Eye of the Abductor (8 page)

“It’s no bother.
The guys don’t mind helping out two damsels in distress.”

The word
problem
understated the situation. More cops who’d have time to look at her up close
and personal. She might as well set up a Facebook account and announce she was
back.

Brance eyed
Jill. “Are you coming to hear Allison sing Christmas Eve?”

“Sing what?”

“A solo,” he
replied.

“I haven’t
agreed to do it yet."

“You should. You
have an awesome voice,” Jill declared.

“In the shower,”
Allison stated.

“If you sing,
I’ll be there.”

“Me too,” Brance
said.

When a police
car pulled up, Allison forced herself to relax.

Inhale,
exhale, and stay calm.

“Randy and
Shawn, this is Allison and Jill."

The men greeted
them with a nod and then looked back at Brance.

"Allison
needs us to move this loveseat into her apartment."

“Be glad
to." Randy stood taller than Brance but didn't have as muscular of a build.

“He used to be
with the Memphis Police Department, but he wised up and joined the Bartlett
force.” Brance slapped Randy on the back.

Allison
swallowed back her fear. Would this ex-Memphis cop remember her? Her picture
had been plastered on every news program and local paper for weeks.

Jill smiled at
Randy. “You have no idea how much we appreciate this.”

“Ladies, move
back,” Brance said. “Shawn, lift it so it doesn’t slide.”

“Nothing better
than watchin’ men at work, flexing their muscles.” Jill pretended to fan
herself. “Makes me hot.”

The guys
laughed.

As the three men
lifted the loveseat, Allison ran ahead of them and opened her door. After
angling the loveseat in different positions, they finally managed to squeeze it
through.

She pointed to
the spot where it would sit. “You can put it there.”

The men lowered
it to the floor. Before she could stop them, Brance and his friends moved the accent
tables into place. “That should do it. Looks nice.”

Allison had to
agree. “It does. And thanks. I wish I had soda or tea to offer you.”

“Have dinner
with me.” Brance’s gaze lingered on her as he waited for her reply.

“I'm sorry, but
I can’t,” she lowered her voice. “We’ve talked about this before. My answer’s
the same.”

The two
uniformed officers grinned. Shawn spoke up. “You’re losing your touch, Stone.”

“Seems that
way.”

Allison had
caught Randy eyeing her several times. By the intensity of his stare, she knew
he was trying to place her. Of course, he'd also studied Jill.

Breathe.

“Allison, did
you go to school around here?” Randy asked.

“No, I’m from
Kansas originally,” she replied, trying to keep her voice level while her
nerves split into raw threads.

“You remind me
of someone.”

“Everyone says
that,” Jill said intercepting for Allison. “She has one of those familiar
faces.”

Randy directed
his attention to Jill. "I've met you before. It was at a party. Didn't you
used to date Trey Marshall?"

"Yes, for a
couple of years."

Imaginary rocks
sank to the pit of Allison's stomach. If he remembered Jill, then he might also
place her. She thanked the men and walked toward the door, hoping they’d take
the hint to leave. “Jill and I couldn't have moved the loveseat without your
help. Thanks.”

“Just what I
like. Men who know how to please a woman,” Jill added.

A blush heated
Allison’s cheeks. Jill flirted with ease, but she often came across sounding
desperate and easy.

Before anything
else was said, Randy received a call, and the two uniformed officers left.

Thank
goodness.

Allison had
expected Randy to blurt out any moment where he’d seen her. Hopefully, he’d
give up trying to pinpoint how he knew her.

Brance hesitated
near the door and stared at something behind her. She turned and saw Nathan's
infant picture displayed on the bar dividing the kitchen and living room. She
casually walked over and flipped it face down.

“I’m just
upstairs if you ever need someone to talk to,” he said. "I’m a damn good
listener.”

“Thanks, but so
is Jill,” Allison said, trying to make light of his offer. “Besides, I wouldn’t
want to bore you.”

“Seeing how I’m
partially responsible for you losing your job, I thought I'd offer you a
shoulder to cry on.”

