by Brenda Novak
Sebastian stood by the door. He was wearing a pair of pajama bottoms and a T-shirt.
“Did you find out if Gloria knows?” he asked. He was relieved, too. She could hear it in his voice.
“I’m about to tell her.” She nudged Kate, who’d plopped down beside her. “Will you run out to the kitchen and get my cell phone, sweetie? Gloria’s number is in my address book.”
Kate jumped up and, squeezing past Sebastian, hurried out of the room. She returned seconds later and handed Jane her cell. “Who’s Gloria?” she asked.
“Latisha’s sister,” Jane explained.
“She’s going to be happy, huh?”
“Very.” Holding up a hand to forestall any more questions, she made the call.
Gloria answered on the third ring, sounding a bit disoriented. “Hello?”
“They’ve found Latisha,” she announced. “Your sister’s alive.”
Silence, then muffled weeping came across the line. “Thank the Lord.” She cried some more before controlling her tears. “Where she at now?”
“Sutter Memorial Hospital. She’s been shot in the arm, but the doctors have assured Detective Willis that she’s fine.”
“Do they have him? The man who did this? The man who killed Marcie?”
Jane’s elation dimmed. “Not yet. At least, I don’t think so. I don’t have any of the details.”
“Okay.” She sniffed. “I’m headin’ down there right now.”
“Gloria, I’m…” Jane didn’t know how to describe what she felt. Realizing, once again, how little power anyone had to overcome another person’s evil intentions was frightening. It was humbling, too. Everything she’d learned in the past few months, all the bravado that swelled inside her when she talked about fighting back, had done nothing to bring this girl home. Yet, somehow, Latisha had survived. “Relieved and grateful,” she finished.
“Me, too,” Gloria said. “Will you be there, at the hospital?”
“Of course. I’ll be over as soon as I shower.”
“See you there.”
As Jane hung up, she dashed a hand across her wet cheeks. Slightly embarrassed, she swallowed the lump in her throat and smiled at Sebastian. “Hearing she’s okay feels so good.”
His nod said he understood; Kate gave her another hug. She started to get out of bed—then remembered that there was another person she should contact. Once again searching her cell phone’s address book, she called Luther.
He didn’t pick up. Keeping one arm affectionately around Kate, she waited for the beep that would signal her to leave a message.
“Luther, it’s Jane Burke.” She allowed herself a watery smile. “Latisha’s safe. I just…I didn’t want you to worry about her anymore. So call me when you get a chance—or talk to Gloria if you prefer,” she said and disconnected.
Folding his arms, Sebastian leaned against the doorjamb. “That was Latisha’s father?”
Jane nodded while reaching for her robe.
“You didn’t tell him where she is.”
“I think I’ll leave that up to Gloria. She might want to spend some time alone with her first.” She addressed Kate. “Try to get some more sleep while I take a shower. I’ll drop you off at school on our way to the hospital.”
Her face fell. “Can’t I go with you?”
Latisha’s story wouldn’t be pleasant, and Jane wasn’t about to have her twelve-year-old in the room when she heard it. “Not today.”
“Why not?” Kate whined. “It’s Friday. We don’t do a lot on Fridays. I could miss school.” The oblique glance she cast over her shoulder told Jane that Sebastian was part of the attraction. Seeing her mother in a romantic relationship was exciting and new. Interrupting that kiss last night had ignited her daughter’s imagination.
“You can’t miss school,” Jane said. “There’s no need for that.”
“One day’s no big deal. I want to be with you guys. Please, Mom?”
Sebastian interceded. “How about if we take you ice-skating tonight instead?”
Jane watched her daughter struggle to rein in her reaction. She could tell that Kate wanted to continue pleading. On the other hand, she didn’t want to make a bad impression on Sebastian. Finally she backed off and sent him a grateful smile. “That’d be fun.”
