by Debra Webb
Carol started to move around again.
“She’s pacing.”
“Looks that way,” Melissa agreed.
Carol abruptly stopped once more, directly in front of the big windows. She seemed to stare out into the dark night. Melissa resisted the impulse to hunker down in the seat. She couldn’t possibly see them. The tree-crowded drive Jonathan had selected was well hidden. They’d driven all the way up to the house across the road from the Talbot place and no one had been home. Several newspapers had lain on the porch suggesting the owners were on vacation. Parking at the end of the drive gave Melissa and Jonathan a perfect view of the new Talbot home.
Carol reached up and tugged on something.
“What’s she doing?” Melissa murmured.
Heavy drapes glided across the windows, blocking their view into the house.
“That call must’ve been from the chief.” Jonathan checked the road in both directions. “He’s probably on his way here.”
They had known that as soon as Chief Talbot figured out they had left town he would likely follow or he would send one of his deputies to stop them. Apparently he hadn’t learned of their departure quickly enough to stop them en route.
“We should go to the door and talk to her before the chief or whomever he sends gets here.” Melissa was terrified they’d come all this way for nothing. If the chief got here he would ensure they didn’t get close to the house.
Jonathan turned to her in the darkness. She couldn’t see his face but she could feel the tension emanating from him. “You realize that once we set foot on their property, we’re breaking the law. The chief isn’t likely to let us off with a warning this time.”
“I don’t care.” The law wasn’t going to stop her from talking to Carol Talbot. Not unless they locked Melissa away where she couldn’t get out.
“Let’s do it then.”
Jonathan reached under the seat and removed something that he stuffed under his shirt.
“What’s that?” She was almost afraid of the answer.
“We can’t go in without protection.” Before she could argue, he added, “I have a license to carry this weapon. I’m an expert marksman. I’m not going to shoot anyone unless they try to shoot one of us first.”
Melissa took a tight breath as she squeezed the door handle. “You think we should just call the FBI or something?” Second thoughts burrowed deep into her brain.
“And tell them what?”
“That we believe Carol Talbot knows something about Polly’s disappearance.” It might be worth a try.
“And when she says she doesn’t, what then?”
Jonathan was right. “Okay, let’s go.” Melissa opened the door. The interior light didn’t come on since Jonathan had adjusted it to stay off.
If they hurried, maybe they could talk to Carol before anyone else arrived.
Jonathan led the way through the darkness, across the road and up the hill upon which the Talbot house proudly sat. It was cooler in the mountains. Melissa wished she had brought a jacket.
“We’re going around to the back,” Jonathan whispered to her. “There isn’t a security system yet, so we don’t have to worry about that.”
Confusion muddled Melissa’s focus again. “How do you know this?”
“I have sources.”
“Right.” How could she have forgotten?
Jonathan stayed within the shadows of the trees that bordered the big yard. Once they reached the rear of the house, he grabbed her hand and darted toward a clump of designer shrubbery that provided some amount of protection from the landscape lighting.
They stayed put for a few seconds, long enough to assume they hadn’t been spotted, then he hauled her all the way to the corner of the house.
Melissa struggled to keep her respiration slow and deep. Her heart was beating so fast she could hardly draw in a deep breath. Jonathan’s firm grip on her hand was all that kept her courage in place.
As long as she was with him, she could do this.
Lights were on all over the house. Was Carol Talbot afraid of being here alone?
Jonathan pulled Melissa forward, staying close against the back of the house. At the first window they reached, he listened for a moment, then peeked inside.
When he’d flattened against the house again, she asked, “Anything?”
He shook his head. “Empty room.”
They moved forward again, checked a couple more windows. Nothing. When they rounded the corner at the other end of the house, the window was too high for Jonathan to see inside. If they could determine exactly where Carol was, she couldn’t pretend not to be there when they pounded on the door. They needed her to know that they knew she was in the house.
“I’ll get on your shoulders,” Melissa whispered.
