You Can't Hide by Theresa Sneed (uplifting novels TXT) 📕

Sam Sr.’s had an extensive collection of license plates. His friend at the junkyard pulled them off vehicles and saved them for Sam’s dad, who intended at some point to use them to wallpaper his workshop.

She grabbed a screwdriver off a workbench, stuffed it in her pocket, and then hurried to the wooden bin, where he stored the plates.

“What are you doing?” Karen came up beside her. “We need to hurry.”

Shuffling through them, Elle found the one she was looking for—a Tennessee plate. She held it up to her bewildered friend to see. “They’ll be looking for a Maine plate.”

“True,” Karen said, staring at the plate.

The sound of tires crunching on the driveway startled them. “Oh, come on, not now.” Elle squeezed the plate tight. Whoever’d come to visit Sam’s parents would have to leave. “I’ll go tell them they’re not at home.” She stepped out of the barn. The car came to a stop, and the door opened.

She was not expecting to see who got out of the car. Todd McGuire stood before her, his eyes full of concern. “I’m so sorry,” he said, approaching her.

For a brief moment, she forgot what he’d done to Karen, and welcomed his embrace, rattling on about how horrible the accident was and how scared she was for Sally. Wait. She pulled away. “What are you doing here?”

He shifted his weight. “I, um.”

Her eyes narrowed. “How did you know about Sam and Sally? And how did you know where I was here?” She swept her arms out over the driveway.

“I saw it on the news at the airport in Bangor.”

She shook her head. “In Bangor?”

“Yes,” he said, with a nod. “The newsflash said Sam was at EMMC, and I knew you’d be there. I saw you and Karen leaving the hospital parking lot, so I followed you.” He glanced around, obviously looking for Karen. “I heard about Sally’s disappearance on the radio.” He shook his head. “I’m so sorry,” he repeated.

“Oh.” Elle let out a quick breath. “I, uh, thank you, Todd, but I’m going to find her.” She said it with firm determination.

He nodded. “I hope so.”

“Yes, well, I am.” She brushed at the side of her pants. “I can’t believe you came all the way from England to see Karen.” She felt uncomfortable. Todd had been a good friend, but what he’d done to Karen was horrible. “Look, she doesn’t want to see you. You really hurt her.”

Todd grimaced. “No, I didn’t.”

She poked him in the chest. “Yes, you did. She’s still not over you.”

He pushed her hands away. “No, I di—” he stopped in midsentence, “she isn’t?” The anguish on his face lessened, and he grinned.

Elle threw her arms up in the air. “Wow. Where do you get off thinking you can just show up here, after what you did?” She slammed her hands on her hips. “She saw the pictures, Todd.”

Todd withdrew something from his pocket. “You mean these?” He pushed them into Elle’s hands.

Karen stormed out of the barn. “You have some nerve.” She rushed toward him and beat her fists against his chest. “Go back to your little floozy in England.”

His eyes softened, and he pulled her close.

She went to slap his face, but he grabbed her arm. “Let me go,” she said, struggling to get away. “How dare you.”

Todd turned to Elle. “A little help here?”

Elle pulled her eyes away from the photos. “Oh. My. Gosh.” She waved the pictures at Karen and repeated, “Oh. My. Gosh.”

“What?” Karen said, stepping back. She took the pictures from Elle. “What is this?” She stared down at them. Her hands trembled as she flipped through each one. Stunned, she looked up at Todd. Her mouth fell open, but nothing came out. She pushed them at him. “This, uh, this . . .”

He stepped closer.

She squeezed her fist tight, and balled them up. “It’s not . . . it’s not—” Her eyes filled with tears. “It’s not you.”

“Nor you,” he said, tenderly.

She buried her face in her hands. He wrapped his arms around her quivering shoulders, and she fell into his chest. “Who would do such a thing?” she said, between sobs.

“I don’t know, but Freddie says that we’re probably not the only victims of this fraud.”

“But, why us?” She looked up at him through teary eyes.

“I have no idea.” He held her close. “We’ve lost a few months, but now can we please just start over?” He said it wistfully, but Elle heard the worry in his voice.

Karen’s response was immediate. “Yes. Oh, yes!”

He stroked her hair. “Now, you want to tell me what you girls are up to?”

Elle glanced at the rental car, an even better cover than Grammie Gwen’s car. “Can we tell you on the road?”

He shrugged. “Sure.” Bending over, he gathered up the pictures. “Do you want to take my car?”

“Uh-huh,” she said, biting her lip. For Sally, she thought. She thrust the Tennessee plate and the screw driver into Todd’s hands. “Switch this with the Maine plate on your car. Just trust me,” she added, when his mouth fell open. “I’ll be right back.” Elle hurried into the house, returning with a blanket wrapped around Sam Sr.’s rifle.

Todd still held the plate in his hands. He studied the blanket then took a step backwards. “Whoa, Elle, what’s going on?”

She frowned and stared at the plate. “I know who abducted my daughter, and I think I know where he took her.”

Stunned, Todd was at a loss for words. He looked up, while attaching the Tennessee plate to the rental car. “I can’t believe it. I guess he wouldn’t be the first criminal operating from prison, but from death row? Don’t you think you should tell the cops or the FBI or someone?” He gave the screwdriver one last turn.

Elle took the Maine plate and threw it aside. “That’s just it. If I tell them, they won’t let me help. I know his twisted mind. And