Blue Chow Christmas: The Hart Family (Have A Hart Book 4)

by Rachelle Ayala

  “That’s because the password is ‘drama club,’” Glen grumbled.

  “I know. Your mother’s favorite activity.” The man laughed. “I was testing you, kid. Good job with the lockpicking. That’s my boy. You’re good with taking orders.”

  Cait heard the sound of keys jangling. Was this man the caretaker for the senator’s mansion? If so, he must be trying to kidnap Glen for ransom and make Brian take the fall.

  “I want my dogs,” the kid whined. “I want my mommy.”

  Cait’s heart broke for the little guy. “I’m sure she’s up there watching out for you.”

  “She’s burning in hell,” the man shouted. “She’s a witch.”

  “Hey, that’s not a nice thing to say about his mother.” Cait stood suddenly, wobbling because of her tied-together ankles.

  “It’s the truth.” The man pushed Cait back onto the couch. “That witch let me sleep with her until she had my baby, then she drove me away.”

  Why did this story sound familiar? Sounded like this creepozoid had been in Mrs. Thornton’s drama club. Cait had been affiliated with the group, but she was never invited to any of the parties at the senator’s mansion. They seemed to have been reserved for the guys—probably the ones that child molesting woman lured to her bed.

  Ick.

  “As for you, you little twerp,” the man continued to rant. “Since you hate military school so much, and you want to travel the world, we’re going to do just that. From now on, Cait’s going to be your mother, and we don’t need dogs.”

  “My father’s the senator,” Glen yelled, on the verge of tears. “He’s going to arrest you.”

  “He has no idea where you are. You had everyone convinced this was the last place you’d come to.” The man paced back and forth in front of them. “As for you, Mrs. Wonder, when are you going to figure out who I am? Because from now on, it’s me and you in the Brian and Cait show.”

  The way he sneered at her had her nerves on end. Could he be that one? But no, her ex had clearly dumped her, and he was long gone, living the rich life as an expatriate. At least that was what he’d hinted in the last postcard she got from him that summer.

  But no matter. She wasn’t going to let some lowlife twerp goad her. She had to be tough. That was the only way she’d get out of this alive. Show no fear. No submission.

  “If you’d take off this darn pillowcase, maybe I could tell you.” Cait felt the roots of her red hair burning. “Since you’re obviously a clueless crook, you should know that the real Brian Wonder has a rock solid alibi. He got arrested, remember?”

  “We’ll be long gone before those Keystone Cops figure out anything.” The man approached Cait, flattening her against the wall. “Don’t try anything stupid.”

  “I won’t, because everything I try will be smart.”

  “Ha! You think you’re so smart.” He untied the rope around her neck and lifted the pillowcase. “Now, do you remember me?”

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Brian, Becca, and Todd jumped out of the police car onto the gravel driveway of the cabin.

  The scene in front of them didn’t look good, not at all. The lights were on and the front door was wide open.

  “Cait, Cait.” Brian ran up the steps of the porch, but Todd grabbed his arm.

  “Wait. Let me clear the area.” He took out his service revolver. “Stay back.”

  Brian was used to following orders from law enforcement and cooperating with them. He immediately shielded Becca. “Get behind the police car and don’t step on any tracks.”

  “Let me take pictures,” Becca said. “It looks like a car was parked here until recently.”

  “Maybe Cait’s parents came,” he said, grasping straws of hope, despite his heart telling him Cait was in danger. “Maybe she forgot to shut the door.”

  Todd emerged from the cabin. “It’s clear. There’s no one inside but an injured dog.”

  “Which one?” Brian raced into the cabin, wondering where Cait had gone.

  Sierra lay against a wall, and her breathing was hard and rasping.

  “We have to get her to the hospital,” Brian said. “But where’s Cait? Did she leave a note?”

  “It looks like someone was hiding up in the attic.” Todd pointed his flashlight up the ladder where the trapdoor was left partially open. “The kitchen’s a mess.”

  “Cait would never leave Sierra, unless she went to get help. And where’s Melia, the other dog?” His heart was sloshing in his belly by now. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. I hate not having phone service up here. This is crazy.”