“That’s very
kind, but I don’t cry.”

He laughed.
“Okay, iron lady, I’m leaving.”

She offered a
smile. “Thank you for getting my loveseat inside.”

“Maybe we can
have breakfast together again. Just as friends of course. But next time, I’ll
treat.”

"We'll
see."

Once he left,
Jill flashed a rueful look. “What was that about?”

“He did some
work on my car, and I bought him breakfast.”

“What else have
you neglected to tell me?”

“His mother
attends the same church I do. That’s how he knew about my solo. He sent me
roses, but I returned them.”

“Oh, Allison.
The man’s interested in you.”

“I’ve made it
clear I don’t intend to date him. Besides, he’s a cop and way too curious.”
After Allison placed the lamps on the tables, she stood back and admired the
room. She walked over to the kitchen counter and flipped Nathan’s photograph
upright. “Did you see the way he stared at this picture?”

“Yeah, and I
could’ve kicked you for moving it. If he’d asked, you could’ve said the kid was
your nephew.”

"I didn't
think of that." Allison massaged her temples. “Maybe he won’t make an
issue of it. I’m more worried his friend Randy will remember me. Maybe I should
move.”

“Move where?
It’s not like there are a lot of available apartments around Bartlett. And you
wanted to stay near Nathan and out of Memphis. I think you’re reading too much
into this. If Randy had remembered you, he'd have said something when he asked
about Trey.”

"Maybe."

***

Brance thought
about the infant’s picture. He might’ve drawn to the conclusion that the child
was a relative except for the pair of infant shoes by the frame. They made her
relationship personal.

If hers, why
didn’t Allison have custody?

He reviewed how
distraught she’d been parked outside the Little Pal’s Daycare. You didn’t have
to be Sherlock Holmes to conclude that the infant in the picture had to be
attending the daycare.

Allison
Davenport didn’t seem the type who’d be considered an unfit mother. Maybe she’d
given the child up for adoption and somehow discovered who had him.

Later that day
at the precinct, Brance collided with Randy coming through the door. “Thanks
for the help yesterday.”

“Don’t mention
it.” Randy paused. “Her friend Jill is a real eager beaver from what Trey Marshall
said. Odd them being friends, Allison seems so quiet. How long have you been
interested in her?”

“Nothing
long-term. Why?”

Randy shrugged in
a "maybe I shouldn’t say anymore" way.

“Out with it.”

“No reason. Just
curious."

***

A week passed
without Brance seeing Allison. He told himself it was for the best. The woman
had issues.

But on the
following Monday, he drove to the shopping center where he’d seen her. He
parked a fair distance from the daycare with a good view of her and the
children.

Allison’s two toned
blue Dodge pulled up to the same place she’d parked before. No sooner than she
turned off her engine, the back door of the daycare opened, and the kids
sprinted toward the playground equipment.

Aiming the
binoculars at the daycare, Brance observed the stampede. He didn’t have a clue
which one had been the infant in the photograph. He shifted his focus to Allison.

Instead of
crying this week, she smiled at the sight of the kids spreading across the play
area like a scouting party of red ants. And several times she laughed.

He turned the
binoculars to the children and saw what she found amusing.

A boy stood
behind a little girl, trying to push her swing. Each time he tried, he fell
back on his bottom.

Brance chuckled.

The girl didn’t
appear too pleased with the kid. The boy headed in another direction, stumbled
and fell. He remained on the ground crying.

Brance directed
his attention back to Allison.

She had stepped
from her car and stood behind the open door. Her expression showed concern as
she watched a worker help the boy. No doubt, the little boy was the infant in
the photo.

Once the
children had been escorted inside, she drove away. What was the harm in her
getting a glimpse of her son once a week? But then a shadow overcast his
thoughts. What if she planned to abduct him?

As a man
interested in a woman, he advised himself to stay out of it, but as an officer
of the law, he couldn't.

