Love Inspired Suspense January 2014

by Shirlee McCoy

  Skates she did not tie properly.

  Was Laney’s mind suffering the strain of trying to reclaim what she’d lost?

  Don’t even think it, he told himself, forcing his body into stillness as the miles passed.

  Finally, they pulled onto Mountain Loop Road and the picturesque hollow of snow-mantled pines. Something in his lungs knew the place, because he found it suddenly an effort to suck in a full breath. The crunch of metal, the snapping of bones. Did Laney still hear those horrifying sounds as clearly as he did? He had eyes only for the parked pickup truck, engine running, and the woman who stood near the passenger window. She wore glasses and a knit cap that nearly covered her gray curls. She hustled up to the police car. Max and Chen got out first.

  “I’m glad you’re here. I was on my way to town when I saw her wandering on the side of the road, crying,” the lady said. “She’s been rambling about…”

  Laney slammed open the truck door and launched herself at Max, tears rolling down her face, her body heaving with shuddering sobs.

  “Birdie,” he whispered, wrapping her tightly in his arms, willing himself to take on some of the fear he felt tingling through her limbs. Thank God, he heard his heart say, and for that minute it did not matter how she’d come to be on that road, or any of the circumstances that might have led her there. She was safe. It was enough. Birdie. Birdie.

  She pressed her face so tightly to his chest he could not hear what she was saying.

  “It’s okay,” he crooned. “Take a deep breath.”

  Dan hovered nearby. “What happened? How did you get here? Why?”

  Officer Chen was writing notes as the gray-haired lady recounted the details. “She said,” the woman offered, glancing at Laney, “she said she’d been in the trunk of a car and someone dumped her here.”

  Laney’s head jerked up and she went rigid in Max’s arms. “Yes, that’s what happened. I was at Daddy’s shop and Trevor Ancho was there and his Aston Martin, and he used a stun gun on me and locked me in the trunk and…”

  Max tried again to get her to breathe slowly, to control the wild rush of words that he must not be deciphering properly. “Slow, Laney. Say it slow.”

  She breathed with him for a moment and then told them again about Trevor Ancho.

  Max’s mouth fell open as he listened. “Who…? Why would he do that?” he finally managed.

  “He’s the man who broke Dad’s window. He wants me to quit racing,” she said. “I thought he’d hurt Daddy. I thought Daddy was in the trunk.” She began to cry again, and this time Chen guided her to the backseat of his car, insisting that she sit in the warmed interior.

  Dan clutched her hand. “Laney, I’m so sorry.”

  Max stepped back and tried to gather his wits. The guy who’d busted into Dan’s car had now locked Laney in the trunk of an Aston Martin and abducted her with the intent of pressuring her to quit racing? And he’d added the touch of dumping her at the spot of their hit-and-run?

  It was bizarre.

  He looked at Laney, clutching her father’s hand, as Chen gave up trying to persuade her to go to the emergency room.

  “Who is Trevor Ancho?” Max found himself asking Chen.

  “Local businessman. Owns a fairly successful construction company.”

  Max caught Chen’s expression and turned to Dan. “Can you think of any reason he’d do something like this?”

  “No,” Dan said flatly. “Can’t think of one.”

  *

  Laney tried to get the words to come out in a way that would make sense, but she could tell by the faces around her that her retelling was only adding confusion. When she refused again to go the hospital, Dan stepped away and let Max kneel next to her at the car door.

  “Hey, Birdie,” he said, giving her a smile and reaching for her hands.

  She took his fingers in hers, trying not to squeeze too tightly. “Max, I’m not making it up. It happened.”

  He nodded, voice soothing. “We’ll just get all the details ironed out, but I want you to go to the hospital, just for a check. Would you do that for me and your dad?”

  A thought occurred to her, proof of her wild claim. “Look on my back,” she said, getting out of the car and pulling up her jacket.

  “Laney,” Max started.

  “He used a stun gun or something, just below my ribs. There will be a mark.”

