by Mary Maxwell
“Of her car?”
“I don’t know about that,” I said. “I was so surprised by the call that I didn’t ask if it was her car or not. Although she did say something about a car like the one she drives—”
“Okay, Katie.” Trent sounded authoritative and poised. “Can you text the number to me?”
“Sure. It was Tania something, and—”
“Okay, but first,” he interrupted, “tell me everything that Tipper shared with you.”
I paused to replay the brief conversation in my mind. Then I relayed it to Trent with as much detail as possible. I told him that Tipper thought they’d been driving around town since leaving her house. I told him about the church bells and children’s voices. And then I told him about the dog.
“Dog?” he mumbled. “Tipper has a dog?”
“No, she said that the guy who abducted her came to the door with—” As I answered Trent’s question, I suddenly remembered the man in the snowmobile suit and sunglasses that I’d talked with after arriving at Tipper’s earlier in the day. “Oh, my…Trent! I think I spoke to the guy!”
“Whoa, Katie. Slow down and back it up. Tipper said something about a dog?”
“Yes, she said someone came to her door with a dog. And when I got there, like, I guess maybe after she’d already been put in the car, a guy walking a little white dog came across Tipper’s yard. He was wearing sunglasses, a knit cap and a snowmobile suit. I didn’t think much about it at the time because he seemed so…normal. And he was totally convincing. He told me that he was a neighbor and his wife had tried to return something to Tipper. But she wasn’t home.”
“Who wasn’t home—Tipper?”
“Right,” I said. “And if it is the same guy, he was obviously trying to get me to leave.”
Trent didn’t say anything, so I waited and looked at my sister. She was crouched on the edge of the bed, huddled in the quilt and biting her lower lip.
“Okay, so…anything else?” asked Trent.
“About the call?”
He groaned. “What else would I be asking about?”
“Sorry, yeah. I’m pretty freaked out right now, Trent. Maybe you could cut me some slack.”
“You’re freaked out? How about Tipper?”
The barb cut deep; the emotional ambush of her call had caused me to briefly lose focus. I thanked Trent for helping me get back on track. Then I remembered Tipper’s comments about driving into a garage. When I shared that final bit of information, Trent grumbled under his breath.
“That doesn’t exactly narrow it down,” he said. “But it’s something to work with.”
“What can I do to help?” I asked.
“Send me that name and number,” he answered. “And call me back if you hear from her again.”
CHAPTER 13
The next morning at five-thirty, while my bleary-eyed sister was upstairs in the apartment preparing for her drive to Salt Lake City, I stumbled into the Sky High kitchen. I’d hit the snooze button three times, so I was running a little behind schedule. Luckily, Julia, the most punctual person I’ve ever met, was already in her apron and hard at work. She had the mixer humming and The Eagles playing on the ancient Boombox we kept on a shelf by the walk-in.
“Morning, sunshine!” Her usual cheerful expression dimmed when she saw my face. “Are you…okay?”
I managed a feeble shrug. “Mind if I turn that down a little?”
She hurried across the room and clicked off Witchy Woman just before sparks flew from her fingertips. “Sorry, Katie! I watched part of a documentary about them last night on Netflix. It really put me in the mood to hear some of the old classics.”
“You didn’t have to turn it all the way off, Jules. I was just—”
“Hush, now,” she said in her soothing Mama Bear voice. “There’ll be plenty of time for that later. Tell me how you’re doing.”
I staggered over, pulled down a mug and filled it from the pot. “I’m okay. I mean, I’m going crazy with worry. And I didn’t sleep. But I’m…I’ll be better when Tipper’s safe.”
“Oh, my word!” she gushed anxiously. “I just couldn’t believe it when I got your text. What’s the latest?”
I sighed and plopped down on a stool. “She called me,” I said, warming my hands with the hot mug. “Last night around ten-thirty.”
“Wait!” Julia’s face went pale. “What?”
“Tipper. I couldn’t believe it myself, but she—”
“Tipper?” Her voice cracked and her eyes widened. “She called you?”
