The Steve Williams Series Boxed Set
Page 94
Jessica paused at the door. “Do you want us to stay?”
“No, go to the park, let the boys get some energy out,” Jennifer said, sending a strained smile in her direction. She really needed quiet to relax and having two nine-year-olds running around the hotel room was driving her batty.
“Okay. I’ll see you later,” Jessica said and with that she closed the front door.
Silence descended, blessed silence, lifting the edge off Jennifer.
The knock at the door disturbed the quiet and she crossed, opening it. Steve stood in the hallway, his hair still dripping wet, leaving water stains on the shoulders of his t-shirt.
“What’d you do? Jump out of the shower without drying off?”
He smiled. “Pretty much. I didn’t get to sleep until after four and I slept through the alarm. At least I had the forethought to schedule a wakeup call.”
Jennifer waved him inside and crossed to the bedroom, grabbing her purse off the nightstand before returning to the living area.
“You ready for this?” Steve asked.
“No,” she said and sighed. “But I’m going to do it anyway.”
He stepped closer and the clean scent of old spice drifted on the air, wrapping her in a warm sense of comfort she didn’t expect. She met his concerned gaze and offered a semblance of a smile before turning away. “I’m not sure I want you in the room while I answer the DA’s questions.”
“Okay,” Steve said after a beat of silence.
“And I don’t want you in my head either.”
His lips clamped down and a shadow passed over his eyes and he stared her down. “I’m not sure I can do that,” he finally said.
“You don’t need the details, Steve.” Jennifer met his glare and crossed her arms, cringing at the thought of relating the events within mind shot of Steve.
“I already have enough details between the videos and your nightmares. How much more is there?”
“Please.”
Steve closed his eyes and hung his head, his mind as unreadable as his features.
“This is going to be hard enough and I’m not sure I can give them the details with you listening. I need to know you’ll be there, but just not in the room.”
“Fine,” he said and turned, holding the door open for her. “We have to go.”
“Thank you,” she said as she walked into the hall. Dread filled every pore and when they pulled into the parking lot of city hall, her mouth filled with that metallic taste of fear.
“You will be just fine, Jen. You can do this,” Steve said and then slid out of the car.
She stared at the building frozen in place. The reality of what she had to do, to relive the nightmare with strangers in the room caught her breath in her chest. When Steve opened the passenger door and squatted next to her, his gaze broke through her paralysis. He blurred in the sudden wave of tears that filled her eyes. She didn’t want to do this alone and she didn’t want to burden him with the details.
“It’s not a burden, babe.”
“I’m afraid,” she said, finally voicing the core of her issue.
“What are you afraid of?”
Usually the soft-spoken voice he used was a calming influence, but right now it fanned the flames of fear and she shook her head, erecting the walls again, safeguarding her heart from what she believed would happen if he was privy to the session. He’d be disgusted with the sight of her and that would be the last she ever saw of him.
His eyes misted and he blinked back the sheen of tears, shaking his head. “I am not going to leave you, Jen.”
“But…”
“But what?”
“But I had to pretend it was what I wanted,” she whispered, shamed at the admission.
“Key word there is pretend. You were doing it to keep Samantha alive.”
He helped her out of the car and they climbed the stairs in silence, his hand clasping hers and before he opened the door for her he paused. “Do you want me in the room?”
Indecision framed her response. On one hand, she didn’t want to recount the events with him in the room, but he was her rock, he gave her strength when she didn’t think she had any and this was going to be a very difficult morning. “Do you want to be there?”
For the first time, she saw his hesitation. His gaze traveled to the street and back and he sighed. “I want to be there for you, if you want me to be.”
“I still don’t want you to be in the room.”
He opened the door and the Atlanta City Hall swallowed them up.
* * * *
Steve thought for a moment she was going to let him into the deposition with her but the rebuff stung. Instead of making a production of it, he escorted her into the District Attorney’s office and took a seat in the lobby outside of the conference room where a court stenographer waited with the New Hampshire DA on the telephone.
He leaned his head against the wall separating them and closed his eyes, honing in on the court reporter instead of Jennifer. She never said anything about eavesdropping this way. He smiled at his ingenuity until the facts started spilling forth.
Jennifer’s recounting left nothing to the imagination, and Steve’s hands balled into fists, his nails biting into the soft flesh of his palm as anger spread through his form like a rabid dog. He concentrated on breathing and controlling the fury filling his form. The last time he lost it, a fountain boiled and he didn’t know what would happen if this fireball in the pit of his stomach escaped.
Alarm filled the stenographer and Steve’s eyes flew open. It wasn’t Jennifer’s asthma this time, no, the court reporter thought she was having a seizure of some sort, but Steve knew better.
Her vision accosted him, his vision clouded and he was standing in the woods…
Steve was on his feet and in the room within seconds of the call for help. Her vision continued in his head like a bizarre picture in picture television, ending with the fade to black that signified the subject’s blackout. He didn’t know who had been snatched, but he knew another kid was now in danger.
Jennifer recovered from the vision, confused and disoriented.
“Can you get me a glass of water?” Steve asked the court stenographer.
