ve been pretty tame. For the last
two nights, some guy has called me up out of the blue, said just one word and
then hung up. First time, he called my home number. Second time, he called
Sarah’s pub.”
    “Do you think it might be Paul?”
    “No, Paul has a thin, reedy voice. This guy was
more of a baritone.”
    “What does he say when he calls?”
    “The first time, it was the word ten. Last night,
it was nine. I expect to hear eight sometime today.”
    “He’s counting down.”
    “Yeah, but to what?”
    “It’s eight days until New Year’s. What’s this
got to do with Quincy Sullivan?”
    “I think he’s the one calling me. It
sounds a bit like his voice. Hard to tell with just one word.”
    “Nicole mentioned him to me once. She said he
skipped town all of a sudden.”
    “Supposedly, he went to Florida but I think he’s
back. Look, I don’t think this is related to any cases I’m working on so don’t
send your bill to the office. I’ll take care of it myself.”
    “I’m not taking your money. What did your caller ID
say when the guy called you at home?”
    “Unlisted.”
    “Okay, I’ll let you know what I find soon. Where
are you now?”
    “The mall with Sarah.”
    He chuckled at her tone of voice. “I hope you’re
having fun. Look, I don’t think Paul’s going to try anything tonight, so try
not to worry about him. I’ll talk to you soon.”
    “Thanks, Ethan.” She ended the call and placed
her phone into her purse, wondering if Paul was the only one that she should be
worried about.
     
    §
     
    5:50 P.M.
     
    Madison
stood on her tiptoes, trying to spot her sister in the throngs of shoppers
rushing in and out the shops. After hanging up with Ethan, Madison went in
search of her sister only to find that Sarah had seemingly disappeared into
thin air.
    Texts and phone calls were going unanswered, which
wasn’t so surprising. Sarah, after all, was in her element. Once she was on the
hunt for something, nothing was able to distract her. She probably wouldn’t
even look at her phone until she found what she was looking for.
    Madison scowled at Santa’s village as she passed
by it once again. Santa’s Coming to Town was cute the first time she
heard it while searching for her sister. After the fifth time, it was beginning
to lose some of its luster.
    Didn’t they have another song they could play , she thought as she
tried her sister’s cell phone again.
    Her gaze travelled past Santa and the line of
kids as she waited for Sarah to answer her phone. Two little boys ran past, zigzagging
through the moms and dads standing around waiting to get a picture of their
child on Santa’s lap. They raced around one another, laughing and giggling as
they fought over a toy, not paying attention to the people around them.
    Sensing she was on a collision course with the
two, Madison instinctively stepped back and into an immovable wall. Two strong
hands in white gloves with white fur tipped red sleeves, gripped her arms
tightly to keep her from falling. “Oh, I’m so sorry,”