“I will.” She ended the call and went to her messages. She clicked on the picture he’d sent. The dripping red letters on the mirrors leaped out at her from the phone screen.
“What is it?” Augusta asked.
Jane passed the phone to the detective. “We have to make sure Will is all right. And we need to find out who’s threatening my son.”
Twenty-One
Jane couldn’t get the ugly word die written in red on the mirror out of her head.
A roar of approval from the crowd washed over Jane as she approached the bleachers with Augusta and Parker. A disgruntled player approached the dugout after striking out. And there was Will, face set, on the pitcher’s mound ready to strike out another batter.
She nudged Augusta. “That’s Will.”
“He came to the game just like you thought.” Augusta studied the crowd and the area surrounding the diamond. “I don’t see anyone lurking. I’ll walk around for a closer look though.”
“Thanks.”
Part of her wanted to march to the pitcher’s mound and drag him off the field and back to the bunker, but for the first time, she realized he was almost an adult. He was smart and thoughtful. His team mattered to him, and wasn’t that the way it should be? She wanted a kid who cared about other people, who took his responsibilities seriously. A young man who kept his word and thought through consequences to other people even when it came with a cost to himself.
Her vision blurred with pride. Reid had done a remarkable job raising Will by himself, but she wanted to be part of it now too. She couldn’t tell him he’d done the wrong thing because he hadn’t. He’d lived up to his personal code of conduct and honor.
A glint or flash caught her eye near the tree line on the back side of the ball diamond. She shaded her eyes with her hand and stared at the location. There. It came again. She skirted the spectators lining the field and hurried that way. Augusta was striding toward the same area.
Before Jane could decide if the danger was real, a man carrying a rifle burst from the bushes and ran for the street.
She gave chase and Augusta broke into a run as well. The man kept his head down and sprinted down an alley. Jane picked up the pace, her breathing quickening. She exited the alley onto Bay Road by Petit Charms in time to hear a vehicle roar away. The taillights in the white pickup flashed before speeding off too quickly for her to catch even one letter of the license plate number.
White pickups were as plentiful as shrimp here, and she hadn’t been able to make out the year. Her SUV was back in the lot, and she had no chance of catching the guy.
She whipped out her phone and called Jackson. “Possible shooter by the school. White pickup, Caucasian male suspect, maybe in his twenties.” The age was a guess based on how fast he moved.
“On it, Chief. I’m patrolling the other side of town, but I’m on my way.”
Too far to be much help. She ended the call as Augusta reached her. “I called Jackson to search for him.”
“Did you see he had a rifle?”
“I saw it. Under normal circumstances I might have thought he was hunting, but it’s safe to assume he was watching Will.” A shudder ran down her back at the thought of what might have happened.
She called Reid’s number and turned to go back to the school. “I’d better let Reid know Will is all right.”
He answered on the first ring. “Did you find him?”
“He’s pitching a no-hitter at the moment. That’s some kid you raised.”
“He’s all right?”
Should she tell him about the possible shooter? No, it would only worry him more. “He’s fine. What’s your ETA?”
“Maybe an hour. I’ve got the speedometer pegged as far as I dare. You didn’t interrupt his game, did you?”
“What kind of mom do you think I am? When I saw him on that pitcher’s mound, I realized how remarkable he is. He doesn’t want to let anyone down. He’s got strong ethics and a conscience.”
“Yes, he does. Is the game about over?” His voice held a thread of worry.
“Two more innings.”
“Maybe I’ll make it in time for the celebration.”
“See you soon.” She signed off before she said something she would regret.
* * *
The motor home had probably never been driven that fast.
The door to the barn was up when Reid drove the RV onto Charles’s property. He spotted Jane’s SUV parked in front of the house as he drove past.
Reid scanned for any obvious threats but didn’t see anyone as he parked inside and closed the door. The bright LED lights overhead illuminated the sleek interior of the barn. Charles had drywalled the walls and painted them a cream color, and the concrete floor was spotless.
The door from the bunker flew open, and Will barreled inside. “Dad, you got it!” He wore an ear-to-ear grin. “I can’t wait to go.” He caught Reid in a bear hug. “I pitched a no-hitter, Dad! A no-hitter!”
Reid clung to him. “I’m so proud of you, Will. I wish I could have seen it.” He released him and pulled Will back to stare into this face. “What you did was wrong. You could have died over a baseball game. You can’t do it again, you hear me?”
Color flooded Will’s cheeks. “Sorry. I couldn’t let my friends down. It wouldn’t have been right. They needed me.”
“How do you think your mother would have felt if you’d been shot? Or me? Baseball is fun, but it’s just a game. It’s not worth dying over.”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry.”
When his boy hung his head, Reid relaxed. “Should I go join the party?”
“In a minute. I want to see this bad boy!”
Reid opened the side door of the motor home and pulled down the metal steps. “Come take a look. It’s been updated since we took it out last. Sleeps six, and it’s got all new appliances, furnishings, and flooring. What do you think?”
Will started toward the vehicle as Jane stepped into the barn with Parker at her side. Her eyes widened when she saw the motor home. “That thing is huge.”
