The woman hopped off the crate and held out a hand to Zink. “Thanks for the whistle.”
“No problem. I’m Suzanne Zinkleman. I work for Sunberry Police.”
Conrad walked up.
“And this is Conrad Travis. He’s with the department as well.”
“I’m Darlene Mays. State Police. I work out of Cincinnati, but they brought me in to help.” She put a hand on a hip. “I’m sure you guys aren’t happy with us taking over, but…”
Conrad shook her hand. “We appreciate all the help we can get. All we want is to bring Emily home safely to her parents. It doesn’t matter to us who does the finding. Any leads?”
She bit her lip and shook her head. “Nothing promising. The little girl seems to have vanished. We double checked the pervs in the area but it’s not getting us anywhere.”
Zink wiped at her eyes. “Have you spent much time with the parents?”
“Not me personally. Why?”
Zink put shaking hands in her pants pockets. Conrad knew this was tough for her no matter what she was saying. “No reason. The family are good people, and Emily is such a sweetie. I remember when they adopted Emily.”
“Adopted Emily? That’s news to me.” Darlene Mays sounded surprised.
Conrad had forgotten Emily was adopted, as well. Of course, Zink wouldn’t forget something like that. It was a woman thing—probably. Conrad looked over at the growing crowd of searchers, and then back at Darlene Mays. “Does it matter?”
“Everything matters in a case like this. I have to stay here to keep things organized. Do y’all know these woods?”
Zink nodded. “My property adjoins them on the other side.”
“Great. Take a few of the volunteers with each of you. Mark will give you a map with the grids for you to cover.”
“Not a problem.” Conrad gave her an easy smile. “We want to help however we can.”
“You are.”
In less than two minutes they had their maps and search teams. Zink took two men and he took one.
Sam owned a restaurant in town and was on a first name basis with all the officers.
“Sam, I need a minute. Gotta make a phone call.”
“Sure thing.”
After the phone call, they moved from tree to tree checking for Emily. At each bush, Conrad or Sam dropped to their knees and went in as far as necessary. Since it was early spring, the leaf growth was minimal so that made searching easier.
Conrad was glad of that. After an hour or so, his knees had grown weary and his back stiff. “I’m getting old, Sam. This is killing my back.”
“I hear you.” Sam patted his ample belly. “This doesn’t help, either.”
“We’re almost done with this section.” Conrad stretched his back in an effort to relieve the pain.
“Oh no.”
Conrad turned towards Sam. “What is it?”
Sam pointed at the shallow creek that ran through the woods. “There’s something in there. Looks like a body? See it?”
Conrad walked up beside Sam, his gaze moving in the direction Sam pointed. His stomach twisted. “I’ll go look.”
Sam’s jaw dropped open, and then he nodded. “What do you want me to do? Go get the chief?”
“Not yet.” Conrad stepped into the creek. Wetness invaded his shoes. This was the worst possible scenario. He’d prayed for Emily to be safe and sound. The body was face down in the creek. As he leaned down, his cell phone slipped out and tumbled into the water.
After picking up the ruined cell phone, he knelt down and felt for a pulse. The skin was cold to his touch.
Sam stood at the edge of the creek.
Conrad called to him. “My phone’s ruined. Can you call Ben Martin?”
Sam pulled out his cell phone and scrolled through a list. Conrad sloshed out of the creek and took the offered phone. He was only wet up to his knees. The creek wasn’t that deep.
“What you got, Sam?”
“It’s not Sam. It’s Travis. I need you over in grid eight at the creek.”
“Did you find Emily?”
20
Conrad’s throat closed as he stared at the body still in the creek.
The chief asked again, his voice shaky. “Did you find Emily?”
“Just get over here.”
“I’m already on my way. I’ll call Zink.”
“Conrad shut the phone and handed it back to Sam.
He didn’t look very good. He was pale and beads of sweat had popped up on his forehead. “You OK??”
Sam nodded but his eyes never left the body. Finally, he tore his gaze away and looked at Conrad. His voice shook. “I can’t believe this.”
“You and me both.”
“Are you going to call the state police?”
“I wanted the chief here first.”
Sam took a deep breath.
Zink jogged up to them, slightly out of breath. “What do you have? Did you find Emily?”
“We found a body.” Conrad pointed at the creek. “But it’s not Emily.”
Zink’s eyes widened. “Not Emily. Who is it?”
“The reporter we’ve been trying to find to get some answers.”
Zink’s gaze followed his finger. “Guess we aren’t going to get those answers now.”
Sam still stood there staring at the dead woman. He turned to Conrad. “Shouldn’t we get her out of there?”
Conrad shook his head. “No. The medical examiner will do that. “
The chief, red-faced and out-of-breath, rushed up to them.
Before he could ask, Zink told him. “It’s not Emily. It’s the blonde reporter. The one who reported Veronica Minor was a suspect in the kidnapping of Emily Most.”
The chief’s mouth fell open. “You’ve got to be kidding. Why would anyone want to kill her?”
Zink’s gaze met his. “Well if I was Veronica Minor, I might be a tad upset that she put my picture on the TV and told the country I was a suspect in a kidnapping.”
