Vanishing Act Read Online Free PDF

blowing in his face and the sound of his shoes clapping along the cement sidewalk built excitement in his soul as he picked up speed.
    Nate shot up a quick prayer of thankfulness that he hadn’t had another field agent to send on the assignment. Myles Borden was on his honeymoon. Heather Sloan was stuck in the office following hip surgery. And Jack Spitz was stuck in a car on stakeout for another case he was working.
    He lifted his face to the warm sun. Man, this felt good.
    Torn from his thoughts by an annoying ring from his cell phone, he pulled it from the back pocket of his jeans. The display told him that it was coming from Heather’s cell phone. “What’s up?”
    â€œHave you talked to Mitch yet?”
    â€œWe talked yesterday.”
    She sighed audibly. “Okay. I just remembered that hecalled the office and wanted me to have you call him. I forgot to tell you.” She sounded a little sheepish.
    â€œNo problem.”
    Silence reigned for several long seconds. What was making her so hesitant to speak?
    â€œHeather, what going on?”
    She sighed. “It’s Jack. He’s driving me nuts every time he’s in the office. When are you coming back?”
    He laughed. Why did adults—moreover, adults with law degrees—insist on acting like kids? “I won’t be gone long. I figure I’ve got two weeks at the most. Longer than that, and I’ve lost her to the Shadow. And I’ve lost Parker, too.” But failure wasn’t an option in this case. “I’ll be home in ten days. Twelve, tops.”
    The college buildings loomed large a couple blocks ahead. The big gray buildings seemed out of place among the quaint shops of downtown, but it was still the hub of the community. He needed to get connected and figure out what the Shadow knew that he didn’t.
    â€œHang in there, Sloan,” he offered in his best special-agent-in-charge voice. “I’m almost to the community college, and registration for classes is still open. I might as well see what courses are still open and get plugged in.”
    â€œSure thing.”
    More than twenty students formed a line leading up to the window in the registrar’s office as Nate stepped into the line. Most of them fanned themselves with white and green forms.
    â€œI can’t believe this crowd,” the teen girl in front of him complained to her friend, an equally young and blonde student.
    â€œSeriously. The add/drop deadline isn’t until tomorrow. You’d think more people would wait ’til the last minute.”
    Starting to get antsy after thirty minutes in line, hefinally put his mind on the case and thought through the articles in the case file. It held exactly two pictures of Nora. One was a chubby ten-year-old with long blond hair and brilliant, golden hazel eyes. He bet she didn’t look a whole lot like that picture anymore. The other picture was from her driver’s license, taken at least ten years before. She had a round face and the same blond hair, just with slightly older features.
    But the eyes were the same. He’d never seen that color before—like churning, molten gold with flecks of brown. Stunning.
    The team had collected two pictures of her. That was all that were left after a house fire, or so he’d been told. Friends and extended family had been no help. Apparently Nora wasn’t a fan of being caught on film.
    â€œNext.”
    Nate looked in front of him, expecting the next person to step forward, but there was no one there. “Oh,” he jumped, hurrying toward the frowning woman behind the counter. “Good morning.” He smiled widely, but she refused to return it.
    â€œAdd or drop?”
    â€œExcuse me?” Obviously there was a language to college that he didn’t remember. He’d lost a lot in the seven years since he was in law school.
    The bushy-haired woman rolled her eyes at him. “Do you want to