Abducted

by Janice Cantore

  “You did a good job, the best possible under the circumstances. Now, don’t strong-arm the doctor at occupational health. If he wants you to rest, rest, okay?”

  Fat chance. “It’s not so bad today. I don’t think I’ll have a problem.”

  “Well, maybe I’ll see you later. After therapy I’ll stop by the homicide office. I might be helping out on this, more than just working the tip line. Bye, Carly.” He pushed the door open for her, and she returned his smile before heading to her car.

  17

  THE DOCTOR AT OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH spent five minutes with Carly, checking her nose, eyes, and reflexes. Concentrating on the doctor’s words helped her keep from dwelling on Nick. He’d almost seemed normal today at church, and this changeling personality of his was maddening. What was he going to talk to Jonah about? Jonah used the word appointment—was Nick there for counseling? Why should it matter to me? She should leave it at that.

  The doctor patted her shoulder to get her attention, and she shoved thoughts of Nick away to concentrate on getting this doctor’s signature on her clearance letter.

  He spoke broken English and was difficult to understand, but he signed her release, and for Carly that was all that mattered. As she left OH, she felt rejuvenated. She could still be a part of the investigation, and now they had more information to work with. Most importantly, they had a named suspect. What happened the day before had injected new life into the search for A.J.

  Carly prayed that Mary Ellen was taking good care of Joe’s son. It didn’t escape her that Mary Ellen not only did not fit the FBI profile, but her motive for the kidnap wasn’t even in the ballpark. We don’t even know her true motive, just Harper’s speculation. Maybe if she saw that the police knew who she was, she’d give up and bring the baby back.

  The last stop on Carly’s to-do list before the station was the hospital. As she made her way to Christy’s room, she ran into Soto, the public information officer, on his way out. Carly knew he’d been tasked with developing a flyer, along with the job of keeping all the news agencies apprised of the investigation’s progress. Judging from the thick file folder he had under his arm, he must have the flyer, she decided.

  He studied her with raised eyebrows. “Should I ask?”

  “I wish you wouldn’t. You can use your imagination.”

  “Don’t say that to someone who writes press releases for a living.”

  Carly smiled and pointed to the folder under his arm.

  “I just ran them by Joe, and he approves.” He pulled a couple out and gave them to Carly. “Leave these wherever you think they’ll do the most good.”

  “Will do. Thanks.” Carly stepped onto the elevator while Soto headed for the hospital exit. The flyer had a picture of Mary Ellen Barber and an admonition that she was wanted for questioning in connection with the kidnapping. Carly knew they needed to be distributed, and normally the first place she’d drop something would be the church. But she didn’t know if she wanted to bring them there now, not when she remembered the stricken look on Jonah’s face.

  At Christy’s room, Carly tapped on the door, and Joe waved her in, motioning for her to be quiet. “Wow! What happened to you?” he exclaimed in a whisper.

  Taken aback because Nelson obviously hadn’t told him about her escapade the day before, she said, “I didn’t see the truck. And I do have some news for you. Why don’t we talk in the waiting area?”

  He nodded and stepped out of the room. Once seated in the sedate waiting area, Carly told him all about her day and how and why she had crashed. When she finished, he was quiet for a minute. The only thing she’d left out was Andrea. She wondered if Joe knew that Andrea was taking some heat for A.J.’s kidnapping.

  Finally Joe looked at her, eyes moist. “I knew there was more going on when Soto showed me the flyer. There’s a lot more information there. But my brain isn’t thinking clearly right now. You think this girl has my little boy, this runaway?”

  “Yeah.” Carly told Joe everything Harper had told her and about the connection to FBI surveillance.

  He blew out a breath, fists clenched. “Sell my baby for twenty-five thousand dollars? Do you think the FBI is jerking us around? Maybe the guy they’re watching is the buyer?”

  “No, I don’t think that. At first I was mad because they caused my crash, but I can’t believe they wouldn’t act if they knew who had A.J. or who made an offer like that for the baby.”

  He rubbed his face with both hands.

