Guarded Secrets

by Leann Harris

  She hesitated.

  “I won’t take it far. I want to see if I recognize the phone. Maybe I can ID where the phone was purchased.” When she didn’t move, he added, “I won’t leave this room.”

  She handed him the phone. Studying the model, he recognized it as one available in most convenience stores in Albuquerque. He took down the serial number and gave the phone back to her.

  Then he met Dave in the hall.

  “Did the evidence team find anything that will tell us who this guy is? Anyone see anything?”

  Dave sighed. “Nothing so far. If this guy is a pro, we’re not going to find anything.”

  “You contacted the FBI?”

  “I’ve notified Scott. He’s coming.”

  Penny wasn’t only missing, but she was a kidnap victim, and although she probably hadn’t been taken out of the jurisdiction, it was smart to inform the Feds. Jon didn’t think the kidnapper would take the child to another state. He needed her to exchange for the flash drive. With cases like these, the Albuquerque PD normally kept Scott apprised of developments.

  Jon wanted to punch something to vent his frustration. “No one’s perfect. The guy had to leave behind something besides the phone.”

  Jon walked up and down the hallway. When he reached the end of the hallway the third time, he looked up and saw a small camera pointed at the pastor’s office. “We might have caught a break,” he told Dave as he walked back into Lilly’s office. “Where’s the video feed for the camera aimed at the pastor’s office?”

  Pastor Kent, Lilly and Joy looked at him.

  “It’s in my office,” Pastor Kent replied. He led everyone into his office. He logged onto the computer and brought up the security camera for the front hall.

  They watched the pastor’s door and saw Lilly cross into the pastor’s office. About a minute later, a shadow appeared in the hall and then vanished. Less than a minute later the shadow reappeared. This time the camera caught one side of a man’s face. They also saw Penny’s legs hanging over his arm.

  “Stop it,” Jon commanded. “Let’s make a copy of that and give it to our evidence team. We have at least a side shot of the man.”

  “What good is that?” Lilly asked, the kidnapper’s prepaid cell phone still clutched in her hand.

  “It gives us the height, weight, race of the man,” Dave explained.

  Lilly collapsed onto a chair in front of the pastor’s desk.

  Someone from the evidence team took the disk.

  Jon talked with the team at the scene. They were finished here. After consulting with Dave, Jon decided to go home with Lilly. Dave drove back to headquarters.

  Lilly was still sitting in the chair in the pastor’s office when Jon drew Lilly to her feet. “Let me take you home. We’ll wait for the kidnapper’s call.”

  She nodded and walked toward her office. Jon followed. Lilly got her purse from the desk drawer. She looked at the sofa in her office where Penny had slept. Her eyes caught sight of something on it. She walked over and moved aside one of the decorative pillows. Underneath was a ribbon. A blue hair ribbon.

  “She had that in her hair when she came in this morning.” Wrapping her hand around the ribbon, Lilly took a deep breath. “Maybe you should be the person who drives.”

  He nodded and held out his hand for her keys. Her hand shook as she surrendered the key ring, thankful Jon was here to help her.

  On the way to Lilly’s house, Jon stopped by the police station, hoping that one of the companies he’d contacted about the invoices on Penny’s photo frame had returned his call. He left Lilly with a cup of coffee in the break room, where she was talking with one of the female officers.

  He checked his voice mail; both companies had contacted him. He quickly dialed the iron company. The vice president told him that the invoice for rebar was related to an overpass constructed on State Highway 53 near the Zuni Reservation that Painted Desert Construction bought. The company had bid on the contract two years ago. The vice president gave him the state number of the contract and filled him in on the particulars.

  Jon called the other company. A concrete company. Their answers were a little less forthcoming. When Jon continued asking questions, the supervisor told him that he didn’t have all the paperwork.

  “Then get it,” Jon replied.

  “You misunderstood me, detective. There’s nothing else in this file on the project.”

  “Let me talk to someone who can answer my questions.”

  “Detective, I’m telling you the paperwork for that project is not in the folder. Maybe it was misplaced or misfiled, but it isn’t where it should be,” the supervisor asserted.

  “Who oversaw the project?”

  “I don’t know. It’s not here in the file, where it should be.”

  “Why don’t you let me talk to someone who can answer my questions?”

  “Just a minute,” snapped the supervisor.

  Jon’s neck itched. That meant something wasn’t right.

  “Detective, this is Boyd Masters. I am the head of contracts for our firm. What seems to be wrong?”

  “I need information, Mr. Masters. I need the name of the person who was in charge of delivering concrete ordered by Painted Desert Construction Associates to the construction company’s bridge work site off Highway 53, just south of Grants. Your assistant couldn’t tell me anything. I just need to check the paperwork on the concrete you delivered to that job site.”

  “Why do you need this?”

  “It is part of a murder investigation.”

  Masters became silent.

  “I can get a court order to see the contract, sir,” Jon barked.

  “I’ll have to speak with our lawyers. I’ll get back to you.” He hung up.

  Dave walked into the squad room. “What are you doing here?”

  Jon told him what he’d just discovered.

  “So maybe those copies of the invoices might be proof of what?”

