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Man on a mission

The alarm was louder inside the building. Its shriek blared through his head and lodged somewhere in the fillings of his back teeth. He took the hall leading to the office where he’d last spotted Megan.

If an intruder had set off the alarm, he had no time to lose. Police would arrive eventually, but with the weather, he couldn’t be sure how soon.

He checked around the corner before stepping into the next hall. What he wouldn’t give to have his gun. Armed with only a tire iron, he didn’t relish running into whomever set off the alarm. The tool was heavy enough to do some damage, but even so, it would be worthless against even a twenty-two. He had to find Megan. He had to get her the hell out of here.

A Cop in Her Stocking
Ann Voss Peterson

www.millsandboon.co.uk

To Officer Greg Dixon and the Middleton Police Department with special thanks for all you do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ever since she was a little girl making her own books out of construction paper, Ann Voss Peterson wanted to write. So when it came time to choose a major at the University of Wisconsin, creative writing was her only choice. Of course, writing wasn’t a practical choice—one needs to earn a living. So Ann found jobs, including proofreading legal transcripts, working with quarter horses and washing windows. But no matter how she earned her paycheck, she continued to write the type of stories that captured her heart and imagination—romantic suspense. Ann lives near Madison, Wisconsin, with her husband, her two young sons, her border collie and her quarter horse mare. Ann loves to hear from readers. E-mail her at ann@annvosspeterson.com or visit her Web site at www.annvosspeterson.com.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Tyler Davis—When his old flame returns to town, small-town cop Ty Davis offers to take her son on a Shop with a Cop outing, hoping to give her and her child a merry Christmas. But when the boy disappears in the mall, Ty needs a Christmas miracle of his own.

Megan Garvey—After weathering scandal and divorce, Megan has learned nothing is as it seems. But Ty’s loyalty and determination to help her make her want to believe in Santa Claus.

Connor Burke—The three-year-old disappeared in the shopping mall. Will he be home for Christmas?

Doug Burke—Megan’s ex-husband is always looking for the easy way out. But when his son goes missing, nothing is easy.

Leo Wheeling—The lieutenant is efficient and on top of things, so why are there so many loose ends in this case?

Todd Baker—The detective has a family of his own, so surely he’ll do whatever he can to find Megan’s son.

Derek Ernst—The security guard knows all about finding lost children.

Evan Blankenship—The small-town mayor is very helpful. But are his motives rooted in politics or in a secret desire for Megan?

Mr. Keating—The owner of a local security company holds the keys to a lot of doors.

Gary Burke—Is Doug’s cousin trying to help Megan out or make things more difficult for her?

Samantha Vickery—What is the woman after?

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Epilogue

Chapter One

Try as he might, Tyler Davis was not what anyone would call an expert gift shopper. And if anyone on this snow-covered earth needed proof, here it was, wrapped up in Christmas paper and tied with a big-ass bow.

He tried to tune out the jangle of department store Christmas music and warring scents from the army of perfume pushers and focus on the pair of oversized slippers that resembled a dog’s paws clutched in the three-year-old’s hands. Even with his deep-seated shopping deficiency, Ty had doubts whether this was the way to go. “You’re sure she’s going to like those?”

Connor nodded, his tousled red hair flopping over one side of his forehead.

Ty raked his hand through his own cropped, spiky hair. If this was any other kid he’d taken Christmas shopping as part of his small city police department’s Shop with a Cop program, he’d find the choice funny. He might even encourage the kid, just for a chuckle. But Megan had been through a lot. And the whole reason he insisted on taking Connor out shopping—secretly on his own dime, since the department’s official Shop with a Cop program was already over—was to give Megan a good experience for a change. “I don’t know, Connor. Moms usually like things that make them look…I don’t know…pretty. Not like a dog.”

The inside corners of Connor’s eyes reddened. His lips pulled together into what was fast becoming a pout and could any minute cross the line into crying.

Oh, hell.

He must be out of his mind to take his old flame’s son shopping. And when he thought about the world of hurt he’d be in if the chief found out he had misrepresented this as an official department program, he knew he’d crossed to the far side of crazy. It was just that when he’d heard how Meg’s ex had dragged her through the shredder and seen the dumpy apartment the smartest girl in his high school class was now living in, he’d wanted to do something for her. She couldn’t afford a nice Christmas for herself and her young son, but he could. And she never had to know where the money came from.

