by Rita Herron
* * *
RYDER SCRUTINIZED TIA to make certain she was okay. Leaving a woman alone in a jail with a male-only staff, especially with men he didn’t know, always worried him.
She looked exhausted and frightened, but there were no visible signs that she’d been abused or manhandled.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Hoyt decided to drop the charges,” Ryder said.
She glanced at the sheriff for confirmation.
“Guess it’s your lucky day,” the sheriff said in a voice harsh with displeasure. “But I suggest you stay away from your ex or you’ll be right back here.”
Tia gave a nod. “Do you have new information on my son?”
Gaines cut his eyes toward Ryder. “You’ll have to ask him. It’s his case now.”
Another surprised look flitted across Tia’s face, then relief. She obviously didn’t trust Gaines to do his job.
Ryder gestured toward the door leading outside. “I’ll drive you home.”
Tia rubbed her hands up and down her arms as if she was trying to hold herself together as they crossed the room to the door.
“Don’t leave town, Miss Jeffries,” Gaines muttered.
She paused, animosity streaking her face. “I’m going to find my little boy,” she said sharply.
Gaines started to say something else, but Ryder coaxed Tia out the door before they shared another exchange.
He placed his hand to Tia’s back as they stepped onto the sidewalk and felt a shiver run through her.
“Are you all right?” he asked gruffly.
She shook her head. “I won’t be all right until I’m holding Jordie again.”
He understood that. “Let’s talk at your house. I’m sure you want a shower and some food.”
She didn’t comment. She simply slid into the passenger seat of his SUV.
“I don’t know how you convinced Darren to drop the charges, but I appreciate that.”
He started the engine. “I don’t like him,” he said bluntly.
A small smile tugged at her mouth, making him wish he could permanently wipe the anguish from her face. “You mean you saw through his act. Sheriff Gaines certainly seems to believe whatever Darren says.”
“I know. I don’t understand that.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter, then veered onto the road leading to Tia’s house.
She angled her head, her eyes narrowed. “How do you know where I live?”
He winced. “It’s my job, Tia.”
She heaved a breath. “You were watching me, weren’t you? That’s the reason you were at Darren’s when I confronted him.”
Confronted was putting it mildly. “Yes,” he said, deciding to be straightforward. “Kidnapping and a missing baby warrant the feds’ attention.”
He pulled into the drive of the small bungalow. Flowers danced in the window boxes, the house was painted a soothing gray blue and a screened porch made it look homey—and totally at odds with Tia’s current situation.
“Do you own or rent?” Ryder asked.
“I own it,” Tia said. “I was living in an apartment before, but I wanted Jordie to have a real home with a yard to play in.” Her voice broke. “I thought when he got older, we’d get a dog.”
Ryder swallowed hard. There was no way this woman had hurt her child.
“I know Sheriff Gaines searched the house and property, but I intend to conduct my own search.”
Ryder grabbed his kit from the trunk then followed Tia up to the front porch. She opened the door, and he followed her in.
Just as he’d expected, signs of a new baby were everywhere—a basket of baby clothes from the laundry. An infant bouncy seat. Toys scattered on a dinosaur blanket on the floor.
“The nursery is this way.” Tia picked up a stuffed bear from the couch and hugged it to her as if she needed something in her arms to fill the void of her missing baby.
She led him across the den into a small hallway. A bathroom was situated between two bedrooms.
“Jordie’s room is in here.”
The moment he stepped inside the nursery, the love Tia had put into decorating the room engulfed him.
“Has anyone been inside the house since Jordie was born?” Ryder asked.
Tia rubbed her temple. “Elle and Ina dropped by and brought dinner and a basket of baby things.”
“I spoke with them. They sang your praises.” He paused, mentally eliminating them from his suspect list. He needed to look into the two people they’d suggested might hold a grudge against Tia.
“They’re both wonderful and are godsends with the women and families who come through. I wish I could afford to pay them more, but they don’t seem to mind.”
“Who else?”
“A neighbor dropped by to bring me some treats and a gift for Jordie.”
“Which neighbor?”
“Judy Kinley, the lady who lives behind me.”
Ryder made a mental note to check her out. “Anyone else?”
She scrunched her mouth in thought. “Darren stopped by to drop off the finalized divorce decree.”
He bit back a curse. “What a guy.”
“I know. I was an idiot to ever believe he cared.”
Ryder didn’t comment. Men like Darren Hoyt were predators. He saw it all the time.
“I’m going to look around the room and check outside,” he said instead.
Hopefully he’d find a clue that the sheriff had missed.
* * *
TIA DESPERATELY WANTED a shower, but she felt uncomfortable with the federal agent in the house, so she watched as he combed through the nursery.
“What are you looking for?” she asked.
“Fingerprints. Forensics that would prove someone broke in.”
He dusted the crib and the windowsill for prints.
“Did you find anything?”
He shook his head. “Not yet. But the kidnapper could have worn gloves.”
