by Ponzo, Gary
“Now I’m taking up your time to help me find Jack.” Janine reached in her bag and pulled out a tube of lip balm.
Rachel glanced at her new friend. “Remember, I offered to do this. I want to help you.”
“Right… thanks.” She applied the lip balm generously. “I’m just not used to people wanting to help me. Everything I have is because I worked hard for it.”
“I can understand that. I’m no stranger to hard work myself.”
“Think Adam is still at the marina?”
“Hopefully. I think it’ll pay off to make one more visit to him before we head back to Miami. If nothing turns up, we can call Detective Cooper and see where they are on the case. Maybe he’ll have some suggestions.”
The marina parking lot was pretty deserted that morning. Rachel easily found a parking space close to the docks. When they got out of the car, Rachel spotted the dock master who had given her Adam’s whereabouts the day before.
“Morning, Mr. Dickerson,” Rachel greeted him with a smile.
“Good morning. Still looking for Adam?”
“We saw him yesterday. Thought we’d say goodbye before we left town.”
“Well, you just missed him. He took off for Miami with his nephew.”
Janine and Rachel exchanged puzzled glances.
“Nephew?” Janine asked.
“Yeah. Little boy - about two or three? Dark hair. Adam said he was taking him home today.”
“You didn’t say anything about a boy staying with Adam when we spoke yesterday,” Rachel said to him.
The dock master shrugged. “You didn’t ask.” He narrowed his eyes. “Is there a problem?”
Janine started to say something, but Rachel put her hand on Janine’s arm. “No problem. We didn’t realize he was heading back to Miami so early. Did he drive?”
Mr. Dickerson turned his attention back to the water. “Far as I know. His sailboat is still docked. Such a shame. It’s a good day to be on the water.”
“Well, thanks for your help. Have a good day.” Rachel held onto Janine’s arm and guided her back to the car.
“What was that about?” Janine pulled her arm away.
“Sorry, I didn’t want him to call Adam and warn him or something.” Rachel unlocked the car door. “Come on.”
“But what about my son?”
“We’ll head to Miami. I’ll call Detective Cooper on the way and tell him what we’ve found out. Let him handle everything from here. Maybe he can run Adam’s driver’s license and find out what kind of vehicle he drives.”
Janine jumped in the car. “Okay, let’s hurry. There’s no telling what Scotty has planned.”
Chapter 19
The drive from Clearwater to Miami usually took Rachel about four and a half hours. However, she made it back in less than four. She called Detective Cooper on the way and told him what they found out about Adam hiding Janine’s son on the sailboat. Detective Cooper asked them to come straight to the station so he could meet with them. In the meanwhile, he said he was going to get the local Clearwater P.D. over to the marina to interview the dock master and acquire the information on Adam so they could alert the highway patrol.
Janine began to cry. “I should feel relieved, but I don’t. Not until I get Jack away from that monster.” She rubbed her hands nervously. “I can’t believe that asshole did this me!”
“Scotty never gave you any indication that he would take Jack away from you?” Rachel asked delicately. She wanted to find out exactly what kind of man they were dealing with. Up until now, Janine had been pretty quiet about her relationship with her husband. Rachel understood they didn’t have a particularly pleasant marriage - a lot of people didn’t. And now they were in the middle of a divorce – a lot of people were. But to take your child away from his mother without a good cause was baffling to her. Why would someone want to do that? Maybe she did bite off more than she could chew with offering to help Janine.
Janine brushed the tears away from her face. “Scotty was abusive, more emotionally than physically. Though, he did knock me down once.”
“Once is enough,” Rachel muttered and shot a sideways glance at Janine.
“Well, I didn’t realize how conniving he really was until he did this. I guess it goes to show you that you really don’t know someone as well as you thought you did.”
Rachel parked in the lot across from the Miami P.D. Once inside, a receptionist escorted them to Detective Cooper’s office.
