Mission--Colton Justice

by Jennifer Morey

  Interesting that Emily had lied about why she was fired and yet appeared to have told the truth about Jeremy’s obsession.

  “Emily hasn’t contacted you since the day before she called in sick?” Jeremy asked.

  The woman shook her head. “We’re friends but I haven’t known her very long. Is she missing or something?”

  “Thanks for talking to us today,” Adeline said and then turned to walk away, steering Jeremy to join her.

  They reached the vehicle and Jeremy drove the short distance to Emily’s house. After knocking and ringing the bell and checking windows once again, they walked over to the neighbor’s house. The woman lived in a similar ranch home. The woman who answered the door was a five-five, curvy blonde; she wore a wedding band and Adeline could hear children playing off what she could see of a small living room.

  “Yes?” the woman said in the open doorway.

  Adeline did a quick introduction and saw no recognition on the woman’s face. “We’re looking for Emily Stanton, your neighbor. Have you seen her?”

  “Really? Why are you looking for her?” the woman asked warily.

  Adeline would try to avoid answering that question. She’d just said she was a private investigator. “Has she been home in the last few days? When is the last time you saw her?”

  “Yesterday. She came home during the day and then left again. I haven’t seen her since, but that’s no surprise. Why are you looking for her?” she asked again.

  “Did she say where she was going?” Jeremy asked.

  “Not really. She was going to run some errands and then meet a friend. She needed a night out, I guess.”

  “How well do you know her?” Adeline asked.

  The woman hesitated.

  “Are you friends?” Adeline pushed her.

  “Are you going to tell me why you’re looking for her?”

  “She’s missing,” Adeline relented. “We’re part of a team trying to find her.”

  “Missing...wow. Since yesterday?” She glanced over at Jeremy. “Who reported her missing?”

  “If you could answer our questions?” Adeline said. “We can’t discuss the reason why we’re looking for her.”

  “Oh.” The woman looked apprehensively from Adeline to Jeremy. “Well, then, maybe I should only talk to the police.”

  “We are working with the sheriff’s office. If you like, we can have Sheriff Colton give you a call to confirm that,” Jeremy said.

  The woman’s eyes lowered and averted as though she was contrite. “No, that won’t be necessary. Do you think I was the last person to see her?”

  “Possibly,” Adeline said. “Would you say you two are friends?”

  “Yes. We go over to each other’s houses for drinks every once in a while. Do each other favors. Talk.”

  The shriek of a young girl’s voice carried out from one of the bedrooms.

  “Sorry.” The woman smiled. “My daughter.” She stepped out onto the porch and closed the door behind her.

  Adeline moved back a step to make more room for her. “How long have you known Emily?” Jeremy stood far enough away that he didn’t have to move.

  “Oh, gosh. Five years?” She seemed uncertain, as though she hadn’t counted the years and only then had thought of it.

  “Did she ever mention anything unusual to you?” Adeline asked. “Anything she may have been planning?”

  “No. What do you mean ‘unusual’?” The woman tucked her fingers into the pocket of tight blue jeans.

  “After she was fired from her nanny job, did she tell you about that?” Jeremy asked.

  “Oh, yeah. She was really upset about that. She was worried about losing her house. Luckily I knew of a job opening and she started about a month later.”

  “She never mentioned seeking revenge on the man who fired her?” Adeline asked.

  “No. I can’t imagine Emily doing anything like that. She’s kind of a quiet person. We respect each other’s privacy. She keeps to herself...except when we get together. She gets talkative then and we have a fun time. She’s really good with kids, too.”

  “Did she ever tell you she was arrested for shoplifting?”

  The woman opened her mouth. “Oh. No. Was she? Wait a minute...has she done something? Why are you looking for her?” She kept asking that.

  “Can we get your name?” Adeline asked.

  “Julie Smith,” she answered hesitantly.

  “Thanks for talking to us today, Julie.” Adeline used her token phrase and again steered Jeremy away from the house.

  “Well,” Adeline said. “Emily has been home since Jamie was kidnapped a few days ago.”

  “Knox will put eyes on her house.”

  Adeline didn’t think that would do much good. Emily’s neighbor would warn her they’d stopped by with questions.

  * * *

  Back at Jeremy’s house, Adeline grabbed a little something to eat and would have gone up to her room. Plaguing worry stopped her. They’d received no call from the kidnapper today. She wouldn’t be able to sleep. Why had the kidnapper done that? He—or she—seemed to be taunting them, or Jeremy. Drawing out the agony. If Emily sought revenge, she’d get it with Jeremy’s suffering.

  So much didn’t add up, though. Why had that man broken into Jeremy’s house, and why had he shot her? Why try to kill her and then kidnap Jamie? The more Adeline thought, the more the idea of Livia changing her plans didn’t seem likely. Did the kidnapper merely intend to eliminate a threat in order to carry out his plan to take Jeremy’s son? What was the kidnapper’s purpose in all of this? What was Emily’s relationship with the man?

  Jeremy would have liked to link Livia to the entire series of crimes. Adeline still didn’t discount the possibility; she only doubted the likelihood. But the man who shot her could be linked with Emily, and the man could have shot her to get her out of the way, to prevent her from stopping his and Emily’s plan.

