Buch lesen: «The Cradle Conspiracy»

ONE

Sienna Thompson lay in bed, trying to get to sleep.

But she couldn’t rest. She hadn’t been able to get any shut-eye for the past two days.

How could she sleep knowing that something terrible might have happened to her friend Anita? Little two-year-old Colby’s life would never be the same if something happened to his mama.

So why couldn’t Sienna get in touch with the woman?

Anita was supposed to pick up Colby on Monday. Today was Wednesday, and Sienna had heard nothing from the boy’s mom. An ominous feeling churned in her gut, and she tried to push away the worst-case scenarios that flooded her mind.

A car accident? Medical emergency? Had she been the victim of some kind of crime?

Maybe the answer was simpler. Maybe Anita was just irresponsible. Maybe she’d lost track of time. Or maybe it was just as simple as Sienna misunderstanding her.

As Sienna turned over in bed, a sound at the other side of the house caught her ear.

What was that noise? She hoped Colby hadn’t somehow gotten out of his crib.

Sienna threw her legs out of bed and tugged a sweatshirt on over her T-shirt and yoga pants. With quick—but quiet—steps, she hurried into the hallway and paused, waiting to listen.

There was the noise again. It almost sounded like a scratch—and a grating one, at that.

Concern began to rise in her.

She rushed across the hallway toward her guest room, where Colby had been sleeping soundly only thirty minutes ago when Sienna had put him down.

She cracked his door open and saw the boy still in the crib, his chest rising and falling peacefully. Pausing for a second, Sienna could hear the sweet, reassuring sound of him breathing.

Sienna released the air from her lungs. The boy was asleep still. And he was okay.

So what had that noise been? Just a scratch in the night? Maybe a critter beneath her house? That had happened a couple years ago, and an exterminator had discovered a stray cat in her crawl space.

Sienna wasn’t normally given to paranoia, but the hair on her arms seemed to rise with each second that ticked past. Her gut told her that was no cat. No, the noise sounded too close. Too loud. Too consistent.

Swallowing her anxiety, Sienna grabbed the only potential weapon she could find—a rolling pin. It was also known as Colby’s new favorite toy. She’d left it on the hallway table, telling herself she’d put it away in the morning when she wasn’t so exhausted. Being the only caregiver of an active two-year-old was more exhausting than she would have guessed.

Carefully, Sienna crept down the hallway. Her senses were on hyperdrive as she listened again for some signal to confirm her gut instinct that something was wrong.

All she heard was silence.

She tiptoed into her living room and froze.

The window above an armchair was open, and a cool summer breeze slithered inside. Sienna wouldn’t have left it open. She never slept with the windows cracked—not as a single lady.

She stepped into the shadow of her hallway where the effervescent moonlight couldn’t reach her and scanned her surroundings.

Something or someone had opened that window.

She needed to figure out what or who, and she needed to figure it out quickly.

Something moved near the wall across the room.

A figure.

In her house.

Creeping toward her.

Sienna swallowed a scream. She didn’t want to awaken Colby and upset him—even if every instinct in her wanted to panic. No, she had to keep a cool head for Colby’s sake.

Her limbs trembled as she slunk back down the hallway toward Colby’s room.

Just as she reached his door, she looked back. The dark figure appeared at the end of the hallway. He wore a black ski mask. But Sienna could still see the reflection of his eyes as his gaze hit her.

Something about the gleam confirmed that this man was no good. He was dangerous. And he was coming for her.

Please, God. Help us!

She sucked in a breath and darted into Colby’s room. Her hands shook as she grabbed the lock. She had to twist the mechanism in place before the man got here. Before he got them. Yet nothing cooperated.

No, no, no!

Finally, Sienna’s fingers got the grip they needed, and the lock turned in place.

Thank You, Lord.

But Sienna knew the flimsy metal barrier wouldn’t last long. She’d picked locks like these as a child, using only a bobby pin, while pretending she was a spy. The memory didn’t comfort her now.

