Little Lost Things

by Eleanor Chance

  Johnny’s heart sank further. He needed a get-away plan from this nut job before she either killed him or carted him off to Portland, but he smiled and said, “Sounds good. Can you help me up?”

  Mara rushed to his side like a caring mother. The memory of what had really happened that morning had come back to him during the drive from the hospital. It made Johnny sick to see her act that way after what she’d done to him.

  She got him to his room and eased him onto the bed. He scooted to the headboard, and she propped him up on pillows.

  “Don’t lie flat. Let me know if you get nauseated or dizzy. Those pain meds should start working soon. You’ll need to eat and take your other meds, so you don’t have another seizure.”

  “Fine.”

  Johnny closed his eyes hoping it would coax her to leave and smiled when it worked. When he heard her footsteps retreating down the hallway, he opened his eyes to check out his fourth bedroom in less than a week. The windows had thick plaid curtains that blocked most of the light but left enough for him to see the small room. The bed was a twin, but at least it was long enough for his legs. There was a small, banged-up dresser against one wall and an ancient looking trunk against the other. He shuddered to think of what might be hiding in it. The only other fixture in the room was a tiny closet. He wasn’t any more excited to look in there.

  The vinyl floor was faded and creaked in places. Johnny worried the floorboards wouldn’t support his weight, and he’d end up in the dirt and weeds under the trailer. As much as he didn’t want to go to Portland, he didn’t want to stay in that disgusting place a minute longer than he had to. If his bedroom was that bad, he could only imagine the horrors that awaited him in the bathroom.

  Mara came in with his belongings and piled them on the dresser. “Feeling any better?”

  “Not yet. I need food. Pain meds make me sick on an empty stomach. I also need to pee.” He ignored the pounding in his head as he swung his feet to the floor and picked up his crutches. “Please tell me I don’t have to go in an outhouse.”

  Mara put her hands on her hips. “Seriously, princess? We have indoor plumbing. Haven’t you ever been camping?”

  He braced his weight on the crutches and lifted himself off the bed. “Lots of times, but I’m not exactly in a condition to rough it.”

  While Mara guided him down the hall, she said, “The bathroom is fine. I think the owner must have refurbished recently. We don’t have much food. There are some crackers and cheese packs left. I’ll get settled and try to find a store nearby. I’m not familiar with this part of Richmond.”

  “Which part of Richmond?”

  Mara’s lips tightened into a straight line. Johnny would have to find a way to figure that out on his own.

  When they got to the bathroom, Mara reached around him and switched on the light. Johnny had been dreading the condition of the bathroom but was pleasantly surprised by what he saw. The shower was tiny like the closet in his room, but it looked new and shiny like the rest of the fixtures. He wondered why the owner had fixed up the bathroom and left the rest of the place like a dump. Maybe he’d run out of money halfway through renovations.

  “Can you manage on your own?”

  Johnny pointed a crutch at the hallway. When Mara backed out, he slammed the door in her face. He’d expected to find her waiting outside when he was finished but heard sounds coming from his bedroom instead. He shuffled down the hall and watched from the doorway as Mara unpack his backpack. She turned and handed him two packets of cheese and crackers with his water bottle.

  “You’ve perked up a bit. How’s the head?”

  He moved to his bed and laid down. “Better. The pills are kicking in.”

  “Will you be all right alone while I get groceries?”

  “I’m hoping to sleep, but if not, I promise to stay on this bed.”

  Mara nodded and crossed her arms. “Make sure you do. With that concussion, you need to stay as still and calm as possible. I shouldn’t be gone for more than thirty minutes.” She stepped to the bed and shined her phone light in each of his eyes. “Your pupils are equal and responsive. That’s a good sign, but we have to be careful. Be back soon.”

  Johnny relaxed when he heard the sound of her car fading. He unwrapped his crackers and munched away while he started planning his exit strategy. He wanted to check out the rest of the trailer, but he’d meant what he said about staying in bed. He could feel the pain meds taking effect, and he’d been wobbly on his way back from the bathroom. He’d have to wait for the next time Mara left him alone to map out his surroundings the way his dad had taught him to do.