The image of her late husband creeping down the hall with a knife suddenly appeared in Jane’s mind. She was so used to protecting her daughter, so used to protecting herself. It wasn’t easy to lower her guard. Not after what Oliver had done. Not even for Sebastian. Especially for Sebastian. She wasn’t just tempted to sleep with him, to love him—she was tempted to trust him.
“Are you okay with that?” he asked.
Was she doing the right thing getting involved with him? Had she given herself enough time to heal? What would she do when Sebastian went back to New York? Forget him and move on?
She knew it wouldn’t be that simple. But life was all about taking chances. Somehow she had to learn how to embrace normal risks again.
“Sure. It’s a date,” she said and went into the bathroom.
“Can she give us any indication of where she was kept?” Jane asked. She and Sebastian had bumped into David in the hall on their way to Latisha’s hospital room. They were standing off to one side, speaking in hushed voices—partly in deference to the setting and partly to keep others from overhearing their conversation.
“No,” David said. “She told me he pulled her and her sister over by putting a Kojak light on top of his van.”
“We’d wondered about that,” Sebastian said. He’d showered in Jane’s second bathroom, but not until he’d made breakfast for Kate. By then, he didn’t want to take the time to dry his hair, despite the cold weather. Still damp, it was curling over his ears and the back of his neck.
“I guess Marcie was driving their car,” David went on. “Latisha admits the van didn’t look like a public vehicle. And Wesley Boss, as she knows him, wasn’t wearing a uniform. But when he explained that he was an undercover officer and flashed a badge, she thought that was the point—he wasn’t supposed to look like a cop.”
“Pulling someone over without the proper authority takes a lot of nerve,” Jane said. “I’m afraid I would’ve believed him, too, and I have a lot more experience than they did.”
David raised his eyebrows. “Let’s hope you would’ve checked his badge a lot more closely.”
“Maybe I would have, but we’re talking about two young girls who were probably afraid they were going to be ticketed.”
“That’s exactly what they thought. They had a taillight out. They assumed that was the reason they’d been stopped.”
“Is that why he chose them?”
“Could be. I think he was looking for the kind of target—targets in this case—who’d be unlikely to question his authority. It was a Saturday morning, not late at night. They were together.” David shook his head. “They didn’t see the danger.”
“How’d he get them into the van without anyone noticing?” she asked.
David straightened his tie but the wrinkles in his shirt suggested these were the same clothes he’d worn yesterday. Had he even slept? She knew he’d gone home. He always made a point of it because of the kids. But he wasn’t taking good care of himself. “They went willingly. He told Marcie there was a warrant for her arrest and asked her to step out of the car. When she did, he slapped handcuffs on her.”
“He has balls the size of coconuts,” Sebastian grumbled.
“No kidding,” David agreed. “Anyway, he took Marcie to the van, then told Latisha she could ride to the station with him, that the car couldn’t be driven because of that taillight.”
“So she left the car and got in the van.”
“Without an argument. Before she could figure out what was going on, he threw her in the back and cuffed her to the same metal bar he’d already cuffed her sister to. Next thing Latisha knew, they were at some old house in the country.”
“Anoth
er house like the one in Ione?”
“This one’s in Turlock.”
Jane searched for the courage to ask her next question. “Did he rape them?”
“Apparently he didn’t rape Marcie.” She saw a pained expression on David’s handsome face. “What happened with Latisha is less clear. She had a diamond ring on her finger when she arrived here. She claims he bought it for her, that he wanted to marry her.”
“What?” The sudden change in Sebastian’s voice showed how surprised he was. Jane was equally shocked.
“After a few weeks?” she said.
“He got her drunk, slept with her, promised her he’d always take care of her. Had to be pretty damned confusing for the poor kid.”
“Did she know he killed her sister?”
“I don’t think so. She said she believed him when he told her he’d let Marcie go.” David frowned. “But…in the next instant, she burst into tears, saying she’d found Marcie’s blood on his shoes.”
“The poor thing.” Jane felt Sebastian’s hand at her back. She would’ve enjoyed the comfort his touch offered—except that she was afraid David might notice the subtle intimacy of it. She didn’t want to be questioned about their involvement.