“Yes. From a phone that she found in the trunk of the car that the kidnappers put her in.”
Julia’s expression changed from a look of surprise to one of confusion.
“I know it’s wild,” I added quickly. “But I guess that whoever kidnapped her yesterday put her in the trunk of a car. And when she was in there, she found a briefcase that had a phone in it. So she called me and we talked for…hmmm, less than five minutes. She was terrified, Jules. Just absolutely terrified.”
Julia left the mixer and walked over to where I was sitting. She pulled out a stool and sat down.
“I can’t even believe this is happening,” she said. “What’s Trent told you?”
“Not much yet. I talked to him last night, after Tipper called me. And I’ll check with him a little later this morning.”
“Is it true that…” She cleared her throat and put one hand on her heart. “Did you really find a dead woman in Tipper’s kitchen?”
I nodded. “She’d been shot. And I thought it was Tipper. I mean, I did at first. But once I got a clear look at her face…” I shuddered at the memory. “Well, I don’t know who she is. But she didn’t make it.”
Julia gasped. “Oh, no…” She shook her head and made the sign of the cross. “I’m so sorry to hear that. What on earth do you think was going on over there?”
“I have no idea. Zack and I drove by the night before, just to check on her when she didn’t show up at Blanche’s. There was an old pickup in the driveway. I guess that might’ve belonged to whoever who took Tipper.”
Julia processed the news as she drank some coffee. Then she said, “Is there anything we can do?”
“Say a prayer,” I answered in a hushed tone. “The first few hours are the most critical.” My gaze lifted to the clock on the far wall. “And it’s already been more than twelve.”
“But if…well, if she called you,” Julia said with a hopeful tone. “Then maybe…”
Our eyes locked; we both knew that staying optimistic was our only choice.
“Maybe Trent and his people will find her this morning,” she continued. “Or maybe this guy…the one that took her…maybe he’ll realize that he’s only digging his grave by keeping Tipper captive.”
Before the mood could grow any darker, Olivia came bouncing through the door. Her wet hair was pulled back and her face was bare.
“No makeup?” I asked.
She scowled. “Katie! I’m going to be alone in the car for the next nine or ten hours. Why do I need makeup?”
“What if you have to stop somewhere?”
She ignored my question and gestured at the coffee pot. “Can I fill my Thermos with that?”
“Absolutely,” Julia said cheerfully. “Let me do it for you.” She got up from the stool, dashed over to Liv and took the bright blue container. “Do you want something to nibble on, too?”
“I’ve got licorice,” Olivia answered. “And some of the fruit rolly things that the boys like.”
“Why didn’t you fly?” I asked. “What if the weather gets bad?”
Olivia dropped her purse on the counter. “I needed some alone time,” she said. “Once I get to the conference, it’s going to be nonstop, wall-to-wall chatter and meetings and socializing. Between the past few days in the office and the twins fighting all the time, I decided to risk the weather and drive.”
“The forecast is actually pretty good,” Julia volunteered. “No sn
ow, decent temperature and plenty of sunshine.”
My sister grinned. “Wouldn’t it be nice if every day was like that?”
“Dream on,” I muttered. “The real world doesn’t operate that way.”
“Thanks for the reminder, Debbie Downer,” she said with a wink.
The attempt at humor had missed its mark, but I didn’t want to take out my jumbled emotions on my sister. After we talked the previous night, I knew we were both equally concerned about Tipper’s safety. But my sister hadn’t discovered the gunshot victim on the floor. She didn’t see Tipper on a weekly basis like I did. And I knew she was only trying to help lighten my mood before she left.
“I can’t do that witty banter thing right now,” I said after an uncomfortable silence. “I know you’ll understand.”
Olivia nodded, directing her eyes to a spot on the wall behind me. “Yeah, I’m sorry, Katie. That wasn’t very…I mean, I wasn’t trying to be insensitive.”
“I know that, sweetie. I just need to stay focused on work this morning and hope that Trent calls with good news sooner rather than later.”
