by Rita Herron
But as Brody watched the boys join the other campers, he looked out at the sea of kids and wondered what Will would think of this place.
For years he’d seen his brother’s face on the streets, in stores, every place he went. For a while, he’d attended every rodeo he could find in Texas, hoping his brother would be in the crowd. In fact, a few months ago when Johnny had helped him host a rodeo as a fund-raiser for the ranch, he’d hoped ridiculously that his brother might magically appear in the stands.
But he hadn’t.
He shoved his hands in his pockets with a weary sigh. At least he knew now that Will was alive.
And he would do whatever he had to in order to save him.
Even if it meant putting aside his feelings and working with Julie to bring him in.
* * *
TWO DAYS had passed since Julie had left Brody. Two days of trying to figure out how they could catch Will.
“We’ve managed to contain the media from showing his photo as of now,” Chief Hurt said. “But I don’t know how much longer we can hold them off.”
“I’m surprised someone didn’t capture the robbery on their cell phone and it’s not already on YouTube,” Julie said.
Agent Jay Cord walked in, looking haggard and worried as hell. “I just came from the Fortes’ house. The mother’s in bad shape.”
As a moment of silence descended, Julie’s stomach churned. She wasn’t a parent, so she had no idea how it felt to lose the son you’d given birth to, but she did understand the mind-numbing terror and guilt a family felt when a child went missing.
And how devastated she and Brody and Brody’s father had been the day they’d lost Will.
“Have the parents, their friends and family all been cleared?” Julie asked.
Jay nodded, then scrubbed a hand over his face. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in days. “We got a few tips on that Tip Line, but none of them panned out.”
“How could a six-year-old disappear and no one notice it?” Hurt asked.
Julie sighed, the familiar answers traipsing through her head. “It was a busy place, dozens of kids and families around. Kids running off to see the attractions, begging to do the rides, parents trying to keep up.” She paused with a huff. “These creeps are pros. They’re watching for the perfect opportunity. A balloon floats by and the kid chases it. He sees the ice cream vendor and takes off. His mother, father turn their heads for a second.” She snapped her fingers. “That’s all it takes.”
“Some of them use tricks to lure the kids away from a group,” Cord cut in. “A prize, a toy, a puppy. They know how to catch a kid’s attention and earn their trust.”
“He’s right,” Julie said. “Just think about it. A man in a uniform, a cop, even a vendor, those people seem safe to children and to the adults around them.”
Julie frowned, thinking back to the day Will had disappeared. “You know that could be it. The kidnapper could be someone who worked at the carnival, someone the kids would automatically trust.”
“You mean like a vendor?” Cord asked.
“Yes, or someone who got a temporary job working one of the rides or stands. If a man selling cotton candy or giving away balloons came up to Hank, he wouldn’t have been scared.”
“And the perp might have a van stashed nearby,” Agent Cord said, following her line of reasoning.
She removed the photos of Will and the other teenager, Tray, from the file on her desk and spread them out for Jay to look at. “These boys both went missing at different times. Will Bloodworth from a rodeo seven years ago. Tray from a park five years ago.”
“You’re thinking they’re connected?” Cord said.
“It’s possible,” Julie said. “So maybe we should look back at those sites. The rodeo, the park, the fair. See if there’s a connection like an employee, vendor service, even a delivery van.”
Jay’s face brightened. “Hey, it’s more than we had an hour ago and a place to start.” He headed to the door. “I’ll get right on it. This could be the break we’ve been looking for.”
Julie nodded, her adrenaline pumping. “Tell them to look at all the missing children cases in the past eight years. See how many of them happened at a public venue. There may be more victims attached to this guy.”
“You’re a genius,” Cord said.
Julie shook her head. No, not a genius. Just trying to connect the dots and find Will. He could be only one of a string of children this sicko had abducted over the years.
Just thinking about their families and the pain they’d had to endure made her want to scream in rage.
Agent Hurt’s phone buzzed, and he quickly connected the call. “Yes? Right.” A slight hesitation, his brows pinched. “Got it. We’ll be right there.”
He closed his phone then looked at her. “Another robbery in Amarillo. This time there was gunfire. Let’s go.”
Julie grabbed her bag and rushed out the door behind her boss, her pulse racing. Normally they wouldn’t be involved in a routine robbery case, but since Will’s photo had popped up, they had to look at every instance.
By the time they reached the convenience store, two police cars were on the scene, an ambulance was pulling away and spectators had gathered outside.
They jumped out, introduced themselves to the officer in charge, and listened while he filled them in. “Two teenage boys, both wearing black hooded sweatshirts, held up the owner at the gunpoint. Escaped with around five hundred in cash.”
Julie watched the ambulance racing away. “Was anyone hurt?”
The officer shrugged. “Nothing serious, but one of the customers tried to play hero and the oldest kid hit him with the butt of the gun.”
Julie’s chest clenched. If that was Will, then he’d just added assault and battery to the charges against him. The felony charges were racking up.
“Is the man going to be all right?” Chief Hurt asked.
“Yeah,” the officer said. “Paramedics took him in for observation.”