“What about Malcolm?” Sebastian asked. “Does anyone have any idea where he might be?”
“Mrs. Stetzel, the woman who brought her in, was driving out to her ranch when she came across Latisha. She said Latisha was in the middle of the road and there was a man with a gun, shooting at them both. Because it was dark and it all happened so fast, she didn’t get a good look at him. But she knows the area and should be able to lead us to the exact spot. She’s in a patrol car now, attempting to do just that. I’m on my way to meet them.”
“So the old lady saved her,” Sebastian said.
David chuckled. “Basically. I don’t know how a seventy-three-year-old woman managed to get Latisha in the car and drive away without wrecking or being shot, but she did.”
“An unlikely hero,” Jane murmured.
“As unlikely as they get. But there’s no question that she saved Latisha’s life.”
Would they finally catch Malcolm, thanks to a Good Samaritan? “What does Gloria have to say?”
“Not much,” David replied. “She’s been at Latisha’s bedside since she got here, crying and listening. If she makes a comment, it’s generally something encouraging like ‘You’ll get through this.’”
“Gloria’s a strong woman. If anyone can help Latisha recover, it’s her.” Jane glanced toward the door she’d seen David walk out of just before they’d encountered him. “Is it okay if we go in?”
David gestured toward the room. “Go ahead. I’ll call you when I reach the place where she escaped, let you know what I find.”
Latisha was a very pretty young lady. She had a bandaged arm and a scrape on one cheek but, physically, she seemed in good shape, especially considering that Sebastian had never expected to see her alive.
Jane had gone into the room ahead of him. “You okay?” she murmured to Gloria and gave her a hug before turning to meet Latisha.
“This is Jane Burke, the woman I told you about,” Gloria said to her sister.
Latisha’s reaction seemed a bit skeptical. “Hello.”
“I’m so glad you’re safe.” Jane looked as if she wanted to embrace Latisha, too. Wisely, she refrained, settling for a slight squeeze of the hand, but her apparent sincerity began to thaw Latisha’s initial reaction.
“Thanks.” She managed a slight smile.
“This is Sebastian Costas from New York.” Jane seemed about to explain his presence, but she didn’t get the chance. Latisha had gasped at the sound of his name.
“You’re the one!”
Sebastian sent a questioning glance at her and then Gloria. He couldn’t imagine what she was talking about. “The one who what?”
“Who killed Wesley’s wife and son! He’s been searching for you!”
Jane’s eyes widened. “What?”
“He told me what you did.”
Jane spoke before Sebastian could respond. “That’s not true, Latisha,” she said, her voice gentle. “Malcolm killed his own wife—for her money. He also killed a fourteen-year-old boy, mostly out of spite. That boy was Sebastian’s son.”
Sebastian curled his hands into fists. Malcolm had tried to blame Colton’s murder on him?
“Who’s Malcolm?” Latisha echoed in apparent confusion.
Careful to maintain enough distance to avoid frightening her, Sebastian moved a step closer. “Malcolm Turner is Wesley Boss’s real name.”
“No!” She shook her head. “He told me—”
“He told you lots of things, girl, and ain’t none of ’em true,” Gloria piped up. “That man’s the devil.”
Sebastian had to agree. If the devil had a face, it was that of Malcolm Turner. “I would never harm my own son.”
“Then he killed Marcie,” she announced, tears welling in her eyes.
Gloria patted her hand. “We already knew he did, honey. We’ll miss her, but—” she fought to subdue her own emotions “—we’ll get by, you and me. We still got each other. He didn’t get you.”
“Yet.” Her eyes shifted beseechingly to Jane. “What if he comes after me? He’s still out there….”
If only Sebastian had been able to catch Malcolm before the kidnappings…He wished to hell he’d been successful. He’d felt so close then, when he and Mary were communicating with him online.
A lot had changed.
