Deadly Deception

by Marissa Garner

  Whoever was here, however many there were, they were all in one place. Was one of them Drake? Was he armed? Best to plan for the worst-case scenario.

  Sean held up his hand, palm out. “Stay,” he mouthed emphatically.

  After a moment, her shoulders slumped, and she nodded.

  Thank God. Now to get in that room without anyone getting shot.

  Holding the gun in his right hand, he slowly turned the knob with his left and let the door swing inward. No shots rang out.

  But muffled groaning and grunting emanated from inside.

  Gun raised, he swung away from the wall to stand squarely in the doorway.

  Chapter 24

  Jessie’s heart almost stopped when Sean froze in the doorway. Her mind could only imagine the worst. Callie, oh Callie. Although it seemed he stood motionless for eons, only seconds actually passed before he surged into the room. Not waiting for his all-clear signal, she darted in behind him.

  Her eyes widened, and her mouth gaped.

  Sean was already helping Karla, but all Jessie could do was stare.

  Duct tape bound her best friend as if she were a mummy. A cloth was threaded between her open lips and tied behind her head. Dried blood was caked below her nose, and the side of her face was swollen and bruised. Blood had matted in her hair from a cut near her temple. Tears spilled from her wild eyes.

  Unable to move, unable to believe what she was seeing, all Jessie could do was ask in a strangled voice, “Where’s Callie? Where’s my baby?”

  As soon as Sean removed the gag, Karla coughed and then croaked, “D-Drake’s g-got her. I…I f-fought—” She started choking as she gasped for air and tried to talk at the same time.

  With his hands, Sean framed her face, held it steady, and placed his a few inches in front of hers. “Easy now, Karla, easy. Breathe. With me. In. Out. In. Out.” He nodded encouragement. Still staring directly into her eyes, he pulled a Swiss Army knife from his pocket.

  Overcoming her paralysis, Jessie dropped to her knees beside Karla and yanked at the tape securing her to the legs of the chair. Her mind spun out of control. Callie. Oh, Callie. Is she okay? What’s Drake doing?

  “Better to cut it,” Sean said, squatting beside her. He sliced through the tape with the pocketknife. “Massage her legs.”

  Karla’s entire body trembled as they worked to remove the tape. She yelped when they had to strip it from her skin. But finally she was free.

  Sean lifted her from the chair and laid her on the bed. Jessie ran into the bathroom and returned with a cool, wet washcloth. Sitting next to her traumatized friend, she gently washed the blood from her face. Her heart hammered with the need to ask about Callie again, but Karla was in no condition to be questioned.

  “I have t-to t-tell you,” Karla stuttered after several minutes, but she was almost incoherent with her teeth chattering so violently.

  “Okay, but keep breathing, Slow and easy,” Sean said, standing beside the bed.

  “D-Drake t-took C-Callie.”

  “Where?”

  “I d-don’t know. H-he said…” She tried to swallow.

  “Get her some water,” Jessie ordered.

  Sean dashed into the bathroom and came back with a paper cup. He handed it to Jessie. “I’ll lift her. You help her drink.” Together they managed to pour water into her parched mouth.

  After a second cupful, she tried to talk again. “D-Drake said…Callie was his…and h-he was taking her…for good.”

  “To Chicago?” Jessie asked.

  “I guess s-so.”

  “Karla! Karla!” Luke’s voice rang through the apartment.

  “In here,” Sean called.

  Karla’s brother barged through the doorway and skidded to a halt. Shock and then rage swept across his face.

  Her heart clenching at the anguish in his expression, Jessie moved out of the way so he could sit on the bed. Luke took Karla’s hand in his and held it to his chest. His gaze roamed over her battered face, and he swallowed hard several times.

  “Jesus, sis. I…I’m…” He gulped again. “Drake?”

  “Yeah,” she whispered. “And he’s g-got C-Callie.”

  “Son of a bitch.”

  Guilt gripped Jessie by the throat. Her friend had been hurt because of her. The thought revved her heart into overdrive. Sean must’ve sensed her igniting panic and pulled her into his arms.