“Can we talk to the clerk?” Julie asked.
“Sure. We already have officers canvassing the area for witnesses now.”
“Good work,” Chief Hurt said. “Let me know whatever you find.”
They bypassed a couple of kids huddled next to their mother, obviously scared to death, then spotted the clerk talking to another officer as they entered.
“What happened?” Chief Hurt asked.
“Two kids, seemed suspicious, nervous when they came in,” the officer said, referring to his notes. “They waited until they thought all the customers had left then pulled a gun and asked for cash.”
“How about the man in the ambulance?” Julie asked.
“He was in the john,” the clerk said. “Came out and saw what was happening and tried to take the boy with the gun out.”
Julie grimaced. The teen would probably claim he was defending himself. But he’d still be charged.
Agent Hurt gestured toward the camera. “Did you record it on film?”
The man nodded, then the officer led them to the camera and flipped it back for them to watch. Julie grimaced as the images spieled onto the screen. Just like the other robberies, the boys had tried to hide their faces, but one angle caught the boy with the gun and it was the same boy in the other photos.
“Did they say anything?” Chief Hurt asked the clerk. “Call each other by name?”
The clerk rubbed a shaky hand over his chin. “Yeah, now that you mention it. The younger kid seemed scared, called the other boy Kyle.”
Kyle? Julie gritted her teeth. Either they were wrong about this teen being Will or he was using another name.
Her cell phone buzzed, and she checked the number. Brody.
She nudged Chief Hurt. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.” Her finger itching to answer the call, she stepped aside.
“Julie, it’s Brody.” His voice resonated with worry. “I just saw the news report about that other robbery. Was it Will?”
Julie
clenched the phone. “It is the same two teenagers in the other robbery,” she said. “But I told you we can’t be sure until we get DNA.”
“I know that,” he said. “But I saw the picture on TV.”
Julie hissed. This couldn’t be good.
“Brody, we’re at the scene interviewing the cashier now. She said the younger boy called the other one Kyle, not Will.”
A tense second passed. “So, he could have assumed another name?”
“Yes. It’s not uncommon for kidnappers to do that to their victims.” She hesitated. “I just wanted to warn you.”
“Warn me what?” Brody asked. “That whoever kidnapped him may have made him change his name?”
“Yes,” Julie said. “There’s no telling what Will has been through in the past seven years. When you see him, you have to remember that.”
She shuddered at the thought as a dozen different scenarios raced through her head. None of which she wanted to share with Brody.
* * *
BRODY’S LUNGS tightened as he realized the implications of what she’d said. Even if this was Will, he might not want to come home.
Hell, Will might not remember him at all.
“I’ve seen the stories about other abductions,” Brody said. “Where some kidnappers brainwash their captives, force them to forget their pasts. And in some cases, the kidnapper actually made them believe they were someone else.”
Her throat clogged with emotions. “That’s true,” Julie said. “So just be prepared.”
No...Brody didn’t believe it. Will would remember him. And he’d want to come back home.
“You asked for my help before,” Brody said. “Just tell me what you need, Julie. I’ll do whatever it takes to bring Will in.”
It was the only way to find out the truth about what had happened and save his little brother.
But would Will come with him when he did?
* * *
KYLE USHERED RJ into the old house. But as soon as he stepped inside, Father grabbed him and gave him a hard knock across the face. He staggered back, tasting blood, then his father cursed as he lunged for him again.
“You stupid little jerk, your face is all over TV.”
Kyle’s stomach lurched as he remembered what had happened to the last kid who’d gotten caught.
They had all paid for it.
And the boy—he’d ended up dead.
Of course his father had told him the boy had run off.
But he’d lied.
Kyle had seen Father bury him in the backyard that night. He’d seen another grave there, too. He didn’t know who was in it.
But Father would bury him back there, too, if he didn’t behave.
Chapter Four
Brody had never been to the TBI office, and was surprised at the interesting architecture and modern touches in the building’s design.
The inside looked spotless, with office spaces on various floors. But even though the building was sleekly designed, an ugliness permeated the rooms.
Bulletin boards were clogged with photos of various ongoing cases. Most of the agents wore dark suits and even darker expressions that made him wonder why Julie chose to stay in this world.
As a teenager, she’d loved animals and had worked on a ranch during the summers, grooming and exercising horses, and giving riding lessons to children. She’d also trailed after the local veterinarian and had talked about attending vet school.
But sometime after they’d parted she’d changed her mind.
It had to do with Will, he realized as the receptionist led him into the conference room where Julie sat with two other agents, both of whom were studying a wall of mug shots of young boys. The sight made his skin crawl.
And made him realize what he’d done to Julie by blaming her for his brother’s disappearance. Heaping that guilt on her had been unfair, but she’d obviously used it to inspire her to work in law enforcement just as he’d used his own guilt to inspire the BBL.
“Special Agent Whitehead,” the receptionist said. “Mr. Bloodworth is here.”
Julie glanced up, her face drawn, and emotions clogged his throat. God, he’d been wrong to lash out at her. To lay guilt on her for his wrongdoing.
