“What’s wrong?” Tommy asked.
She couldn’t speak.
“Mommy’s been silly and hurt herself,” Jack said.
“I want to get out.”
“Soon,” Jack said. “Hey, let’s see how many blue cars we can count.” Kate reached for her glasses and then fastened her seatbelt. Her back was on fire. She sat forward trying to keep it away from the seat and away from Tommy.
“You got red juice on your face,” Tommy said.
Kate wiped her mouth.
“Are you looking for blue cars?” Jack asked.
Tommy’s gaze swung between Kate and Jack.
“That’s one,” Jack said.
Kate shivered. She had to stop making him angry. He wasn’t going to let them go. She had to wait for the perfect opportunity to escape and until that came—cooperate. Tommy’s parents would understand she’d done her best.
“Blue car,” Tommy shouted.
“Two,” Jack said.
Eventually it grew too dark to make out colors. Tommy drifted off to sleep.
Jack drove into storm. Jagged cracks lit up the sky and for the tiniest fraction of a second revealed glimpses of another world. Kate wondered if she’d be better off dead.
***
Despite the tempting aroma of stuffing and roast turkey emanating from his sister’s kitchen, Nathan tried to worm his way out of staying for the meal. He failed. Elisa took him into the kitchen and sent her husband to keep her parents occupied.
“What’s the matter, Nathan? Can’t you be civil for one evening?”
“You’d all have a better time if I left.”
“No, we wouldn’t. I want you here. You’re my brother. This is a family celebration.”
Nathan ran his fingers through his hair. “I’d rather leave.”
“I don’t care what you’d rather do. I’ve spent the entire day getting this meal ready. You’ve no idea how much work it is supervising Bob. I’ve put up with a backache and sore feet and I’ve done the potatoes exactly how you like them. You are not leaving until you’ve had two helpings of everything, otherwise Bob will be eating leftovers for days.”
“I really do have important things to do.” This time Elisa said nothing, just stared. Nathan couldn’t miss the hurt and disappointment in her eyes and gave in.
“Okay, okay. I’ll stay. Happy?”
“Only if you go in there and be nice to Mom and Dad. Take a bottle of wine and send my dear husband to help me.”
“Can’t I help?”
“Nathan!”
He picked up the wine and went into the lounge. “Elisa needs you, Bob.”
“Her wish is my command,” Bob said with a laugh. “She currently weighs more than me.”
“Don’t let her hear you say that,” Inez said.
“More wine?” Nathan approached his stepmother.
“Thank you, Nathan.”
Nathan had discovered Inez wasn’t his natural mother when he was twelve.
He’d had to take a birth certificate into school, he couldn’t remember why now.
He’d removed it from his father’s office without asking and there the name had been—Elizabeth Beranson, not Inez Ayala. He thought it explained everything.
Why Inez preferred Elisa to him. Why he didn’t look anything like her. Nathan demanded to see his real mother, as he’d called her, much to his father’s annoyance and had been told she was dead. Because his father never lied to him—ever—Nathan believed him.
He offered the bottle. “Dad?”
“No, thanks.”
What a surprise, Nathan thought. He didn’t want anything from him, not even a glass of wine.
“How are things, Nathan?” Inez asked. “Is business good?”
“It’s okay.”
“Are you sure you’re managing without a partner? It’s not too dangerous on your own?” she asked.
“I’m fine.”
“You know, if there ever was a situation where you needed someone to watch your back, you could ask your father.”
“I’m sure I could,” Nathan said.
Elisa shouted from the kitchen, “He’d ask for help in a pig’s ear.”
“You were saying you might have some business to put Nathan’s way, weren’t you, Will?” Inez said.
“I already have more than I can cope with,” Nathan said.
“We’re going to have everyone over for Christmas dinner at our house. Elisa and Bob will have the baby by then, so they can’t deal with a crowd here. We want you to come, don’t we?” She turned to smile at her husband.
“Nathan knows he’s welcome.”