And besides, it gave him an excuse to see her again.

Of course, he hadn’t considered that the success of his brilliant plan all hinged on a three-year-old’s taste.

He pulled in a deep breath of patience and let it out slowly. The last thing he wanted was to make the kid cry. Now that would really impress Megan, returning with a tear-sodden little boy who could tell her all about what a jerk Officer Ty was. Not that she didn’t know that already.

He picked up the slippers and pretended to examine them, turning them over in his hands. “Oh, look here. They’re slippers. I didn’t realize that. Well, that changes everything. You’re right, man. Your mom will love these.” He eyed the kid, hoping Connor wouldn’t pick up a false note in his voice.

Big green eyes flicked up to his face. A twitch settled over the little lips, not exactly a smile, but something less than a pout.

Crisis mitigated.

Ty handed the fuzzy things back to Connor along with a grin. So Megan would be wearing dog paw slippers this winter. Interesting. “What next? Can you think of something else your mom might like?”

Connor shook his head.

“Should we look around?” His arms were already weighed down with Legos, books and a Hot Wheels set for the kid. But he couldn’t leave the mall with nothing but a pair of dog slippers for Megan. He had to find something nice.

He did a 360, gaze skimming over the clothing racks and colorful Christmas displays in the mall department store. His eyes fixed on racks of lacy bras and thongs in the lingerie department nearby.

Hmm. Now he could much more easily picture Megan wearing something in satin or lace. If he hadn’t given up his right to play Santa—officially—that’s what she would find in her stocking come Christmas morning.

He stepped a little closer. Images of Christmases—back when they were dating in high school and college—danced through his mind like some kind of damn sugar plums. He could imagine what it would be like now. A quiet Christmas Eve, sitting in front of the fire running his fingers through Megan’s silky auburn hair. He’d choose something like that black number with the lace that was cut down to there. Or maybe the teddy on the mannequin, green to go with her eyes. Yeah, that was the one. He could imagine her filling it out.

And right after that, he could imagine taking it off.

He shook his head, trying to remove the thought, but he had little luck with that. Seeing her this morning when he’d picked up Connor had been like the return of a delicious dream after five sleepless years. She’d been nervous about taking him up on the shopping offer, he could tell, even without knowing the money was actually coming from him. But when Connor had started jabbering about reindeer and presents and stockings filled to bursting on Christmas morning, the loving smile that had transformed her face had left Ty feeling like Santa himself.

After that, he hadn’t stood a chance.

The cloying clash of perfumes in the department store had only reminded him of how good and pure she’d always smelled. The taste of the soft pretzel he’d forced on Connor in the food court had only made him think of how often he and Megan had pooled their change to buy one at the convenience store after school. And each memory brought back thoughts of the cold lump that had formed in his gut when he’d come home from the police academy one weekend and learned she was planning to marry—of all people—Doug Burke.

Oh, hell.

He had to get his focus back on shopping. He was with her kid, for God’s sake. He needed to focus on taking Connor “Shopping with a Cop,” not on his personal history with the boy’s mother.

Getting the hell away from the lingerie section would be a good first step.

“Let me guess, you’re looking for a gift for someone.”

The voice came from over his left shoulder. He glanced down to see a woman wearing too much eyeliner smiling at him as if he was the most fascinating man in the world.

He didn’t buy it. “Thanks, but I need to get back—”

“It’s not a problem. My friends call me the Giftinator.” She giggled, the bubbly sound more suitable coming from a fifteen-year-old girl than a grown woman. “Get it? Like The Terminator?”

“Funny.” He forced a smile. In other circumstances, he might have a little fun joking around, maybe even flirting. But today, it didn’t feel…right. “I hate to be rude, but I—”

“Then don’t be. Let me help. I’m seriously good at the whole Christmas present thing. I should get a job in a store. Or maybe start my own business as a personal shopper. Not that I could do something like that in a town with only one decent mall. But I really think shopping is my true calling.”

