Faceless (Sinister Secrets Book 2) by Candle Sutton (best motivational novels txt) 📕

Vans weren’t that soundproof. The absence of noise made her think the men must have taken Orson to a remote location. Maybe a warehouse in a low-traffic area. Or a rural farm or mountain cabin. Given that Orson didn’t know how long they’d been driving, it was a possibility.

“Then what happened?”

“The men came back. They drove for a long time, then slowed the van and pushed me out.” A tear slipped out of the corner of Orson’s eye. “It hurt. I landed on gravel and rolled through the weeds or something.”

“Were you still tied up?” The detective shifted his eyes up from his notes, assessing Orson from beneath lowered eyebrows.

“Yes.” A shudder rocked her small frame. “It was so awful. I made it back to the road and started walking, but it was a long time before a car drove by.”

The detective’s bushy eyebrows jumped. “You did all this blindfolded?”

“Well, no. Of course not. I took the blindfold off.”

“With your hands tied?”

She looked at the detective like he was stupid. “Yeah. But they were in front of me so it wasn’t that hard.”

The kidnappers had tied her hands in front of her? And left her alone in the van for hours on end?

Either they weren’t pros or they hadn’t been concerned about her getting away. Supported her remote location theory.

Maybe they’d somehow locked the van from the outside or something.

“Did you hear these men say anything? Even something small?”

A piece of grass flew out of her hair as she shook her head emphatically. “Not a thing. It was creepy how quiet they were.”

“And there were no other voices at all? You didn’t hear anyone else being held captive?” Dak’s question drew Orson’s attention away from the detective.

Her eyes narrowed. “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Not in so many words, no. But pointing that out wouldn’t do any good.

“Did the men seem familiar?” The detective asked. “You said you got a brief look at the guy who shoved you in the van. Any chance you knew him from somewhere?”

Color spotted her cheeks. “What kind of question is that? You think I would hang out with someone who could do something like this?”

Kevyn lightly touched her shoulder. “It’s a standard question that we have to ask. Stranger abductions are extremely rare, so we have to consider the possibility that this is someone who knows you.”

Whether it was the explanation or her soothing tone, Orson seemed to settle. “No. I don’t think I know those men. Besides, wasn’t that guy, the mayor’s son, abducted like a week ago? Maybe it’s the same guys.”

If Orson’s kidnapping was connected to Jason Boggess and Wes Andrews, and statistics indicated it should be, then why hadn’t either of those men turned up? They’d both been missing a lot longer than Orson.

Why would the kidnappers release her after just a few hours but hang onto Boggess and Andrews for days?

Something wasn’t adding up.

“Do you have any idea why they would abduct you?” Kevyn kept her tone gentle and concerned in an effort to not rile Orson up any further.

Orson’s eyes shifted downward and she picked at the blanket covering her legs. “I guess I figured it was for money. My father would pay anything to get me back.”

“It usually takes longer than sixteen hours for a ransom to get paid.” Especially since most of that sixteen hours occurred outside regular banking hours.

Orson waved off her concern. “My father always keeps cash at the house.”

Speaking of Orson’s father, where was he? Kevyn couldn’t believe he wasn’t here by now. “Is your father on his way?”

Orson shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know. Depends on what else was on his calendar for the morning.”

“You don’t think he’d cancel meetings to make sure you’re okay?” Dak’s question contained barely veiled disbelief.

Orson’s shoulders slumped. “Yeah. I guess. Probably. But my parents live on Mercer Island. It’s not like they can get downtown fast or anything.”

Talking to her father would be very helpful. So far no one had said anything about him paying a ransom, but that didn’t mean it hadn’t happened.

“Look, I’m tired. Are we done?” A wobble in Orson’s words revealed her fragile emotional state.

“For now, sure. We’ll need you to come to the precinct to give a formal statement, but that can wait until you’re released.” The detective reached for his recorder. “Be sure to come down as soon as you can. Faster we catch these guys, the sooner you can get back to life as usual.”

She nodded, her eyes filled with unshed tears.

The detective led the way out of the room, with Kevyn trailing and Dak bringing up the rear. Silence descended as they moved down the hall.

Kevyn waited until she was confident they were out of earshot before turning to Dak. “She’s hiding something.”

The detective stopped walking and assessed her, but said nothing.

Dak crossed his arms. “What’d you see?”

“She’s nervous, but not terrified. I would expect more fear following what she’s been through, but she doesn’t seem too concerned that these guys will come back. She was also pretty quick to latch onto the theory that this is connected to Jason Boggess’ abduction.”

“Well, it has been all over the news.” The detective jingled some coins in his pockets and rocked slightly on his heels. “‘Sides, you gotta admit there are similarities. Like having high-profile parents with money.”

“I’m not denying that. Just saying that something’s not right.” In spite of his arguing, Kevyn was pretty sure the detective sensed it, too. “Have you had any luck in reaching her parents?”

The detective shook his head. “Evidently aiding the detective in charge of his daughter’s abduction ranks low on Orson’s priority list.”

“Which is weird, don’t you think?” Kevyn glanced back and forth between the two of them. “Even if