Colton's Secret Son

by Carla Cassidy

  “Then you know we received proof of life and the exchange is supposed to take place here,” Knox replied.

  “I watched the tape.” The lawman rolled back on his heels and then narrowed his gaze. “So, you really thought it was necessary to call in the Texas Rangers?”

  “I didn’t call them in. They came on their own. They’re good friends of mine and they aren’t here in an official capacity.” A new gratitude swept through him as he thought of the two men who were using their vacation time to be there with him now.

  “As long as they don’t get in my way,” Bud replied.

  Little chance of that happening, Knox thought. It was difficult to get in the way of somebody who was basically doing nothing at all.

  Bud looked around and frowned. “Going to be hard to have men out here in place for the exchange. There isn’t a hidey-hole in the area.”

  “I don’t want any men in place. We were told that if any law enforcement was seen then Cody would die. I’m not going to take that kind of chance with my son’s life.”

  “You’re just going to pay the money and hope for the best?” Bud said with a lifted eyebrow.

  “I’m still hoping we’ll find Cody before Tuesday night,” Knox replied.

  “I’m working on it,” Bud replied.

  “And I appreciate everything you’re doing,” Knox replied. The last thing he intended to do was put his trust in any of Bud’s efforts. If Cody was going to be found, it would be through the work of Dalton and Brett.

  “Do you have a plan?” Bud asked.

  “Not yet,” he admitted.

  “If you find out where Cody is being held, I’d better be the first to know. It’s obvious he isn’t being held anyplace around here. Hopefully, wherever he is, there will be places where we can provide backup.”

  “I appreciate it,” Knox said, although he wasn’t sure at this point if his plan included letting Bud know anything they might find. “Was there anything else?” he asked.

  He was suddenly eager to get back to the house and find out if the men had discovered anything about the website. He wanted to watch it again and see if he could figure out the space where Cody was being held.

  “Just that it’s important we keep each other informed on any breaking news on this case. I think maybe another press conference would be a good idea, this time with you and Allison speaking to the public.”

  “I’ll talk to Allison about it,” Knox replied as he took off walking toward his car.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Bud yelled as Knox got behind the wheel.

  Knox felt as if he’d been beaten as he drove back into town. Hell, he had been beaten by Allison. She’d shocked him with her fury as she’d slapped his face and then pummeled her fists against his chest. But she hadn’t hurt him physically.

  He felt emotionally beaten, and he knew there was no way he and Allison would come out of this situation as the same people. They would be forever changed, forever scarred by the unrelenting terror, the horror of what they were enduring right now.

  The last thing he’d wanted was for the stress to make them turn on each other. They should be clinging together right now, giving and getting strength from one another, not fighting with words as swords.

  You should have run to me and not away from me. Once again her words played in his mind. They’d definitely turned on each other in an ugly way, one that he now regretted.

  He’d been wrong to guilt her about the fact that they hadn’t told Cody about him being the boy’s father before the kidnapping. She’d been trying to do what was best for Cody and he’d understood that. He’d delivered a low blow to her and he owed her an apology for that if for nothing else.

  The intense anger that had driven him out of the house was gone as he returned. He parked in the driveway and got out of the car, suddenly feeling much older than he had a week ago.

  Allison wasn’t in the living room or in the kitchen. “Where’s Allison?” he asked the men in the kitchen.

  “She went outside to the backyard when you left,” Wendall replied.

  “Knox, we got a screen cap of the website before it went down,” Dalton said. “I want you to watch it and give us your opinion.”

  He had to believe that Allison had gone outside because she’d wanted to be alone. He also had to suspect that he was probably the very last person on earth she wanted to see right now.

  He sat in the chair Dalton vacated and looked at the laptop screen. Dalton hit a button and the video of Cody holding the newspaper played. All he could focus on was the fear that radiated out from Cody’s eyes, the little body that trembled with terror. Knox wanted to reach into the screen and grab his son and hold him until the fear left both of them.

  “Play it again,” he said softly, knowing what Dalton wanted him to do.

  As the video played a second time, he kept his focus away from Cody and instead studied the boy’s surroundings. A bare lightbulb hung down from the ceiling. He leaned closer to the computer screen. The wall just behind Cody appeared to be concrete block.

  Although the bare bulb cast a pool of light over Cody’s head, there was another faint source of illumination that appeared to be coming from a window set high in a wall to the right of the screen.

  “A basement,” Knox said with excitement. “He’s being held in a basement.”

  Dalton nodded with satisfaction. “That’s what we thought, and the fact that Cody is holding up the Shadow Creek morning paper makes us believe he’s being held someplace here in town.”

  “There aren’t that many homes around here that have basements,” Knox replied thoughtfully. “They’re difficult and expensive to build because of all the limestone. Surely we could get a list of places with basements from city hall?” For the first time, a new hope built inside him. They were getting closer.

  “You’d probably have the best luck with the city clerk who issues building permits, but city hall is closed until Monday,” Wendall said.

  “Who is the city clerk?” Knox asked.

