by Dana R. Lynn
Brenda started talking. “I’m done, Eddie Dillinger. You can take your money and leave. I ain’t never gonna put on another of those dresses and bonnets again.”
“You’re as much of a pain as your loser boyfriend was. I don’t need you.”
Without warning, Eddie reached into his coat pocket and brought out a gun. Brenda had time to open her mouth, gaping like a fish, before he pulled the trigger. She screamed and grabbed her stomach before falling to the floor, crying in pain.
“And now, it’s time I took care of you,” he said to Irene, his acrid breath fanning across her face as he pushed his face against the side of hers. She struggled not to gag.
Before he could lift the gun again, it was shot out of his hand. Irene found herself suddenly free as the big man howled and cradled his injured hand.
Paul stepped into the room, his expression tight and grim. He advanced slowly, his service weapon never wavering off the man.
“I called for backup. They should be here within five minutes.”
* * *
It was actually only four minutes until backup arrived, and they were followed closely by an ambulance. Irene hadn’t been harmed, no doubt thanks to Paul’s quick intervention. And God’s protection. She may have doubted in the past, but now she was sure He was looking after her. How else would she have survived all this?
Physically, she was fine. Emotionally, though, she was starting to feel wrung out. As for the two kidnappers, they both needed treatment. It would be touch and go with the woman named Brenda. She’d taken a hit to her abdomen. Even as Irene watched from the sidelines, Brenda kept fading in and out of consciousness. Eddie, however, would definitely live to stand trial. He was handcuffed, both hands in front, his injured hand bandaged. He was also yelling angrily at everyone he looked at. Irene cringed at the foul language coming out of his mouth.
Eddie caught her watching him. A sneer curled his lip under the thick beard. She could see his teeth. The sudden thought struck her that he could be considered an attractive man, but one hardly noticed because of the anger and cruelty emanating from him.
“You ain’t safe yet, pretty girl.” Eddie spit in her direction. “Billy’ll hunt you down and gut you like a deer. It’s only a matter of time.”
Paul stepped into the room, “That’s enough.”
His voice was harder than Irene had ever heard it. She started at the sound of it. She wasn’t the only one. The man who’d been throwing threats and insults her way seconds ago subsided, although he continued to glower as one of the police officers lead him away.
Irene couldn’t remember ever seeing Paul this angry, either. Paul didn’t get angry. He was so calm nothing ever ruffled his feathers or got the better of him. Except when I’m in trouble.
Not ready to deal with that thought yet, Irene continued to watch as Brenda was loaded onto a stretcher and wheeled out the door. She really hoped the girl would survive. It would mean she would go to jail, yes, but even in jail, one could find redemption. The Lord could work anywhere, she was beginning to understand.
Quietly, she murmured a prayer for the woman’s healing and conversion.
“Amen.”
Irene nearly jumped out of her skin at Paul’s deep voice so close to her ear. She had been so preoccupied with Brenda’s situation she hadn’t paid any attention to where Paul was in the room. Not that she’d forgotten about him. She knew he was there. And felt safer because of it.
“Can I ask you why you didn’t let me know where you were going before heading to the back porch alone?”
Was he mad at her? He didn’t sound mad. Just calm. Which meant nothing.
She gazed into his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief. What she saw there was warmth and concern. He had been worried, she knew that.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving the house.” She felt inclined to defend herself. “I just needed a little privacy to make a call. The house next door was still abandoned, or so I had thought. There were no vehicles in the driveway, no hint that anyone was there. I was done with my call and had turned to return inside when he grabbed me from behind and yanked me down the steps.”
Paul brushed a hand down the side of her head. “Your brother would have my head if I let anything happen to you.”
She stiffened at the thought that his concern for her was all due to his friendship with Jace.
Then he touched her chin, turning her head to look at him again. “And I would have been pretty upset myself.”
Softening, she leaned into the hand on her face. What was she doing? She didn’t want to encourage his affections...did she? She was growing more confused by the moment. To regain her equilibrium, she took a step away and laughed shakily.
“I’ll try not to get into trouble again.”
Paul frowned, but let her go. “Do that. In the meantime, are you finished with the meeting? Can we go? I want to be at the hospital when that woman comes out of surgery.”
Good grief. She had completely forgotten about her clients.
“Almost done. I am so happy that I’m the service coordinator and not a therapist. Sweet kid, I just don’t think I could go back there every week. I do need to collect my things. Then we can go.”
It was funny how life went on around you even when your world was being torn upside down.
Before heading to the hospital, Paul drove Irene back to her mother’s house so she could change. Every house on her mother’s block was in full Christmas mode. Which was not surprising, as they were just over three weeks out. Mrs. Tucker’s house was ablaze with lights and a lavishly decorated tree sat in the front window. She even had the two evergreens in the front yard decked out.
Man, he hadn’t decorated for Christmas for years. It hadn’t made sense, him being a bachelor and all. He celebrated his Savior every day in his heart. The decorations wouldn’t change that. No, that seemed like something a family would do. A family he’d always assumed he’d never have.
But now he was starting to want a family.
