Every Precious Thing lh-2

by Brett Battles

  Though he knew who they were headed toward, he didn’t know where. He called Callie.

  “I’ve been dying here,” she said. “What happened?”

  “It’s not over yet. Alan went back to the house this evening before we could get there.”

  “What?” She sounded even more surprised than Logan did when he first heard. “He promised me he was going to get Emily out of there.”

  “Emily wasn’t with him.”

  “She wasn’t? Where is she?”

  “I was hoping you could tell me that.”

  “I told him to take her to Big Bear,” she said. “I have a cabin up there.”

  “If you were going to Big Bear from Alan’s house, would you take the 215 North?”

  “Sure. Up to the I-10, then east to Highway 38.”

  “Is there anyone in Big Bear he could have left Emily with?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure if he knows anyone up there.”

  “Okay. Thanks.”

  As he hung up, he asked Sara, “Did you guys have friends in Big Bear?”

  “No. Well, I didn’t. Alan never mentioned anyone, either. Is that where Emily is?”

  “That’s where Callie told him to go.”

  “Alan would never leave Emily with just anyone. It would have to be someone he trusted.”

  Having more questions than answers, Logan called Pep back to get an update.

  “I was just about to call you,” Pep said.

  “Why?”

  “We’re not on the 215 anymore.”

  “Where are you?”

  “On the 60 Freeway, heading west.”

  Logan put a hand over the phone. “They’re on the 60 West.”

  “Sixty? That’s not the way to Big Bear,” Sara said.

  “Maybe Alan’s misdirecting them,” Diana suggested.

  “Yeah. That must be it,” Sara agreed, nodding.

  Logan wasn’t ready to buy that yet. “You said your husband would only leave Emily with someone he trusts. Who would those people be?”

  Sara thought for a moment. “Um…we have some friends. The Carters. They’d watch Emily for us in a pinch.”

  “Anyone else?”

  She shook her head. “We didn’t leave Emily alone much.”

  Logan knew of one time they had. “What about when you and Alan went on your trip to San Diego and Tijuana?”

  At the mention of the trip, she looked embarrassed. Then she froze. “Oh…oh, no…Alan’s sister. Rachel.”

  “She’s in Riverside, too?”

  She shook her head. “Simi Valley.”

  Simi Valley was way on the other side of the San Fernando Valley, just northwest of Los Angeles.

  “When we go to Rachel’s, we’d always take the 60 West part of the way.”

  CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT

  “I don’t remember her number,” Sara said.

  “You don’t?” Logan asked, surprised.

  “I made sure I didn’t memorize anyone’s number. And I got rid of my old phone when I left.”

  Of course. Sara had done everything she could to create a protective wall between herself and her daughter.

  “It’s okay. Callie will have it,” he said. He was right. Once he had the number, he punched it in and handed the phone to Sara. “Just hit SEND.”

  He could tell the moment the call was answered. Sara pulled back, her eyes focusing downward.

  “Hi, may I speak to Rachel?” She put a hand over the phone and whispered, “Kurt answered. Her husband.” Suddenly her attention was back on her call. “Rachel? It’s…it’s Sara…Rachel?…Yes, it’s me…I promise I’ll tell you later, but I need to-” She paused. “I know that. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone. It was the only thing I could do…Please, you have to believe me…Rachel, Rachel, hold on. Just let me-” Her head drooped and she nodded, listening. Finally, she said, “I understand, and I know you’re angry. I would be, too, but I need to ask you something…Is Emily with you?…No, I’m not going to try to take her. I just need to know if you have her…Rachel, please…Okay, okay, you don’t have to tell me. But if she is with you, you and Kurt have to get out of the house right now…Because there are some bad-” She cocked her head. “Rachel?….Rachel, are you there?” She looked at Logan. “She hung up.”

  “Try again.”

  She did, then shook her head. “She’s not picking up.”

  “So what do you think? Is Emily there?”

  “If she wasn’t, I think Rachel would have just said so.”

  Logan agreed. He made a quick call to Dev, rerouting him to Simi Valley, and handed the phone back to Sara.

  “Keep trying,” he said.

  “Richard,” Diana said. She was looking at an old paper map she had fished out of the glove compartment. “The 210 West is coming up in a mile or two. That’ll be quickest. We might even gain a little time.”

  “If we can do that, it’ll be the first thing that’s gone right today,” Logan said.

  Ahead, the sign for the 210 Freeway loomed over the lanes. Barring a traffic jam, they’d reach Simi Valley in less than sixty minutes.

  He checked his watch then looked back at the road, hoping that wouldn’t be too late.

  CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE

  There was a part of Erica that leaned heavily toward disposing of their two passengers before they retrieved the girl. They cut her manpower by half, forcing her to leave someone with them whenever she got out of the car.

  If it had just been the old man, there would have been no question. They’d already extracted everything they needed from him, and any leverage they might have had over the man’s son by holding on to him no longer mattered. Logan Harper was undoubtedly still fooling around in Arizona, thinking he’d outsmarted her. Maybe he’d even found Sara. All the better if he did. When this part of the operation was over, she would have Clausen and Markle make the younger Harper tell them where Sara was before they silenced the bastard. The information would most likely net them not only Sara, but her bitch of a sister and oaf of a brother. Then they would be gone and everything would be perfect.

