by Laura Scott
“Look, there’s a for sale sign,” she said excitedly, reaching over to grasp Devon’s arm. “We should check it out.”
“Good eye,” Dev said, making an abrupt right hand turn onto the property. The squad car bumped over the uneven gravel driveway, as they approached the small cabin.
Janelle searched for any sign of life within the building, but the place appeared to be deserted. When she reached for the door handle, Dev stopped her.
“No, you need to wait here. Let me take a look around, first.”
“Alright,” she reluctantly agreed. She understood Devon’s rationale, but that didn’t make sitting there while he examined the place any easier.
But it was better than being stuck at home. She kept her eyes peeled on the building, hoping, praying she’d see Sebastian’s face in a window.
Devon took his time, walking around the small cabin first, before making his way up to the front door. He knocked, but no one answered.
She held her breath, thinking he might break the door down, but instead he appeared to be speaking through his radio. She wished she could hear the conversation.
Minutes passed with agonizing slowness, and when he walked back toward the car, she wanted to scream in protest.
“Aren’t we going to look inside?” she demanded, when he slid in behind the wheel. “Sebastian could be in there right now!”
“Calm down, Janelle. There’s no evidence that anyone has been here in the past week, because it hasn’t rained and there’s a film of dirt on the front porch. There aren’t any footprints other than my own.”
His explanation caused her shoulders to slump. “Really?”
“Zack is running down the owner now, to see if we can get inside. But I wouldn’t hold out any false hopes. I think if Grant and Sebastian had been here, we’d see some indication of that. I can’t imagine Grant is that good at covering his tracks.”
“So now what?” she asked, trying to hide the depths of her despair.
“We keep looking,” Dev said calmly. “Are you still game? Or do you want me to take you back home?”
“I’m sticking with you.”
“Good. Let’s go.” Dev executed a three point-turn so he could head back down the driveway toward the road.
They made a slow circle around the lake, ending up back on Main Street. Janelle couldn’t help being discouraged by their lack of progress, especially when Dev returned to her townhouse.
A tiny flicker of hope in her heart convinced her Sebastian may have returned in her absence, but when she rushed back inside, she found the townhouse as empty as they had left it.
“What’s next?” she asked, turning to face Devon.
“Zack is getting ready to send me a list of properties that are for sale in the area,” he said, glancing down at his smart phone.
More properties? They hadn’t found anything encouraging at the last few they’d looked at. She tried not to sound as tense and irritable as she felt. “Isn’t there something else we can do?”
Dev didn’t take umbrage with her tone. “Listen, we know that Grant likely purchased drugs at the campsite. What if he took a tent and pitched it on some property that happens to be for sale? If it’s a big enough lot, with trees for cover, no one would see them.”
“That sounds like a possibility,” she admitted, feeling better at his logic.
Devon’s cell phone rang, and he quickly answered it. “Armbruster,” he said in a formal tone.
She fell silent, able to hear a bit of the other person’s conversation. “Confirmed drug buy.”
“Good to know, what else did they have to say?” Devon asked.
She realized the campers must have admitted to selling drugs to Grant. The thought of him using again made her feel sick to her stomach. Especially since he had Sebastian with him.
Lost in her thoughts, she missed what the other deputy said. “Okay, thanks, Ian. It’s good to know that we’re on the right track. I’m waiting for a list of properties from Zack, once I get them we can split them up.”
“What kind of drugs did Grant buy?” she asked when Dev disconnected from the call.
He grimaced. “Heroin,” he admitted. “But again, the last time they saw Gardner was two days ago, the same night as the bartender. And one of the campers happened to be the one who sold Lisa’s ring to Gretchen. We have a good connection and theory here, but we still haven’t found anyone who has seen him in the last forty-eight hours.”
Forty-eight hours to create a plan to kidnap Sebastian.
A lifetime.
She drew in a choppy breath. “It’s past dinnertime,” she said in a low tone. “I’m sure Sebastian is hungry.”
“Don’t, Janelle,” Devon murmured. He stepped closer and put his arm around her shoulders. “Don’t think the worst. For all we know, Grant has food tucked away, especially if he’s been camping up here.”
She nodded and rested against him, trying to absorb some of his strength. “Why hasn’t Grant called me back?” she asked, her voice rising in helpless frustration. “What’s taking him so long?”
“I don’t know,” Devon admitted. “Maybe he’s waiting for darkness to fall. Or maybe he thinks that the longer he waits, the more frantic you’ll be to pay the money. There’s just no telling what’s going through his mind.”
“He’s on drugs, which means he might not be thinking clearly at all.” She shivered and burrowed closer to Devon’s warmth. “For all we know he could be passed out, leaving Sebastian unattended. That poor little boy is probably scared to death, wondering what will happen to him.”
“Janelle, please,” he begged, reaching down to lift her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Please stop thinking like that. Fear will only paralyze us. We need to remember that Sebastian is smart. He’ll manage just fine.”
She really, really wanted to believe that. She forced a lop-sided smile. “Okay, you’re right. Thank you, Devon. I couldn’t handle this without you.”
He stared down at her with fathomless deep brown eyes, and she almost thought he was going to kiss her, but the moment was broken when his phone chimed with an incoming message.
