Danger In The Shadows

by Dee Henderson

  It was a reminder of other evenings spent with her. He didn’t want it to end.

  Dave finally came home shortly before midnight. He shook his head as he settled into a chair with a soda. Adam paused the movie. “Did you really expect to find a match in the first day of the search?”

  Dave gave a rueful smile. “No, but I can hope.” He looked down at the soda can, and when he looked up, it was with an expression Adam had never seen before. “How’s she going to handle it if we can’t find a match?”

  Adam felt his gut clench. He hadn’t thought about that. His jaw tensed. He had better start thinking about it. He loved her. He had often wondered if anything might be able to break her. What Dave had just told him would. Remembering the kidnapper’s face had always been her one thread of hope. If they couldn’t find a match, how would she cope without a thread to hold on to?

  “Dave, she’ll cope by going to Seattle and starting a life with me. God has gotten her this far, He’ll give her the strength to start over.” He should have realized he had better start tempering her expectations. Part of his job was to protect her. Dave might watch out for her physical security, but that didn’t mean Adam didn’t have a critical role to play as well. She had suddenly seized on the hope that this would be over quickly. She had only been able to endure in the past because she had focused on a long-term hope. He had better start preparing her for the possibility they would not quickly find a match. “I’ll start easing into the subject tomorrow, prep her for the possibility.”

  “One of us needs to. I can, if you’d like.”

  Adam shook his head. “Let me. I need to introduce the idea of my going along with her to Seattle. She’ll be bothered enough by that; it may take the sting out of why I’m bringing up the subject.”

  Dave nodded. “We’ve got about a week of work to do before we run out of first-source material and have to go back to the drawing board for how to do the search.”

  “She’ll be as ready as I can get her for the bad news, if you have to tell her.”

  “Thanks, Adam.”

  “We both love her. If I can soften the blow, all the better. What are the odds that we’ll find a match for the picture?”

  “It depends on how arrogant the guy was at the time. He was careful, or we would’ve already found him. He knows she saw his face; he purposely let her see it. Did he expect her to remember his face? He had to. He probably didn’t expect her to seize up the way she did, to shut out the memories.

  “He would have been far away from the area by the time she was found. But with time? When he realized he was safe? He used the original packages to taunt us that he was still free. He probably returned to his old life—same address, same job, same friends. I would guess that there is maybe a 30 percent chance we’ll find a match.”

  “No higher?”

  Dave shook his head. “That may already be too optimistic. He stayed tied into the case somehow; his negotiations show that. But I doubt he let himself be photographed at the crime scene of all places. There are over two thousand names in that index of people remotely associated with the case through the years. When those names are exhausted, the search could go on indefinitely.”

  Adam carefully brushed back Sara’s hair, watching her sleep. He did not enjoy thinking about Seattle. “We had better find a match in those names, Dave.”

  “I hear you, friend.”

  The conference room was quiet except for the sound of paper turning. It had been six days. Adam knew he had an ulcer forming. Every day that passed made the stress worse. They were down to the very last of the material.

  Dave had been silent during the drive into the district office this morning. Adam didn’t have to ask. By mid-afternoon, they would be facing the inevitable. The decision to move to Seattle.

  Dave had convinced Sara to stay at the ranch. She didn’t need to be here when the last page was turned and hope was gone. She hadn’t protested. Adam watched the hope begin to slip away over the last two days. She was retreating into silence rather than talking about it.

  Lunch had been brought in, but Adam’s sat beside him, untouched.

  There were still open names in the index file, people they had yet to find a picture for. There was still hope after this afternoon. But it grew more distant with each day. The agents were too efficient in finding ways to rule out people who were on that list.

  They would leave for Seattle first thing in the morning if they drew a blank today. Adam dreaded telling Sara that news. She would absorb the blow like she had every other one and set herself to deal with the move. She didn’t like the idea of his going along, but she had resigned herself to it.

  The search would start all over with an even broader mix of names. The wait would be open-ended again.

  Adam worked through the thick list of names of volunteers who had participated in the nine-day search. In nine days, with a large area to cover, there had been a lot of volunteers. He was one of many working through the list.

  The long drawer in front of him held old driver’s license applications with last names beginning with the letter K. He was looking through the list and eliminating those he could. Unfortunately, he was marking them off one right after the other. He had not even generated a faint possibility to hand off to another agent.

  He pulled out yet another card to match to a name. His hand stilled. “Dave.”

  His voice said it all.

  Dave came over from the other end of the table. Adam set down the driver’s license application next to the sketch Sara had made. Dave’s hand on his shoulder tightened.

  Dave started moving. “Ben, call the team in. Silent alarm. I don’t want anyone attracting attention getting here.

  “Susan, get this guy through the airline records. Tell me if we’ve got a match to Chicago. Travis, find out his current address—and do the computer search yourself, don’t ask someone in records. He’s going to have contacts. This guy signed the log as a sheriff’s deputy.”

  Adam looked again at the sketch and circled a name. Thomas Krane. He had taken part in the search.

  Adam handed Dave a cup of coffee. “Do you take him into custody tonight?”