  “We need to get an Amber Alert out,” he said to Luke.

  The deputy shook his head sharply as though clearing the shock from seeing his injured sister. “I need info first.” He pulled a notepad and pencil from his pocket. “I remember Drake’s not that tall.”

  “Five nine,” Jessie supplied. “About a hundred ninety pounds. Blue eyes, darkish blond hair.” Hurry, her brain screamed. My baby’s out there somewhere with that monster.

  Luke laid his hand on Karla’s arm and softened his tone. “Can you tell me what he’s wearing?”

  She drew a shaky breath. “Jeans. B-black T-shirt. Blue baseball hat.”

  “Hat insignia?”

  She hesitated and then shrugged.

  He gave her a loving pat. Checked his notes. “Damn. I need a vehicle description, but he’s driving a rental.”

  “White Nissan Altima. California license 7SAN671,” Sean recited.

  Three heads turned to look at him.

  “What? It’s a habit.”

  “Great.” Luke switched back to Karla. “How long ago did he leave?”

  She blinked. “Wh-what time is it?”

  “A little after three.”

  Her eyebrows drew together. “We left the salon about noon to go eat at McDonald’s. Then we swung by here just to grab the crayons and coloring books I keep for her. Callie and I were inside less than five minutes, but when I opened the door to leave, Drake pushed his way in—with a gun.”

  Jessie cringed at the fear Callie must’ve felt. How could her father do such a thing?

  Luke massaged his sister’s shoulder. “We’ll get all the details later. Right now, I just need to know how much of a head start he has.”

  “I was trying to be back at the shop by one, so probably…two hours.”

  “Shit,” Sean muttered.

  “Oh God,” Jessie gasped. “They could be on a plane to Chicago by now.” Panic gripped her as reality took hold. “B-but he knows that’s where we’ll look for him. He’s got lots of money, so he could take her someplace to hide. Anywhere.”

  “We’ll find him.” Sean and Luke exchanged a somber glance. “It just may take a while.”

  “I know what Callie looks like, but what’s she wearing?” Luke asked.

  “Oh God, I can’t remember.” Jessie pressed her fingers against her eyelids, trying to picture what clothes she’d put on her daughter that morning. “I was so upset about the searches…”

  “Callie has on jeans and a p-pink shirt with a Minnie Mouse face,” Karla said. “I highlighted her hair with temporary pink coloring and curled it.”

  “Great. She’ll stand out.” Luke turned to Jessie. “Get me a picture of both of them ASAP.”

  She nodded, still feeling shell-shocked.

  He studied his notes for a moment. “I have all I need. I’ll call this in and then take Karla to the doctor.”

  “You and Jess go to the station. I’ll take care of your sister,” Sean offered.

  Jessie gulped. As much as she wanted to be in the midst of the search for Callie, she really couldn’t do much to help at this point. Sean and Luke, as law enforcement officers, would be much more effective. She drew a fortifying breath. “You guys go to the station. I’ll take care of Karla.”

  “No, Jessie. I know where you want to be,” her friend said.

  “I might want to be there, but I can’t really do anything to help. I can help you.”

  “You sure, Jess?” Sean studied her with concern.

  “Yes. She got hurt taking care of my daughter. It’s the least I can do.”

  * * *


  The two grim-faced men raced toward the Freeman property to pick up Sean’s truck.

  “How’d Drake find her?” Luke asked after calling in the Amber Alert info.

  “Doesn’t matter. I don’t blame Karla,” Sean said.

  “The guy’s smart. Gonna make it harder to catch him.”

  “Yeah. And two hours is a big head start. As Jess said, he could be on a plane already.”

  “All the airports and airlines in the area will be contacted. We’ll get passenger manifests, if necessary. Do you think he’s been planning this long enough to have fake IDs?”

  Sean stared out the windshield, his detective brain already in high gear. “No. Drake thought he could intimidate Jess into giving him Callie. Kidnapping her is an act of desperation.”

  “Agreed.”

