by Laura Scott
“Can we take a look at your security cameras?” Dev asked.
“Sure.” Gretchen led the way over to her office. She brought up the camera feed and went in reverse to find the guy who’d brought the ring in.
He wore a baseball hat pulled over his hair, and a scruffy beard covered the lower portion of his face. Dev sighed. “Not very useful, but will you save it on a disk?”
“Of course.” Gretchen shrugged. “Sorry I couldn’t be much help.”
“You were a huge help,” Janelle said, fingering the ring. “Thanks again, for everything.”
Devon placed his hand in the small of her back as they headed out to the truck. “So what do you think? Do we have time to stop for dinner? That way, you can do the exchange right when you get home.”
“Sounds good,” Janelle agreed. “Right Sebastian?”
“Right,” the child echoed.
Devon drove toward a family style restaurant, rather than a fast food place, knowing it would be easier to find something lower in salt for Sebastian.
When their food arrived, Janelle folded her hands together and bowed her head. “Thank You, Lord, for providing this food for us and for bringing my sister’s ring home. We ask that You continue to keep Sebastian healthy as we follow Your chosen path, Amen.”
“Amen,” he murmured. When Dev lifted his head, he caught Janelle’s gaze and smiled. Praying with her didn’t feel awkward or forced. Instead, it felt right.
For the first time, he realized that leaving Janelle and Sebastian behind just to work on some big city police force wouldn’t be as easy as he’d once thought.
He didn’t want to leave her at all.
Janelle was relieved they’d made it back home in time to do Sebastian’s exchange. Devon hung around for a while, but once Sebastian was tucked into bed, he made his way to the front door. She reluctantly followed him.
“Thanks again, Dev.”
He stared down at her for a long minute, and she held her breath, hoping he might kiss her again.
But he didn’t. “I’m glad you were able to get your sister’s ring back,” he said in a low, husky tone.
“Me, too. It was nice of Gretchen to just give it to me.”
He nodded and rubbed the back of his neck. “Take care, Janelle. Let me know if you need anything.”
She curled her fingers into fists to prevent herself from reaching out to him. Obviously, Devon considered their brief kiss a colossal mistake. She forced a smile, trying not to think about how lonely it would be to not have him around. “I will.”
He turned away and strode to his car. She watched, waiting for him to turn back. But he slid behind the wheel and backed out of the driveway.
She stepped back inside and closed the door, feeling bereft, even though she knew she had no reason to. Despite how she’d responded to his kiss, it wasn’t as if they were dating.
Devon was likely still mourning his fiancée.
And she had a young boy to care for.
Janelle didn’t sleep well that night, tossing and turning, imagining that the silver car was parked once again outside her house. Crazy, since she hadn’t seen the vehicle in well over twenty-four hours.
The next morning, she performed Sebastian’s exchange, then cleaned up the house in preparation for Alice’s visit. Janelle didn’t know Alice, but when the woman arrived, just after noon, the woman wasn’t anything like what she’d imagined.
Alice had a rotund frame and wasn’t smiling, in fact she seemed to have a permanent frown etched on her forehead. Her gray hair was pulled back into a harsh bun, and she moved slowly when Janelle opened the door to let her in.
“Sebastian,” Janelle called, trying her best to ignore her misgivings. “Ms. Alice is here.”
Sebastian glanced over and then scowled when he saw the retired nurse standing there. “Don’t wanna do my exchange,” he said, turning his attention back to his game.
Janelle forced a bright smile. “Come on, Sebastian, we need to show Mrs. Alice how to do this.”
She feared he’d throw a tantrum, but he tossed aside the controller. “Okay, let’s get this over with,” he said in a resigned tone.
Janelle was glad to see that Alice at least appeared to be paying attention as she walked through the steps. The woman didn’t say much, but after they finished, she reached for her purse.
“What time tomorrow?” she asked in an abrupt tone.
“I have to be at work by seven, so if you could get here by six-thirty that would be great.”
