Threat of Darkness

by Valerie Hansen

  “Come on. Move it,” he muttered, maneuvering his pickup in and out of traffic in a manner that would have earned a civilian a ticket from him if he’d been on traffic duty.

  Wondering if Sam might like to share another pizza, he flipped open his cell and hit her number on speed dial. The ringing went directly to voice mail.

  John scowled. “Hey, Sam,” he grumbled into the empty cab. “Whoever you’re talking to, hang up. We have plans to make.”

  He snorted in self-derision. “Plans? Hah! In your dreams, Waltham. In your dreams.”

  She was in his dreams, of course. And in nearly every waking thought. If he’d envisioned this strong a reaction to her he might not have come home. Then again, if it just so happened that Sam was starting to have tender feelings for him, too, maybe he’d made the right choice.

  A large, dark vehicle swerved and passed him going in the same direction. Considering the speed at which John was traveling, the other guy had to be going sixty—in a thirty-five-mile-an-hour zone.

  He peered after the disappearing SUV, hoping to get the license number, but it was impossible to see clearly enough. Instead, he grabbed his two-way radio and contacted the station.

  “Dispatch, this is John Waltham.”

  “Copy. What’s the problem?”

  “I’m northbound on Highway 62 in my private vehicle, crossing Main. Some dude just blew by me like I was standing still. Do we have reports of robberies or assaults? Anything he could be running from?”

  “Not recently,” the dispatcher said pleasantly. “You don’t have to work 24/7, you know. It is okay to kick back when you’re off the clock.”

  “Yeah, I know. Just curious. Thanks.”

  The sleek, black vehicle was disappearing into the distance. It was through town now and therefore back into a fifty-five-mile-an-hour zone so it would probably not cause any accidents.

  If he happened to catch up to that driver before he passed the hospital, however, he might stop the guy long enough to ask him where he was going in such an all-fired hurry.

  * * *

  Samantha checked the tiny bathroom in one-ten just to be sure she wasn’t overreacting, then raced down the hallway to the nurses’ station.

  “Was the Southerland boy discharged?”

  Her friend Alice scowled at her. “Not according to the early shift. You should know. There was a standing order to notify you if he was leaving.”

  “Well, his bed is empty and I can’t find him,” Samantha said, breathless. “Call the police. I’m going outside to see if I can track him down while you search in here. He might have gotten it into his head to try to go home on his own.” Except in Danny’s case she figured that home would probably be the last place he’d want to go, primarily because his father might be there.

  What about Lindy? When had she last seen Danny’s mother? Encountering her around the hospital had become so commonplace she wasn’t positive. After lunch? Maybe. Maybe not. One thing was certain. She had not bid the woman goodbye or seen her leave the hospital, with or without her son.

  “If I were Lindy, what would I do?” Sam muttered to herself. Flee? Stand my ground? It didn’t matter at this point. Wherever Danny was she hoped and prayed he was at least safe. If his mother had made off with him that was certainly better than having his father show up again.

  It took Samantha little time to check the parking lot. Since it was between the afternoon and evening visiting hours there weren’t many cars there.

  “Think. Think,” she told herself as she pivoted, studying the area to no avail. “What kind of car did she drive?”

  The only vehicle Sam could recall was the silver luxury sedan the Southerlands had been using when she’d seen them in Ash Flat. Chances were good that that was Ben’s car and his wife drove something far less ostentatious.

  Fisting her keys, Samantha made her way to Elvina’s old car and checked to be sure the backseat was empty before unlocking the doors and getting in. Her hands gripped the wheel. Where should she go? Where should she look first?

  She decided to start by making easy circles around the hospital lot, then progress to driving up and down nearby streets before heading toward the Southerland residence. Lindy might be introverted but she was smart. She was a mother tiger protecting her cub. The likelihood that she’d take Danny to a home where both the authorities and his fugitive father might find him was slim.

  “So, where did you go?” Samantha whispered to herself. “What would I do in your place?”

  No earth-shattering answers came to her. She had been so overwrought when she’d discovered Danny was missing, she hadn’t even thought to pray.

  Now, cruising slowly down the narrow, tree-shaded streets, she remedied that oversight. “Father, help. I know I’ve fought You many times when I should have listened, but I’m not asking this for me, I’m asking it for Danny. Show me where to go. What to do. For the sake of a helpless little boy. Please.”

  * * *

  Shadows danced in the shade along the country road as clouds scudded across the sky and the wind ruffled the leaves above.

  A slightly built woman clad in black jeans, a designer T-shirt and matching cropped jacket held the hand of a thin child and hurried him along.

  Samantha braked, studying the pair as she cruised slowly past. The woman’s head was covered by a dark-colored scarf so she couldn’t tell what color hair it masked, but the size and build of the child certainly fit Danny. The question was, why were they afoot? If Lindy was planning to escape, why not drive?

  A nearby alleyway provided a convenient place to turn around. Samantha reversed directions and headed back to get a better look.