  “And I don’t think he’d fly out of here or LA, but he could be halfway to Vegas to catch a flight by now.”

  “Yeah. I don’t know if the Amber Alert will reach the Vegas airport.”

  Sean frowned in concentration. “I’m not sure he’d fly at all. Too many eyes. Too much security.”

  “So what, then? Drive?”

  “Maybe. When we track down the rental car company, find out if they have a GPS locator on the car.”

  “Right.” Luke paused. “Isn’t Chicago a big railroad hub? We should alert Amtrak.”

  “Agreed. And it would be even easier to disappear in a maze of bus routes.”

  “I can’t see rich-boy Drake Hargrove doing the Greyhound bus thing.”

  Sean tunneled his fingers through his hair. “He won’t be thinking like a rich boy. He’s a fugitive trying to lose himself among the masses. I also don’t think bus depots have nearly as much security screening.”

  “Might be worth looking at after we eliminate the other modes of transportation. Do you think he’s going to Chicago?” Luke asked.

  “Not directly, but eventually. Jess told me that his family is politically influential there. He might stand a better chance against extradition or avoiding charges altogether. And of getting a change in the child custody terms on his home turf.”

  “Wonder if his parents know what he’s doing.”

  “Good question. Of course, you told us his parents didn’t even know he was in California. We should contact them again, though, in case they’ve been in touch with Drake since then,” Sean suggested.

  “This just sucks. Poor Jessie.”

  Luke pulled into the Freeman driveway, and Sean jumped out. Several vehicles from the sheriff’s department were still parked on the property. Luke’s black Ram truck sped away while Sean headed for his F-150. Before he could climb inside, Nate and Chad hurried out the back door.

  “Did you drop Jessie and Callie at your place?” Nate called.

  Sean resisted the urge to ignore him and get on the road. There was so much to do, and it needed to be done fast. But he drew a deep breath and faced the approaching men. They had a right to know what had happened. “Drake snatched Callie from Karla. We don’t know where she is.”

  “Fuck,” Nate spat. “Where’s Jessie? Is she okay?”

  “What do you think? Look, I’ve got to get to the station. Call Jess for the details. If you think of anything that might help, tell her.”

  Without answering any more of their rapid-fire questions, he sped off. His mind raced faster than his wheels.

  He didn’t know Drake Hargrove, but he knew people. As an LAPD detective, he had learned to read them pretty damn well, too. And he didn’t like what he’d read in Hargrove’s eyes and body language during their two encounters.

  The man was a spoiled rich boy who expected to get his way. When thwarted, he fought mean and dirty. Otherwise, why bring a gun to have a conversation with your ex about child custody?

  Jess hadn’t explained why he agreed to her having full custody in the first place. Maybe he didn’t really want his kid, but in hindsight, the jerk may have thought the concession made him look weak. Sean didn’t know, nor care. Drake had signed the legal documents, and Jess was under no obligation to renegotiate the terms. But that wouldn’t sit well with a man like Drake. He wouldn’t take the time to show how much he missed Callie or to make a reasonable case to change Jess’s mind. No, this kind of asshole just took what he wanted. People, rules, laws be damned.

  And that’s what worried Sean the most. Men like Drake Hargrove didn’t compromise or negotiate. They sure as hell didn’t surrender.

  They went down in a blaze of imaginary glory.

  Chapter 25

  Jessie sat in a chair beside Karla’s bed in an exam room of the Ramona urgent care clinic. Earlier she’d described the latest unbelievable events to Nate and Uncle Chad on the phone. Sadly, it seemed her life had been filled with such events for the past five days. At the moment, mercifully, she felt numb, as if she’d been drained of all feelings. Maybe numbness was a self-preservation tactic that her body had employed instinctively. She didn’t know, but she was grateful for the reprieve from the soul-crushing, heartbreaking emotions racking her.

  Numbness didn’t mean she wasn’t worried about Callie, though. She was. Desperately so. But there wasn’t anything she could do right now to find her daughter. Sean had already checked in with an update on everything being done by law enforcement. The news had been welcome, although the reason for the high level of activity and urgency wasn’t reassuring at all. Drake bringing a gun to her parents’ house—not once, but twice—had raised the stakes in the mind of the law. They recognized the extraordinary risk Jessie’s ex-husband posed.

