by Rita Herron
Unable to shake the worry nagging at him, he brushed at the tears that, in spite of all his willpower, trickled from the corners of his own eyes and rolled down his cheeks. They were no closer to finding their son than they had been that morning. Statistics rattled through his head, twisting his nerve endings into a massive knot of anxiety—ninety-five percent of kidnapped babies were recovered shortly after being snatched. It had already been six weeks since their baby was born. Since he’d disappeared.
With every day that passed, the chances of finding their son grew slimmer.
THE DAY HAD taken more of a toll on Lindsey than she’d expected. She slept most of the way home, barely cognizant of the fact that it had rained the better part of the trip. She was going crazy.
She’d totally lost herself back there with that woman and the guilt was enormous, but she had to collect herself. She couldn’t start depending on Gavin.
The scent of wet grass and fall leaves assaulted her as she dragged herself from the car and walked up to her front porch. Dusk fell in radiant orange and yellow streaks, the sky turning a pinkish hue as the sun slid below the horizon. The night would soon descend upon them, plagued with nightmares and darkness. Another night without her baby.
Gavin massaged the tightness from her neck as she unlocked the door and she tried not to think about how wonderful the simple tender ministrations felt. The sound of a car spitting gravel took them both off guard and they pivoted to see a dark sedan park in the drive, the sheriff on its tail.
“Looks like trouble,” Gavin muttered.
“I’m sure Sheriff Forbes is miffed we went on TV,” Lindsey said. “Who are those men?”
“Probably my partner’s friends, the ex-FBI agents he told me about.”
“How can you tell?”
He laughed softly. “The suits. The car. You learn to pick ’em out in a crowd.”
“I’ll put on some coffee.”
“Probably a good idea. They’re going to set up the surveillance equipment to monitor incoming calls.”
Sheriff Forbes lumbered up the steps after the two ex-FBI agents, his fat cheeks ruddy. Gavin greeted them, then invited them inside before the sheriff could start in with his complaints. Lindsey filled the coffee pot and set out several mugs.
“I’m Rob Barnes and this is Detective Jernigan,” the younger of the two former agents said, shaking both Lindsey and Gavin’s hands. Barnes was fit and trim and handsome in a preppy sort of way, probably in his late thirties. The taller man’s age fell in the fifty-plus range. Jernigan’s tie hung askew, his round glasses had been cracked.
“You’re a friend of Simon’s?” Barnes asked.
Gavin nodded.
“Sorry to hear about your baby, Miss Payne.”
Lindsey smiled tightly and offered the men coffee. Rob Barnes took his black while Jernigan overflowed his with sugar and creamer.
“This is Sheriff Forbes,” Gavin said. “He’s been investigating the gas leak I told you about.”
The sheriff’s bushy eyebrows climbed his forehead. “I was a little out of the loop today,” Forbes admitted, with a warning glance at Gavin. “Mind filling me in on when you decided to go public?”
“I insisted we go on the air today,” Lindsey said. “I thought it was time we broaden the search for my baby.”
“The more people looking for him, the better our chances are of finding him,” Gavin added.
“Miss Payne, do you have a baby picture we could post?” Jernigan asked. “I want to get this into the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children as soon as possible.”
“No…no picture,” Lindsey said quietly.
Barnes frowned. “So basically all we have is the baby’s length and weight at birth?”
“That’s right,” Gavin said. “Although Lindsey received an autopsy report and footprint. I’ve already sent them to be analyzed.”
Barnes hesitated, but finally nodded in agreement. “Let’s set up the surveillance equipment.”
“I want all calls transferred here,” Gavin said.
Jernigan nodded. “We’ll handle things, McCord.”
Gavin jerked the phone line from the man’s hands. “I started this—”
“You’re not objective and you know it.” Barnes placed a hand on Gavin’s arm to calm him. “Let us take the show from here. Your partner filled us in on the details. If this is indeed a kidnapping—”
“We’re talking about my baby,” Gavin cut in. “I don’t intend to sit on my ass and twiddle my thumbs while you guys work the case.”