He considered her suggestion a moment, then dropped to his knees. Melissa climbed into a sitting position on his shoulders and he slowly pushed to his feet. She leaned a little to her left to avoid being in full view of the window.
Once he had braced against the house, she leaned a little the other way and peeked inside.
There was a bed in this room, and a suitcase. Melissa stretched her neck to see more of the room without exposing any more of her body than necessary. But she saw nothing else.
The door to the room opened, and Melissa’s breath stalled in her lungs.
She knew she should move, should somehow signal Jonathan to lower her down, but she couldn’t react. She remained frozen, watching as Carol Talbot entered the room.
The elegant looking woman walked toward the mattress and patted it as she said something Melissa couldn’t quite make out.
Carol repeated the actions, and a child walked hesitantly through the door.
Melissa’s heart skipped a beat.
Polly.
Carol Talbot whipped around to stare at the window. That was when Melissa knew she’d said the name aloud.
Carol snatched up Polly and ran from the room.
“She’s here!” Melissa shouted. She tried to get down. Her sudden movement toppled both her and Jonathan to the ground.
Melissa scrambled up. “Polly’s here!” she cried as she ran around to the front corner of the house.
“Melissa, wait!” Jonathan called after her.
Melissa didn’t stop. She couldn’t wait. Polly was inside. She was alive.
She hit the front steps in a dead run. Jonathan passed her on the way up and banged on the door. “Carol Talbot, we know you’re in there! Open the door!”
Melissa shoved her fingers into the front pocket of her jeans and fumbled to pull out her cell phone.
Jonathan rammed his shoulder into the door. The entire frame shook. “Open the door, Mrs. Talbot!”
Melissa started entering the numbers. 9…1…
Jonathan hit the door again and it burst inward.
Melissa forgot about calling for help. She rushed past Jonathan and headed for the room at the north end of the house.
Jonathan caught up with her, passed her, shoving her behind him as he went.
“Stop right there or I’ll shoot.”
Carol Talbot huddled in the hallway, Polly wrapped in her arms, her face pressed to Carol’s chest. The gun in Carol’s hand shook, but its intended aim was unmistakable.
Melissa ceased to breathe.
Jonathan held out his hands in a placating manner. “Put the gun down, Mrs. Talbot.”
She shook her head. “No. You’re not going to take her.”
Polly whimpered. Melissa’s chest constricted.
“Mrs. Talbot,” Jonathan reasoned, “her parents are waiting for her back home. You need to let her go now and we’ll work this out. I’m certain you intended her no harm.”
Carol shook her head adamantly once more. “Leave or I will shoot.”
Melissa stepped forward. “Then you’re going to have to shoot me, because I’m taking my niece home.”
Jonathan reached for Melissa, but she stepped beyond h
is reach.
“Stop!” Carol shouted.
“I’m sorry, Mrs. Talbot,” Melissa said, “but you can’t keep Polly. I appreciate that you’ve taken such good care of her. But you have to let her go home now.”
Polly cried out, apparently recognizing her aunt Melissa’s voice. She wiggled in an attempt to get free. Carol held her tighter, kept the weapon aimed at Melissa.
“Shhh, Polly, it’ll be okay now,” Melissa murmured.
“Leave my home,” Carol demanded. “Before I’m forced to do something I don’t want to do.”
“Mrs. Talbot,” Jonathan urged, “think about what you’re doing. This whole thing was Harry’s idea. You aren’t the one who took Polly. You tried to help. That’s what we’ll tell the police.”
Carol blinked. “That’s what I told my husband.” She tightened her grip on the weapon. “Harry almost lost his mind when William went off to Afghanistan. But when William came home it only got worse. Harry kept saying he had to do something. He took Polly that night. Had Stevie watching her. Everything would have worked out perfectly if that fool Scott Rayburn hadn’t gotten in the way. I had to kill him. He was going to ruin everything.”
