Nanny Witness

by Hope White

  “Someone kidnapped my niece.”

  The officer jogged up beside him and they went outside. Whit scanned the parking lot across the street.

  The sound of a baby crying raised the hair on the back of his neck. He spotted a woman in a long tan jacket juggling a fussy Mia while opening the car door.

  Without thinking, Whit started to take off.

  A car horn blared.

  The guard gripped Whit’s jacket and yanked him back, just as a service truck whizzed by. The driver made a face at Whit like he was an idiot.

  He’d be a lot worse than an idiot if his niece got taken on his watch.

  “Stop!” the guard shouted as they crossed the street.

  Whit wished the guard hadn’t alerted the kidnapper to their presence. She slammed the back door and got behind the wheel. Did she even strap his niece into a car seat?

  They were about a hundred feet away when she shoved it into gear and took off, peeling across the parking lot, nearly hitting a car as she made a sharp turn.

  “You get the plates?” the guard said.

  “Yep.”

  She sped up to the exit.

  They chased after her.

  Whit automatically reached for his gun and remembered the hospital still had it.

  “My truck’s over here,” the security guard said. Whit kept his eyes on the white minivan that was nearing the exit gate.

  Whit and the guard climbed into his truck. The guard pulled out and Whit called Emergency.

  “A child’s been abducted from Saint Mary’s Hospital. Tell Detective Harper it’s Mia Bremerton. The suspect is female, Caucasian, dark hair, about five foot eight. She drove off in a white minivan.”

  He gave them the plate number and watched the van turn onto the main road. Whit didn’t want this to become a high-speed chase, putting Mia at even more risk.

  He had to get her back.

  The little girl was family and he was responsible for her.

  “Give her space,” Whit said to the security guard.

  “I don’t want to lose them,” he said.

  “I know, but we don’t want to force her into making a bad driving decision either.”

  The guard nodded in agreement.

  “I’m Brody Whittaker, by the way.”

  “Steve Meyers. Didn’t expect to be chasing a kidnapper when I came into work today. Why did she take your niece?”

  “Don’t know.” This entire day had been filled with questions and no answers, Whit thought.

  One answer was obviously clear: Mia needed her uncle to protect her from whatever his brother may have gotten himself into. Whit shouldn’t assume this was about Harry, yet it wouldn’t surprise him. Harry tended to take risks, risks that could have led to putting his baby girl in danger. Maybe if Whit had stayed around longer, been a good role model for his brother growing up, Harry would have turned out more grounded. It was obvious that Whit’s stepdad didn’t have much time for his son.

  Instead Whit took off after high school, joined the army and kept his distance from his mom, half brother and half sister, Beth. He thought he’d made that decision out of respect for the family. Recently he began to wonder if shame had driven him away.

  Shame that he’d been so utterly selfish as a teenager. He hadn’t prevented Harry from getting hurt.

  Ever since Whit’s brush with death on the job, he’d been determined to heal his relationship with Harry. Whit wanted to be a good brother, and a loving uncle to Mia.

  “She’s turning onto Mountain Pass drive,” Steve said.

  “Is that a bad thing?”

  “Narrow road. Sharp turns.”

  Whit relayed the information to the 9-1-1 operator.

  “I’m sending deputies to intercept her,” the operator said.

  “Thanks.” Whit turned to Steve. “Let’s not crowd her.” He certainly didn’t want her rolling the van with his niece in the back seat.

  Whit’s eyes burned as he stared ahead at the kidnapper’s vehicle. They would lose the white minivan to a sharp turn, and then catch sight of it again. It was awfully bold of the kidnapper to walk into a hospital, pretend to be a family member and leave with the child.

  Bold and criminal.

  “She won’t get far,” Steve said, trying to make Whit feel better.

  Steve approached a sharp turn a little too fast and they came dangerously close to skidding off into a ravine.

  “Sorry, I’ll slow it down,” he said.

  Whit nodded, his vocal cords tied into knots. He used to love the adrenaline rush, the buzz of a chase, although not when it involved one of his own, and there were very few of those left in his life. His serious romantic relationships couldn’t withstand his commitment to the job, and he’d grown distant from his work family because of his medical leave.

  He found himself at an impasse, possibly forced to sit behind a desk for the rest of his career. It wasn’t the same as being out in the field, of leading an investigation. He wasn’t sure what the future held professionally, what he’d end up doing.

  That untethered feeling made him realize how important it was to have a support system, a real family. He and his half sister, Beth, had reconnected, and he thought he was on the right track with Harry, until he’d stopped returning Whit’s calls.

  “Where’d she go?” Steve peered out the window.

  “Down on the right?” Whit craned his neck, hoping to see the minivan.

  They reached a four-way stop and looked both directions.

  The minivan, with his niece in the back seat, was gone.

  * * *

  Never talk to police, her mother’s voice whispered in the recesses of her mind. The family code.

  By now Carly should want nothing to do with her family, their advice, their lies. Yet childhood trauma was imprinted on her heart.

  If you talk to police, they will take Greta away.

