Colton's Secret Son

by Carla Cassidy

  Another knock on the front door called her away from the kitchen window. Wendall got up to answer and she trailed behind him as Knox walked over to the counter to pour himself another cup of coffee.

  She’d expected Sheriff Jeffries, but was surprised to see Jason Tankard at the door. Wendall turned to look at her. “Should I let him in?”

  “Please,” she replied.

  “Allison, I’m so sorry about your son,” Jason said as he grabbed her hands in his. He released her hands as Knox came into the room. “I want to help. You know I own the printing shop. If you’ll give me a picture of Cody, I’ll get posters made up by this afternoon, and then we can get them up everywhere in town.”

  Surely that would be a good thing. Maybe somebody somewhere would see the poster of Cody and come forward with some information that might help. “Let me get my checkbook,” she replied.

  “Absolutely not,” Jason said firmly. “This is on me. I haven’t forgotten how kind you were to us when your company built the addition on my house. All I need is a picture and I’ll take care of the rest.”

  The control that she’d worked so hard to maintain slipped slightly. “I’ll be right back.”

  It took only minutes for Jason to leave with Cody’s picture in hand, and by that time Sheriff Jeffries arrived. He appeared well rested and with an eager gleam in his eyes as he discussed the imminent news conference. He seemed surprised that neither of them wanted to join him.

  “Are you both sure?” he asked. “It’s usually good to have the parents make an appearance.”

  Knox looked at her and then back at the sheriff. “We’re positive. Did Chad ever show up at his home?” Knox asked.

  “Not yet,” Jeffries replied.

  “What are you doing to find him?” Allison still wanted to believe it was quite possible that her ex-employee had taken Cody for revenge. He’d demanded ten thousand dollars on the day she had fired him and he’d asked her for money in many of his nasty texts. What better way to get it from her than to take her son and exchange him for cash?

  “I’ve still got a man sitting on his house.” Bud looked out the front window, as if eager to get before the cameras rather than answer any of their questions.

  “Do you have a BOLO out on him?” Knox moved to stand next to Allison, as if presenting a united front against a common enemy.

  “Not yet. I was giving him a chance to come home,” Bud said defensively.

  “What about the caller last night? Was somebody able to trace the phone call to find out who made it or where it came from?” Knox asked.

  “We’re still working on it. Look, I need to get out there. They’re waiting for me,” he said and gestured toward the window.

  He went out the front door and Allison found herself leaning against Knox. He felt as strong and as steady as a tree trunk.

  “He is an ass,” she murmured softly. “He should be doing door-to-door searches throughout the entire town. He should be doing something more to find our boy.”

  Knox roughly grabbed her and pulled her to his chest, his heart beating rapidly against her own. She tamped down the rising emotions that threatened to drown her.

  It was at that moment, with unimaginable fear screaming wildly inside her and Knox’s arms around her, that she realized she was still as deeply in love with him as she had been years ago.

  Instead of bringing her any kind of comfort or joy, the knowledge only deepened the feeling that she was helplessly alone.

  She pulled away from him. “When are we going to get proof of life?” she said, needing to focus only on her son.

  He jammed his hands in his pockets, his eyes dark blue and turbulent. “I don’t know. At this point I don’t even know if that call was a hoax or not. I have a feeling Shadow Creek doesn’t have the kind of resources they need for something like this. We should have already gotten an answer as to who made that phone call.”

  “It was real. It has to be real. I have to believe that. Otherwise we’re no closer to knowing what happened to Cody than we were when he was an hour late coming home from the bus stop.”

  “All we can do is wait, Allison,” he replied.

  “This waiting is going to be my complete undoing.” She wanted to fall back into his arms. Only in his arms did she feel slightly warm, and she’d had a cold chill rushing through her for the past twelve or so hours. “I’m going to go make some more coffee. It’s going to be a long day.”

  Within hours the house felt more alien than ever. More deputies drifted in and out as well as neighbors and friends with offers to help in any way they could.

  Food began to appear, brought by well-meaning people who looked at Allison with pity. Casseroles and sandwich meat, buns and even cakes...it was as if somebody had died. While she appreciated everyone’s support, she hated the funeral-like pall that hung in the air.

  George stopped by to offer support and to assure her that work was continuing as usual on all the jobs and he’d keep things running smoothly as long as she needed him.

  And each time the phone rang, Allison had a small heart attack, but the only calls that came in were from people to see what they could do to help.

  By one o’clock her nerves were shot. She curled up on the chair in the living room, closed her eyes and tried to tune out all the sound in the house.

  She immersed herself in all thoughts of Cody. She’d been in labor with him for fourteen long hours. He’d come into the world screaming and kicking. He’d continued to scream until the moment the doctor had placed him in her arms.

  He’d immediately calmed and his gaze had locked with hers and as she’d looked into his bright blue eyes she’d thought of Knox. She’d quickly shoved Knox out of her head to focus solely on her baby against her breasts.

  She’d been in awe, certain that he was the most beautiful, the smartest baby ever born. Her head now filled with special moments in time...the sweet scent of him after a bath, the softness of his hair and the sound of his laughter. He’d brought a joy she’d never known into her life.