  He walked into his bedroom. Cait’s luggage was spilled open, and her clothes were strewn all over the bed.

  “Someone’s ransacked this place,” Brian pointed to the nightstand. “They stole my cell phone and the locket I was talking about.”

  “This looks like a robbery,” Becca said, taking pictures of the room.

  “Then Cait’s in danger,” Brian said. “We have to send a search party. She wouldn’t have wandered off with Melia. I think someone found her here by herself, hit the dog, and took off with her.”

  “They couldn’t have gone far,” Todd said. “The roads are almost impassable. The problem is to know where to look.”

  Brian wiped his sweaty palms on his shirt and breathed in hard through his nostrils. If this were a fire investigation, he would be looking for clues. The perp had been in the cabin, and something must have been moved or knocked out of place.

  “Let’s go through each of the rooms quickly, then take the dog to the vet,” Brian said. “I’ll tell you if something is out of place.”

  He could see the way the room had been, and because of his oddness, he was a stickler for order and neatness. Anything out of place stuck out like a flashing beacon.

  “Let’s start at the front door.” Brian marched back to the living room. “There are no keys on the hook, so either Cait didn’t use a key or she put it back in her purse. She usually hangs the keys up as soon as she opens the door. There’s a log dropped on the floor near Sierra, and the fireplace curtain is pulled back. Cait’s good at lighting fires, so she must have been about to light one when Sierra was attacked.”

  He rubbed the dog’s head. “I’ll be quick. Hang in there.”

  Next was the kitchen, where someone had obviously ransacked the refrigerator and ate their food.

  “Grocery bags, with the food still in them, not put away,” Brian said. He peeked inside. “Mostly junk food, not Cait’s style.”

  He moved onto the ladder leading to the attic. “The trapdoor’s still open. Someone was up there.”

  “Let’s see what they disturbed.” Todd climbed up there, followed by Brian. He flashed a light at the corners of the attic. “Looks like someone was ripping sheets up here to use as ties.”

  “What’s that?” Brian pointed to a folded rag.

  The sheriff picked it up and sniffed it. “Chloroform. Someone used this to put someone out. We’re definitely looking at a crime scene.”

  He dropped the rag into an evidence bag while Becca took pictures of the scene. “Oh, look here, he spilled and dropped his bottle, probably in the struggle with the victim.”

  The sheriff added the empty bottle to another evidence bag.

  Every beat of Brian’s heart threatened to burst from his chest. Cait was in real danger. Who would have kidnapped her, and what were they doing up here?

  “Anything else missing or out of place?” Todd asked.

  “Wait,” Brian said. “The photo album box is open. Someone was looking through the pictures.”

  He flipped through the albums. “Her baby picture is missing, the one with the senator.”

  “With the senator?” Todd scratched his head. “You mean Thornton?”

  “Yes, obviously he wasn’t the senator back then,” Brian said. “But it’s gone. I was going to use it in my negotiations with Thornton, but now, it looks like someone else has taken it. I doubt it was C
ait. She was sick looking at it.”

  “This is a shocker.” Todd and his sister exchanged worried glances. “I’d think the senator wouldn’t want this to get out.”

  “So, he sends someone up here to steal a picture and Cait surprises him?” Brian scratched his head. He moved the box into its place and noticed the lid to the ornament box was partially open.

  He pulled it back and gasped. “Look in here. There’s a GPS watch that doesn’t belong to me.”

  “Wait, don’t touch it,” Todd said. “Let me get an evidence bag out of my pocket.”

  “It must be Glen’s. He must have left it as a clue for us.”

  “Right. He could have placed it in the box while the other guy was looking through the photos.”

  Horror gripped Brian’s chest. “This means Glen was here, I mean, if the watch belongs to him.”

  “Do you think he could have chloroformed Cait and dragged her off? I didn’t think he was old enough to drive.”

  “He wouldn’t have left Sierra down there.” Brian clenched his fists, ready to pummel the creep who had hurt the dog. “Someone hit the dog and took off with Cait and Glen. The strips of cloth and chloroform prove it. I say the senator’s behind it.”

