The Ransom by Chris Taylor Page B

could have had anything to do with Olivia’s disappearance?”
    Her father stopped writing on the notepad in front of him and gave her his full attention.
    “Why would you say that?”
    Zara broke the eye contact, suddenly filled with uncertainty. “I don’t know. They were dressed in much the same way and seemed so…so menacing.”
    With a nod of understanding, her father resumed writing. “I told you. They’re police officers. They’ve been working undercover for a long time. Sometimes the lines get blurred and they forget who they really are.”
    He glanced up at her and grimaced. “It’s a danger our undercover operatives constantly face and one we keep a close eye on. It makes them really good at their job, but the change can wreak havoc on their families.”
    Zara digested his explanation. It made sense—kind of—but something was still a little off. She continued to juggle the paperweight in her hands. Her father looked up at her again, an eyebrow raised in query. “Is there anything else?”
    She drew in a deep breath and released it in a rush, needing to ask the question before she lost her courage. “If that’s the case… If they were really undercover officers…why did they scare you?”
    His eyes widened in surprise and then he laughed. “Don’t be silly, darling. Of course they didn’t. I’ve known those men for years.”
    “But—”
    He came around the desk and pulled her to her feet. Putting his arms around her, he gave her an indulgent hug and pressed a kiss to her forehead.
    “Thank you for caring about me, darling, but you have enough to worry about. Don’t look for issues where there are none.”
    Releasing her, he stepped away. “Go on up and check on Brittany. I have a few things to do down here and I don’t want our baby girl waking up and finding herself alone.”
    “Of course.” Turning, Zara left the room. If she hadn’t seen firsthand how much the men had frightened him, she would have been inclined to believe his explanation. Although it was unusual for officers to come to their home, it wasn’t unheard of. She wished she could simply accept his explanation and forget about it. Perhaps, at the time, she’d imagined the fear she’d seen in his eyes? Perhaps, as he suggested, she was finding issues where there were none?
    With a sigh, she headed up the stairs, hoping his reassurances would settle her concerns, but more than a little disturbed that they might not.
    * * *
    Lane scrolled through the entries on the computer screen in front of him. He glanced at the clock on the squad room wall and cursed. Another hour had passed since Olivia Munro had disappeared.
    Although the security camera footage had identified a man who generally fit Brittany’s description, the angle had been wrong and the camera too far away to make a positive identification viable.
    There were still a number of general duty officers canvassing shoppers in the mall, but so far, they hadn’t turned up a credible witness. Lane had reported back to his boss about Dowton’s threatening phone call, but they still didn’t have enough evidence to indicate his daughter was the target. So far, Lane’s team was dealing with the matter on their own.
    “What did you find?”
    Looking up, Lane spied Jett walking toward him from the direction of the tea room, a cup of steaming coffee in each hand. Setting one on Lane’s desk, he propped a hip on the adjoining desk and took a sip out of his cup.
    “Thanks, mate,” Lane murmured, sliding his coffee toward him and taking a grateful sip.
    “Thought you could do with some caffeine. So, what’s happening?”
    Lane grimaced. “Not much. The officers at the mall still haven’t come up with anything. I’ve run the tattoo through the database. It’s come up with five hits.” He grimaced. “It would be asking for too much to have just one.”
    “I think the redback spider image is pretty common, as far as tattoos go. I’m surprised that’s all you