The occupants of the room stood and a hush fell over the crowd.

Gray peppered the hair of the judge who appeared to be somewhere in his sixties. His stoic expression said nothing as he took his seat and told everyone to sit.

“It’s a little early for this kind of a crowd,” the judge said as he shuffled papers on his desk and looked at the three of them.

A reporter in the back of the room lifted a small tape recorder and whispered into the device, drawing the attention of the judge.

“You! In the back.”

The reporter snapped his attention to the judge.

“Yes?”

“Turn that crap off in my courtroom. If I see it again I’ll have you and all your colleagues removed.”

The reporter shoved the recorder into a bag and sat up.

Judge Stanhope glanced around the courtroom. “I’ve been called in on this fine Sunday, a day I’d much rather be spending with my family…so this had better be good.”

Karen wanted to moan. Great, a pissed-off judge.

“Nolan Parker?” the judge called out.

Nolan stood. “Yes, Your Honor?”

“Do you have counsel?”

The attorney assigned to Nolan stood and walked over to the bench.

“Yes, Your Honor.”

Judge Stanhope glanced at his papers, then to the attorney.

“Nolan Parker you’re being charged with statutory rape, kidnapping, and resisting arrest. How do you plea?”

Nolan glanced at his attorney and said, “Not guilty.”

The judge looked directly at Nolan, then at Zach. “Zach Gardner?”

Zach stood along with his attorney.

“You’re charged with kidnapping, harboring a criminal, and resisting arrest. How do you plea?”

“Not guilty.”

Karen didn’t wait to be called before she took to her feet.

“I see we have a theme here today,” the judge said on a sigh. “Karen Jones?”

“Yes, Your Honor?”

“I assume the remaining attorney is yours?”

“Yes, sir.”

“You’re charged with kidnapping, harboring a criminal, and resisting arrest. How do you plea?”

“Not guilty, Your Honor.”

The judge stared at the three of them. “The preliminary hearing is set for two weeks from tomorrow,” he said. “Bail is set for one hundred thousand dollars each for Ms. Jones and Mr. Gardner. Two hundred and fifty thousand for Mr. Parker.”

“Oh, God,” Nolan groaned.

“It’s OK,” Karen assured him.

“If you make bail you’re to remain within the county limits until the trial. Is that understood?”

The three of them nodded.

The judge left the courtroom and the reporters fled the room.

An hour later, Karen, Zach, and Nolan were walking out of the police station only to be mobbed by the media.

Neil and Blake shoved reporters aside until the three of them were in the back of a limousine.

Karen hugged Gwen as the car left the station.

“We’ve booked a suite at the Hilton.”

“Has anyone heard from Becky?” Nolan asked.

Karen grasped his hand.

“Not yet.”

Karen’s eyes met Zach’s and held.

“This is it.” Judy pointed to the house Becky called home. There wasn’t a car in the driveway, which didn’t sit well with her.

“Does she have brothers or sisters?”

“No. She’s an only child.”

Rick parked half a block away on the opposite side of the street.

He leaned over her and opened the glove compartment. He removed a pistol and proceeded to place it in a holster he had under his jacket.

“What the hell is that?”

“A gun.”

“Well I know that. Why do you have one? Are you a cop or something?”

He smiled. “Or something.”

He moved to open his door and she grasped his arm.

“You can’t go in there with a gun.”

He waved a finger in the air. “I promise not to pull it out unless I have to.”

She tugged on him now. “Hold up. I didn’t agree to this. We just need to make sure Becky’s OK.”

Rick tilted his head to the side. “What do you think I’m going to do?”

“I don’t know, but you don’t need a gun. Look at you. You could sit on Mr. Applegate and squish the man. No guns needed.”

Rick’s smile illuminated the car. “Glad you have faith in me, Utah, but I like a little firepower in case Mr. Appleseed has one of his own.”

“Applegate. Not Appleseed.”

He lifted his eyebrows and never stopped smiling. “You stay here. I’ll check out the house.”

She shoved out of the car right behind him.

“I said, stay in the car.”

She stormed past him. “Becky doesn’t know you. You might scare her.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I should scare you.”

“Phew. Yeah, right.” The house was quiet, as was the neighborhood. Church was a serious thing most Sundays, resulting in many hours spent with the congregation. Somehow, Judy didn’t think that was where the Applegate family was today.

By the time she reached the front door, Rick was beside her. Before she could knock, he picked her up as if she weighted fifty pounds and placed her behind him.

“Hey!”

He lifted a finger to her lips. “Shh!”

Suddenly Rick wasn’t Mr. Hottie strapped in a body fit to fight an army, he was Mr. Annoying fit to earn a tongue-lashing.

“Stay.”

“I’m not a dog,” she told him through gritted teeth.

He towered over her and had the nerve to pat her head.

Judy nearly stomped on his foot.

Before she could respond, he laid his knuckles to the door. “Mr. Apple—”

“Gate,” she whispered.

“Applegate?”

They waited for a few silent moments. Rick knocked again. “Mr. Applegate?”

Nothing.

Rick wiggled the handle on the door and found it unlocked.

He removed the gun he said he would leave alone and slowly opened the door.

Judy’s heart kicked when her eyes fell on the mess in the living room of the Applegate home.

“Go back to the car,” he told her.

She shook her head. Worry for Becky suddenly overwhelmed her. Something wasn’t right.

Two lamps were in the middle of the floor, the glass in the old seventies-style end table was shattered.

“Mr. Applegate?”

“Becky?” Judy called out.