Ryan had to resist putting his arms around her.
He settled for lightly tipping his chin up so he could look straight into those soft brown eyes. “It’s going to be all right.”
She nodded, but her eyes betrayed her fright. He was startled by a suddenly overwhelming need to protect her at all costs. More than that, he realized he wanted to draw her close and kiss those trembling lips. His gaze must have dropped to her lips, but instead of pulling away from his touch, her mouth seemed to part slightly with anticipation.
Then she suddenly did pull back as they heard a noise in the hall. And without much more warning than that, they were back to business.
Before turning away, she hesitated as if she wanted to say something more. Then she headed for the door.
“Good night, then,” he said, but all she gave him in return was a quick nod. And then she was gone.
The moment was over.
LEONA KARR
SILENT WITNESS
To Leslie Pitz and Angela Hart, with thanks for their help,
encouragement and love.
Contents
About the Author
Cast of Characters
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A native of Colorado, Leona Karr lives near the front range of the Rocky Mountains. She delights in being close to craggy cliffs, dramatic peaks and hidden valleys. It is no surprise, then, that she chooses this setting for many of her books. She has been on the Waldenbooks bestseller list and received many awards as a multipublished author of novels of romantic suspense, gothic, historical romance, time travel and mystery.
Books by Leona Karr
HARLEQUIN INTRIGUE
574—INNOCENT WITNESS
623—THE MYSTERIOUS TWIN
672—LOST IDENTITY
724—SEMIAUTOMATIC MARRIAGE
792—A DANGEROUS INHERITANCE
840—SHADOWS ON THE LAKE
900—STONEVIEW ESTATE
949—CHARMED
973—SHADOW MOUNTAIN
1056—SILENT WITNESS
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CAST OF CHARACTERS
Marian Richards—Director of the summer program for deaf children.
Ryan Darnell—Detective at Rock Creek Police Department.
Scotty Tanner—The eleven-year-old rebellious boy attending the summer program who may have witnessed a murder.
Alva Wentworth—Wealthy elderly owner of Wentworth mansion and estate.
Ruth Tilman—Officious personal secretary to Alva Wentworth.
Henry Ziller—Cantankerous caretaker of Wentworth estate.
Victor Blaise—Henry’s nephew is both transient and dangerous.
Toby Bower—Forensic detective at Rock Creek Crime Laboratory.
Arthur Kennedy—The Denver lawyer hired to oversee the summer program may have come with his own agenda.
Nancy Collins and Ron Harman—Teachers involved with the summer program.
Bertha Higgins—Motherly nurse who helps children in the summer program.
Elsie Mullens—Wentworth estate cook, who is both outgoing and friendly.
Joyce Phillips—Is Ryan’s attractive ex trying to stir up trouble?
Prologue
Hidden in a thick drift of pine and cedar trees, Scotty Tanner didn’t hear the shot inside the mountain cabin even though a sharp gunfire report echoed loudly from the house. A chatter of blue jays in a nearby ponderosa pine went unheard as he waited and watched. Nothing but stillness dominated the deaf eleven-year-old boy’s world.
Scotty was spending the summer with a dozen other hearing-impaired children in a privately sponsored rehabilitation program held on a large mountain estate near Rock Creek, Colorado. He’d only been there for a week and had managed to duck out of most of the scheduled activities. He was patting himself on the back for slipping away right after lunch to investigate the mountain surroundings on his own.
About a half mile downstream from the large main house and outbuildings, he’d discovered a small cabin built near a swift-flowing mountain stream.
As he slowly moved out of the trees, his eyes darted in every direction.
No sign of anyone living in the place. No telling what kind of loot was waiting inside.
His heart jumped a beat as he boldly walked up the front steps. Shuffling nervously, he knocked on the door. He was glad he was good at reading lips and was ready with a lie about needing a drink of water if anyone opened it.
He’d lost his hearing a couple of years ago when he was running with a gang of older guys and had been experimenting with homemade bombs. One of them had gone off prematurely, injuring both his ears. Things had gone from bad to worse after that. He’d been made a ward of the court and the authorities took him away from his drug-addicted mother. Hating the close supervision and boring daily routines of foster care, he intended to make the most of this summer program for disadvantaged hearing-impaired kids. He’d go his own way and get some kicks this summer any way he could.
When no one responded to his knock, Scotty tried the door. Locked. Maybe he’d have more luck with a back door. A narrow deck circled the cabin and he quickly made his way around to a rear door