Chained Guilt (Hidden Guilt (Detective Series) Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

had a cut on the side of her forehead and seemed a bit dazed.  I caught a glimpse of the woman as she ran into the crowd. At that moment, Miranda caught up and snatched Karen from my arms, holding her close.
                  “Karen, baby, are you okay?” she asked frantically. Her hand smoothed Karen’s hair as she quickly cast a glance over her, searching for additional injuries. “Did you know that woman?”
                  I could see Miranda was terrified. Hilary, too. Tears flooded Miranda’s face, and panic made her tone shaky. Karen was calm, all things considered. Adrenaline and anger filled my veins, and the fear of almost losing Karen coursed through my body. I felt light-headed.
                  I didn’t have time to exchange pleasantries. My blood boiling in rage, I ran into the crowd in pursuit of the woman. Beside a dumpster in the parking area, I found the jacket the woman had been wearing. A short distance away, I found a blonde wig. Damn it! This pretty much ended my search, since I now had no idea who to look for.
    I stood on the curb separating the parking area from the narrow street that followed the coastline. I looked around, gun still drawn, chest heaving with exertion.
                  “Freeze. Drop your weapon!”
                  I felt the barrel of a gun press against the back of my head.
                  “Get on your knees, and give me one good reason why I shouldn’t splatter your pathetic brains all over this concrete.”
                  So this was it? Shot dead on a Florida beach in front of a few dozen onlookers?
    I did as I was told. There was no way this guy knew I was a cop.
                  “I’m Detective David Porter, HPD. My ID is in my back pocket, but I’ll have to reach into it to get it.”
                  “Okay, but slowly, no funny business, unless you don’t mind being shot in the back.”
                  I pulled my ID wallet from my pocket and flipped it open so he could see my shield. “See that? Says detective, doesn’t it? No need for any shooting today,” I said, perturbed.
                  “Do you know who that woman was?” the officer asked, lowering his weapon.
                  I picked up my gun and slid it into my waistband. “No. Were you able to get a good look at her?”
                  “Not really. Not enough to make an ID.”
                  “Well, we’ll need you to come down to the station and make an official statement.”
                  “I know, but first I need to find my wife and daughters. Then we’ll head down and take care of that.”
                  The officer holstered his weapon. The crowd remained; the lookie-loos had to get their fill. He handed me a card and told me to phone him when we were headed toward the station. As I made my way through the crowd to find my family, a sense of apprehension took hold of me. I’d dodged a bullet this time. Would I be so lucky if this woman tried to abduct Karen again?
                  When my family came into view, Karen ran for me, jumping into my arms and holding on tight. Miranda and Hilary stood motionless, their faces creased with worry and fear. I said nothing as I grabbed Miranda’s hand and led my frightened family back to the hotel. After a few calls back home, I headed to the station to make my statement. I had to believe this was the same person who had approached Karen at school, but I couldn’t be sure. The woman at the school had had half an hour to make off with Karen, if that had been her intention.
                  I explained it all to the local police and headed back to the hotel. I was sure Karen would be too shaken to answer the millions of questions I wanted to ask her. I opened the door, and stepped into Miranda’s