  The guy had traveled to Chicago. They had a match to New York as well as two other locations where packages had been mailed. A team was keeping him under surveillance now.

  “It’s enough evidence for a search warrant but not enough to make the case. It’s the memory of a six-year-old child. Any good defense attorney would tear Sara to shreds with only the circumstantial evidence. We need more. We need the money. We need his partner to name him. Somewhere he’s got evidence from the crime scene he has been using to send in the packages. Ideally, we have to get all of it.”

  “The longer you wait, the more likely he’s going to realize he’s being watched.”

  “We won’t let him slip out of the net. The agents on the front line will prevent that; they know what’s at stake. Hopefully we will have a lead on the money in the next few hours.” He glanced at his watch. “Sara is going to be wondering. We should have been back to the ranch an hour ago. Let’s go tell her.” Dave smiled. “It feels good to be ahead of the curve for a change. Ben, call me as soon as the bank traces are complete.”

  The agent nodded.

  Adam reached for his jacket. The ride to the ranch was spent discussing possible options for how they might proceed.

  Adam realized to his surprise that he was seeing a different side to Dave. He was beginning to see his friend relax deep inside. Dave had been good at hiding the burden, but now that it was lifting, the difference was noticeable. Sara was likely going to be the same.

  Sara was stretched out on the couch reading a book, or had been. She was fast asleep.

  Dave sat down on the edge of the couch beside her and gently shook her shoulder. “Sara, you want to drift toward opening your eyes for a moment?”

  She yawned as she woke up. “Dave.” She didn’t look pleased to be awakened; she still looked too batte
red for that.

  “I’ve got some news for you.”

  She pushed herself up and ran her hands through her hair.

  “His name is Thomas Krane. He worked for the sheriff’s office over in Jefferson County. He’s retired now.”

  She blinked, her face not showing any emotion.

  Dave waited for the news to sink in. “Adam found the match. The sketch is incredibly accurate. His photo came up when we were going through the volunteers who helped with the search. He was volunteer eight-seven.”

  “He took part in the search,” Sara said in disbelief.

  “He took part in the search,” Dave confirmed. “He was assigned an area about fifty miles north of where you had been hidden.”

  “We’ve already confirmed he flew to Chicago, was there for two weeks. We’ve confirmed New York as well, and two other locations where packages were mailed. We should know about the money by morning.”

  “What happens now?” Adam was surprised at her calm. He had expected elation.

  “Now that we know his identity, we are quietly going to take apart his life. He’s under surveillance and will be until we take him into custody. Sara, I want to catch him sending another package. If his pattern holds, another one is due to be mailed next week. We’ll use the time to build up a profile on his movements. A week, ten days, and this will all be over. He’s going to jail for the rest of his life. I promise you that.”

  Adam saw the moment Sara’s composure broke. She leaned forward against her brother and the sobs began to fall. Adam reached over and laid a hand on her back. They were sobs of relief. A lifelong prison sentence had just been lifted. They let her cry until there were no more tears to shed.

  She finally rubbed away the last of the tears. She looked up at her brother. “I don’t want you there when they take him down.”

  Dave’s jaw tightened. “I have to be there, Sara; you know that.”

  “You want to be there. You don’t have to be.”

  Dave raked his hand through his hair. “I know why you’re worried. Yes, I want this guy at practically any cost. But I won’t put my team in danger to make it happen. It will be handled by the book.”

  “Can you promise that?”

  “I’ll do everything I can, but you know I can’t make promises. They don’t exist in our world.”

  Adam didn’t reply. He was too busy praying to the only One who could make—and carry out—every promise.

  Adam watched Sara pace the living room. She had not sat down in the last three hours.

  “Why isn’t he back yet?”

  “Dave said not to expect him until late this evening.” Adam couldn’t change the anxiety. Word came two hours ago that Thomas Krane had broken his pattern of travel and was apparently heading to a neighboring town. Dave left to join the team shadowing him. They had been slowly building the case over the last six days, tracking the money trail, his past travels, watching, waiting. Today might be the main event.

  She rubbed her arms as she paced. “Why hasn’t he called?”

  “He probably has nothing to report. This is a matter of patience, Sara. Let them do their job.”

  “He’s going to get hurt. I know it.”

  “Sara…” He stopped what he was going to say. There was no way to remove the fear. He was worried too. He crossed over to her side and pulled her into a hug. “Stop. Don’t panic. That won’t help anything. Let’s pray about it.”

  She turned into his hug. “I couldn’t stand it if something happened to Dave.”

  Adam understood that only too well. She had already lost a sister. She couldn’t handle something happening to Dave too. “He’ll be okay. You want to pray or should I?”

  “My brother.” Her hands wrapped around his as she took a steadying breath. “God, please keep Dave safe. Don’t let him do anything foolish. Don’t let him get hurt.”

  Her hands tightened. “This man, Thomas Krane, doesn’t deserve Your mercy, not with innocent blood on his hands, but keep him safe too. Bring him to face justice for what happened to Kim.

  “Help me to finally forgive him.”

