Pierced: Pierced Trilogy Boxed Set (127 page)

“Yes, sir. That's why I'd like permission to work from home for a few days. So I can be near my family 'til things calm down.” I tell them, looking from Marcos to Chief Hampton. He sits behind his desk studying me, and I wonder what he's thinking.

“The psycho who did this?” Hampton asks. “Do we have any leads?”

“We definitely know who we're looking for, sir,” I answer. “We just can't seem to find him. But my men and I are on it.”

He sighs as he looks at me, saying nothing for a long time. “This man abducted your kids and threatened your wife in a note left at the scene,” Hampton says. “This is a very personal case for you, Lieutenant.”

“Yes, sir. It is.”

He nods his head, looking me in the eye. “Well, we're all well acquainted with your temper around here, Pierce. I think the last thing any of us needs is your short fuse going off in the middle of this very touchy situation. Your request to work from home is not only granted, it's encouraged. You probably should stick close to home for the next few days; I'm sure your wife will appreciate it.”

“Thank you, Chief,” I say as I stand and shake the man's hand. Then I turn to Marcos and do the same. “Captain.”

“You give your wife my regards, Guy,” he says.

“I will, sir.”

I leave the Chief's office and head down to my own, collecting a few of the case files that my men are working on and placing them into my brief case. I'm gathering my things to go when I hear a knock on the office door and look up.

“Hey, Dave.”

“Hey,” he says stepping inside. “So, they went for it, huh?”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “Hampton said my request was not only granted, but encouraged. Seems he doesn't want my short fuse blowing up all over this thing.”

Conner snorts softly, smirking at me. “If only he knew what you were planning!”

I shrug my shoulders at him. “What? All I'm planning is to catch this asshole, Dave. We lure him in using Samantha as bait, close in on him the minute he enters the house, and it's over. Scruggs is back in police custody, and he and Echols won't be able to touch my family again.”

Conner nods his head with a thoughtful expression. “So, when you catch this dirtbag in your house, the plan is to arrest him?”

“Of course, the plan is to arrest him. You think I'm gonna put a bullet in his head, execution style? I'm a cop, Dave!”

“I know you're a cop, Guy. And you're a damn good one,” he says, looking me in the eye. “Just make sure you remember that when you're pulling this dirtbag off Samantha in a day or two, alright?”

I head out then, reminding my men that I am still on the clock and that they can call or text me anytime if they need me for any reason. On the drive home, I think about Samantha. I was being honest when I told Marcos and Hampton that she was still shaken up. She's trying to hide it and be strong, but I can tell that she's worried sick. And I'm worried that all the stress might send her back to the hospital. I promised Dr. Lake that I would bring Sam in for a check up tomorrow, and I don't know what we'll do if her blood pressure haven't improved. The stress level in our house hasn't let up any so, I'm not optimistic.

I left her at home this afternoon so that I could go in and talk to the Chief and the Captain in person instead of over the phone. And it pained me to leave her, thinking about Scruggs and what he said in that note. But I didn't leave Sam alone. There was a whole slew of family at the house when I left – both of our mothers, my Aunt Celeste and cousin Paul Jr., Lucas was there with Karen and their little boy, Richie. Not to mention Lee and Molly, and Samantha's Uncle Ken and Aunt Jenny. When I pull my truck into the circular driveway of our house, I can clearly see that all that family is still here. It makes me feel good to know that Sam and I have such a strong supportive family to lean on. I don't know that we could get through this craziness without them.

When I walk through the door, I am immediately “wested” by Leo and placed in plastic handcuffs. And I get the greatest joy out of letting him lead me to jail in the family room, where apparently Samantha has been “wested” too, along with Ken Colby, and they're being punished by coloring with Livvie and Richie. I'm not sure what any of us have done to deserve this treatment, but it's fun watching Leo wield his power.

Sam and I spend the next couple of hours playing with the twins and talking to them. Trying to pack in as much togetherness as we can before they have to leave. And as I listen to Livvie singing Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer in her sweet little three-year-old voice while she sits in my lap with her teddy bear, it just about kills me.

“You okay, son,” Lee says quietly, watching me with a slight frown.