  “Myna Turner,” Wendall replied.

  Knox frowned and stifled a groan. He remembered the fifty-something woman from ten years before. She’d been one of the loudest mouths dragging the Colton name through the mud and she’d led the successful attempt to get Livia Colton’s name removed from the hospital. He seriously doubted that she’d want to do anything to help him. But she might want to help Allison.

  Whether she was ready to talk to him or not, he needed her to know this new development. He got up from the chair. “I’ll be right back.”

  He walked out the back door and found her sitting beneath a large tree, the early evening sunshine dappled as it came through the new leaves and cast her features in shadows.

  She didn’t look up when he approached. She didn’t look at him until he sank down in the grass facing her. When she did, her eyes were dark gold pools and her face was wan.

  “Last year, I intended to have a tree house built for Cody, but one thing led to another and it never got done. I’ve been sitting here wondering what on earth was more important than a tree house for my son.”

  “You know, those kinds of thoughts will just try to destroy you,” Knox said softly. He hesitated. He wanted to apologize to her, but he feared she would think he was only apologizing because he wanted her to contact Myna Turner.

  “We have a new development,” he said, deciding his apology could wait until later.

  “What?” Her eyes came alive.

  “We believe Cody is being held in a basement someplace here in town.”

  “A basement?”

  He nodded. “What we need is to get hold of Myna Turner to see if she can give us a list of people who have basements around here.” He stood and held out his hand to her. “I need you to contact her and ask. It might be th
e clue we need to finally get Cody home.”

  She hesitated only a moment and then reached for his hand. He grasped hers firmly and pulled her up from the ground, fighting the impulse to grip her close to him. He had a feeling she wouldn’t welcome an embrace from him right now.

  Together, they went into the kitchen where the other men were once again watching the video. When it finished playing, Dalton leaned back in his chair with a frown.

  “No matter how many times I watch it, no matter how I zoom in on the images, I can’t get any more information about the room where the video was shot,” he said with obvious frustration.

  “But we still believe it was shot in a basement and that that’s where he’s being held,” Brett added.

  “I’ll call Myna and see if she can help us,” Allison said. Her voice was stronger, her eyes more focused as she went to the kitchen desk and pulled out a small, pink telephone book.

  She found the number and picked up her cell phone. Knox watched her intently, hoping...praying that finally they had a solid lead.

  “Myna, it’s Allison Rafferty. I would appreciate it if you gave me a call back as soon as you get this message. It’s urgent.” She ended the call. “She wasn’t home.”

  “Does she have a cell phone number?” Knox asked.

  Allison shook her head. “I seriously doubt it, I once heard her say that she believed cell phones were the work of the devil. I don’t even think she has a home computer.”

  “Is there anyone else who might be able to get us a list?” Knox asked Wendall.

  “Not that I know of. Myna is pretty territorial about her work,” Wendall replied.

  “Then we can just hope Myna gets back to me quickly,” Allison replied.

  A sinking sensation filled Knox. The clock was ticking, and there was nothing more they could do than wait for a phone call that might or might not be the first step in bringing Cody home.

  Chapter 13

  Night fell with a bang of thunder. A tornado watch had been issued for the area until midnight as severe storms moved in. Allison stood at the front window and stared outside, her utter despair back like an unwanted enemy.

  It was as if she’d swallowed the storm...the thunder was her cry of anguish, the rain her tears and the lightning rent her broken heart into more pieces.

  She’d left three more messages for Myna, but the woman still hadn’t called her back. She must be out of town for the weekend because Allison was certain if she got her frantic messages she would have called by now.

  Brett and Dalton had left to go to the motel where they had rented rooms for the duration of their stay there in Shadow Creek. They had promised to be back by dawn the next morning.

  Knox sat on the sofa behind her, but his restless energy filled the room. They had spoken little during the evening. He’d sat in the kitchen with the other men while she’d wandered the house, as if she might find Cody hiding in a corner or under a bed.

  “He doesn’t like thunderstorms,” she said. “When he was small, anytime it thundered he’d sneak into bed with me. As he got older, we had a routine where we sat in here and we’d put on a movie. He’d eventually fall asleep on the sofa and I’d snooze in the chair.”

  Lightning slashed the black skies and she stepped back from the window. “He’s someplace out there all alone in a storm,” she said miserably. “He’ll be so afraid.”

  She heard the faint groan of the sofa cushion and then Knox’s warm hands were on her shoulders. She turned around to face him, and his hands remained where they were.

  “He’s tough, Allison. He’ll get through the storm. We’re all going to get through this storm.”

  She knew he wasn’t just talking about the weather outside. She leaned into him as another boom of thunder shook the house.

  His hands moved to her back and he pulled her into a tight embrace. “I’m sorry, Ally. I’m so sorry about the things I said to you earlier. I didn’t mean them, I was just frustrated and needed to vent.”

  She leaned her head against his chest. “I’m sorry, too.” She drew in a deep breath. “We’re the last two people who should be tearing each other apart right now.”