  * * *

  Grace followed Agent Shepherd to the table where she’d sat the night before while viewing security footage. “Here we are again,” she said.

  Ryan took the chair next to her “What are we looking for this time? Grace has identified Mara.”

  “This won’t take long. We’ll start the playback at the point Mara approaches the hotel registration desk. The feed is much clearer this time. She doesn’t hide her face,” Agent Shepherd said. She glanced at the lab tech standing at the end of the table. “And there’s something more you need to see.”

  Shepherd nodded at the tech. He pressed play on the recording. Grace was glad to see that Mara had taken Johnny to a decent hotel. At least she was still taking care of him. Grace watched as a woman in a baseball cap approached the desk. When she smiled at the clerk, Grace had no doubt it was Mara.

  “It’s her. I’m sure,” Grace said.

  “She looks like an average mom on vacation. She could be anyone, but seeing her gives me chills,” Ryan said.

  Shepherd typed something into the tablet propped on the table behind them. “We wanted additional verification.” She motioned for the tech to pause the video and held up a photo for them to see. “This is the computer rendering of how she might look now.”

  Grace examined the image. It looked exactly as Mara had when Grace saw her for the first time fourteen years earlier. “Now I have shivers,” she said.

  “Switch to the next segment, please,” Shepherd told the tech.

  An ATM in a hotel hallway came up but no Mara. Ten seconds later, a teenage boy on crutches appeared on the monitor. Grace was confused. The boy was Johnny’s height, but he was wearing a hoodie she didn’t recognize, and he had short, black spikey hair. His ears were pierced, and he had a nose ring. Was he posing as Johnny to throw law enforcement off Mara’s trail?

  “Who are we looking at?” Ryan asked.

  “Just wait,” Shepherd said.

  The camera angle changed when the boy walked to the ATM. When he raised his eyes to read the screen, Grace gasped. It was her Johnny, but not her Johnny.

  She watched, mesmerized, while he withdrew cash. When he turned and walked away, the camera angle changed again, and Johnny appeared at a small hotel market. He chose various items that Grace recognized as his favorite snacks. He carried them to the small shop window and paid the desk clerk before shoving them in his pockets.

  Grace jumped out of her chair and backed away from the table. The tech paused the video, and he and Shepherd stared at her. Ryan came to her side and put his arm around her waist.

  “Start it over,” Grace ordered.

  The tech glanced at Shepherd, and she nodded, so he replayed the clip.

  As Grace watched, her breaths came faster and faster until she struggled to draw air and her legs gave out. Between gasps, she said, “What has that bitch done to my son?”

  Ryan offered his hand to help her up, but she brushed it aside and climbed to her feet. She leaned close to the monitor and stroked her fingers over the screen. “When was this?” she whispered.

  “Yesterday around noon. We estimate it was when Mara was in Waynesboro. As far as the hotel staff could tell, Johnny and Mara were there until this morning. Agent Reid’s team just missed them by hours,” Shepherd said.

  Grace dropped into her chair when the video ended. “Waynesbo
ro was yesterday? Seems like days ago.” She pointed at the monitor. “Again, please.”

  Ryan moved close to the monitor as Grace had done. “If not for the crutches, I wouldn’t recognize him if I passed him on the street. It’s disturbing.”

  They watched the video through again. “One more time,” Grace said when it finished.

  “We can’t stay here all night replaying this,” Ryan said to Grace before turning to Shepherd. “Can we have a copy to take home?”

  “I’ll check on that, but it probably won’t be ready until tomorrow noon at the earliest. Most of the techs are gone for the night.” She gestured for Ryan to sit and took a chair facing them. “I have more to tell you. They found traces of blood in their hotel room. It was Johnny’s.”

  Her words were a punch in Grace’s gut. “What?” she gasped. “How much blood?”