  “I don’t know, but when I take Lilly home, I’ll call the state highway department and see what those invoices mean to them. Why don’t you see about getting warrants to look at those invoices?”

  Dave nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Scott showed up at the church. He is coming by and hopes to talk to Lilly.”

  “He wants to talk to her here?”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Jon went to the break room to tell Lilly. “The FBI is coming by to talk with you.”

  “What are they going to do?”

  “In kidnap situations we let the FBI know. They don’t get involved unless the victim is taken across state lines.”

  Her face lost all color.

  “Don’t lose hope, Lilly. Our guy wants what you have, and he isn’t going to gamble that by not having Penny close by. Calling Scott in is a good resource for us. He’s dealt with more kidnappers than I have.”

  She nodded. Jon guided her to his desk in the squad room and pointed to his chair. She sat in the chair, her eyes dark with worry. Keep a professional distance, his cop brain told him, but his newly reawakened heart didn’t listen. He pulled up a chair and grasped her hand.

  About fifteen minutes later, Scott Landers walked in the room. A little over six feet tall, he was a well-built man with massive shoulders and clear green eyes that could pierce like a laser. His brown hair was cut in a military fashion. Jon knew Scott had been in Army Intelligence before he joined the FBI.

  Scott introduced himself to Lilly and listened to her story.

  “So the kidnapper hasn’t called you back again?” Scott asked when she finished.

  “No,” she replied.

  He turned to Jon. “Do we know where the cell phone was purchased?”

  “We’re checking with the manufacturer. They’ve not gotten back to us.”

  Scott nodded. “Let me put some pressure on them and see if we can get that information ASAP.” He turned to Lilly. “At this point, I just want to familiarize myself with the case. We don’t
get involved until we know the victim has been taken across state lines. I’ll help these detectives.”

  She nodded.

  “I’ll check with my sources in the highway department and compare notes with them,” Jon told Scott and Dave.

  After Dave and Scott divided up the other areas to check, Jon looked at Lilly. She had that same clouded look that Roberta had had after they’d buried Rose.

  He knew he needed to get Lilly home.

  “Let’s go, Lilly.” Jon gently pulled her from the chair. He slid his arm around her waist.

  “When I come up with something, I’ll give your cell a call,” Scott told him.

  Jon nodded and guided Lilly to her car. As he drove to her house, he prayed. Lord, touch her heart. Don’t let her give up. You can heal her broken heart. Sustain her.

  And give me the wisdom to stop this evil.

  His mind ran over all the information he knew, trying to come up with the key.

  He knew that without his action, that little girl didn’t stand a chance of surviving.

  And this was an enemy he could fight, whereas the disease that killed his daughters he could do nothing to stop.

  When they arrived at Lilly’s house, Zoe was waiting for them. She took Lilly in her arms and walked her back to the master bedroom.

  Jon hit the off button on his cell phone. He’d just finished comparing the specs of the Highway 53 bridge contract between the state and the construction company and the actual materials listed on the concrete company’s invoice. They were not the same. There was also an invoice in the state’s files that did not resemble the one Peter Burkstrom had a copy of. Jon had e-mailed his source copies of the invoice.

  What he’d just figured out was explosive. He dialed a friend in the fraud unit of the police department. Jon explained to him what he’d uncovered.

  “What it sounds like is that Painted Desert Construction shorted the state on the materials for that bridge,” said his friend.

  Jon’s mind raced at the implications. “Which means the bridge may not be up to code.”

  “You got it. And it appears that the concrete wasn’t up to the specifications the state wanted. In other words, the state paid for X and got Y. And depending on the conditions the bridge is exposed to, it could tumble down. If one massive freeze or flooding occurs in that area, you’re minus one bridge.”

  It would be enough to kill for, Jon thought. “Thanks,” he said, hanging up.

  Excitement raced through him. He knew the key. Now who was in on the wrongdoing remained an unanswered question.

  “Lilly,” he called.

  He walked down the hall to her bedroom. She’d disappeared down the hall a while back. The room was dark and he could see from the light in the hallway that Lilly was lying on the bed, curled around the doll that was Penny’s favorite. She’d fallen asleep.

  “Thank you,” he whispered to Zoe. He also sent a thank-you to heaven.

  He walked back into the living room.

  Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed his partner. Dave needed to know what he’d discovered.

  Dave answered on the first ring.

  “I think I know what our killer is after.”

  THIRTEEN

  T he next morning, Jon told Lilly about the information he’d uncovered.

  “The construction company your ex-husband worked for did some funny business in its dealings with the state highway department. They cheated the state by building a bridge but with substandard materials. With the concrete used, the bridge will not stand up to the weather and is in danger of collapsing with a bad snowstorm or flood.”

  Lilly suddenly recalled something Peter had told her while he worked at his old job, before he’d gone back to church. “I remember one weekend when Pete came for Penny. When I answered the door, he was on the phone with someone. He told the man it wouldn’t last. The person on the other end said something. Pete told him it was his responsibility. When I asked him if everything was okay, he ignored the question and smiled at Penny, asking her if she was ready to go tubing.”

  “Do you have any idea who he was talking to?” Jon asked, pressing.

