Double Cross

Chapter 110

I LOOKED AT MY CALLER ID. “Probably the kids,” I told Bree, and picked up. “Hello from Big Sky Country!” I said.

Instead, I heard, “Alex, it’s me. It’s Nana.”

The tension in Nana’s voice created waves of dread that traveled up and down my spine. “What’s going on? The kids okay?” I asked automatically. “Damon?”

“The children are fine. It’s -” She let out a quavering sigh. “It’s Sampson, Alex. John has gone missing. No one’s heard from him all day.”

The words hit me like icy water. I’d been half expecting the kids’ cheerful voices when I answered. Hi, Daddy. When are you coming home? Will you bring me something?

But instead, it was this.

“Alex, are you there?”

“I’m here.” The scene around me came back into focus. Bree was watching intently, wondering what was going on. Then her cell went off, and she took the call.

I had a feeling that we were hearing the same story, just from different sources.

“Davies,” Bree mouthed. The superintendent of detectives was on her line. “Yes, sir, I’m listening.”

“Nana, hold for a second,” I said.

“Sampson went to the gym around lunchtime.” Bree gave me a running commentary on her call from Davies. “They just found his car. But not him. They found some blood in the car, Alex.”

“He’s alive,” I told her. “If he was dead, we’d have heard from DCAK already. He’s going to want an audience again.”