No, he didn’t. And suddenly the idea of Christmas without Alison sent an ice-cold dagger into his heart.
“I’m going away at Christmas.” Nathan wondered where that had come from, though it was a good idea.
“I know Christmas will be hard,” Inez said.
“I don’t want to talk about Alison.” Nathan flinched at the sharp tone in his voice.
“Nathan, your mother is just making conversation, you—” Will began.
“Nathan, Elisa needs you,” Bob called from the door.
Elisa glared when he went in. “You are so selfish. Try to be nice. Take this plate of vegetables into the dining room and tell everyone they can go sit down.” Nathan knew she was right. He was being selfish, but he couldn’t help it. The moment might have been over, the day finished, but the memories simply lurked beneath the surface, waiting for exposure. Fine if they’re good ones, things he wanted to remember, precious fossils worth digging up, but these were memories Nathan wanted blasted into oblivion.
“I’m leaving,” he muttered.
“No, you are not. You can’t run from this, Nathan. Get your act together,” Elisa snapped.
He survived the meal because Bob and Elisa kept steering the conversation from quicksand to solid ground. When the beeper went off on his cell phone, pre-programmed in case he hadn’t already escaped, Nathan made his excuses. Elisa wasn’t fooled, but he saw she was too tired to argue and felt bad. His father went outside with him.
“Inez is trying her best, Nathan. Why can’t you?”
“I don’t need her to try.”
His father’s eyes turned to stone. Nathan clenched his fists behind his back.
“This isn’t just about what you need, but it’s obvious you’re too bitter and twisted to see that,” Will said.
Nathan swallowed hard. “You want me to forget about how she treated me when I was a kid.”
Will gave a short laugh. “What did she do? Beat you? Starve you? Not clothe you? Forbid you to go out? She was a great mom.”
“I just wanted her to love me like she did Elisa.” Nathan blurted out the words and wished them back.
“She tried, Nathan. She’s trying now, and this isn’t about Inez. You’re the one with the problem, not us.”
“I…I can’t….”
“Can’t what? Let her love you? Love her back? You have to let people love you, son.”
“Is that right?”
“Maybe that was what was wrong between you and Alison. Deep down you don’t want to let anyone see how you feel. You always hold something back.”
“I always came when we were fucking.”
Will recoiled. “Is that the level you’ve sunk to?” Nathan didn’t reply. He knew he shouldn’t have said that. He’d left himself wide open to a mouthful from his father. He could feel it coming, like a volcanic eruption.
“Your life’s a mess. You’re in a job you hate. You’ve had done to you what you’re paid to watch other people doing. You hate me, you hate Inez, and you hate yourself. You stand there and let it eat you up. You’re acting like a pathetic loser. For God’s sake grow up before it’s too late.” Nathan stepped up to his father so their faces were inches apart. His body was rigid with tension. “Fuck you.”
“What do you want to do? Hit me?” Will asked. “Go on if it makes you feel better. Hell, it would be wo
rth it if it made you feel something. You want me to say I’m sorry I told you your mother was dead? Okay, I’m sorry. I’m sorry you found out I lied, I’m sorry it’s hurting you, but I’d do exactly the same again if I thought there was a chance of keeping it from you. I did what I thought was best at the time. You never got the chance to know her, and I know you regret that, but I don’t. She deserted you, Nathan. Elizabeth walked out and left us. It’s as simple as that. Don Thompson was rich and she wasn’t prepared to wait for me to make partner. Get over it. Get on with your life.” Elisa came outside. “What’s going on? Nathan? Dad?” His father put his arm around Elisa and kissed her head. Nathan turned and walked away.
***
It was after midnight and no longer Thanksgiving. Luke hadn’t felt the need to go home and eat the pre-packaged turkey dinner he’d bought, but he made sure Gil got back in time for his meal with his wife and four kids. Gil invited him to stay, but Luke declined. This was family time and he’d be intruding.