  He tried again to stop her but she yanked up the material, exposing her bare skin to the cold. “Look,” she all but shrieked. “Is there a mark there?”

  Dan, Chen and Max all stared at her back, as well as the lady with the gray hair. Slowly their gazes shifted to her.

  “Can’t you see it?”

  “There’s no mark, Laney,” Max said quietly.

  Frustration bit at her. “My jacket must have insulated my skin.” She let the jacket settle back down around her middle. “But it happened. There must be tracks from his car. On the snow.”

  Chen shook his head. “No tracks—snow has been falling steadily for the past few hours.”

  Laney tried to think of some other detail she’d forgotten. She’d been locked in a trunk and abducted. There had to be some small piece of evidence to prove it. “You believe me, don’t you?”

  “Yes,” Dan said immediately. “I do.”

  “What about you?” Laney said, turning her gaze to Max.

  “You’ve been through a shock,” he said.

  She put her hands on his chest and made him look in her eyes. “Max, do you believe me?” She saw it there, the glimmer, the suspicion that the whole strange episode was the product of her damaged brain. The sliver of doubt lodged itself deep down inside her heart, cutting through something tender and leaving a trail of pain in its wake. Her hands fell away and she stepped back, seeing her own troubled face mirrored in his eyes.

  Suddenly her limbs felt weak, every muscle and nerve; even her neck was not strong enough to hold up her chin and her head drooped. She studied the snow at her feet, the laces of her shoes, anything to avoid looking at the man who did not believe her, who thought her brain was so compromised she would create such a story.

  “Laney,” Max said, reaching for her.

  She pulled away. “I get it. You think I made it up.”

  “No…” he started.

  “Don’t,” she said, hearing an unfamiliar hardness in her own voice. “Don’t pity me. Isn’t that what you asked of me before?”

  “I don’t pity you.”

  “Oh, yes, Max,” she said, a pent-up storm of emotion inside her begging for release. “You feel sorry for brain-damaged Laney Thompson, so addled that she’s gone around the bend. The girl who needs to put up notes to remember the hot and cold water taps and can’t tie her own shoelaces anymore.”

  “You’re putting words in my mouth, Laney.”

  She could not stop the tide of anger and hurt that now boiled out in a bitter rush. “But truly the worst part is, you’re worrying about what this means for the trials, aren’t you?”

  He shook his head. “That’s not it at all.”

  “You lie,” she spat, a fresh trail of tears loosing themselves down her face. “You lie, Max. Because all I am to you is an athlete, a girl with a little talent and a lot of drive who might not be able to skate fast enough to win. I’m a commodity that you use to get close to the medal, aren’t I? The means to an end.”

  “Laney.” His voice was barely a whisper. “Please.”

  “It’s true, Max,” she said. “And why should that hurt me? You’ve said all along we’re trainer and athlete, nothing more. Strictly professional, you and me.”

  Her father put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re upset, baby. This isn’t the time. Let’s get you to the hospital.”

  She felt like laughing. “I think maybe it’s the perfect time, Dad. Everything seems so clear right now.”

  So clear she thought she could hear the sound of her own heart cracking in two.

  NINE

  Max
felt as if he was watching some strange movie as they pulled up at Trevor Ancho’s place of business. He knew it wasn’t police protocol to let civilians in on the questioning, but for whatever reason, Chen allowed them to follow along. The man who’d just introduced himself certainly had the same stature and build as the guy who’d bashed out Dan’s truck windows, but he had never seen the face clearly. And this man, all smiles and strong handshakes, appeared completely at ease.

  He heard Laney suck in a breath as she confronted him. “I told them what you did to me.”

  His eyebrows shot up. “Did? Do I know you?”

  Laney shook off her father’s arm. “You can lie all you want, but I told them you stunned me and shoved me into the trunk of your Aston Martin and brought me to Mountain Loop Road.”