  But since it wasn’t just the old man, it made more sense for them to take care of him when they took care of Sara’s husband, and they couldn’t do that until they had the girl. Once she was in Erica’s possession, Clausen and Markle would dispose of the two men while she flew with the girl back to the program’s offices and arrange a suitable family for her. It would be harder than usual, given the girl’s age, but not impossible.

  She checked out the road ahead. Thankfully traffic was moving at a pretty good clip, unlike the irritating crawl they’d had to suffer downtown. According to Clausen, they were currently in the San Fernando Valley and Simi Valley was just over the next pass.

  Just a few more miles and the girl would be secured.

  And this annoying aberration in her well-run program would be erased.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY

  Sara leaned forward and pointed at a sign ahead. “That’s it. Tapo Canyon Road. Take that exit and go right.”

  Richard eased the car into the slow lane.

  According to Logan’s last conversation with Ruth, Dr. Paskota had been delayed as she passed through downtown, so they had actually arrived in Simi Valley first with a five-to-ten-minute lead. He hoped to God that was enough.

  Once they were off the freeway, Sara guided them to another street that took them up the gentle slope of a hill and past a middle school. After that, they zigzagged through a well-kept, middle-class neighborhood until they reached Summit Avenue.

  “This is it,” Sara said. “About halfway down and on the left.”

  As Richard slowed the car, Logan’s phone beeped with a message from Ruth.

  E

  XITING

  T

  APO

  C

  ANYON

  “They’re only a few minutes behind us,” Logan said.

  “I thought we had more than that,” Sara said.

  He did, t
oo. “We don’t.”

  “Which one?” Richard asked.

  Sara turned back around, studied the homes, then pointed. “There. That one.”

  As they neared, Richard made like he was going to pull into the driveway.

  “Don’t,” Logan said. “If they see your car parked there, they’ll ask Alan if it belongs. Even if he lies and says yes, they’ll see through him.”

  Richard looked at him in the mirror, unconvinced, but Diana nodded.

  “On the street,” she ordered.

  Her brother rolled his eyes, but did as she said.

  As they climbed out of the car, Sara asked, “What if they don’t open the door?”

  “They will,” Logan said.

  “But what if they won’t?”

  “It’s not going to be an issue.”

  They crossed to the other side, and walked up to the porch. Sara was closest to the door, while Logan stayed in back. She stood there, doing nothing.

  “Sara, you’re wasting time we don’t have,” Logan said.

  She nodded, hesitated a second longer, then knocked.

  They could hear footsteps on the other side, and the porch light flicked on. The door, however, remained closed. The dim light that had been visible through the peephole turned black.

  There was nothing for a moment, then, “What do you want?”

  “Rachel, please open the door,” Sara said.

  “You can’t just come in here and take her.”

  “That’s not why I’m here. Please, just let me in.”

  “Who are those people with you?”

  Sara glanced behind her. “My sister and brother, and-”

  “Your what? Since when do you have a sister and brother?”

  “I’m sorry. I never talked about them, but-”

  “There is no way I’m letting you in.”

  Logan knew she meant it. “Keep her talking,” he whispered. He moved off to the left, along the front of the house.

  Behind him, the conversation faded as he slipped around the corner into the side yard. Halfway down was a cinder-block fence walling off the back. He didn’t even bother trying the wooden gate built into it. He simply scaled the fence and hopped down on the other side.

  The section of the yard he landed in had been set up as a dog pen. There was a wire fence continuing out from where the house ended, making a squared-off area of about ten feet by ten feet. The dog it was meant for was nowhere to be seen.

  Logan passed through the open gate, prepared for the animal appearing at any second, but when he peeked into the main part of the backyard, he was happy to see it was unoccupied. The dog must have been inside for the night.

  Like most California homes, there was a sliding glass door, this one opening onto a small brick patio. The screen was closed, but the door was open a few feet, letting in the pleasant evening air.

  Logan stopped at the edge of the door and listened. Rachel was saying something, but it didn’t sound like she was talking to Sara.

  Then a male voice said, “Just ignore her. She’ll go away.”

  Kurt the husband, Logan figured.

  “I’m going to call Alan.”

  “He’s going to tell you the same thing.”

  Logan chanced a look. Just inside was a brightly lit family room. The TV was on, and there was a bowl of chips on a table in front of the couch. A fat, old golden Lab lay sleeping on the sofa. Beyond the room, Logan could see a portion of the entryway at the far side of the house. While the sister was hidden from view, the back of the man was visible. Kurt was short, maybe five six or five seven, but he carried the weight of a man a foot taller.

  Logan frowned. He wished he could do this a different way, but there wasn’t time. He pulled out his gun, and quietly slid open the screen. The dog didn’t even stir.

  He crossed through the family room, and stopped ten feet behind Rachel and Kurt.

  Leaving the gun at his side, but visible, he said, “Open the door, please.”