He sat at his desk rubbing his eyes. On the board in front of him was a photo of Kate Evans. Something about the girl’s disappearance touched Luke. Whether or not she’d gone of her own accord, she’d asked for help and he didn’t want to let her down. They needed more information. He’d already requested phone records.
Maybe someone had been pestering her. He’d speak to her colleagues at the library after the holiday and see if they’d heard her talk about this guy Jack.
Tracing the origin of the flowers could be the key to her disappearance. One of his colleagues, a keen gardener, had identified the individual elements of the bouquet. The list was pinned up next to the photo—carnations, gerberas, stargazer lilies, chrysanthemums, iris, waxflower filler and salal. He hadn’t even heard of the last two.
Luke guessed either the flowers had been used as a way of persuading a careful young woman to open her door, or their delivery had shown her she was no longer safe in her apartment and she’d run. Whoever bought the bouquet might have been dumb enough to pay with a credit card. In any case, if the purchase could be traced quickly enough, the sales assistant might just remember the customer. The problem was the sheer number of florists in San Antonio, which meant any check was going to take time. There weren’t enough hours in the day, which is why he ate into the night, but even he needed to sleep. Luke switched off his desk light and went home.
Chapter Fourteen
When Luke knocked on Jerry Matthews’ door and held up his badge, he didn’t miss the wary expression that flashed across the guy’s face.
“I’m Detective Luke Foster and this is Detective Gil Santiago. You used an ATM at Colonial Plaza on Saturday night. We want to talk to you about what you might have seen.”
The slump in the shoulders told Luke he’d seen something. They refused the offer of coffee from his wife and followed Jerry through to the den.
“Tell us what happened,” Luke said.
“I drew out my money and was driving away when I saw a girl struggling with a guy. I drove back. I have a daughter of my own.” He swallowed nervously, his hands scratching his knees.
“Go on,” Luke said, as he made notes. “Start at the beginning. I don’t care if you don’t think it’s relevant, just tell us.” Luke wrote down the garbled account of what happened and glanced at Gil.
“What did the girl look like?” Gil asked.
“Tall, long dark hair. She wore a little denim skirt.” Luke took Kate’s photo from his folder. “Is this her?”
“Yeah, that’s her.”
“What about the man?” Gil asked.
“White guy, taller than me. He wore a baseball cap, but he had fair hair. Light shirt, dark chinos. Slim, but strong. He was a real muscular guy.”
“Clean shaven?”
Jerry nodded.
“Local?”
“Sounded Texan, though I’m not sure about local.”
“How old?”
“Mid-twenties, maybe.”
“Would you recognize him again?”
Jerry hesitated. “Maybe.”
“He scare you?” Gil asked.
“He threatened me and my family. He looked in my wallet. He knows where we live.” He began to breathe more heavily.
“You didn’t think to call 911?” Gil asked.
“I love my wife. I didn’t want anything to happen to her. Nor to my daughter.” Luke tried not to show his frustration.
“What about his vehicle?” Gil asked.
“Chevy Suburban. Dark. Not new. Tinted windows. Texas plate, but I didn’t see the number, I’m sorry. I just wanted to get out of there.”
“We’d like you to sit with one of our specialists to try and work up a computer image of this guy. We believe he abducted the girl from her apartment.”
“Dear God.”
Once they were sure they had as much information as they could get, Luke and Gil left. They made no comment about time being lost because Jerry hadn’t come forward sooner. They understood his concern about his wife and child. They were concerned about Kate. The tape from the ATM camera was on its way to the station. They might get more from that, but Luke wasn’t holding his breath.
The last transaction on Kate’s card had been at 12:20 a.m. at a gas station in Drillo. Another five hundred. The account was too depleted to bother using it again. Kate’s credit card was already tagged as stolen. If it was used anywhere, they’d hear about it.
***
Flo brought Luke the printouts of the digital photos he’d taken in Kate’s apartment.
“I’ve got an idea about the flowers,” she said.