“My friend had it specially built. There are bunk beds and two queens. Gets terrible mileage, but it’s terrific to handle, and it can go anywhere. Have a peek inside.”
He entered behind Will and Jane and watched them exclaim over the RV. Unlike most RVs, the interior was white and bright—no wood paneling here. The furniture was white leather, and the light bounced off the stainless-steel appliances.
Jane’s smile grew bigger by the minute. Parker nosed around, then jumped into the front passenger seat.
Reid nudged Jane. “I’ve got a copilot.”
“The best kind.”
“There are two bathrooms,” Will said.
Jane went back to look, and Reid followed. The bedroom was large with luxury furnishings. The light-gray, wood-grained vinyl tiles continued from the rest of the RV.
Jane bounced a bit on the bed. “Nice. I think Will should take this room. It’s more protected in case of an intrusion in the front.”
“I agree.”
“Could we leave tonight?” Will asked. “I can’t go to school anyway.”
Jane frowned. “I have an investigation to run.”
“You have officers now. You haven’t had time off in weeks, Mom. It’s only for two days. You weren’t going to work tomorrow anyway.”
Reid read the indecision on her face. “You’re at a dead end right now, right? This would be a good time to get Will out of town while Homeland Security and your officers work the case.”
She glanced at her watch. “It’s nearly six. I can probably pack in a few minutes. We could wait until it’s fully dark. I’d like to have a decoy of some kind when we leave so anyone watching will think Will is still here.”
“I could call Elliot over. He’s about Will’s size. What do you have in mind?”
“Will is always wearing his Eagle’s hat. We could make sure Elliot is dressed like Will and wearing his hat. Have him out where
he can be seen.”
Will headed for the door. “I’m going to pack before he gets here.”
Jane clasped her hands together. “That message on the mirrors—it scared the life out of me.”
“Me too. How did the investigation go today?”
“Okay.” She told him about the interview with Steve. “I think he’s hiding something, but I don’t know what. Not yet. Augusta is on it though. She’ll ask Nora if she knew the names of any other girls he harassed. We need the name of the girl he supposedly killed.”
“Maybe the first place to start is to find out which universities he’s been at. And what years. Any way to acquire that information?”
“Maybe there would be a mention in the newspaper of him speaking. It’s a place to start.” Jane’s phone rang. “What’s up, Olivia?”
Her face fell as she listened. Reid walked a few feet away to give her privacy, but he couldn’t help overhearing a few remarks. It sounded like Olivia was asking Jane to take Megan for the weekend.
Reid stepped back in front of Jane and mouthed, We can take her with us.
Jane nodded. “Reid got a motor home, and we’re going on a camping trip near the last known location of Liberty’s Children. Do you mind if we take her with us? And what about you driving? Can you even do that?” She paused to listen. “Okay, we’ll pick her up around ten if that’s okay. We’re sneaking out in the night.”
They chatted a few more minutes before Jane hung up. “Olivia’s mom fell and broke her hip. Megan doesn’t want to spend the weekend at the hospital in Pensacola, and Olivia is okay with our taking her with us.”
“What about Olivia driving?”
“Her aunt is going to drive her around. She’s younger than Olivia’s mother and in good health.”
“Will is going to be happy.”
About as happy as Reid would be having Jane around all weekend.
Twenty-Two
Were they doing the right thing?
The boys and Parker had vanished into the game room in the bunker, and Jane heard thumps and shouts as they played a video game. The email she’d just gotten from the sheriff in McCreary County excited her. She sneaked out to the RV while they were distracted and found Reid stashing his things in one of the cabinets.
Reid saw her and closed the cabinet door. “I think Will already brought his things out. He didn’t argue about taking the bedroom.”
“Who would? The thing is gorgeous. I’ve never traveled like this before, but I plan to take the copilot seat. Parker can hang out with Will and Megan.”
His dark eyes lit and a slow smile grew. “Sounds good to me.”
“I sent an email to the McCreary County sheriff. He sent me a map of the area Liberty’s Children bought. It’s just under three hundred acres, so it appears they’d come to stay. They aren’t squatting.”
“Did he say anything else about them?”
“Just that they haven’t caused any trouble. They keep to themselves, and the members who have come to town are friendly. They don’t seem to be in recruitment mode yet.” She pulled up the map on her phone to show him. “I thought we could stay at the Cumberland Falls campground.”
“It’s about where I thought it was so probably a ten-hour drive in this behemoth.” He patted the side of their RV tank.
“Where should I bunk?” She eyed the available beds.
“I’m going to sleep with Will so I’ll be there to protect him. It’s a queen bed, so plenty of room. The sofa bed is bigger. We can put Megan on the bunk bed. She can take the upper or lower, her choice.”
“Sounds good.” Jane stashed her belongings in the cabinet closest to the sofa, then hesitated. “We should both be armed.”
He patted the holster at his waist. “I’m ready.”
She searched his gaze. “Do you feel good about taking Will out of the bunker? I’ll admit I’m worried. If he were shot . . .”
“I know. I know. I’m struggling with it too. But God doesn’t want us to live in fear, honey. At some point you have to have some faith in God’s provision.”