  The memories were rich in texture and clarity and she tried to hang on to them, but all too soon they ebbed away and she was just a frightened woman sitting in a chair while men in the kitchen plotted what needed to be done next. She opened her eyes and her heart once again ached with a bubbling terror no mother should ever have to feel.

  Knox’s raised voice penetrated through her thoughts. He sounded angry. She got up from the chair and went into the kitchen where Knox stood at the counter.

  He looked like a man about to explode. His muscles were bunched and his features were strained. “Just give me their damned addresses,” he said to Wendall.

  “What’s going on?” she asked.

  “I want Brad and Bob Billings’s addresses,” Knox said.

  “Sheriff Jeffries said he had somebody check them out,” she replied.

  “I don’t trust anything that man says,” Knox retorted. “I don’t intend to take his word for anything. I need to check things out for myself.”

  “I thought you believed your mother kidnapped Cody,” she replied.

  “Your mother?” Wendall said. Both he and Jim looked at Knox in surprise.

  Knox’s eyes narrowed. “I do, but this is a process of elimination. I want to make sure that Chad doesn’t have Cody and the Billings brothers are innocent.” His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides as he once again looked at Wendall.

  “Knox, it’s not a good idea for you to confront them,” Wendall said. “They’re potential suspects.”

  “It wasn’t a good idea for somebody to take my kid,” Knox replied tersely. “If you won’t give me their addresses, I’ll just ask somebody outside. I’m sure somebody in the crowd will give me the addresses in a matter of minutes.”

  Wendall released a deep sigh
and gave him the addresses. A few minutes later Allison walked with Knox to the front door. She didn’t try to stop him, but before he flew out the door she placed a hand on his forearm.

  “Don’t get yourself put in jail,” she said. “I...I need you.”

  The darkness in his eyes lightened a bit and he reached up and stroked a finger down the side of her face. “Call me if anything happens and don’t worry, I’ll be back.”

  And with that he was gone.

  * * *

  “Mr. Colton, can we get a statement from you? Do you know who might have your son?” A reporter attempted to shove a microphone into his face.

  “Hey, Fort Knox, can you tell us what’s going on?” another person yelled.

  Knox pushed past them all and headed for his car as the reporters continued to shout questions after him. He needed to start thinking like a Texas Ranger and not like a father. He didn’t trust Bud Jeffries to find his own way out of a paper bag. It wasn’t a matter of competency but rather what Knox suspected was a large streak of laziness in the man.

  Besides, he’d needed to get out of the house and to do something proactive. He’d also wanted to escape from Allison and the confusing emotions she wrought in him.

  A part of him wanted to be angry with her, but whenever she gazed at him, whenever she touched him, he couldn’t sustain his ire. She’d said she needed him. Yes, she needed him now, with Cody missing and her heart aching, but he didn’t trust that need for him would remain when Cody came home.

  According to what little Wendall had told him, Brothers Construction worked out of Brad’s house on the edge of town, while Bob Billings’s home address was just off Main Street. Knox headed to Bob’s first.

  It didn’t take him long to locate it. He parked in front of the attractive, beige, two-story house and sought to find the cold, hard shell that was Fort Knox. He couldn’t interview these men with the emotional turmoil of Cody’s father; rather he needed to talk to them with a cool, calm head.

  He had no idea if Bob Billings was home. There was no car in the driveway and since it was Friday it was quite possible the man was at his brother’s house taking care of the construction business.

  No stone left unturned, Knox told himself as he got out of the car and walked to the front door. Bob Billings answered on the second knock. He was taller and thinner than his brother, but his eyes held the same glimmer of a bad temper as Brad’s had when he’d confronted Allison.

  “I’m...” Knox started to introduce himself.

  “I know who you are,” Bob interrupted him. “And I know why you’re here, although you’re way out of line.”

  “Maybe,” he agreed. “Mind if I come in?”

  Bob opened the door wider. “Be my guest.”

  Knox stepped inside.

  “Bob, who is it?” a female voice called. An attractive brunette stepped into the foyer. Her eyes widened and then softened with obvious compassion. “Mr. Colton, we’re so sorry to hear about your son.”

  “This is my wife, Lila,” Bob said. “Look, I know Allison thinks I have a problem with her, but I don’t. I keep the books for the business and Brad takes care of the actual work. I’m not in control of whatever Brad and his goons do, but I know my brother and his men would never sink so low as to take a child.”

  “I wish we knew something to help you,” Lila said. “There’s nothing we’d like better now than to hear that your son is home safe and sound.”

  Knox believed them. He’d been in law enforcement long enough to have a fine-tuned ability to recognize liars, and Bob Billings and his wife appeared to be completely truthful.

  “Thanks for your time,” he said and then turned on his heels and left Bob and Lila’s house. He then headed west to where the official Brothers Construction business was located, on the same property where Brad lived.

  West side of town...where Brad lived, where Chad had his home and where a lightning-struck crooked tree was the exchange point for a million dollars. Coincidence? He didn’t know what to think.

