Eye of the Abductor (33 page)

Allison, where are you?

His stomach twisted in knots. He returned to the foyer with the
same enthusiasm as a man taking his final walk on death row.

“Her car’s missing. She’s not here.”

Brance thought of the documents for her new identity, causing
anxiety to simmer in his chest. He sighed. “I need some coffee to clear my
head.”

“The FBI has a BOLO out on your wife, Brance. They’ll want to
speak with you. Do you have any idea where she could’ve gone?” his superior
asked.

Brance shook his head. “Not really. I thought everything was
fine. We planned to take the Wilsons to court for custody.”

“Once a criminal, always a criminal." A uniformed officer
smirked.

Inspector Graham shot the man a warning look.

Brance’s pulse quickened with anger. “Allison's not a criminal. I
don’t believe she abducted her son. I can’t explain it, but things are good
between us.”

“Maybe she suffered a moment of poor judgment with it being
Christmas Eve,” his superior offered.

“No, like I said, something about this isn’t right. Maybe someone
forced her to do it. Perhaps the person, who attacked her, kidnapped both
Allison and her son to make her talk. The FBI needs to be made aware of that.”

“You have no proof of that,” Graham said. “Fix that coffee, and
let’s sit down and talk about this.” He dismissed the other officers.

In the kitchen, Brance turned to the Inspector. “You take it
black, right?”

“Black is good.” Inspector Graham gave him a harsh glare. “You
know the law, but I’ll still remind you. When they question you, you’ll need to
be totally honest. I’d hate to see you arrested or lose your job. You can’t
protect her.”

Again Brance thought about Allison’s new identity hidden under
her driver’s seat and her previous plans to abduct Nathan. “She’d been trying
to save enough money to take the Wilsons to court. When Randy recognized her
and one of Escobar’s men approached her, she figured it’d be just a matter of
time before the Wilsons knew. At that point, she planned to abduct him.”

“So what stopped her?”

Brance joined him. “Someone broke into her apartment, searching
for the five million Rob Wilson had stolen. They took every penny Allison had
saved. Without the money, she couldn’t go through with the abduction.”

“And you didn’t see the need to come forth with this
information?”

“She didn’t go through with it. No actual crime had been
committed. So I made her an offer.” Brance described their arrangement. “I love
her. And I thought she was beginning to care for me.” He paused. “I don’t believe
Allison would snatch her child. I'm afraid someone abducted them both."

Brance stood and walked to the counter to pour a second cup of
coffee. That’s when he spotted the sheet of paper on the floor. He leaned down
and picked it up. He skimmed over it quickly.

Brance, last night was wonderful. I liked what I saw behind
door number two. But I’m still frightened to let myself love you with my whole
heart. I know you’re not Rob, and I want to believe you’d never hurt me, but I
need some time to sort out my thoughts. I’ve gone to my dad’s for the holidays.
I’ll be back in time for New Year’s Eve. See if you can join your family for
dinner. Merry Christmas. Allison.

“It’s a note from Allison.”

The Inspector joined him at the counter. “Hand it over.”

His cheeks warmed over the content. “It’s personal.”

“No, it’s evidence. I’ll pass it on to the FBI.”

He inhaled deeply, regretting that he couldn’t keep its contents
private. He reluctantly handed it to his superior.

At first he thought someone might've forced her to write the
note, but if that had been the case, she wouldn't have included the personal
stuff. Relief that she hadn’t been abducted seeped through him. But who had
abducted Nathan and why? This news would crush Allison.

“The FBI will say she wrote this to distract you so she’d have
more time before you realized she was missing.”

“I don’t believe it. I’m sure she’s on her way to Kansas to see
her father.”

“How do you explain her car being seen at the Wilsons?”

“I figure she wanted to feel close to her son for a few minutes
before leaving town.”

“Maybe. And maybe the urge to take her son became too great, and
she broke in through a downstairs window, kidnapped him, and left through the
front door.”

“I don’t buy it.” Brance sucked in a deep breath, trying to hold
it together. He wanted to curse or cry. Hell, he wasn’t sure what he wanted.
How could life have been so good last night and turned to pure shit this
morning? “Has anyone found her prints at the Wilsons’ home?”

