Shoot from the Lip

by Leann Sweeney

  Yes. He had her. But where? How could I find her? What would happen if I didn’t okay the money transfer? What would happen if I did?

  A cold sweat dampened my forehead, and I tasted blood. I’d bitten my bottom lip without even feeling any pain.

  My cell rang, and I started before I grabbed it up. Jeff.

  Before he could say a word, I said, “He has her. Foster has Kate, and we have to find her before it’s too late. But I don’t know how to find her and—”

  “Hold on, hon. Slow down and explain.”

  I did, but the words came out as a halting, jumbled mess, and I thought I’d have to say everything all over again, but Jeff got it.

  “Okay, I understand. We’re going to find Kate. Right now, you need to take a few deep breaths—get some oxygen to that very fine brain of yours so we can work on this together.”

  I closed my eyes and inhaled, but when I exhaled, the release of air was shaky, and my jaw quivered. “What in hell do we do, Jeff?”

  “I’m calling this in to SWAT as a possible hostage situation. The report you sent me has enough information about Foster to offer plenty of leads. Loreen recognized the woman in the picture as the pregnant client she and Christine cleaned for. Must be Foster’s wife. She’s probably in on this, knows the kid she’s been raising isn’t her biological child. We’ll have to get someone out to her house.”

  “Could Kate be there?”

  “It’s possible.”

  “Can I go? I won’t get in the way. I just need—”

  “What you need to do is sit tight. If Foster can’t get his money through Kate, if he figures out she’s alerted you, he may call you for ransom.”

  “He’s trying to get away, isn’t he? And that means he wouldn’t need to ... to harm her. He could take the money and go away and Kate could come home. Can we make that happen, Jeff?”

  “Abby, do not okay that transfer. For now, he may be unaware there’s a problem with the account, and we can catch him off guard.”

  “Catch him off guard where? I mean, what if he’s not at his house? What if she was forced to get the money another way or he got angry with her and—”

  “Please, hon. Don’t do this to yourself. We will find her. But I need to make a few calls to set things in motion. DeShay and White will probably come to your house, perhaps bring a SWAT commander.”

  “I already talked to White and asked him to look for Foster. He found the notebook, and Foster’s name was there.”

  “Good. Try to stay calm. I wish I could be there, too, but I can’t leave Doris. Bringing her along wouldn’t—”

  I heard Loreen in the background say, “Go. Doris and I have girl things to do, and we don’t need you around watching us.”

  A short silence followed, and then Jeff said, “I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

  I closed my eyes and felt tears coming. I managed to mumble, “Thank you,” before ending the call.

  Webster’s head rested on my feet, and he looked up at me with questioning eyes. “She’s coming home, buddy. I promise you.”

  And then I couldn’t hold back any longer. Good thing I was done with my cry by the time Don White and DeShay arrived. I sure didn’t want to come across as a basket case, too emotional to help find my sister.

  We’d gone into the kitchen because I needed water, hoping to somehow swallow the lump in my throat. The three of us remained standing there to talk—standing because you didn’t sit around in easy chairs when someone you loved was in trouble.

  I said, “If that bastard has broken even one of my sister’s fingernails he’s going to pay.”

  “SWAT is on standby,” White said. “They can’t roll until we know where they need to go. An unmarked unit is checking out the Fosters’ house, and another squad is looking at Foster’s apartment.”

  “Foster stole the PI report,” I said. “He’s probably figured out at least a few cops know where he lives. I doubt he’ll go to either place. But ... Oh, my God. Why didn’t I think of this sooner? Kate’s office. He could be—”

  “We stopped at her building on the way here,” DeShay said. “The receptionist was busy canceling patients. Said Kate was a no-show after lunch.”

  “And April never called me? What’s wrong with her?” I had to direct my anger somewhere, and Kate’s receptionist, whom I hardly knew, seemed as good a candidate as anyone.

  White answered, “She says she’s new. Says she thought maybe Kate had an emergency. The young woman felt like the doc would want her to cancel the patients. That was her priority.”