“I think we should call for medical assistance,” the frazzled stenographer said as she handed him a glass.
“I’m okay,” Jennifer said. “I must have had another mini-seizure. They happen when I’m under a lot of stress.”
Steve raised an eyebrow and she slightly shook her head. Let her think that. We can talk about the vision after, okay?
He nodded and took a seat next to her. “I think she’s good to continue.”
Jennifer sent an exasperated stare in his direction and turned back to the stenographer with a reassuring smile. “He’s right, I’m okay now.”
“Are you sure?” the phone chirped.
Jennifer took a sip of water and said, “Yes, sir, I’m good to go now.”
“Okay, where were we?”
The stenographer recapped the last statement Jennifer made before the vision interrupted.
Jennifer glanced at Steve and then continued where she left off.
The questions the District Attorney drummed Jennifer with took their toll. Her eyes dulled with each answer and her complexion drained of color when she described the assault in the cabin with grizzly detail. Details Steve could have done without. The more he heard, the more he wished he had killed Kyle with his bare hands when he had the chance.
Chapter 35
Tommy tossed the ball to CJ in the park and CJ swung, connecting, sending the ball into the woods nearby. Tommy jogged through the brush, swallowed by the thick cypress, searching for the ball.
“Hurry up!” CJ yelled.
“Gimme a second!” Tommy shouted back.
There was the stinking ball, at the edge of a muddy path and he bent to pick it up. The dog startled him, coming out of nowhere and he straightened with the ball in his hand.
Its cool n
ose pressed into Tommy’s hand, smelling the ball and his golden tail wagged. He stepped back, panting, staring expectantly between the ball and Tommy’s face.
A hand reached around, pressing a cloth to Tommy’s mouth and nose. C . . . Tommy wasn’t able to complete the thought before all went black.
* * * *
“Tommy, c’mon!” CJ yelled again, pounding the bat impatiently on the ground. The bat stopped mid-pound, a tingling sensation crawled over his skin and his head tilted. “Tommy?”
No answer. Something was wrong, very wrong.
CJ shot a glance over his shoulder at his mother sitting on the bench a few feet away. She met his stare, following his gaze to the woods. Before she was on her feet, the bat fell from CJ’s hand and he sprinted.
“Tommy!” CJ screamed, taking the same path into the woods that his brother took minutes before.
Jessica followed stopping short behind CJ.
CJ picked up the baseball, staring at it. He raised his eyes, scanning the woods, his mind reaching out for anything, any hint of his brother. Nothing and he turned, meeting his mother’s gaze. His mouth suddenly went dry and his eyes stung with tears. He couldn’t hear his brother anymore.
Tommy was gone.
Chapter 36
Steve bolted straight in the chair as CJ’s voice barreled in his brain. He winced and traded a glance with Jennifer. “I have to step out for a moment.”
Without waiting, Steve left the conference room and flipped open his phone, pretending to take a call. “Where are you?” he asked and sent the thought back.
The answer came and Steve closed his eyes, understanding why Jennifer had the vision. Call 911. I’m on my way.
He stepped into the room. “I have to leave. Will you be okay?” It was Tommy in your vision.
Jennifer’s expression fell and she blinked to cover the shock, her skin paling further. She sent a nod in his direction. “I’ll be fine.”
Liar. The thought leapt forth before he could catch it. He turned toward the conference phone on the table. “Sir, I need to leave, and considering Jennifer’s episode, I’m not comfortable leaving her alone here. Can we finish this up at a later time?”
“Steve, I’ll be fine,” Jennifer said. Go. The longer you hang here, the colder the trail will get.
Steve met her gaze; the blood drew from his face in a fleeing rush toward his pounding heart. Jesus, the bastard took Tommy. Steve stood and with a nod, headed out the door, leaving Jennifer to finish her deposition alone.
He slid into the front seat of the car, locking the doors and closed his eyes, zeroing in on the panic in CJ’s mind. When he opened his eyes, he was in a park. Steve walked straight to the pavilion and CJ turned before he stepped under the canopy.
“What happened?”
“We were just playin’ ball.” CJ pointed to the south part of the park beyond the tennis courts. “And I hit it long. He went into the woods down at the tip of the grass over there.” CJ bit his lip to hold off the tears, but it was no use. “I shouldn’t have let him out of my sight.” Frantic eyes darted between the edge of the woods and Steve, glossed with tears. CJ could no longer hear his brother; the part of his mind constantly occupied by Tommy’s thoughts now lay dormant. His twin brother was gone and he was truly alone.
“This isn’t your fault, CJ,” Steve said. He turned surveying the lay of the land. Woods surrounded the park, the southern end particularly thick, blocking the view of the abutting neighborhood. He turned back to the family. “Did you see anything, anything at all that I should know about?”
“An officer stopped us as we were crossing the road from the parking lot,” Jessica said, swallowing. “He asked if we were the ones who owned the Chevy with South Carolina plates in the parking lot. He was in a police cruiser and I didn’t think twice about it.” And I didn’t see a dog. Her chin began to waiver. “Find my son.” Tears tumbled down her cheeks. “Find my son or so help me God, Steve, I’ll rip your heart out with my bare hands.”