“Okay, fine. I’ll see you then.” Alice clomped her way back toward the door.
Janelle told herself not to panic at her abrupt departure, after all, the woman was a nurse. Surely she’d do fine.
“Where’s Dev?” Sebastian asked a few minutes later. “I don’t like her, I want Dev.”
Oh boy, this was exactly what she was afraid of. Sebastian had already grown too attached to Devon Armbruster.
And if she were honest, she’d admit she’d grown attached to him, too.
“He’s working as a police officer,” she reminded Sebastian. “Mrs. Alice is going to be your babysitter from now on.”
Sebastian’s face crumpled. “No! Don’t want Mrs. Alice! She smells funny!”
Since the scent of mothballs had clung to Alice’s badly wrinkled clothes, she couldn’t exactly argue with him. “I’m sorry, Sebastian, but Devon has to work.”
He thrust out his lower lip. “Then you stay home with me.”
A wave of guilt hit her hard. “I can’t, I have to work, too.”
“NOOOO!” Sebastian screeched in a voice loud enough to shatter ear drums.
“Stop it,” she shouted in a sharp tone. “That’s enough. Go to your room.”
He scrambled off the sofa, tears rolling down his chubby cheeks and ran into his bedroom, slamming the door loudly behind him.
Janelle collapsed on the edge of a kitchen chair, burying her face in her hands. She probably could have handled that better. Thankfully, no one was renting the townhouse next door. She could only hope that no one else had heard the shouting match, the last thing she needed was an unexpected visit from child protective services.
The worst part of it all, was that she couldn’t even blame Sebastian for not liking Alice. Truthfully, she hadn’t been overly thrilled with the woman’s demeanor, either. She’d seemed so nice over the phone, but in person, ugh. But what could she do? The rent was due in just three weeks, and she’d be lucky if her paycheck covered the amount.
The urge to call and cry on Devon’s shoulder was strong, but somehow she managed to hold back. He didn’t need to listen to her sob story when he was busy getting ready for his shift. Besides, there really wasn’t anything he could do.
No, this was one mess she had to deal with alone.
Sebastian’s wails grew louder to the point she covered her ears. Then she abruptly pushed away from the kitchen table and let herself out through the patio doors.
The lake was calm just a few boats dotted the water. The sun was out, but it wasn’t quite warm enough to swim or ski.
She walked until she couldn’t hear Sebastian’s crying anymore, stopping at the edge of the lake, in front of the white pier. She drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, seeking peace.
Lots of kids had temper tantrums, this wasn’t Sebastian’s first, nor would it likely be his last. She closed her eyes and prayed that the Lord would continue to provide strength and wisdom.
Maybe she needed to keep searching for another babysitter for Sebastian. Obviously she had to work tomorrow, so she’d need to use Alice for that, but then she had another three days off to work on a replacement.
Someone other than Devon.
Although she’d already gone through her entire list, and she still hadn’t heard back from Tina, the teenager who’d finished her nursing assistant training, either. She’d had high hopes for Tina, since she could only assume Sebastian would like having a younger woman watching over h
im.
She sat down on the grass and wrapped her arms around her knees. She’d give Sebastian some time to calm down, and then she’d offer to take him to the park. This was nothing more than a minor setback.
They’d get through this. They had to.
She and Sebastian only had each other.
Janelle forced herself to sit there, gazing at the lake for a full fifteen minutes. When the timeframe was up, she pushed herself to her feet and walked back inside the townhouse.
She stood in the kitchen, straining to listen. But she couldn’t hear any evidence that the child was still crying. Satisfied that he must have fallen asleep, she poked in the fridge to figure out what they’d have for dinner.
The salad from the night before was still inside, so all she needed was a main dish. Something that Sebastian would like.
A peace offering.
He’d been excited to have the hamburgers Devon was going to make the night before, so she decided to go with something simple. She pulled out the ground beef, and then headed outside to start the grill.