The sheriff coughed in shock. “Your baby?”
Gavin hesitated, realizing he’d revealed his secret. “Yes, my baby.” He approached Forbes, menace written on his features. “But no one, I mean no one, is supposed to know that, do you understand me?”
Forbes’s hand shook but he nodded amicably.
Lindsey relayed the story about her ex-husband, Gavin’s part in protecting her when she was a witness, their visit to the jail.
“Now don’t you think something strange is going on?” Gavin asked.
The sheriff shifted sideways, folding his arms. “Maybe, but I still don’t think Doc is involved. He’s a good man.”
“You are going to cooperate with us?” Barnes asked, the surveillance equipment. “Share any information you might receive on a local level?”
Forbes nodded.
Jernigan slurped his coffee. “I still think you should pull yourself off the case, McCord.”
Gavin squared his shoulders. “No way. Whoever kidnapped my son might be trying to get revenge on me.”
“Any suspects?” Barnes asked.
Gavin filled them in on Swain, the prisoner who’d threatened revenge on him, then explained the possibilities related to Lindsey’s ex and his parents. He still wondered about Johnson… “Any news on Janet Quinn, the nurse who disappeared?” Gavin asked.
Forbes shook his head, along with the agents. Lindsey reminded herself to think positive. She had Gavin and the former FBI agents working on her side now. Something had to happen to break the case. She poured her cold coffee down the drain and stared at the tiny little rattle in the bassinet. Unable to resist, she picked up the pale yellow baby blanket and pressed her cheek against the downy softness. Her baby needed her.
Yes, something had to happen soon. It simply had to.
AN HOUR LATER, Gavin breathed a sigh of relief when the ex-agents and sheriff finally departed. Lindsey looked exhausted. She’d thrown together a stroganoff dish while he’d checked the equipment with the agents and coerced Jernigan into letting him monitor the incoming calls for the night. They’d replayed a few calls that had come in shortly after the TV show. Several false leads had surfaced already, a couple of pranks. Unfortunately nothing helpful.
The agents had wanted to stay the night. Gavin knew they were only doing their jobs, but Lindsey’s place felt cramped enough with the two of them. They didn’t need two uptight former FBI agents to add to the mounting tension. He guessed Barnes wasn’t so bad, except he hadn’t liked the way he’d looked at Lindsey. As if he’d noticed she was a woman and he’d be glad to comfort her.
Gavin scrubbed his hand over his tired eyes and sighed. God, he couldn’t believe the direction of his thoughts. He actually sounded jealous. Not that he had any claims on Lindsey…except she had carried his child.
Cory would always tie the two of them together.
He’d always sympathized with people who’d lost children, but he’d never understood the gutwrenching emotions that could steal a person’s sanity. Now he knew.
Focus on finding your son. Do your job. You can’t afford to let your emotions get involved.
They ate in silence, both too exhausted to rehash the day’s events. At least he ate. Lindsey simply pushed her food around with her fork to give the semblance of actually eating. She wasn’t fooling him, though. When the phone rang, she hurried to answer it, and he followed her to the den, easing up the receiver to
the other line to listen.
“Lindsey, this is JoAnn. I saw the news today. Are you all right?”
Lindsey leaned against the sofa. “Yeah, t
So this woman was the Jo she’d called from his apartment, not Joe a man. He slowly lowered the second phone to give her some privacy and decided to clear the table. Her soft voice cracked as she confided the day’s events to her friend.
“Thanks for calling, Jo. Good luck with the kids tomorrow.” She murmured something low and discernible. “Don’t worry, I’ll let you know when we find him.”
When we find him.
The hope in her voice tore through him. He couldn’t disappoint her.
As soon as she hung up, the phone rang again. “Mom, oh, hey. Thanks for praying for us, I can feel your wishes all the way to my heart.”