  “No. He never said anything more, but sometimes in an unguarded moment, I saw something in his eyes. Regret. Worry, I don’t know.”

  Jon looked down at his coffee. “I think you’re right that something was bothering him. He kept the proof of what materials were really used in the building of the bridges, because the invoice the state highway department has is different from the one Peter put on the flash drive.”

  “I wonder what happened to the original invoice?” Lilly asked.

  “What I want to see is the delivery order for the concrete. It will tell me who accepted the inferior materials.”

  Lilly stared into her coffee. Her fear for Penny’s safety seemed like a bulldozer running over her. Her hands shook as she tried to take a sip of her coffee. Jon put his coffee down and took the cup from her hands, setting it by his. Standing, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

  “I’m so afraid,” she whispered into his chest.

  He rested his chin on her head. “I know. When the doctors first told us about Wendy’s condition, I thought we could fight our way through. Those were two of the most terrible years of my life. If I’d known the Lord then, I could’ve let Him comfort me. And I could’ve comforted Roberta. I did it alone. I tried to drown those bad memories in liquor.”

  She looked up at him and saw the torture in his eyes.

  He glanced down at her. A poignant smile curved his lips. “It took a little warrior named Caren to set me straight. God has taken what I lived through and allowed me to help other families in that situation. You have His hope in you now, Lilly. Rely on it.” He leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

  She rested her head on his chest. Thinking about what he went through—the pain and sorrow—she realized his words about trusting God came from experience.

  Suddenly the prepaid cell phone from the kidnapper rang. Zoe appeared in the hallway.

  Lilly’s gaze flew to Jon’s. He nodded for her to pick it up.

  Her fingers shook as she grabbed the phone and pressed the talk button.

  “You have what I want?” said a male voice.

  Her gaze locked with Jon’s. “All I have is a flash drive with some invoices on it,” she said softly.

  “Good. I want you to go to the new city mall. You are to arrive at eleven forty-five. Go to the food court. There’s a table just inside the food court that is across the bridge and in front of Mama’s Tamales. Sit there and wait.”

  “But—” The line went dead.

  “What did he say?” Jon asked.

  She repeated the kidnapper’s instructions.

  Zoe rushed to her side.

  Instantly, Jon called Dave. “We’ve had contact. Notify hostage rescue. I’ll call Scott.” He hung up, then dialed another number.

  Lilly walked to the kitchen sink and emptied out her mug. She put her coffee in the sink. “Oh, Lord,” she choked out. “Give my baby strength and keep her safe.”

  She felt Jon’s hand on her back. Turning into his embrace, she wrapped her arms around his waist. “Amen,” he whispered. “Give her mother strength, too.”

  “Thank you,” she said.

  His forefinger raised her chin. “For what?”

  “For being here. For praying. For being a cop who’s going to help find my Penny.”

  He wiped away the moisture from her cheeks. “I wish there was more I could do.”

  “I know.” Over his shoulder, Lilly saw Zoe watching them.

  “But what I know is that you need to eat. Do it for Penny. You need to be able to think and have your body operate in the right way.” He stepped away and opened her cabinets. “How about I make us some scrambled eggs and you toast the English muffins?” He didn’t wait for a response but handed her the English muffins and went to work on making the eggs.

  He was right. S
he’d eat. For Penny.

  As he broke the eggs in to the pan, she glanced at his tall, imposing form. As he took a sip of his coffee, the morning sun outlined his stark features. He’d been a rock during this nightmare. What would she have done without him? His manner with Penny had won her heart. Was she falling in love? The thought only added to her confusion.

  Zoe sat beside her, grabbed her hand and smiled.

  Jon wasn’t happy with the plan. He wanted to be on hand in the food court when Lilly went in, but they couldn’t afford to deviate from the established plan. Zoe wasn’t happy, either, and wanted to accompany Lilly. That idea was nixed. He would use the surveillance cameras that the mall already had in place to monitor the situation. Several officers would be stationed around the food court.

  Jon sat before the bank of monitors in the mall’s control room.

  Dave entered the room. “We got a hit in AFIS.”

  “The FBI identified the prints?”

  “Our kidnapper is George Pardue, aka Snake. He’s out of Houston. He’s a known hit man and enforcer.” Dave held up a picture of Snake.

  Jon looked at the man. Their guy had the dead eyes of a soulless man. Seeing their suspect, Jon didn’t want Lilly anywhere near him. What worried him was what the suspect had done with Penny.

  “Keep your eyes peeled,” Jon whispered into his chin mic.

  The officers stationed around the food court each checked in.

  Dave sat down beside Jon. “Pardue did a stretch in the Texas prison system. He was a teen when he killed his first man. He was released when he turned eighteen. He disappeared from sight, and when he resurfaced, he was closely tied to some of the Colombian dealers. He’s been around the world. Russia, Poland, Afghanistan.”

  “So what you’re telling me is that the guy who hired Pardue has shelled out big money to cover up this bridge deal?”

  Dave sighed. “This could be the tip of an iceberg.”

  Jon didn’t like the numbers of people filing into the food court. “Where’s the guy?” He glanced down at his watch.