by Laura Scott
Tess reached for the yearbooks. “I’ll start going through these. Maybe a picture of a younger version of Allan will spur a memory.”
She opened the first book, which was Declan’s freshman year. She would still have been in the middle school then, as she was a year younger. Once she found Declan’s picture, she could hardly believe how young he looked. He wore his hair shorter then, but there was still a hard edge to his gaze, as if he’d already seen too much. She knew Declan had lived in the trailer park. Was being poor part of the reason he copped an attitude? Or was there more to the story?
She went back to find a picture of Allan Gray and winced at the photograph that was less than flattering. Poor Allan had suffered a bad case of acne and his hair looked unkempt. She stared at the picture for a long moment, vaguely remembering something about Allan having a sister. But was she older or younger?
Tess opened the other yearbooks, going through the Grays, searching for Allan’s sister. She found a photograph of Alice Gray, who was a freshman during Declan’s junior year. But there was no photograph of Alice in Declan’s senior yearbook. Tess went back to the junior year and found a section in the back of the book where there was a list honoring the three students who had died that year. Two of them died in a terrible car crash, but the memorial for Alice only mentioned how she would be missed by all who knew her.
Tess sat back, remembering the incident now that she’d seen the memorial. Alice Gray had been found dead of a drug overdose. She’d taken a hodgepodge of pills from the family medicine cabinet. And if Tess remembered correctly, Allan had been the one to find his sister the following morning.
Was it possible that Allan somehow held Declan or the entire town responsible for his sister’s suicide? Maybe this wasn’t about Tess after all, but was actually all about Alice. Maybe Allan was savvy enough to set the bombs around the city.
As she went back to see Allan’s picture she stumbled across a photograph of Steve Gains, the guy who’d attempted to assault her after the prom. Looking at him after all these years made her feel sick to her stomach. How could she have been so blind as to his true nature? Steve had been the star pitcher for the Greenland Gophers baseball team. He’d been offered a full scholarship to Arizona State University based on his talent. But she hadn’t heard much about him after that; it was almost as if he’d dropped off the face of the earth.
She paged through the yearbook and found the group photograph of the entire baseball team. Their uniforms were white-and-green pin-striped pants with green jerseys and green baseball caps.
Abruptly she straightened in her seat, the tiny hairs on the back of her neck lifting in alarm. Steve Gains! Was it possible Steve was holding a grudge against Declan after all this time? It seemed ridiculous, yet she knew the person in the ball cap seemed familiar. The hair color and body type were the same. Steve Gains had to be the man in the green baseball cap that was captured on the video outside the school parking lot.
Maybe this wasn’t about Alice Gray’s suicide after all.
“Bobby, we need to find Declan’s boss, Griff Vaughn, right away,” she said, leaping to her feet in a rush.
“Why? What happened?”
“I think I found the bomber, and he has a good reason to hold a grudge against Declan. We need to hurry. It’s possible they can find and arrest him outside the movie theater.”
“Who?” Bobby asked skeptically.
“This guy here, Steve Gains.” She tapped the photograph in the yearbook. “It’s a long story that we don’t have time to get into now. There isn’t a moment to lose.”
“Okay, but how are we going to get to the sheriff’s department without a vehicle?” Bobby asked.
“Maybe we can take a taxi or something.” Tess paced the small area of Declan’s kitchen. “I don’t think calling the guys from Declan’s SWAT team will help, because they’ll all be out at the movie theater.”
“Just a minute.” Bobby tapped on the keyboard of the laptop. “There’s a bus stop a few blocks down the road. That will take us within a couple of blocks of the sheriff’s department.”
“Do you have a couple of bucks for the tickets?” she asked. “My cash is gone.”
“Yeah, I have some money that Declan loaned to me.”
Tess wondered why Declan had done that, but there wasn’t time to get into it now. “Let’s go.” She didn’t want to wait a second longer.
Tess led the way out through the side kitchen door, but she’d barely stepped outside when a large man holding a gun grabbed her roughly by the arm.
“Hi, Tess. Did you miss me over the past ten years?”