“Have a seat,” Detective Cooper gestured to the worn chairs in front of his desk.
“Did they find the bastard?” Janine asked impatiently.
“Not yet. We have the highway patrol on alert with the make and model of Adam’s truck. If he left when Mr. Dickerson said they did, then they are probably already here in Miami. We also have an officer staked out at your husband’s place of residence, but we don’t think he’s home. Do you have any idea where your husband may have set up a meeting place?”
“No, I don’t know or I would be there,” Janine said, the frustration growing in her voice.
“And no knowledge of Scotty owning a boat or any type of marine vessel?”
“We used to own a Hobie Cat but Scotty sold that when he lost his job.”
“Okay. Here’s the thing.” Detective Cooper picked up a pen and twirled it between his fingers. “When dealing with this type of situation…when one spouse has taken their child and there’s no clear custody arrangement in place…it’s hard to intervene legally.”
“But Jack is with a stranger!” Janine fought to keep her emotions in check.
“We don’t know the exact dynamics of the situation. I have to admit, this is a little sticky. Unless you can prove otherwise, your husband has a legal right to the child just as much as you do. If he asked this guy Adam to babysit his child while he was working or something, then there is nothing we can do about that…”
“What about-” Rachel started, but was cut off by Detective Cooper.
He held up his hand. “Please, let me finish. If Scotty has Jack, and asked Adam to watch him for whatever reason, then there isn’t much we can do about that since there is no clear custody agreement in place. However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t assist you in finding your son. What we can do is charge your husband with obstruction of justice for lying to us about your son whereabouts. When we questioned him, he said he didn’t have Jack and didn’t know where he was.”
Janine seemed to relax a little.
“What I suggest is that you call your attorney, if you haven’t already, and tell him about what happened. See if you can get a temporary protective order,” Detective Cooper suggested.
“I’ll do that right away,” Janine agreed. “Until then, what can we do to help with the search? If Scotty leaves the country, I may never find Jack.”
Rachel rubbed Janine on the arm, comforting her. “We’ll find him.”
“We’re doing the best we can.” Detective Cooper stood up from his chair abruptly and began rubbing his hand across his chest. His face turned several shades of red.
“Are you okay?” Rachel asked, growing concerned.
The detective reached for a roll of antacids on his desk and popped two in his mouth. “Yeah, yeah. Indigestion, part of the job. Now, I have to hit the streets.” He walked them back to the reception area. “We’ll call you as soon as we know something.”
“What now?” Janine asked as they left the building.
Rachel could tell Janine was beginning to break down. The not knowing gets you every time, Rachel thought. She knew that better than anyone. “Do what Detective Cooper suggested. Call your attorney.”
“Okay.” Janine waited until they got in the car and called her attorney. Rachel waited while Janine discussed the issue with him.
“Well, what did your attorney say?” Rachel asked when Janine got off the phone.
“He’s drawing up the temporary custody order now,” she said excitedly. Then, the excitement ab
ruptly drained from her. “This really doesn’t matter if I don’t find him soon though.”
“It does matter because we are going to find him,” Rachel assured her.
Janine looked down when her cell phone rang, her face expressed concern.
“Who is it?” Rachel asked.
“I don’t know. I don’t recognize the number. It’s from Miami, though.”
“Answer it!”
Rachel watched as Janine gripped the phone tighter, her face turning red. Whoever was on the other end had Janine jumping in her seat with excitement.
Chapter 20
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. And I promise no police.” Janine snapped the phone shut and grabbed her purse. “We have to go.”
“Who was that?”
“Adam,” Janine said breathlessly. “He admitted to having Jack and had second thoughts about helping Scotty. They’re at Bruster’s Marina where he’s supposed to meet Scotty in a few minutes. He made me promise that I wouldn’t turn him in.”
Rachel followed her out the door. “Maybe we should call Detective Cooper, just in case…”
“No!” Janine said firmly.