“We’re doing everything we can to put him behind bars,” Jane said. “What you told the police should help. They’re on their way to the place where Mrs. Stetzel found you.”
“It’s not far from his house,” she said. “It can’t be far from his house. I—I couldn’t have walked more than a—a mile or so.”
“We’ll find him,” Sebastian assured her. But Malcolm probably wasn’t at the house where he’d kept Latisha. Not anymore. He wouldn’t simply wait for the police to come and arrest him. Unless something had happened to stop him, he’d fled the minute Mrs. Stetzel’s car drove out of sight.
When and where he might turn up was anyone’s guess.
Twenty-Five
Malcolm tossed his bags on the spare bed in the cheap motel room he’d rented under a previous alias, put a privacy sign on the door, and used the security lock to bolt himself in. He had a lot to do, a lot to think about, but first he needed to regroup. He’d be more capable if he could sleep first.
Now that he’d gotten safely away from the house, however, the memory of that old lady driving off with Latisha was keeping him so agitated he had to turn on the television to distract himself.
He’d liked his little slave, damn it. He didn’t want to lose her. But if she was going to be a bitch after all he’d done—the diamond ring and the proposal and the chocolate—to hell with her. He hadn’t met a woman yet that he couldn’t live without. Not Mary, not his first wife, who’d remarried before he’d met Emily, definitely not Emily and not his sexy little Latisha. What really bothered him was that Sebastian would consider Latisha’s escape a victory.
So what, he told himself. Sebastian wouldn’t be celebrating for long.
One eye on the television, Malcolm booted up his laptop. He wasn’t sure why he wanted to use his computer. He had no plans to e-mail anyone, no plans to use it for anything specific. He just had to keep his hands busy while he tried to figure out how to lure Sebastian away from where Jane Burke lived. An offer to meet wouldn’t do it; Sebastian would expect a trap. So what would motivate him to go to a location of Malcolm’s choosing? A location where Malcolm would have the privacy and control he needed to finally destroy the man he detested above all others—and do so without alerting the police?
Then it hit him. Sebastian had gone to Mary’s house to save her. He’d also given Emily money or covered for her if he thought it might get her out of trouble or make her life easier. He was a fucking knight in shin
ing armor, always trying to rescue the women around him.
Excitement coiled inside Malcolm. If Sebastian cared about Jane, and it appeared that he did, he’d do the same for her as he had for the other females in his life. That meant it would be stupid to kill her too soon. All he had to do was kidnap her and use her for bait.
But how would he get to her with Sebastian staying at her condo?
Simple—he’d take her from the office.
“There might be other people at the office,” he said, thinking aloud, “like that man I saw there before.”
But she’d be the only one getting into her car. Thanks to the early darkness of winter, he could wait in her backseat. She wouldn’t even see him. Not until it was too late.
And once he had Jane, Sebastian would do anything he was told.
“I’m a damn genius,” Malcolm said and shut down his computer. Now he could sleep.
David was still at the isolated ranch house in Turlock where Latisha had been imprisoned when Sebastian pulled into the driveway with Jane in his car. They couldn’t go inside, since the forensics team hadn’t finished gathering evidence, but Sebastian had wanted to come out here, anyway. He wanted to see where Malcolm had hidden for so long and to get a feel for how he’d lived.
Somehow, Sebastian had expected it to be nicer. He couldn’t say he was surprised to discover that it wasn’t. It just stood to reason that if a man was going to kill his wife for money, that money should put him in a better place. This old rambler wasn’t even as nice as the house in Ione. It hadn’t been updated in at least three decades, to the point that it looked and felt abandoned.
“David’s coming out to get the lunch we brought,” Jane informed him as she twisted around to get it out of the backseat.
Sebastian nodded and climbed out of the car. He wasn’t in a talkative mood. He was relieved that Latisha was safe, but he had no idea when Mary would be able to return to regular life—or how much was left of his. New York was beginning to seem like a whole other world to which he no longer belonged.