Colleen Coble (29 page)

“Probably.” Amy’s jaw tightened. “Honestly, I even blame him a little.”

“Oh, Amy, you don’t! He had no way of knowing she had something like this planned. And it was an emergency.”

Amy sighed and tried to push away the anger that had been growing toward Curtis all afternoon. And she was angry at herself as well. She was as much to blame as Curtis.

T
HIRTY
-O
NE

C
louds billowed above him, and thunder rumbled in the distance, nearly obscured by a boat horn in the harbor. The weather seemed to punctuate the terror clawing at Curtis’s gut. It was all he could do to hold himself together. The panic grew with every minute that passed. He had to find Raine.

Edith hadn’t stopped crying since he’d picked her up. Her face was red and blotchy, and he held on to her arm to keep her from collapsing to the pavement. He murmured some kind of comfort he didn’t believe himself as he watched for Amy’s car. When her small compact pulled into a parking space in front of the jail, he settled Edith on a stone wall and went to meet Amy and Libby.

Libby got out of the passenger side, then opened the back door and reached inside to get little Noah. Curtis’s heart squeezed at the sight of the baby. Just a year ago Raine had been that size, and now she was . . . gone.

Amy’s eyes were huge in her white face, and her expression pleaded with him to tell her good news.

Swallowing down his pain, he met her on the sidewalk. “I told Tom you found the phone. He’s squawking about contaminating the evidence, just so you know.”

“I knew he would be. So still no news?”

He shook his head and took the phone she handed him. “There are four bars now, so we’re good. Tom is going to move Heather to an interrogation room. He’s got some kind of equipment where he can listen in on her call without her knowing about it. So we can hear more than what she’s saying. We’ll be able to hear the scumbag too.”

Amy nodded but her eyes looked distant, as though she was thinking of something else. “I have to call my parents before I go in. I just heard something about it on the radio, so it’s going to be all over the country.”

“It will take a few minutes to set things up anyway. Go ahead.” He needed to call his parents as well, but not until he managed to regain a steady tone. His mother would fall apart, and he needed to be strong enough to help her.

To give Amy privacy for the call, he started to walk away, but she grabbed his hand as she placed the call. “Stay. I could use the support.”

She settled on the wall that ran the perimeter of the yard. Libby gave her an encouraging pat as she settled beside her.

“Hello, Dad? Listen, there’s trouble here.” She told the whole story, ending with finding Heather on the beach. “And Raine’s still missing, kidnapped from Heather by this unknown man.”

Her father’s voice boomed out of the phone, loud enough for Curtis and any passerby to hear. “What do you mean kidnapped? I knew that Coast Guard fellow couldn’t care for her properly. We’ll be there first thing in the morning. I have a meeting tonight I can’t get out of.”

Amy was white when she dropped her phone back in her purse. “Sorry that you’re going to have to contend with them. My dad will use this as ammunition to bolster his fight for custody.”

“Right now we need to get her back. Then I’ll worry about your dad.” She nodded, but he didn’t like the way she didn’t meet his eyes. “You think it’s my fault, don’t you?”

She rose and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “It was my fault too, Curtis. We were running on pure adrenaline and didn’t stop to use our heads. Neither of us knew Heather well enough to entrust her with Raine. We should have called Libby or even a neighbor we knew.” Her voice broke. “This is going to be hard to live with for both of us if—”

The doubt in her eyes nearly buckled his knees. “We
will
find her!” Hope was all he had to cling to. No one was going to take that away from him. He would search for Raine until his dying breath.

She nodded. “Of course. Did you call your parents?”

He paused. “No, and I need to. I don’t want them to hear about it on the news.” With his shoulder brushing hers, he placed the call and got his mother. Dad would likely be in meetings. “Mom?”

“Curtis, I was about to call you.” His mother’s voice quavered. “I was watching the news. That isn’t our Raine who’s been kidnapped, is it? Please tell me it isn’t.”