  “How’s Christy doing today?” Carly asked.

  “She woke up and she’s lucid. I can’t say she’s better, because as soon as she came around, I told her about A.J.” He stood, shoved his hands in his pockets, and looked away, and it broke Carly’s heart to see how hard it was for him to hold it together.

  “Did they ever figure out what was wrong in the first place?”

  He shook his head, then started to pace the waiting room. “They think it was a spider bite.”

  “A spider bite?”

  “That’s what the tests show she’s most allergic to.” His shoulders gave a tired shrug. “One of the doctors said her case will be a journal article. Frankly, I’m just glad she’s okay, that she’s getting better physically at least. I was so happy to see her open her eyes.”

  His voice was thick with emotion, and now Carly could feel her own tears forming.

  “It broke my heart to tell her about our son. . . .” He trailed off and closed his eyes. “I’ve hurt so much the last couple of days that now I’m numb. This girl who has my little boy . . . do you think he’s okay?” The last question was a whisper as tears rolled silently down Joe’s cheeks.

  Nodding, Carly stood next to him and took his hand in hers, unable to speak. Lord, please help us find this baby, and please keep him safe until we do was all she could pray, over and over.

  • • •

  “Good morning, Officer Raccoon.” Harris smiled at Carly from his desk. Leaning on the corner of his desk was Parker from vice. He returned Carly’s hello. “You’ve been cleared?” Harris asked.

  Carly waved the pink occupational health clearance before handing it to Sergeant Nelson. “Here’s the proof.”

  “Thanks.” Nelson took the form while Carly sat down next to Pete’s desk.

  “By the way, I just talked to Jonah Rawlings, Mary Ellen’s uncle and the only family member I could find in the paperwork. He hasn’t heard from her but will call if she contacts him.”

  “Good work,” Nelson said. “I was going to head over there. File a follow-up about your talk.”

  “Will do.” She wondered if Parker had something to do with the case, but she directed her question to Pete. “Any more information from the feds? Did Wiley get anything more out of Harper?” Carly asked, noticing that he looked like he’d slept in his clothes. He’d likely been working into the wee hours of the morning.

  “A little. Harper says he didn’t mention that he had keys belonging to his employer because they were still on his key ring—the key ring with his car keys, which were in the car and not on his person when you arrested him. He claims to be so worried about Mary Ellen, he can’t think straight.”

  “Did he say why they are so important to his employer?”

  “No, he didn’t. But even without that information, Wiley was a big help. You know, when the feds set up surveillance, they are meticulous and thorough; they want to be certain they do things by the book and collect enough evidence to support a conviction. That’s why they’re so territorial. Wiley got a little bit out of the ASAC about the nature of the investigation, that it has something to do with smuggling, but there’s no reason to believe A.J.’s kidnapping is in any way related.”

  Nelson shrugged. “They did reassure us they are watching Grant’s employer.”

  “Gee, that makes me feel better.” Carly clicked her teeth and sat back in the chair. “But I think I can put two and two together.” She looked at Harris. “Did you get my message about Caswell and Spe
rry?”

  Harris smiled and glanced at Nelson, who seemed to struggle to hide a grin. “You think their target is Sperry?”

  Carly gave an exaggerated nod. “Yeah, and so do you guys. I always thought that guy was slimy. I think he wanted to be a reserve so he would learn how cops work in order to fool them.”

  Sperry’s poster child status for the reserve officer corps had ended when Sperry’s teenage son was arrested as one of the suspects in a brutal gang rape. Sperry was caught in reserve uniform trying to access and alter evidence in the case.

  “Uh-huh.” Harris gestured toward Parker. “That’s why we let this grungy-looking guy in the office. He was part of the team that investigated Sperry when he got into trouble here in Las Playas.”

  Parker snorted. But he was grungy. His wispy blond hair was longer than Carly’s, hitting almost between his shoulder blades. His beat-up tennis shoes were filthy, and his jeans and T-shirt were holey. Undercover vice.