CHAPTER 14
The wait was brief. Around nine-thirty, while Julia deftly handled the steady flow of breakfast tickets, I was frosting four dozen Cocoa Loco Cupcakes for Darby Franklin’s daughter’s birthday party. When she placed the order, Darby had explained that her mother used to do the same thing whenever she or her siblings celebrated their annual milestone. “Your grandmother made cupcakes for my two oldest brothers,” she’d explained. “And your mom did the same thing for me and my sister.”
I smiled at the sweet family tradition as I put the finishing touches on the last twelve cupcakes. Then I assembled two large paperboard boxes and began loading them with the treats when Harper rushed into the kitchen from the dining room.
“Trent’s out front,” she said. “He’d like a word if you’re not too busy.”
Julia looked up from the eggs she was scrambling. “Tell him that I’m way too busy,” she joked.
Harper plopped one hand on her hip. “Not you, Jules. I was talking to—”
“I know who you meant!” Julia chirped. “I was just trying to make Katie smile.”
I replied with a weak grin before asking Harper to tell Trent that I’d be right out. It wasn’t unusual for him to stop by and pick up something sweet after lunch, but the mid-morning visit suggested he wanted to talk about Tipper.
“Before you ask,” Trent said when I approached his table a moment later, “we haven’t found her. But I did get some news about the phone she used.”
I pulled out the chair across from Trent and slowly lowered myself into it. My back was howling and my thighs were tight as a drum. Spending twelve hours a day on my feet without resting for a few minutes was beginning to take its toll.
“Tania whatever?”
“Sturges,” said Trent. “She’s a school teacher in Las Cruces. Shortly before ten o’clock last Monday night, while she filled her Subaru at a place called…” He stopped and looked down at his notes. “…Chucky’s on Madrid Avenue, Miss Sturges was accosted by a man wearing mirrored aviator shades, a black knit cap and a dark snowmobile suit.”
My heart slowed in my chest before the beat suddenly accelerated. “I knew it! The guy I told you about yesterday—the one walking a dog when I got to Tipper’s. Remember? I told you he was wearing a—”
“Hold up there,” Trent said. “I do remember, yes. Absolutely. And you’re right—it sounds like the same guy.”
“Did the Las Cruces PD get security video from the gas station?”
“Nothing worthwhile, according to the detective I talked with. Apparently, the guy was pretty careful about keeping his back to the two cameras on the exterior.”
“And let me guess,” I said. “He never went inside and they didn’t see his vehicle.”
Trent smiled, raising one hand and tilting it back and forth. “Some yes,” he said. “And some no. The snowmobile suit guy never went inside Chucky’s, but they did catch him pulling up in an old Ford F-150.”
“Sounds familiar,” I said.
“Is familiar,” Trent agreed. “The license plates match, so it’s the same truck we found in Tipper’s garage along with Kyle Gallagher’s Jeep.”
I kept my eyes on Trent as he slowly and methodically walked me through everything he’d learned from the Las Cruces Police Department. He explained that the suspect who robbed Tania Sturges had an accomplice, a female with long dark hair who waited in the pickup truck during the robbery at the gas station. The couple had also been caught on bank ATM cameras immediately before two other similar robberies later that same night.
“And that’s it,” Trent said after about ten minutes of exposition. “They’ve got the guy on video robbing a couple of people and driving away in a Ford truck. And we found the exact same vehicle in Tipper Hedge’s garage after you discovered the woman on the kitchen floor with the GSW.”
“She could be the accomplice,” I said.
Trent nodded. “High degree of likelihood. But none of that is enough to bring Tipper home safely.”
“Did the neighbors have anything helpful?”
“Who—Tipper’s?”
“Yeah. Have you canvassed the area already?”
“Dina’s talked to the people on both sides of Tipper’s place,” Trent answered. “I’m guessing she’ll be back out there today at some point.”
I leaned forward in my chair. “Do you want me to help?”
He smiled. “Nah, but thanks, Katie. We can handle it.”
“I don’t mind. I feel so useless here. I’d like to do something to help my friend.”
