Altercation

by Heiner, Tamara Hart

  “Hmm.” Kristin opened a package of spaghetti and dumped it into the boiling water. “Alfredo or marinara?”

  “Marinara. I’m watching my weight.” He grabbed the pouch on his belly and moved it up and down.

  Kristin gave him a smile over her shoulder. “You leave for Ohio in the morning?”

  He let out a heavy sigh. “Yes. We’ve got to find them, and soon, Kristin. I know if we don’t, it’s over. They’ll disappear for good.”

  She moved to the pantry and got a jar of sauce. “At least the agent’s daughter and the boy didn’t turn out to be missing.”

  Carl grunted. “Yeah. Just eloped. After knowing each other for twenty minutes.”

  “Well.” Kristin sat across from him at the table and touched his knuckle. Her hair was longer now, the golden color sweeping her shoulders. “That poor kid. His dad’s a crook, his sister’s missing, and then she’s found, and then she’s missing again? He probably just wants some stability. Wants to be loved totally and completely.”

  “Yeah, him I get,” Carl said. “It’s the girl I don’t. Her parents are devastated. She’s never done anything like this before.” His phone rang, vibrating in his shirt pocket, and he pulled it out. Eight-four-five area code. Where was that? “Hello?”

  There was a lot of noise in the background, like voices echoing in a gymnasium. “Is this Detective Hamilton?”

  It was a teenager. Carl got up, searching for a pad of paper. “Yes. Who is this?”

  “Detective, it’s Neal. Neal Collins.”

  Neal! Carl leaned against the countertop, feeling his heart sink. He’d forgotten about the boys. They didn’t know yet. “Where are you calling from, Neal?”

  “I’m at school. The group home doesn’t let us make personal calls except to legal guardians, and, well, we don’t have any. I stayed after to help set up for the school play. I’m using someone’s cell phone.”

  Against the rules, but Carl knew most kids in group homes used the same tactics. “Are you in trouble?”

  “No, sir. I just wanted to see how my sister’s doing. We’ve been worried. I wish they would let us have contact.”

  Carl debated what to say. They were on cell phones, not secure lines. Did the boy even need to know?

  “Hello? Are you there?”

  “Yes, yes. Sorry, the connection’s not great. She’s doing fine.”

  There was silence on the other end, except for the chatter of students.

  “Was there anything else, Neal? Can I help you with anything?”

  “Can you get a message to her?”

  “Sure.” Carl felt a twinge of guilt.

  “I don’t know. Just tell her we called to check on her. Is she still in Cincinnati?”

  I wish. “I’m sorry, Neal, I can’t say.”

  There was another pause. Carl frowned, feeling sweat bead up on his brow. Did the boy know he was lying?

  “Would you tell me if something were wrong?”

  Carl suddenly wanted very much to tell Neal about his sister. But he couldn’t. “If I were allowed to.”

  “Okay,” Neal said softly, and there was a lot of meaning in that tone.

  Carl felt a prickle of worry. “I’m counting on you and Ricky to stay safe. Don’t go anyplace alone, and stick to the rules of the group home. Got it?”

  “Are we in danger?”

  This kid was pulling information out of thin air. “If I thought you were in danger, you wouldn’t be there. But be careful. Don’t leave the group home unsupervised.”

  “All right. Thanks, Detective. I better go.”

  Carl heard the resignation in Neal’s voice. “Sorry I couldn’t do more. Call anytime you need to.” He put his phone down and stared at Kristin.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “I don’t know if he believed me. I think we need to move them to a place with tighter security.”

  He knew Kristin had no idea who he was talking about, but she was used to that. “You think someone’s going to hurt them?”

  “No. I think they’re going to run.”

  Chapter Twenty-four

  I might be able to break that lock.”

  Amanda spoke in a hushed whisper, but in the enclosed space of the utility closet, Jaci heard her clearly. Since their new haircuts the night before, her mind had been a spastic mess, always coming back to one thought: escape.

