Deadly Image (15 page)

Ace pulled a face. “You’re not just a case anymore, Lexi. I–I care about you.”

“You do?”

“I do. I know we haven’t known each other long, but somewhere along the way I’ve come to realize how much you are starting to mean to me.”

“Does that mean you think I’m innocent now?”

“I never thought you weren’t.”

“But, you – you said I was a suspect.”

“You were.” Ace turned onto her road. “But, that didn’t mean
I
thought you did it. Call it a gut feeling if you will.”

“I’m glad.” Lexi relaxed against the seat. “I’m glad you didn’t think I was capable of such a horrendous crime.” She bit her lip. “I–I have feelings for you too, Ace. But I have to be honest with you. With everything that’s happened this past week, I’m not sure I can sort them out. I don’t know what’s real anymore.”

Ace stilled. There it was. The one thing he’d spent his whole life trying to avoid. He’d just told her how much she meant to him and she wasn’t sure how she felt about him.

To be fair, he couldn’t really blame her. With all she’d been through, she probably didn’t know how she felt about him or anything else for that matter. It still stung all the same.

Then again, maybe she really didn’t think he was good enough for her. He wasn’t rich by any stretch of the imagination. Comfortable, yes, but not wealthy by the Carlisles’ standards.

With a sharp pain of regret, he realized he’d been right all along. She was out of his league.

Ace pulled into her driveway and Lexi gasped.

“What’s wrong?”

“Look!” She pointed to the front porch.

Ace squinted. He didn’t see anything. Just a few potted plants, a porch swing with a tote bag in the seat, and a large vase by the door.

“The bag.” Lexi paled. “It’s the one I always carried for Anna when I took her to daycare. Whoever took Anna picked up the bag and her other things that day too. How did it get on my porch?” Lexi jumped out of the SUV before Ace turned off the ignition and sprinted toward the porch.

“Don’t touch it!” Ace rolled down his window and yelled.

Lexi stopped in mid-run and whirled around to look at him. “What?”

Ace hurried around to the vehicle’s hatch. He pulled out a pair of gloves, a large plastic bag and his explosives detector. “I said not to touch it. We need it for evidence. To check for fingerprints, DNA and such.” He joined her on the porch. “I also need you to move away from the area so I can check for explosives.”

“Explosives?” Lexi’s eyes widened.

“Just as a precaution.” He flipped a switch on the device and scanned the bag as Lexi stood several feet away in the yard.

Nothing set the detector off. Relief settled over him.
Thank goodness
. He set the device down and put on the gloves. Gingerly, he opened the bag. Again nothing. No white powder. No ticking bomb. Nothing.

The bag was empty. He turned to Lexi. “All clear. You can come back now.”

“Why would the kidnapper leave Anna’s bag on my porch?” Her eyes darted around the yard, then her lip trembled.

Ace’s jaw pulsed. “It means whoever took Anna is taunting you.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. To show you they can? To torture you? I just don’t know.” Ace carefully placed the tote in the large plastic bag and sealed it. “We’ll get this to the lab to see if they can pull anything off of it.” He took the evidence bag to the SUV and placed it in the back.

He shut the door in time to see Lexi’s features harden. “I’ve had enough! I can’t take it anymore!” She stormed down the steps and stood in the middle of the yard, arms wide. “What do you want from me! What do you want! I’m right here! Come on!”

“Lexi.”

Either she didn’t hear him or she was ignoring him. “I said come on! I’m right here! It’s me you want! Leave my family alone!” She sank to the ground and pounded the ground with her fist. Within seconds her screams dissolved into hoarse sobs. “Bring my baby back. Bring her back to me.”

Ace knelt down and gathered her in his arms. Holding her tight, he whispered, “We’ll find her, Lexi. We’ll find her. I know this is hard, but one thing is for sure. The kidnapper is still in town so there is a good chance Anna is too.”

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Lexi buried her face in his chest. “I can’t take it anymore.” She hiccupped another sob. “I just can’t.”

“I know, baby. I know,” Ace soothed, stroking her hair. Even if she didn’t feel the same way about him as he did her, the gut-wrenching pain in her voice tugged on his heartstrings. He wanted to protect her from the pain. He also wanted to bash the head in of the person responsible for it. “We’ll find her. If it’s the last thing I do, I promise we’ll find Anna.”

Ace closed his eyes to pray as her shaking sobs subsided.
Lord, please help us find the child soon and keep her safe until we do. And please help me control myself when we find the person responsible for this.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

“I’m going to take the evidence bag down to the station now,” Ace told her a few minutes later as she seated herself on the edge of her couch in the living room. He frowned. “You’ll be alright while I’m gone?”

“Of course.” Lexi nodded. “Somebody will be here.”

“You have your phone?”

Lexi patted her front jean pocket. “Right here.”

“Good. I’ll be back before the next ICU visitation at the hospital so I can go with you. In the meantime, try to get some rest.”

“Alright,” Lexi agreed. “You’ll let me know if you hear anything else about Anna?”

“Of course.” He flashed her an encouraging smile. “Something will turn up. You’ll see.” At least he hoped so.

Ace craned his head around to look into the den. It was empty except for Deputy Owens who sat by the scanner, feet propped up on the chair next to him while he read a book. Everyone else was either out with the voluntary search party or back at the station.