It wasn’t easy, but she managed. She watched the flames for a long moment, steeling herself to go in to confront Sebastian.
Back inside, she made her way down the hall to his room, which happened to be adjacent to hers. She opened the door, expected to find him cuddled up on his bed with his stuffed angel.
But he wasn’t in the bed.
With a frown, she registered the fact that the stuffed angel wasn’t there, either, which meant he must have taken it with him. To her room? She quickly went over to check.
When she didn’t find him in her room, she went back into his bedroom. This time she searched everywhere, beneath the bed, in the closet, anywhere a small child could hide.
But she didn’t find Sebastian, anywhere.
Panic swelled in her chest, but she tried to remain calm. He was only four and a half, he couldn’t have gotten very far.
She spun on her heel and went back to the front door, mentally kicking herself for not locking it after Mrs. Alice had left.
A chill snaked down her spine when she noticed the heavy inside door had been left open. She jerked it out of her way, and burst through the second screen door, and out onto the porch.
“Sebastian? Sebastian!” Janelle didn’t hesitate but ran out to the street, half expecting to see the little boy walking along the side of the road with his stuffed angel tucked beneath his arm.
Surely he couldn’t have gone far?
But when she didn’t see any sign of him, the panic she’d tried so hard to hold at bay erupted into a full-fledged attack.
“Sebastian!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. Rose’s diner wasn’t far, so she sprinted in that direction, telling herself she’d find Sebastian inside, enjoying a cup of hot chocolate. Right now, Josie was probably trying to call her to let her know Sebastian was there.
But when she barged into the diner, there was no sign of Sebastian’s blond head.
“Janelle, honey, what’s wrong?” Josie demanded, planting her hands on her ample hips.
“Have you seen Sebastian?” Her heart was pounding so loud she could barely hear herself speak. “Did he come up here to see you?”
“No, I haven’t seen him. Why, is he missing?”
Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision. “Yes,” she choked. “I can’t find him. I—I think he ran away.”
“Listen, go back home,” Josie told her in a no-nonsense tone. “I’ll call the sheriff’s department.”
Janelle nodded, and swiftly turned to head back outside. She broke into a run, trying to get back home in case Sebastian was actually there, waiting for her.
Maybe he’d been hiding somewhere else in the townhouse. But where? The place wasn’t all that big.
Then she remembered the empty side of the townhouse. Had he found a way to get inside? Was it possible that Zack Crain hadn’t locked up the night after the robbery?
She checked the front door, but it was locked. She ran around to the lake side and pulled on the patio doors.
They were locked too.
Without wasting a second, she hurried inside her own townhouse, this time checking each room systematically, looking anywhere a small child may try to hide.
But a few minutes later, she knew there was no escaping the truth.
Sebastian was gone.
She’d lost her sister’s son.
Chapter Ten
Devon tapped his fingers on the desk, waiting for Zack Crain to answer his cell phone. He wanted the fingerprint results and couldn’t understand why Zack hadn’t kept him in the loop. Surely, they were back by now?
“Crain,” Zack’s clipped voice carried across the line.
“It’s Dev. I hear you have the fingerprint results from the break-in at Janelle’s place.”
There was a small pause before Zack responded. “Yeah, I just got them about an hour ago. I needed to check a few things out before breaking the news to Janelle.”
A wave of apprehension made Dev grip the phone tightly. “What news?”
He could hear Zack’s sigh. “Does the name Grant Gardner mean anything to you?”
“Janelle mentioned that Sebastian’s father’s name was Grant, but I have no clue what his last name is. And he’s supposed to be in jail.”
“Yeah, well the finger prints in her house belong to Grant Gardner and he just happens to have been released from jail, three days before the break-in.”
He swallowed hard. “That’s no coincidence.”
“I don’t think so either,” Zack admitted. “And it’s pretty interesting that he found her so quick. Not only that, but I showed his mug shot to Gretchen and she positively identified him, too. We have him on the burglary, if we can find him.”