  “That’s a big leap,” Todd said. “Thornton has an alibi. He’s at his Beverly Hills home.”

  “He could have one of his minions doing the dirty work,” Brian argued. “Maybe he tracked Glen to our cabin, and kidnapped Cait.”

  “Why would he do that?” Becca asked. “He’d take his son back, but he’d have no reason to hurt Cait.”

  “You don’t get it.” Brian punched his thighs. “Cait is the reward for the minion he hired. She’s a beautiful woman. She’s smart and fun to be with. She’s kind and caring. And she’s the senator’s daughter. He’s giving his daughter to the guy who finds his son, just like a king would give a princess to a knight.”

  “Let’s get back to town,” Todd said, averting his gaze from Brian the way people often did when they thought he’d said something crazy. “I say we pay Thornton’s vacation home a visit. If you’re right, his minion would take them back there to await further orders.”

  “If he hurts her, I’m going to hurt him worse.” Brian shook all over, his pulse exploding inside of him. “Cait’s my wife, and Glen’s my son. I want my family back.”

  “You’ve got to keep calm,” Todd said. “I’m going to call in the hostage negotiators. If Thornton’s involved, this could get pretty complicated.”

  “We can’t just sit around and do nothing.” Brian clambered down the ladder. “We have to get Sierra to the vet before she dies and rescue Cait.”

  He grabbed his down jacket and ran out the kitchen, smashing into Connor and an entire horde of Harts.

  “What’s going on here?” Connor asked. “Why’s there a police cruiser out front?”

  “Where’s Cait?” Kimberly, Cait’s mother, screeched.

  “What’s happened to Cait? Why’s there a dead dog? What did you do to Cait?” Jenna flapped her hands and threw herself at Brian.

  Her fiancé, Larry, peeled her from attacking Brian and held her tightly. “Let’s go outside and form a search party.”

  “Someone needs to take this dog to the vet,” Melisa said, as her fiancé, Rob, the emergency room doctor examined Sierra. “She’s not dead yet, but she’s very weak.”

  “Okay, let’s not panic.” Connor put his hands in a circle in front of his mouth. “Rob and Melisa, take the dog to the vet in Rob’s car. Larry and I will take my truck and look for Cait.

  “Mom, Dad, and Jenna, you guys stay here in case they return.

  “Grady, go back to town with the sheriff and get the firemen to lend us their radios. Nadine, I want you to go with Grady and contact the friends Cait mentioned in her phone call.”

  “That would be my family,” Todd said, stepping forward. “I’m Sheriff Todd Colson, and I’m in charge here.”

  “I’m Becca Colson, Brian’s lawyer.” Becca shook Connor’s hand. “I’ll go with the team back to town to rally the search. We’d better take your truck so my brother can lead the search.”

  “We’re taking the dog,” Melisa said. “Let me get a blanket from the bedroom.”

  Connor clapped Larry on the back. “Then we’re going with the sheriff to find Cait.”

  “Hold it.” Brian used his hands as a megaphone. “Before you all charge out there, we need to brief you on what we know so far. Melisa and Rob, you two go ahead. Becca can update Grady and Nadine on the way down the mountain, but the rest of us should know that we think someone kidnapped Cait and he could be dangerous.”

  “Oh, my stars.” Cait’s mother flapped her hands and made hyperventilating sounds.

  Jenna buried her face in Larry’s chest. “I should never have driven Cait away from doing the wedding planning. If I hadn’t been so mean, she wouldn’t have been up here all by her lonesome. This is all my fault.”

  “Everyone calm down and let Brian speak.” Todd clapped his hands. “Otherwise, I’m going to order you civilians to stay here and not interfere with official police business.”

  Rob and Melisa wrapped Sierra up in a blanket and took her out the door, followed by Grady, Nadine, and Becca.

  Brian’s nerves prickled at being surrounded by Cait’s family. It felt like all of them were blaming him for Cait going missing. As if it weren’t bad enough that the last time he saw them was when Cait was in the hospital because the brakes on his car had failed.