Melissa nodded, following Jonathan’s cue. “You had no choice. You tried to protect Polly and Harry.”
Carol made a keening sound. “It would have been so perfect. William would have seen Presley for what she was and gotten rid of her, then if he was forced to deploy, Harry and I would have taken care of Polly.” Her hold on Polly tightened. The little girl fretted.
“You loved Harry,” Melissa said softly. “And he loved you.” The kind of love these two had shared had twisted their minds, pushed them over some sort of ledge.
“He was too weak to handle what needed to be done.” Carol lifted her chin in defiance. “Now I have to do it. Presley isn’t fit to be the mother of this child and William is hardly any better. Sherry needs a real family. One who will love and take care of her.”
Sherry. She thought Polly was her daughter.
“Mrs. Talbot,” Melissa said, “this is Polly, not Sherry.”
Carol blinked as if she didn’t understand. In that moment of distraction, Polly darted out of her hold. Carol screamed at her to come back, but the girl ran down the hall to Melissa.
Melissa knelt down and wrapped her arms around the child.
“You won’t take her!” Carol shouted. Grasping the weapon with both hands, she aimed it at Melissa and Polly.
Jonathan slammed into Melissa, knocking her and Polly to the floor, just as a bullet exploded from the weapon, echoing through the house.
Crouched over Polly, Melissa heard the sounds of struggling. Jonathan was attempting to subdue Carol. She held Polly close to her chest and scooted away from the danger.
As another shot rang out, Melissa reached into her pocket for her cell phone. Not there. Had she dropped it?
Carol screamed, and the weapon fired again.
She chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw Jonathan fling himself atop the woman.
Melissa jumped to her feet. She had to do some thing.
She rushed into the closest room, put Polly in the closet. “Stay right here, Polly. Don’t move.” She closed the door, winced at the child’s sobbing.
Frantic, Melissa looked around. There was nothing to use as a weapon… Her gaze lit on the heavy curtain rod above the window.
She snatched it down and rushed into the corridor.
Jonathan had Carol pinned to the floor. “Call for help,” he yelled out to Melissa.
She dropped the curtain rod and ran back to the front door to search for her phone. She found it on the steps. She grabbed it and completed the call she had started minutes before.
Once she’d given the dispatcher their location, she rushed back to where Jonathan continued to restrain Carol.
“I’ll try to find something to tie her up,” Melissa offered.
Jonathan nodded.
That was when she saw the blood.
It soaked his shirt in a long line starting at his shoulder.
Her heart bumped her sternum.
Pull it together.
She ran to the bedroom where she’d seen the suitcase. The zipper gave her hell, but she finally ripped the bag open. Melissa grabbed several items and hurried back to the hall.
Trying not to rough Carol up too much, they got her restrained, with the clothing as makeshift rope.
Melissa hurried back to the closet where she’d left Polly. She lifted the little girl into her arms and hugged her tight. “It’s okay now.”
Polly sobbed against her chest. Melissa kissed her sweet head, inhaled the baby scent of her silky blond hair. “Thank God. Thank God.” It would be okay now.
Except for Jonathan. How badly was he hurt? Polly in tow, she hurried back to the hall. “We should look at—”
Chief Talbot stood in the hallway, his weapon leveled on Jonathan.
Fear grabbed Melissa by the throat.
Jonathan was attempting to talk him into putting the weapon down. Melissa was too terrified to move. If he turned the gun on her he might hit Polly.
“Your wife is going to need your help, Chief,” Jonathan offered. “You need to be able to help her. You can’t do that if you don’t make the right choice now.”
Carol lay on the floor bellowing in agony, her hands and feet tied behind her.
Chief Talbot turned to Melissa. Her breath caught.
“I’m sorry.” He shook his head. “I thought I could make this right.”
With the gun trained on Jonathan, time seemed to stand still.
Then finally Chief Talbot lowered his weapon, bent down and placed it on the floor.
Melissa dragged in a breath.
It was over.