  “She was pretty upset when we showed up, Abby.” DeShay’s voice was calm.

  But I was not calm. I was angry with myself for not even thinking about Kate’s office earlier. That was where Foster must have gone after he ran from Aunt Caroline’s. He’d certainly hung around there long enough to know Kate’s routine. I started pacing in front of the refrigerator. “I feel so helpless. Isn’t there something else we can do?”

  “The bank’s cooperating, and we’ve tapped a line in case Kate calls in. We also have a tech investigator monitoring the computer there if she tries another online transaction.”

  “She attempted the transfer online?” I said.

  “Right,” DeShay said.

  “Bank Web sites are very secure,” I said. “Your tech guy can get the e-mail address she used to access the account and—”

  “He’s working on it, Abby. You need—”

  Jeff came in the back door and interrupted the rest of what DeShay had to say—probably something on the order of, Stay out of this. But I wasn’t staying out of anything.

  White and Jeff shook hands, and White said, “Good to see you back.”

  Jeff and DeShay did this masculine half embrace, followed by what I assumed was their own special handshake, and DeShay said, “We need you on this one, man.”

  Jeff was ready, too. He wore his holstered gun and had his walkie-talkie and badge on his belt. No words were necessary to convey what Jeff and I were both feeling. I saw a little fear in his eyes before he hugged me, but also the steely resolve I had come to know when it came to his work. He gripped my arms. “How you holding up?”

  “Waiting around for something to happen is making me crazy. I feel like someone poured battery acid into my gut.” I gnawed on my thumbnail rather than cry again. No more tears. They wouldn’t get Kate back.

  “Give me your cell phone,” Jeff said.

  I pulled it from my jeans pocket. “Why?”

  He held up what looked like a small battery. “I stopped at the bank, picked this up from our tech investigator. It will make it easier to triangulate any calls that come in, find the caller’s location quicker.” He attached the little button near the antenna.

  “You think Foster will call?” I said.

  “I’m counting on it. You all charged up?”

  “Yes. But what if he doesn’t call? What if he gets impatient and—”

  “This guy needs to get out of town in a bad way, Abby. He needs that money. When he calls, you know what to do. TV is right about a few things, and you should keep him on the line as long as possible.”

  Just then DeShay’s cell rang and the noise made my heart skip. I must have jumped, because Jeff put an arm around me. “Hey, it’s okay. We’re on this.”

  I watched DeShay’s face while he listened to the caller, hoping I’d see relief in his eyes, but he gave away nothing. When he finished the call, he said, “No luck with the wife. Her house was clear, and she said she hasn’t seen Foster since last Saturday. She was pretty freaked out, asking all kinds of questions. The officer told her Foster had missed paying a few speeding tickets, but he didn’t think she was buying it.”

  “Where the hell do you take someone you’ve kidnapped?” I asked. I started pacing again, thinking out loud. “With cell phones, there’s no need for a landline, but if Kate accessed the Internet, there has to be Internet availability where she is. Foster would need a computer to make sure
he got his money transferred to the right place.”

  “Keep talking. This is good stuff,” Jeff said. “Would he need a phone line? Or what?”

  “A laptop with integrated wireless would do the trick—and that means he’d have to be somewhere he could pick up a signal.” For the first time in an hour, I felt like I could string a few logical thoughts together.

  “What? Like an Internet café or a Starbucks?” White asked. “Hard to work with a hostage to get your money in one of those places.”

  “These days you can pick up a signal in plenty of locations,” I said, “and if Foster knows anything about computers he could—”

  “He’s a software designer,” DeShay said.

  “That’s right. Then he knows plenty,” I said. “He could steal the signal and log on. Best place to do that is in residential areas. Coffee shops and other businesses require a security key to tap into their wireless networks, and though you could hack through, that would take longer.”

  “Okay, where do people have wireless networks like this?” White asked.