  When Detective Harlan, the man leading the child abduction investigation, had questioned her on the phone, he’d emphasized that this was a child custody battle gone terribly wrong. This wasn’t some random kidnapping by a pedophile or psychopath. It wasn’t random at all. Drake Hargrove had a specific, vested interest in the abductee.

  In addition, they knew a lot about Drake: exactly where he and his parents lived, what company he worked for, what bank accounts he had, and what credit cards he used. He didn’t fit the profile of a disgruntled parent who would simply disappear with the child. Most likely, Drake was racing toward the safety of home base. Once there, he would put up a helluva custody fight. Was he currently so irrational that he didn’t even realize that he’d significantly hurt his own cause by forcibly kidnapping his daughter? Such irrationality was dangerous.

  In their conversation, the detective had kept coming back to the issues of Drake carrying a gun and assaulting Karla. Both represented a violence factor uncommon in parental abductions, which usually involved stealth and lying more than anything else.

  But the detective had tried to reassure Jessie that the worst-case scenario meant her flying to Chicago to retrieve her daughter and him preparing a mountain of paperwork to get Drake extradited to San Diego to face kidnapping and assault charges. Jessie’s numb state made accepting that scenario easier.

  “You look like I feel or vice versa,” Karla’s quiet voice broke into Jessie’s thoughts. “I don’t know how you’re surviving all this.”

  “I have to. For Callie.”

  “Still, I admire your strength, Jessie.”

  “You know the saying: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Well, by the end of all this, I should be as strong as a bull.”

  “I think you already are.”

  Jessie shrugged. “Thanks. Are you sure you don’t want any pain meds? The local anesthetic for those stitches is going to wear off soon.”

  “I better not. When Luke called, he said a deputy would be coming over shortly to take my statement. I want to be clearheaded for that. If I can give them any info to help nail Drake’s ass, I don’t want to screw up because my brain’s foggy.”

  “Makes sense.” She paused. “What doesn’t make sense is how Drake found you. I can’t figure it out. Yeah, he could remember your name from back in the day, but you have an unlisted landline. How did he find your apartment?”

  Karla
huffed. “Oh, he was so proud of himself for his little bit of detective work that he had to brag. Get this: He found me through Facebook.”

  “What? He’s a friend?”

  “God no. We weren’t friends even while you were married. But he has a Facebook account, and he searched for my name.”

  “Surely you don’t have your address open to public view.”

  Karla rolled her eyes. “I may be blond, but not that blond. He saw my cover photo and profile picture.”

  “So he recognized you in your profile picture. But your cover photo is what?”

  “The front of the salon.”

  “Oh crap.” Jessie blew out an exasperated breath.

  “With the name of the salon and knowing it had to be in or near Ramona, he easily found the address and phone number on our website. He said he called to confirm I was working but then hung up.”

  “Why would he be looking for you in the first place? He couldn’t have known you were watching Callie.”

  “After seeing the sheriff’s deputies at your place, he went to the coffee shop.”

  “Of course. News travels fast in a small town. And everyone’s been so involved and helpful.”

  “Yup. Heard all the talk about your mom, Hal, and especially the searches. He knew you wouldn’t want Callie around. He remembered my name, decided I’d be the most likely babysitter, and figured out where I worked.”

  “Let me guess. He followed you to McDonald’s and then home.”

  “Bingo. Give the lady a prize.”

  They lapsed into silence. Jessie wished they could talk about something else to keep the pain, the fear for Callie from returning.

  Karla must’ve been thinking the same thing, for she asked abruptly, “What’s happening with you and Sean now that you know he didn’t break up with you?”

  Jessie sighed. This topic might make her feel worse instead of better. “What do you mean?”

  “C’mon, girlfriend. You admitted you’ve been spending nights with him at his brother’s apartment. Something’s gotta be cooking. You two always had explosive chemistry.”