She should have been taking care of animals, living on the ranch, not here in this world of constant misery and crime.
“Come in, Brody,” Julie said, gesturing for him to take the chair beside her. “We’re discussing the case.”
So his brother was just a case to them. But not to Julie. Now he saw the pain in her eyes. Pain he had put there by his own anger and guilt.
“This is Section Chief Hurt and Special Agent Cord,” Julie said, indicating the two men.
“Do you have something new on my brother?” Brody asked after they shook hands.
“We have a theory.” Chief Hurt pointed to the photos of the other missing boys. Brody took a visual sweep and counted a total of ten.
“You think these missing boys may have been abducted by the same person who kidnapped Will?” Brody asked.
“We don’t know, but it’s possible. We have agents reviewing each of the boys’ cases and talking with their families. The disappearances started about twenty years ago.”
“Which means some of the children would be young men in their early twenties now,” Julie interjected. “That is, if they’re still alive.”
Brody’s blood ran cold. “You think he keeps them for a while, then kills them?”
Julie shrugged. “At this point we can’t say. But the fact that this boy Kyle, if he is Will, is still alive, gives us hope that some of the victims are still alive, as well.”
“How could this guy get away with this crime for twenty years?” Brody asked.
“It’s possible that the kidnapper keeps his victims locked up most of the time. He lives off the grid, maintains a low profile, possibly holds a menial job, if he has one, so he doesn’t raise suspicion.”
Brody tried not to think about where the man kept the boys. Or what he might do to them in the dark.
“But I don’t understand.” Brody scrubbed a hand over his chin. “Those teenagers walked into that convenience store on their own. Why don’t they tell someone what’s going on and ask for help?”
Julie exchanged concerned looks with the other agents.
“Look, don’t hold back,” Brody said. “I can handle the truth. All I want is a chance to try and get my brother back.”
“There are different possibilities,” Julie said. “Sometimes victims fall prey to Stockholm syndrome.”
“Other times the kidnapper has threatened the victim, his family, or a loved one. The kidnapper keeps him isolated and terrorizes his victim, even abuses him or her. When he feels like he has total control, that he has successfully brainwashed the victim, he may give him the chance to prove himself by taking him out in public.”
“If this unsub, unknown subject, is now in his forties, he may not be employed anymore. Either he’s out of work for health reasons or he came close to getting caught or noticed, and he had to lay low. That may be the reason he’s forcing the older kids to bring in money by stealing,” Agent Cord said.
Brody noticed the little boy Hank’s photo on the wall. “You think that child was taken by him, too?”
Julie bit her lip. “We’re not certain, but it’s possible. Each of these children disappeared from a public venue like a carnival, public park, county fair, a rodeo—” She paused and met his gaze. “He may work at one of these venues. He’s friendly, fits in, doesn’t look like a criminal. That’s how he gets close to the kids.”
“So you can track him down that way?” Brody asked.
“That’s what we’re working on,” Chief Hurt said.
Dammit, they needed to work faster.
Julie stood then went to the board and gestured toward a map with pushpins stuck in various areas. “The convenience store robberies over the past few months also coincide with areas where children went missing, which also ma
kes us believe they’re connected. Hopefully if we find this gang of robbers, it will lead us to other missing children.”
“How can I help?” Brody asked. “Do you want me to go on TV and make a plea for Will to come forward?”
“No,” Julie said, her eyes darkening with worry. “That might endanger Will and Tray, the boy with him. We don’t want to tip this guy off that we’re getting close to uncovering his identity.”
“Are you getting close?” Brody asked, his patience on thin ice.
Julie tensed, one hand worrying her jacket buttons. “We think so,” Julie said. “In fact, we’ve narrowed down stores we suspect may be targeted next and are placing undercover officers on surveillance duty to monitor them.”
Brody’s heart pounded as he imagined Julie in a car at night watching for a group of robbers to attack a store at gunpoint.
Cold fear knotted his stomach as he realized the danger she was putting herself in.
“Are you working these stakeouts?” he asked.
Julie’s gaze met his. “That’s my job.”
“Then I’m going with you.”
Chief Hurt and Agent Cord mumbled disagreement, but Brody stood his ground. “You have to let me do this. If you catch Will in the act, I may be the only one who can reach him.” He walked over and pointed to the board of boys. “You said yourself that finding him may lead to these other victims. You can’t afford not to let me go.”
* * *
JULIE KNEW Brody was right. But that didn’t mean she had to like it. This case was difficult enough for her—the guilt kept sneaking up on her at the oddest times and had kept her awake the last few nights—but the thought of working alongside Brody made her even more jittery.
Just breathing in the same air as Brody made her want him again.
“You know I’m right,” Brody said in that gruff voice that twisted her insides.
“He has a point,” Chief Hurt said.
Julie fidgeted. “I know, but it could be dangerous.”
Brody glared at her. “It’s not dangerous for you?”
He was practically daring her to admit that she was scared. “It’s my job,” Julie said, knowing Brody was one of those macho cowboys who thought he was tougher and rougher than any woman ever could be.