The back-door light shone down on the porch with an eerie, yellow glow. Maddie Finley shivered, the hairs on the back of her neck rising to attention. Something wasn’t right. With the house key in her hand, she walked to the door and pressed her key into the lock. Even before she twisted it, the door swung open, as if blown by a breeze. In that moment, all of Captain Charles E. Finley’s, A.K.A. “Dad’s”, training raced through her mind. She stiffened, her muscles flexing, ready to move.

Maddie dug in her brown leather bag for the heavy-duty flashlight her father insisted she carry. With the device in hand, she eased the purse to the ground beside the red door she and her sister Janie had painted just last month. Fully alert, Maddie flipped on her flashlight and slipped through the entrance.

Something had happened; Maddie could feel it. Her heart thudded hard against her ribs. Where was Janie? A sense of urgency pushed her forward.

When growing up with a single parent and a younger sister, being trained as one of Dad’s troops hadn’t seemed unusual for the two little girls. Back then, it had been a game. Now, as an independent single woman, Maddie knew she was capable of handling anything that might happen because of her Dad’s training games.

She tiptoed through the entry hallway into the kitchen, passing the small dining room table. The dinette was just the right size for two adult women who kept busy schedules. The table held the usual, everyday clutter, and nothing was out of place. As she crept further into the house, she could see a dim light glowing from the corridor that led to the bedrooms and shared bathroom.

Where was LouLou, the sisters’ spoiled golden retriever? Normally, the big dog attacked the women when they came home at the end of their day, showering them with sloppy wet licks on their cheeks. And then she heard it. Pitiful whining and frantic barking sounded from the bathroom.

Maddie moved slowly, but steadily, her gaze taking in the living area with its cream walls and floors and brown leather chairs. Lamps lay on the floor, tipped off the end tables, and couch cushions were scattered throughout the room. The T.V. had been smashed, and everything in the room looked as if someone had been in a scuffle, and then left in a hurry. From her quick perusal, nothing seemed to have been taken from the room.

Maddie’s steps quickened as she entered the hallway and shined her light into her bedroom. Nothing had been touched. The room appeared exactly as she’d had left it that morning before leaving for work.

LouLou’s paws scraped against the bathroom door, and she whined to get out.

Maddie’s chest tightened. The poor dog was probably frightened and in need of reassurance. If only dogs could talk, then Maddie would know what had happened tonight.

She turned to her left and stood at the entrance to her sister’s room, shining her light inside. The room was messier than her sister’s everyday clutter. Clothes lay across the floor. Bed pillows and her comforter had been slung from the bed, and her dresser, which usually displayed all her colorful jewelry, was swept clean of all of its items. Then she saw the wall and gasped. Directly across from Maddie, about the height that Janie would have stood, was a dent in the wall with a red smudge in it. Her heart stuttering, Maddie turned back to the bathroom and opened the door.

LouLou leaped out, whining and wiggling, so happy to see Maddie, she couldn’t stop moving.

Maddie knelt in front of the dog and hugged her neck, fending off the long swipes of the dog’s tongue. “LouLou, baby, what happened? Where’s Janie?”

The dog paused in mid-wiggle and ran toward Janie’s bedroom. As she entered, she growled, the hairs on the scruff of her neck rising. She sniffed at all the items on the floor, one at a time, before returning to Maddie and sitting at her feet. The retriever stared up at her, her brown eyes appearing full of questions.

Maddie leaned down and patted the dog’s soft, velvety head and then reached into her back pocket for her cellphone. “I sure wish you could tell me what happened here, but, for now, we’re going to have to call 911 to get some help.” After entering the three numbers, she placed the phone to her ear and prayed for a swift response.

Adamstown Police detective Derek Lewis drove up to the house with its nicely cut green grass and wide, welcoming porch graced by two white rocking chairs, sitting like sentinels beside the front door. He shook his head and shifted into Park. No matter how tranquil they looked on the outside, bad things could happen in nice houses, too. The detective stepped out of his standard black sedan and hurried to the front of the house.

Two police cruisers were parked on the road in front, their rotating lights flashing red and blue against the grey stone exterior of the house. The door stood open. He entered. To start the investigation, his job was to talk to the occupants of the home. When he’d been assigned to the case, he’d recognized the name of the 911 caller. How many women named Maddie Finley could there be in the area? His pulse quickened as he strode into the living room and looked into the familiar gaze of the female talking to the police officer. He remembered those crystal blue eyes as if it had only been yesterday. His years on the high school football team came flooding back. Maddie had been his high school sweetheart. Somehow, he’d lost contact with her when he’d left for college.

Sweet Maddie had matured from the gangly youth he remembered to this curvaceous woman standing before him. Rich brown hair hung loosely down her back. Set in her heart-shaped face, her eyes where the blue of clear water with flecks of turquoise, like tropical island bays, darker now with concern over her missing sister. She stood straight, her brows rising as he approached, but she didn’t appear to recognize him.