  “Very little. We decided to tell you because we’re checking hospitals in the area, hoping Mara took him to one. The best-case scenario is that he had a seizure. Mara hasn’t shown signs of violence toward Johnny that we’ve been able to ascertain. I haven’t received word yet, but Agent Reid will report to the ASAC as soon as there is any information.”

  “Hospitals,” Grace said. She stood to look for her phone until she remembered that she’d had to leave it downstairs. “Is there a phone I can use? I need to call Alec.”

  Ryan raised his eyebrows. “Right now? Why?”

  “There’s something about Mara. I need to confirm it with Alec.”

  Shepherd led her to a desk in the bullpen. “There you go. Dial nine for an outside line. Be aware the call will be recorded.”

  Grace called Alec’s number and drummed her fingers on the desk while she waited for her to pick up.

  “You nearly gave me a heart attack, Grace. I was asleep. What’s happening? Is there news from Jason or Wes?”

  “No news. I have an important question. Think hard before answering. When Mara called us on Johnny’s second birthday to tell us she was the one who kidnapped him, did she tell us she was a nurse?”

  The line went quiet for about five seconds. “Yes, I think she did. She said she had such an easy time kidnapping Johnny because she was a nurse and knew her way around hospitals.”

  “That’s what I remembered. Thanks, Alec.” Grace hung up and turned to Shepherd. “Mara’s a nurse. We know she’d been in Richmond for at least two months probably more. How has she been living? She’d need money for rent and food, and Johnny’s medications. She could have been working at a hospital. Nurses are fingerprinted at Virginia hospitals. If Mara were hired at one, they’d have her on file. While you’re looking for Johnny, search for Mara, too.”

  Ryan hugged her. “Thank goodness for that incredible memory of yours.”

  “We’ll get the techs started on that before I leave,” Shepherd said.

  “I have contacts in the medical community all over Richmond. I’ll start contacting them in the morning.” Grace took Ryan’s hands. “Let’s get out of here. Alec’s interview is early tomorrow, and I want to make a list of contacts.” She turned back to Shepherd. “Call any time with news. I won’t be sleeping tonight.”

  Shepherd nodded and headed for the door but stopped when Grace turned to the monitor. She kissed her fingers and pressed them to the screen.

  “Goodnight, my little man. We’re going to find you. Just hang on a little longer.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Grace’s phone vibrated and startled her out of a dead sleep. Her face was smashed on the dining room table in a puddle of drool. She’d expected to be awake all night but surrendered to her fatigue around two. She picked up her phone and saw it was Jason. She glanced at the time. It was five minutes to six.

  As soon as Grace answered, Jason said, “I have to be quick. Jen’s water broke an hour ago. They’ve been prepping her for a C-Section. They tested the babies’ lungs. Both are developed enough for delivery. They may have to stay for a week or so, but the pediatrician is confident they’ll be fine.”

  Tears of happiness, frustration and concern filled Grace’s eyes. “That’s great news, Jason. Ryan and I wish we could be there more than you’ll ever know. We love you both. We’ll be praying and waiting for pictures. Please give Jen a hug and kiss from us.”

  “We understand why you can’t be here, Grace. We love you, too. Don’t worry. Jen and the babies are doing fine. We weren’t expecting them to make an entrance today, but we’re thrilled. I’ll be in touch the second the babies arrive.” Grace heard Jason talking to someone before he came back on. “Jen’s ready. I have to go. Talk to you soon.”

  “Thanks for calling Jason and congratulations.”

  The line went quiet. Grace wiped her face with a crumpled napkin left from dinner the night before and sighed as she stared at the screen. The anger and bitterness toward Mara that she’d struggled to suppress erupted. Once again, Mara was siphoning joy from her life.

  “I hate you, Mara,” she said to the silent room. “I hate you, and I’m coming for you.”

  Her phone buzzed again, and she growled at it until she saw it was Wes. “Good morning. Do I want to know the reason for this call or not?”

  “Yes and no. Sorry to call so early. Did I wake you?”