This was the most agitated Rachel had seen Janine since they met, yet she dare not question her. “Okay, I’ll drive. I know where this is. You can explain on the way.”
The drive to the marina took a little over thirty minutes with the heavy traffic. Rachel tried to keep Janine calm by talking to her. “We used to take our boat into another marina just down the street from Bruster’s Marina for maintenance and stuff,” she said.
“Adam said that he was supposed to meet Scotty at the marina. Why is he not answering his phone?” Janine nervously tapped her cell phone on her knee. Rachel’s distractions were not working. “I’m wondering if Mr. Dickerson gave him a heads-up and now he’s worried that he’s in trouble with the law.”
“I still think we should call Detective Cooper. What if this is some kind of trap?” Rachel asked, turning down the street that would take them to the marina.
“No! I don’t want to jeopardize getting my son back. Rachel, you promised you would help.”
Rachel pulled into the lot and slammed the car into park. “Okay, I just want to know what we’re walking into here.” She looked around for any signs of Adam or Scotty. “Where to now?”
“You can wait in the car. As a matter of fact, I’d feel better if you did. I don’t want to drag you into this any further than I already have.”
“Too late.” Rachel gave Janine what she thought was a reassuring smile. “I told you, I want to help. I’m here on my own accord. And I’m not waiting in the car.”
“Adam said to meet him at the restaurant next door.” Janine opened her door. “Wait, I see him!” Rachel saw a little boy holding the hand of the tall skinny man. It was definitely not Adam – it was Scotty, Janine’s husband. Rachel recognized him from a family picture she saw on Janine’s refrigerator.
“Janine, wait a…” Rachel started to say. It was too late. Janine started to sprint across the parking lot toward her son.
Chapter 21
Rachel froze. Adam was nowhere in sight. A look of shock draped from Scotty’s face; he wasn’t expecting Janine to show up to the marina which meant that he didn’t know that Adam had betrayed him. Scotty pulled Jack in close with a bear-hug. The boy was yelling for his mom but Scotty wouldn’t let him go.
Shit, Rachel thought, this isn’t going to end well. She looked around the parking lot for help but didn’t see any. Trying to maintain a level head, she walked quickly toward Janine and her family, hoping to keep the situation from blowing out of control. Scotty had been caught and he didn’t look like he was ready to give up so easily. The closer she got, the more pungent the hatred in Scotty’s eyes.
“Jack and I are leaving and there is nothing you can do it about, Janine!” he spat. “I have a right to him just as much as you do. I’ll let you say good-bye but that’s it.”
“You can’t do this Scotty. I’m his mother. You can’t take him away from me,” Janine pleaded with her husband. “Jack, you need to come with me.” Still standing a few feet away from her husband and son, she held her arms out to Jack.
Rachel’s heart was breaking with every passing moment. Jack was clearly confused. He was trying fiercely to break free from his father but Scotty maintained a strong hold on him. Janine was in tears, trying to reason with her husband. People had started to come out of the marina’s restaurant to see what the commotion was. Rachel walked a few feet closer and stood beside Janine.
“And who the hell are you?” Scotty asked. His attention was momentarily distracted from Janine.
“I’m, uh,” Rachel felt like she had made a mistake. She was starting to second guess herself. It was wrong for her to come here. For once, since Mallory’s disappearance, she agreed with Rick – this was a bad idea. “I’m a friend of Janine’s,” Rachel acknowledged.
Scotty’s eyes flickered between the girls as he picked Jack up and held him tightly. “Okay… okay. Pleased to fucking’ meet ya. We’re going to leave now. Jack, say ‘bye’ to your mom.”
“No!” Jack yelled, wriggling in Scotty’s grasp.
“Is everything okay here?” a woman asked from the emerging crowd.
“Everything is fine!” Scotty screamed at her, dragging Jack toward the boat slips.
“Mommy!” Jack screamed as Scotty continued to walk away from them.
Janine followed them and turned to Rachel. “You have to do something. He can’t take my baby away from me!”