Zink had a point, but he couldn’t believe Veronica had anything to do with it. When he’d talked with her, it sounded as if she was nowhere near Sunberry. “Or the person who fed her the information and didn’t want to be identified.”
Zink locked gazes with him. After a moment, she shrugged. “Could be that, too.”
The chief shook his head. “Veronica Minor again. That woman’s name just keeps popping up in this investigation. Did you ever get hold of her?”
Conrad turned to Ben. ”I tried several more times, but it kept going to voice mail. I never got hold of Nick, either. So the station’s officially closed at the moment.”
“I’d sure be interested in hearing her alibi for this woman’s time of death.” The chief sighed. His rusty mustache twitched. He reached for his radio. “Guess I better call this in.”
****
Conrad wiggled his toes in his damp socks as he sat at his desk watching the pandemonium unfold. His pants were almost dry. It had been insanity since the body of the news reporter was found.
Conrad picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Veronica’s number. He knew it by heart now. Hopefully, she would answer this time.
The chief walked over and perched on the side of his desk. “Can you believe this craziness?”
The call went directly to voice mail—again. Conrad hung up his phone as he nodded towards the gaggle of reporters congregating on their sidewalk. “You’d think it was the President of the United States.”
Zink pulled up a chair. “What’s next, boss?”
“Anybody ever find Nick?” Conrad asked.
“No, but when things calm down, he and I will be having a long talk. And it won’t be pretty.” Ben Martin stood up. “It’s been a long few days. Go home and get some rest. We go back to our regular work rotation as of tomorrow. The State Police and the Sheriff’s Department are running the homicide and the kidnapping. The FBI will provide support. They’ll keep us in the loop. Who knows what’s going to happen next
?”
“If anyone wants to call me, you’ll have to call my home phone.” He fished his ruined phone out of his shirt pocket. “This isn’t working any longer.”
The chief shook his head. “Will you be at home if I need you?”
“Until the morning. I’m beat.” He stood. “So, I guess we stop looking for Emily?”
“I didn’t say that, did I? Let’s go home.”
“I’m going to try Veronica’s number one more time.”
21
Maria replaced the gas nozzle in the pump, and then slid back into the car. She handed Layla a twenty dollar bill. “Go into the station and get some snacks for us. And not all candy, little missy.”
“By myself?” Layla sounded incredulous.
Maria nodded. “And go to the bathroom while you’re in there.”
“I don’t have to go.”
“Go anyway. I’ll be out here waiting.” And watching. She prayed no one would recognize Layla from the TV reports, and figured there was a better chance for them to blend in if they weren’t seen together.
As she picked up her cell phone and turned it on, her gaze remained on Layla. Maria quickly scanned the missed calls—several from Raymond and several from Conrad Travis.
She didn’t want to talk to either man. Her hand shook as she moved to shut off the phone again, but it rang before she hit the power button.
The number said Sunberry Police Department. It must be Conrad again. She sighed and hit the talk button. “Hello.”
“Veronica, this is Conrad. Where are you? You’ve got to tell me what’s going on. I know something’s wrong. I can help.”
Nobody could help. “I can’t tell you.”
“Are you in trouble?”
“It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Then, why won’t you tell me where you are. What’s going on?”
Her eyes were glued to the door. She couldn’t see Layla. Her pulse raced. “I already told you it’s a family emergency.” That was certainly the truth.
“Veronica, I want to help you, but I can’t if you won’t tell me where you are and what’s going on.” He sounded sincere.
She wanted to believe him, to trust him. His kind eyes and cute smile flashed in her mind. She believed him, but what would be the point in involving him?
She sighed. “Look, I’ll be back in a few days. I just have to get Lay…Jasmine somewhere safe, and then I’ll come back and help in any way I can.” She clicked the phone off before Conrad could speak again.
Her gaze searched for Layla, but no success. It was taking too long. She opened the car door and walked into the gas station. No Layla.
Her mind refused to believe. She moved through the aisles—faster and faster, her heart beat speeding up with each empty aisle. How had Raymond found them? At the very back of the store, Layla stood by the soda cooler.
Maria’s heartbeat slowed. “What’s taking you so long?”
“Oh, Mommy. There’s so many kinds. I didn’t know what to pick.” Her daughter pointed at the top shelf. “And that’s the one I wanted, but I couldn’t reach it.”
Maria opened the cooler door. “I can fix that.” She picked up two bottles, one for Layla and one for her.
“Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Did you find some tasty snacks?”
Layla held up her goodies. “I got you an apple, Mommy.”
“Well, aren’t you the best daughter in the world?”
Layla giggled.
They walked to the register. She and Layla put their items on the counter. As the clerk rang up the items, Maria’s gaze moved towards the television.
Her heart plummeted.
Her picture filled the screen and a disembodied voice announced that an arrest warrant had been issued. Now a picture of Layla popped up on the screen. Now the two of them were side by side, her Ohio license photo and Layla’s school picture.
“Eighteen dollars and forty-seven cents.”
Layla reached up over the counter and handed the clerk her twenty dollar bill.