Because he’d planned this. But who would do such a thing? Darren was the only one who knew about her inheritance. And he hadn’t asked for money. He’d denied knowing anything about the kidnapping, when in private he could have blackmailed her into paying.
Ryder examined the window lock, then knelt to check the floor below, then the wall. He removed a camera from his kit and took a picture.
“What do you see?” she asked.
“Scuff marks. It’s not enough to cast, but it might be important.”
He examined the lock again. “This definitely wasn’t jimmied. Did someone else come in the house that day? Someone who might have unlocked the window without you being aware?”
Tia pressed two fingers to her temple as she mentally retraced her movements that day. “Judy came by and a friend I made at the hospital, my delivery nurse, Amy, stopped in with her little girl. We had coffee. Elle and Ina came later. They dropped off a casserole and saw Jordie for a minute. But none of them would have unlocked the window.”
“I asked Elle and Ina about two people on your list, Wanda Hanson and a man, Bennett Jones. They mentioned they might hold a grudge against you.”
“They were both angry,” Tia said. “But I can’t imagine either one of them kidnapping Jordie to get back at me.”
“I want to talk to them anyway,” Ryder said. “Sometimes people crack and do unexpected things.”
She followed him outside to the back of the house, to the nursery window.
“Stay put,” he said bluntly. “If there is something here, you don’t want to contaminate it.”
Tia wrung her hands together and hoped that he found something that would lead them to her baby.
* * *
RYDER CIRCLED THE house outside, searchi
ng the patches of grass and weeds. An area near the window looked as if the foliage had been mashed—as in footprints.
It could have happened when Gaines conducted his search, although the man obviously hadn’t been very thorough. If he had, he would have photographed the window and surrounding area.
He snapped photos of his own, capturing the disturbed bushes and dirt. A partial shoe print was embedded in the ground, which at least suggested someone—a man?—had been outside the room.
That lent credence to Tia’s story.
Of course, Gaines could argue that Tia had paid someone to take the baby.
He texted the tech team at the Bureau, instructing them to check Tia’s financials for anything suspicious, and also to look into Wanda Hanson and Bennett Jones.
He peered closer and discovered smudges on the wood beneath the window frame. Another partial boot print where the intruder had climbed onto the ledge and slipped through the window. He snapped pictures of the ledge, noting broken splinters around the edge and smudges on the windowpane.
He studied it for a print, but the kidnapper must have worn gloves, as there was no clear print.
Something caught his eye below, wedged into the weeds, and he stooped and combed through the area.
A pack of matches, with a logo for the Big Mug.
He hadn’t seen ashtrays or any evidence that Tia was a smoker in her house.
His pulse kicked up. The matches could have belonged to the person who’d taken her son.
Chapter Eight
Still grungy from the jail cell, Tia stepped onto the porch for air. When she’d first bought the house, she’d imagined rocking Jordan out here on cool spring and fall nights, doing artwork with him as he grew older and adding a swing set to the backyard.
She blinked back more tears, then spotted Judy, the neighbor whose house backed up to Tia’s, standing on her deck. She was peering at Tia’s house through binoculars.
Ryder stepped onto the porch, his phone in hand. “Who’s the woman with the binoculars?”
“That’s Judy Kinley.”
“Tell me about her.”
Tia bit her lower lip. “She seems friendly, although she’s a little nosy. She works at home doing accounting for a couple of small businesses.”
“Married? Kids?”
“No.” Tia shook her head. “At first I thought it was comforting to have a neighbor close by, in case of an emergency, one who’d watch out for my property, but she tends to just drop by. I guess she’s lonely.”
Agent Banks arched a brow. “She comes by a lot?”
Tia shrugged. “A few times. Once she brought cookies and another time a pie. Apparently she likes to bake.”
“Did she know your ex?”
“No,” Tia said. “I wanted a fresh start, so I moved here after he and I split up.”
He nodded. “Is she always peering at the neighbors?”
Tia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “She started a community watch program.”
“Was she home the night Jordie disappeared?”
“Yes,” Tia said. “When I found his crib empty, I called the sheriff. A few minutes after he arrived, Judy rushed over to see what was wrong and what she could do to help.”
An odd expression flickered in Ryder’s eyes. “I’m going to talk to her. I also want to speak to some of your other neighbors. Maybe one of them saw something.”
Although if so, why hadn’t he or she come forward?
* * *
RYAN CROSSED TIA’S BACKYARD, then strode toward the neighbor’s back deck. He waved his identification. “Ma’am, my name is Special Agent Ryder Banks. I’d like to ask you some questions.”
She lowered the binoculars and stepped back as if startled. Ryder paused at the bottom of the steps, studying her. She was probably in her early forties, with a face already weathered from too much sun. A few strands of gray hair mingled with the muddy brown, and she wore a drab T-shirt and jeans that hung on her thin frame.
“Tia said your name is Judy. Is that right?”
“Yes. I assume you’re investigating the disappearance of her baby.”