Trent reached across the table and patted my arm. “I know how you are, Katie. But we’ve got this. If you hear anything, of course, I’ll appreciate a call.”
“Always. I can still hear her in my head, you know. The sound of her voice last night, the way I could tell she was fighting not to just break down and cry.”
“She’s a strong woman. I just hope that Mr. Snowmobile Suit keeps his cool long enough for us to find them both.”
CHAPTER 15
Darby Franklin knocked on the backdoor around one that afternoon, an apologetic grin on her face. Julia glanced silently over her shoulder before mumbling something about people who can’t follow the rules. I put down Nana Reed’s recipe box, hurried across the room and invited Darby inside.
“Hi, Katie!”
“Hey, how are you?”
“So-so,” she said. “I know we’re supposed to pickup special orders at the counter in the front, but I saw Meredith Lancaster’s car in the parking lot.”
I waited for the inevitable follow-up, but Darby didn’t seem like she was ready to fill me in.
“Are you guys still feuding?” Julia called from the other side of the kitchen. She was ladling batter into the waffle iron and scanning the two tickets that Harper had just added to the incoming orders.
Darby cleared her throat. “I’m not feuding with Meredith,” she said indignantly. “But she’s feuding with me.”
“Can a feud be one-sided?” I asked.
Julia laughed. “Have you met my sister? She’s always feuding with people—including me and the rest of our family—about things that are so meaningless.”
I smiled at the remark. It seemed like Julia had a new story about her younger sister’s erratic mood swings every other week. The latest tale involved a trip to Target, the last half-price bottle of Pantene conditioner and a curvaceous woman named Krystal Flegenheimer. Apparently, Julia’s sister and Krystal reached for the hair product at the same time, engaged in a noisy tug-of-war and drew quite a crowd before the store’s security guards stopped the fight.
“I’m just not in the mood to see Meredith,” Darby said. “The baby was extra cranky last night. I barely slept for an hour.”
“Well, you look like a million bucks,” I said brightly. “Other than last night, how’s the little one doing?”
&nb
sp; Darby’s effervescent smile answered the question.
“And how’s Ted?” asked Julia. “Is he helping with diapers and whatnot?”
“Oh, heck yeah!” Darby giggled. “He’s an expert this time around. I trained him well with the first two.”
“Well, you’ve still got your hands pretty full,” I said. “A three-year-old, a newborn and the birthday girl.”
“And a new puppy,” Darby said with a heavy sigh. “I told Ted it was too soon, but he came home last week with a furry bundle from the shelter.”
“How sweet!” Julia gushed. “Mutt or purebred?”
Darby’s mouth formed a mischievous grin. “Ted? Oh, he’s a mutt alright.”
“I think she meant the puppy,” I volunteered.
“Oh, I know, but…” Darby’s phone rang in her pocket. “That’ll be my mother-in-law. She’s watching the kids while I run errands.”
The phone continued to hum loudly, but Darby didn’t make any attempt to answer.
“We can wait,” I said.
The playful grin expanded. “So can she. I love the woman to death, but she calls about every sixty seconds. ‘The baby just did the cutest thing!’ ‘Guess what the baby did now!’ ‘I’m the happiest grandmother in the world!’” She snickered and the phone finally stopped ringing. “You’d think she was also the only grandmother, too. But I shouldn’t complain; she’s staying with us for a couple of weeks while Ted and I adjust to the new reality.”
“Maybe she can come stay with me next,” I muttered. “My new reality keeps changing minute to minute.”
Darby smirked. “Your nose just grew an inch, Katie.”
I put one hand on my face. “Oh, my goodness. I think you’re right!”
Harper suddenly appeared in the pass window. She called Darby’s name and waved at her with the order pad. “Meredith wanted me to tell you that all is forgiven,” she said.
Darby winced. “Oh, no! Did she see me or something?”
“She did indeed,” Harper said, taking two plates from the window. “And I heard all about the feud. Isn’t it silly when grown adults bicker about something as small as a parking spot at Food Town?”