“No.”

Inspector Graham pulled out his phone and called in the
information about Allison driving to Kansas before turning back to Brance. “She’ll
be picked up.”

 “You don't have enough evidence against her.”

“With her past conviction, what they have was enough to obtain the
warrant.. And if her son  is with her, she won't be coming home.”

As the inspector was leaving, Brance stood in the door, his brain
aching with confusion and anger.  Two FBI agents left their car and walked
toward him.

Shit.

Chapter Nineteen

Christmas Day Allison pulled into a service station to fill her
tank and grab a cup of coffee. She would be in Kansas before lunch and surprise
her father. By now Brance had probably found her note. Hopefully he’d understand
why she needed this time alone.

She’d been back on the Missouri highway less than ten minutes
when blue lights flashed behind her. She wasn’t speeding. She had no idea what
she'd done wrong.

Allison pulled over and rolled down her window and waited, but he
remained in his car. Her stomach coiled into a tight knot.

“Allison Stone, step out of your vehicle with your hands over
your head,” boomed a voice over a loud speaker.

Her spine tightened. What was this about? Finally, she cut the
engine off and left the security of her car.

“Hands on your head. Now!”

She stretched her arms over her head.

“Down on your knees. Now!”

She lowered to the ground. The hard pavement and gravel burned
her knees. Her mind raced through different possibilities as to what this could
be about. Her heart pounded with fear.

With guns drawn, two officers approached her. The gravel along
side the road crunched under their feet. “Do you have any weapons on your
person?” one asked.

“No, sir.”

After cuffing her hands, he pulled her to her feet. One patted
her down for weapons while the other checked out her car.

“Allison Stone, I have a felony warrant for your arrest for
parental kidnapping.”

She couldn’t speak. The accusation ran through her brain.

“The kid’s not here,” the other officer said. He walked back to
her, then lifted her chin. “What’d you do with your son?”

“Nathan?”

“Nathan Wilson,” he said.

“My son’s missing?”

“Where’d you leave him?”

“I didn’t. I swear.” Then the impact of what he’d asked hit her
hard. A sensation of immense pressure crushed her chest. A pain sliced through her.
“Oh my God! My son’s been abducted! When?”

“Let’s go.” He looked at the other office. “Notify the Feds that
we have her.”

He led her toward his car while the other officer opened the rear
door. Tears rolled down her face, uncontrollable tears.

Damn Rob Wilson and the trouble he’s brought us.

“Please get my purse and my bag.” She wasn’t sure whether the men
had heard her.

By the time Allison reached the holding cell, she’d stopped
crying. She could only imagine what a mess her face was, but none of it mattered.
Not with Nathan missing. One officer removed the cuffs and handed her a small
wet towel. She blotted her face with it. “Thank you. I need to call my
husband.”

“Soon." He walked out leaving her alone.

Allison glanced at the urinal and sink before walking over to the
small cot and sitting.

It was Christmas Day. But there wasn’t anything to be merry
about. Her son had been kidnapped, and the cops believed she’d done it. While
parked across from the Wilsons’ house, their neighbors had seen her.

Why is this happening now? Now that she finally thought she had
things figured out and going her way? Allison hated being stuck in the small
cell. She wanted to help search for her child. A sense of helplessness overwhelmed
her.

Later, an officer escorted her to a telephone where she called
Brance.

“Hello,” he answered, his voice weary.

“Brance, it’s Allison. Is it true about Nathan?”

“I’m afraid so. Where are you?”

“I’m near Columbia, Missouri. I’ve been arrested.”

“Sweetheart, there’s not a damn thing I can do until they
extradite you back to Memphis.”

“Brance, don’t worry about me. Find Nathan. Please just find him.
Has there been any kind of ransom note?”

“Not that I’m aware of. I’ll make sure everything is being done
to find Nathan. I love you, Allison.”

“I love you,” she said, but he’d already hung up. He hadn’t heard
the words of endearment she’d finally found the courage to say.

The officer escorted Allison back to the cell where she collapsed
on the cot and let the tears flow. Huge sobs shook her entire body. One of the
officers of the Missouri town entered, and she wiped her eyes and sat up.