Maria’s gaze flitted to the other customers waiting in line behind her. None of them seemed to notice her or Layla. She had to get out of here before they did. She grabbed the sodas and handed them to Layla. Then she picked up the other things. “Come on, sweetie. Let’s go. We gotta get moving.” She fought the urge to run, but knew that would only bring unwanted attention to them. She opened the door and Layla walked out.
“Hey, wait a minute.”
Her heart sank. Someone recognized them. She turned, prepared to do what she had to get out of there and back to the safety of her car. The clerk stood in front of her holding out his hand. “You forgot your change.”
“Oh, thanks.” She quickly took it and walked to the car, the words from the TV running through her mind. Warrant for her arrest. Suspect in the kidnapping. FBI. What was she supposed to do now? Should she turn herself in?
If she did that right now, what would happen to Layla? Nothing good, that was for sure. Layla alone without anyone watching out for her would make her more vulnerable to Raymond.
Maria wouldn’t do that, but she needed to rethink her plan.
Layla was in the back seat and buckled when Maria reached the car. Maria slid into her seat and turned back to the steering wheel. “OK, ready to rock and roll?”
“Mommy, you are so funny, sometimes.”
She smiled, glad to see Layla happy for the time being. Turning the radio volume up, she sang along to the oldies.
Layla quieted in the back seat.
A quick glance confirmed what Maria had suspected. Her daughter’s eyes were closed and her head lolled against the seat.
Good, she was asleep. It would give Maria time to think about the FBI and the arrest warrant and what she should do. After weighing her options, she made her decision.
22
“David Hamm, with the address you gave me, doesn’t exist as far as I can determine.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Conrad sat on his couch in his sweats with BowWow half in his lap. He rubbed the golden retriever’s head while he talked to Leonard, his FBI contact and friend. “What about Veronica Minor?”
“That’s where it gets interesting. Her records are sealed, and I couldn’t get access to them.”
“But you’re the FBI.”
“I know that.”
BowWow rolled over to allow Conrad better access for a belly rub.
Conrad obliged. “I thought you guys had access to everything everywhere.”
“You’ve got us confused with the CIA and Homeland. They are the super-cops these days. They get all the good toys.”
“Toy envy isn’t a good thing. You have plenty of your own, anyway. So, what are you thinking?”
“It could mean several different things. She could be an undercover agent of some sort.”
He smiled. “Why would there be an undercover agent running a flower shop in little old Sunberry?”
“My thoughts exactly. Another option could be she’s under protection for some reason. It was a U.S. Marshal’s file.”
“You mean Witness Protection?”
“Yep.”
Conrad sat up straighter on the couch.
BowWow crowded closer and gave him a slurpy kiss.
Conrad pushed him away. “Can’t you get any information about her? She might be in danger. This Hamm guy was at her flower shop and her apartment. We need to get her in custody right now if she’s in danger.”
“I’ll see what I can do. And another thing, I looked into little Emily Most’s adoption records like you asked.”
Conrad waited. He knew his friend was about to drop a bomb.
“Turns out her bio father was in prison at the time of her adoption. Basically his rights were taken away without any input from him.”
“And…”
“And he got out about a year ago. Hired a lawyer to rescind the adoption, but that was shot down about a month ago. The judg
e refused to hear the case, and it looks as if the Mosts weren’t even made aware of what was going on.”
“Got a name?”
“I already sent it to your email address along with a pic.”
“Thanks, I owe you one.”
“Just one?”
After Conrad hung up, he walked over to the laptop sitting on his dining room table along with a week’s worth of newspapers and mail. His mother wouldn’t be happy if she saw his house. He accessed his email and checked out the pic, name, and address, and then sent it to the chief’s and Zink’s phones. Clicking his laptop shut, he jumped up. He had things to do.
First on the list was to get a new phone, but that wouldn’t happen until the store opened.
After that, it was time to focus on bringing Emily back to her family, and then finding Veronica Minor before this other guy did.
****
Maria had driven through the night and was back in Sunberry. Coming back had been the best option.
The FBI was looking for her, and with her picture all over the TV, she’d never make it to Florida to Patti’s. She couldn’t risk being arrested in a strange place with Layla. Conrad was here. He’d told her he would help her.
And she believed him. Her instinct said he would keep Layla safe and that was all that mattered.
She’d tried calling Conrad back on his cell phone, but it went directly to voice mail and she wasn’t going to leave a message. She couldn’t figure out why he wasn’t picking up. He’d told her he was there to help. But now he wasn’t taking her calls?
Her stomach knotted. Oh, well. For better or worse, she was here now.
She prayed nothing had happened to him.
Since she couldn’t get hold of him, she had no choice but to go to the police station. Checking the rental car’s clock, he was probably at work, anyway. From the times he’d been in The Bouquet, she knew he worked first shift most days.
Maria pulled into the parking lot behind the police station.
Her mouth dropped open as she looked around. Her eyes widened at the chaos. Several news vans littered the parking lot with satellite dishes atop them. Small groups of people were scattered around the area talking with each other.
What was going on? Had they found Emily? Hope lurched for a brief moment, and then her stomach twisted. If they had, was she alive? Oh, please God, let Emily be safe and this nightmare be over.
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