Jonathan took the chief’s weapon and ushered him over to take care of his wife. Then he came to Melissa and his arms went around her.
It was really over.
Polly was safe.
The smell of warm blood filtered into her nostrils. Melissa drew back. “You’re hurt. Let me look at that.”
He didn’t resist. They walked outside, away from the chief and his wife and their sobbing. Those two had their own problems to work out.
Melissa settled Jonathan on the front steps with Polly right next to him and inspected the bullet wound.
“It’s not so bad,” she surmised. “Right in and right out. Based on the location in your shoulder, it shouldn’t have hit anything important.”
Jonathan looked up at her. “Easy for you to say. You’re not the one bleeding.”
Melissa smiled. “You’ll live, trust me.”
He took her hand in his. “I do trust you.”
The pain in his eyes was not from the wound; that she knew for sure. “I’m glad you still can after all I said.”
“It was all true.”
God, she’d said some awful things to him. “I’m sorry. I was…overwrought.”
“You told the truth.” He squeezed her hand. “But there’s always room for change. Even for a guy like me.”
She nodded, the movement like the workings of a rusty hinge. Words would not squeeze past the emotion in her throat. It was all she could do to hold back the tears.
“Give me another chance,” he murmured.
For three years she had hoped one day he would say those words. “I’m sorry.” She sucked in a jagged breath. “Could you repeat that, please?”
He laughed. But before he could, Polly tugged at Melissa’s blouse. “I want my daddy.”
Melissa laughed and cried at the same time. She scooped the child into her arms. “I will definitely take you to your mommy and daddy, little one.”
Jonathan pulled her down to sit beside him. He kissed her cheek and rubbed Polly’s pretty head.
They were okay. Melissa felt herself smiling again. They were better than okay.
Blue lights flashed in the distance.
“Those guys should have a first aid kit.” She was
still worried about Jonathan’s injury despite her assessment.
“I’ll be fine.”
Good grief, she was a nurse. She should be taking care of him not the other way around. But right now her head was spinning wildly. Her heart was thumping like crazy and she couldn’t think.
He lifted her chin, ushering her gaze to his. “Think about my offer, would you?”
She bit her lips together for a moment to hold back the tears. “There’s nothing to think about. You’re on, Mr. Foley.” She narrowed her gaze. “But I’m warning you, you won’t get away so easily this time.”
He smiled. It reached all the way to her heart. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere without you.”
Chapter Fifteen
Chicago, Monday, May 30th, 1:30 p.m.
“So this is the real Jonathan Foley?” Melissa bit her lips together to hide a smile as she surveyed the place Jonathan called home.
He quirked an eyebrow at her. He loved it when her eyes sparkled so. “I’m rarely here.” But that sad fact was about to change.
Melissa strolled over to the table next to the sofa and pointed to the blinking light on his answering machine. He had fourteen messages. “Are those girlfriends?” She smiled this time but there was a little hesitancy in her eyes. She still needed some reassurance.
Jonathan crossed to where she stood and pulled her into his arms. “My boss or one of my colleagues.” He brushed his lips over hers. She gasped. “Probably trying to persuade me not to go.”
She searched his eyes, hers full of hope. “You’re sure this is what you want to do?”
“Absolutely.” He kissed her nose, his body already reacting to holding her near. “My boss hired a new staff when he bought the Equalizer shop. None of the former staff stayed. He’s got a couple of really top-notch guys who can handle things until he replaces me. He won’t even miss me.”
Her gorgeous face brightened with happiness and his heart stumbled. Finally, he’d been able to do what he couldn’t three years ago—make her happy. That meant more to him than he could possibly ever hope to articulate.
“Well, let’s get you packed!”
She started to pull out of his arms, but he drew her closer. They’d come straight here from the airport. He had to pack up and turn in his keys to the landlord. “Later.” He grinned. “We haven’t slowed down since we found Polly. I’d like a few minutes with you all to myself.”