Owens started visibly, then placed his feet on the floor, stood and walked into the living room where they were. “Yes?”
“I’m going into town. Be sure to keep an eye on Ms. Yates while I’m gone.” Ace arrowed a look toward Lexi. She had leaned back against the cushions and could barely keep her eyes open. The past few days’ events, topped with her crying jag a few moments ago, had taken their toll.
“Will do.” Deputy Owens nodded eagerly. Ace didn’t care for the gleam suddenly lighting the other man’s dark eyes as he looked at Lexi appreciatively. Either he was happy to finally have something to do besides read a book or else he had a small crush on her. Neither scenario pleased Ace.
“Call me if you need me.” Ace glanced at his watch. Nine forty-two. “Sheriff Dawson should be back here to give an update on the volunteer search before eleven o’clock. I’ll probably be back by then too.” He slanted a glance at Owens. “Under no circumstances should she be out of your sight.”
Deputy Owens dipped his chin. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure she’s exactly where she should be.”
* * *
Ace dropped the evidence bag on the front desk at the Gator Bayou Police Station. “The perp in the Anna Yates case left us a present. I need forensics to check it ASAP.”
“Sure thing.” The deputy in charge stood and picked up the plastic bag. “I’ll have a rush put on it.” He hesitated. “It’ll still take a while though. We don’t have the latest technology in our little town. Of course, we’ll run any prints we find through CODIS to see if we can get a hit.”
“Let me know the minute you find anything conclusive. You can reach me on my cell.”
“Absolutely.”
Ace had just reached the station door when the deputy called him back. “Wait up! I think this is for you. Something’s being faxed over from the Feds in Ohio.” The deputy frowned. “Looks like it’s from Shady Grove Care Facility.”
He held up the fax with an enlarged driver’s license printed on it. Ace stared. The picture on the license was horribly familiar.
“Oh, dear Lord! No!” Ace felt the wind leave his lungs as fear gripped his spine.
* * *
“Time to rise and shine, princess,” a raspy voice whispered in Lexi’s ear.
Groggily, Lexi struggled to sit up on the couch. She opened her eyes, but she couldn’t see anything. Panic seized her.
She jerked her head toward the voice. Something soft fluttered against her cheek. Material? Was she blind-folded? Lexi reached for it as terror rushed through her.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” the voice hissed. Hands grabbed her by the wrists and jerked them behind her back. Pain shot through her shoulders from the excessive force. Lexi winced. She felt something wrap then tighten around her wrists. Rope?
Something cold and hard was shoved against her temple. “On your feet. We’re going for a little drive.”
Lexi swallowed the fear lodging in her throat. This lunatic had a gun.
Where was Ace? Wasn’t he back yet? What about Deputy Owens? Had her captor overpowered him too?
“Who are you? Why are you doing this?”
Silence. Then, “I said move!” Hands grabbed her forearm and jerked her to her feet. A non-gentle shove to her back propelled her across the floor. “Now!”
Lexi stumbled on the carpet then caught her balance. “Deputy Owens! Help me!”
A deep, humorless laugh peppered the air. “Save your breath, princess. There’s nobody here to help you. Not even your FBI boyfriend.”
Boyfriend? Why did this lunatic think Ace was her boyfriend? Had he seen them together and picked up on the attraction?
Another wave of nausea surged upward. Had he been watching her? Spying?
Lexi shivered as she felt herself being guided none-too-gently across the floor. She heard him open the front door. Warm sunshine bathed her arms and face as she was shoved out the door. Where was the cop who was supposed to be guarding her? Was he hurt? Or … Lexi gulped … dead?
She heard a car door open. Another forceful push landed her face first onto the velour upholstery. The door slammed shut finalizing her predicament. Within seconds, she felt the car back out and tears pricked the backs of her eyes. She blinked them away. She had to stay strong if she wanted to get out of this alive.