Derek held out his hand. “Ma’am, my name is Detective Derek Lewis. If you don’t mind, I have a few questions for you.”

She nodded and turned to the short, older officer she’d been talking to. “Is that all you need from me?”

“Yes, ma’am.” He folded his notepad and left the house.

Maddie walked toward Derek with a confidence he’d never seen in her in high school. The top of her head came up to his shoulders. She seemed so small and fragile, making him want to comfort her and let her know he’d help in any way he could. As she drew near, her eyes narrowed.

Maddie gasped, “Derek? Oh my God, it’s you.”

Derek nodded. “It’s good to see you, Maddie. I wish it was under better circumstances.”

Maddie reached out her hand to shake his.

When their fingers touched, a shock of heat raced through Derek’s body.

Maddie let out a soft gasp, jerked her hand free, and then stepped back slightly.

“When—” A touch of huskiness tinged Derek’s voice. He cleared his throat. “When was the last time you saw your sister?”

“At the shop we own, around two o’clock this afternoon,” she said. “She left early to get ready for a date.”

“With?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know.”

“When you arrived home, did you notice anything out of place or not as it should be?”

Maddie recited everything she’d told the police officer, starting from when she’d arrived home to when she’d called 911.

At that moment, a golden retriever with a pink collar bounded into the room and sat on its haunches before Derek, looking up with soulful brown eyes.

Derek grinned, reached down and scratched behind her ears. “Is she your dog?”

Maddie looked down with a tight smile. “Janie and I got her a few years ago. She isn’t much of a guard dog. She’s more of a companion.” When she looked up, there were tears shimmering in her eyes and on the verge of falling.

Derek’s heart skipped a beat, and he began to lift his hand to give her some comfort, but then let it drop to his side. “Yeah, I love dogs. When I was a kid, we had a beagle. My apartment building doesn’t allow pets, so, none for now.”

She gave him a weak smile. “Have you heard anything about my sister?”

Derek took a deep breath and captured Maddie’s gaze. “We have a report that she was seen on campus getting into a blue 4x4 truck.”

Maddie swallowed hard. A single tear escaped and trailed down her cheek. “She told me she was going on a blind date with a guy she met online through her college dating service. Janie should already be home by now. She doesn’t stay out late when she goes on dates.” Maddie gave him a watery smile. “She stuck with old habits from back when my Dad had us home early from our dates when we were teens.”

“Do you mind if I look around?”

She waved him toward the living room. “Please. Do whatever it takes to find her.”

He spent several minutes searching each room for clues. What he saw in the bedroom wasn’t reassuring. He figured the bloodied dent in the drywall had been the product of someone throwing someone else against the wall with a significant amount of force. If it had been Maddie’s sister Janie, the woman could have been knocked out.

When he was finished, Derek turned to find Maddie standing behind him, her eyes rounded, hopeful.

“I don’t suppose the living room and her bedroom looked like this before she left on her date?” he asked, knowing the answer.

Maddie shook her head. “She’s messy, but this—” She gulped and covered her mouth with her hand, tears welling in her eyes.

With reluctance, he said, “There appears to have been a struggle in here and in the living room. My guess is that your sister was removed from this house by force. We would have treated this as a breaking and entering case. But because of the dent and blood on the wall, we will pursue this as a violent crime and potential abduction.”

A sob escaped Maddie’s lips, and she buried her face in her hands.

Derek fought the urge to take her into his arms and comfort her. If he hoped to find Maddie’s sister, he had to act fast. The first twenty-four hours were critical. “We’ve had several reports of women being kidnapped over the past six months. We don’t have any leads on who’s doing it, but some of the women used a dating website, others had gone out on blind dates. Do you know anything else about the man your sister was going to meet?”

At that moment, LouLou whined and started toward the kitchen. She stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Maddie with a baleful look.

Maddie shook her head. “Sorry, LouLou needs to be fed. Most nights we feed her as soon as we get home in the evening. If you don’t mind, I’ll be right back.”

Instead of waiting for her return, Derek followed her into the kitchen.

The golden retriever danced around a white cabinet with bronze-colored handles under the sink.

“Come here, you silly dog, I know you’re starving, girl. I just wish that Janie was here.” Maddie looked up at Derek as he walked into the kitchen behind her.

“Do you know who Janie hangs out with on campus?” he asked.

Maddie scooped up a container of food from the large bag of dog food and dumped it into a pink metal bowl.

The dog gobbled the kibble as if she was starving, scattering food across the floor.

Maddie stood and straightened her royal-blue, silk blouse over her skinny jeans. “I only know that Janie was going out to dinner to meet this guy. I think she said his name was Caleb. She did mention something about possibly going to a movie after dinner, but that she would call if they did. If they didn’t go to a movie, she was to be home by midnight. Janie is very independent, but we look out for each other.”