Rude or not, Ty glanced back toward the pajamas, stockings and fuzzy footwear. Dog-paw slippers lay on the waxed tile floor. A woman pored over a rack of flannel drawstring pants. A tinny version of “Silver Bells” tinkled in the air.

Great. He’d only been ten or fifteen feet from Connor, but that was enough for the boy to feel like he could wander away. Ty couldn’t blame him. He’d probably gotten bored waiting for Ty to quit talking…well, listening would be more accurate.

He gave the woman a cursory glance and a mumbled excuse me, and strode back to the slipper rack. “Connor?” His gaze landed on a family of four over in the shoe department, an older couple shopping for jewelry and a woman parked at the makeup counter wearing a sweater covered in Christmas trees. No little boy with tousled red hair.

His breath stuttered in his chest. “Connor?”

Nothing.

He bolted across the aisle and circled the rack of slippers. The kid had to be here somewhere. Didn’t he?

The aisle behind the rack was vacant.

“Connor?” He let his voice boom this time. Maybe he was off looking at something for Megan, or playing with another kid. Ty did another scan of the store. The woman who had tried to monopolize his attention was gone. He spotted nothing but lingerie, women’s pajamas and formal dresses tucked far in the corner.

“Did you lose someone?” The woman absorbed in flannel pj’s gave him a sympathetic, if slightly amused, smile.

Ty was not finding this amusing in the least. “Little boy. Three years old. Red hair. Have you seen him?”

“No. But maybe he’s hiding in one of those circular clothing racks. My kids always liked to do that at a certain age.”

Hiding. Great. Ty strode to the pajamas and peered inside the ring of clothing. Nothing. He moved from rack to rack; all of them in the area were empty. “Connor? Connor Burke? You need to come out right now.”

Nothing. No answer. No movement. No boy.

He grabbed for his cell phone and flagged down a store employee. It was time to call for backup. Store security, shoppers, the entire Lake Hubbard police department, the damn FBI. Whatever it took. He had to find Connor, and he had to find him now.

Chapter Two

The cramped little office tucked into a corner of the department store’s upper level smelled sharp with body odor and stress. Ty could only guess that most of it was coming from him, but the mall security guy hunching over the computer that collected the feeds from the store’s security cameras seemed awfully fragrant, as well.

Ty jammed in beside his lieutenant, Leo Wheeling, and held his breath while the security dude flipped through each of the store’s video cameras. “Can’t tell you how many kids I help track down every month.”

“That so?” Leo said, focused on the screen. “You work a lot…”

“Derek.”

“You working a lot lately, Derek?”

“Sure am. This time of year is even busier than tourist season. Just this weekend, in fact, I returned two different kids to their mothers.” He puffed out his polyester-clad chest just a little and pushed his glasses back up his nose. “This one? He probably just ran off. They usually do. Get bored or whatnot and want to find some toys to look at.”

“Sounds like you have a lot of experience.” Leo sounded a bit bored and whatnot himself, yet somehow he still managed to be polite.

At this point, Ty had sworn off politeness for the rest of his life. He just wanted the guy to shut the hell up. He was about to share that sentiment when the lingerie department flashed on the screen. “That’s it. That’s the camera. That’s where I last saw Connor.”

Leo glanced at him, his bushy blond eyebrows pulling low. “You took the kid shopping for bras?”

“Slippers.” Ty pointed to the image of the slipper rack beyond the lacy under things. “He wanted to buy his mom dog paw slippers.”

The security man squinted up at him through coke-bottle lenses. “How long you want to go back?”

Ty glanced at his watch. “Almost a half hour.” He couldn’t believe that much time had already passed. They had locked down the store right away. But even though patrol officers and store security personnel were all combing the area, they hadn’t found a single sign of Connor. In those precious minutes that Ty was being polite to a stranger, Connor had seemingly vanished. He prayed the video would give them an idea of where the boy had gone.

He forced himself to concentrate on the speeding images moving in reverse on the screen, not on what might have happened to Megan’s son. He spotted himself, racing around the area backward, peeking in the circular clothing racks, talking to the woman holding flannel. And there he was, peering at the lingerie, listening politely to the woman who called herself the Giftinator, barely visible on the screen. And then…

The angle wasn’t great, the camera was too far from the slipper rack to show much detail, but what he did see sent a chill down his spine. A man in a shapeless coat and hood. Then the man was gone, and Connor was there, clutching those dog paw slippers. “That’s it. Stop.”