  “I’m a working stiff just like you guys,” Parker said. “And I know Harper; he used to be a snitch of mine. He couldn’t help me with that case back then, but I happen to know he does work for Conrad Sperry from time to time. He also likes to gamble at a card club over on the west side. It doesn’t surprise me that he racked up big debts.”

  “Would he mastermind the theft of a baby on his own?” Carly asked.

  Parker hiked a shoulder. “He’s not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but he’s an opportunist. If he thought he could get away with something like that and it would make him money, he’d go for it. But someone would have to put the idea in his head.”

  “Is it possible the people he owes put it in his head, and he was misdirecting us by implicating his employer?”

  “That’s too complicated a plot for him. But just to be sure, early this morning, vice raided the card club and talked to the manager who holds Harper’s tab. When he found out we were asking about the kidnapping, he was happy to talk to us. He admitted sending some guys to rough up the girl, but he swears he never told Harper to snatch anyone. I believe him. That kind of crime is way over his head. But he could have Harper hurt in county jail if he wanted to.”

  “That leaves us with Sperry wanting the baby,” Carly said.

  “Why would Sperry want a baby?” Harris asked. Parker gave Carly an inquiring look.

  “It just wouldn’t surprise me that he’d set up the sale of a baby. I never understood why so many people thought Sperry was a noble soul. He struck me as the worst kind of used-car salesman.” Carly saw the coffeepot was full and poured herself a cup. “According to Trejo, Caswell got him acquitted.”

  Parker nodded. “Yeah, coincidence that—Sperry being Caswell’s star client. Actually, Caswell worked a deal. The city had Sperry cold for tampering with evidence, but Sperry filed a countersuit alleging harassment. City attorneys wanted it all to go away, and they came to an agreement. Conrad quit the reserves and dropped the suit, so no harm, no foul. But while Caswell saved Daddy, the kid went down for rape. He’s still in prison.”

  “I remember, but I thought Sperry left Las Playas after that.”

  “He did. Sold most of his businesses here—a couple of car washes and some commercial property—and moved to Temecula, I think. But he still owns some property here. The building Harper told you he and Mary Ellen live in is Sperry’s.”

  “That’s interesting.” Carly sipped her coffee. “The feds say Mary Ellen wasn’t even on their radar. Maybe it’s possible that Mary Ellen is not involved with Sperry and the search was only related to Harper.”

  Parker cocked his head. “I didn’t even know Harper had a girlfriend. If the feds don’t know anything about her, I doubt she works for Sperry.”

  “But Sperry being the subject of the federal investigation is a no-brainer,” Pete said. “He went right rudder after his kid went down. He’s had a lot more legal trouble since he left. I live in Temecula, and he’s in the paper every other week for something or other. He still owns a lot of commercial property in Riverside County. I think high-dollar real estate is how he makes his money now. Caswell covers him like a blanket.”

  “Word on the street is that Sperry always flirted with the dark side. It was a pretense that he was solid gold when he was a reserve. But after his kid’s arrest, he seems to have dropped all the masks. He’s working on becoming a crime lord,” Parker said. “He really nurses a grudge over his son being arrested. He thinks the whole case was trumped up by people jealous of the kid because his dad was wealthy.”

  “Wait,” Pete said. “His moron son taped the whole crime.”

  “Don’t confuse him with facts. Anyway, ever since then, he tells people how much he hates cops, thinks they’re all stupid. He’s thought to be involved in smuggling drugs and people up here from Mexico, but other than rumors about him loan-sharking in Las Playas—” the vice cop held his hands out, palms up—“we’ve got nada solid on the guy in our jurisdiction.”

  Carly blew out a breath. “At least we have a picture and a name for the baby snatcher. She won’t be able to hide. But I admit, I don’t get how taking a baby fits in with all this. And for only twenty-five thousand dollars?”

  “I talked to Harper, hoped maybe he’d give me some more info since he used to be a snitch, but he didn’t say anything different to me than he said to you,” Parker said. “He’s convinced Mary Ellen took the baby to sell it, but I agree with you. Twenty-five K for such a risk would be chump change to Sperry or Caswell.”