Rachel pulled a cell phone out of her pocket and found it wasn’t necessary - two police cars, sirens wailing, came screeching into the parking lot. Rachel turned and ran to the nearest police car, shocked when she saw Detective Cooper get out of the first one.
“Scotty has Jack and they’re headed down to his boat. Janine is following them!” Rachel said hurriedly and pointed toward the docks.
“Does he have any weapons?” Detective Cooper asked.
“I’m not sure. I didn’t see any.” Rachel looked for Janine, but couldn’t see her anymore. “He was extremely agitated though.”
Detective Cooper motioned for another police officer to follow him. “Stay here,” he shot at Rachel.
Rachel held her breath while the detective and his officer quickly make their way toward the boats. As she leaned against the squad car, she heard a loud pop then a scream - a child’s scream.
Chapter 22
Rachel was rooted to the spot. Jack was screaming, “Mommy! Help me!” The other officer that was standing at the squad car next to her suddenly took off. She looked around the parking lot at the growing crowd. Rachel couldn’t stand just waiting around while hearing a child screaming. Screw Detective Cooper, she thought. She had to go.
Rachel hesitated for a bit before quickly making her way down the boardwalk to the further boats. Following Jack’s screams, she turned a corner and saw Janine standing near Scotty’s boat at the end of the dock. Another scream - this time it sounded like Scotty. Rachel picked up the pace and started walking faster to the boat.
“Let him go, now!” Detective Cooper shouted in the distance.
Suddenly, Jack ran out from the back of the boat to his mother’s outstretched arms. Janine squeezed her son tightly before picking him up and running down the boardwalk toward Rachel.
“What happened?” Rachel asked Janine. “Are you okay?”
Janine just shook her head in disbelief. “Scotty… He… he’s gone crazy!”
Rachel walked Janine back to her car, where they sat in the back seat. Jack was softly crying while Janine stroked his back and whispered softly in his ear.
“Are you okay?” Rachel asked from outside the open door.
“He’s fine. We’re just a little shaken up. We’ll be okay.” Janine rocked in her seat. “I’ve got Jack back and that’s all that matters.” She smiled gratefully at Rachel. “Thank you.”
Rachel looked up in ti
me to see the police officer marching Scotty down the boardwalk in handcuffs with Detective Cooper trailing behind. They brought him to the first patrol car and thrust him into the back seat. After slamming the door with a thud, Detective Cooper walked toward Rachel and Janine. Rachel’s eyes fixated on Scotty for a second. He was staring back at her with a smile that sent shivers down her back.
“We’re going to take him down to the station. Janine, you can meet us there,” Detective Cooper said, oblivious to the silent exchange going on between Rachel and Scotty.
“She just got reunited with her child. Can’t it wait?” Rachel turned her attention back to Detective Cooper.
“She can bring Jack with her. We’ll need to talk with him, as well.”
Rachel turned to Janine. “Want me to come with you? I can stay with Jack while you talk with them.”
“Are you sure? I know you must be ready to go home. This has been a long, emotional three days.”
“I’m sure. I can drive you home after you’re done.” Rachel gave her new friend a quick hug. “I’ll call my husband on the way to the station.”
Janine nodded. Rachel closed the door and then slipped into the front seat. “We’ll meet you there,” she said to Red.
A long sigh of relief escaped Rachel’s lungs and she backed out of the marina parking lot and steered the car toward downtown Miami.
Chapter 23
The warm, sudsy water invited Rachel to slide underneath the bubbles. She held her breath for as long as she could and let the warmth of the water ease her fatigued muscles.
She hadn’t returned home until nine o’clock that evening. After staying with Janine and her son at the police station, she drove them home. Scotty was charged with child endangerment and obstruction of justice and was booked into jail. However, Detective Cooper warned them that Scotty could be out in a matter of twenty-four hours and would likely get probation since he didn’t have a past criminal history.