“This might be Zack’s list,” he said, releasing his hold on her.
She stepped back and rubbed her hands over her arms. What was wrong with her? She shouldn’t have been thinking of kissing Devon. Not when Sebastian was out there, alone and afraid.
“Ian? It’s Dev, I have the list of properties and am sending it to you, now.” There was a moment of silence as Dev hit the message on his phone. Then he said, “I’ll start at the top, you start at the bottom and we’ll meet in the middle, okay?”
Janelle grabbed a jacket then decided to gather more things for Sebastian, in case they found him. She tossed his coat over her arm, and then went into the kitchen to pull out a box of cheesy fish crackers.
“I’m ready to go,” she announced.
“Great.” Devon glanced down at his list, then led the way outside to the car. “The first property isn’t that far from the cabin that was listed for sale, we’ll start there.”
She nodded, grateful for something constructive to do. Although she couldn’t help thinking that time was not on their side. Her phone hadn’t rung even once, and her nerves were stretched thin with fear and worry. Yet as Dev drove, she continued to search for any sign of a silver car.
“What else did Ian have to say?” she asked. “You mentioned something about how it was good we’re on the right track.”
“The campers claimed Grant was driving a silver car, and that he had a tent, along with other camping gear.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “So he was watching me for the past few days.”
“Yeah.” Devon’s expression turned dark. “I wish I gotten his plate numbers long before this.”
“No sense in looking back,” she reminded him. “I’ve been doing that enough for the both of us.”
He glanced at her with a wry grin. “Yeah, easier said than done, isn�
�t it?”
“You got that right. I keep wishing I would have handled Sebastian’s anger differently.”
He tilted his head to the side. “You never mentioned what caused Sebastian’s temper tantrum in the first place.”
She swallowed hard then decided it was better to be honest. “You.”
Dev did a double take. “What do you mean? What about me?”
“Remember how I found that retired nurse to babysit Sebastian?” When he nodded, she continued, “Well he didn’t like her. He kept telling me that he only wanted you to babysit him. And when I told him that wasn’t possible, he lost it.” The argument seemed so petty now that Sebastian was gone.
Devon was silent for a long moment. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.”
“It’s not your fault. Sebastian has never had a father figure. Grant went to jail when he was barely a year old.” She sighed, and then added, “To be honest, I didn’t much like Mrs. Alice, either. She was old and crabby and as Sebastian put it, she smelled funny.”
Devon’s lips twitched with repressed humor. “So I should forgo showering the next time I visit you both?”
She managed a small smile. “I don’t think that will help, Sebastian will still love you anyway. Ms. Alice smelled like moth balls.”
The shrill ringing of her cell phone interrupted them. Her heart pounded in her chest as she glanced down at the screen, recognizing Grant’s number.
“Hello?”
“I have—the boy,” Grant’s voice was slurred. “Got money?”
“Yes, I have the money,” she said, speaking slowly and clearly so that he could understand her, despite whatever drugs he’d taken. “I’ll pay you to get Sebastian back. Where can I meet you?”
“The woods…” his voice trailed off the rest of his speech garbled to the point she couldn’t figure out what he was saying.
“Where in the woods? Tell me where to meet you?”
Seconds passed and then the line abruptly disconnected. She stared at the device and quickly pushed the redial button.
But Grant didn’t answer, neither did Sebastian.
And she still had no idea where they were hiding.
Chapter Twelve
Devon hated hearing the panic in Janelle’s tone. “I can’t believe it! Grant didn’t tell me where to meet him!”
Devon understood her angst, but couldn’t think of anything to say that would make her feel any better. He struggled to remain calm. “Take a breath and tell me exactly what he said.”
“He said he had Sebastian and asked if I had the money, but he was clearly under the influence. When I asked where to meet him, he simply said, the woods, and then his voice trailed off. Now he’s not answering the phone!” She thumped her fist on the phone as if that would help.
Devon tightened his grip on the steering wheel, battling a wave of frustration. Janelle had every right to be upset, but she needed him to be strong, so he did his best to maintain his professionalism.
“I grew up here, Janelle. I know these woods and so do the other deputies. We’ll find him,” he said, knowing that the mantra was likely getting old.
But he needed to believe it just as badly as she did. Despite the fact that Sebastian originally reminded him of what he’d loved and lost, he cared very much about the little guy.
The sun was dipping down on the horizon and he knew that it would be dark soon, making the task of finding Sebastian difficult, especially if they were hiding in the woods.
The wooded area along the north side of the lake covered a good twenty-thirty acres and since it wasn’t damaged by the fire, the evergreen trees were thick and dense. The only good news was that the rest of the trees only had early spring buds on them, which might make it easier to find a tent.
Who was he kidding? Finding a tent in thirty acres would be nearly impossible. Especially since Sebastian’s exchange was due soon.
In less than an hour.
So they had to try. Using his radio, he updated the rest of the deputies, asking them to meet him at the corner of Lake Drive and Elmhurst. From there, they’d have to formulate some sort of search plan.
