Daughter's Return

by Rebecca Winters

  Having spent a lot of time talking to her father about the weaknesses and strengths of the CIA’s intelligence-gathering operations, Maggie felt she wasn’t far off the mark.

  She hadn’t really bought the business about him being a police detective from California. Too many things about his story hadn’t added up. But she assumed he really could read and write Czech in order to work at the genealogical firm.

  Jake had devised a clever cover that would last until he was healed enough to go back to his secret career in January. He was going to leave.

  Nothing’s permanent, Maggie.

  She buried her face in her hands, glad she’d witnessed his gruesome nightmare. Doubly glad she hadn’t been able to bring him out of it. This would be her secret.

  Whenever she was in danger of wanting to get closer to him, she would remember this night. From here on out their relationship would continue on a strictly professional basis.

  She’d hired him to find out what he could about the Buric family. So far he’d done a fantastic job because it was his business to pull off the impossible.

  But men who could accomplish feats other men only dreamed about didn’t stay in one place long.

  “COME ON, MERRY SUNSHINE. It’s time to get going.”

  Maggie’s eyelids fluttered open. A lavender glow lit up the sky. She could feel Jake’s warmth. He’d hunkered down next to her.

  In a flash, the unforgettable events of a few hours ago gave her body a jolt. She sat up and smoothed the hair off her forehead, unwilling to meet his intense gaze.

  “Good morning. Have you been awake long?”

  “About a half hour. I took a little walk around with the goggles.”

  “You should have wakened me.” She climbed out of the bag and got to her feet. He stood up when she did. “I’ll be ready to go in a minute.”

  After putting on her shoes and socks, she dragged her backpack twenty yards to a clump of bushes. Out of his sight, she could freshen up and brush her hair.

  Though August was the hottest time of year, it was always cool in the mountains in the early morning. She found her navy pullover with the hood and slipped it on over her T-shirt. Digging in a side pocket of her pack, she produced some beef jerky and dried fruit packets, enough for both of them.

  When she joined him, she discovered he’d rolled up her sleeping bag. The folded space blanket lay on top. His backpack was on. He looked anxious to travel.

  “For being such a great helper, I have treats for you.” She handed him the snacks.

  “Umm. Just what I wanted for breakfast. Thank you.” He was oblivious to the fact that he’d had a nightmare last night. She could be thankful for that, at least.

  “You’re welcome.”

  While he opened the packets and began devouring his food, she put the blanket away and tied her bedroll to the top of her pack.

  “What’s the plan?” he asked.

  “I’ll check in and find out.”

  There was still no news. She shook her head to let him know. After she clicked off, she said, “They want us to fly over the same grids we did yesterday. They’re pretty sure the kidnapper is still in the area. He may have moved to higher ground during the night.”

  Once again they set off through the forest toward the car. Jake concentrated on scanning the terrain with his goggles.

  Now that she had proof of his covert career, he was fascinating to watch. He functioned with a certain stealth and economy of movement that was automatic to him.

  In terms of his being able to take care of her, no woman on the planet could be safer. But emotionally, he had the power to destroy her if she wasn’t careful.

  By the time she’d finished her snacks, they’d reached the Jeep. On their way to Duchesne they noticed the Durangos still parked on the roadside. More cars had shown up to join in the search.

  “I don’t suppose you ever have enough volunteers for a manhunt like this.”

  “Not in these mountains, anyway.”

  He flicked her a glance. “Are you all right?”

  “Honestly?’

  Jake nodded.

  “I’m heartsick.”

  “You know what I think?”

  “What?”

  “You’re emotionally exhausted. Maggie McFarland to the rescue. But who takes care of you?”

  Don’t say things like that, Jake.

  Maggie couldn’t afford to spend any more time with him, but she had no choice. The parents of that little girl were counting on a miracle. Not everyone had a plane. Now that she was here, to leave without giving it another day would be walking out on the people who depended on her.

  Somehow she had to draw on her inner strength and pretend Jake was one of the spotters she usually brought along.

  “Flying with you could get to be my addiction,” Jake murmured. They’d just reached the Duchesne airfield where the plane was waiting.

  “It’s the scenery,” she mocked.

  They stowed their gear and took off for the nearest assigned grids. Jake pointed in the distance. “Clouds are gathering. Come to think of it, there’s more wind this morning.”

  “That’s why we’re in the 185. It’s a tough little workhorse.”

  His mouth broke into a grin. “And here I was thinking of her as a dainty lady.”

  Keep it up, Jake, and I won’t be able to resist you.

  He lifted the goggles off his lap and settled down to the business of finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

  She made pass after pass, flying as close as possible so Jake could canvass the mountain from timberline to the valley. Every human he saw she reported to the sheriff, but the suspect was still on the loose.

  “Can’t do anymore right now. We’re low on fuel.”

  “I am, too.”

  “I hear you.”

  With a sense of déjà vu, they flew to Evanston, filled up and ate a big lunch that would hold them for the rest of the day. They ate fast. With the kidnapping on their minds, neither one of them was in the mood for conversation. After returning to the search area, Maggie spotted two other planes.