  He took a deep breath and faced Cait’s parents. “Todd and I suspect Cait was taken to Senator Thornton’s vacation home. We were on our way over there, well, actually, we were going to go back to town to organize a search party. Now, Becca can relay the message and save us time. We think Thornton’s son, Glen, and the other dog, Melia, are with Cait. We don’t think the senator’s minions would necessarily hurt any of them, but I’m sure Cait didn’t go willingly.”

  “It could get dangerous,” Todd said. “So I want all you firemen to stand back and wait for orders. When we get there, let me handle it. You’re there to search and rescue, not confront the perps.”

  “What about us?” Jenna said, surfacing from her fiancé’s bear hug. “What can we do to help?”

  Brian patted his sister-in-law’s back. “Keep your mom and dad company. Pray for us.”

  He glanced at Cait’s parents who were huddled together, her father comforting her mother.

  “Mom, Dad,” he said, joining them in a group hug. “I promise you I’ll bring her back to you.”

  “Go, now, son,” Pete, Cait’s father, said. “We’ll stay here in case anyone comes back. I’ll light the fire and keep the hearth warm.”

  “We might as well make soup and hot drinks for everyone,” her mother said, wiping her eyes. “And we’ll pray for all of you, especially Cait and that missing boy.”

  She hugged Brian and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m counting on you to bring my daughter back. I know you love her and care for her very much.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Cait’s entire body contracted in horror at the sight in front of her, not to mention the stench.

  The fiend had horribly stained teeth, some missing, others blackened with decay, and pus-filled gums.

  Meth mouth made the evil grin smell like a combination of sewage and dead meat.

  “I wish I didn’t remember you.” She met Tommy Harper’s bloodshot gaze, ironically finding his blue eyes the most unchanged part of him. “Some advice. Keep the mask on.”

  The years obviously hadn’t been kind to him, or more like he’d abused drugs and aged three times as fast as normal. His skin was mottled and wrinkled. His hairline was thinning, and bags sagged under his eyes. The mouth and bad breath, of course, was the worst.

  Meanwhile, Glen sat on the couch and stared at his lockpicks while moving them, one by one, around the key ring.

  “Still think you’re so smart?” Tommy sneered, exposing the decayed roots of
his front teeth. “You look surprised, like you’ve seen a ghost.”

  “A ghost would be better looking.” Cait twisted her face away from him. “I didn’t recognize your gravelly voice. You must have led a rough life to ruin those choirboy vocal cords.”

  Now that Tommy had revealed himself, Cait was more annoyed than frightened. Her ex had never shown himself to be anything but a follower. She couldn’t see him as a caretaker here either. Most likely, he’d gotten information from the real caretaker and had the man tied up somewhere on the property.

  “If you’d stop insulting me, maybe you’d realize who you’re dealing with.” Tommy stuck his beet red face so close to Cait, she almost fainted from the odor.

  What had she ever seen in him back in high school? True, he’d been a choirboy at church and a boy scout as well as the drama king, but from the looks of it, he’d made bad choices ever since.

  “I’m fully aware who you are, Tommy Harper.” Cait made her voice as icy as possible. “You seem to believe you’re taking Brian’s place right now, but all you’re going to be seeing is the inside of a jail. Kidnapping, assault, and beating a dog. You’d better let us go and plead for a lighter sentence.”

  “You talk too much. Things are going to be real different from now on. You and Glen are mine, and we’re going on a long trip as soon as the snow melts.”

  “The snow’s not going anywhere,” Cait said. “You’d better let us go before the police show up.”

  “They don’t have a clue we’re up here. Your Wonder Boy’s in jail, Glen’s on the run, and no one knows where he is. You’re supposedly back at the cabin, sleeping.”

  Cait wasn’t going to let him know that Brian had been released. She could only hope the sheriff had been able to get through the snow. There was no sense alerting Tommy, so she changed tactics.

  She glanced at Glen, but the boy had run out of juice. He’d fallen asleep. He had to be utterly exhausted. Poor thing.

  Yawning, she said. “I’m tired, and I bet you are, too. Why don’t we get a good night’s sleep and then decide what to do.”