Ryder nodded. “Yes, ma’am. May I come up and talk to you for a few minutes?”
She clenched the binoculars by her side. “I don’t know how I can help, but sure, come on up.”
Ryder wasn’t buying the innocent act. Anyone who watched their neighbors through binoculars knew what was going on in the neighborhood.
His footsteps pounded the wooden steps as he climbed them.
“Can I get you some lemonade or tea?” Judy asked.
“No, thanks.” He gestured toward Tia’s house and saw her watching. “How well do you know Tia Jeffries?”
Judy shrugged and leaned against the deck railing. “We’ve chatted a few times.”
“You were living here when she moved in?”
“No, I moved in after her. My husband passed away and I wanted to downsize.”
“Tell me what you know about Tia.”
Judy fluttered her fingers through her short hair. “Tia seems like a nice young woman. She was alone, too, so I introduced myself.”
“Did you meet her ex-husband?”
Judy pursed her lips. “No, I can’t say I wanted to, either. Any man who’d abandon his pregnant wife is pretty low in my book.”
He agreed. “Tia said you started a neighborhood watch program. You were also home the night her baby disappeared. Did you notice any strangers lurking around? A car that was out of place?”
She shook her head no. “Although Darren stopped by, Tia said he brought the divorce papers.”
“Was she upset about that?”
“No, she seemed relieved it would be final.”
Ryder shifted. Darren could have slipped into the nursery and unlocked the window without Tia’s knowledge.
“Tell me about the night the baby went missing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Tia said she’d fallen asleep and when she woke up and checked on the baby, he was gone. She called 911, then you came over when you saw the police.”
“That’s right.”
“How was she?” Ryder asked.
“How do you think she was?” Judy said with a bite to her tone. “Someone kidnapped her child. She was hysterical.”
“What exactly did she say?”
“She was crying so hard she could barely talk.” Judy sighed wearily. “But she said someone had kidnapped Jordan from his bed. I tried to calm Tia while the sheriff searched the house and outside.”
“Did Tia say anything else?”
Judy rubbed her forehead. “She just kept begging the sheriff to find her son. He asked about her marriage. She told him about the divorce, then she said she was afraid Darren abducted the infant.”
“According to Tia, he left her because she refused to give him money from her charity.”
“True.” Judy made a low sound in her throat. “But if he took the little boy for money, why hasn’t he demanded a ransom?”
Good question. And one Ryder wanted the answer to.
* * *
UNABLE TO BEAR the scent of her clothes any longer, Tia stripped and stepped into the shower. The hot water felt wonderful, but as she closed her eyes, images of her little boy taunted her.
“I promise I’ll find you,” she whispered. “I will bring you home and I’ll never let you out of my sight again.”
She scrubbed her body three times to cleanse the ugliness of the jail cell, then soaped and rinsed her hair. When she climbed out, she brushed her teeth, pulled on a clean T-shirt and pair of jeans, and dried her hair.
The agent still hadn’t returned.
The hole in her heart continued to ach
e, and she stepped back into the nursery and ran her fingers over the baby quilt she’d hand sewn. Each square featured an appliqué, a hodgepodge of different breeds of puppies. She’d imagined naming the dogs on the quilt with Jordie. And when he was older, they’d visit the animal shelter and choose a dog to adopt.
She’d painted the room a bright blue and his dresser a barnyard red. She opened up one of the drawers and touched the sleepers she’d neatly folded, the tiny bootees and socks, then hugged the little knit cap he’d worn home from the hospital to her chest. She blinked back more tears as she inhaled Jordie’s newborn scent.
She had to do something to find her son.
Maybe a personal plea on the news.
She’d talk to that agent when he returned.
If he didn’t agree, she’d find a way to do it herself.
* * *
RYDER CANVASSED THE NEIGHBORHOOD, but no one had seen or heard anything suspicious the night before or the night of Jordie’s disappearance. Several of them hadn’t even met Tia, as she’d only moved in a few weeks before.
Two older women claimed they’d seen Tia strolling the baby in the mornings. She’d looked tired but doted on her child.
He walked back to Tia’s, frustrated that he hadn’t discovered anything helpful.
On a positive note, he hadn’t heard anything derogatory about Tia, nothing to make him doubt her story.
He banged the horse door knocker, and Tia opened the door. She’d showered, and her hair looked damp as it hung around her shoulders.
His gut tightened. She was damn gorgeous.
Not something he should be noticing or thinking about.
“Did you learn anything?” Tia asked.
He shook his head. “Afraid not. None of your neighbors seemed suspicious, but I’m going to run background checks on each of them just to be on the safe side. I want to talk to the hospital staff next.”
Tia frowned. “Why? Jordie was taken from my house.”
“I know. But we have to consider every possibility. Perhaps a stranger or another patient was in the hospital looking at the babies, someone who didn’t belong.”
Tia’s eyes widened. “You mean someone could have been watching Jordie, looking for a chance to take him?”