“Mrs. Stone, I brought you something to eat. My wife made you a
plate from our Christmas dinner.”

“Thank you, but I’m not hungry.”

“You need to eat.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “My son’s missing. That’s all that
concerns me. I’m worried sick about him.”

“I’d let you go if I could. But that’ll be up to the judge who
issued the warrant.”

The following morning, a different officer escorted her to the
front office where a tall older man waited. “Mrs. Stone, this is Federal
Marshal Ethan Green. He’ll drive you back to Memphis.”

The man appeared harsh and uncaring, wearing jeans and a navy
blue U.S. Marshal’s jacket. He dangled a pair of cuffs before her. “Hands.”

She didn’t argue and allowed him to cuff her.

“We’re ready,” the federal marshal said, talking to the Missouri
officer. “Anything going with her?”

“Her car and belongings were sent back this morning.”

While riding in the back seat of his car, Allison studied the
tough old man. More than likely, he’d served with different branches of law
enforcement. She cleared her throat. “Marshal Green. I didn’t kidnap my son.
Not that I hadn’t considered it before.”

“Lady, save your breath. It doesn’t matter whether I think you’re
innocent or guilty.”

“You’re right it doesn’t., but you’re probably familiar with
abduction cases. I believe someone kidnapped my child because of something they
think I know. My apartment was ransacked, and I was assaulted after that. I suspect
the same person has my son.”

He glanced in the rearview mirror, his expression remaining hard
and cold. “Do you have this information they want?”

“No, I don’t.”

“Ma’am, I advise you to feed whoever contacts you a bunch of
bullshit to string them along. Buy the Feds a little more time.”

“Here’s the thing. It could be the drug dealer my ex-husband
cheated, but I don’t think so. There had to be someone involved who didn’t go
down when the bust was made. Someone at the top.”

“At the top of what?”

“The Memphis Police Department, I’m talking about a cop.”

His brows rose to his hairline. “Ma’am, you’re playing with
fire.”

***

In Memphis, several FBI agents
interrogated Allison about her son’s whereabouts. Again and again, they made
different accusations, trying to break her.

“Mrs. Wilson, we have witnesses who saw you at precisely
eleven-thirty P.M. parked across from the Wilsons' home. Why?”

She blew out a tired, frustrated breath. “It’s Stone not Wilson.
I just wanted to be near my son on Christmas. That’s all. I’ve parked there
before.”

"No doubt plotting this," Agent Crammer stated.

She choked back the tears, not wanting this bastard to see her
fall apart. Regardless of how they pressured her, she refused to confess.
“You’re wasting time. You could be searching for my son. He’s just a little
boy. Why would I leave him somewhere, then drive off to Kansas without him?”

“Explain these.” Her new identification papers lay sprawled on
the table. “They were found in your car,” Agent Crammer said. “Your car is
registered under Laura Marsh.”

“If anyone connected with Rob came after me, I was prepared to
leave town and start a new life.”

“Your husband admitted to Inspector Graham that you’d considered
abducting him at one point.”

The impact of what he said weighed on her heart. Brance believed
she’d left him and kidnapped Nathan. Her head dropped in anguish.

The younger agent lowered his mouth to her ear. “Lady, I want some
answers right now.”

The door opened, and she glanced around. Agent Hamsley entered
the room. “We didn’t find the kid’s prints anywhere in or on the car nor any of
his belongings. I’m not so sure she's involved.”

No, but my husband believes I am.

She’d finally let her guard down to trust Brance only to realize
he’d turned on her. But she couldn’t think of him now, all she could think of was
her son. God, where was her baby boy? Why hadn’t anyone sent a ransom note?

She couldn’t hold back the tears any longer. One of the agents
handed her a tissue. She kept her head lowered, not speaking. She’d had enough.

“She could have a partner, Hamsley. Just because there aren’t any
prints, doesn’t prove she’s innocent,” Agent Crammer stated.

“Her husband’s right about this," the older agent said to
Crammer. "We’re wasting valuable time interrogating her when we should be
following other leads. I agree with him. I don’t believe she had anything to do
with it."