  Trevor blinked and shook his head. “I’m not sure which part of that I’m more surprised about, that you’re accusing me of kidnapping you or the fact that you think I own an Aston Martin.” He jerked a thumb behind him. “That’s my one and only vehicle right there. I was just checking on one of my jobs down the mountain.” He looked at Chen. “It’s the grocery store remodel on Fifth.” He offered an apologetic smile. “You can check with my foreman if I need an alibi. I’ve been chewing him out for the past few hours and he’ll be happy to tell you all about it.”

  Officer Chen said he would check. “Mr. Ancho, am I clear in understanding that you do not own an Aston Martin?”

  Ancho laughed. “Yes, sir. If I had the money for that, I wouldn’t be driving a ten-year-old pickup truck, let me tell you.”

  “You know I’m going to run your vehicle registration information,” Chen said.

  “I would hope so, with these accusations flying around. Do whatever you need to do to assure yourself I had nothing to do with hurting anybody.”

  Max thought the smile was a little too easy; the good-old-boy charm rang somewhat false in his ears. Or was he just looking for reasons to support Laney’s story? “Laney says you are the one who broke Mr. Thompson’s car window.”

  “Dan’s? Why would I do that?”

  “You know each other?” Max asked watching the flicker of emotion that passed over Dan’s face. He could not decipher it quickly enough before it was gone.

  “Only in passing. Used his cabs a bunch of times. Certainly got no reason to bust out his windows, do I, Dan?”

  Dan went still. “No.”

  Officer Chen asked a few more questions and thanked Ancho politely.

  “Happy to help,” Ancho said. He offered a smile to Laney. “I’m sorry there’s been a misunderstanding here, but I hope everything turns out well for you. You’re a skater, I know from the papers. Had a string of misfortunes, haven’t you? Paper said you’re looking to make a comeback and I think that’s just great.” He frowned, looking around as though he was noticing for the first time where he happened to be. “Say, isn’t Mountain Loop the place where you were hit all those years ago?”

  Laney eased back a step as if she could distance herself from the memories he knew had to be assailing her at that moment.

  Ancho frowned. “Weird…”

  He apparently thought Laney was going to respond, but she looked at the ground instead.

  With a final shrug, Ancho returned to his office.

  Chen said he would be in touch with all of them and checked one last time to be sure Laney did not want medical treatment.

  She shook her head and thanked the officer in a very small voice.

  Max watched Dan take his daughter in his arms. He spoke low, so low Max didn’t catch all of it.

  “I know what kind of monster he is, Laney,” Dan said.

  Her head jerked up. “You know I’m telling the truth?”

  “Yes, I know. And I’m going to take care of it all, don’t you worry.”

  She gripped his arms. “You know things about him? Dad, we have to make the police see the truth.”

  Dan shook his head. “Listen to me. The police can’t help with this.”

  “Why not? What’s going on?” Her tone was pleading.

  “I promise, I’m going to take care of it. Give me a few days.”

  “No, I’m scared of that man, and I don’t want you doing anything crazy.”

  “Nothing crazy, I just need to settle something with him and this will all be over.”

  “Dad…”

  “Trust me.” He gave her a kiss on the forehead. “Trust me to fix it. You’ve always trusted me before and I’ve never betrayed that trust, have I?”

  She shook her head.

  He nodded. Clearing his throat he looked at Max. “All right. Drop me back in town and take this gal back to the dorms since she refuses to go to the hospital. I’ll check in with you later.”

  Laney held on to his hand until he detached himself and all three of them squeezed into the front seat of Max’s truck. It did not escape Max’s notice that Laney made sure her father was in the middle. Avoiding him? He wasn’t surprised.

  They drove slowly, since it was now fully dark, and Max dropped Dan at his shop.

  “Please be careful,” Laney said, stepping out and embracing him hard before she got back in the car.

  “I will.” He beamed a bright smile at them both. “Go rest and hit the training hard tomorrow. I’ll be there to see your ice time.”

  Laney didn’t answer as Max waited until Dan went inside.

  As they took the road back to the oval, the sound of the tires crunching in the snow was the only break in the silence.

  What should he say?

  I’m sorry….