She could feel the panic attack coming on. Her head throbbed, nausea swirled in her stomach and her body broke out in a cold, clammy sweat despite the sun beating down on her through the windows. She gulped for air. Her breaths came in short, shallow bursts as if struggling to find even the smallest trace of oxygen. Within seconds, darkness enveloped her.
Lord, please help me!
* * *
“She’s not here!” Ace slammed his fist on the table in Lexi’s den. How could he have missed this? “I shouldn’t have left her with him.”
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, Valdez.” Zach shot his partner a sympathetic look. “There’s no way anyone could have known the warden from Shady Grove was Deputy Rob Owens.”
Anger surged through Ace as he paced the floor. “How could this creep get a job at the police department? Don’t they do background checks in this little town?”
“I’m sure they did a check. His record must have been clean.”
“Let me see that fax.”
Zach handed him the paper and Ace sat down in front of the laptop on the table, scanned the picture on the driver’s license to his computer and started a search. They must have missed something. No way did this madman have a clean record.
The system rapidly searched for files. Numbers and letters flashed across the screen at lightning speed, mingling together at an unreadable pace. Several minutes later the computer beeped indicating a match. A picture appeared on the screen. Ace jerked his head up.
“We have a problem. The man who has Lexi is not Rob Owens. His name is Andrew Faulkner and he has a rap sheet a mile long. Including the murder of a police officer in Annapolis, Maryland.”
“What officer?”
“Deputy Rob Owens. Twenty-three-years old and a member of the Annapolis Police Department.”
“Identity theft?”
“Looks that way.” Ace pulled a caramel from his jacket pocket. If he was going to slip up and start smoking again, this would be the day. It would take everything he had and then some to hold it together. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. Where had this madman taken her?
Ace’s cell phone shrilled. He jerked it out of his pocket praying Lexi was on the other end. “Valdez.”
“CODIS got a hit on the partial print.” Sheriff Dawson’s voice sounded strained.
“Let me guess. Andrew Faulkner.”
“How did you know?”
“The boys in Ohio just sent over a fax with his picture on it. Andrew Faulkner is the warden from Shady Grove Care Facility.” Ace paused. “There’s more. The deputy you just hired is not Rob Owens. He’s Faulkner and he has a record. Looks like your rookie is an impersonator. I’m sending the information to you now. Get a warrant and have someone search his house. We’re going to search for Lexi.”
Sheriff Dawson’s gasp and a few choice words could be heard over the line. “Did he take the patrol car?”
“Yes.”
“I’m checking the GPS on it now.” A beat, then, “Got it. It seems to be stopped on Maple Drive. I’ll send a unit to check it out while I get the warrant for his house.”
Ace hung up and called for his partner. “They’ve located the patrol car. Let’s go!”
Ace’s gut spasmed. Now there were two kidnappings in the small Louisiana town and he didn’t have a clue how to find either one of the victims.
And this madman has already killed one person.
A chill skirted over him at the thought.
He balled his fist. A strong desire to protect Lexi and her child surged through him. He sure wasn’t about to let Faulkner make it three murders. Not if he had anything to do with it.
A
ce bowed his head. Lord, please give us the wisdom to find this man before he does something to Lexi or Anna. Please keep them safe until we locate them. And please give me the strength to deal with him as You see fit.
* * *
Pain splintered through Lexi’s neck as her head was jerked upward, the blindfold ripped away. She blinked as her eyes adjusted to the dimly lit room. Only a few tiny rays of sunlight filtered through the wooden slats of the walls. Where was she? In some type of shed?
“I’m so glad you joined us, dear sister.”
Lexi blinked again as the woman’s face came into focus, then she inhaled sharply at the mirror image staring down at her. “Laura?”
“So you do know who I am,” Laura sneered. “Good. That will make this so much better.”
Lexi struggled to stand up. She couldn’t get her balance since her arms were still tied behind her back, and she teetered for a second.
Two strong hands shoved her back to the concrete floor. Her arm scraped against the wooden wall behind her. Lexi winced at the sting.
“Stay down!”
Lexi started at the man’s sharp tone. “Deputy Owens?” Oh, dear Lord. Was he in on this too?
