Into Thin Air

by Karen Leabo

  “Hey, let’s not get carried away,” Austin objected. “I have to justify the costs of this operation, you know.”

  “I’ll spring for the chicken,” Caro said. “I’ll make a stir-fry for dinner. How does that sound?”

  “You cook?” Austin asked, surprised. Somehow he didn’t think of Caro as the domestic type.

  “Damn right I cook.” She added rice and soy sauce to the list. “How soon can we leave?”

  Austin looked at his watch. “All of the girls were taken between eight-thirty and eleven in the morning, so I guess we can leave in an hour or so. We’ll need to transfer some equipment into the van.”

  “Okay,” Caro said. “Anybody want tea?” She stood and went to the cabinet where she kept the herbal tea. When she reached up to open the door, she froze. “Uh-oh. I think the antenna wire came loose.”

  Austin was the closest to her. He couldn’t avoid touching her this time, not unless he wanted to make an issue of it. He went to her and gingerly lifted the sweater, revealing her slender torso. She was wearing a modest sports bra, the kind some women wore in public during the summer, but he still felt like he was invading Caro’s privacy. “Yeah, the wire came loose, all right. Hold up the sweater up for a minute,” he instructed her. “Tony, could you hand me that tape? I think if we give the wire a little more slack, you won’t have any problem. Just be careful how you move.” In a couple of minutes he had the problem corrected. He could only hope Caro hadn’t felt his hands shaking.

  By eight-thirty they had the van outfitted for surveillance. Behind the front seat, the wildly painted vehicle had only one window on each side, heavily tinted, through which they could watch their surroundings. They wouldn’t use a radio, in case Odell had a police scanner. Instead they would rely on Austin’s portable phone if they needed to call in for backup. They had a camera with a telephoto lens for photographing any suspicious persons, and of course the receiver that would pick up signals from Caro’s body mike.

  With Tony and Austin secreted in the back where no one could see them, Caro pushed the button on the automatic garage door opener and backed out of the driveway.

  Kroger’s Food Store was less than a mile from the house, and the parking lot was packed.

  “Wait until you can find a space close to the door,” Austin said. “I don’t want to have to sprint across a quarter-mile of parking lot if you get into trouble.”

  “I know, I know,” Caro said irritably. She drove around in circles until she found someone pulling out of a desirable space.

  “Remember, take your time,” Austin coached her. “You don’t want to look like you’re in any particular hurry. Try to linger in the most deserted aisles, and especially in the parking lot when you have your groceries. And for heaven’s sake, don’t let a bag boy carry your sacks. And if you get into trouble, remember the phrase—”

  “I know, Austin,” she said. “I’m supposed to say ‘Please don’t hurt me.’ We’ve been over this. I’m not a complete idiot.”

  “I didn’t say you were. I just don’t want to leave anything to chance.”

  “Well, give me a little credit. You act like this is the first time I’ve ever worked undercover.”

  “Oh, excuse me. I forgot. You have all this tons of experience, and I’m just this green yahoo from Auto Theft—”

  “Hey, guys,” Tony interrupted. “I don’t think we’re accomplishing much with this discussion. Can you save it till later?”

  Caro sighed deeply. “You’re right. Let’s get this show on the road. Unless you have any more last-minute instructions?” She looked over her shoulder at Austin, her hazel eyes challenging him.

  He refused to take the bait. “No, I think everything’s under control.”

  “Good luck, sweetheart.” Tony reached up and squeezed her shoulder.

  She smiled for him. “Thanks.” Without even a glance in Austin’s direction, she got out of the van and slammed the door.

  Austin expelled a long breath as he and Tony took up their positions in front of the window that faced the store’s entrance. They were both silent as they watched Caro, walking with a jaunty hip-swinging gait, cross through the traffic and disappear inside.

  “Don’t take it so hard,” Tony said. “She gets ornery when she’s nervous, that’s all. She didn’t mean anything by it.”

  Austin didn’t reply.

  “You can’t take her seriously when she lights into you like that,” Tony continued. “If you just ignore her, in five minutes her mood will change.”

