Jarrod was in the hotel suite when his family arrived. From their silence and the expressions on their faces, he deduced that there had been no success in finding Lucy on their end either. There was some other emotion on Liam's face, though, that puzzled him. "Did something happen?"

"Barrington fired me," his half brother told him, his tone clipped. "And said if we step foot on his property he'll have us arrested for

Surprised, Jarrod glanced at the others for confirmation. Nick gave a short nod. "On what grounds?" the lawyer asked. He could hear the rain pounding down outside.

"On the grounds that Barrington is an a—" Nick cut himself off, sending a guilty look towards his mother. He cleared his throat and continued, "A selfish person who can't seem to accept facts for what they are."

"So, Nick antagonized him and now you're paying the price," Jarrod translated, turning to Liam.

Predictably, Heath came to his brother's defense. "Nick didn't do anything I wasn't about to do myself. Barrington's insistence that Lucy took off on her own was getting on my nerves. I think Mother's right. He might have had something to do with Lucy's disappearance."

"He wouldn't have done something like that," Liam said, his voice flat and emotionless. He sagged into a chair, looking years older than he really was. "I know Barry. He's been like an uncle to Lucy, always looking out for her."

"You heard what Mother learned!"

Glancing between them, Jarrod raised his eyebrow. "I take it you learned something of interest?"

"I merely found it interesting that the Barrington family lost a daughter with golden hair," Victoria responded, moving to sit down.

"Golden hair?" Jarrod repeated, raising his eyebrows. "That's...interesting."

"You all sound alike," Liam said, his tone sharp. Jarrod couldn't tell if it was simply from the stress or if his half brother, one he didn't know well at all, was truly annoyed with them. "What makes any of this situation interesting?"

"Blonde hair," Jarrod answered.

Audra frowned, curling a lock of her own hair around her finger. "I have blonde hair. Heath and Liam have blonde hair," she pointed out. "Even Gene's hair could almost be called blonde, it's such a light brown and the sun lightens it when he works out on the range."

"Lucy has blonde hair, and a little girl about her age who was kidnapped two years ago had blonde hair."

His family went still as the implication of Jarrod's statement hit them. "Are you telling me my daughter was taken because she's blonde?" Liam asked slowly.

"The facts seem to point to it."

"But who would do something like that?" Liam's shout was full of frustration and disbelief. "These people have been my neighbors and friends, Jarrod. I can't believe any of them would do this and not continue to look me in the eye."

Victoria cleared her throat. "But they haven't, Liam," she said, her tone gentle and sympathetic. "I think that is the point Jarrod is trying to make. From the moment this whole thing began, how many of your neighbors have helped you?"

Resting his elbows on his knees, Liam covered his face with his hands. His voice was muffled but they all heard him say, "None of them."

Nick moved forward. "So exactly how does this help us find Lucy?"

Visibly, Jarrod hesitated. "I'm not sure yet," he admitted. "But this shows there is a history of children who have gone missing. From what I can tell, the last was found drowned."

Audra sucked in her breath. "Mother!"

The men turned their attention to the two women, Liam dropping his hands to do so. "According to Mrs. Parker, Tessa Barrington drowned," Victoria said slowly.

"Are you telling me my daughter is going to be drowned if I don't find her?" Liam asked, surging to his feet. "I have to get back out there."

Heath grabbed his twin's arm. "Not in this weather, Liam! It would be suicide!" For a moment, the pair stared at each other, their eyes communicating volumes, and then Liam jerked free.

"We're all jumping to conclusions here," Jarrod said, his tone placating. "Now I agree it looks bad, but we're not out of time just yet. Mother, Audra, was there anything at all the Barrington housekeeper told you that could help us piece this thing together?"

Exchanging looks, the women frowned. "Well, Mrs. Parker did say that one of the Barrington sons was not right after his sister was discovered drowned," Audra said slowly. "She didn't say where he was, only that the family doesn't talk about him."

"That's a start."

"There is a small parcel of Barrington land," Liam said, his tone distant. "It was part of the area Barry was to search. He refuses to allow any of us to go there. From a distance, I've seen a house. I don't know if anyone lives there."

"What say you, Heath, and I ride out to this house as soon as it's dawn," Nick said, moving to clasp his brother's shoulder. "Rain or shine."

"While you continue searching, I believe I will drop by Sheriff Benson's office for another conversation," Jarrod said, glancing at the clock. "For now, I suggest we all try to get what rest we can."

While everyone else moved to go to their beds, Liam remained where he was. It was only when a hand landed on his shoulder that he looked up at Heath. "Sleep is impossible," the fair haired man said softly.

"Then, I'll keep you company," Heath answered.


Listening to the rain, Lucy refused to get in bed. Her eyes had adjusted to the dark room, and she had once again taken refuge in the corner. She'd been relieved when the woman had finally left her alone, but a sense of loneliness and desperation was returning.

"Papa, where are you?" she whispered. "I want to come home now."

The squeak of the door knob turning caught her attention. A man, carrying a small candle, entered the room, making sure to close the door behind him. Uneasy, Lucy held her breath as she stared at the unfamiliar man.

"Hi, Tessa," the man said, coming to her. He sat down and set the candle on the floor. "I came to keep you company. I know storms scare you."

First 'Amy' and now 'Tessa'. "My name is Lucy," the girl said firmly. "And I want to go home to my papa."

The man paused, his blue eyes pained. He sent a glance over his shoulder at the door. "Oh. Lucy. Not Tess. Not Aaron or Amy or Carl. Lucy." He fell silent and rocked back and forth. "Ok. I'll remember and I'll help you, Lucy."

Hope blossomed once again, though she was confused by what he'd said before that. "You will?"

He nodded emphatically. "My name is Georgie. Soon as the rain stops, I'll take you home. I promise."

Another rumble of thunder made Lucy jump, a squeak of fear escaping her lips before she could stop it. Georgie slid over until he was close to her but not touching. "Don't be scared. I'll get you home safe and sound soon enough."