  “Amen.” Adam said quietly when it was clear she had no more words. How did you forgive a murderer? It was a good principle until you were faced with living it. He wasn’t doing very well with that problem either.

  Sara stood quietly for a long time. She finally nodded and gave him a hug. “Dave will be hungry when he gets home. I’m going to go see what I can fix.”

  Adam kissed her forehead. “That’s my girl. Come on, I’ll keep you company.”

  They settled on fixing chili.

  He watched Sara focus on the task with intensity. The ground beef simmered in the skillet while she diced the onions. The onions made her cry, tears she brushed away with the back of her sleeve. After the chili was put together, Sara started looking through the cupboards. “I could fix cornbread to go with the chili.”

  Adam paused as he wiped off the stove. “That sounds good.” Anything to keep her occupied.

  She fixed the cornbread, then a chocolate cake, starting to search the cupboards again.

  “Sara, let’s go find something on television to watch.” She let him pull her away from making pudding.

  She settled on the couch and picked up the remote to flip through the channels. “There’s nothing on.”

  Adam settled beside her, grasping her hand. “News will be fine.” He doubted there would ever be a more stressful day in her life. She was struggling to wait it out, but she was handling it. Dave had been too focused after the call came in to realize Sara needed a few minutes with him before he left, just in case. Dave’s hug had been brief and then he was gone. Adam knew what was on the line today. He wanted Dave back here safe, unhurt, and with good news. Anything less was going to put unbearable pressure on Sara.

  The tension continued to build as the afternoon passed without word.

  Dave listened to the security radio as the cars handling the coverage of Thomas Krane passed responsibility back and forth. There were six cars involved. They were changing off so one car never remained in sight for long. Another four cars were on side roads, ready to intervene if necessary. This case had a lot of resources assigned, but all were carefully chosen. There would be no whisper to the local law enforcement that the FBI had a high-profile case coming to a conclusion.

  “Ben, take us to within two miles. Do we have someone at the post office in Mayfield?”

  “An agent is stationed in the sorting area. You really think this is the day?”

  “Yes, I do.” He keyed his radio to confirm his team was ready. His anticipation was high. After days of waiting, this felt like payday.

  Thomas Krane was driving a new blue pickup. Word came that he was pulling off the highway into town.

  He was parking at the post office.

  “Take us in, Ben.”

  Dave radioed Travis to keep Krane in sight so that he couldn’t slip out of the building another way. They couldn’t risk an arrest while he was surrounded by civilians. They would have to wait until he was back on the highway.

  “It’s a package to London. We’ve got the evidence.”

  The radio mike suddenly burst with a flurry of noise. “Dave, he saw me. He’s heading into the grocery store next door.”

  Elation tore down to dread. “Stay back, Travis. Don’t give him cause to grab someone.”

  Ben punched the gas. As they pulled into view, they saw Krane coming out of the west grocery store entrance, gun in hand, dragging a clerk with him. Ben stopped across the road, blocking traffic, as did the other cars joining them. Dave watched as the man crossed back toward his pickup truck. If he got in the truck with that hostage, odds were the clerk would be dead before this was over.

  Procedures said contain the situation and let a negotiator deal with it. Reality said the man was crazy. Sara would never forgive him if someone else got hurt.

  He didn’t have a choice. Dave picked up the radio. “Pull back and give hi
m the road. Let him go.” They would end up in a high-speed pursuit, possibly risk losing him, but a free corridor would give him one less reason to take the hostage along.

  They watched the truck start and begin to move. The clerk was shoved aside. Only Krane didn’t head toward the road, he hit the gas with the truck in gear and headed for the post office front window.

  Shattering glass rained down around the wreck. The truck had hit a steel column, preventing it from going right into the building. In the initial confusion it wasn’t clear if Krane had been inside the cab of the truck or had bailed before the collision.

  Agents surrounded the wreck, guns drawn.

  He wasn’t inside.

  “He’s on foot, heading west.” Travis’s frantic call came over the radio; from his voice it was obvious he was in pursuit.

  Dave started running. Krane might be crazy, but he knew what he was doing. The other highway. He could grab another vehicle and be gone. If he had time to accomplish it, it would work too.

  Dave spotted Travis ahead of him, and a block beyond him, Thomas Krane. The man chose a route through the city park. Agents were pouring into the area, sealing it off.

  The foot chase ended by the town fountain.

  One shot sent Travis diving for cover.

  Dave hit the ground behind a concrete flower planter an instant before a shot chipped a piece of the concrete away.

  Krane was cornered, if being mutually pinned down meant anything.

  They had to take this man alive. So many questions depended on it. “Give it up, Krane. There’s nowhere to go!”

  Another shot came right over the edge of the planter.

  It was hard to tell how many bullets Krane was carrying, but Dave suspected the last one would be used to ensure he didn’t get taken alive. Waiting for him to run out of bullets was a bad idea.

  Sara would also never let him hear the end of it if he got himself hurt. Dave tried to keep that in mind as he thought through options. He wanted this man.

  Sara would deal with it. She had Adam.

  He keyed his radio. “Travis, cover me.”