He smiled at the affectionate tone she used, his chest tightening as he heard her describing their day. He wandered outside on the porch to give her some privacy, scanning the yard and woods for anything suspicious. A few minutes later, he glanced through the window and saw her sway slightly as she hung up the phone.
He rushed in and caught her. “You need to eat something.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. My stomach’s been upset all day.”
“You’re under a lot of stress, you’re probably exhausted.” He helped her settle back on the sofa and brought her a footstool, then slipped off her sandals. “Do you need a doctor?”
“No, I’m just a little queasy. I’m sure it’s simply nerves. I’ll be all right after I rest.”
“Stress can do strange things to the body.” He found her bottle of vitamins on the windowsill, shook out two pills, filled a glass with water and brought them to her. “At least take these. If you don’t, you’re going to wind up back in the hospital.” She downed them, then murmured a weak thank-you as she sipped the water.
He lowered himself beside her and gently brushed her cheek with his hand, his voice low and tender. “You want to keep up your strength, Lindsey. When the baby comes home you’ll need it.”
The first smile he’d seen all day graced her face. But even as she smiled, tears filled her eyes. “We will find him won’t we, Mac?”
He curved his arm around her and hugged her to his chest. “I won’t give up until we do.”
She nodded against his chest, draping her arm across his stomach and curling into him. He brushed the soft strands of her hair, gently stroking the ends and massaging the tense muscles at the base of her neck. His mind replayed the day she’d asked him to find their son, the way she’d discounted the night they’d spent together as if it had meant nothing. Did she have feelings for him at all?
Her gaze lifted slightly and swung to the phone. “I thought we’d hear something before now.”
He shrugged. “Don’t give up yet.”
She nodded again, and let her head rest against him. They sat together for what seemed like hours as he held her and comforted her. She slid her arms around his waist and kneaded the muscles in his back. The air hued around them with unspoken tension. His lips touched her hair. He inhaled the sweet fragrance of her shampoo and his senses swirled into a maelstrom of desire. Desire that reached beyond the physical.
Desire that could never be slaked by anyone but Lindsey.
Her breath whispered against his shirt as she traced her fingers over his stomach and drew tiny circles over his abdomen. He inhaled sharply, every nerve ending in his body responding to her provocative but innocent touch. Then she lifted her head, her chin resting on his chest as she gazed into his eyes.
He wanted her.
Wanted to bury himself inside her and let her soothe away all the pain. Replace the icy loneliness in his soul with her gentle warmth. Wanted to tear away the distrust and hurt and ache in her eyes and fill her with his strength. Push into her and bring her to such mindless ecstasy the sadness would be wiped from her face. And he’d finally see her smile. At least temporarily.
Their breaths mingled as he lowered his mouth and sipped at her lips. She opened for him, the yearning in the way she inched her hands up to cup his face almost his undoing. He gripped her with his hands, forcing himself not to jerk her in his lap and ravage her the way he so desperately needed. Forced himself to take only what she offered. But the heat in her body sank into him, bit at his chill, melted his resolve and before he realized what had happened, he was hungrily devouring her. Kissing her like he might die any second. Pulling at her clothes and cupping her breasts.
She groaned in return, her response as fiery as his own, her body molding to his as they slid deeper into the cushions. His body hardened as his mouth consumed her, his tongue sought the inner recesses of her mouth with a ferocious hunger that she matched in return. She reached for the buttons on his shirt and one popped just as another sound penetrated the air around them.
The phone.
They jumped apart, wild-eyed and breathing hard. He gasped and tried to calm himself, hating the fear and guilt he suddenly saw in her eyes as she reached for the handset.
He grabbed the other line and Lindsey quickly straightened her blouse, yanking it back into place as she pressed the receiver to her ear. “Hello?”
She hesitated, then raised a brow at Gavin in question when no one replied.
He gestured for her to speak again.