But hiking through the woods at night wouldn’t be easy. He radioed into the dispatch office. “Ask Sheriff Torretti if he’ll call in a K9 search and rescue unit.”
“Ten-four,” the dispatcher responded.
Maybe he should have requested this earlier. He’d thought for sure that Grant would return Janelle’s call to set up a meeting. But once they discovered how Grant had bought drugs from the other campers, he should have altered their game plan.
He’d made the wrong call, and both Janelle and Sebastian would pay the ultimate price for his mistake.
Dev did his best to shove his useless guilt aside. Focus. He needed to focus on saving Sebastian.
The meeting point was up ahead and he was glad to see that Ian was already there, waiting for them.
Devon rolled down his window. “Do you have extra flashlights?”
“Yep. I’m ready when you are.”
“Where’s Zack?” Devon asked, as he pushed open his car door and climbed out of the vehicle.
“I think that’s him now,” Ian said, gesturing to the twin pair of headlights approaching from the east.
Dev blew out a heavy breath. “Okay, we need to figure out where this jerk is hiding with Sebastian. The only clue we have is that there’s a possibility they’re in the woods. Although it doesn’t make a lot of sense that he’d arrange for a meeting there.”
“Guy’s a druggie, who knows what’s going on in his head?” Ian muttered darkly.
Dev silently agreed. Addiction was a terrible thing. It took good people and twisted them into someone who would do anything to get what they needed. Obviously Gardner wasn’t thinking logically or rationally.
So if he was a drug user and had kidnapped a child, what would he do? Where would he go?
His radio buzzed. “Sheriff approved the K9 unit, should be there within twenty minutes or so,” the dispatcher informed him.
Twenty minutes was too long. Although he wasn’t going to turn down the offer of help, either. Glancing at Janelle’s pinched features, the phone she held so tightly in her hand, he knew he’d search all night if necessary.
“Ten-four.” He turned his attention to the other two deputies. “Are there more deputies coming?”
Zack nodded. “I reached the two night shift deputies, they’re coming in early to assist.”
Five deputies to cover thirty acres. It could be worse, but he felt as if twenty deputies wouldn’t be enough. “All right, let’s split up the area evenly between the five of us and spread out. The K9 unit will be coming soon, too. Once the dog is able to pick up the child’s scent, our search field will narrow considerably.”
“I want to help search, too,” Janelle said, coming up to stand beside him.
He shook his head regretfully. “I’m sorry, but you’ll need to wait here for the K9 unit. You have Sebastian’s coat, they’ll need that for the dogs. And being in the woods at night is dangerous, I don’t want you to get lost, or worse, run into a hungry bear.”
She shivered and crossed her arms protectively across her chest. “You’re making that up, aren’t the bears still in hibernation?”
“I wouldn’t count on it,” Ian spoke up. “We’ve had decent weather for the past week; I suspect they’re up and about by now.”
She blanched. “What if Grant and Sebastian run into a bear?”
Dev wished he’d have kept his mouth shut about the wildlife. Bears weren’t the only threat: game warden Reese Weber had found bobcat tracks recently, too. Thankfully the deer and other small game wouldn’t pose much of a problem.
“I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Devon said reassuringly.
Zack spread out a map of the area on the hood of Ian’s squad car and glanced at Devon. “Okay, how do you want to split this up?”
Devon stared at the map for a moment, then tapped the area to the west. “I’
ll start here.”
“Okay, I’ll take this one,” Ian put his finger on another part of the map.
Zack nodded in agreement. “I’ll take this area.” He scribbled their names on the map, so that when the other deputies arrived they wouldn’t end up in the same place. “Janelle, you’re going to be our point person, okay?” He handed her a radio. “When the K9 unit arrives, you let us know. And when the other deputies arrive you show them this map. We’re counting on you.”
Janelle clipped the radio to the edge of her sweatshirt. “Okay. I can do this.”
Dev was proud of the way she set her fear and panic aside to assist in any way possible. He wanted to pull her close and kiss her, but managed to hold back sensitive to the fact they weren’t alone.
He lifted the heavy flashlight and headed into the woods on foot. As he made his way through the trees, listening intently for any human sounds, he abruptly remembered the shallow cave where he and Steven had played as kids.
The cave was little more than a crevasse in the side of a large hill, too shallow for a bear to consider using it as a place to hibernate. Not only was it a perfect hiding spot for a human, but it also happened to be in his search area.
He decided to check there first, especially since the hill wasn’t too far away. Using his compass he made his way in a north-east direction.
Slowly sweeping the flashlight from side to side, the beam cut through the darkness. In the daylight, he might be able to find Grant’s tracks, but searching in the dark wouldn’t be easy and he didn’t want to waste precious time.
The radio remained silent as he made his way through the woods. Devon tried to walk fast without making too much noise, but the sound of a twig snapping beneath his heel echoed like a gunshot through the darkness.
It took longer than he anticipated to reach the crevasse in the hill. When he saw the area reflected in the beam of his flashlight, he aimed his light down on the ground, covered the lens with his hand to dim the light and slowed his pace, moving as quietly as possible.
He debated calling for Sebastian by name, unwilling to alert Grant to his presence if indeed they were tucked away in there. He edged closer and strained to listen.