by Char Webster
~*~*~
Robert kicked the trashcan next to him at the exit of the building, frustrated that Kate had disappeared. He looked around the entire place and she and the kids were nowhere to be found. He really needed to talk to her, especially if his hunch turned out to be correct.
Sighing heavily, he walked toward his SUV. I’m just going to have to track her down again, he thought.
~*~*~
Frank was pacing when Brooks entered his temporary prison. He had been stuck in the room for almost twenty-four hours, and he had no idea if his girls were safe. He was worried sick and hated feeling helpless.
He turned to face Brooks and waited.
“I see you haven’t gotten much rest,” Brooks said with a sneer. He handed Frank back his phone and said, “You received one call, and I believe that person left a voicemail. You can get it when we’re done here.”
Frank reached for the phone but refrained from dialing Melissa. He would call her as soon as he was out of this room. He had to know that they were safe. He was almost shaking with fear and rage.
“Before you leave to collect my kids, I wanted to show you something,” Brooks told him with a sinister smile that made the bottom fall out of Frank’s stomach. God, please no, he thought.
On the small screen was his daughter rolled up in a ball, crying on a bed. He had no idea where she was, but he knew Brooks had her. He dropped his head but still didn’t say a word. He had to get to Melissa. She must be devastated, confused, and terrified.
“You understand that your daughter’s well-being rests solely on you completing your assignments.”
Frank’s head popped up and he broke his silence, “Assignments?”
“Yes. You didn’t think that you would get her back with just completing this current one, did you?” Brooks taunted. He wanted Frank to lash out.
Frank didn’t answer him. He just looked Brooks in the eye and memorized his new enemy’s face.
He turned to walk out of the room, but Brooks’ next words stopped him in his tracks. “Don’t screw this up again. I would hate for Kali to meet the same fate as her mother.”
Brooks smiled horribly and dared Frank to react in some way.
It took everything Frank had to stay on his feet as he walked out the door and down the steps. He stumbled once but quickly righted himself and left the house. His truck was around the side of the building where he had left it. He jumped in and drove a few miles away, when he pulled over to the side of the road and screamed in agony. He screamed and screamed and screamed. When he pulled himself together enough to drive, he made a promise to himself. Brooks would pay dearly for what he had done.
Chapter Fifteen
Kate was just settling down with a book when there was a knock on the door.
She huffed to herself. Robert just doesn’t give up.
Kate pulled the door open and was very surprised to see Dawn Johnson on her porch.
“Dawn, hello, did you have a scheduled visitation today?” Kate usually was on top of these things, but with everything going on in her life, she could have forgotten.
“Hi, Kate. No, we don’t have a visitation scheduled, but I do need to talk to you. May I come in?”
“Of course. What’s wrong, Dawn? You look really stressed out.” Kate could feel the stress oozing from her. They settled in the family room, and Kate got Dawn a glass of ice water.
Dawn took a huge breath and blew it out slowly. “Kate, I have been debating whether I should tell you this for a while, but I didn’t want to upset you.”
Kate’s stomach dropped, and she got a sick feeling. “Are you taking the kids away from me?” she said as she stood up to face Dawn. She was ready to fight for her kids.
“No, no. Not at all,” Dawn started to explain.
“Then what is it?”
“Please listen to what I’m about to say, and I will answer any question you have after.”
“Okaaaay.” Kate dragged the word out. She was getting nervous about what Dawn was trying to tell her.
“I’m just going to spit it out. I think you and the children are in danger.”
“WHAT?”
“Please let me explain my fears,” Dawn said quickly. “Right after you took the kids home, the office was broken into and files were thrown all over, especially in my office. The filing room was less messy, with only one drawer pulled apart.”
Kate’s gut told her it was “T.”
“It was the drawer with the T files. A few days later, I think my office was touched again because things were moved from their places. I admit I have a little OCD and I know how I leave my things.” Kate had seen similar traits in Dawn’s son, so she understood what she was saying.
Dawn continued, “My house was broken into, and again things were moved around and searched, but nothing was taken. My computer was on, and the back door was left opened.”
“That’s all very frightening, Dawn, but how are you making the connection to my kids?”
Dawn found her first smile in days at hearing Kate call the kids hers. “Kate, I took the kids’ file from the office and had it in my shoulder bag.” Dawn let that hang for a moment and then said, “I’ve seen a truck outside my house several times and the same truck in the work parking lot. Also, a few days ago, my receptionist was attacked and severely beaten.
“Oh no. That’s horrible.” Kate was becoming very concerned.
“I never take files from the office. Ever. My gut was telling me that they were after the children so I started to look into it. First, I destroyed the file and only kept a few photos of the documents in my phone.”
“So no one can find us. That’s good,” Kate said, trying to calm her nerves.
“Not quite. Do you remember the couple that was leaving when you came back into the building with Alex that first day?”
“Yes. I remember them. They gave me such a bad feeling and were part of the reason I wanted the kids.”