“Hello, is anyone there?”
A low raspy voice sounded over the line. “Miss Payne?”
“Yes.”
“Are you the woman they showed on the news today talking about your missing baby?”
Lindsey gulped. “Yes, that’s right.” Her knuckles whitened as her fingers tightened around the phone. “Do you know something about my baby?”
“I…I’m not sure.”
“Anything you can tell me will help. Do you know who kidnapped him, where he is?”
Gavin placed a comforting hand on her back, massaging the tension in Lindsey’s shoulders, trying to nod encouragement so she wouldn’t spook
“I don’t know anything for sure. But…” the voice trailed off, warbling slightly. “You wanted to know about some girl who had a baby that same night you did?”
“Yes, I mentioned the name of the clinic. It’s in Maple Hollow.”
The voice on the other end cleared his throat. “Yeah, well, I think I know the girl you’re looking for.”
Chapter Eleven
“Where is she now?”
“She’s a student over here at Brevard college.”
Lindsey recognized the place. Brevard was a small Methodist college about twenty-five miles from Asheville. “Do you know her name, where I could find her?”
The young man hesitated. “I think it’s Candy Sue. Don’t know her last name. I’ve seen her around campus. People been talking, you know, saying she was pregnant but she hadn’t told anyone. Been wearing these big tent-like dresses, kept to herself.”
A seed of hope sprouted, but frustration pulled at Lindsey. “What else can you tell us? Can you describe her, give me her address?”
A clicking sound punctuated the air as if he’d flicked a cigarette lighter. “Don’t know where she lives. She’s got black hair though, freckles, short girl, wears some of them funky round glasses. Hangs out near the library most of the time.”
“You said she had the baby. Have you seen him?”
“No. Heard she gave the kid away.”
A tremor rolled through Lindsey. If this girl hadn’t kidnapped Lindsey’s baby, where was he? And what had happened to the girl’s child? Had she lost her baby and stolen Lindsey’s to replace it? Could this boy be involved?
“Can you give us your name, maybe meet us on campus?”
“Look, lady I’m just a student here. I don’t want any trouble.”
“You’re not in trouble, we just want you to meet us and point her out?”
As if the caller realized they might be tracing him, he claimed that was all the information he could offer and abruptly hung up. Lindsey stared at
the phone in silence, barely aware when Gavin removed the receiver from her hand and checked to see if the tracer had picked up a location. The caller had used a pay phone from the school cafeteria. It could have been one of a hundred students calling.
“I don’t understand.” She searched Gavin’s face for answers. “I thought maybe the woman was so distraught over losing her own child she’d kidnapped our son, but now…”
Gavin rubbed her hands. “Now we have a place to start looking.” He tipped her chin up and lay his hand against her cheek. “Don’t think beyond that, Linds. This is a start.”
“But
He pressed his finger over her lips, silencing her. The intensity of his look reminded her of what they’d been doing before the phone call. Hunger and need still glimmered in his dark brown eyes, but the moment for lovemaking had passed. Regret had obviously taken center stage to his emotions. “It’s been a long day, Linds. Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow we’re going to Brevard.”
GAVIN TRIED to stifle the surge of excitement over finally getting a small lead in the case. He’d chased a lot of dead trails in his life and prayed this wasn’t one of them. But the man’s call had stamped a seal of possible validity on Lindsey’s argument about the other woman. And if they found the woman, he’d go straight to that cockamamie doctor’s office and beat the truth out of him.
The shower kicked on and he fought images of Lindsey standing naked beneath the spray of warm water, her sexy body dotted with moisture and bubbles, her skin slick and wet and warm…waiting for his touch. God, how he wanted to join her, to wash the soapy, soft skin of her back, to tickle the underside of her perfect breasts with his fingertips, to drive her wild with pleasure.
But if they’d followed through on the ravenous lovemaking they’d begun earlier, would he be able to walk away from her again?