  For half a second, he thought he’d given the man a heart attack. While both of them had turned around in surprise, Kurt had actually grabbed his chest and fallen against the wall with a thud.

  “What do you want?” he said. “How did you-”

  “I want you to open the door,” Logan replied.

  As Rachel fumbled with the lock, Logan heard the dog roll off the couch and walk slowly into the foray.

  “Get in!” Logan told Sara and the others the moment he saw them.

  They rushed in. As soon as the door was closed again, the dog began roaming between the visitors, sniffing their hand.

  “Reggie, don’t do that,” Kurt said.

  The dog glanced at him, and continued what it was doing.

  “No, Reggie. Go lie down.”

  Reggie ignored him.

  Logan focused on Rachel. “Where’s Emily?”

  She shot an accusing glance at Sara. “You did come to take her.”

  “No. We came to save her, and you,” Sara said.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “That’s something we’ll have to discuss later,” Logan said. “Where’s Emily?”

  Rachel shook her head. “You can’t have her.”

  “If you stay here even a few minutes longer, there’s a good chance you’re going to die,” Logan said.

  Both Rachel and Kurt couldn’t help but look at his gun.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY — ONE

  “I’m not going to kill you,” Logan said.

  Sara wasn’t about to stand there any longer. She raced toward the hallway.

  “Hey!” Rachel called out. “You leave her alone.”

  Sara heard someone running after her. She glanced over her shoulder, thinking it might be Rachel trying to stop her, but it was Diana.

  “Hurry,” her sister said.

  Rachel and Kurt’s house was a single story with three bedrooms. They had two sons, both away at college, so Sara guessed Emily would be using one of their rooms. The first was Troy’s, but it was empty. The second was Cory’s.

  Sara stopped in the doorway, frozen in place by the sight of the small form sleeping on the bed.

  Emily.

  She had almost convinced herself she’d never see her daughter again, but there she was, peacefully asleep. Sara could even hear her breathe. It was like music.

  “Did you find her?” Diana asked, stopping behind her.

  Sara pulled herself out of her trance and raced into the room. She pulled back the covers, put her arms under her daughter, and lifted Emily from the bed. The girl rolled against Sara’s chest, then seemed to realize something was different.

  Her eyelids fluttered, and opened. She stared at her mother for a full second. Then her eyes grew wider than Sara had ever seen them, and she threw open her arms and wrapped them around Sara’s neck.

  “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!”

  Sara hugged her daughter tight. “It’s me, sweetie. It’s me.”

  “We gotta go,” Diana said.

  Sara remained motionless, wanting to remember this moment for the rest of her life. Then she nodded, and carried Emily out the door.

  CHAPTER SEVENTY — TWO

  As Sara and Diana ran from the room, Logan checked his watch. They were almost out of time.

  He nodded at Rachel and Kurt, and said to Richard, “Keep an eye on them.”

  He made a quick circuit of the formal living room, dining room, and family room, turning off all the lights and the TV. Reggie, apparently deciding to be his shadow, followed happily behind.

  “Why are you doing that?” Kurt called out.

  “He’s trying to save your life,” Richard said.

  Ignoring both men, Logan stepped over to a window that faced the street and pulled back the curtain. At the moment, it was quiet, no cars in either direction as far as he could see, but he knew that wouldn’t last long.

  He heard footsteps and turned to see Sara and Diana walk back into the entryway. Emily was in
Sara’s arms, hugging her.

  “Can I see her?” Richard asked.

  Logan realized this must have been the first time Sara’s brother ever laid eyes on his niece. Diana, he knew, had seen her earlier that summer when she visited Sara in Riverside. But as wonderful as that moment should be, this wasn’t the time.

  “You need to go, now!” Logan ordered.

  Richard looked annoyed, but he turned from his sisters and opened the front door.

  As the others moved to follow him, Rachel reached out to grab Emily from Sara. “You’re not taking her anywhere.”

  “You all go!” Logan yelled.

  Emily started to cry.

  “It’s okay, sweetie,” Sara said. “It’s okay.”

  “Go, go!” Logan said.

  “Go where?” Kurt asked.

  “I don’t care,” Logan said. “Away.”

  “Why?”

  Both Richard and Diana had already disappeared outside, but just as suddenly, they came running back in.

  “Car,” Diana said as Richard shut the door.

  Logan moved back to the window.

  A car was heading down the road toward the house.

  “Keep going,” he whispered. “Keep going.”

  But his mojo wasn’t working this time, and the vehicle started to slow.

  “Out the back,” he said quickly. “Go over the fence to the next yard!”

  “What are you taking about?” Kurt said. “I’m not going over any fence. You’re going to tell us what’s going on, and you’re going to tell us now.”

  “Go, dammit, go!” Logan said. He pulled out his phone and dialed Dev.

  No one seemed to move. Instead everyone started arguing.

  Outside, the car was only half a block away, its speed at a near crawl now.

  “Logan?” Dev said.

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in Simi. Maybe five minutes away.”

  Five minutes was too long. “I’m in the house. It appears the others are just pulling up.”

  “I’ll get there as quickly as I can.”

  Logan hung up, and looked back. Everyone was still there.