The security tech stopped the reversing images.

“Okay. Play it.”

Ty held his breath and watched as the action went forward at normal speed. Him talking to Connor. Him drifting a few feet away to the lingerie, leaving the poor kid all alone. The figure in the shapeless coat stepping around the slipper rack, taking Connor’s hand and leading him to the exit nearby.

“Fifteen feet away. I was only fifteen feet away.” Yet he’d been so caught up in his memories of Megan, in his selfish fantasies, in being polite to that woman, he hadn’t even noticed the man in the parka. He hadn’t had a clue that Connor was gone.

Not until it was too late.

Leo leaned over the security system tech’s shoulder. “Can you save that section of the recording and get me images from the camera for that exit?” He pointed toward the one where the man in the parka and Connor had disappeared.

“Sure thing.”

“After you’re done with that, check prior footage for all the exits, starting with that one. He must have entered the store at some point. I want a face shot of him. Anything we can use to get an ID.”

The tech nodded and started tapping keys.

The lieutenant turned his laser gaze on Ty. “You know the ex-husband. Could this be him?”

Ty considered for a moment. “Hard to tell without a better view of his face. But the body type fits.” Or at least as much of it as he could see in the oversized parka.

Leo nodded. “Average height, average weight?”

“Like most of the male population.”

“It’s something. We need to have the mother take a look at whatever pictures we can get of this guy. Even if he isn’t the ex, she might know him. There’s a chance.”

A cramp seized Ty’s chest. He knew the odds of an abducted kid being found, and they weren’t good, especially if the abductor was a stranger. Either it happened right away, in the first forty-eight hours, or it wasn’t likely to end well.

This was his fault. All his fault.

Leo let out a sigh and clapped the security guy on the shoulder. “The moment you find any kind of a face shot, let me know.”

“I sure will.”

“I’m calling the feds’ CARD team to give them a heads-up. I want to be prepared, and if this isn’t the ex, we could use the help. And we need to be ready to issue an Amber Alert.”

Ty nodded. CARD stood for Child Abduction Rapid Deployment, one of ten teams of experts located across the nation. Each team member had extensive experience in crimes-against-children investigations, particularly cases where the abductor was not a family member, and Ty was glad to hear Leo wasn’t planning to mess around. The Lake Hubbard P.D. was awfully small to handle a case like this on their own. Even with help from the sheriff’s department, it would be nice to have the extra resources. “What do you want me to do?”

“Sorry, Ty. I want you to lay back a little on this. At least until I get the word on how the chief wants to proceed.”

Ty knew there would be consequences to pretending his shopping trip was an official police department program. On top of that, when the media found out about him losing Connor, the blowback would only get worse. But whatever happened, he didn’t care. All he could think about was that little boy. “You’ll need photos of Connor for the search and Amber Alert.”

“I’ll send Baker to notify the child’s mother and have her take a look at the images of this guy. He can ask her for pictures.”

Nothing against Baker. He was a good cop. But it wasn’t right that Megan hear about this from a stranger. “Can I do it?”

Leo gave him a frown, lines digging into his forehead, deep as trenches.

“You got to let me do it, Leo.”

“You really want to?”

Of course, he didn’t. Not one bit. “I have to.”

“All right. Go with Baker.”

“Thanks. I couldn’t live with myself if she heard it from someone other than me.” Truth was, he wasn’t sure he could live with himself even now.

WHEN THE DOOR BUZZER SOUNDED and Megan glanced out the window, she was expecting to see a police car in front of her building. She wasn’t ready for the tremor that seized her stomach and made her head swirl like she’d just climbed off a carnival ride.

It was so strange, seeing Ty again after all these years.

She pushed her hair back from her face and ran her fingers through the ends. Man, she was pitiful, but she couldn’t help it. She’d even put makeup on this morning before he’d stopped by to pick up her son. Not because she hoped for something between them. Any hope of that had fizzled out years ago, during that awful summer and in the fall afterward when Ty had left to attend a police academy in Madison.