  That was when she saw the men. There were two of them, one larger than the other. Both were clad in the nondescript clothing typical of that area: tattered jeans, faded shirts and lace-up hunting boots. Each was bulky enough to pose a serious threat even if unarmed, and they were approaching the woman and child warily, not as if they were merely passing in the street but as though they were preparing to accost her.

  There was no doubt in Samantha’s mind. She was about to witness an assault. It didn’t matter who the victims were. She was duty bound to try to help them.

  * * *

  John was still trailing the speeding car that had caught his attention when he’d passed through town. He noticed it starting to slow.

  He scowled when he thought he recognized Sam’s car in the distance, as well. There was probably more than one ancient sedan like that running around Serenity, but given her penchant for getting herself into trouble, he figured there was a good chance she was involved in whatever was going on up ahead.

  The highly polished black SUV braked so rapidly that John had to swerve to keep from rear-ending it. His trajectory carried him past. That’s when he saw Sam. His jaw dropped.

  She was standing beside another woman and bravely facing several very large men. If he hadn’t seen it for himself he wouldn’t have believed it.

  * * *

  Samantha whispered to Lindy behind her hand. “What were you thinking? Danny was safe in the hospital.”

  “He’ll never be safe unless I take him away from here and hide him,” the boy’s mother replied.

  “Who are these guys? What do they want?”

  “I don’t know. I left my car parked right here and when I came back for it, it was gone.”

  One of the men laughed sardonically. “Yeah. It was real nice of ya to bring the kid out to us like this. I thought we were gonna have to sneak into the hospital to spring him.”

  Samantha closed ranks with Lindy, pushing Danny behind them. “Leave us alone.”

  That made both of the attackers chortle. The apparent leader said, “Listen, lady, we don’t want nothin’ to do with yo
u or your friend. All we want is Ben’s kid.”

  “Did my husband send you?” Lindy asked.

  “Not hardly. We want to find him as bad as the cops do. Now hand over the boy. We need him for bait.” He spread his arms as if expecting the frightened women to simply cave in to the threat and deliver the child.

  Samantha had other ideas. She took her eyes off the main assailant only long enough to whisper to Lindy, “When I make my move, you run for it.”

  There was agreement in the woman’s teary glance. She swallowed hard and nodded.

  Raising her own hands in mock surrender, Samantha took one step forward, then another, hoping she could work her way close enough to the man to be within kicking range. A person didn’t have to have a medical background to know what method of assault would have the strongest effect.

  “The kid,” he demanded. “Quit stalling.”

  “Okay, okay,” Sam drawled, hoping her voice wouldn’t crack from fear. “Let’s get this straight. You don’t really want Danny, you want his father. So why not concentrate on Ben and leave us alone?”

  “It’s not that simple. Tell Southerland we just want to know where he put the money. He’ll know what we mean. When we get those account numbers he can have his kid back.”

  Samantha shrugged and feinted as if she were going to capitulate. She shifted her weight, then drew back one foot and let fly. The surprise kick caught the man below the waist and doubled him over.

  Behind her, Lindy screamed. “Danny!”

  “Mama!”

  Sam whirled, ready to do battle. The moment she realized what was happening she started to run.

  It was too little, too late. The second burly man had hold of Danny and was loading him into an SUV that had just pulled up. The guy Samantha had kicked shoved her out of the way, slid in with the child and slammed the door as the vehicle began to accelerate.

  Lindy had been thrown to the ground. Samantha knelt beside her and touched her shoulder.

  “Are you okay?”

  The distraught mother lifted a face of anguish and stared, mute.

  “Who were those guys?” Samantha demanded. “Think. You must know something that will help.”

  “I—I don’t know their names,” Lindy wailed. “I think I’ve seen Ben talking to them before but he never said who they were or what his connection was.”

  “Well, there has to be one.”

  Sam couldn’t help but notice John running toward them. Judging by his expression he was more than worried. He was irate.

  Rising, she held up her hand like a traffic cop. “Before you start yelling at me, you need to report a kidnapping. Those guys in the SUV just took Danny Southerland. They said he was their hostage.”

  “Why? What did they want?”

  “Ben,” Samantha said. “I don’t know what he’s mixed up in but it must be bad. They said they intended to use Danny for bait until Ben told them where he’d hidden some money he took from them.”

  “How did Danny get outside?” John demanded, reaching for the radio that was clipped to his belt. “And how in the world did you get involved?”

  “It’s a long story.” Samantha took Lindy’s arm and helped her to her feet. “They were apparently on their way to kidnap Danny when his mother decided to run away with him. Turns out she had the right idea, her timing was just a little off.”

  “We should have posted a guard on his room,” John said, chagrined. “We would have if we’d suspected anything like this. I figured his only threat was from his father.”

  “What are we going to do?” Samantha asked, keeping an arm around Lindy’s shoulders while the woman sobbed uncontrollably, her face in her hands.

