“Which is why you have a bullet wound there. Because you were trying to kidnap my child! Now where is she?”
Her last words ended on a combination of a sob and a scream, and Mason felt his heart clench at her obvious desperation.
A desperation he was beginning to share. Shoving the man in the shoulder, he said, “Look, we’ve got a witness. Someone who can place you there. You might as well tell us what we want to know.”
Howe let out a derisive laugh. “Go ahead and see if she puts me there. It won’t happen because I was never there.”
“She?” Mason gave the man a slow smile. “I never said anything about a she.”
For the first time, uncertainty crossed Howe’s face. Then he said, “I heard about that wreck. I figured you were talking about one of those girls that was in it.”
“And there was nothing in the news about how many girls were involved.” Mason leaned forward. “Keep talking, Howe, you’re digging yourself a mighty deep hole. Plus,” he said, leaning back and crossing his arms, “we’ve got blood from the scene. A simple DNA test will tell us if it belongs to you or not.”
Mason held his breath. The threat was pure bluff.
“Yeah.” Joseph stepped out of the house, looked at Mason and shook his head. Bethany wasn’t there. Crushing disappointment hit him hard as Joseph continued to tell Howe, “We’ve also got a fingerprint we need a match to. I’m sure as soon as we run yours against that, we’ll have our answer. Today. Without the DNA testing.”
All posturing suddenly left Howe and his shoulders slumped.
An ambulance wheeled in front of the house followed by two police cruisers, lights flashing.
EMTs approached and Mason waved them over, but demanded, “Tell me about Bethany.”
*
Lacey moved closer, desperate to hear every word this man had to say. He knew where Bethany was. He had to. Seeing that their patient wasn’t near death’s door, the paramedics moved slowly and let the cops ask their questions. They’d done this before.
Mason waited, acting like he had all the time in the world. Joseph crossed his arms and stared the man down. Daniel huddled with one of the other officers.
Howe fidgeted then blurted, “I want my lawyer.”
Lacey saw Mason’s jaw tighten. That was it then. They couldn’t get anything out of him without running the risk of him getting off on some technicality.
“No!” she cried. “Tell me where she is! You taught at the karate school, didn’t you? Is that how you know her?”
But the paramedics had already begun their examination of the man’s leg and he simply smirked at her.
She wanted to lunge at him and beat him until Bethany’s whereabouts burst from him.
But she couldn’t.
Mason placed an arm around her shoulders and led her toward the police car.
He leaned in the driver’s door and cranked the car, turning the air on full blast. In the backseat of the car, Lacey let the tears fall. She’d been so close. At least it had felt like it. “Oh, God, help me,” she cried. “Help me find my baby, please. “
Help me,” she whispered.
“I’m trying to help you.” Mason slid in beside her and all of a sudden the backseat of the sedan felt small. His solid strength filled the area, making her want to lean on it. She didn’t bother telling him she hadn’t been appealing to him.
“You shouldn’t have come here.” His voice was tight, his anger tightly leashed.
Swiping the tears with the back of her hands, she turned and narrowed her eyes at him. “I didn’t have a choice. The more I thought about the fact that Bethany could be here, that she might be hurt or needing me or…”
She broke off and shrugged, unable to put what was in her mother’s heart into words.
His expression softened and he gave a little sigh. “Aw, Lacey, I know, but you can’t put yourself in danger like that. You’re just lucky that Janice hit Howe. If you’d been standing there when Howe came around the corner of the house, he could have had a weapon, used you for a hostage…” He shuddered and wrapped his arms around her to pull her in for a hug.
He smelled of sweat from the chase and the cologne he’d slapped on this morning, Lacey breathed deep, her heart constricting at the memories the scent evoked. He pulled back. “Did you recognize Howe?”
“No, I’ve never seen him before. He’s definitely not Bethany’s instructor. But there are four schools in various locations throughout the city. Maybe he’s at a different one than Bethany.”
“Joseph said he was a new guy at the one on Brownstock Road. Maybe the whole karate thing is just coincidence.”
She sighed. “That’s the one Bethany goes to.” She threw her hands up. “I don’t know. If she couldn’t catch a ride with a friend—I just dropped her off at the door and picked her up when she was ready. Her class was right after school and I couldn’t take the time off to stay and watch. So—” she shrugged “—I wouldn’t know everyone who worked there.” Rubbing her eyes to alleviate the headache building there, she asked, “So what now?”
“Now we—”
A rap on the window interrupted him.
Joseph.
Mason opened the door. Joseph leaned in. “Catelyn called. She said the lab got nothing on the two pictures you guys found. They’d been photocopied and the paper was standard, something you can buy anywhere. And no prints except yours.”
“Great.” Mason nodded and Lacey didn’t see any surprise on his face. Joseph had told them exactly what Mason had suspected.
Still, she couldn’t help the pang of disappointment. But the fact that Bethany had called Georgia’s cell phone reassured her that her child was still alive. Scared and in trouble maybe, but alive. She’d cling to that small thread of reassurance for now.
Daniel and Janice climbed into the front seats. Joseph would follow behind in his car. Mason buckled his seat belt. “What about the cement block he threw in the back windshield of my car? Anything on that?”