With a nod, Derek turned away and paced the length of the kitchen, and then slowly turned back to her. “Have you met any of the men she’s recently dated?”

Maddie shook her head.

“Has she ever used this dating website before?”

With a grimace, Maddie shook her head again. "She lets me know where they’re going, and only tells me more details about the guys once she’s seeing them on a regular basis. We’re both private people, but we’re really close. We know what’s going on in each other’s lives. Mainly, we work together in our store, and she goes to her college classes.”

“Has she been involved in drugs?”

Maddie jerked her head up, a frown denting her brow. “Janie?” She shook her head. “She’s a rule-follower. We get that from our dad. Daddy would have found out if we’d tried to get away with anything. Drugs are out of the question.”

Derek ran a hand through his hair and glanced around the room, noticing pictures of Maddie and Janie smiling, probably on vacation in what appeared to be France and Italy. The warm golden colors throughout the kitchen and the photographs indicated the two women who lived there were happy and enjoyed life. Derek, also noticed that everything inside the kitchen seemed to come in twos, and looked well-used and cared for. The sisters were a team. They loved each other.

A pang of regret filled Derek’s chest. He’d never had a close connection with his siblings. He shook off the feeling and glanced back at Maddie. “Did she give you an alternative number to call or any other information that could help us find the guy she went out with?”

Maddie’s eyes narrowed. “I don’t think—” Then her eyes brightened. She dug in her back pocket and pulled out her cellphone. “Janie texted me a phone number and an address of where the man lived in case he brought her to his house later. She’s always really good about getting this data from the guys she sees and won’t go out with them unless they give her this information for security reasons. Dad always grilled us about the guys we would see when we were in high school, so it’s like second nature for us now.”

He jotted down the information from Janie’s text message, and then strode through the interior door to where the officers milled about the living room. He handed his notepad to one of the policemen. “Hey, Joe, call in this address and phone number. Have a unit sent over to check out this location.”

The police officer nodded and spoke into his radio, while walking out the door to his cruiser.

Derek made another pass through the home, searching for any other clues he might have missed on the first time through. He wanted to find Maddie’s sister. The sooner, the better, for Janie’s sake.

Maddie stood at the door to the kitchen and watched Derek as he first talked with the police officer, and then moved about the house, studying the disrupted furniture.

The detective moved with the confidence of experience and knowledge. His well-muscled legs and broad shoulders were leaner than when he’d been in high school, but were more defined after years of working out. He wore a light blue, button-up dress shirt and black, fitted slacks as well as black leather shoes. His hair was cut in a short to medium length, with the front being somewhat longer. When he brushed his hands through his hair, it stood straight up.

For a few minutes, he disappeared into Janie’s bedroom.

Maddie fought the urge to follow him, knowing he needed the space to work through the clues. She waited in the kitchen doorway, trying not to freak out. Her sister needed her to be calm, to remember anything that might be of use in the effort to find her.

After a few minutes, Derek strode back down the hallway to where she stood. “I'll need her laptop or desktop computer."

"I'll get it." Maddie hurried to the kitchen where Janie left her school backpack. After checking to verify the laptop was inside, she carried the entire bag into the living room and handed it to the detective.

"Thanks," he said. "We’ll look into the information you gave us. What’s the best number where we can reach you? And where’s your shop located, in case we need to get a hold of you?” He passed her his pad and pen.

Maddie scribbled down the information he asked for and returned the pad to him. “We open the store at 9:00 am, but I’ll probably open around 10:00 tomorrow since this night has been so crazy.” She didn’t know how she’d do it, do something so mundane as go to work while her sister was missing, but she couldn’t imagine doing nothing while she waited for word. And she couldn’t stay all day in the house where her sister had been attacked. “If you hear anything about my sister, will you call me right away?”

Derek ran his hand through his hair again. “I’ll personally call you if we discover anything. If you think of additional information, here’s my card. Don’t hesitate to call me at any time. Sometimes, the smallest details turn out to be the most important.”

She nodded as she took the card. “I’m glad you’re on the case, Derek.”

He frowned. “This place is now a crime scene. Do you have somewhere else you can go? And do you need help gathering some things to take with you?”

Maddie shook her head automatically, although she hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Do I have to leave? I have LouLou. It’s difficult to find dog-friendly accommodations. Can’t I stay here?”

“You might be able to stay if we cordon off Janie’s room, but what if the attacker returns?” Derek’s frown deepened. “You said yourself LouLou wasn’t a guard dog.”

“I can’t leave the house,” Maddie explained. “What if Janie returns?”

“I’ll have a uniform drive by several times through the remainder of the night.”

“Thanks,” she said.

“I’m sorry about your sister,” he said, his tone gentle, his gaze sincere. “We’ll do everything we can to find her.” He lifted her hand and squeezed it.

Warmth spread up her arm and through her body, heating her all over. Then he was gone.

When the other officers left, Maddie locked the doors behind them and pulled out her phone.

Time to call Dad.