by Diana Palmer
Alone.
Being near her again was playing havoc on his senses. Her sweet feminine smell, the way the light glowed off her golden hair making it look like silk, the husky sound of her voice when she spoke his name—all those things taunted him with what-ifs.
What if they had stuck together seven years ago? Would they have a family of their own now?
Would she be a TBI agent?
God, seeing her with that gun was sexy as hell. But it also instilled a fear in him that he didn’t know how to deal with. Every time she went out on a case she put her life on the line.
Dammit. He poured a cup of coffee from the pot in the room, then stared at the sunlight streaming through.
His thoughts turned to Will, and how desolate he’d looked lying on that cot. What was going on in his brother’s mind? What had the person who’d kidnapped him done to him over the years?
Did Will’s abductor have that little boy Hank?
Stories of sexual and physical abuse, compounded by psychological abuse, were rampant on the news. The scenarios that flashed in Brody’s head made him vault from the bed and pace the room. Sweat beaded on his neck and bile rose to his throat.
Did Will remember him? Or was he too traumatized to ever find his way back and have a normal life?
And what if the court didn’t show leniency and he went to jail? Armed robbery, and taking a hostage…he could spend years behind bars.
His life destroyed because some maniac had kidnapped him from the safety of his family at that damn rodeo.
Furious, he wanted to pound something.
Too agitated to rest, he jumped in the shower. On the way to the hotel the night before Julie had said that she’d asked for a court hearing this morning.
He had to be there. So did the lawyer he’d called when he’d closed himself in the hotel room. Ethan Houser had come recommended to him by way of Carter Flagstone, one of his buddies who helped out at the BBL. He’d explained the circumstances and Ethan had jumped at the chance to handle the case and help him.
He quickly rinsed and dried off, then dressed and phoned his accountant. He wanted to make sure he had the funds available so he could post bail.
Maybe if they explained the situation to the judge, he would release Will into his custody and let Brody take him to the BBL.
*
JULIE GRABBED HER phone to call Brody, her body aching with fatigue. All night she’d wrestled with the demons in her head.
The children who’d been stolen from their families—first Will, then the other cases she’d worked, then the boys they suspected had been kidnapped by the same person who’d abducted Will.
The world had so much evil in it. One case after another, one monster after another. Would it ever end?
Shaking off the desolation, she channeled her emotions to the back burner just as she’d done for years. She wanted a meeting to discuss strategy before she met with the judge. She punched Brody’s number, tapping her foot while she waited. He must have been sitting on the phone because he answered on the first ring.
“I’m heading to the TBI headquarters. Are you ready to go?”
“Yes. I’ll be there in a second.”
Julie brushed through her hair, pulling it back in a loose bun at the nape of her neck then straightened her jacket. Thankfully she kept an overnight bag in her car with a change of clothes since she never knew how long she’d be gone when she left her apartment.
A knock sounded at the door, and she opened it to find Brody freshly shaven but wearing the same clothes.
“Ready?”
She nodded, grabbed her purse and they headed to her car.
“If we have to be here any longer, I’ll need to get some more clothes,” Brody said.
Julie climbed in the car and started the engine. “We’ll see.” She didn’t want to make promises she couldn’t keep. She’d already disappointed Brody too much in their lifetime.
“What’s going to happen today?” Brody finally asked.
“Kyle is going to be evaluated by a physician and a psychiatrist this morning. I’ll meet with the task force about this case and the other kidnappings. After lunch, we’ll meet with the judge for Kyle’s arraignment.”
“I called my accountant to arrange to have money available to post bail,” Brody said.
Julie glanced at him but refrained from comment. She’d read that he’d done well for himself, that he was wealthy. And she knew it was true just by looking at the BBL.
He didn’t look wealthy though—he looked like a stronger, tougher image of the boy she had once loved with all her heart. A cowboy through and through. A man with a code of honor she’d always admired.
They lapsed into silence again, covering the short distance to the headquarters in no time. When they got inside, Agent Cord informed them that Kyle was meeting with the psychiatrist.
“I think we should review all the cases involving these missing boys,” Julie said. She’d stayed up researching them half the night.
Agent Cord frowned as they headed into the conference room, and gestured toward Brody. “Do you think he should be here? This is official business.”
Julie tensed, well aware that Brody heard Cord’s comment. “Yes. If Kyle is really Will, it might help Brody to know about some of the other boys abducted. If he could convince him to talk about them, even one of them, it would confirm that the cases are really connected.”
Agent Cord nodded in concession. “I suppose that’s true.”
They filed into the room where Chief Hurt was already waiting. At Brody’s request, his friend Miles McGregor had been called in to work the task force, as well.
Brody walked over to him and the men shook hands. “Thanks for being here, Miles.”
“No problem.” Miles glanced at the photos of the kids on the wall. “This unsub has to be stopped.”
Chief Hurt cleared his throat then asked everyone to sit down.
Then Julie took the lead. “I’ve been studying all of these cases and want us to review them again.” She gestured toward Chief Hurt. “Did you find out anything from interviewing the staff at the locations we discussed?”