“That makes sense. I wondered what triggered your sudden interest in foster parenting,” Dawn said gently. “When I called Mr. Brooks later that evening to tell him that I placed the children elsewhere, he was beyond angry and aggressive. He actually scared me, and I was happy it was over the phone and not in person. Then suddenly, he became sickly calm and polite. It was completely fake and controlled.”
Kate looked more worried. “And you think he has had something to do with your break-ins?
“I would bet money on it. He’s extremely rich and ruthless, and has adopted twenty-eight troubled children in the last twenty-some years. All of the children fit the exact profile of your kids. I started to look into it, and he seems to be collecting certain kids, and others he has adopted or fostered have mysteriously died very young.”
“You think he wants to add my kids to his collection?” Kate was starting to panic. She had to call Nick.
“Yes. I do. I just can’t figure out why.”
“Why haven’t you called the police?” Kate asked.
“Because I have no hard proof, and from what I’ve heard, he has unlimited power and influence. He even has police on his payroll. I don’t know who we can trust.” Dawn sat back, defeated. “You need to believe me.”
“I do believe you and I have someone I can trust.” Kate told her. “Thanks for letting me know.”
“Kate, I want to help. Please know I am here for you and the kids,” Dawn said, getting up to leave.
Kate gave her a hug and walked her to the door.
She sat on the porch and waited for her to pull away before she reached for her cell phone.
“Hey. What’s up? You don’t usually call me.”
“Nick, I think the kids are in serious danger.”
“I’ll be right there.”
Nick ran the whole way to Kate’s house. Something in her voice scared the hell out of him.
She was waiting for him on the porch when he walked up. She stood up and walked into his arms for a hug.
“What happened?” Nick asked her
. He could feel her shaking.
Kate explained her conversation with Dawn to him. He listened carefully and didn’t interrupt like he really wanted to.
He couldn’t contain himself any more. “Who the hell is this guy Brooks?”
“I don’t know. All Dawn said was that he is rich, powerful, and basically scary. She said that he has police on his payroll. I saw him the day I took the kids home. I was down the hall, and I could feel rage, malice, hatred, distrust, and cunning flowing out of him. It was like pure evil. It made me almost sick feeling it. When Dawn told me they wanted the kids, I snapped and took them. I couldn’t let them go with such horrible people.”
Nick hugged her tighter. “We’ll figure this out. I’m going to use every resource I have, and the Association has to find this guy and see what he is up to.”
“Dawn told me that he collects troubled kids that have usual files. All I could think about was other gifted children. What if he’s collecting gifted kids? What if he’s targeting our kids because they’re gifted? That would make him even more dangerous.”
“I need to tell the Association.”
“Can you trust them?”
Nick hesitated for the first time when thinking about the Association. “I don’t think we have much choice. We will need their resources.”
“I trust you.”
Nick gave her another squeeze before letting her go and stepping away. “I’m going to see what I can find out. Don’t worry until we have to, okay?”
“That’s not going to happen. I’m already worried about all of us. Be careful, Nick. This guy sounds crazy and dangerous.”
“Hey, I told you before; I can be just as dangerous when someone messes with the people I love.” He kissed her check and jogged down the path and to his house.
Kate went back inside and paced and tried to do a few things, then paced some more, then finally gave up and called her mother.
She couldn’t tell her mom everything that was going on, but she needed to hear her voice and feel the comfort of a parent.
It was a bad connection and the satellite phone was full of static, but her mother answered with a big “Hello, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Mom.”
“What’s wrong? You sound funny.”
“All I said was ‘Hi, Mom’ and it’s a bad connection, and you immediately think something is wrong.”
“I’m your mother, of course I can tell.”
“Just having a tough day. That’s all,” Kate said with a sigh.
“You work too hard. I thought you were going to take it easy this summer. I knew that wouldn’t last.” Her mother laughed. “So which teenager is giving you a hard time?”
“How do you do that, Mom?”
“Because I’m the mom, that’s why, and mothers know everything,” her mother said with a bit of spunk. “Are you going to tell me?”
“I am having trouble with a couple of kids. It’s not anything I can’t handle. It’s just bothering me today.”
“Kate, I know we give you a little bit of a hard time about not being a medical doctor, but honey, you are a wonderful psychologist. You have an amazing ability to see what is bothering someone and know exactly how to help them. I know you’ll help those kids. They couldn’t have anyone better on their side.”
“Thanks. That’s exactly what I needed to hear right now.”
“I love you, sweetheart, and I miss you like crazy, which reminds me, did you book your flight to Africa yet? We need to make all kinds of arrangements and visas and shots.”
“Umm, Mom.”
“Oh, don’t tell you me you aren’t coming. Kate, I haven’t seen you in so long. We miss you so much. You promised that you would come see our clinics in August before you go back to school. If you don’t come now, we won’t see you until the fall when we get back to the States.
“I can’t come this summer. I don’t want to leave my foster kids home alone.” Kate left that hang in the air for a moment.
“YOUR WHAT?”
“I am a foster parent to three kids who really need me,” Kate told her. “I really care about them.”
“Wow. I didn’t expect that. Are they the kids you were just talking about?”
“Yes.”
“Start at the beginning and tell me about these children you took in. I’m now a grandmother, after all.”