Dev stood and headed out to his squad. “I’m going over to talk to Janelle. Any chance you can find out if this Grant dude is driving a silver sedan?”
“I can try, but why? What makes you think he’s driving a silver car?”
He resisted the urge to smack himself upside the head. He should have gone with his instincts. He knew that silver car parked near Janelle’s was a sign of trouble. “I’ve seen a silver car hanging around outside the townhouse.”
“That jerk,” Zack muttered harshly.
Yeah, his feelings exactly. “Anything else? Do we know where Grant might be staying?”
“The Crystal Lake motel isn’t far from Janelle’s, I’ll try there first.” Zack hesitated, then added, “The guy has a history of domestic violence. Do you think he’s going to try and hurt her?”
“I don’t know,” Dev forced himself to answer honestly. “But I’m not going to wait to find out. Call me if you find him at the motel, okay?”
“Sure thing.”
Dev disconnected from the call and almost immediately another call came in, this time it was Janelle. He didn’t want to believe that Josie could have gotten the scoop already, but crazier things had happened. “Hi Janelle,” he greeted her cheerfully.
“Dev? Sebastian’s gone. I need your help to find him!” The hysteria in her voice caused his gut to clench with fear.
“What do you mean, gone?” He jammed the key into the ignition and quickly started the engine. He figured he could be at Janelle’s place in ten minutes flat if he used lights and sirens.
“He’s gone, I left him alone in his room after his temper tantrum and now he’s gone! I—I think he ran away from home. I need you and the other deputies to help me find him.”
The timing of the boy’s disappearance bothered him. “I’m on my way,” he promised. “But Janelle, listen to me. Have you seen the silver car lately?”
“No, why?” she asked with a sniff.
The image of her crying was like a kick to the chest, but there was no time to. “We know the identity of the burglar, Grant Gardner, Sebastian’s father. We matched his fingerprints. And Gretchen identified him, too.”
“Grant?” There was a flash of anger in her
tone. “You think Grant is here in Crystal Lake?”
“Yeah, we do. Just hang tight, I’m on my way.”
“Hurry,” she begged, before disconnecting from the line.
He punched the gas and took the turns that lead to Janelle’s townhouse as fast and safely as possible. He couldn’t believe that Sebastian was missing. Janelle had every right to be frantic.
The thought of the little boy in the hands of his father made Dev’s blood run cold. Did Grant understand Sebastian’s medical needs? Did the guy realize the child needed peritoneal dialysis exchanges to stay healthy? And what on earth possessed the guy to try and play father to Sebastian now?
Dozens of possibilities flashed through his mind, but at the end of the day, Dev didn’t think Grant really wanted custody of Sebastian. With his history of being an IV drug user, he was very much afraid the guy had something else on his mind.
Like kidnapping for ransom.
Janelle paced the sidewalk in front of the townhouse, trying to formulate some sort of plan as to where Sebastian might have gone. Was it possible Grant had something to do with his disappearance? She’d initially feared the little boy had decided to run away, especially after their fight over Mrs. Alice, but that was before Devon had told her that Sebastian’s father’s fingerprints had been found inside her house.
Grant had broken into her house. Had stolen her television and her computer. Pawned Lisa’s ruby ring.
For money? Highly likely. It wouldn’t be the first time Grant had robbed the people closest to him.
Hard to believe the authorities actually let Grant out of jail, but obviously everything she’d read about the problems with overcrowding within the prison system was true.
She heard police sirens long before she caught sight of Devon’s squad car blazing up the road, red and blue lights flashing. He was barely out of the vehicle when she launched herself at him.
“We have to find Sebastian!”
“I know, we will.” His strong arms held her close and she tried to calm her racing heart by filling her head with his familiar scent.
But even having Devon there wasn’t enough to soothe her ragged nerves. She pulled out of his embrace, staring up at him intently. “How will we find him? Are you sending out search parties? What can I do to help?”