Correction. He wanted Irene’s family. He wanted to see her smiling at him every day, not some random woman his matchmaking mother or sister claimed would make a good wife. Because as much as he denied it, he knew that the feelings he’d once had for the teenage Irene were growing again. Only stronger and deeper.
He had to find William Sharps. Once the threat to Irene was gone, he could move on. Either with or without her. He’d seen her withdrawal earlier. She obviously had misgivings about getting closer to him.
Well, who wouldn’t? Especially given their past together. And she didn’t know the worst about him. Not yet. But he was determined that she would. Tonight. He’d tell her tonight.
But not now. Right now, they needed to go to the hospital. He knew he could leave her here at her mother’s house. Zee had been approved to return to work, so he had her watching the school AJ and Matthew attended. They were home now. Parker was coming to take over the watch. And some of the other officers had dropped off a new cruiser for him to use while his was being fixed up. He wouldn’t leave her, though. He didn’t care what anyone thought. He was taking no more chances with Irene. Or her family.
Irene walked out the front door and took his breath away. Her gorgeous red hair was hidden under a warm wool hat, but it didn’t matter. She still looked just as beautiful as she was, inside and out. She was strong and confident, and he sensed her newly rediscovered relationship with God had brought her some peace. She glowed with it. And his heart ached.
In each hand, she held a new travel mug. Exactly what his tired brain needed. Caffeine.
Paul jumped out of his side to walk around to her door and open it. It was the gentlemanly thing to do. And it got him his coffee faster. She handed him his mug as she folded herself neatly into her seat. It smelled wonderful.
“Thanks for the coff
ee.” He slid into his seat and fastened his belt. “It’s not anything fancy, right? Not like the tutti-frutti stuff you like.”
“Please—” she added an extra flair to her eye-roll “—I know you better than that, Paul Kennedy. Yours is black, and way too strong for my liking. And mine’s not fancy. It’s just coffee with English toffee creamer. You should try it. It’s yummy.”
“Yeah, no thanks.”
Still, he chuckled at the face she made.
Then it was down to business. He couldn’t let himself get distracted before the case was fully closed. There was too much of a risk that she’d be attacked again.
At the hospital, they were directed to wait. And wait.
Finally, they were given the word that Brenda had survived the surgery. They waited a couple more hours before they were allowed to go in. It was almost nine. Visiting hours had ended. Paul had bought them both something to eat from the cafeteria although neither felt much like eating.
They entered the ultrasterile room together. Paul had instructed that Brenda be put in a private room with a guard at all times. The less contact she had with any of the other patients, the better. Irene situated herself in a chair near the wall. Paul moved to stand at the side of her bed.
Brenda’s eyelids fluttered open about three-quarters of the way. She still looked drowsy from the anesthesia. When she saw Paul in his uniform, a gentle sigh left her.
“Knew you’d come see me,” she mumbled, her voice thick. “Eddie dead?”
“No, ma’am. Eddie’s been arrested for kidnapping and at least one murder and another attempted murder.”
“He killed the paramedic,” she said tonelessly. “And I think he would have killed the redhead if you hadn’t interrupted him.”
“And he tried to kill you, too. As for the kidnapping, you will be under arrest when you leave here.” He recited her rights. She nodded her understanding. “I need you to tell me about the kidnapping operation. Is there another child you’ve kidnapped recently?”
He expected resistance, but Brenda had apparently given up.
“We had to take another kid to replace the one you cops are protecting. Folks already paid half for her. Got her from an Amish family in Indiana. We were supposed to go to the new safe house and meet up with Billy before delivering her to her new family. When we didn’t show up, Billy probably took her and collected the rest of the money himself.”
She gave up the address for the new parents without demur when asked.
“Why were you back at the house?”
Her lids fluttered shut again. He was afraid she’d fallen asleep. She answered though, much to his relief. “Had to leave quickly last week. Turns out Billy left money there that we didn’t know about. He was out that day. Didn’t know we’d left it behind till later.”
“Who put the little girl in the SUV?”
Irene tensed. He heard her chair creak as she leaned forward.
“I did.” Her eyes opened again, and she looked past him to Irene. “I saw your face when you came to the house. You looked so nice. Eddie was angry at me. I had kidnapped the kid, but didn’t know she had Down syndrome. Eddie saw her face and he flew off the handle. Said no one would want her. Hit me. I fell and cut my head.” Now that she said it, he could see the scabbed cut on the side of her head. That explained the blood they’d found on Mary Ann. And on the floor. “I knew he would kill her if the family said they wouldn’t take her.”
Irene paled.
“Then why did he go after her and try to kidnap her again?” He could see her energy was fading, but he needed the answers while she was willing to give them.
“He thought it would be easier to get her than to try and find a new child in another Amish community. When he couldn’t grab her, Billy said there was no choice but to find someone else. But that the redhead still had seen too much.”
Irene.
“What was your role in the operation?”
“I’m so tired,” she mumbled.
“You can sleep when you answer.”