“Not yet,” Daniel said. Lacey could hear the tightness in his voice. From his body language and the fact that he completely ignored Janice, she could tell he wasn’t happy with his wife.
Janice sat silent in the seat, her chin up and her eyes straight ahead.
Mason cleared his throat. “Is he going to the hospital?”
“Yeah, we’ve got to get him checked out just to cover ourselves. Then we can grill him like a steak when he’s released.”
Mason blew out a sigh. “Then let’s head over to the homeless shelter. I want to pass Bethany’s picture around and see if anyone’s seen her.”
Finally. Something she could do. She would be in action instead of in this stagnant waiting mode.
“I need to take my wife home,” Daniel said.
“But, Daniel, I can help,” Janice protested. “Let me hand out pictures. It’s the least I can do after all the trouble I caused today.” She flicked a glance back at Lacey who felt a guilty flush creep up her throat.
Janice was taking the blame. “Wait a minute, Janice was here because I roped her into helping me. I’m the one you should be mad at.”
Mason’s fingers curled into fists, attempting to harness his emotions. It was as if Daniel never heard her. He shot a look at Janice and sputtered, “Why would you—” He cut himself off and, with a glance in Lacey’s direction, sighed. “Fine.”
Daniel drove through the streets of town, and Lacey watched through the window, praying for a sighting of her child. It didn’t happen and before she knew it, they’d arrived at the shelter. She grabbed the envelope that contained the flyers and handed one to each of the men and one to Janice.
She couldn’t help noticing that Mason studied his a little longer.
When he lifted his eyes, renewed determination glinted.
One by one, they showed Bethany’s picture to each person they came in contact with. A few residents stated they’d seen her a couple of days ago.
Lacey saw Janice appr
oach a young woman who shook her head. With a sigh, Lacey walked up to a woman who had a baby on her hip. “Have you seen this girl here?”
The baby gnawed on a knuckle while the woman looked at the picture. “Yeah, I’ve seen her. She was real nice. Watched Matthew here for a couple of hours one night for me while I got some sleep. I’ve been sick and she said she didn’t mind.”
Lacey’s heart crimped. “Yes, Bethany loves babies.”
“Well, I owe her one. I sure do hope she’s all right.”
“So do I,” Lacey whispered.
Looking up she saw Janice had moved on to a scraggly looking young man. She showed him the picture and he nodded but shrugged as if to say he’d seen her but didn’t know where she’d gone.
Mason stood talking to another young woman.
Lacey edged closer to hear the conversation. “…last night, but something spooked her and she ran off.”
“What do you mean, ‘spooked’ her?” Mason asked the young woman who appeared to be in her late thirties.
She shrugged. “She got a phone call and…”
“Wait a minute,” Mason interrupted. “She has a cell phone?”
Impatience flickered across the woman’s face. “She did last night. Now do you want to hear this or not?”
“Yes,” Lacey interjected. “Please, continue.”
“So like I was saying, she got a phone call and this guy starts walking toward her. She sees him and takes off, with him right after her.”
Lacey felt some of her hope fade.
“Did he catch her?”
“Nope, she was fast.”
“Did the guy chasing her have a limp?”
The woman’s brow went up. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
Lacey looked at Mason and saw satisfaction glittering. Then he said, “I’ve got a lot of questions for Mr. Howe.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Mason gave up trying to convince Lacey to go home and get some rest. She was determined to see this through to the end and he didn’t blame her. If someone told him he had to stay behind, he would have fought just as hard as she. And because he knew she might pull another stupid stunt like the one where she showed up at John Howe’s house, he decided having her close by would be a good thing.
At least he could keep an eye on her.
According to the police officer assigned to him, John Howe would be delivered to an interrogation room in approximately two hours.
He looked at her. “Let’s go find a spot to wait.”
“All right.”
Mason led her down the hallway to the break room. “There’s coffee and crackers. Help yourself.”
She bit her lip. “Are you sure they won’t mind?”
He shot her a smile. “I’m sure.”
Lacey grabbed a bottle of water. Mason did the same. They settled on the futon in the corner. Mason studied her, his mind whirling with possibilities. She could have found herself in serious danger today, and, while she’d been upset, she hadn’t lost control. He had to hand it to her. When she was determined, she found a way to do what had to be done.
She said, “I know your dad got remarried a few years ago. That’s great. So…what are they going to say about all this?”
He shrugged, “I’ve already told them and they were shocked, of course. Once the idea sunk in, they were thrilled, then terrified for her safety. And sad they missed out on the first fifteen years of her life.
“Maggie, my dad’s wife, is a sweet lady. A total opposite of my mother.” He swallowed hard. “She doesn’t have any children of her own, so she kind of adopted Carol and me even though we were already grown when she and dad married. You’ll like her. And if she gets the chance, she’ll love Bethany like the grandchild she’s been begging for.”