“Pull up a seat.”
“I talked to a friend who runs a flower shop. She recognized the wrapping paper, said maybe the classier places would use it. Not the grocery stores so that’s a good break. That type of bouquet would cost between sixty and seventy dollars, slightly more at the upscale shops. Tomorrow, I thought I’d start calling the florists nearest the girl’s apartment and work out in circles, looking for purchases on Friday and Saturday. I’ve downloaded a list of stores.”
“That’s good work, Flo.” Luke flashed her a smile.
“Now the bad news.”
“How did I guess?”
“Three hundred florists in the city.”
Luke whistled. “Shit and I’m wondering if it’s enough to look at those two days.
Could they have been purchased on Thursday?”
“Maybe, but they’d be wilting by Saturday.”
“Would he care?”
Flo nodded. “True.”
“Anything else?” Luke asked.
“Too many maybes. Did he buy the flowers and deliver them himself? He could have changed the wrapping paper, or picked up a gift card from a different store.
He might have made the purchase in another city or ordered them over the Internet. If he’s really sneaky, he could have bought each variety in a different store and made the bouquet. Unfortunately, there’s nothing significant about the varieties. My friend reckons they’re standard.”
“Okay, start by finding the wholesaler of this wrapping paper and get a list of florists they supply. Scan the paper into the computer and email them details. We need telephone orders as well as personal callers, and separate lists of those who took the flowers away and those who requested delivery. But for the moment, let’s concentrate on those who collected.”
“I’ll start phoning as soon as they re-open.”
“Thanks, Flo.”
Luke went through the photographs and his notes about Kate’s apartment. She lived a neat, orderly life. Her books and CDs revealed nothing significant. No trace of drug-taking or alcohol abuse. She didn’t smoke. No angst-ridden diaries.
He’d issued a request for full access to her medical records, but chances were virtually zero of getting it. He needed to talk with Jeannie Lawrence again, get her to look around the apartment, see if she could spot anything missing or out of place.
He didn’t think Kate knew the pe
rson who’d abducted her. If she had, she’d have left a name. The broken flowers were another indication she’d gone unwillingly. Luke’s guess was the guy barged in and pushed the flowers in her face, persuaded her to pack and drove her away, stopping a couple of times to draw money from her account.
But the motive wasn’t money. Few kidnap cases were. Much easier to rob a convenience store than abduct a person. If you didn’t kill them, you had to look after them, give them food, keep them from escaping. The only motive for kidnapping a twenty year old, with no rich parents to pay a ransom, had to be sex.
Had she refused to go out with him? Insulted him? Though that didn’t sound like the Kate he was coming to know. But if this guy wanted sex, why not rape her in her apartment, then either kill her or leave her?
Only one out of three abductions ended with the victim still alive. Most were killed within a short time of being taken. Luke feared he was looking for a body.
Chapter Fifteen
“This is it,” Jack said.
Kate opened her eyes and caught the sign as they sped past.
Echo Lake, Colorado, population 656.
“Hey, Tommy,” Jack said. “See that place? Harper’s? My mom used to take me there for ice cream. They did a delicious hot fudge sundae. Probably still do.”
“I want ice cream,” Tommy said.
Jack drove through the town without stopping.
“I thought we got here.” Tommy struggled in his seat, trying to get free. Kate reached to catch his hands and winced when the movement set fire to her back.
“We’re almost there,” Jack said.
“I’m thirsty,” Tommy muttered.
Kate gave him another carton of juice. She knew he didn’t really want it. One suck and he pushed it away. Kate gave his fingers a little squeeze.
“I want to get out,” he whined.
“Soon,” she soothed.
She made an effort to remember what they passed. Several large properties had snowmobiles parked in driveways and powerboats stored under tarpaulins. A fishing camp sat on the right, but the place looked deserted, probably closed for the winter. A couple of miles out of town, even the single dwellings had gone. No more clusters of mailboxes, not even single ones. Nothing but dark forest.
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