***

Shortly after
Allison returned home from her Tuesday evening real estate class, a knock on
the door made her jump. It couldn't be Jill since she was on a date. Allison
had no idea who it could be. She peered out the peephole and saw Brance. He
must’ve heard her come in, so it wouldn’t do any good to pretend she wasn’t
home.

She opened the
door. “Hi, I was about to go to bed.”

“This won’t take
long. Can I come in?”

She allowed him
to enter. “Sure. Have a seat.” She stared at the envelope he held. “Can I get
you something to drink? I have lemonade.”

“No, thanks.” He
walked over and sat on the loveseat.

His demeanor
seemed more businesslike than social. He opened the manila envelope and pulled
out a large picture. When he flipped it over on the coffee table, she gasped as
if the air had been pushed from her lungs.

“From your
reaction, I’d say you know this child.”

“How did you get
his picture?”

“I took it today
when the children were on the playground."

Her reaction had
sold her out. He’d caught her off-guard. So completely unfair. The man knew how
to play dirty.

Duh. . .Of
course he plays dirty. He’s a cop.

“When you were there
yesterday watching the children, you appeared interested in him.”

Allison’s blood
boiled. “You have no right to spy on me.”

“I was on a call
the first time I spotted your car there. At first, I didn’t think much about it
until I saw the picture of the infant on your counter. Then I put two and two together.”

A knot formed in
her throat. “Friends do not invade one another’s privacy.”

“As a friend, I
thought I’d give you a chance to explain things before I pursued it any
further.”

“Have I broken
any laws?”

“No, but maybe
you plan to do something irrational. Like abduct this little boy. It happens
all the time.”

She wouldn’t
lie. “He’s my son. I don’t have visitation rights, so parking at the daycare on
Mondays is my only chance to see him. As soon as I save ten thousand for an
attorney, I'll take my ex-in-laws to court for custody.”

“I hate to
spring this on you, but if they turn this into a long court battle, you may be
looking at a lot more than ten thousand.”

Allison’s heart
sank. She’d never be able to put together enough money not even with her real
estate career which was a waste of time if the economy didn't pick up.

She was kidding
herself if she thought she’d ever get her son back through the courts. They’d
worked against her before. Why would it be any different this time? Everyone
would see her as a criminal who was partially responsible for the death of a
young policeman. Besides, her ex-father-in-law still had legal connections.           

She sighed.
“Nathan will be in college by the time I save enough money.”

“You might find
someone willing to do it pro bono.”

“I checked into
that. I actually make too much money.” Deep in the back of her mind, an inner
voice reminded her there was only one way to have her son. Plan B.

“Are your
in-laws aware of your intentions?”

“No. They think
I’m in Kansas.” Allison hoped he didn’t ask why the grandparents had custody.
He had to be wondering about it. “Look, if I planned to kidnap my son, would I
be buying furniture and taking a class?”

Brance appeared
in thought for a moment before he looked at her. He shrugged. “Probably not.
It's just the sleuth in me wouldn't let it go.”

Though he’d
given her a chance to explain, what he’d done still had her seeing red. Her
gaze lingered on the glossy photo. “If you’re convinced I have no intentions of
abducting my son, may I keep the photograph? I only have the one baby picture
of him.”

He nodded.
"Sure."

“Thank you. It’s
a really nice picture. How did you get close enough to take it?”

“Long distance
lens.” He shifted his weight to his other foot. “I suppose I owe you an
apology.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, I sort of
overstepped the boundaries of neighbors or friends.”

Allison offered
a smile to cover up how angry she was with his intrusion, with his violation of
her privacy. It was only a matter of time before he knew who she was. Then he’d
despise her. With his grand sense of duty and justice, he might even tip the
Wilsons off that she was in town. And no doubt his friend Randy had placed her.

The hate letters
and notes would start once word got out.

And even worse,
Eduardo Escobar might demand his money, the money he’d been cheated out of. The
money she knew nothing about. A sense of panic tightened around her throat.

Maybe it’d be
wise to stay close to Brance and distract him to prevent him from digging up
her past.