  Jeremy sat on the sofa in the family room, staring at his cell phone on the coffee table. The television played an action hero movie. The room suited him, masculine, very functional with lots of electronics and theater-style sofa and chairs. The bar was dark. Tess had told her she’d wanted one in her house. That was long before Adeline had learned she had a drinking problem.

  Adeline sat on one of the chairs and reclined a little. Maybe this would help her relax enough to go to sleep.

  She rolled her head to look over at Jeremy. He’d looked up from the phone and now stared at her. She caught his gaze going from her chest to her face. She had on her nightgown, a modest, knee-length, white sleeveless nightie she’d bought for comfort.

  He still had on his jeans but had changed into a superhero T-shirt. She liked the shirt...a little too much. The material clung to his chest and biceps. His sleepy eyes held weariness and the same stress that kept her awake, but more. Underlying the gravity, an embedded desire percolated.

  “What if he’s...” She couldn’t say the word.

  “We aren’t going to think that way,” he said. “I have thought that way, but I don’t want to.”

  She met his eyes for a time. Then he stretched out his arm along the sofa and said, “Come here.”

  He probably didn’t mean to lure her sexually. He’d share comfort with her, something she needed.

  Adeline went to the sofa and sat beside him, leaning her head on his shoulder as he curved his arm around her shoulders.

  “We just have to wait.”

  “For what?” she wanted to ask. “What if no call comes?” Why would the kidnapper call again?

  “We can’t lose faith a call will come.” He kissed her head.

  She could tell he spoke with more bravado than he felt. If he lost Jamie on top of losing Tess, he’d be devastated. He’d never b
e the same man. Adeline hadn’t been a part of Jamie’s life up until now. She’d feel the loss, too, but probably not as much as him.

  Optimism didn’t come easily. The kidnapper had already made one ransom demand and hadn’t returned Jamie. She felt terrible dread churn in her stomach and reached for Jeremy’s hand, which rested on his left thigh.

  He entwined their fingers. “He wouldn’t have sent those flowers if Jamie was already dead.”

  He did have a good point there. Why would any kidnapper do that if not to deliberately torment loved ones? Whoever had taken Jamie intended for Jeremy to suffer.

  “Okay,” she said, clinging to that.

  He rubbed her arm. “You’re as concerned as I am.”

  “He’s my son.” The fact held different meanings for them both.

  “In the short time you’ve spent with him, you’ve gotten very close,” he said.

  “I felt close to him as soon as I held him in my arms,” she answered without raising her head.

  He didn’t say anything for a while. And when he did, he surprised her.

  “Adeline?” He kissed her head again. The gesture was becoming something of a trademark, a nonsexual but loving and friendly kiss of comfort.

  “Yes?”

  “No matter what happens between us, you can see Jamie whenever you want.”

  She lifted her head to see his eyes and met sincerity.

  “Someday I’d like to tell him you’re his biological mother,” he said.

  She drew her head back farther. Was that his vulnerability talking? “Do you mean it?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “Yes. I can’t say when... I’m not...”

  Not ready. She would rather not get into that again. “I understand. Thank you. That would mean a lot to me.” While that would mean a lot to her, deeper down, she felt slighted that she wouldn’t be in Jamie’s life every day. Jeremy had too much to overcome before that could be even a possibility.

  A small smile lifted the corners of his mouth, softening her partial regret.

  Once he had Jamie back, would he keep his word? Adeline rested her head on his shoulder again.

  She’d go back to investigating Tess’s accident. That would end with some kind of resolution and she’d return home, to her normal life, lonely and working long hours. Funny, how she hadn’t thought of it that way before now. Her life gave her happiness. She saw her mother a lot. She had a nice house, and she had made great strides professionally in a short period of time. Plus, she loved what she did. She loved solving cases. Probably the single most gratifying element entailed bringing criminals or otherwise not-so-nice people to justice and giving those they hurt back their lives.

  She avoided men and rarely went out with her friends. More than just not trusting men or holding the bar far higher for them to earn her trust, she’d welcomed those long working hours. Thrived. Her accomplishments exhilarated her. But maybe she’d allowed herself to carry that too far.

  Of course, she’d made a promise to herself never to be hurt the way she had been with her last boyfriend, to never be that naive again. One heartbreak had done that. When she’d first met him, he’d painted a charming, intelligent picture of himself. She’d had visions of them both excelling in their careers, having nice things and plenty of money for trips. Maybe have kids someday. All that had shattered the day he’d shown his temper.

  Still, she’d fallen in love with the man from college. He’d shown glimpses of that person when they lived together. Between fights over when he would either go to law school or get a job, they’d actually had some pleasant times.

  She’d trusted him. When he’d betrayed that trust by misleading her, by filling her head with declarations of ambition that had all been lies, he’d broken her. The man she thought she knew in college was not the one she lived with. He’d used her, thinking he could have an easy life.