Turning, she glanced around, searching for something—anything—that would protect them. There was nothing but a lamp, a dresser, a twin-size bed and a portable crib.

Her heart raced. Why hadn’t she grabbed her phone?

Sienna hadn’t thought she would need it. Worst-case scenario, she’d thought she’d have to rock Colby back to sleep. Never had she imagined this.

The dresser, she realized. She needed to move it in front of the door. It was wooden, solid and heavy and could serve as a blockade.

Without thinking about it more, Sienna shoved her hip against it. Slowly, the furniture scooted across the wooden floor.

As she inched it forward, the doorknob rattled. Not just rattled. Rattled furiously. Unrelentingly.

She sucked in a quick breath of air.

The man on the other side wanted in. Why couldn’t he just take whatever he wanted and leave? Not that Sienna had much in terms of material possessions. In fact, she hardly had anything. No money. No jewelry. Nothing of true value.

That was when the truth hit Sienna.

He must want her. Or Colby.

Her lungs tightened.

No, no, no... Neither of those options was acceptable. Especially not Colby.

The sound of the man ramming against the door filled the earlier quiet.

Scarier still, the man himself remained silent—chillingly silent. He hadn’t said a word, yet his actions said plenty. It was the kind of quiet that made Sienna’s mind fill in the gaps with terrible yet unverified truths.

Sienna found a burst of strength and shoved the dresser the rest of the way in front of the door—and just in time.

The door frame began to split.

She swung her head toward the crib. The noises were waking Colby.

It was just as well. The two of them needed to get out of here.

Now.

The window, Sienna realized. It was the only way out. Her only solution and means of escape. But she had to move quickly.

At least her house was only one story. If she climbed outside with Colby, the landing shouldn’t be too bad. She could protect the baby when they hit the grass below.

The door frame cracked again, sending another pulse of fear through her.

She scooped Colby up in her arms and rushed toward the window, where a dark summer sky stared back.

She kissed the top of Colby’s soft head, praying he wouldn’t feel her terror and feed off it.

The door frame cracked again, and the dresser moved a couple of inches. The intruder was almost inside.

Sienna bit back a scream, unlatched the window and thrust it up just as the man shoved the dresser out of the way. He burst into the room, his gun pointed right at Sienna.

Her life and all her unfulfilled dreams flashed before her eyes. But even more, she pictured Colby’s future. He deserved a future, and no one was going to take that away.

* * *

Devin Matthews blinked, wondering if he’d started to fall asleep on his back deck. The full moon shone around him, illuminating the suburban neighborhood more than usual. But the shadows within the moonlight made him tense.

There was no wind out here tonight. Not even a breeze. So what was that movement in his neighbor’s backyard?

It could be a raccoon or a fox, he supposed. Or maybe his neighbor had taken some trash out. He’d never seen the woman as a night owl, and it was already almost midnight.

His restlessness was a complication of not being able to sleep. It didn’t matter how cold or hot it was outside, Devin often found himself on his back deck, staring at the stars, and thinking about life until the wee hours of the morning.

These times were his solitude—and possibly his undoing. Devin had to get back into a schedule. He had to return to the land of the living. But doing so was much harder than he’d ever anticipated. Grief always remained at a close enough distance that his life felt stuck at a standstill.

He’d taken a two-month leave of absence from the FBI in order to get himself straight. The way it was looking, it might take more than two months. In fact, maybe he should look for another job, one that didn’t remind him so much of the tragedies of his past.

He glanced at his neighbor’s place again. Devin wasn’t trying to be nosy. But his deck happened to be high enough that he could see the woman’s patio and back door.

And he’d thought he saw a shadow moving there again.

He waited. Listened. Stood for a better look.

All was silent—at least it was from where he had positioned himself.

Devin knew his neighbor was single, but he tried to not talk to anyone unless necessary. He’d moved here a year ago, and Sienna Thompson had moved in six months later. The two had briefly met when she’d come over to introduce herself, but all it had taken was one encounter, and she hadn’t bothered to try and get to know him again.