  She told him about Jason’s call and said, “I’m furious that I can’t be there for Jen and Jason. I’m trying to stay in control, but it’s not working. I’ve been beaten, neglected and abandoned in my past, but I’ve never hated anyone like I do Mara. Is it wrong that I do?”

  “I’d be worried if you didn’t. Don’t try to ignore or suppress it. Take your feelings out and look them in the eye. There will be time for forgiveness later. For now, face how you’re feeling honestly. Pretending those feelings don’t exist is unhealthy.”

  “How psychological of you. You sound like Adam, but thanks for the pep talk. I needed that. Now, about why you called?”

  “We found the hospital where Mara took Johnny. It’s just north of the city.”

  Grace sat up straighter and her heartbeat quickened. “Is he there? Can we see him?”

  “No, I’m sorry to say he’s gone. Mara told the doctor that Johnny had a seizure and hit his head on the toilet. The doc was skeptical when he saw how Johnny reacted to her explanation, but Mara said they were from Oregon so that doc didn’t suspect he was Johnny. His name was listed as Kyle Brennen on his ID.”

  “What’s his condition? He must have been well enough to leave, right?”

  “He has a concussion, but otherwise, he’s fine. The doctor wanted to admit him, but Mara checked him out AMA. The good news is that he was able to walk out when they left. The doc said Johnny should be fine in a few days with rest, and he hasn’t shown up in any other medical facility so far. We’ll keep checking.”

  Grace was shocked but relieved that Johnny was able to walk after the seizure. That usually wasn’t the case, so his condition must not have been critical. The fact that Mara was a nurse gave Grace some comfort. Johnny should have been in a hospital, but hopefully, Mara knew what she was doing.

  “Kyle was the name Mara gave him when she kidnapped him as a baby,” Grace said. “If Johnny didn’t contradict her to the doctors or nurses, he must be terrified of her.”

  “Don’t jump to conclusions, Grace. The doctor said Johnny was disoriented when they got there. He might have just been confused.”

  “Hope you’re right. Who was the doctor?” She was encouraged when Wes gave her the name. He was a neurologist Grace knew and respected, and she’d sat on a seminar panel with him once. “He’s a good man. I’ll go see him after Alec’s interview. Any more news for me?”

  “Between evidence we gathered from the hotel, the hospital, and Mara's house and bank accounts in Portland, she won’t be able to sneeze without us knowing. We found out that she was working as a nurse in Portland, so that was an excellent call on your part. We’re contacting hospitals here to see if she’s employed at any of them. It’s no longer a matter of if we catch he
r but when. The noose is tightening, Grace.”

  “You can’t imagine how happy I am to hear that. With the reward, the FBI on her heels and the national coverage of Alec’s interview today, she won’t have anywhere to run. I just hope Johnny can hold on until we find her.”

  “He sounds like a smart, tough kid, and he has amazing parents. My money’s on him.”

  “Thanks again, Wes, but I need to get going. Alec’s interview is this morning, and she has to be at the studio in time for the seven-thirty local break on the national news broadcasts.”

  “Wish her luck for me. I hope it leads to the break we need.”

  Grace said she would and, after extracting a promise from Wes to keep her updated, she woke Ryan and Alec to fill them in on Jen and Wes’ news. She and Ryan went to their room afterward while Alec went downstairs to get dressed.

  “What do you have planned today?” she asked him.

  He glanced at her and hesitated before saying, “Would you be too mad at me if I go into work? Between Alec’s interview and contacting your professional connections to see if they know anything about Mara, you have important things to do, but there’s nothing I can do here. I need a distraction from obsessing about Johnny. I need to feel useful.”

  Grace wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek. “I understand and won’t be mad at all. Just promise to keep your phone handy.”

  “I will if you promise to call me with the slightest bit of news, or even just to tell me you love me.”

  “That’s a promise. Wes said the noose is tightening on Mara. Do you believe that?”

  “I do. With the media coverage and Wes on her heels, it won’t be long before they rat her out, and I keep hoping Johnny will find a way to escape. Even if he doesn’t come here, just getting away from her will be a victory.”