it had been a strange day all around.
"I can follow you home,"Danversoffered as she unlocked her car.
She shook her head. "I'll be fine," she assured him. Brenda got into the driver's seat. She thought of the scene they'd just left behind. "I think your partner might need help with
Mrs. Tyler, though. You'd better get back there."
Danverssighed, looking none too happy. "Right."
As he drove off, she turned her key in the ignition. But as she began to drive out of the
lot, she changed her mind. Making aU-turnthat brought her right back to where she'd
parked, she turned off the engine.
The night promised to be a very long one. She sincerely doubted she was going to get any
sleep. If she was going to remain awake, she might as well put the time to good use.
She needed to feel as if she was doing something. Anything.
Getting out of her car, she locked it again, then walked slowly toward the school. The
evening was eerily quiet. The sound of her heels hitting the concrete reverberated back to
her, adding to the surreal atmosphere.
There was yellow police tape draped across the front entrance. She debated ducking
under it, then decided to use the side door.
The way the kidnapper probably had, she reasoned. Except that Brenda had a key.
"Hang on, Annie," she whispered to the night air. "We'll have you home soon."
She refused to believe anything else.
"What are you doing here?"
Brenda shrieked as she spun around. She nearly jumped out of her chair and wound up
hitting her knee against the side of the desk. Nerves vibrated throughout her entire body
as she pressed a hand to her hammering heart. Her throbbing knee would have to wait.
As far as she'd known, the building was empty.
She stared at Dax in the doorway.
"That's some scream you have there," Dax commented as he approached her. He nodded
toward her leg. "Your knee okay?"
It throbbed, and there would probably be a bruise, but that was of no consequence. She
shrugged carelessly.
"I'll be fine."As soon as my heart stops pounding.It didn't seem to be an appropriate
comment to share with the good-looking detective at the moment.
What was she doing here, he wondered.Wasshe more deeply involved than he'd thought?
"There's yellow tape on the outside of the doors," he pointed out.
"Yes, I know."
He noticed the tape hadn't been touched. She'd probably used the side entrance. "That
means it's a crime scene."
She knew that, too. But this was the only place she could think of that had the proper
tools she needed in order to work up the flyers with Annie's picture.
Sitting at the state-of-the-art-computer, she indicated the printer. There was a stack of
colored flyers beside it. "I wanted to print up flyers to distribute around the area. The
school has the best program for that sort of thing."
"You have a photograph of Annie?"
"I always take photographs of my class during the school year. I like to keep albums."
She didn't add that having photographs of the various children and tracing their progress
over the school year helped to give her the sense of family she so sorely lacked in her own
life.
Dax picked up one of the flyers she'd run off from the industrial-sized printer. It looked
very professional. "I'm impressed."
She thought he was referring to the equipment. "Mr. Harwood feels that the students
deserve nothing but the best at the school."
"No, I meant by the flyer." He put it back on top of the pile. "Nice work."
She shrugged. "It's not hard when you know how."
He wouldn't have thought that a woman who looked the way she did would be so self-
deprecating. Every time he gave her a compliment, she discounted it.
Having replenished the paper just before he'd entered the room, Brenda pressed the
print button again. "What are you doing here?"
"I was driving by, I saw the light." In actuality, he'd come by to see if she'd picked up her car yet. Seeing a light in the second-story window had made him
"I can follow you home,"Danversoffered as she unlocked her car.
She shook her head. "I'll be fine," she assured him. Brenda got into the driver's seat. She thought of the scene they'd just left behind. "I think your partner might need help with
Mrs. Tyler, though. You'd better get back there."
Danverssighed, looking none too happy. "Right."
As he drove off, she turned her key in the ignition. But as she began to drive out of the
lot, she changed her mind. Making aU-turnthat brought her right back to where she'd
parked, she turned off the engine.
The night promised to be a very long one. She sincerely doubted she was going to get any
sleep. If she was going to remain awake, she might as well put the time to good use.
She needed to feel as if she was doing something. Anything.
Getting out of her car, she locked it again, then walked slowly toward the school. The
evening was eerily quiet. The sound of her heels hitting the concrete reverberated back to
her, adding to the surreal atmosphere.
There was yellow police tape draped across the front entrance. She debated ducking
under it, then decided to use the side door.
The way the kidnapper probably had, she reasoned. Except that Brenda had a key.
"Hang on, Annie," she whispered to the night air. "We'll have you home soon."
She refused to believe anything else.
"What are you doing here?"
Brenda shrieked as she spun around. She nearly jumped out of her chair and wound up
hitting her knee against the side of the desk. Nerves vibrated throughout her entire body
as she pressed a hand to her hammering heart. Her throbbing knee would have to wait.
As far as she'd known, the building was empty.
She stared at Dax in the doorway.
"That's some scream you have there," Dax commented as he approached her. He nodded
toward her leg. "Your knee okay?"
It throbbed, and there would probably be a bruise, but that was of no consequence. She
shrugged carelessly.
"I'll be fine."As soon as my heart stops pounding.It didn't seem to be an appropriate
comment to share with the good-looking detective at the moment.
What was she doing here, he wondered.Wasshe more deeply involved than he'd thought?
"There's yellow tape on the outside of the doors," he pointed out.
"Yes, I know."
He noticed the tape hadn't been touched. She'd probably used the side entrance. "That
means it's a crime scene."
She knew that, too. But this was the only place she could think of that had the proper
tools she needed in order to work up the flyers with Annie's picture.
Sitting at the state-of-the-art-computer, she indicated the printer. There was a stack of
colored flyers beside it. "I wanted to print up flyers to distribute around the area. The
school has the best program for that sort of thing."
"You have a photograph of Annie?"
"I always take photographs of my class during the school year. I like to keep albums."
She didn't add that having photographs of the various children and tracing their progress
over the school year helped to give her the sense of family she so sorely lacked in her own
life.
Dax picked up one of the flyers she'd run off from the industrial-sized printer. It looked
very professional. "I'm impressed."
She thought he was referring to the equipment. "Mr. Harwood feels that the students
deserve nothing but the best at the school."
"No, I meant by the flyer." He put it back on top of the pile. "Nice work."
She shrugged. "It's not hard when you know how."
He wouldn't have thought that a woman who looked the way she did would be so self-
deprecating. Every time he gave her a compliment, she discounted it.
Having replenished the paper just before he'd entered the room, Brenda pressed the
print button again. "What are you doing here?"
"I was driving by, I saw the light." In actuality, he'd come by to see if she'd picked up her car yet. Seeing a light in the second-story window had made him
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