  “I don’t need lessons on how to get along with Caro, thanks.”

  “Then I guess she’s the one who needs lessons,” Tony quipped.

  Austin was suddenly ashamed of himself. “Hey, man, I’m sorry. I’m just stressed out about this whole thing, you know?”

  “Yeah, I know,” Tony said affably. “Don’t sweat it.”

  Sounds from the grocery store, picked up by Caro’s body mike, came in over the receiver. Austin fiddled with the dials, fine-tuning the signal, until he could even hear announcements made over the loudspeaker: “Price check on aisle nine.” “Check approval on aisle five.” And periodically Caro would talk to herself, as they planned: “Ooh, the new Seventeen, yippee,” she said, having obviously stopped by the magazine rack.

  She kept a running commentary on every purchase—lettuce, mushrooms, bell peppers in the produce section, yogurt, milk and cheese. Then she reached the cereal aisle. “Now where in the hell is the shredded wheat?” she asked herself.

  “Yeah, by all means,” Tony added. “Maybe that’s why she’s in such a bad mood. She needs her fiber.”

  Austin chuckled.

  “Ah, there it is,” Caro said. “Wouldn’t you know it, top shelf. Why don’t they design grocery stores for short peo—” The receiver abruptly went silent.

  Both Tony and Austin turned to stare at the ominously quiet receiver. “What the—” Tony said, banging on the case with his fist.

  “Aw, hell, you know what happened?” Austin said. “She reached up and pulled that antenna wire out again. Damn piece-of-crap body mike. If Narcotics wasn’t so greedy...okay, what do you think? Should we blow our cover and go in after her?”

  “It’s my second day on the job and you’re asking me?” Tony objected.

  Tony was right. This was Austin’s operation, and it was his decision to make. “Okay, it’s awkward being out of voice contact with Caro. But chances are nothing’s going to happen to her inside the store, right? And we’re watching the front door of the store, the only way in or out. She can’t leave the store under any circumstances without us seeing her.”

  “Right,” Tony said.

  “So we just won’t take our eyes off the store entrance.”

  “Sounds reasonable.”

  “Okay.”

  They spent the next ten minutes staring intently out the small window. Tony was nervously chewing on a piece of grape bubblegum.

  “Do you have to chew that stuff?” Austin asked irritably. “Christ, I could smell it a mile away.”

  “Would you rather I smoke? Those are the alternatives.”

  “Never mind. Hey, what’s that?”

  “It looks like a Diet Coke truck to me,” Tony said.

  “Yeah, but what’s it doing stopping right in front of the damn store? C’mon, move it, you lard-ass truck.”

  The truck driver opened his door and climbed out, apparently intent on unloading some soft drinks, oblivious to the fact that his vehicle completely blocked the detectives’ view of the front door.

  “Ah, hell, that’s it,” Austin said, banging his fist against the side of the van. “Let’s move. We can’t see her, we can’t hear her. Anything could happen. We can’t worry about blowing our cover now.”

  Tony was in complete agreement. They climbed out of the back of the van and strode purposefully around the truck. Austin’s stomach was tied up in knots, and the feeling wouldn’t ease until he got Caro in his sights again. Just as he
stepped on the mat activating the automatic door, Tony called out to him, his voice filled with alarm.

  “Hey, Lomax, look here.”

  Austin turned. Tony was pointing to a plastic grocery sack lying on the ground, some of its contents spilled onto the sidewalk. Austin took two giant steps and reached the bag, grabbing it up in his hands. On top was a Seventeen magazine and a box of shredded wheat.

  “Oh, God. Oh, God.” He’d just fallen into the worst nightmare of his life.

  Chapter 16

  “Please don’t hurt me,” Caro said. The muzzle of the woman’s .38 jabbed her in the side. She repeated the phrase, more insistently, as the woman—Odell, no doubt—calmly walked her down the sidewalk and around the corner of the building. Caro panicked for a moment. Wasn’t that the code? Austin’s plan had been to move in the instant he heard Caro say those four words.

  Where is he?

  “Please don’t hurt me,” she said one more time.