“Yeah. I just …” My voice trails off as I try to pull it together. I lightly run my hand over Livvie's chestnut curls. “What if we can't find this bastard before Christmas?” I look up at him and hold his gaze for a few seconds. “I want my kids back home where they belong before Christmas, Lee.”

“And that's where they'll be,” he says with certainty. “That's why we're doing this now, kid. So that we can end this crap and get on with the holidays. For the children.”

A short time later, the house begins to empty out, everyone saying their good byes and telling Samantha and I how happy they are the twins are back home where they belong. We smile and agree with them. It's all we can do since we decided it would be best if no one knows about our plan except Lucas and Lee. And Mom, of course.

She's the last to leave, and I load the twins' things into her car as she helps Sam get their coats on. They're excited to be going home with Grandma, and they wave happily to me and Sam from their car seats as Mom pulls out of the driveway with the twins' personal security detail riding shotgun.

We walk back into the house hand in hand where we find Lucas and Lee talking to Martin and Clayton, the man who will become our head of security once this thing is over. I spent some time talking with him this morning, and I think we'll get along just fine. He seems to understand what our needs are and that Samantha and I don't want the kind of over-the-top security that Lucas has. We've allowed him to take over the home office in the basement, near the man cave, and the CCTV monitors were installed this morning. The cameras have been strategically placed in the living room, kitchen, family room, mud room and garage. There's a camera at either end of the main hallway upstairs as well, but Sam and I decided we didn't want eyes in any of the bedrooms. Especially ours.

“So, what's the game plan?” Lucas asks as we approach.

“There is no real game plan, Lucas,” I tell him. “With any luck, Scruggs just saw that mass exodus out of here. Hopefully, he was watching us load the twins into Mom's car and send them away for a few days, and he thinks that it's just me and Sam here now. Molly left in Lee's car, so there's no reason for him to think there's anyone here with us now. Except for you, of course. Yours is the only vehicle still out there.”

“So now what? You're all just going to sit here until something happens?” he asks.

“Pretty much,” I sigh. “We go about our lives and wait for this asshole to show up.”

Lucas holds my gaze and shakes his head a little. “Yeah, well like I said before … I hope like hell that you know what you're doing.” His gaze shifts from me to Sam. “You be careful, Pita.” He kisses her on the cheek and then turns to leave. And once he's gone, I turn and look at the others.

Letting go of Sam's hand, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her to me. “Okay. We know that this bastard is out there and that he's coming. We just don't know when or how. So we all need to be on alert from here on out. And you three need to stay out of sight as much as possible. We don't want him peeking in and seeing anyone but me and Samantha.”

They nod in agreement and scatter. And our waiting game begins.

*

It's December 22, and it's been three days. Three long, stress-filled, uneventful, almost unbearable days, and Josh and I are nearing the end of our ropes. He tries to hide it, but I can tell that his nerves are every bit as frayed as mine are. He is quiet and moody, and I know that his mind is working overtime, thinking about all the different ways this little operation of ours could play out.

The frustrating part of all this is that there has been no word. Nothing. Scruggs has made no further contact at all, and I'm beginning to wonder if he ever will. Maybe this is part of the game he's playing. To drive Josh and me mad with the not knowing. Always wondering if he's around the corner, waiting to strike. Maybe that's his plan. Maybe he's not actually coming for me at all, although I don't think I could convince Josh of that. He's been sticking to me like glue. Right now, he's working from the kitchen island while I cook. Lee is camped out in the family room, staying out of sight, and I have no idea where the other two are. Probably downstairs in the security office.

I sigh heavily, thinking about all of this as I go about the task of making dinner. I move around the kitchen missing the twins. Their constant chatter and singing is always a bright spot for me while I'm cooking, and I like seeing them spread out on the kitchen floor with their toys while I'm working in here. But I know that they're having fun at Grandma's. Josh and I talk to them on the phone twice a day, and it is the highlight of our day. Always a very welcome diversion in the middle of what is otherwise an extremely tense situation.

Neither one of us is sleeping well, and I've noticed that Josh's appetite has diminished somewhat. The mood in the house is stressful, to say the least. Which isn't doing my blood pressure any favors. Dr. Lake wasn't happy when Josh and I went to her office a few days ago. She did some blood work and hooked me up to a fetal monitor once again, just to check on things. So far, baby boy Pierce is still unaffected, even though my levels are still elevated.