“What locations?” Brody asked.
Julie pointed to the board with the map and pushpins. “We’ve tagged each spot where the boys disappeared. Mostly public places, a rodeo, park, carnival and county fair. At least those are the most recent.”
“We’re still working that angle,” Chief Hurt said. “So far, we haven’t found a commonality between the employees. But we’ll keep digging.”
Julie walked over to a whiteboard and drew a line. “I’ve been thinking about our unsub and these cases. If they are connected, the crimes were committed by one kidnapper, which means he started when he was young. Often serial offenders are in their twenties.” She made a note of it on the board in one corner. “That means he would be in his forties now.” She paused again. “We don’t know his trigger for the first abduction. The most plausible reason would be that he lost a child and needed to fill that void.”
“Or he could be a pedophile who simply likes kids,” Agent Cord cut in.
Julie sighed. “That’s possible. The doctor examining Kyle may be able to tell us more.”
A muscle ticked in Brody’s jaw, but she resisted sugarcoating the truth. They had to face reality.
Beside, if Kyle, Will, had been sexually abused, they needed to know so a psychiatrist or counselor could treat him properly.
“The fact that Kyle is still alive is a positive sign,” Julie said. “It means our unsub keeps his victims alive. But it also raises questions.” She pointed to the photographs. “We have a total of ten unsolved cases that fit the profile. How can the unsub hide ten kids? Are they in school? If he’s abusing them, how has he kept neighbors from seeing them?”
“He has to live somewhere off the grid,” Chief Cord said. “Maybe a farm with a lot of acres.”
Julie nodded. “But feeding that many boys, especially teenagers,
is expensive, especially if he has a menial job, which, if he worked at the locations where he abducted his victims, is likely.”
“Let’s review the list of victims and see if anything clicks. First, Jeremy Unger went missing from a park twenty years ago. He was seven then so now he would be twenty-seven.”
“How do you force a twenty-seven-year-old to stay and not fight back?” Brody asked.
Julie frowned. “Stockholm syndrome, abuse, fear,” Julie said. “Next, Carl Fanning disappeared eighteen years ago from a birthday party at a public pool. He was five, meaning he would be twenty-three now.” She scribbled the information on the time line, then continued.
“Fifteen years ago, Daryl Derwin went missing from a ball park. He was six, meaning he would be twenty-one now.”
Agent Hurt shifted. “From what we know about this type of predator, he likes victims around a certain age. Other cases show that it’s usually pre-adolescent boys. If he’s keeping them longer, it may not be sexual.”
“Or he may be killing them when they reach a certain age,” Agent Cord said.
“But Kyle is seventeen, and he’s still alive,” Miles interjected.
“And the kid with Kyle in the robberies looks to be around thirteen or fourteen.”
Julie scratched her head in thought, then jotted the theories in the corner of the board. Something wasn’t fitting.
“Okay, let’s go on,” she said as she drew another line. “Anthony Putnam disappeared ten years ago from a local festival when he was five, meaning he would be fifteen now.” She moved to the next one. “Jeff Wickman went missing from a bingo game at a rec center when he was seven. That was six years ago, meaning he would be thirteen.” She took a breath. “Six years ago, Phil Jasper disappeared from a horse show. He was six, so he would be twelve.
“Seven years ago, Will Bloodworth disappeared from a rodeo. He was ten, now seventeen.” She tacked the next photo on the time line.
“Five years ago, Tray Goodner, the boy who committed the robberies with Kyle, was taken from a carnival in San Antonio. He was eight, so he’s thirteen now.”
“Two years ago, Lewis Renz was abducted from a camp. He was eight, making him ten now. Then Hank Forte disappeared at a county fair. He’s six and as far as we know, the latest victim.”
“There are some lags in the time line,” Chief Hurt pointed out.
Julie nodded. “It could mean someone got close to finding him, and he had to lay low. Or he was satisfied for a while then needed a new conquest.”
A knock sounded on the door, then one of the forensic techs poked her head in. “I have the results from the medical examination and the psych one, as well.”
“What about the DNA results for Kyle?”
“They’re in there, too.”
Julie tensed, her gaze meeting Brody’s. She needed this information to plan her approach to the judge.
And she wanted this boy to be Will Bloodworth so Brody would have him back.
Although even if it was Will, he might never be the same boy Brody had known as a child.
*
BRODY TOOK A deep breath. He wanted his brother back.
But he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know what he’d suffered.
You have to, he reminded himself sternly. You can’t help him unless you know everything.
“Brody?” Julie asked.
“Go ahead and read it,” he said gruffly.
Julie opened the file and skimmed over it, then looked at Brody. “First the DNA.”
Several strained heartbeats passed, the air vibrating with tension. Brody gripped the edges of his chair, desperate to know the truth.
Finally Julie lifted her head and looked at him, “Kyle is Will Bloodworth.” She offered Brody a smile, but the air around him suddenly felt hot. “He’s your brother, Brody. We finally found him.”
Brody’s throat thickened with emotions, and he couldn’t help himself. He crossed the room and pulled Julie into a hug. She wrapped her arms around him, and he felt her tears dampen his shirt.
