Kidnapped (14 page)

“Tell you what, after this is over I'll take you to see where the dogs train, and maybe you can be their handler for a day.”

“I want to be the hider again, and this time they can sit on my stomach like I'm some dog rug.”

Luke laughed at the image. “Do I gather you would like a dog someday?”

“I saw these really cute puppies at the mall. Dad said we can get one once school is out and I have time to train it.”

He ducked so Benjamin could avoid a tree limb. “I had this really great dog when I was your age. I lived up north, and he loved the snow. You should get something really big that likes to take your mom's shoes, and shed on the carpet, and come sleep on your bed and crush the mattress.”

“Mom would spend days chasing it out of her white carpet room. I could name it something cool like Samson.”

“Mention dog training classes; you can use that as leverage.” Luke paused to let Caroline go through a narrow section of the trail first. She was crying, but he figured it would do her good as long as she didn't miss her footing and go down for a third time. He smiled at her, and she smiled back as she passed.

Two found, one to go, and then he was definitely going to take Caroline out for a very calm quiet dinner somewhere and try to ease those tears. “When we get back to the house, Ben, do you think you can remember what your mom was wearing yesterday?”

* * *

Luke set down his fork and picked up his pen. Caroline slid another piece of French toast on Benjamin's plate and another two on his. Luke smiled his thanks. He turned another page in his notebook. “What time did you leave the house, Ben?”

“Questions can wait two minutes. Eat while it's hot,” Caroline suggested.

Luke reached out a hand, caught her wrist, and tugged her down into her own chair. He slid one of the pieces of French toast onto her plate and handed her a fork. “You, too.”

Benjamin giggled.

“She's like this short-order cook who has no stop button. She keeps forgetting to eat.” He picked up an orange and his knife to peel and segment it. “We're eating.” Luke passed orange slices to Benjamin, as fast as the boy could wolf them down. “Last one.”

Benjamin ate it, then reached for the maple syrup.

“Tell me some more about how they hit your mom's car,” Luke asked.

Benjamin drew a tic-tac-toe board on his French toast with the syrup. “I was sorting out my Braves baseball cards and wasn't paying much attention until Mom suddenly swerved. I looked up to see this van passing us. It suddenly pulled into Mom's path, so she had to swerve again into the ditch. Our car stalled and she couldn't get it started again.

“A guy got out of the van's passenger door and tried to open Mom's door. You should have seen her. Mom shoved her door open and hit him under the chin and then slammed it closed on his fingers. Then when she saw the man coming around the car to my door, she got the car to roll forward so he had to scramble out of the way. She told me to run, and I didn't want to leave, but she insisted. I thought if one of them came after me to the woods, she might be able to take the other guy.”

“Do you remember what the van looked like?”

“White, kind of plain, like a square box with wheels. It didn't have a sliding door on the side but two doors that swung open.”

Luke felt an awful knot forming in the bottom of his stomach. “Any logo or words?”

“Just white and pretty clean, like it had been washed recently. I didn't see the license plates.” Benjamin shook his head. “I wish I had.”

“Do you remember anyone else passing you, another car on the road?”

“Just the postman going the other direction. We passed him when we left the house because Mom paused to let me get the mail from the roadside box.”

“Yesterday's mail was in the car?”

“In the backseat.” Benjamin covered a yawn. “Can we go see Dad now?”

“You've got time for a shower and a change of clothes and then we'll go,” Caroline said. “I laid out one of your favorite shirts and a clean pair of jeans, and fluffy towels are on the bathroom counter. Use the lotion I set out on your bug bites. It will stop the itch.”

“I feel like I slept outdoors.”

She laughed and ruffled his hair, then leaned over to sniff his shirt. “Smells like it too, buddy. Don't forget the soap. Just remember to use your kind of shampoo; mine will make you smell like strawberries.”

“Girl smells. They should make better girl shampoos.” Benjamin headed upstairs.

Caroline leaned back and listened to his footsteps overhead. Luke watched her. He could almost see the emotional weight from the search for Benjamin lift. She looked over at him. “Thanks.”

