Page 139 of Lethal Danger

No sign of movement or flashlights showed through the chain-link fence on this side of the fair as she approached the entrance.

Of course. She should’ve thought of that before.

Butch wouldn’t be able to get away with a kidnapping at the fair if there were other guards around. He must have doctored the duty roster to clear the area where he wanted to play.

Well, it was going to be game over for him very soon.

Jazz punched the security code into the keypad at the small gate and entered.

The fair was eerily quiet. No colorful lights from the midway. No fun sounds and music. No voices or laughter.

Jazz kept an eye out for surprises as she hurried quietly up the path, making her way by the direct route to the History Center.

But once she was close, she veered off the path and cut behind the Skyride building to come around to the side entrance. Hopefully, Butch would expect her to enter the History Center by the main door.

If not, she’d still take him down. It just might be a little messier and take a bit longer.

But she would take him down. Uncle Pierce was not going to get hurt. They were still going to have their future together. The two of them would form the loving family she’d dreamed of.

First, she simply had to free Uncle Pierce from a killer.

Jazz stopped by the side entrance and flexed her fingers, taking in a slow breath to ease the unfamiliar tension between her ribs. She’d leave the gun behind her back in case Butch spotted her first. Didn’t want him shooting Uncle Pierce because she hadn’t respected his demand for no weapons.

She turned the knob on the metal door and pushed it open.

Didn’t squeak or make a sound. Perfect.

The building was dark. The only illumination seemed to come from two large overhead lights attached to each end of the long building. Probably the only lighting that was usually left on overnight.

Shadows and dim light touched the exhibits that interrupted the otherwise open space, providing some cover for Jazz.

She crouched and silently weaved through the exhibits, scanning the open spaces for any sign of Uncle Pierce or Butch.

Her heart beat more erratically the longer she went without seeing anyone. Had Butch moved Uncle Pierce elsewhere?

She stepped around an old sleigh of some kind and checked the shadows beyond.

Something lay on the floor. A thick shape that tapered downward as it lengthened to what looked like legs.

Uncle Pierce? Dead?

The thought nearly choked her. She’d seen plenty of dead bodies. But she was not ready to see his.

She glanced around, making sure no one was there before giving in to the urge to move closer.

The shadows shifted as she approached.

A body for sure. A man’s.

No. Grief pushed up her throat. It couldn’t be Uncle Pierce.

A sound behind her.

She spun toward it, whipping out her Sig and aiming.

At Uncle Pierce.

Horror collided with disbelief as her brain struggled to make sense of the scene.

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