  Jeremy would never use her for that, but she couldn’t trust his invitation to see Jamie after they parted ways. What would he do when he met a woman he decided to marry? She wouldn’t be able to see Jamie then, would she? She couldn’t imagine another woman would feel comfortable with that. To compound matters, could Adeline’s heart handle visiting Jamie only on occasion?

  No.

  She moved back from Jeremy, scooting over on the sofa.

  “Are you going to bed?”

  “In a bit.” She needed to say this the right way. “It’s really sweet of you to offer that I see Jamie after I leave. Thank you for that. But I don’t think it’s a good idea to tell Jamie about me.”

  His brow lowered. “Why not?”

  “Think about it, Jeremy. I can’t keep floating in and out of your lives after you get married again. That would be just...awkward. So it’s best if...if Jamie doesn’t know about me at all.”

  He stared at her, glanced across the room, and then looked at her again. “We can talk about that later.”

  She didn’t see the point but didn’t comment. Instead, she stood and headed for her room, wondering what had gone through his mind as he looked away. Had he not considered the consequences further into the future? Once she’d made him think about it, what had he thought? Had he imagined himself with another woman? No one? Her...?

  Adeline refused to speculate.

  Chapter 14

  Late the next afternoon, Jeremy worked from home in case the kidnapper called. Knox had a team set up offsite to monitor any calls and had coached Jeremy and Adeline on what to say when the next call came. Jeremy couldn’t concentrate. Worry over Jamie tortured him. He also couldn’t understand Adeline’s refusal to see Jamie. Well, he could. They’d had sex and if he did marry someone else, that would be awkward. But what she didn’t know was that Jeremy had no intention of remarrying. He couldn’t think of himself with anyone...other than Adeline. And that caused problems, the same as before. Mass confusion over how he felt.

  Brought on by guilt?

  He stood from his desk and left his office. Going downstairs, he saw Adeline looking out the back patio window. Today, clouds had gathered and threatened a cold rain. Wind swayed the trees in the backyard. Soon darkness would fall again for another night of sleepless waiting.

  She’d said she felt close to Jamie since he was born, but Jeremy wondered if much of that stemmed from her imagination. He didn’t doubt she felt close to his son, but she hadn’t spent every day with him. Giving him up must have been difficult on her, and caused fantasies. A mother bonded with her baby after birth but what happened after they separated? Not that it mattered now. Jeremy wanted her to be able to see Jamie. He’d never stop her from doing so.

  “We should go out for dinner or something. I can bring my cell. That’s the number the kidnapper used to call me.”

  Adeline turned with alertness. “Your cell? That means they knew your number.”

  “Emily knew my number.”

  Slowly she nodded in disappointment.

  “Knox called earlier,” he said. “Emily’s bank transactions have been minimal but she had a cash withdrawal of three hundred dollars yesterday. She went to her bank, which she appears to do on a regular basis. That’s all we’ve got on her movements. She hasn’t gone home, either.”

  Adeline turned back to the view of his backyard just as his cell phone rang. She pivoted as he retrieved the phone from his front pocket.

  He read the display and answered.

  “Bring another five hundred thousand to the same location at nine tomorrow night.” The voice sounded the same as last time, disguised.

  “Why are you doing this?” Jeremy asked. “I gave you five hundred thousand already. Why aren’t you giving me my son back?”

  “Did you receive the flowers?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then y
ou know why. Bring five hundred thousand dollars to the same location as before. Nine tomorrow night.”

  What kind of person would kidnap a young boy and purposefully demand two ransom drops just for the sake of causing suffering? How long would this go on and would he ever see his son again? He had to have a strong arm right now. He had to show this animal he wouldn’t let fear turn him into a coward.

  “No,” Jeremy said at last.

  After a notable pause, the caller said, “No?”

  “I want proof of life. No proof of life, no money.”

  “I’ll kill your son.”

  Jeremy hardened himself against crumbling and giving the kidnapper whatever he asked without condition in order to save Jamie. But saving Jamie included pushing back a little; Knox had warned him of that. “I demand proof of life. You give me proof and I’ll deliver you the money.”

  Another silence passed, this one longer. “I’ll call you in fifteen minutes.”

  Jeremy closed his eyes and let his head fall back. Disconnecting, he said to Adeline, “He—or she—will call back in fifteen minutes.”

  Adeline covered her mouth briefly with a glad squeak. “That means he’s still alive!”

  He hoped. The kidnapper could just be toying with them, or buying time to come up with a way to avoid providing proof of life.

  Jeremy phoned Knox. “He called again. Another drop tomorrow at nine.” He gave Knox the cell number.

  “I’ll see if the team traced the call, run the number and meet you at your house.”

  Disconnecting, Jeremy met Adeline’s eyes. The hope and relief he’d seen when the kidnapper had agreed to show them Jamie still lived had vanished. They still didn’t have Jamie.

  Fifteen minutes came and went. Adeline paced one end of the family room to the other and Jeremy still held his cell phone.

  The doorbell rang, signifying Knox had arrived. Closer to the door, Adeline let him in.

  “Anything?” Knox asked as he entered in a denim shirt and pants with a jacket.

  Jeremy shook his head as Adeline closed the door, first checking outside as she usually did. She never lost awareness of her surroundings.