  Jeff said, “Upper-middle-class and wealthy neighborhoods are more likely to be equipped with that kind of technology in their homes, right, Abby?”

  “Yes,” I said. “When people set up wireless networks at home, they often aren’t adequately secured. A computer with wireless capability could pick up and use their signal.”

  White nodded. “I get it. You’re saying people set up home networks themselves and don’t realize someone in the house a few doors down could steal their signal and surf the Net all day and night—and this turd would know that.”

  “That’s right,” I said. “Can that information narrow down your—Wait a minute.” An image flashed through my mind—Kate, Emma, Foster and me, standing in Kate’s new house.

  “What is it?” Jeff asked.

  “Kate just bought a house not far from here. I’ll bet there are home networks up and down that street.” Being able to contribute to the search was helping to quell the fear that had threatened to shut me down. But I still felt like I had a dancing bobber in my stomach.

  “Let’s get a unit to check out the house,” DeShay said. “Where is this place?”

  I started to speak and then stopped. “Damn. I don’t know the street or the house number. I’ll call Emma. She sold Kate the house.”

  “Do it,” Jeff said.

  But I couldn’t reach her. Her voice mail message said she was showing properties and would get back to the caller as soon as possible. I left a message telling her I had an urgent situation and needed her help. Then I called the real estate office, but no one answered there. “Now what?” I said to Jeff.

  “We invite the West U police to help us,” he answered. “You told me the other day the house is in West U, right?”

  I nodded. “I can get their number.”

  White said, “Don’t bother. Dispatch can patch me through.” He unclipped his phone. “But this is a long shot, you know. Tell me who Emma works for.”

  “Green Tree Realtors. The ‘For Sale’ sign may still be up.” I gave him the approximate location and a description of the house. Knowing the West U police, they could find the place even with that small amount of information.

  While White was talking to the our local police, my landline rang.

  Nothing had been done to trace calls on this phone yet, but it didn’t matter. The caller ID displayed Aunt Caroline’s number. I’d promised her I’d be back and hadn’t even phoned.

  I picked up before the answering machine could take over, knowing I couldn’t tell her over the phone that Kate was missing. She’d freak out. “Hi. Sorry I got tied up and didn’t get back.”

  “Abigail, can you please return?” She sounded like she was crying—which never happened.

  “Are you okay?”

  “I’m in so much pain, and if you could help me get settled in bed, then ... then you can go about your business again.”

  She sounded absolutely pathetic, which was probably partly an act, but that didn’t matter. I already felt guilty for leaving her alone after what she’d gone through today.

  “I’ll see what I can do, Aunt Caroline.”

  “What does that mean?” she said.

  “I’m thinking I’ll call your friend Martha to come over. She can help you out until I can get away.”

  “Martha is in Europe. Does this mean you won’t come? You won’t help me?” But there was none of her usual indignation. She sounded like a different person. Yeah ... maybe an old woman who’d been in a fight with a killer and lived to tell about it. Now I felt even guiltier.

  “Okay, I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. But then we’ll pack a bag. You’re staying here with me—and don’t bother arguing.” She did need to know about Kate, especially if—No, I wasn’t going to think about that. And despite Kravitz’s man on guard duty, I’d feel better having her here with Foster on the loose.

  Amazingly enough, she didn’t argue. She simply said, “Thank you, Abigail,” and hung up.

  I looked at Jeff, who’d been talking to DeShay. I’d heard the word trace, and I was guessing he wanted to make sure any calls to all my phones could be traced. “I have to pick up Aunt Caroline. She’s alone, she’s been hurt and I think what happened today is finally penetrating her rhinoceros hide.”

  “Okay,” Jeff said. “I’m going with you.”

  “No need. It’s a thirty-minute round-trip, and if you come she’ll start asking questions. I don’t want to tell her anything until I have her back here. Then she can have her meltdown.” I was talking too fast, sounding a little too frantic.

  Jeff gripped my shoulders. “Think about it. What if Kate calls your cell and none of us is with you? What will you do?”