He turned toward the parking lot surveying the cars. Not one Chevy and no South Carolina plates. He turned back toward Jessica. “What’d the cop look like?”
Jessica shrugged. “I couldn’t see much, he was in his car, and the shadow from his hat hid most of his face. He was white.”
“Think, Jess.” Steve said crossing and putting his hands on her shoulders.
“His teeth were straight and white. That’s all I can remember. The car windows were tinted. So you couldn’t really see what was in back.”
Steve turned toward CJ. You didn’t pick up anything at all from him?
CJ shook his head at the silent question.
“Okay. Sit tight, I’ll be here as soon as I can,” he said and just before the transition took hold, he saw the shock in Jessica’s eyes.
Back in the car, he turned the key and the engine revved. He threw the car in gear, peeling out onto the streets of Atlanta, heading west toward Grant Park. He flipped open his phone scrolling until Sarah’s number was highlighted and pressed the send button.
“Sarah,” he said the moment the phone connected.
“What’s up?”
“Tommy Ryan was just abducted.”
Silence filled the line and he heard the phones ringing in the background and the sudden chaos erupting around her. “Where?” she asked, her voice subdued.
“Grant Park.”
“The call just came in. Cleary wants to know where the hell you are.”
“I was at the D.A.’s office with Jennifer and now I’m heading out to the park.”
“We’ll meet you there.”
Twenty minutes later, Steve slid into the gravel parking lot, taking the spot next to Jessica’s rental car. Police were already combing the perimeter. The canine unit arrived at the same time as Cleary and Sarah and a truckload of German Shepherds hopped onto the gravel. They made a beeline to the pavilion where the family was quarantined.
Steve stepped into the cool shade and traded a glance with CJ before turning to the officer in charge. “Show me the spot where they found the ball.”
Gazes swiveled in his direction and eyes narrowed.
Steve raised his eyebrows, waiting until the lead officer nodded and led him down into the woods, leaving Jessica and CJ in Sarah’s capable hands.
“Did you find any tracks?” Steve asked when they were out of earshot.
“Not really,” Officer Nathan Brown said. “How’d you know we found the ball?”
Steve turned his head toward the officer. “CJ called me and told me they were playing ball and he hit it into the woods. His brother either never found the ball or it dropped when he was grabbed.”
“It was in the mud.” Officer Brown pointed to the thick mud framing the small creek.
Steve stepped in the muck and yanked his sneaker out, watching as the hole filled up again. This bastard knew exactly what he was doing—the mud wiped all footprint traces away and gave them zero in the way of tracking. “Shit.” He looked up and down the stream. “Does this lead to a road?”
Officer Brown nodded. “You can get to Loomis Drive from that direction.” He pointed away from the small lake.
Steve followed the small stream to the point it fizzled out. A couple of muddy paw prints went up the embankment and then nothing. Steve looked through the woods out at the road within fifty yards of the stream. He walked the line with the officer trailing. Halfway to the road he stopped. A partial footprint stared up from the dirt and Steve flipped open his phone and took a picture of it. “This is where the bastard took him.” He turned in a circle, surveying his surroundings. “Fuck,” he said, snapping the phone closed and glaring at the officer. “Go back and get the forensics team. I’ll wait here.”
He watched the officer trot off and flipped open his phone. “I need to know who was on Loomis Drive at the time of the abduction,” he said to Cleary. “And this is a different M.O.”
“I’ll get that info for you.” And the line went dead.
As soon as the forensic team finished, Steve went back to the pavilion. “We know where his car was parked,” he said. A small consolation, he knew, but it was enough to give them some fragment of hope. “I’ll find him.” The words tumbled from his mouth, but he bit back the promise of alive and well.
He didn’t know if that was possible.
Cleary stepped close to Steve. “We need to talk,” he said and pulled Steve away from the scene and out of earshot of the officers. “We don’t know if this was our UNSUB or if it’s a bona-fide kidnapping. If I recall correctly, Mrs. Ryan is worth quite a bit of money.”
Steve bit down on the snide comment and took a deep breath to calm his irritation. “I know it’s our UNSUB, Ron. Jennifer had a vision while we were in the deposition. And no, she didn’t see our UNSUB, she only saw the Golden Retriever.”
Cleary bit his lip, studying Steve, and after a moment he nodded ascent, although his features still formed a skeptical mask. “How do you know what she saw or didn’t see?”
“I saw it too.” Steve tapped his temple. “She transmits when she has a vision and now that I have this, I guess I’m a prime candidate to receive the transmissions.”
“Ah,” Cleary glanced toward the pavilion, his mind racing in a linear path, digesting the information with a grain of skepticism.
“Do we have a line on that police cruiser?” Steve asked, focusing Cleary on the case and not his speculations.
“No, the closest cruiser was at least twenty minutes away.”
Steve cocked his head. “Mrs. Ryan said a cop came by asking if she owned the Chevy in the parking lot.”
Cleary pulled out his blackberry and punched a couple of keys before turning the display toward Steve. “If it was a cruiser, it’s got to be a pretty old one because it isn’t in the tracking system.”