Joy blended with the fear and sorrow in his chest. He had waited for this moment for so long. Had almost given up so many times.
Had imagined Will dead.
But now he was here, alive.
He blinked back his own tears, and Julie sniffled, then slowly pulled away. Embarrassment at his display shot through him, but then decided he didn’t give a damn.
An uncomfortable silence reverberated through the room, the whisper of clothing rustling as everyone shifted.
Miles rose and pounded him on the back. “You said you’d find him and you did, Brody.”
Brody nodded, too moved to speak.
Chief Hurt made a noise in his throat, and Brody and Miles both claimed their seats again.
“All right, now we know one more thing about our unsub,” Chief Hurt said. “He gives the boys new names.”
Agent Cord drummed his fingers on the conference table. “What else does the report say, Julie?”
She wiped at her eyes, then composed herself, although her hand trembled as she scanned the file again. A frown puckered between her brows and Brody held his breath, bracing himself for bad news.
*
THE POLICE had Kyle in custody. They would hammer him with questions, try to find out about him and where his family lived.
He had taught the boy to guard his family, that protecting them at all costs was his job. Kyle was one of his best soldiers. He was tough, skills honed, could endure pain or whatever the enemy threw at him.
The boy knew the law was the enemy. If the police discovered where the family lived, they would tear them apart, their army of men.
Kyle had been stupid to get caught.
Still, he wouldn’t talk.
The newest member of his squadron yelled and beat at the door to the pit.
He was weak now, but his training would change that.
Maybe it was time to move again.
He would start looking for a new place to house his team today.
And if Kyle utilized the skills he’d taught him, he would find a way to come back to them again.
If not, he’d make sure he didn’t talk.
Not ever again.
CHAPTER NINE
Brody’s stomach knotted as Julie read the doctors evaluation. “The psychiatrist said Kyle—Will—was uncommunicative, that he refused to talk about where he lived, about any abductions or the other boys, or anything that had happened to him. He exhibited signs of physical and mental abuse, and signs of sensory deprivation, as well, and seemed especially sensitive to darkness and oddly, also to bright lights. She also observed that he assumed a military stance when she entered the room and when the guard appeared to take him from his cell.”
“So the unsub may have had military training,” Agent Cord said. “That could help.”
Julie nodded, then licked her lips, her expression odd. Brody’s chest was beating so hard he could barely breathe.
“The doctor confirms that there has been long-term physical abuse,” Julie said. “There are signs of bruises, repeated beatings, and broken bones but there was no sign of sexual abuse or molestation.”
A mixture of anguish, anger and relief filled Brody. The thought of physical abuse sickened him, but at least Will hadn’t been molested. Still he’d suffered…how had his little brother survived?
“If the unsub doesn’t sexually abuse them, then what is his deal?” Agent Hurt asked. “Why is he fixated on kidnapping young boys?”
Brody scrubbed a hand over his face. The only one who could answer that was his brother. And Will wasn’t talking.
“Good question,” Julie said. She turned to the time line again. “The first kidnapping was probably personal. Perhaps the unsub had a child and lost it to death or his wife ran off with the child and left. He wanted a replacement.”
“But what about the military angle?” Agent Cord asked.
Julie chewed her bottom lip in thought. “We can theori
ze all day and not get it right. But think about it. What if he lost the child while he was in the service? Maybe his wife left him while he was deployed?”
“You could look at it another way,” Brody said. “If he was in combat, maybe he saw some fellow young men die.”
“Or he was responsible for a child’s death,” Miles interjected.
“He could be suffering from PTSD,” Chief Hurt pointed out.
“Or it’s a combination,” Julie said. “He was deployed and his child either died or his wife ran off with the child while he was overseas. He comes home expecting to have his family waiting. He’s suffered, maybe injured, has PTSD and his family is suddenly gone. He looks for them but can’t find them and has to replace his son.” She paused. “So he takes victim number one, Jeremy Unger.”
A quiet descended through the room, the tension palpable. Then Julie snapped her fingers. “Since we think that the first abduction was personal, and we know that he gives the boys new names when he captures them, let’s look closer at Jeremy.
“He was seven when he was abducted, which tells us that the unsub’s son, or the child that was lost, was around that age. Let’s investigate that theory.” She turned to Agent Cord. “Why don’t you run a check on any children between six and eight who died around that time? Go back six months, a year.”
“Since this was the first victim, the unsub probably lived near the site where the kidnapping took place,” Chief Hurt suggested.
“That was twenty years ago,” Agent Cord cut in. “The police probably already questioned everyone who lived near there.”
“But they were looking for witnesses,” Julie said. “Review the old case file. The technical analyst can help us search medical records for children who died within that time frame. Also, have her look at divorce records, specifically ones where a child was involved. You might even have her search the name Jeremy, or at least have her run his photo against photos of any children who died or were separated from their father.”
Agent Cord reached for his iPad. “I’m on it. And I’ll also ask the analyst to cross-reference with men who were released from military service around that time period.”
Julie nodded. “Good thinking.”