“I’m afraid so, Mom.” He plunged into what had happened, sparing no details and taking the full blame. His mother cried softly on the other end and promised she and his father would get there as soon as they could. Sighing, he put his phone away. “They’ll be here in a few hours too. Dad will come in on his private plane.”

Amy gripped his hand. “I heard what you said. It wasn’t your fault, Curtis.”

“A few minutes ago you weren’t so sure.” He started to pull his hand away, but she held on and shook her head. “It
is
my fault. I handed her right over to Heather without a care in the world. I should have known better. I wasn’t thinking.”

She held his gaze. “Neither of us was. An emergency can do that to a person. Blaming ourselves isn’t going to get her back. And we
will
get her back, Curtis.”

The way her voice held conviction gave him hope. He took her arm. “Let’s get inside and make Heather call that monster.”

The air-conditioning in Heather’s holding room gave a thump and a wheeze before it let go of slightly cooler air that did little to alleviate the stuffy space. She sat on a metal chair covered with the thinnest cushion she’d ever seen. The table was metal as well, and four other chairs were grouped around it. Sniffling, she willed herself not to cry, but her eyes kept burning and flooding with tears. She’d been so
stupid
. There should have been some way to prevent Bossman from taking the little girl.

Down the hall, a door slammed. Footsteps came toward her door, and she rose with her hands clutched together. There had been no one to call to get her out of jail, and she had little hope that whoever approached would help. If she could just call Grant, he would know what to do to get her out of this.

The metal door of her room swung open, and the first person she saw was Amy. Curtis and Sheriff Bourne, Alec’s cousin, were behind her. Heather wanted to rush forward and throw herself into Amy’s arms. Amy had a gentle, competent way about her, and Heather was sure she could help her. But
would
she? She had no real cause to help when it was Heather’s fault that Raine was in the possession of that awful man.

Amy gently took Heather’s shoulders and disentangled herself from the young woman. “Heather, how are you?” Her tone held interest without condemnation. Her face was pale and full of pain.

Heather searched the other woman’s face for signs of sincerity. Did Amy
really
care that she’d been thrown in jail? Her green eyes were warm with compassion.

“It’s hot in here. And I’m scared.” Heather’s voice broke. She stepped back and rubbed her burning eyes. When Amy took her arm and settled her back in the chair, Heather leaned into her. Right now anyone’s touch was welcome. She felt so alone.

Amy pulled out a metal chair and sat beside her. “Could we get her a glass of water?”

“Or a Mountain Dew?” Heather put in.

Sheriff Bourne’s lips tightened, but he inclined his head and went to the door. Sticking his head out, he told someone in the hall to bring her a drink.

“Amy, what’s going to happen to me? I’ve seen movies about women who went to jail. Something like that couldn’t happen to me, could it? If I told them I’m only seventeen, would that change things? Maybe juvie would intervene. If I have to go to jail, being with girls my own age would be better than prison.”

Amy chewed on her lip. “Honey, that’s up to the sheriff. I don’t know anything about the legal stuff.”

When the sheriff turned back to the table, he pulled out a chair and dropped into it. “Curtis, have a seat.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. “This yours?”

She reached for it eagerly. “I think so!” Her fingers closed around it, and she recognized the slice in the plastic cover on the back. “It’s mine. Where did you find it?”

Amy kept hold of her hand. “On the beach. I think you dropped it before you got in the water. It still works, and I don’t think it’s ever been wet. We want to help you, Heather, but to do that, you have to help us.”

Heather didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you talking a trade? I turn Grant over to you and you’ll let me go? I can’t do that. I love him. And besides, I don’t think he had anything to do with what Bossman did. I think he’d help us get her back though. Once I tell him what’s happened, he’ll figure it out.”

The sheriff gave an exasperated
humph
. “Girl, that man was using you, and you’re too dumb to see it. He’s letting you rot in jail while he does whatever he set out to do. I’m expecting a ransom demand.”