Tears filled her eyes and she blinked as she looked away from him. “I’m sorry. I know I was selfish, but I was just so full of hurt and bitterness that I…” She sniffed and Mason felt his heart constrict. “And by the time I finally realized that God didn’t hate me, that not everyone in my life would betray me—” she held her hand palm up and gave a tiny shrug “—that was a little over three years ago and I was in my comfort zone. I didn’t want to make any changes.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“God,” she said as she swiped a tear. “Meaning?”
Another sigh slipped from her. “When I moved into that home for unwed mothers, I was a mess. Emotionally, spiritually, just a wreck.”
Guilt nearly smothered him. No eighteen-year-old girl should have gone through what she did. He should have been there for her. Regret pierced him. If only he’d listened…
Even if she and Daniel had done something, Mason should have been able to put aside his own hurt and at least hear her out.
But he hadn’t. His pride and hurt had flared to the point that he had been incapable of listening. And he couldn’t change that. He could only work with the present.
She brushed away a stray tear. “I had a wonderful Christian counselor, Marie Beckham, who came to the home three times a week to talk to the girls. She used to be a resident there herself, so she knew what we were feeling—knew how to talk to us. Knew how to listen. She helped me get my self-esteem back. And while God and I didn’t come to terms right away, Marie set me on the right path.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek. “I’m so glad.”
If only he could get the image of her and Daniel out of his mind. He needed to confront the man. Once and for all.
As soon as they found Bethany, he would.
Lacey took a deep breath. “Anyway, I started going to church—reluctantly, but I went, got a job, went to school at night, then had Bethany.”
“When did you decide to move home?”
“When Bethany insisted on meeting her father.” She ran a hand over her hair and looked away. “I wish I’d gotten up the nerve to talk to you before….”
“Yeah.”
He took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to his hands. His phone rang and he grabbed it from the clip on his belt. It was Joseph. “Hello.”
“Hey, they’re bringing our guy in now. He should be here in thirty minutes or so.”
Mason looked at Lacey.
“All right, we’ll be there shortly.”
He hung up and Lacey looked at him with a question in her eyes.
“We need to get down to the interrogation room and see what this guy has to say.”
Distaste crossed her face and he realized she was not looking forward to the confrontation. But she was determined to go through with it. Anything to find Bethany. Just another example of the kind of woman she was.
More doubts crowded him as they walked back down the hall. He had a feeling he’d made a terrible mistake sixteen years ago in refusing to move past his own hurt to listen to the girl he’d loved.
But that would have to wait. Pushing down his surging emotions, they entered the room and took a seat behind the two-way mirror.
Mason looked at Lacey who fidgeted with the strap of her purse. “Do you know how this works?”
She bit her lip. “Just from the TV version.”
“It’s not so different. They’ll bring Howe and his lawyer in, present them with any evidence we have and start asking questions.”
“She has to be okay, Mason.” Lacey whispered the words and he had to strain to hear her. “She’s been my whole life for fifteen years, the reason I got up in the mornings, the reason I didn’t give up and crawl into a hole and die.”
What could he say? He couldn’t bring himself to promise everything would work out. He’d seen too many times when it didn’t. More times than it did.
Scooting his chair closer to hers, he grasped her hand and held it. She shot him a grateful look, glanced over his shoulder, then gasped. “There he is.”
Mason turned to see John Howe and his lawyer enter the interrogation room. Howe walked with a pronounced limp—more so than when Mason had chased him and lost him—but he
was walking under his own steam. Catelyn and Daniel brought up the rear.
Mason squeezed her fingers. “I’m going down there. I’ll be back when we’re done.”
“They’ll let you in?”
“Oh yeah, they’ll let me in.”
*
Lacey wasn’t too sure, but didn’t protest. She watched him leave, and a few minutes later he was allowed access to the room.
Catelyn didn’t look surprised to see him. Daniel looked irritated, but didn’t say anything.
After introductions and the lawyer’s warning to his client not to answer until directed, they got started.
Daniel asked, “Why did you run when we showed up at your house?”
“Because I knew why you were there.”
Lacey rocked back. He was admitting it? She admired the fact that Mason was able to keep a straight face. He jumped in.
“So where’s Bethany?”
“Look,” Howe sighed, “I’m cooperating with you because my lawyer convinced me it was in my best interest to cut a deal, but I tell you I don’t know where the girl is. She got away from me.”
Hope exploded through Lacey.
“Why did you try to take her in the first place?”
“I got a phone call from someone. That person asked if I wanted to make a lot of money.” He squirmed. “I got debts to pay so I agreed.”
“To kidnapping?” Catelyn asked.
“Well, not at first.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize that’s what I was agreeing to. I was just supposed to watch this girl and report back what she was doing, her daily routine, her relationship with her mother. I was the new guy at the karate school and I suppose this person knew Bethany went there. It was just supposed to be watching her, following her. You know—” he shrugged “—like surveillance stuff.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” He flushed. “I needed the money too much to worry about it.”
“Who did you report to?”
“Same answer. I never met this person. Just picked up my money from a different drop spot each time over a period of a month. Then, um, this person said they wanted me to grab the girl. I said no way. Then—” he blinked “—I got a letter with some pictures of my ex-wife and little boy. It said if I didn’t follow through with everything they would disappear.”
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