Nowhere to Run by Valerie Hansen Page B

Shop baseball cap and was standing on the inside of the open truck door as if shielding Patty from whatever nemesis might lurk nearby.
    â€œI left the booster seat, as you can see,” Seth said.
    â€œI noticed. What I should do is retrieve more of our things from my car so we have them in our room.”
    â€œI really don’t have much time right now. Suppose I help you do that this evening, after work?”
    â€œYou don’t have to,” Marie insisted.
    â€œI know I don’t.”
    â€œThen why are you offering?” she asked, frowning and staring at him.
    Letting himself grin, Seth shrugged as nonchalantly as possible. “Beats me. Guess I have a soft spot for Babe’s buddies. She’s always been able to sort out the good guys from the bad guys, and I trust her judgment.”
    When Marie suddenly looked away as if unwilling or unable to honestly meet his gaze, Seth was disappointed. That was not the reaction of an innocent person. If she wouldn’t talk to him about her problems, he’d have to probe deeper via his computer. His conscience insisted.
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    There was a red alert flashing on one of the Corp. Inc. computer screens when section leader Eccles returned from a coffee break. He snorted. “Well, well, well. It’s about time you made a little noise. Now, let’s see what you’ve been up to, buddy boy.”
    His fingers flew over the keys. He began to scowl as he realized it wasn’t going to be easy to trace the source of the contact. Seth was evidently smarter than anyone had given him credit for. That figured. After all, he had been the only investigator who had managed to make sense of the inside information that had nearly exposed the entire corporate espionage operation. And for that, Seth had been expertly framed. Why he hadn’t stuck around to try to clear his name was the only puzzling thing. Then again, his disappearance had kept him alive.
    But now—now they were finally getting somewhere. “I’ll find you,” Eccles grumbled. “Maybe not this time, but I will figure out where you went. And when I do, I’ll see that you pay for all the trouble you’ve caused me.”
    He glanced over his shoulder as another agent joined him. “Look who just popped up on my screen. Our old pal Seth.”
    â€œYou’re kidding.”
    â€œNo, not a bit. He did a good job of routing his connection to hide his tracks, but I’m going to put McCormick on his trail.”
    â€œDo you think Mac can trace this back to its source?”
    â€œIf his new software is as good as he claims it is, yes,” Eccles said. “He tells me it’s only a matter of catching the connection while it’s active and then hacking into the proxy server systems, one after the other.”
    â€œWhoa. If we do find Seth, he can cause plenty of trouble for us.”
    â€œWho said anything about bringing him in? He’s a wife-killer, remember? He’s sure to resist arrest and that can be fatal.”
    â€œI don’t know if I like that idea. He was always a pretty decent guy.”
    â€œThat was his trouble,” Eccles answered. “He was far too honest for this job. And in the end, his high-and-mighty principles are bound to get him killed.”
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    Serenity Chapel sat near the crest of a ridge, where it could be readily viewed from the road below. It was a large, gray stone edifice backed by the dark green of the forested hills, which made it stand out even more.
    Marie was taken aback as they approached. “Oh, my. It’s so big. ”
    â€œJust like the hearts of the people inside,” Seth answered. “You’ll see. Don’t let the imposing building put you off.”
    He parked next to a side door, out of sight of the street, patted Babe on the head and told her to stay as he passed the bed of the truck, then opened the passenger door for Marie and Patty.
    â€œMaybe this isn’t