I'm putting a lasagne into the oven when Josh's cell rings. He takes a deep breath as he sets aside his paperwork and picks up the phone, glancing briefly at the caller ID.

“Lieutenant Pierce.”

His voice is all business, and I can tell that it must be the station as I pull out the large salad bowl from the cupboard.

“Where's this coming from?” I hear him say, and I look up to see an intense scowl on his face. “And they're sure? They have a positive ID?”

There's silence as he listens to whomever is on the other end of the line. And from the corner of my eye, I see Lee appear in the doorway of the family room. When I turn to look at him, he's studying Josh closely. How did he hear any of this from all the way in there?

“I'm leaving now,” Josh says, and hangs up the phone, placing it in his pocket. He looks up at us. “That was Anne Marsh. Patrol just called in a collar. Husband came home to a rape in progress. He attacked the perp, and the wife called 911. They're bringing him in now.”

“It's Scruggs?” Lee asks.

“They're not sure. He didn't have any ID on him and he's not talking, but he fits Scruggs' description. I'm going to eyeball him myself; I need you to stick close to Sam while I'm gone. I'll call as soon as I know something.”

“Okay.”

He jumps up, walking around the island to kiss me briefly before he runs out through the mud room. I feel a frisson of anxiety run through me as I watch him go, praying that it will all be over soon. Lee and I give each other a nervous smile as he walks over and takes up Josh's vacated seat at the island.

“How you holding up, Sammy?” he asks. And I smile at his nickname for me.

“I'm not,” I answer him honestly. “Oh, Lee … if that really was Scruggs that the cops just arrested, I will be so incredibly happy that this is finally over, and I can get my babies back home. Hey, maybe I should call Olivia and tell her the good news!”

“Uh … actually, honey, why don't you hold off on that for a while,” Lee says, looking at me strangely. “I know you miss them and that you're anxious to get them home. But you really should wait to hear back from Guy first.”

“You don't think it's him, do you?” I ask.

“I didn't say that,” Lee answers with a shake of his head. “I'm just being a cautious retired cop, that's all. But, the person they arrested could be anybody.”

I don't like his response, but I respect it. I should wait for word from Josh before doing anything else. Turning my attention back to my dinner prep, I throw together a large garden salad, then cover the bowl and place it into the fridge to keep until the lasagne is ready. Then I set the timer on my phone and clear away my mess.

While dinner cooks, I decide to take advantage of the fact that Josh is out of the house and wrap a couple of his Christmas gifts. I leave Lee in the kitchen and head upstairs to the bedroom and into our walk-in closet where I've carefully hidden a few things. They're not extravagant items, but they're things I know Josh will love – a new Seattle Seahawks hoodie with a matching baseball cap, and a pair of Aerosmith concert tickets. I smile to myself as I look at them. This show has been sold out for weeks and Josh thinks I wasn't able to get them. I can't wait to see his face when he opens them.

I pull the items out, along with wrapping paper, scissors and tape, and get right to work because I don't know how much time I've got before Josh comes back. I place the hoodie and cap in a large garment box and then carefully wrap it in the prettiest silver and white snowflake paper. The tickets I place in a small box along with a DVD of Aerosmith videos, and wrap it in classic Santa Claus paper. My task successfully completed, I quickly put away the wrapping supplies as I hum an old Christmas rap song to myself. Then I gather the gifts to take them downstairs to the tree.

*

“Hey, Lee … I'm going to go up to the bedroom and wrap a couple of Christmas gifts while Josh is gone,” Samantha says.

“Okay,” I smile at her.

I know Guy wanted me to not let her out of my sight while he runs to the police station, but I think she'll be okay wrapping a few gifts. As I watch her go up the back staircase I can't help but worry about the toll this thing is taking on her. On both of them really. I've known Guy since he was about the twins' age, and I've watched him go through some things that would have broken a lesser man. And he went through that shit as a teenager. But I don't think I've ever seen him as lost as he was when the twins were taken. They were both just beside themselves, and I would have done anything to take their pain away.