  “We’ve got a little more help up here today. You’d think with all these volunteers, we’d find something.”

  “It’s going to happen,” Jake stated with confidence.

  “I’ll hold that thought.”

  Two hours passed, then they were off to Evanston to refuel for a last go around. Jake bought them a pack of chocolate-chip cookies.

  “We need the sugar,” was all he said, putting one in her mouth while she was doing her preflight check. The touch of his fingers against her lips sent a current of electricity through her body. She could have been eating sawdust and wouldn’t have known the difference.

  It was back to grid one, then they’d work their way to three.

  Midway up the mountain, Jake made a strange sound in his throat. “I’m picking up two figures moving. One of them is small. Can you do that same sweep again, but get closer?”

  Maggie’s heart started to race. “I’ll do what I can. There’s a storm brewing. The wind is buffeting us.” She banked the plane and retraced her flight path.

  “There— I see a man pulling a young girl through the trees. Tell the sheriff to send some police choppers to grid two while we continue our surveillance.”

  Absolutely euphoric, Maggie relayed the message while Jake fed her a description.

  “How’s the fuel?” he demanded.

  “We’ve got thirty more minutes before we have to head for Evanston.”

  “Radio the sheriff for a backup plane in case the choppers don’t get here before we have to turn back. It’s vital we don’t lose sight of this pervert. As long as we keep bombarding him with low sweeps, the girl is still safe.”

  Maggie sent the message.

  What happened in the next ten minutes was better than any action movie. Two helicopters showed up and several SWAT teams were lowered to the ground.

  She could hardly breathe waiting
to hear the outcome.

  “They’ve got the girl, Maggie!”

  Joy exploded inside the cockpit. It was a good thing Maggie was forced to keep her hands on the controls. Otherwise she’d have thrown her arms around him and all her resolve to keep her distance would have evaporated.

  “You found her, Jake.”

  “We found her. Let’s go back to Evanston and celebrate.”

  Evanston, yes. Celebration, no. If she wanted to survive Jake Halsey, she was going to have to keep their contact strictly professional.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  Milwaukee, Wisconsin

  August 15

  THE STUDENT HOUSING SUPERVISOR unlocked the door for Anna and gave her the key. “It’s good you came today. This is the last single furnished dorm in the building. The list of rules is here by the light switch and in the brochure I gave you. Any problem, come see me. If you can wait until next week, you’ll be able to purchase a cell phone through the university for half the regular price.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do that.” Anna shut and locked the door behind the woman. She lay against it for a moment with her eyes closed.

  Her own room.

  She’d never known such luxury in her life. Though she’d had to pay more for it, she didn’t care. For as far back as she could remember, she’d always had to share one with someone else.

  Thanks to Josef and Milena, who’d driven her to Milwaukee yesterday, she had completed her enrollment at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Better yet, she had a private room and a bank account.

  Petr had transferred her ten thousand dollars in savings to the new account. Twenty-five hundred dollars had already been paid out for tuition and books. Another twenty-five hundred remained to cover her expenses until she found a job. Part of the rest she would spend on a used car as soon as she got her driver’s license.

  She was still in shock over this new freedom a social-security number had given her. Her excitement growing, she picked up her suitcase and carried it into the tiny bedroom to unpack her things and get settled.

  Tomorrow was freshman orientation. In a week, classes would start. That meant seven days to find a job. One that had nothing to do with farming or cooking. Maybe at a hospital.

  In her early teens, she’d been sent out to tell one of the older cousins to come to dinner. He was late. When Anna found him, he was lying on the ground in a pool of blood with bee stings all over him.

  Horrified, she ran back to the farmhouse to get help. But by the time the others reached him, he was gone. It turned out a swarm had attacked him, causing him to fall off his tractor. He’d cut his head open. The doctor said he’d bled to death.

  The experience had been a traumatic one for Anna because she hadn’t known what to do for him. Since that terrible day, she’d made up her mind that if she ever got the chance, she’d become a doctor.

  No one on the farm ever thought of going to college. They didn’t see the need because they were farmers and ran a flourishing enterprise. In that respect, Anna was very different from the rest of them.

  Thirteen years ago, the dream to go into medicine had sprung to life. Today it was stronger than ever. If she studied hard, it could become a reality. Though it had been a long time since she’d left the classroom, she’d been a straight-A student in high school and was an avid reader.

  The expression “being lonely in a crowd” pretty well described her life. She’d turned to books to shut out the pain of not belonging. If those FBI agents were right and she had been kidnapped, maybe that was why she could never bring herself to embrace the world she’d been raised in.

  Even if Antonin Buric, a career criminal, was her birth father, neither he nor her mother had been around to give her an identity.

  It was okay. It didn’t matter either way. She was in charge of her destiny from here on out. One thing she did know: she would never go back to Skwars Farm to live.

  Though Josef and Petr, Julia, Milena—everyone—had told her she would always have a home with them, Anna would never take them up on it. In fact, after being away just one day, she couldn’t bear the thought of going back.

  Salt Lake City, Utah

  August 15

  JAKE STOPPED PACING when Maggie breezed into the conference room. Whether in a T-shirt or the stunning peppermint-pink suit she was wearing now, he experienced physical pleasure just looking at her.