And that was fine because Devin wasn’t interested in having a social life—not in the least. He was ready for a clean slate. A new start. By himself.

But he hadn’t been able to avoid noticing that Sienna seemed like the iconic girl next door.

The woman was happy. Cheerful. Friendly. Not to mention nice to look at it in a sweet, modest way.

Except for the past week—the woman had had a baby with her. Out of the blue.

Why was that? Was the baby a nephew? Had she adopted?

Devin, you’re just seeing things where there isn’t anything. You’re used to crime being around every corner when it’s not. This neighborhood is safe.

He ran a hand over his face, trying to clear his thoughts.

No sooner had he done so than a scream cut through the air.

Devin’s mind wasn’t playing tricks on him after all. Someone was in trouble.

He sprinted across the lawn. When he got a better look at Sienna’s house, he sucked in a breath. A window was open and someone hung out.

Sienna.

She screamed again, and his heart surged. He had to help. Now.

“Take him!” she yelled.

The next thing he knew, Sienna thrust the baby out the window. The boy screamed and kicked—obviously frightened. A shadow moved behind her.

Devin darted toward her and took the boy from her outstretched arms. He started to reach for Sienna, too, when someone jerked her back inside. More shouting sounded. A scream. A crack.

His pulse thrummed harder.

Devin couldn’t simply set this child down and expect him to be safe. His gut twisted as he briefly considered his options. The child or Sienna. He didn’t have time to ponder them too long.

Both, he decided.

He darted across the street, suddenly wishing he had been more social. He pounded on the Wilsons’ door. Finally the sixtysomething woman answered, her gaze hazy with sleep. Her eyes widened quickly when she saw Devin.

“Can I help you?” The retired woman pulled her housecoat tighter.

He placed the baby in her arms—no time for formalities. “Watch him. Lock your doors. Call the police. Understand?”

She opened her mouth as if to ask questions, but instead muttered in a shaky voice, “Okay.”

Devin didn’t have time to expound or be polite. Not now.

No, he had to move before Sienna ended up with a bullet through her heart.

He rushed across the street just in time to hear another scream and a man’s voice raging, “Why did you have to do that?”

He reached the front door and tried the knob. It was locked. Of course.

Using all his strength, Devin jammed his shoulder into the wood. Nothing happened on the first try. He did it again and again and again until finally the wood cracked. Cracked some more. Cracked enough that he was able to dart into the house and toward the room where he heard Sienna screaming.

He stopped in his tracks when he saw a gunman standing there. His weapon pressed against Sienna’s head.

“Make another move, and she dies,” the man growled.

Sienna cried out, her eyes wide and brimming with a fear so big Devin could see it even in the darkness.

“You don’t have to do this.” Devin paused, knowing he needed to tread carefully. Wishing he’d had time to grab his gun.

“Where’s the boy?” the man demanded.

“He’s somewhere safe.” Devin wasn’t about to give up the child’s location.

“I’ll only let her go if I get the boy back. Your choice.” The man jerked Sienna closer, gun to her head still. She let out another cry, her terror palpable in the small space.

“You’re not getting your hands on that child,” Devin said. “And you’re not going to go anywhere with Sienna, either.”

The gunman chuckled. “You’re not the one calling the shots right now.”

Sirens sounded in the distance, and the gunman straightened.

He’d heard them, too. Was rethinking his strategy. Hopefully realizing there was no way out.

Devin prayed this situation wouldn’t escalate.

“This isn’t over,” the man muttered.

With one last glare, the intruder shoved Sienna into Devin’s arms and darted out the window.

Devin grasped Sienna’s shoulders, pulling her back until he saw her face. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, though barely. “Colby...”

“He’s safe. At the neighbors’. Now I need to go after this guy.”

Sienna didn’t argue.

Devin slipped around her and darted out the window after the gunman. Before he could reach the man’s fleeing figure, a car pulled up. The man jumped inside.

And he was gone.

But not before Devin memorized the license plate.