  Carly readjusted her position in the interrogation room chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She was proud of herself for remaining calm and not allowing her past to cause her to have a total meltdown. After all, the last time she’d been questioned by police she was a naive thirteen-year-old who’d been played by her mother and cajoled by authorities.

  No one had cared about Carly’s well-being. They all had their own agendas: her parents wanted her gone and the cops wanted to finish their paperwork.

  Still, when Carly stepped into this room with the one table and chairs on either side, the past flashed through her mind.

  The fight with her mother.

  Hiding Greta in her room to protect her.

  Police breaking down the door. Put down the knife.

  “So, you’ve been employed by the Bremertons for six months?” Detective Harper asked.

  “Yes, since the baby was a month old.”

  Harper had asked that twice already.

  “And the vehicle you saw blocking your car was a dark SUV?”

  That was the third time he’d asked that one.

  “Yes.”

  “You couldn’t see the plate numbers?”

  She was done with this irritating line of questioning. She assumed he was stalling until he could somehow get more information about her juvenile crime.

  “Shouldn’t you be looking for Mr. and Mrs. B.?”

  “Maybe if you gave me more information it would help me find them.”

  Right, keep her talking until she said something he could use against her. She knew how it worked.

  “Detective, I have been chased, shot at and assaulted,” Carly said. “I’m tired and would like to leave now.”

  Harper shot her a displeased look, but she wouldn’t be intimidated. She wasn’t that thirteen-year-old girl, scared, alone and charged with felony menacing because she’d been trying to protect
her little sister.

  “I’ve answered your questions. Am I free to go?” she pushed.

  “You haven’t answered the most critical one—what were you charged with when you were thirteen?”

  She clenched her jaw and stared at the door behind him. Giving Harper that piece of her history would convince him she was guilty of something, anything. Today she was guilty only of loving and wanting to protect baby Mia.

  “Lawyer, please,” she said.

  Harper’s eye twitched.

  A young deputy in his twenties popped his head into the room. “Detective, an emergency call just came in. A child’s been abducted from Saint Mary’s Hospital.”

  Carly stood. “Mia?”

  Detective Harper turned to her. “What do you know about this?”

  “What could I possibly know? I’ve been in here with you.”

  He narrowed his eyes as if assessing her honesty. Finally, he said, “You’re free to go. Not back to the Bremerton estate. It’s a crime scene.”

  “My car’s there, and my clothes.”

  He nodded at the young deputy. “Schneider, give Miss Winslow a ride to her car and make sure she vacates the premises without taking anything from the house.” Harper turned back to Carly. “I’d prefer you not leave Summit County.”

  Oh, she had no plans to leave the county or even the small town of Miner, Colorado. Carly wasn’t going anywhere until she knew Mia was safe.

  “Ma’am.” The young deputy motioned.

  She accompanied the deputy and left the police station, hopefully never to return.

  * * *

  Twenty minutes later Deputy Schneider pulled up the long driveway of the Bremerton estate. The gates, which were usually closed, were wide open to allow access to law enforcement officials. Carly felt uneasy, knowing how much the Bremertons valued their privacy.

  Deputy Schneider parked beside her car.

  “Thanks,” she said. She got out of the patrol car and glanced at the house. It was hard to believe everything that had happened. She said a silent prayer for Mr. and Mrs. B.’s safety.

  “Ma’am?”

  She turned to the deputy.

  “I need to escort you out,” he said.

  “Sure, of course.” As she approached her blue compact car, the echo of men’s voices drifted to her from the deputy’s shoulder radio. She caught part of the conversation. Someone said, “Mountain Pass Drive” and “white minivan.” She guessed they were in pursuit of the vehicle Mia’s kidnapper was driving.

  Hope sparked in her chest. She calmly slid behind the wheel of her car. It was foolish to think she could help. However, her love for Mia drove her to want to do something.

  A familiar feeling of helplessness chilled her heart. She would not accept it. Even though she’d been unable to save Greta from their horrible parents, that didn’t mean she’d give up on baby Mia.

  Carly pulled out of the driveway and the deputy followed her onto the main road. She should find temporary lodging somewhere, perhaps at the Juniper Inn. They knew her there since Renee, the owner, was in Carly’s Bible study group.

  She’d get a room later. Right now even the most comfortable room would offer little solace since Mia was out there, frightened, being held captive by a stranger. The image of Mia’s red, crying face inspired Carly to follow her heart, even if it landed her in trouble.

  She drove a bit, a plan forming in her head. She pulled into the Juniper Inn parking lot and Deputy Schneider drove past, lights flashing.

  Waiting until he was out of sight, she left the parking lot and headed for Mountain Pass Drive. It was a long shot, but she didn’t know what else to do.

  Carly was desperate to save Mia.

  If she happened to find the minivan, or even show up at the scene when police found it, would they assume Carly was involved? Officially arrest her this time?

  Keep your distance, reason dictated.

  Help the child at any cost, her heart countered.

  With firm hands gripping the steering wheel, she stayed calm and pushed aside the fear that the kidnapper might hurt little Mia. Who could possibly look at her sweet face and want to do her harm?

