See Me in Your Dreams Read Online Free PDF

she said, "One of the steps in the front
staircase creaks," Tyler felt a chill shoot down his spine.
    Still, he
said, "That step has needed fixing for years. Anyone familiar with the
house could have told you that."
    "A
pedestal in the foyer supports an unusual sculpture that reminds Cheryl of an
angel about to take flight."
    Tyler's pulse
surged. The sculpture was new. Not many people had seen it yet. And Cheryl had
told him it reminded her of an angel...
    "I almost
forgot. You keep emergency money in your study. Tens and twenties. She took
them all."
    That did it.
Tyler plunged to his feet again. "How the hell could you have known what I
didn't tell anyone but the police?" he demanded, wondering if his daughter
taking the emergency cash fund had somehow become common knowledge, more fodder
for people bored with their own lives.
    Her steady
gray gaze turned up to him. "I saw."
    "You saw Cheryl take the money."
    "Not in the
same way as if I were watching a movie, no. I saw the bills...her hands...the
leather wallet. It's like I was inside her." She squeezed her eyes shut
for a second. "Like I was her
for a few minutes."
    Tyler dropped
back to the couch and stared as her lids drifted back open. He didn't know what
to make of Keelin McKenna. She couldn't be telling the truth. Her story played
out like best-selling fiction. Fact: his fourteen-year old daughter was
missing. He was dealing with reality here.
    What to do?
    Tyler was
torn. This woman either really did know something about Cheryl's disappearance
or she had an in with one of the policemen who gave her details no one else had
privilege to. Maybe he'd better check that out. And while he was at it, he
could get the police to check her out. Maybe she was in on a kidnapping. Maybe that's why he hadn't gotten a
ransom note, because she was going to work him somehow.
    "I need
some time to think," Tyler said.
    "I fear
time is running out."
    He ignored the
renewed prickling at his nape. "Why don't you give me your address and
phone number so I can get in touch with you."
    Looking
crestfallen, she didn't continue arguing. "I'm staying at the Hotel Clareton ."
    "The
hotel?"
    "I just
flew in from Cork early this morning."
    Tyler started.
"Then you weren't even here when Cheryl disappeared."
    "No."
Her smooth brow furrowed. "I don't understand it, either. A stranger in a
strange land. No connection between us. I knew the others."
    Despite the
cynicism that long ago had become part of him, Tyler felt himself wanting to
believe her. At the same time, her sucking him in made him uneasy. He was a
rational man, one not given to being conned. What was it about this woman that
got to him where he lived? He was vulnerable because of Cheryl, Tyler reminded
himself. Because the only person who really meant anything to him was missing.
If anything happened to her, it would kill him. And Keelin McKenna could use
his powerful emotions against him.
    As if reading
his thoughts, she pressed her case. "You say you would do anything to find
your daughter."
    "I
would."
    He'd done
questionable things to protect Cheryl over the years, but his efforts hadn't
been sharp enough. They'd been too focused. Danger had come from some
unexpected direction.
    "Then
trust me," Keelin pleaded, her tone heartfelt. "I do not know your
city, therefore I cannot find her alone."
    What would it
hurt? Tyler decided agreeing was a win-win situation. He'd get Pamela to
contact both the police and his private detective, to see what they'd come up
with on Keelin McKenna. In the meantime, he'd become her shadow.
    "All
right," he said. "I'm willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.
For Cheryl's sake."
    "Good."
    Her relieved
smile mesmerized him. It trembled on her lips, lent a sheen to her eyes, brushed
a glow across her cheeks. Like a quiet little bud blooming into a full-blown
flower, Keelin suddenly appeared unspeakably beautiful. Again, he felt the
connection...and purposely stood and turned his back on her to break it.