  Pete leaned back and rubbed his stubbled chin. “Something else is working here. We have to find out what it is. Mary Ellen is our best lead. We’ve got a warrant in the system and a BOLO has been broadcast all over Southern California.”

  “Is Harper still here?” Carly asked.

  “Yeah, we arraigned him and then made arrangements for him to stay here rather than be sent to county. We couldn’t get a no-bail hold on him, and the arraignment judge thought the million-dollar tab set by bail deviation was excessive, but I doubt anyone will post the lower hundred-thousand-dollar tab. Just in case, I asked the jail to notify us if anyone does post bail.”

  “Do you mind if I go talk to him again?”

  Pete shrugged. “No, why?”

  “I want to clarify the issue of the keys. Why they’re so important to Sperry and what they open. Thanks for your help, Parker.”

  “No problem.” He gestured with a chin-up motion to Nelson. “If you need grungy for anything, you know who to call.”

  Carly smiled as Parker left and Nelson rolled his eyes. She left her gun with Pete and took the elevator up to the jail, fielding questions about her black eyes from everyone she passed.

  “Hey, Johnston,” she greeted the jail supervisor on duty. “Can you bring Harper to an interview room for me?”

  “Harper?” Johnston scrunched his brows in confusion.

  “Yeah. Stanley Harper, the burglar? He was supposed to be in isolation.”

  Johnston pulled his status clipboard and flipped through some papers. “Here he is.” He pulled a paper off the board and handed it to Carly. “Someone posted bail half an hour ago.”

  “Bailed out? By who?”

  “You have to ask the front desk,” Johnston said to Carly’s back—she was busy pounding the elevator call button.

  18

  “GARY!” CARLY JOGGED, breathless, into the business desk area. “Who posted bail for Stanley Harper?”

  Gary looked up from the report he was filing. “Hey, I’m glad to see you. Wow, nice eye makeup. I wanted to tell you Harper got out, and it wasn’t that jerk from the other day.” He got up from his chair and walked over to the bail log. “It was Ace Bail Bonds.” He showed Carly the log. “I asked him if the money came from that attorney and he wouldn’t say. He left the bond and told me to send Harper to his office; a ride would be waiting there for him.”

  “Thanks. Is that the place over on Elm?”

  “Yep. It just happened; I doubt he’s walked all the way to t
he bond office yet.”

  Carly left the business desk and took the stairs back to homicide. “Sergeant Nelson, someone bailed Harper. He’s gone.”

  Nelson stood. “What? Who?”

  Carly explained what she knew, and the sergeant muttered a curse before picking up the phone.

  Carly jogged back to Pete’s desk and gathered her gun belt.

  “The jail was supposed to notify us if anyone showed interest in bailing him out.” Pete shook his head in disgust. “How long ago did he leave?”

  “About thirty minutes, I guess,” Carly said as she hooked her gun belt on. She and Pete turned in surprise as Nelson read the jail the riot act and then slammed down the phone.

  He looked at Carly. “They say there was no communication at shift change, so they didn’t know they were supposed to tell us. Carly, go see if you can find him—or at least find out if it was Caswell who posted the money for the bond.”

  “On my way.” Carly took the stairs down and almost ran into Nick at the back door.

  “Whoa, where’s the fire?” He smiled warmly, and like always, her heart did a flip-flop. “I guess OH cleared you,” he observed before Carly could collect herself and say hello.

  “Yeah, they said I’m fine.”

  “Good. What do you have going?”

  “Someone bailed Harper out. I’m going to try and find him.”

  “The guy who sent you over to the west side yesterday? Want some company?”

  Carly knew her face registered surprise. “Are you cleared to work the field?”

  “I’m cleared to assist in this investigation. I won’t slow you down.” He jerked away from her and scanned the lot, shoulders stiff while he leaned on his cane. Carly rolled her eyes behind his back and slapped her thigh with her palm. What did I say?

  “I didn’t mean it that way.” She stepped even with him. “You’re wearing plainclothes. I just . . . well, I thought they wanted you to stay at a desk.”