  “I won’t hurt you if you’ll just be quiet,” Odell said soothingly. “I’m doing you a favor, you’ll see. Now, be a good girl, Marie, and get in the truck.”

  They had arrived at a white Suburban parked around the corner from the store’s main entrance. There were a few other cars parked around them, but no people. No one could see them.

  Caro’s every instinct told her to use her training and defend herself; blithely climbing into a strange car with a crazed woman toting a gun was suicidal. But struggling might put her in more danger, Caro reasoned. And surely Austin would be here any moment. He was probably just waiting until Odell moved away from her, so as not to risk having the woman panic and pull the trigger.

  Caro took her time climbing into the back seat of the truck. Reflexively she craned her neck around, hoping vainly to see some sign of a rescue. That’s when Odell shoved a cloth over Caro’s face.

  Now she did fight, screaming and shoving an elbow into Odell’s well-padded middle. But the older woman was built like a tank, and Caro was no match for her, especially as her strength waned under the onslaught of the noxious vapors she was forced to inhale. By the time she felt the prick of a needle in her arm, she was too weak to fight. Darkness quickly engulfed her.

  * * *

  Odell was trembling as she put her truck into gear. That was the closest she’d come yet to losing control during one of her rescue missions. She’d thought Marie Plummer would be an easy target. The girl was not only small, but also quiet and timid, according to Virginia. And she was staying alone in her house, so no one would miss her for a while. The maneuver should have been a cinch.

  Odell had considered just walking right up to the house and ringing the doorbell, as she’d done with Julie Yates. But she hadn’t liked the setup of the neighborhood. The houses were too close together, and they all had garages in front and roomy driveways, so a car parked at the curb might have stood out. Anyway, not every young girl was as gullible as Julie, who hadn’t hesitated to open the door to a stranger.

  So, starting early that morning, Odell had parked around the corner in a church parking lot that was dotted with other cars. The spot had afforded her an unobstructed view of the Plummer house, and she’d used binoculars to keep an eye on it. Fortunately, she hadn’t needed to wait long. When the van had pulled out of the garage at a little after nine o’clock, Odell followed it.

  The grocery store parking lot wasn’t an ideal location, however. There was too much activity, too many people around. But Odell didn’t have time to wait for another opportunity. She didn’t like staying away from the home for any longer than necessary. Henry could only be trusted so far.

  Because the parking lot was so visible, she’d decided not to pull the same scam she’d used with Amanda Arkin. It was too likely someone would see them struggling in the front seat of Marie’s van. Instead she had approached Marie as she’d exited the grocery store, her arms full, preoccupied as she searched her purse for her car keys. A gun shoved into the girl’s ribs, coupled with a terse command that she not say a word, had done the trick nicely.

  But she hadn’t counted on the deceptively small young woman’s uncommon strength. Once Marie had finally found her courage, she’d fought like a pit bull, screaming and kicking and jabbing with elbows sharp as pikes. Thank goodness they’d been well away from any potential witnesses. A rag containing a bit of ether, held over Marie’s face, had muffled the girl’s screams and then put her out just long enough that Odell could give her an injection of a strong tranquilizer. Neither drug was likely to harm the unborn baby.

  Once Marie was unconscious, Odell had breathed a sigh of relief. She’d quickly tied the girl’s wrists together behind her back with a nylon stocking, then arranged her on the floor of the back seat and covered her with a blanket.

  The worst was over now, she thought as she exited the parking lot via the alley behind the grocery store. No one was following her. An added benefit was that she wouldn’t have to dispose of Marie’s vehicle. Once again, the Good Lord had protected Odell’s mission. She was cheered by that thought.

  She didn’t stop looking in the rearview mirror until she was well away from Dallas. Only then did her muscles gradually relax, her jaw unclench. As she passed through the town of River Rock, ten minutes away from home, her thoughts turned to her other problem. That unpleasant business with Amanda the night before had upset Odell terribly. During the last week or so, the girl had been a model of obedience. Why had she suddenly turned crazy like that?