A tear slipped down her wan cheek. “The guys would cause some kind of accident—usually a fire. Always in some out-of-the-way community. That way it was unlikely fire inspectors and coroners would be involved. While everyone was running around trying to put the fire out, I would go in and find the youngest child. I dressed in Amish clothing, so no one would pay attention to me. I could walk in and walk out with the kid. But after Niko died, I was done. I shouldn’t have ever agreed to it, and will feel guilty until I die.”
“Why’d you agree to it?” Irene asked from her chair. She got up and walked over to stare down at the woman on the bed. There was pity in her gaze. But also anger and accusation. Paul knew he should be mad at her for interfering with his interrogation. But, in his mind, she had earned a right to ask the question.
“I didn’t want to.” Brenda kept her eyes closed. “But my guy, Niko, said if we didn’t get the money, we’d never be able to marry and have a life together. Now he’s gone, and nothing matters anymore.”
“How many children have you taken?” Paul barked.
“Not that many. Eight. Maybe ten. Hard to remember. The one I put in your car was from Ohio. I don’t remember exactly where. Somewhere in Holmes County.”
It confirmed their information.
“What about the new child? Where is she from?”
“Oh, I remember that one very clearly. Mostly because I had already decided to get out of it and turn Eddie in.” She rattled off an address in Indiana.
A minute later, the nurse came in and shooed them out.
It was a somber duo who returned to the Tucker house that evening. They didn’t talk as they went inside. Vera had left the coffeepot on. Irene poured Paul a cup, then started to make herself a pot of tea.
“Why do people do it, Paul?”
Huh?
“What, Red? Why do people do what?” He took a long swallow of coffee. At this rate, he’d be up until three in the morning.
“Why do people make such dumb choices? That day when Eddie came chasing after me with the gun...if Brenda and Niko had just walked away, he’d be alive and she wouldn’t be on her way to prison. They’d be poor, sure, but at least they’d have a chance.”
This was the opening he needed to tell her. Nervousness settled over him. He couldn’t shake it off.
“Well, Irene. Many people make really dumb choices. I’ve made some myself.” She turned to face him. He wished she wouldn’t. Looking at her face as he confessed his failings would be hard. But he was a man of honor now, and he wouldn’t back down. “You remember that night when I left you behind at the dance?”
Yeah, she remembered. He saw the way her mouth tightened. But she didn’t back away.
“You were the best thing in my life, Irene. You and Jace. But there were things about me you didn’t know. That I couldn’t tell you. I know you wondered why I never invited you to my house, to meet my parents.” She nodded. “Well, I was ashamed. See, my mom, she’s great. But my dad, well...”
He stood and paced to the door leading outside. Give me strength, Lord. “My dad had issues. Bad ones. Back then, he’d lost his job and become discouraged. Turned to alcohol. And later to drugs. He ended up in prison for vehicular homicide while driving drunk. And he died there.”
Facing her, he saw the compassion in her eyes. That would change when she heard the rest. “You’d think I would have learned, right? I was so ashamed of what he’d done, but when I was fourteen, I started to get into his alcohol stash.” Yeah, she saw where this was headed. He saw her grow pale. “I hid it for years, but I was an alcoholic by the time I was sixteen.”
He couldn’t face her and turned away. “I knew you were special. From the first time I saw you, I knew it. And I knew I wasn’t worthy of you. Then your sister died,
and you needed me to be someone you could lean on. I couldn’t stand to see you in pain. That night, though, well, some of the other kids had snuck alcohol into the dance. And I didn’t turn away from the temptation. I was pretty drunk, but still lucid enough, when one of the guys asked how my girlfriend would react seeing me drunk after her sister died because of drugs.”
A soft sob sounded behind him. He flinched. “I had never been as ashamed of my father as I was of myself in that moment. I wasn’t worthy of you. And never would be. I knew you’d be safe, that your friends would make sure you got home, so I walked out and didn’t look back. I wasn’t going to make you see me like that—I wasn’t going to put you anywhere near me while I was so out of control.” He’d hated leaving her behind, even then. But he’d known it was the right thing to do. Then and now, she deserved so much better than him.
“I never touched a drop of alcohol after that. Not once in all these years. And Jace helped me reconcile with God. Then we moved, and I started over.”
Footsteps. She walked over and joined him at the door. Put a hand on his arm. He didn’t turn to look at her, just bowed his head and finished his story. “I moved back years later, and you had moved on. I was happy for you, Irene. I really was. Tony was a great man, an honest cop and a good friend. He made you as happy as you deserve to be—something that I could never do. I can’t ever let down my guard. I was weak once. I refuse to let that happen again.”
There was nothing more to be said. He set his cup in the dishwasher and left, knowing that between the security system and the cop on duty, she would be fine until morning. Which gave him time to get his head back in the game.
THIRTEEN
Paul picked up Irene at the assigned time. Mary Ann was remaining at her mother’s house this time. Sergeant Zee was there with her, and another officer was keeping watch on the outside. Today, they were searching for the other child.
Irene had tried to talk at first—regular chitchat, probably intended to get them back to normal—but he had given her short answers, so now they drove in silence. He tried to tell himself he was fine with the divide growing between them, but he wasn’t. It was unbelievable how much you could miss someone when they were sitting right next to you.