  I put a hand to my forehead. Closed my eyes. Why couldn’t I think straight?

  “We will get her back, Abby, but you need to keep focused on that goal. Now, let’s pick up your aunt Caroline.”

  “But what if the bank calls? Won’t I need to talk to them?”

  “White or DeShay can handle that. They know we’re on this, and anyway, you’re not releasing any funds. We have to provoke this guy out of the shadows—get him to make direct contact with you.”

  “Then let’s hurry so we can get back,” I said.

  We took my car, but Jeff drove. I’d left my gun on the passenger seat after my last trip to Aunt Caroline’s house, and now I held the Lady Smith in both hands. I never knew a gun could offer comfort, but it did. Yes, a gun could provide what was probably a false sense of hope when you felt powerless and out of control, like I did.

  “Um ... we’ve got a tail,” Jeff said. We were at a light, and his eyes were fixed on the rearview. “Use the cosmetic mirror and see if you recognize those two guys in the SUV. Right lane, two cars back.”

  I did. “Damn. I think that’s Kravitz and the cameraman, Stu Crowell.”

  “Obviously they were hanging around your place and saw us all arrive,” Jeff said.

  “I called Kravitz to put a man outside Aunt Caroline’s house, and he must have decided I wasn’t being straight with him, even though I was at the time.”

  “Losing them is pointless,” Jeff said.

  I turned the gun over and over, my throat tightening even more. “You can’t make them stay out of this?” But I knew it was a stupid question, and Jeff, thank goodness, ignored it.

  “I’d feel a whole lot better if you’d put your Lady away.” Jeff nodded at the gun.

  “You don’t want a jumpy girlfriend with a loaded gun sitting next to you?”

  He rested a hand on the back of my neck and rubbed at the tension residing there. “I wouldn’t put it past you to take a warning shot at those guys behind us.”

  I opened the glove compartment and did what he asked. “Happy now?”

  “Just looking out for you.”

  I smiled, grateful that he was here with me and not in Seattle.

  “Here’s the plan,” Jeff said. “We get
Aunt Caroline out of her house and we don’t talk to those guys, okay?”

  “Okay,” I said.

  Ten minutes later we parked in my aunt’s driveway, and Kravitz pulled up behind the guard’s car across the street.

  But the guy who was supposed to be protecting Aunt Caroline didn’t seem to be in his car. Great protection, Kravitz, I wanted to shout when I saw him and Stu get out of their SUV. Stu hoisted his camera and pointed it at me.

  Kravitz was headed toward the guard’s car.

  Then, before I could take another breath, Kravitz shouted something I didn’t catch—didn’t catch because Aunt Caroline’s front door opened at the same moment.

  Harrison Foster stood in the doorway—and he had a gun.

  I froze.

  “Get down,” Jeff yelled.

  I fell to my hands and knees, but I was on the side of the car without protection. I crawled around to the back of the car, fully expecting a bullet to flatten me.

  Then I heard the shot, but he must have missed.

  I made it around to the driver’s side and realized he hadn’t missed.

  Jeff was down.

  I scrambled to him and gently turned him onto his side. He was grimacing in pain, and a crimson stain was spreading on his chest. I fought the panic threatening to take me over. I needed adrenaline, not fear, to be in charge here.

  “Kravitz,” I shouted. “Call nine-one-one!”

  Then I put my mouth to Jeff’s ear. “Is it bad?”

  “I-I don’t think I can get up.” His words were halting, like he didn’t have enough air to speak.

  Foster shouted, “Abby, look who I’ve got.”

  I pried Jeff’s gun from his fingers and stood up just enough to see through the driver’s-side window. Foster held Kate in front of him. He had had a far better shot at me a few seconds ago and hadn’t taken it. He wanted his money, and probably figured out he needed my help with the account.

  I’d trade myself for Kate in a minute if not for Jeff. Would he bleed to death while I got this bastard what he wanted?

  My heart, already beating crazily, felt like it might come out of my chest. What did I do? Stall for time?