Curtis’s head shot up. “Ransom?”

“Your folks have money. It makes sense. And Heather said something about using the kid to make a lot of money.”

Heather shook her head. “I don’t believe Grant would ask for a ransom. I know he wouldn’t hurt her. Let me call him and tell him what Bossman has done. I’m sure he doesn’t know. He’ll help us track down Bossman and get Raine back.” Sobs surged in her throat. “I never wanted to hurt the little girl. I like kids. Truly.”

The sheriff’s frown darkened. “Yeah, well, prove it. Call your fella, and let’s see what he says.” He motioned to the rest of them to follow him. “We’ll give you some privacy so you can talk.”

They exited the room and Heather exhaled. It would have been awkward to have them listening. Her hands trembled as she called up Grant’s number. What if he wasn’t there? Or what if what the sheriff said was true and Grant had been using her?

The phone was answered almost immediately. “Heather, you’re supposed to wait for my call.”

She exhaled. “Oh, Grant, thank goodness you’re there.”

“Of course I’m here. Where else would I be? And why are you calling?”

“It’s Bossman. He picked us up. He tried to
kill
me, Grant. He got out a gun and shot me.” Her fingers crept to the furrow in her arm. “Be careful with him. I escaped, but he took Raine.”

“And brought her to me. I didn’t tell him to hurt you though. Are you exaggerating?”

Heather licked her dry lips. “Of course I’m not exaggerating! Hang on.” She quickly snapped a picture of her injured arm and texted it to him. “I just sent you a picture of what he did. He tried to kill me.”

There was a pause. “It looks like a bullet, all right. And Bossman did this?”

“Yes.” A sob escaped her throat. “Is Raine all right?”

“She’s fine.”

“You have to bring her back. You have to, Grant! They know I took her, and they’ll send me to prison. Bring her back and everything will be okay. We’ll go on our vacation and forget about this nightmare.”

He gave a heavy sigh. “Listen, I’m seeing someone else now. It’s time we both moved on.”

“But you said you loved me, and that you’d already bought tickets to the beach.”

“Grow up, Heather. You did what I asked, and we’re both moving on.” His voice was hard. “Now leave me alone. And don’t go to the police. You’d just get yourself in trouble since you’re the one who took her. And even worse, I’ll sic Bossman on you, so keep your mouth shut if you want to live.”

The phone clicked in her ear, and she let it slip from nerveless fingers. She felt frozen inside and out. He couldn’t have meant what he said. He couldn’t.

The door opened, and Amy stepped back inside with Curtis and the sheriff. Amy slid back into her chair. “Are you all right? You’re pale. Did he say where Raine is?”

“He has her, but he’s not bringing her back.” She put her hand to her mouth. “He
used
me.”

Amy reached over to take Heather’s hand. “Help us find Raine, Heather. What can you tell us about Grant? Anything you can think of will help us track him down.”

Heather tried to think past the pain squeezing her chest. Was this what death felt like? “H-He’s in his early thirties, I think. Blond hair and the bluest eyes you’ve ever seen. He always wears polos and khakis with deck shoes. He said he lived in Atlantic City, but I bet that’s not true either.” Bitterness laced her words, and she suddenly wished she had a gun. She’d track him down and shoot him in his black heart.

“Not much to go on,” Sheriff Bourne said.

Heather reached for her phone. “Wait, I have a picture. He’d kill me if he knew I took it, but I just wanted to have something to look at when we were far apart.” She called up the photos and whipped through them to find the one she wanted. “Here.” She passed it to the sheriff, who looked at it and nodded.

“I’ll see if we can find a match.”

“Can I see it?” Amy and Curtis asked at the same time.

Sheriff Bourne shrugged, then handed the phone to Curtis, who stared at it and shook his head. Curtis offered it to Amy.

She took one look and gasped. “I know this man. He was a friend of my brother’s. His real name is Grant Davidson. He lives in Washington DC.”