  Honestly, she hadn’t expected to be back in the closet. She thought for sure The Hand would sell them. But he didn’t. Just piled them back in the SUV and dumped them here again.

  “How?” Jaci whispered back. “There’s nothing in here.” Someone had been in the room next to them for the past twenty-four hours. She knew Amanda only spoke now because the voices, grunts, and burps next door had fallen quiet.

  “I took a few things from the bathroom. A screw, some bobby pins. Maybe they will help.”

  Jaci stared in Amanda’s direction, feeling a grudging admiration. “It might work.” Lowering her voice even more, she asked, “What did you do with the necklace?”

  “I put it down the vent shaft. They can get it if they pull the shaft out, but they won’t ever think to do that, will they?”

  A scraping sounded on the concrete outside the room, and both girls hushed. Jaci’s heart skipped a beat. Someone was there. Had he heard them?

  “Where do you think Sara is?” Amanda whispered.

  Jaci shrugged. “I don’t know. The Hand didn’t mention her.”

  “Do you think Ricky and Neal know?”

  Ricky. Jaci closed her eyes, an icy knife poking at her chest. She tried not to think about anyone out there in the real world. It just made it worse that she might never see them again. “Don’t know.”

  “Well,” Amanda said, her voice softer, “I don’t really care. Ricky doesn’t seem interested in me anymore.”

  Jaci tried to pretend like that was a surprise. “Oh?”

  “Yeah. No biggie.”

  “Didn’t you really like him?”

  Amanda shifted her legs, her knees bumping Jaci’s. “He’s just a guy. I’ll find others.”

  “You think we’ll get out of this mess?”

  “Of course.”

  Jaci tried to see Amanda in the darkness. “How can you be so sure?”

  “Well . . . it’s hard to believe anything bad will happen to us. At least, to you. You’re so good.”

  Jaci exhaled. “Callie was good. Sara is good. Something bad happened to them.”

  “I guess I try not to think about that.” Amanda’s fingers drummed on the floor. “So, you like Ricky?”

  She thought they’d moved past this subject. “He’s a pretty good friend.”

  “And?”

  She felt her face burn. “That’s it.”

  “Liar.”

  “No, really. We’re just close friends.”

  “How close?”

  “Amanda!” The word came out louder than Jaci meant it to, and she pressed her hands to her mouth.

  Both girls were silent for a few minutes, listening to see if their guard outside reacted to the noise.

  Amanda’s voice lowered. “Has he kissed you?”

  Jaci felt a stab of indignation. That was private. “Did you try to sleep with him?”

  Silence followed. Finally Amanda spoke. “Did he tell you that?”

  The mixture of hurt and betrayal in her voice made Jaci regret saying anything. “Yes.”

  Amanda didn’t say a word.

  “Hey, forget it. I’m sorry. That’s really none of my business.”

  “I can’t believe he told you. Makes me sound like a slut.”

  “Why did you, then?” Jaci couldn’t help but ask.

 
“I don’t know. I thought I loved him. I just wanted him to love me. Better him than some stranger I don’t even know.”

  Jaci couldn’t argue with that. “Yeah. True.”

  Jaci slept a little, and when she woke up, daylight crept under the crack in the door. Her stomach rumbled and she winced.

  Someone would be here soon.

  Sure enough, footsteps echoed through the empty warehouse. Sounded like hard work boots. Yesterday the Grandón had been the one to escort them to the bathroom. Afterward, he tossed a bucket of water into the back of the toilet and flushed it.

  The closet door unlocked and swung open. Jaci blinked in the light, trying to identify the man who stood there. His height and slender build gave away his identity before her vision cleared. The Hand.

  “Up.”

  She scurried to her feet before he could touch her. He locked the closet door behind her. She moved in front of him, clutching her fingers. Her footsteps sounded light and feeble next to the heavy crunching of his boots.