Ace wasn’t thrilled with the prospect of leaving her with a rookie, but he supposed it was better than leaving her alone. Surely the man knew how to protect her?

Not necessarily, he realized ruefully. Owens somehow had missed whoever had left the tote bag in the swing. Didn’t see or hear a thing, he’d told them.
How could he,
Ace thought irritably
, with his nose stuck in a book, oblivious to his surroundings
?

Ace shook his head. Rookies…

How long had Sheriff Dawson said Owens had been on the force? A month? Maybe two? Not exactly the officer he’d put his vote of confidence in, but he would have to do. Dragging Lexi back to the police station while he worked on the latest evidence wouldn’t give her the rest she desperately needed.  

“Owens!” Ace barked, more irritated with himself because he had to leave her safety in the hands of a rookie cop than with the fact the man seemed a little too relaxed in the den to be of any use.

Owens started visibly, then placed his feet on the floor, stood and walked into the living room where they were. “Yes?”

“I’m going into town. Be sure to keep an eye on Ms. Yates while I’m gone.” Ace arrowed a look toward Lexi. She had leaned back against the cushions and could barely keep her eyes open. The past few days’ events, topped with her crying jag a few moments ago, had taken their toll.

“Will do.” Deputy Owens nodded eagerly. Ace didn’t care for the gleam suddenly lighting the other man’s dark eyes as he looked at Lexi appreciatively. Either he was happy to finally have something to do besides read a book or else he had a small crush on her. Neither scenario pleased Ace.

“Call me if you need me.” Ace glanced at his watch. Nine forty-two. “Sheriff Dawson should be back here to give an update on the volunteer search before eleven o’clock. I’ll probably be back by then too.” He slanted a glance at Owens. “Under no circumstances should she be out of your sight.”

Deputy Owens dipped his chin. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’s exactly where she should be.”

* * *

Ace dropped the evidence bag on the front desk at the Gator Bayou Police Station. “The perp in the Anna Yates case left us a present. I need forensics to check it ASAP.”

“Sure thing.” The deputy in charge stood and picked up the plastic bag. “I’ll have a rush put on it.” He hesitated. “It’ll still take a while though. We don’t have the latest technology in our little town. Of course, we’ll run any prints we find through CODIS to see if we can get a hit.”

“Let me know the minute you find anything conclusive. You can reach me on my cell.”

“Absolutely.”

Ace had just reached the station door when the deputy called him back. “Wait up! I think this is for you. Something’s being faxed over from the Feds in Ohio.” The deputy frowned. “Looks like it’s from Shady Grove Care Facility.”

He held up the fax with an enlarged driver’s license printed on it. Ace stared. The picture on the license was horribly familiar.

“Oh, dear Lord! No!” Ace felt the wind leave his lungs as fear gripped his spine.

* * *

“Time to rise and shine, princess,” a raspy voice whispered in Lexi’s ear.

Groggily, Lexi struggled to sit up on the couch. She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. Panic seized her.

She jerked her head toward the voice. Something soft fluttered against her cheek. Material? Was she blind-folded? Lexi reached for it as terror rushed through her.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the voice hissed. Hands grabbed her by the wrists and jerked them behind her back. Pain shot through her shoulders from the excessive force. Lexi winced. She felt something wrap then tighten around her wrists. Rope?

Something cold and hard was shoved against her temple. “On your feet. We’re going for a little drive.”

Lexi swallowed the fear lodging in her throat. This lunatic had a gun.

Where was Ace? Wasn’t he back yet? What about Deputy Owens? Had her captor overpowered him too?

“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”

Silence. Then, “I said move!” Hands grabbed her forearm and jerked her to her feet. A non-gentle shove to her back propelled her across the floor. “Now!”

Lexi stumbled on the carpet then caught her balance. “Deputy Owens! Help me!”

A deep, humorless laugh peppered the air. “Save your breath, princess. There’s nobody here to help you. Not even your FBI boyfriend.”

Boyfriend? Why did this lunatic think Ace was her boyfriend? Had he seen them together and picked up on the attraction?

Another wave of nausea surged upward. Had he been watching her? Spying?

Lexi shivered as she felt herself being guided none-too-gently across the floor. She heard him open the front door. Warm sunshine bathed her arms and face as she was shoved out the door. Where was the cop who was supposed to be guarding her? Was he hurt? Or … Lexi gulped … dead?

She heard a car door open. Another forceful push landed her face first onto the velour upholstery. The door slammed shut finalizing her predicament. Within seconds, she felt the car back out and tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She blinked them away. She had to stay strong if she wanted to get out of this alive.

She could feel the panic attack coming on. Her head throbbed, nausea swirled in her stomach and her body broke out in a cold, clammy sweat despite the sun beating down on her through the windows. She gulped for air. Her breaths came in short, shallow bursts as if struggling to find even the smallest trace of oxygen. Within seconds, darkness enveloped her.

Lord, please help me!

* * *

“She’s not here!” Ace slammed his fist on the table in Lexi’s den. How could he have missed this? “I shouldn’t have left her with him.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Valdez.” Zach shot his partner a sympathetic look. “There’s no way anyone could have known the warden from Shady Grove was Deputy Rob Owens.”

Anger surged through Ace as he paced the floor. “How could this creep get a job at the police department? Don’t they do background checks in this little town?”

“I’m sure they did a check. His record must have been clean.”