“You're very welcome.” He leaned over and gently worked free a leaf still caught in her hair. “You took a bit of a tumble. Benjamin handled himself with a great deal of common sense.”

“Benjamin is a pretty practical kid.” She looked up as water came on upstairs. “He's going to be up there as long as my hot water holds out.” Caroline rose from her chair and took Benjamin's plate to the sink. “Finish that toast, Luke, and I'll make you more. Or an omelet? Some bacon? Maybe a grilled cheese?”

“Why don't you make up half a dozen peanut butter and jelly sandwiches? I'll have one, and Benjamin will be hungry again soon. He'll sleep during the trip to Atlanta and then wake and probably go through three or four sandwiches like he was inhaling them.”

She nodded and got out the bread and the peanut butter. “Why did you tense when he described the van?”

Luke didn't want to answer that question, but he didn't know how to avoid sharing what she would soon realize for herself. “Back in the hours before you called me to say they were late, Jackie and I were looking for a white van.”

Her eyes widened when she remembered. “The lady who was murdered at the motel; I saw it on the news. That white van? You think it's the same one?”

“After the last day, I'm willing to say anything could be a coincidence, but this one—it's a tough coincidence to accept. I know there were two men in the van Thursday night; I know one of them was seen driving a Toyota Friday night at 6:19, alone, heading west. He was in this area for over a week. He headed out Friday night after we know Mark went off the road. The distances fit what's possible.”

“A guy who killed the lady in the motel might have been involved in grabbing Sharon?” She pushed back her chair. “Luke—”

He reached over and covered her hand. “Don't, please don't assume the worst. If this guy was involved—his name is Frank Hardin—he would have been hired to do a job. He's a violent man, but he's not into killing strangers for the thrill of it.”

Luke wished he could figure out good news in any of this. “We know now someone intended to grab both Sharon and the boy. This was planned. If we know the vehicle and one of the men involved, we're an enormous step closer to solving this. Frank is not going to go down alone.”

“You said he was seen heading west?”

“Yes. And he wasn't driving the white van. I'm betting it's been abandoned and probably somewhere near here. Two men, a white van, and from what Benjamin said, at least one of the men very comfortable with this area and thus probably local.”

“If this was the stalker, and he had help making the grab . . .”

Luke shook his head. “A stalker isn't the type to work with company.”

“So why haven't they called with another ransom demand?”

“It's likely going to be soon.” Luke squeezed her hand and stood. “Why don't you go pack what you and Benjamin will need for the next couple days. We'll take him to see his dad and spend the night in Atlanta. Whoever has Sharon is going to be in touch. She's findable, Caroline, and she was alive when last seen. Hold on to that.”

Chapter Fifteen

L
uke parked in the hospital lot reserved for doctors. Security arranged it so they could bypass the media staking out the hospital as word got around that Mark Falcon was recovering here.

“They want his story,” Caroline said.

“Yes.” They all wanted interviews with the man at the center of this case—missing for twelve hours, found hurt, his son escaped from the kidnappers, his wife still missing. “Let me come around for Benjamin.” Luke circled the car. Caroline opened the car door. The sleepy boy stirred as Luke picked him up. “Come on, buddy. Let's go see your dad.”

Benjamin wrapped his arms around Luke's neck and laid his head against Luke's shoulder. For a moment he felt all the protective instincts of a real father, and he breathed deeply as he returned the hug.

“He's really okay?” Benjamin asked again.

Luke rested his hand against the boy's back, feeling the heat from the sunburn he had acquired. “He's really okay.”

They walked into the hospital. Caroline held the elevator door for him. “Eighth floor,” Luke said.

She pushed the button.

“I'd like to say hello to Trish, the surgical nurse who's been giving us updates on Mark.”

“Why don't you and Benjamin both do that while I have a brief word with Mark first?”

Caroline looked at him, then nodded. “That might be best.”

The officer stationed by the ICU ward held the glass doors for them. “Jackie's on her way up,” he told Luke.