  When she was a child and felt scared in her bedroom, she would close her eyes. Somehow she believed that if she couldn’t see it, it couldn’t see her.

  Closing her eyes didn’t work anymore.

  He led her back from the toilet without a word.

  She exchanged places with Amanda and waited, back pressed up against the wall, for her to return. It felt like an eternity, but Jaci knew it hadn’t been long when Amanda came back. Jaci gripped Amanda’s hands.

  The Hand only left them for a moment before he returned. The door opened again and he motioned them out. The aroma of hot food filled the little room, and Jaci’s eyes locked on the three Burger King bags on the floor. Still, she didn’t move. The closet was safer.

  Amanda hesitated only a moment. She pushed past Jaci and sat on the concrete. She shot a glare at The Hand and opened one of the bags, pulling out its contents.

  The tightness around his jaws relaxed. He chuckled and sat in the folding chair left for their guard. “Come out.” He turned his steely blue eyes on Jaci. “I won’t hurt you. You have to eat.”

  That tone of voice. The kindness, the fatherly tone that invited her to trust him. She shuddered. She hated him.

  But he was right. She needed to eat. She sat next to Amanda and tore into the hash browns, keeping one eye on The Hand. He sat back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest and watching them.

  Food appeased Jaci in a way few other things could. The stiffness went out of her shoulders and she studied The Hand. His gaunt face appeared thinner than before, deep shadows and lines around his eyes. His mouth was turned down in an expression of displeasure.

  Amanda took a long drink from her orange juice. “Why are we here? What are you going to do with us?”

  He inhaled, nostrils flaring. Leaning back in his chair, he regarded her with a flat expression. “I can’t tell you. I was foolish enough to underestimate you girls last time. I’m ruined now.”

  “So you’re trying to ruin us,” Jaci said, beginning to understand.

  He focused on her. “It’s a matter of my life or yours. Forgive my selfishness, but I choose mine.”

  She doubted she’d ever forgive him. “Where’s Sara?”

  His brow furrowed slightly. He didn’t answer.

  Amanda opened the last paper bag and handed a breakfast burger to Jaci.

  Jaci took several deep breaths and forced herself to eat. She felt sick inside. She always did when she thought about Sara.

  Amanda crumpled up the bags and stuffed them inside one another. “What happened to Crystal?”

  He blinked at her. “Crystal? Oh, yes. She’s gone.”

  Jaci jerked, a shiver running through her. “Gone? She’s dead?”

  A mirthless smile graced his lips. “She was working for us, dear child. People change loyalties rather quickly when someone they love is threatened.”

  The discovery of another betrayal rammed Jaci in the chest. “But how did you find us?”

  “It wasn’t hard once we knew what state you were in, which we discovered from a letter we intercepted.” He said it like he was proud of the way his gang worked, putting puzzle pieces together. “Then we just had to find an agent with a vulnerable spot. Like a daughter.”

  His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward, looking past Amanda and Jaci and out the window. “You have no idea how valuable you are to me.” He stood and gathered the trash. “By the way. Any idea where that necklace is?”

  He asked as nonchalantly as if asking about the weather. Jaci shook her head, not even risking a glance at Amanda.

  “That’s too bad.” He let out a sigh. “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to contact your boyfriends in New York. But maybe they know.”

  Jaci’s fingers clenched. His eyes flicked to her, and she willed herself to relax.

  He shrugged. “If you happen to remember anything, let me know.” He pulled open the closet door. “Back inside.”

  Jaci stumbled in after Amanda, her mind reeling. The lock clicked, but she barely noticed.

  He knew about Ricky and Neal. Idiot! Of course he did. She crouched in the darkness, rocking mindlessly.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Do you even know where we’re going?”

  “Um.” Megan squinted her eyes and stared at the exit signs along Interstate 71. “Sure. I know. I’ve just never come from this direction before.”