  Odell didn’t like putting any of the girls in the basement. But there was nothing like a night of sleeping on the cold, hard floor in pitch-black darkness to give a young girl plenty of time to ponder her sins. Such harsh punishment wasn’t called for often, but whenever Odell resorted to it, it worked like a charm. She was confident Amanda would emerge from the basement penitent.

  As for Terri, there wasn’t much hope for that little tramp. Odell probably shouldn’t have put her down there with Amanda, but she’d let her temper get the best of her. Ordinarily she didn’t allow the girls to spend time together like that. Not that she worried about them confiding in each other, or hatching any kind of plan. First they would have to get over their anger at each other, and that would take longer than a night. No, she was more worried that they would hurt each other, and with Terri so near term, too.

  Well, what was done was done. Odell had left before dawn this morning, but last night she’d instructed Henry to bring Terri and Amanda upstairs first thing when he got up, and to make sure they ate some breakfast. By now both girls were probably resting in their rooms, reflecting on the simple comforts they’d done without last night. Hopefully it would be a long time before either girl defied her again.

  Odell pulled up to the front gates and got out of the car to unlock them. She was glad to be back at the Good Shepherd Home, as always. She felt completely safe here in this secluded spot of woods. She had chosen this place as much for its out-of-the-way location as for the size and layout of the house itself. Her property was at the end of a long, twisting, narrow lane that was clearly marked Private, No Trespassing. There was almost no chance anyone would stumble onto the home by accident, which was exactly how she liked it.

  She drove the truck through the gates, honked the horn to summon Henry, then got out to padlock the gate again. By the time she’d driven all the way up to the house, Henry still hadn’t appeared. Bella greeted her enthusiastically, but Phoebe was noticeably absent.

  “Henry!” she hollered through the open car window, honking once more. Still no response. “Oh, for heaven’s sake, that boy will be the death of me,” she muttered as she climbed out of the car. “Probably watching TV, and has it turned up so loud he can’t hear me.”

  Her apprehension grew as she entered the house, still calling for Henry, and got no answer. It was quiet as a graveyard. Something felt terribly wrong.

  Odell checked Amanda’s room first. It was empty.

  A girl named Kendra occupied the room next to Amanda’s. O
dell unlocked the door and entered, startling the girl, who had been lying on her bed reading. “What’s going on?” Odell demanded.

  Kendra, a blonde so fair and pale she almost wasn’t there, looked bewildered. “I don’t know. What time is it? I need to go to the bathroom.”

  “Use the bedpan,” Odell said tersely. “I don’t have time to take anyone to the bathroom right now.” She slammed and locked the door. Apparently Henry hadn’t even let the girls out to use the facilities.

  Next, Odell checked the basement. Empty. She was about to head back up the stairs when she noticed the window behind the furnace. The screen was missing, and a metal folding chair had been pulled up to the wall under the window. Even as she gave it a closer inspection, she already knew what had happened.

  This can’t be true, she thought. Those two little hellions couldn’t have figured a way out of this place. How would they have gotten over the fence?

  But apparently they had. That explained why Odell had heard Bella barking last night. That explained why Henry had dropped everything and left with Phoebe in tow. She hoped that for once that worthless bloodhound would earn her keep.

  There was no note from Henry, which didn’t surprise her. He could barely write, anyway. Then she remembered Wanda. Odell had hammered it into her nephew’s head that if there was any kind of serious trouble and he needed to reach her, he should leave a message with the answering service in Dallas.

  She fished the pocket-sized cellular phone out of her purse and called Wanda. The woman seemed unusually flustered, and it took her an uncommonly long time to search for Odell’s messages, but in the end there weren’t any.

  Odell could think of only one course of action. She would get her shotgun and her dog and set out in search of the runaways. There was still a chance she could find them before they summoned the authorities. Two young girls wouldn’t make much progress in these vast woods at night, especially with Terri so close to her due date. And Bella, a former search-and-rescue dog, was a good tracker.

  It was only when Odell was outside again that she remembered Marie Plummer. She couldn’t leave the girl unconscious in her back seat. She could awaken at any time.