  “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I was deposing a client and it took longer than I expected.”

  He didn’t doubt she was telling the truth, but he knew she’d been avoiding him since they’d flown back to Salt Lake late Wednesday night. His hope they would stay overnight in Evanston, maybe go to a bar and dance, never materialized.

  “No problem,” he murmured.

  “You said you had new information. Please, sit down.”

  Before Jake could help her, she took her place at the end of the table. Jake preferred to remain standing. He’d left a file for her with all the information he’d accrued to this point.

  “It’s five-thirty on a Friday, Maggie. Time to call it a day. I’m here to invite you to my apartment. I’ll throw some steaks on the grill and we’ll talk over dinner.”

  She flashed him the kind of smile she gave everyone. But he wasn’t everyone, and he didn’t like it. “I’d love to take you up on it, but I’m due at my brother’s place as soon as I can get there.”

  “Which brother?”

  “The one who’s on his honeymoon. They’re due back soon and I’m going over to help get things ready for them.”

  Jake had the strongest premonition she was lying about her plans. Something was different about her since she’d wakened on Wednesday morning. Sooner or later he would extract the reason for it, but now wasn’t the time to push it. She wasn’t going anywhere. Not out of his life, anyway.

  “Since you’re anxious to leave the office, I’ll make this quick. In the last two days I’ve found out the name of Antonin’s grandmother. It’s Marie Skwars. She married a Jan Buric who was an engraver in New York.

  “Their son Vaclav married a woman named Anna, and they had two children, Antonin and Franz, who of course are Tony and Frankie. But the parents died an early death, thus the reason Marie Buric ended up taking care of them.

  “Interestingly enough, when I was transcribing a disk of names from a cemetery in Czechoslovakia, I came across the name Vojtech Buric who was born 1871. He married an Anna Molan from Kutna Hora. They had two children, Katrina and Jan. That Jan was the grandfather of Antonin and Franz.”

  The new revelations brought Maggie to her feet. She looked dazed. “You’re a genius,” she whispered.

  “Hardly. But with this information, we have two places to go for news of Antonin’s whereabouts. I’ve found nothing on Marie in the state of New York. Not even a death record. But I think a visit to the South Bronx where Buric Engravers used to be located would produce a neighbor. Someone who knew her, or of her.

  “The other possibility would be to visit Kutna Hora in Bohemia and start inquiring about Antonin. I’ve already done searches, which have produced nothing. Still, he might have decided to go back to the old country to elude the police. It’s all in that file.”

  She picked it up and clutched it to her chest. “I can’t wait to show this to my family. We’re indebted to you, Jake. If you’ll come out to the reception desk, I’ll write you a check for the work you’ve done so far.”

  Without waiting for him, she dashed from the conference room and down the hall. He followed slowly. She could write him a check if she wanted. No doubt it was her plan to pay him off and never see him again.

  A merciless smile broke the corner of his mouth. He had news for her.

  “Here you go,” she said a few minutes later.

  The check was for ten thousand dollars. His gaze darted to hers. “This has too many zeros.” How could she trust him with this kind of money when she had no proof he’d been telling her the truth about anything?

&
nbsp; “My father asked me to give you a retainer. There’s a standing reward for the person who leads us to her abductor. Once we can prove whether Antonin or Franz or both of them took Kathryn, Dad will give you the rest. He’ll insist on it. Of course, no amount of money would be enough to thank you for what you’ve uncovered so far.”

  Her beautiful blue eyes glistened with tears. Such faith humbled him. It was the kind that caused her whole family to believe her sister was still alive. That faith made Jake all the more determined to find Kathryn.

  He pulled out his wallet and put the check inside before pocketing it again. “How about an invitation to the reception instead? I’d like a chance to meet the kidnapped woman who ended up marrying your brother.”

  Try to get out of that one, Maggie McFarland.

  “I have several in my desk drawer. Just a minute.” She returned sooner than that with an envelope in cream parchment.

  He took it from her outstretched fingers without opening it. If he wasn’t mistaken, her hand was trembling. His plan to get closer to her was working. “Thank you. I’ll see myself out.”

  “AUNT MAGGIE—”

  “Katy, darling!” Her little blond, six-year-old niece came running out of the cottage behind the McFarland mansion. Maggie managed to sweep her up in her arms without dropping the shopping bag she was holding. “How long have you been here?”

  “Since this afternoon. Brock’s making a sign for Uncle Cord.”

  “I want to see that.” She lowered Katy to the ground. Grasping her hand, they walked toward the old French-styled carriage house where her brother would be living with Kit during the weekdays. He had his own home at the top of Alta Canyon forty-five minutes away. But the cottage was more convenient when he had late nights at the shelter.

  “Maggie?” her brother called to her. “Come on around the side and see what you think!”

  She and Katy walked across the grass and turned the corner. Ben was in cutoffs and tennis shoes, digging up the ground with a shovel.

  “Whoa, big brother— What’s going on?”

  “Clearing out the shrubbery. It’s my wedding present to Cord.”