“But they took the time to talk to you?”

“They didn’t have much to say, so it didn’t take long.”

Ada swallowed around the lump that was rising in her throat. “Have they seen Mom?”

“No. And they said her car hasn’t been in the drive since Sunday.”

22

Minneapolis, MN—Tuesday, 7:30 p.m. CST

Amarok had been hoping to come across some evidence of a woman in Emmett Virtanen’s life. A photograph. A number on the fridge or counter. Makeup in the bathroom. Someone he might’ve talked to who’d know where he was and what he might be doing. Before she was kidnapped, a woman had called Evelyn, posing as his mother. If he could find her, maybe he could find him.

But there was nothing in Emmett’s Spartan-like apartment that indicated he had a girlfriend. From what Amarok could tell, Emmett seemed to care only about his sister, his niece and nephew, weight lifting and working out. The pictures he had were of family, and his cupboards were filled with protein powder and supplements. Which made Amarok wonder if Bridget had been the woman to call Evelyn, pretending to be Alistair.

Someone had to have done it, and she was the most likely choice.

If only he could get her to talk. If he thought he had even a remote chance of that, he’d be knocking on her door again today. But her familial connection made her cooperation unlikely, especially if she was the female who’d impersonated his mother.

When he couldn’t find anything to advance the investigation, the reality of what Evelyn was likely going through—if she was still alive—once again threatened to drown him in a sea of despair. As he searched, he kept remembering everything they’d been through together in the past three years—how skittish she’d been at first about even letting him touch her. Getting her to trust him enough to make love for the first time hadn’t been easy. He’d actually given up, had thought it would never happen.

But all that had changed over time. The Evelyn he’d known most recently was emotionally healthy, happy, loving, even physically demonstrative. And she’d finally agreed to settle in Alaska with him and become his wife.

They’d been so happy.

If he got her back, would all of that be undone? What would she be like after what she’d been through this time? And what would it mean for their relationship and their child? Would she even want to stay with him? Be a mother?

He tried to block out those questions as he went through Emmett’s car. It was sitting in what was probably his designated spot in the parking lot, unlocked. But there was nothing helpful there, so, hoping to find something he’d missed, he returned for a final walk-through of the apartment, only to be disappointed there, too.

He was just on his way out when Lewis arrived with the warrant and three other officers to help him perform the search.

“What are you doing here?” the detective demanded, shocked when Amarok met them at the front door.