Ties That Bind

Chapter 10

MADISON SAT BEHIND HER DESK at the station watching the clock and waiting for Southwest Welding Products to open at eight. In the meantime, she kept trying Layton on his cell phone, but it continually rang through to voice mail as it had last night.

Terry walked in with a cell phone to his ear. "I'm not sure...I'm at work..." He matched eyes with Madison. "I've got to go."

It sounded like the issue at home wasn't getting any better but threatened to follow him to work for another day. Madison could never see herself allowing a relationship to come between her and the job. For better or worse, she was married to her career.

He didn't say anything to her but sat at his desk, picked up the landline and dialed a number. He spoke into the receiver. "Hello. Yes...I'm trying to reach my brother, and I believe he's down there at a conference...oh...he said it was for the week...okay...thank you." Terry hung up.

"Where did you just call?"

"The head office."

The clock only read seven forty-five. Then it hit her. "They're an hour ahead."

"Yet you claim you'd manage fine without me." There was a vague showcase of a smile.

"Oh shut up." Sadly, it proved to be the best retort she had. She was sleep deprived. Madison didn't have one man in her life right now. Laura had at least two men who loved her, and who possibly obsessed over her to the point they didn't want anyone else to have her. Madison needed to figure out who had the most to lose.

"You're not going to believe what they told me."

*****

MADISON AND TERRY WALKED INTO Sergeant Winston's office without knocking. He looked up from stacks of paperwork.

Madison filled him in on the case developments, concluding with the latest news. "There isn't a conference. Layton's on the run."

Sergeant Winston picked up the phone receiver and held it in his hand while talking to them. "I'll issue the BOLO. Anyone finds him or his purple Ford Taurus we'll hear about it." He started pressing numbers and excused them with the wave of a hand.

Outside of the sergeant's office, both Madison's and Terry's cell phones rang. Madison finished with her call first. She could tell by his tone, it was likely his wife on the other end.

"Terry."

His eyes told her to back off.

She waited for a few minutes, but her patience had a low threshold. Her call was from Richards, and he had something for them to see. Her foot tapped the floor, and now he was ignoring eye contact. "I'm heading down."

"I've gotta go." Terry hung up so soon after saying the words, his wife wouldn't have been able to say good-bye to him.

Madison knew the wise course required her silence, but her concern forced her to speak. She stopped walking and waited for Terry to catch up. "You guys okay?"

He brushed past her. "Stay out of it."

Okay, well that is a no.

*****

MADISON HATED TRIPS TO THE MORGUE FOR TWO REASONS: first, she always felt as if she was invading a private moment, and second, she hated how it made her conscious of her mortality.

Cole Richards stood by a steel gurney in the middle of the room. Laura Saunders was lying on it. Her face was relaxed, appearing to be in a state of peace.