  A few minutes later, as she approached Mountain Pass Drive, she hesitated at a four-way stop. She was about to press the accelerator when a car sailed through the intersection.

  “Yikes!” Carly cried out. Through her rearview, she spotted the vehicle that sped off.

  A minivan.

  White.

  “Unlikely.” Possible.

  Carly made a U-turn and followed the car on the off chance it was the kidnapper. Stranger things had happened. Where were the police? Maybe she was being silly, but it was worth a try.

  She wasn’t sure what she’d do once she caught up to the minivan. In the meantime, she decided to call the police and report its location. If the van happened to be the kidnapper’s vehicle, Carly would make sure it didn’t disappear, along with Mia.

  She pulled out her phone to call 9-1-1.

  In the distance, two police cars were blocking the road.

  The minivan took a sharp right turn and went off-road, heading directly into the forest.

  What was the driver thinking? There was no way out, nowhere to escape.

  It had to be the kidnapper.

  The minivan didn’t slow down.

  Neither did Carly.

  She made a sharp right turn and clung to the steering wheel, her little compact bobbing up and down on the uneven terrain. This would destroy her car for sure.

  She didn’t care.

  The minivan swerved left...

  And went nose first into a ravine.

  “Mia!” Carly cried.

  FOUR

  Carly slammed her brakes so she wouldn’t go careening over the edge. She flung open the door and dashed toward the ravine. She heard men shouting behind her and didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was getting to Mia, making sure she was okay.

  She realized the ravine wasn’t terribly steep, and the back end of the car was only about five feet down. Just then the driver’s door opened. A woman with brown hair, wearing a tan raincoat and sunglasses, fought her way past the airbag and got out of the car.

  “What’s the matter with you?” Carly said.

  The sound of Mia’s cries echoed from the van, spiking adrenaline through Carly’s body. The kidnapper started for the back seat.

  “Don’t you dare touch that little girl!” Carly dropped down to the trunk of the car with a thump.

  The woman, who wore large-framed sunglasses, glanced at Carly.

  Carly suddenly realized the danger of the situation. What if the kidnapper had a weapon?

  Instead of reaching for a gun, the woman took off.

  “Stop right there!” Carly shouted, wanting the police to arrest her and make the kidnapper answer for absconding with the little girl. But the woman had already disappeared into the woods.

  Carly opened the minivan’s door and smiled at Mia, who was securely strapped into a car seat.

  “Shh, it’s okay, baby girl.”

  Mia continued to wail. Was she hurt? Suffering from whiplash?

  Carly sang softly to calm her down, making up her own lyrics. “Precious little baby, darling baby girl, such a sweet baby, such a sweet girl.”

  Awkwardly leaning against the front seat, she unbuckled Mia and pulled her into her arms. “Dear little baby, precious little girl.”

  Carly held Mia against her shoulder and managed to slide out of the car onto stable ground. Leaning against a nearby rock, she sang softly until the little girl stopped crying. Mia sniffled and coughed a few times, then laid her head against Carly’s shoulder and stuck her thumb in her mouth.

  “That’s my girl. Such a brave girl.” Carly cast a quick glance into the woods where the
kidnapper had disappeared.

  “Freeze!” a man ordered from above.

  Carly couldn’t catch a break today. They probably thought she was the kidnapper.

  “Lemme see your hands!”

  “I’m holding a baby,” she called back.

  “Your hands!”

  Carly was not putting this child down.

  * * *

  Whit couldn’t believe what he just saw: Carly, in her little compact car, pursuing the kidnapper across rugged terrain. He then watched the petite blonde jump out of her car and practically dive into a ravine after the van.

  That had probably crashed. With his niece inside.

  Whit got out of the guard’s truck and jogged toward the edge of the cliff.

  A sheriff’s deputy put out his hand, halting Whit and Steve. “Stay back.”

  “I’m the child’s uncle.”

  Whit stopped, waited impatiently for permission to approach. Just then Detective Harper raced up to them. “Where is she?”

  “I’m sending up the perp,” a male voice called from below. “I’ve got the baby.”

  Harper and the deputy pulled a woman up. Carly.

  “Carly, Mia?” Whit said.

  “She’s okay.” Carly smiled.

  Warmth spread through Whit’s chest.

  The deputy grabbed Carly’s wrist and started to cuff her.

  “Harper,” Whit said. “She put her own life at risk and went after the kidnapper.”

  “Not much of a risk if the kidnapper is your associate.”

  Carly eyed the ravine. The deputy put handcuffs on Carly, but she didn’t seem to notice. She was more interested in what was happening below.

  “Careful, don’t hold her like that,” Carly directed.

  Mia’s cries shot a bolt of frustration through Whit’s chest.

  “It’s okay, baby girl,” Carly said softly.

  Harper crouched and grabbed a kicking, screaming Mia out of the other deputy’s hands. He held her against his shoulder. Mia was having none of it. She flailed her arms, smacking Harper in the face, as she continued to sob.

  Whit approached and tried soothing her with sweet words. “It’s okay, Mia. You’re okay now.”