Kate took a few minutes and filled her mother in on all the details she could safely reveal to her mother.
Her mom said, “Well, I have faith in you, and I know that you don’t do anything you don’t want to do, so I will support you in any way I can.”
“Thanks, Mom that means a lot. I really want you to meet them. They’re great kids, and I know you will like them.”
“It sounds like you care for them a great deal. My baby girl is growing up. We’re coming back to the States in October, so I guess I’ll see you all then. Oh and by the way, you are all coming down to the Florida house for Thanksgiving.”
“You got it.”
“I have to go, Kate. Love you, love you, love you.”
“Bye, Mom. Love you, too.”
Kate smiled sadly. She really missed her mom, and it was so good to hear her voice. Her mom always had a way of infusing her with confidence that Kate didn’t know she had.
Maddy woke up a few minutes before dinner. Alex and Zach hadn’t come back yet. She hoped they were having a good time with their friends.
Kate started to get nervous as she cleaned up dinner and placed two wrapped plates in the fridge for the kids. They had never missed dinner. Zach was a bottomless pit and was always hungry.
Kate texted both kids, telling them it was time to come back home. They usually checked in with her, but they hadn’t this afternoon. She had to remember that they were teenagers now. Teens were not the most responsible people around.
Two more text messages to each of them with no response, and Kate was worried. She called them, and both phones went straight to voicemail. She left a message for both that said they had better get their butts back there right away.
She was in full panic mode when she called Nick. “I can’t find the kids, and they aren’t answering their text messages, and their phones are going straight to voicemail.”
“I’m going to pick you up in a minute, and we’ll drive the neighborhood. We can’t panic yet, Kate. They’re kids, and kids do stupid stuff sometimes.”
“I have a really bad feeling about this.”
Kate grabbed the car seat out of her BMW and waited with Maddy outside by the driveway when Nick pulled up in his SUV. He hopped out and helped Kate secure the car seat, and the three of them started driving the neighborhood. They circled several blocks when Kate noticed a red Phillies hat on the side of the road.
“STOP!” Kate yelled and jumped out of the car. She grabbed the hat and almost cried out loud when she saw the “Z” on the inside.
“He always wears this hat, Nick.”
“I know. I gave it to him when I took him to his first Phillies game.”
“They’re gone. OH GOD, Nick, They’re gone. That guy took them.” Tears were streaming down her face.
“We’ll get them back. I swear we’ll get them back,” Nick promised her.
Kate was shaking with rage and terror. They had to find the kids. “What do we do?”
“First we need to get Maddy to someone who can keep her safe. We could take her to the Association,” Nick offered.
“No. I don’t know them, and I don’t trust them. They want to evaluate me, remember?” Kate paused. “We’ll take her to Dawn. I trust her.”
“Fine. Call her.”
Kate called Dawn and arranged for Maddy to be dropped off at a diner in town. Dawn would meet them there.
They stopped off at Kate’s to pack a few things for Maddy. While they were there, Nick said, “Grab a few changes of clothes for yourself as well. We probably shouldn’t come back here. Whoever took the kids might be watching the place.”
&nbs
p; “I hadn’t thought of that. Do you think someone is watching now?”
“It’s possible. I’ll look around while you get your stuff together,” Nick told her
“I’ll just be a few minutes,” Kate called as Nick walked around to check the house and yard.
Kate grabbed Maddy’s stuff first and made sure she packed her favorite stuffed dog. After Maddy’s things were all packed and ready, Kate grabbed her backpack, emptied the contents on her bed and shoved in several sets of clothes and underthings, and a pair of sneakers. The sandals she was wearing might not be the best choice for what they were likely to be doing. Kate ran to the bathroom, grabbed stuff from the shelves and dumped her toiletries in her bag. Just as she was about to close the bag, she grabbed her mother’s journal and stuffed that in as well. She also put her father’s pocket-knife in the front pocket of her jean shorts. She took one last look around and walked back down stairs to look for Nick.
Fifteen minutes later, they were outside the diner.
“Oh, Kate. I’m so sorry. If only I had warned you sooner,” Dawn said, hugging Kate. Nick was holding Maddy, who was clinging to his neck. He was sizing up Dawn Johnson. From his investigations earlier, he knew she was a good woman. He just hoped that she was savvy enough to stay hidden and keep Maddy from sight.
“We’ll get them back,” Kate was trying to assure herself as well as Dawn. She saw Dawn looking at Nick and said, “This is Nick, he’s . . .”
Dawn interrupted. “Nick Taylor, their guardian. Nice to meet you; wish it were under better circumstances. I’ve been looking for you for quite some time.”
He shook her hand and looked directly at her, ignoring her roundabout comment about his location. “We’re going to get the kids back.”
Kate stepped up and took Maddy from Nick. She squeezed the little girl and handed her over to Dawn. “Please keep her safe.”
“Don’t worry. We’re going to stay at a friend’s house. They’re away for the summer so no one is there. I’m also overdue for a vacation, so a few days off by their pool will do us some good.”
“Thanks, Dawn. We’ll call you when we can.”