A vision of the flames consuming her tiny cabin at Mount Sinai flooded her mind. “Bad things happen.”
“They do. Will is young. He’ll have to resume life at some point. Not just yet, but if this isn’t solved soon, we’ll have to figure out how to let life go on.”
While she knew he was right, the fear for the son she’d just found raged as hot as that fire so many years ago. Was this what most parents went through—the terror that something might happen to take the child you loved with all your heart?
She turned toward the door. “We should take some food as well. The fridge is full-size, so we can stock it with whatever we want.”
“Meats to grill, canned stuff to reheat. Let’s plan to be easy. And we can eat out some too.”
The thought of a leisurely weekend felt unreal after how hard she’d been working. She couldn’t let herself think of whether or not she’d find her mother. The disappointment had been too keen every time she thought she’d found her. If nothing else, this would be three days to remember.
The metal stairs creaked as Reid came down behind her. “If we leave by ten, we can be there by morning.”
“I thought we’d stop at midnight and get some rest.”
“I’m used to this kind of trek without sleep. I’d like to get to Kentucky and see if your mom is still there.”
He took her arm, and she turned to face him. “What?” His eyes held compassion that made her want to linger.
“What if she’s not, Jane? She could have left.”
“I know. I keep telling myself if she had left, she would have contacted me. That’s the hope I cling to. But she let Dad take me away, so that belief might be as empty as air.”
His warm fingers lifted her chin. “I have a good feeling about this trip. It might be life-changing.”
“All in good ways, I hope.” Her voice trembled, and she stepped back. It would be way too easy to fall into his arms.
She headed for the house. “I’ll pack up some food, and you can bring it out to the fridge.”
“While you do that, I’ll check on the boys. I’m not so sure of our plan. How do we make Elliot resemble Will? Seems tricky.”
She thought it through. “I have an idea.”
* * *
This was going to be tricky.
The night pressed in with humidity and darkness laden with the sharp scent of pine. Reid gave a slight nod to Jane. It was all ready, and they were about to get out of here. Elliot had quickly agreed to wear the disguise, and he and Charles were playing cornhole under the wash of a security light.
“Let’s have some beignets,” Jane said in a loud voice. “I don’t have on any insect repellant, and the mosquitoes are awful. Want some, Elliot?”
Will was in Elliot’s clothes. “Sure.” He went after her.
Reid followed Jane inside, and they ran for the passageway to the barn.
“You think it will work?” Will said as he ran ahead of Reid and Jane.
They exited into the barn and stopped to catch their breath.
Reid stopped Will from turning on the lights. “Let’s just get inside.”
They stepped closer to the RV, and Parker’s happy bark from inside the motor home greeted them. Reid opened the door and ushered Jane and Will inside. “Will, go back to the bedroom and sit on the floor. The blinds are shut. Jane, you do the same. I don’t want anyone seen but me. Take Parker with you.”
Jane hustled Will to the back of the RV. She shut the door behind them, and Reid climbed behind the wheel. The big engine roared to life. He hit the garage door opener Charles had given him and pulled the vehicle out before he punched the button again.
He drove the RV to the front of the house and paused to run down the window. “Hey, Charles, thanks for fixing this thing. I’m going to put it back in storage. Seems to be running fine.”
Charles looked up and nodded. “Glad to do it, Reid.”
>
Reid ran his window back up and exited the compound.
Perfect. He hoped.
He drove away from the ranch and into Pelican Harbor. The little town was buzzing with Saturday night activity. Jazz music played from one of the bars, and the scent of seafood made its way through the air-conditioning system. He took his time navigating the beast down the narrow streets to Olivia’s house.
He parked across the street from Olivia’s house in a dark parking lot, then walked back to the bedroom and slid the door open a crack. “Can you text Olivia and have her send Megan down? Tell her where we are and have her hurry. This thing is bound to attract attention.”
“On it,” came the muffled reply from Jane.
He went to the side door and waited. When a soft knock came, he opened it and let Megan inside, then pointed to the bedroom. “Slide in there and try not to be seen.”
She tossed her backpack onto the captain’s chair and went that way. His phone dinged with a message. Jane had gotten a text from her dad. Elliot was on his way home, and everything had gone as planned.
A weight lifted from his shoulders as he drove out of town. Once the harbor lights were behind him and only moonlight lit the road in front of him, he called back to Jane. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.”
A few moments later, he saw the three of them in the rearview mirror. The kids plopped onto the sofa, and Will pulled out a Yahtzee game.
“I’m getting Cokes from the fridge,” Megan called. “You want anything?”
Jane slid into the passenger seat. “I’ll have a root beer.”
“Same for me,” Reid said.
The mantle of a real family slipped onto Reid’s shoulder like a custom-made jacket. If only he could keep it.
Twenty-Three
A sudden jolt awakened Jane, and she sat up rubbing her eyes. The black road spread before them, and the massive tires hummed on the highway. “Where are we?”
“In Tennessee.”
Her gaze went to the clock on the dash. Three o’clock. They’d been driving for five hours. “About halfway there.”
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