  “Hang on.” John spoke into his radio and cited all the details he had amassed before turning back to the women. “Sheriff Allgood and Chief Kelso are on their way. They’re making arrangements to have the situation broadcast on local radio and TV stations in the hopes that Ben will respond.”

  “What if he doesn’t?” Samantha asked.

  “I got their license number when they stopped, thanks to the same SUV almost running me off the road on its way here. That’s a good start, especially if the tags weren’t stolen. We’re setting up roadblocks on the highways.”

  “What can we do?” She was eyeing Lindy as she spoke. “There must be some way we can help.”

  “There is. You can come with me to the station and look at pictures of known criminals.”

  “Mug shots? Like in the movies?”

  John shook his head at her naïveté. “These days we do all that by computer but the result is the same. First, I think you should take Mrs. Southerland to the E.R. and have her checked out.” He grimaced. “It wouldn’t hurt if you had yourself looked at, too.”

  “There is not a thing wrong with me,” Samantha insisted.

  She saw him shaking his head as he turned to walk back to his truck. He didn’t have to verbally refute her to get his opinion across. He was unhappy with her actions, as usual. Well, that couldn’t be helped. She had done the right thing and if she could go back in time and do it all again she wouldn’t change a thing—except maybe to kick harder.

  Of all the things she was, daughter, nurse and friend, her work as a CASA volunteer was the most important. And the toughest. There had been many times since she’d first enrolled in the program when she’d wondered if her heart was going to break for the children she was assigned to help.

  Only the sense that she was carrying out a divine mission had kept her from giving up. The same sense would carry her through this catastrophe, too. It had to, because she knew that in her own strength she was as helpless as the waifs she was sworn to defend.

  FOURTEEN

  The next hour was spent in full crisis mode. John fielded questions from his chief and the sheriff while Samantha and Lindy sat together in the back of a patrol car and commiserated.

  He’d been so upset, so frustrated, he’d avoided contact with either of them until he had calmed down. Whatever they’d gotten mixed up in was a lot more complicated than anyone had imagined. And whoever was out to get Ben Southerland now had the upper hand. Big-time.

  Pausing beside the cruiser he rapped on the closed rear window and motioned for Samantha to come out and join him.

  There was so much sadness and suffering reflected in her gaze when it met his he was instantly contrite. Slipping an arm around her shoulders, he guided her a short distance from the car, then checked to be sure Lindy had not followed before he began to speak.

  “It doesn’t look good,” he confided. “There’s been no sign of the kidnappers or the boy.”

  “What about Ben? He’s the key to all this.”

  “We agree. If we could question him we might have more success. Until he either surfaces or acts on his own to rescue Danny, we’re stymied.”

  “Do you think he will? I mean, he was the one who abused the boy, so why would he stick out his neck to save him?”

  “I don’t know that he would. But he is Danny’s father. That has to count for something, even if he’s a rotten excuse for a dad.”

  “Hmm. Maybe. Makes me wonder if my dad would have come to my rescue in a similar situation. I doubt it. He was usually too drunk to do much except raise a ruckus and then pass out.”

  “Do you see him often?”

  “Almost never. He used to get stopped pretty regularly when he was making beer runs between home and the Missouri line. Then I’d get called to come and bail him out, particularly after Mom left. That hasn’t happened lately.”

  “Maybe he’s reformed.”

  She laughed cynically. “That’ll be the day.”

  “What do you want to do next?” John asked, purposely changing the subject and gesturi
ng toward the patrol car where Lindy waited. “Shall I have you taken home when you and Mrs. Southerland are through looking at mug shots?”

  “I can drive myself.” Raising her face and looking into his eyes as if trying to read his thoughts, Sam asked, “What about the druggies who took Brutus? Have you had any leads?”

  “No. Sorry. I wish I had better news.”

  “And Danny comes first. That’s how it has to be. I understand. A missing person case takes precedence.”

  To his chagrin, a tear escaped and slid down her cheek. She turned to whisk it away. “It’s okay. Really it is. I just…”

  John pulled her closer for a supportive hug. “I know. You miss him. So do I.”

  “Do you think he’s still alive?”

  “If my prayers are being answered the way I hope they are, yes.”

  “Thank you,” Samantha whispered as she slipped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek on his chest. “I don’t know how I’d get through this if I didn’t have your moral support.”

  Embracing her in return, John wondered if she would have felt that way without the trials that they’d recently had to face. It was an interesting question. One that would bear more consideration. He wasn’t ready to assume that bad things had occurred for good reasons but he had no trouble believing that the Lord could use their troubles to bring good in the end.

  Those scriptures in the book of Romans had always confused him, yet there were many times when he had seen “all things work together for the good of those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.”

  That was probably the key—the part about being called according to God’s purposes. As a human being it was difficult to differentiate between personal desires and what the Lord might want you to do for Him.

  In a way, Sam was following that edict when she volunteered to speak for children in court via CASA.