  I should have believed you….

  You’re not a commodity to me….

  Nothing sounded remotely correct in his mind.

  “Laney…” he finally started when he couldn’t stand her silence anymore.

  “Peterson mentioned Ancho’s name,” she blurted.

  “What?”

  “Hugh Peterson asked me if I knew of someone named Trevor Ancho.” She glared at him. “Odd, huh?”

  “Yeah.” He mulled it over. “I’m going to check it out.”

  “No, I will.”

  He sighed. “Laney, I want to help you get to the bottom of this….” He read her face. “And not because it’s going to impact your training or your racing or anything to do with skating. I care about you, I always have, and whatever is going on here is dangerous.”

  “Whatever is going on here? So now you think I was telling the truth?”

  “I know you’d never make something up, Laney, it was just a lot to take in all at once.” They pulled into the parking lot and he turned off the engine and reached out a hand for hers. She jerked it away.

  “I’m sorry,” he said.

  “Don’t be sorry,” Laney snapped as she got out. “I’m tough. I can handle it.”

  “See you in the morning,” he called to her back.

  He heard her sniff, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her sleeve.

  Though he watched until she’d safely let herself into the dorm, she did not turn around.

  The door clicked close with a loud snap, leaving him alone in the night, snow settling heavily down upon him.

  *

  Laney did not cry until she was locked safely inside her room. Even then she did so quietly, her head shoved into a pillow in case the other girls might hear her sobs and come investigate. Cubby leaped softly onto the bed and curled up next to her. Laney stroked his fur, comforted by the rumbling purr.

  She experienced alternating waves of fury, terror and hurt. Ancho had fooled everyone except her father. How would her father deal with a man that could lie so smoothly and cover his tracks so skillfully? And what was she supposed to do while her father “settled things” with this monster? Go on with her training?

  She swallowed.

  Pretend that her heart hadn’t been cut in two at Max’s distrust? Why did it hurt so deeply to see that doubt in his eyes? When the pain circling inside became too much to bear, she folded her han
ds and prayed until she ran out of words. Then she called her sister, her spirit buoyed as it always was when Jen picked up.

  “Hey, sis,” Laney said. “Am I interrupting your studying?”

  “Please. It’s a welcome distraction. I’m knee deep in human genetics. How’s racing life?”

  They exchanged pleasantries for a while, and Laney decided not to share with her sister the worry that weighed her down.

  “I got a weird phone call today from Carol Finch,” Jen said.

  Carol was a long-time family friend and Realtor. “What about?”

  “She heard that Dad was selling the cabin, and she was hurt that he hadn’t contacted her to arrange the sale.”

  “What?” Laney nearly dropped the phone. The tiny cabin tucked between two mountain peaks not two hours from the oval was their refuge, the place their father went religiously every chance he got to fish, so much more than a vacation spot it was like a member of the family.

  “That was my reaction, too,” Jen said. “I figured it must be some kind of a mistake. Dad would never sell the cabin without telling us first.” She paused. “Would he?”

  “I… No. I’m sure he wouldn’t. It must be a mistake, like you said.”

  “Yeah.” Laney heard the note of indecision in her voice. “It’s just that…”

  Laney could fill in the blanks. “It’s just that my training is ruinously expensive.”

  “I wasn’t going to say that. It’s not only you. My school isn’t cheap. That’s why we both work whenever we can swing it.”

  “But you’re covering most of your tuition with scholarships. I’m the one sucking him dry.”

  “Laney Elise Thompson. Both Dad and Mom wanted you to have every chance to go after your dream.”

  “But what if it’s the wrong dream, sis?” she said, voice quavering. “Maybe being a gold medalist is a selfish dream that’s costing us all too much.”

  “Mom said God would use your skating to bring Him glory, remember? When you get that medal, you’ll be able to start your skating school and give kids a better start. Isn’t that what you want?”

  “Yes,” she said. “I’m just worried right now that the cost is too high.”

  “It’s a higher cost when you don’t do what God made you to do.”