  Seth shot her a suspicious look. “How many times have you been to this safe house?”

  She rubbed her sweaty palms on her pants. “Well, I’ve not actually been to the safe house. I just know what city it’s in.”

  “What?” Seth banged the palm of his hand on the steering wheel. “Fantastic, Megan. You know the city. It better be a city with a one-mile radius.”

  Megan gave him a frown. “Calm down. We’re not going to the safe house, remember? They’re not there. We’re looking for the McDonald’s.” Finding the correct McDonald’s would be the hard part.

  And from there, she had no idea what Seth hoped to accomplish. What he thought he could do that her father couldn’t was beyond her.

  Her father, who was probably getting nothing done except worrying about his daughter’s recent “marriage.”

  “Cincinnati” written on a green exit sign caught her eye, and she leaned forward. “Here! Take this one!”

  Seth pulled into the lane. “There are nineteen exits to this city. Hmm. That means, there’s probably only twenty or thirty different McDonald’s here.”

  “Probably more.” Megan opened her book and feigned nonchalance. “But I’m sure we can hit all of them in just a few hours. We have to find the one that caught them on the security camera. And then what?”

  “We’ll use the clues we find to get to the next spot.”

  She rolled her eyes. He sounded like Mr. Nancy Drew. “You’ve never done anything like this before, have you?”

  “No.”

  “I can tell.” She couldn’t help but sound smug. Seth had been rude and obnoxious on this entire trip, and now he thought they were in an action flick.

  He stopped at a red-light at the bottom of the exit ramp. “All right, Miss Smarty-pants. What now?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t have to know. I’m not the brains here.”

  “There’s our first McDonald’s.” He turned at the fast-food joint and pulled into an empty spot. “Didn’t your father say anything that might indicate which one it was?”

  “No. I assume it would’ve been close to the safe house, but I don’t know where that is, either.”

  “They found the woman’s car. Can’t you remember where?”

  Megan forced her mind to rewind, tried to remember the exact words her father had said. “I think the car was dumped under an overpass.
”

  “All right.” Seth squinted his dark brown eyes and turned off the car. “Let’s ask inside.”

  The guys behind the cashier got nervous as soon as Seth started asking if they had a security camera. They brought the manager out, who glared down at Seth. “No, we don’t have a security camera. But there’s a police station just a block away for anyone wanting to cause trouble.”

  “Which wouldn’t be us,” Megan said, flashing a smile. “We’ll be going now. Thanks.”

  Seth didn’t budge. “Do you have a map with all the local McDonald’s franchises?”

  “No,” the man grunted. “What do I look like, Googlemaps?”

  “We can print one from the computer in the back,” one of the cashiers volunteered.

  The manager glared at him. “That would be great,” Seth said. “We’ll just wait right here.”

  The kid disappeared for a moment. When he came back, he handed a sheet of paper to Seth, who thanked him.

  They walked out, Megan fighting the urge to sprint to the car.

  Seth tossed the map at her. “Tell me how to get to the next one.”

  “Go right. Go three more blocks and then right again.”

  They got pretty much the same response at the next six McDonald’s. Only one of them had a camera, and they hadn’t found anything suspicious on their footage.

  “Let’s get some food at the next one,” Seth said, stopping beside Cindy’s car. He pulled his jacket closer.

  Megan glanced down the road. An orange delivery truck pulled into the traffic, causing the cars behind it to honk. She could read the black and red J&M Laundry Services from a block away. Must be a lot of laundry delivery in a big city, because she had seen one just like it at the last McDonald’s. “Is it lunch time already?”

  “And then some.” Seth opened the door and climbed in. “All the smells of great hamburgers and we haven’t even eaten one.”

  Megan got in and fastened her seatbelt. She flipped the mirror on the visor down and straightened her bangs. “Okay.” Her eyelashes didn’t really need any more mascara, but she pulled out the black wand anyway.