Not that it mattered. She’d done marriage, and there wasn’t a chance she was gullible enough to try it again. But there was just something about the way Ty looked at her that made her want to show him the fabulous woman he’d lost all those years ago. Rub his face in it a bit. Silly, vain, and more than a little vengeful, she admitted, but there it was.

Much more important than old feelings between her and Ty was whether the shopping trip with Connor had gone well.

A stronger jitter gripped her stomach and climbed into her chest. Her little guy had been through so much with the divorce. And now that they’d left Chicago and moved back across the Wisconsin border to Lake Hubbard, she could tell he missed his dad. That was the reason she’d let Ty talk her into taking him on this outing when he’d told her there were leftover donations to the Shop with a Cop program. Connor needed some time with a man, and that was something she couldn’t provide. And this morning he’d been so excited…it was almost as if the opportunity was tailor-made.

But that didn’t mean she wasn’t nervous about it. She was nervous every time Connor was out of her sight. At least today he was with a police officer. She just hoped his experience was a positive one.

The outside buzzer blared again through her apartment.

Running her fingers through her hair a couple more times, she crossed the living room and hit the button unlocking the building’s main door, a low buzz humming through the halls.

She couldn’t wait to see Connor’s face. Please, let him be happy. She opened her apartment door and stepped out into the long corridor.

A man’s steps thunked up the stairs and echoed in the open stairwell and lobby below.

Leaving her door ajar, Megan started down the hall, hurriedly padding on stocking feet to meet the sound, eager to see her son’s face.

A blue-clad leg and black shoe crested the top step. Ty Davis stepped around the corner and into the hall.

She focused on Ty’s face, and for a moment, her heart felt like it fluttered, just like it had when she’d first laid eyes on him back in high school. Then it occurred to her that he didn’t look happy.

She glanced down the staircase. A cop in full uniform climbed the staircase behind him but no little boy. She hurried toward Ty. “Where’s Connor?”

His face appeared tighter the closer she came. Lines etched his forehead and cupped around the corners of his lips.

“Where’s Connor?” she repeated. Hadn’t he heard her? What was wrong with him? “Is he hurt?”

“We need to talk, Meg.” He cupped a hand under her elbow and steered her away from the stairs. “Let’s go back inside your apartment for a moment.”

Her breath seemed to clog her throat. Something had happened. That much was clear.

“Meg?”

Now was not the time to lose her head. She couldn’t let her mind race off in a panic…not until she knew what it was she faced. “Oh…okay.”

Without releasing her, he moved her hand into the crook of his arm and guided her back to her open door.

Possibilities whipped through her mind. Was Connor hurt? Had he tried to steal something? Had her mother wandered off from the nursing home? Or had she died, and Ty hadn’t wanted Connor here when he broke the news? She moved one foot in front of the other, reaching the apartment, stepping inside. She stopped and angled her body to face Ty. Her hands were shaking and she gripped them together to keep them still. “What happened?”

“I think you should sit down.”

Sit down? Like hell. “What happened?” Panic shrieked inside her, but her voice became quieter the louder her fear.

He paused, searching for words or still waiting for her to take a seat, she didn’t know.

Clearly something had happened. Something she hadn’t seen coming. Something she’d missed. “Tell me, Ty. Please.”

He gave a slow nod. “I’m so sorry, Megan.”

Her lungs contracted. She couldn’t breathe. “My mother?”

“It’s Connor. He was abducted from the store.”

She shook her head. It didn’t make sense. “But he was with you.”

He flinched ever so slightly, as if the statement caused him pain. “The entire department is looking for him. Store security, too. We’ll find him, Megan. We’re going to find him.”

“No. No.” She couldn’t stop shaking her head. She hadn’t seen this coming, all right. She hadn’t seen it, because it was impossible. “He was with you. This can’t happen.”

“I’m so sorry.”

She swayed. Her knees felt like they were going to buckle, but she willed herself to stand on her own. This couldn’t be happening. There had to be some kind of explanation. Some kind of sick joke. She waited for him to tell her that he was kidding, to take it all back, to…something, but she knew deep inside that something wasn’t going to come.

Her baby was gone.