  He stroked a hand down her back, not in a sexual way, but rather as if comforting a child. “From now on, we won’t. The past is gone and all we have is the here and now.”

  She remained in his embrace, and thunder rolled and lightning flashed outside. Rain began to pelt the windows, like the tears that filled her heart.

  Finally, she raised her head to look at him, wanting his calm, steady gaze to further comfort her. He lowered his mouth to hers in a kiss that wasn’t all fire and desire, but rather all tenderness and caring. It was exactly what she needed from him.

  The rain turned to the sharp sound of hail against glass. When the kiss ended, he cupped her face with his hands. “If Cody is in a basement somewhere, let’s hope he can’t hear the storm and he won’t be afraid.”

  She nodded and then stepped away from him and moved back to the window. The hail lasted only a minute or so and then turned back into rain.

  “I think maybe the storm is starting to pass.” She turned away from the window and looked at him once again. A deep frown cut across his forehead. “What are you thinking?” she asked, her worry climbing higher by the troubled look on his features.

  “I think Chad’s house had a basement.”

  She walked to him and grabbed his forearm in a tight grip. “Are you sure?” Was it possible Chad had really been home all this time, ensconced in his basement with Cody as his captive?

  Knox frowned, his gaze distant. “I can’t be absolutely positive, but I think so.” He focused back on her again. “I’m going to go check it out.”

  “Let me get my gun and I’m coming with you.”

  “Allison, you don’t need your gun. I’ve got your back.” He dragged a finger down the side of her face, his eyes as bright blue as she’d ever seen them. “No matter what happens in the future, I promise I’ll always have your back.”

  He dropped his hand to his side and walked over to the window, where the rain had turned to a heavy mist. He whirled back to face her. “Let’s go.”

  She was grateful he didn’t even attempt to tell her to stay behind. “Should we get Wendall or Jim?”

  “No. I’ll tell them we’re going out, but they don’t need to know where we’re going because if there is a basement in that house, then I’m going to do something illegal and get inside, and I’m definitely not waiting for Sheriff Jeffries to show up.”

  “Should you call Brett and Dalton?” she asked.

  “No, I don’t want to get them into any trouble,” he replied.

  Together they went into the kitchen where Jim was half-asleep in his chair and Wendall was reading a book. “We’re going out for a little while,” Knox said.

  “Going out?” Wendall cast a gaze toward the window and then looked back at them. “In this kind of weather?”

  “It’s been a long day. We need some fresh air. We’re just going for a drive and besides, the storms sound like they’re moving away,” she said.

  Wendall narrowed his eyes. “You need some fresh air at almost midnight on a stormy night? Allison... Knox...what’s really going on?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about,” Knox replied firmly. “We shouldn’t be too long.”

  Knox didn’t bother with a coat but Allison grabbed her black raincoat from the hall closet and a flashlight she kept on the shelf and then they ran through the mist to his car.

  “Wendall knows something is up,” she said as he pulled out of her driveway. “Maybe we should have brought him with us.”

  “He would have been compelled to stop me from breaking in, and the only way he would be able to do that is to shoot me.” He flashed her a determined loo
k. “If there’s a basement there, then nobody is going to stop me from entering.”

  “And I’ll be right behind you,” she replied.

  They fell silent, the only sound the swishing of the windshield wipers and the thudding of her heart in her ears. She didn’t want to entertain any hope because she didn’t want another bitter disappointment. And yet it was difficult to keep hope out of her heart as they drew closer to Chad’s place.

  “I’m assuming there’s still a patrol car parked at Chad’s,” he said when they were a couple of blocks away from Chad’s house. “I’ll park a block away and we’ll have to sneak through backyards. I’m not in the mood to get shot by a deputy who thinks we’re thieves.”

  “I’d walk through an alligator infested swamp if it was possible that Cody would be saved,” she replied fervently.

  He pulled up to the curb five houses away from Chad’s. She grabbed the flashlight tight in her hand and he had his gun in his hand as they got out of the car.

  The mist was still fairly heavy as they cut through a side yard to reach the back of the houses. Thankfully nobody had a fence so their way was clear to get to Chad’s.

  A dog barked plaintively in the distance and the only other sound was the faint trickle of rain dripping off leaves and bushes.

  The night was dark and she clicked on the flashlight to aid them. Wet grass clung to her shoes and dampened the bottom of her jeans and her hair and face were quickly wet from the mist.

  Lightning flashed in the distance followed by a faint rumble of thunder. Her heart quickened its pace as they drew closer and closer to the back of Chad’s house.

  Did he really have a basement? Or was Knox mistaken? Were they mere yards from Cody? Nobody had gone inside the house despite Chad’s seeming disappearance from town. As far as she knew, Sheriff Jeffries hadn’t even attempted to get a search warrant.

  When they reached the backyard, Knox pulled her near him. “I imagine the officer who’s in his car is probably asleep, but we have to be quiet in case he isn’t.”

  She nodded, although if Cody was inside and they got him out, she couldn’t promise that she wouldn’t scream with happiness.