“Shut up!” Laura screamed. “I’ll do the talking.” Even in the dimly lit room, Lexi could see the wild look in her sister’s eyes. “I’m going to make you pay for what you did to me. Make you suffer like I’ve suffered.”
“I don’t understand.” What was she talking about?
“This!” Laura lifted the leg of her jogging pants revealing thick scars and disfigured skin. “And this!” She lifted the hem of her t-shirt. More scars on her stomach.
Fear surged to Lexi’s throat. “Laura, I didn’t do that to you. There was a fire. It was an accident.”
“You did this to me! You!” Laura screamed again pacing the floor. “You were the one playing with the cigarette lighter that night. You were the one who caught the curtains on fire. But the firemen rescued you first and left me to die.” A shrill laugh filled the air as she whirled back toward Lexi. “When I didn’t die, they locked me away like an old discarded shoe while you went to live like a princess with the Carlisles.”
Lexi grappled with the thought. Was it true? Did she start the fire? She closed her eyes to try to remember. Nothing. She was too little at the time to remember what really happened. They had practically been babies themselves.
“It’s true.” Deputy Owens said flatly. “I read the file. You were the one that always played with the lighters. A neighbor testified to that. You lit the living room curtain on fire then ran to your room to hide. No one knew it until it was too late. It’s all your fault. You killed your parents and nearly killed your sister.”
“Now it’s your turn to pay!” Laura spat harshly. “I’m going to take everything from you like you took everything from me. You’re—”
“Where’s Anna?” Lexi choked on a sob as the horror of her sister’s words penetrated. “What have you done to my baby?”
* * *
As expected, the patrol car was empty. A thorough sweep of the surrounding neighborhoods turned up nothing. Deputy Owens – or rather Andrew Faulkner – had disappeared.
With Lexi.
Disappointment washed over Ace. He’d hoped they would find something to lead them to Lexi. Where could the madman have taken her?
“The officers found materials to make fake fingerprints at the deputy’s house. His hard drive had copies of Rob Owens’ prints as well. That must be how he got past the background check.” Sheriff Dawson walked away from his squad car with the news.
“More than likely,” Ace agreed. “Most fake prints are undetectable nowadays, unless you’re specifically checking for their validity. He could have slipped on the fake print without you detecting it when he was fingerprinted.” Ace shook his head. The man had been slick. He’d give him that.
“They also found extensive research on Lexi and the Carlisles. Faulkner has been watching them for the past year.”
Anger arrowed through Ace. The murderer had been stalking them. Obviously he was dangerous, and now Faulkner had the woman he…
Ace froze. The woman he … loved?
The realization hit him like a detonated bomb. He knew he’d started caring for her somewhere along the way, but love? Could he really love a woman he’d known for such a short period of time?
It didn’t seem possible, but…
He must, because the thought of losing her shredded his insides. He’d spent his whole life making sure he never fell for a woman like his father had fallen for his mother. Yet, somehow he’d done just that. Now, she was missing and he might never see her again. Much less be able to show her how much she meant to him.
Ace clenched his fist. With the patrol car abandoned and Faulkner nowhere to be seen, how would they find them now?
Then it hit him. Lexi’s phone. Maybe she still had it in her pocket.
Hope flared in his heart. He turned to Zach. “We need to get a triangulation on Lexi’s cell phone.”
“Do you know her provider?”
“No. It should be in her file.”
“I’m on it.” Zach went to the back of his SUV to use the equipment while Ace bowed his head to pray.
Lord, please let her still be carrying her cell phone and let it be on so we can track her location. And please keep them safe until we can find them.
“I’ve got it!” Zach yelled from the SUV, holding up a map. “Let’s go!”
CHAPTER TWELVE
“Where’s my daughter?” Lexi repeated frantically, scanning the interior of the large wooden shed. She could make out only a few items in the dim room. An old tool box on a table in the back. A can of gasoline near the door. A small, fold-away cot in the far right corner.
