Page 18 of Veil of Silence

Then she recognized him, and relief rushed through her.

It was Agent Donnelly. He’d finally come.

But as the man turned, Nora realized her mistake. This man was too young to be Donnelly. Much too young.

Still, something about him snagged at her memory. Maybe it was the shape of his face or his eyes. She wasn’t sure.

He paused beside the SUV and took in the house, the cabin beyond it, and the woods stretching behind both.

Nora set a grocery bag back in her trunk, a cautious feeling still pulsing inside her. “Can I help you?”

His attention shifted to her. “Nora Loveless?”

“Who’s asking?”

“Austin Donnelly.”

The last name hit her. Donnelly?

Nora stared at him. Then it all made sense. “You’re Agent Donnelly’s son . . .”

“I am.”

She looked past him at the SUV, halfway expecting his father to climb out of the other side.

He didn’t.

Nora looked back at Austin. “Is your father with you?”

“That’s actually what I came to ask you about.”

Nora narrowed her eyes. “What do you mean?”

“My father left his motel sometime yesterday.” Austin slid his hands into his jacket pockets. “No one has seen him since.”

Nora stared at him as she processed his words.

She’d told herself Agent Donnelly was busy. That he’d changed his mind about what he’d found. That maybe he’d decided to take whatever information he had directly to his superiors at the FBI.

She hadn’t considered that something might have happened to him.

Chapter

Six

A sick feeling roiled in Nora’s stomach. “Your father promised me he’d call me on Monday.”

Austin’s expression sharpened. “And he didn’t?”

Nora shook her head. “The last time I actually spoke to him was a week ago Monday. We’ve traded messages since then.”

“About Christian?”

Nora glanced at the house. “Let’s go inside.”

Austin reached for a grocery bag in the trunk before she could stop him.

“I’ve got them,” she said.