Wildest Hearts

service firm Daniel had used and got Thorpe's address. I took the ferry to Bainbridge, looked around, and came back here.”

    “Hold it right there.” Oliver folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward into the light cast by the halogen lamp. “Are you telling me some bastard deliberately tried to make you think Daniel's plane had been sabotaged?”

    “I suppose that was the implication, wasn't it?”

    “And that Thorpe was the culprit?”

    “That was kind of how it sounded.”

    “And that knowing these facts you went tearing off by yourself to investigate?”

    Annie held his gaze. “Yes. That's what I'm telling you.”

    Oliver lost his temper, an event so rare that he almost didn't recognize what was happening. “You little fool. Don't you have an ounce of common sense? Do you have any idea of what I've been going through, wondering where the hell you were?”

    Annie opened her mouth, clearly about to defend herself, but stopped as Bolt walked in with the tea tray. She smiled thankfully at him. “Thanks, I need that.”

    “You're welcome,” Bolt said. He set about pouring three cups.

    Oliver fixed Annie with a look. “I want an explanation.”

    “You're getting it.” She accepted the cup and saucer from Bolt with another grateful smile. “I'll tell you the truth, Oliver, at several points, I rather wished you were with me. It was a little spooky. I've never done any housebreaking before.”

    Hot tea splashed on Oliver's fingers as he took the cup and saucer from Bolt. “You broke into Thorpe's house? Damn it, Annie, I don't believe this.”

    “I didn't find much,” Annie admitted. She seemed to be getting herself back under control. “But it looked as though Thorpe packed and left in a hurry. All the clothes were gone from his closet. There was still food in the kitchen. Nobody had emptied the garbage in a long time.”

    Oliver put down his teacup very deliberately. He stood up, planted both hands on the desk, and leaned forward. “Why in hell didn't you call me and tell me what you were going to do?”

    Annie stirred uneasily in her chair. Her gaze went to the cloisonné leopard and then returned to his face. “I did call. You were out of the office.”

    “So you went ahead on your own.”

    “Yes. Oliver, this is probably a good time to tell you something else the caller said. He or she made a point of telling me that if I wanted answers about Daniel's disappearance, I should not tell you I was going to look for Thorpe. I was told not to ask you for help because I might be putting myself in danger by doing so.”

    Oliver felt as if he'd been kicked in the stomach. “You were warned not to tell me about any of this?”

    “That was how it sounded. Like a warning.”

    Oliver did not take his eyes off her. “Then why are you telling me now, Annie?”

    “I had a long time to sit and think on the ferry ride back to Seattle. I put all the evidence together and came up with an interesting conclusion.”

    Out of the corner of his eye Oliver saw Bolt take a step closer to the desk. “What was that conclusion?” Oliver asked very carefully.

    “It seemed to me,” Annie said slowly, “that someone was deliberately trying to set you up. Someone wants me to believe you're behind Daniel's disappearance.”

    A screaming silence filled the study.

    “A very logical conclusion,” Oliver finally said grimly. He exchanged a silent glance with Bolt. Then he looked at Annie again. “Did the caller say anything else? What was this evidence you mentioned?”

    “He didn't say much. At least not on the phone.” Annie opened her purse and drew out a small slip of paper. “But while I was in Thorpe's house I found a calendar. The date Daniel disappeared was circled on it.”

    Bolt frowned. “Not surprising. Your brother's disappearance would have been a major event for Thorpe and everyone else at the aviation service firm where he worked. It's not every day a company like that loses an aircraft.”

    “That wasn't all I found on the calendar.” Annie put the piece of paper on the desk in front of Oliver. “Someone had written this phone number down two days before my brother rented the plane.”

    Oliver glanced at the number and recognized it instantly. “Damn it to hell.” He sank slowly back down into his chair.

    “What is it?” Bolt stepped forward and peered at the phone number Annie had scribbled on the paper. “That's one of the lines you've got here in the