Lexi squinted, then her heart stilled as she caught sight of a small form lying on the cot. Oh God! Anna!
“Anna!” Lexi tried to scoot across the floor toward her daughter. “Anna!” She broke on a sob. “It’s Mama! I’m here, baby. I’m here!”
A muffled cry answered. “Mama?”
“That’s right, baby. I’m coming.”
“Not so fast, princess!” Deputy Owens hissed, placing his foot in front of her.
“Why are you doing this?” Lexi gritted her teeth. “Why are you helping her?”
“Because he loves me!” Laura leaned over, her face only inches from Lexi’s, bitterness clouding her blue eyes. “Do you think you’re the only one who deserves a family?”
“No. Of course not, but–”
“We’re going to be one big happy family – Andrew, Anna and me. I’m sure in time Anna will think of me as her mother.”
“Mama?” The small form on the other side of the room moved again.
“Come here, Anna. Come to Mama!”
“Stay where you are, Anna,” Deputy Owens barked. “Don’t move or I’ll hurt your mommy. You don’t want to see your mommy get hurt do you?”
“N–no.”
“Good girl. Stay right there and be quiet.”
“You better listen to your daddy, girl. Andrew means what he says,” Laura chimed in.
Lexi struggled to understand. “Who’s Andrew?” Had Laura gone completely over the deep end? Stupid question. Of course, she had. Or she wouldn’t have kidnapped Anna. And she wouldn’t be telling Anna that Deputy Owens was her daddy.
“He was a crazy son-of-a-gun at the Shady Grove Care Facility in Ohio,” Owens sneered “Now he’s a nice, respectable deputy for the Gator Bayou Police Department. But not for long. First, though, we gotta tie up all the loose ends here. Get rid of you and the Carlisles.”
“This is all about revenge?” Nausea bubbled in Lexi’s stomach. Could these two really believe a three-year-old child had tried to kill her sister?
“I prefer to think of it as getting even,” Laura stated smoothly. “Or better yet, getting what I deserve.”
“Why, Laura? You can’t possibly think I would have hurt you on purpose?” Lexi
slanted a look toward the mirror image of herself, and even with the imminent danger she was in now, sadness swept over her for the sister she had never known. What would it have been like growing up with a twin?
“Doesn’t matter. It’s my turn now! My turn to have a chance at a real life. A real family. Just like you had with Carl.” Laura’s mirthless laughter filled the air.
“You knew about Carl?” Lexi twisted the ends of the rope between her fingers, hoping to find a way to loosen the knot. She couldn’t.
“Of course. I – we–” Laura tilted her head sideways toward Andrew, “–did our homework. I knew all about your situation in Dallas. Perfect husband. Perfect daughter. Perfect life. I had to end that, though. You didn’t deserve it.”
A chill settled over Lexi. “What do you mean?”
“I killed your delightful husband…” Laura paused at Lexi’s gasp. “Yes, it was me who ran him off the road. Ingenious, don’t you think? The police ruled it an accident and no one was the wiser.”
“He was a good man, Laura. He didn’t deserve that. He would have helped you if you’d asked.”
Rage darkened the other woman’s eyes. “Help me? No one has ever tried to help me. No one except Andrew.”
Lexi shook her head sadly. “Carl would have. He didn’t do anything to you, and Anna didn’t deserve to lose her father like that.” Lord, please don’t let Anna understand what we’re saying. She doesn’t need to know her father was murdered.
“And you think I deserved this?” Laura’s voice rose as she jerked up the hem of her shirt once more revealing the scarred flesh beneath. “We don’t always get what we deserve, dear sister. But this time you’re about to.”
Lexi forced herself to remain calm, even though on the inside she felt ready to explode. “It doesn’t have to be this way. We’re sisters. Doesn’t that mean anything to you? We can start over. Be our own family.”
“You quit being my sister the day you left me in that room to die.”
“I was three, Laura. What could I do? I tried to tell them you were in there. That’s why the fireman went back into the house.”
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