  On his way to Brad’s place he drove by Chad’s once again, grateful to see a patrol car parked in the driveway. At least Bud hadn’t lied about keeping an officer on Chad’s place. Where was the drunk? Had he stayed sober long enough to kidnap Cody? It was damned odd that nobody could find him.

  Brothers Construction was located on the outskirts of town. Brad’s home was small, ranch-style and behind it were several outbuildings.

  Tension welled up in Knox’s stomach. Was his son being held captive in one of those outbuildings? Was he about to find Cody and take him home? God, he wanted that. He wanted it so badly he was half-sick.

  He parked in the driveway and stalked up to the front door. There was no way he was leaving there without looking in each and every one of those outbuildings.

  He knocked and waited, his tension rising. He knocked again, this time more loudly. The door finally opened and a blond-haired woman answered. “Can I help you?” she asked with a friendly smile. She had a dish towel in her hand, and the scent of something cooking wafted out of the doorway.

  “I’m looking for Brad.”

  “I’m his wife, Mary. He’s out in the shop. Is there anything else I can help you with?” She appeared surprisingly pleasant, considering the fact that she was married to the hot-headed man who had barged into Allison’s office.

  “No, thanks, I’ll go find Brad.”

  He just couldn’t believe that Cody was someplace in the house where a walk-through by anyone official would easily find him. He next headed around the house, where a fairly large building was located with a sign reading Brothers Construction hanging over the doorway. He opened the door and walked inside.

  The place was filled with building supplies, but Knox’s gaze zeroed in on Brad Billings, seated at a desk near the back. Brad saw him approach and got to his feet. “What in the hell do you want?” he demanded.

  “I think you know why I’m here,” Knox replied with a coolness that belied the bubbling cauldron of anger inside him.

  “And I think I’ll just escort you out of here,” Brad said and moved around the desk. “And if you don’t leave I’ll call the sheriff and have you forcefully removed.”

  “Fine, you can escort me out of here.” There was no way Cody was inside this building, and Knox was happy to step back outside to check the other two smaller outbuildings.

  Knox walked out the door first, but instead of heading in the direction of the house where his car was parked in the driveway, he walked over to a smaller tin building.

  “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?” Brad protested.

  Knox’s heart banged against his ribs as he pulled open the door and peered inside. His breath came out of him on a whoosh. The building was filled with table saws and other tools of the trade, but no frightened little boy waiting to be rescued.

  He turned and headed in the direction of a smaller shed with Brad nipping at his heels like a pissed off bulldog. His heart nearly stopped as he saw the combination lock on the shed door. He turned to face Brad. “Open it,” he demanded.

  “Go to hell,” Brad replied, his face as red as a tomato.

  Knox took a step toward him. “If you don’t have anything to hide, then open the door.”

  Brad glared at Knox for several long moments. “You’re crazy if you think I’d take a kid.”

  “Then call me crazy and open the damn door.”

  Brad released a sigh and stepped up to the combination lock. He unlocked it and threw open the door to show a riding lawn mower and other equipment, along with a shelf of spray paint.

  “I told you I had nothing to do with kidnapping Allison’s snot-nosed kid,” Brad said.

  Knox’s fist met Brad’s nose and blood immediately squirted out. “That’s my son you’re talking about,” he said
.

  “You’re crazy,” Brad yelled as he pinched his nostrils tightly together. “Get off my property now before I have you arrested.”

  Knox complied. He got into his car as some of the adrenaline that had spiked inside him began to ebb. He hadn’t intended to hit Brad. He hadn’t even known he was going to until it had happened. But he’d do it all over again, considering the man’s disdainful words about Cody.

  He’d just parked back in Allison’s driveway when his cell phone rang. His heart banged against his ribs as he dug it out of his pocket to answer.

  “Claudia,” he said in surprise. It was rare for his sister to call. She’d left for New York City when she turned eighteen and she’d never looked back.

  “Knox, I just heard about your son. I’m so sorry and I wanted you to know my thoughts are with you and Allison.”

  “Thanks, Claudia. We appreciate the emotional support,” he replied.

  “Have there been any clues to his disappearance?”

  He considered telling her about the ransom call and his belief that Livia might be behind it, but he opted not to say anything. “No, no real clues.”

  “As soon as I finish some things up here, I’m planning to come back to Shadow Creek. I’ve just got a lot on my plate right now.”

  “That would be great, Claudia,” he replied, although he doubted she would ever return there. She hadn’t been back in all the years she’d been gone. They spoke for a few more minutes and then ended the call.

  Knox remained seated in the car for several long moments. The news van was still parked out front with a few people standing on the sidewalk.

  It was now twenty-four hours that Cody had been missing...twenty-four torturous hours. He was beginning to lose faith in the one phone call they had received. If that had been the real kidnapper, then why hadn’t they already received proof of life?

  He got out of the car and hurried into the house, where several women were in the kitchen with the deputies and Allison. “Knox,” she said in obvious relief at the sight of him. “Anything new?”