“Thanks.”

Luke stopped at the nurses' station and lowered Benjamin to his feet. Kneeling, he brushed back the boy's hair from his eyes and studied his face. “I need to talk with your dad for a minute first. I need you to stay here with Caroline. This lady is Trish; she's been taking care of your dad. I bet if you ask, she'll show you all the cool stuff they've been charting about him.”

Benjamin looked up at the smiling lady who was waiting to be introduced to him. “I can see Dad's chart?”

“I can even show you a CAT scan and what he looks like inside his head,” Trish offered.

Benjamin looked back at Luke. “Okay, for a minute.” He reached for Caroline's hand.

Luke followed Trish's directions to Mark's ICU room. He'd been getting hourly updates; he knew what to expect, but it didn't make it any easier as he pushed aside the curtain and saw his cousin. Mark was awake, if fading in and out. He lifted his hand and came as close to a smile as he could, given the pain he was in from the surgery. “You found Benjamin.”

Luke rested his hand over his cousin's. “Alive and well; he'll be in to see you momentarily. It's nice to have you awake.”

“Sharon—”

Luke shook his head. “No news.”

“The five million ransom was due at midnight. The old church outside Benton.”

Luke understood the fear in his cousin's voice. “The nurse passed the message on just as soon as you whispered the words in recovery. They'll call again.”

Mark looked toward the door then back to Luke. “I can't lose her. I've got to know. What are the odds?”

Not good, but Luke refused to think about it. “They'll call. And I'll do whatever it takes to bring Sharon back safe.”

“I know you will.” Mark grimaced as he tried to shift his shoulder. “How's Caroline doing?”

“She's a strong lady.”

“A good one. You two should have been a number a long time ago.” Mark sighed and closed his eyes. “It was a guy on the phone.”

“Anyone's voice you recognize?”

Mark shook his head. “I remember the house with the skylight problem, saying good-bye to Al. Picking up the phone to answer the call . . .” Mark's voice drifted off and he forced himself to rally. “That's it until I woke up here. The phone call is part of some foggy nightmare. You've got power of attorney on file. Use it—the business, the house, the land, whatever you need to do when the time comes. I can build the business again; I can't rebuild my family.”

“Any names bothering you I should be looking at?” Luke asked.

“No, sorry. You'll have to assume just about anyone is a suspect.” Mark's strength was fading. “Send Benjamin in; let me see my son. Then take him away somewhere safe.”

“I'm going to keep him very safe. You've got my word on that.” Luke stepped to the door and signaled to Caroline and Benjamin to come in.

Mark held out his hand without IVs. “Come here, buddy. Give me a hug.”

Benjamin buried his head against his dad's shoulder. “I didn't keep Mom safe.”

“Hey, you did great. You were able to tell us what happened. I'm proud of you.” He gently tugged his son's shirt collar. “You got yourself a nice shiner.”

“I ran into a tree,” Benjamin said. “You really crashed the car underwater?”

“Became a scuba diver for a while and had to break the window to get out.”

“Wow.”

Mark pulled him close and kissed him. “You did good, son.”

Luke rested his hand on the boy's shoulder, knowing Mark was at his limit for energy. “I'll bring you back over tomorrow,” Luke promised. “Come on, we'd better go take Caroline over to the house now, because she's about asleep on her feet.”

Caroline, leaning against the wall, opened her eyes and couldn't stop a yawn as she smiled. “I am pretty tired.”

Benjamin walked over to her and wrapped his arms around her waist. “Maybe I could fix you something to eat this time?”

“You can put in a pizza for me.”

“I'll have a list of names for you tomorrow,” Mark said softly to Luke. “Anyone I can think of who might have motive to do this.”

“Tell Trish to call if one more urgent than others comes to mind,” Luke said.

“I want hourly updates, assuming I'm conscious.”

“Not a problem; I'll call every hour.” Luke looked at his cousin, an enormous weight of history between them backing his promise. “We will get Sharon back.”