Her heart leaped into her throat as Steve Gains leered down at her, his eyes ice-cold with hatred. She wanted to shout at Bobby to run, but before she could move, Steve brought his hand down hard on her temple.
And for the third time in as many days, pain exploded in her head seconds before darkness claimed her.
* * *
Declan approached the ticket sales counter dressed in his full SWAT gear, beads of sweat trickling down his spine. Karen’s eyes were wide with fear, but she sat completely still in her seat despite the bomb that was planted beneath the counter.
The setup was very similar to the one he’d rescued Tess from. Was it really just a few days ago? He couldn’t afford to think about Tess and Bobby now. The first thing he’d done when he arrived was to send Isaac back over to his place to watch over them.
Just as Tess had done, Karen managed to activate the device when she sat down behind the ticket counter. He couldn’t ignore the fact that there were four different ticket counters at the theater, which meant his sister had been targeted on purpose.
Tess was right: The bomber must be someone who hated Declan enough to target the people closest to him.
He smiled at his sister reassuringly. “Hang in there, okay? I’m going to find a way to get you out of here.”
Karen’s smile was tremulous. “Declan, if anything happens to me I want you to take custody of Jenny and Josie.”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” Declan promised. He didn’t want to point out that if something happened to Karen, he’d likely die right alongside her. Because no matter what happened, he wasn’t going to leave her here alone.
“I don’t want Craig to get custody,” Karen insisted. “He drinks and spanks them.”
“Karen, I need you to calm down. We’re going to beat this thing, okay? Now give me a few minutes to see what we’re dealing with.”
Karen didn’t look pacified, but she didn’t say anything more. Declan blew out a heavy sigh and knelt down on the floor, focusing his attention on the explosive device. It was almost an exact replica of the one that had been planted under Tess’s desk, although he couldn’t afford to assume the wiring inside was the same, as well.
In fact, he suspected the outside was made the same on purpose just so that he’d go down the same path in disarming the device.
He nudged Karen’s seat out of the way as much as he dared, to make room to work. “It’s the same perp,” Declan said through his mic to Caleb.
“Roger, Deck. Can you disarm it?”
“Affirmative.” He injected confidence in his tone to reassure his sister more than anything.
He found himself praying as he quickly identified and removed the dummy wires. Please, Lord, guide me on the right path to saving my sister and other innocent lives today. I need Your strength and courage to assist me. Please show me the way!
Soon Declan was down to the three wires that consisted of the timer, the trigger and the ground.
For a moment panic seized him. What if he made a mistake? Jenny and Josie would be motherless and whoever had set this bomb would eventually find Tess and Bobby. And the deaths wouldn’t stop there. For all he knew the perp would move on to even bigger targets. He couldn
’t bear the thought of having so many lives resting on his shoulders.
“Deck, is everything okay?” Caleb asked through his headset.
“Yeah, two minutes and counting.” Declan swiped his hands down the sides of his pants, trying to rein in his turbulent emotions. Failure was not an option. And he wasn’t alone; God was with him.
A sense of peace washed over him, despite the timer that continued to count down ominously. He really did believe that God was guiding him and knew he had to trust his instincts. By now, he knew exactly what the bomber was thinking when he created these devices. He could almost sense what had gone through the perp’s mind.
Declan lifted the wire cutters and clipped the wire located between the timer and the end of the device. Instantly the clock went dark.
“I think I have it,” he muttered. Two wires were left and he held his breath as he clipped the second wire that was closest to the timer.
Nothing happened. No explosion. No boom. He’d managed to successfully disarm the device.
“Move your knee away from the side of the device,” Declan instructed.
“Are you sure?” Karen asked anxiously.
“I’m sure.”
Karen slowly eased her knee away from the trigger.
“Now slide your chair away from the counter,” Declan told his sister. “Easy, now.”
Karen whimpered a bit but did as he instructed, pushing her wheeled chair away from the counter. When she was far enough away, she rose shakily to her feet. “Thank you, Declan. I was so afraid I’d end up in the hospital again, or worse.”
He got to his feet and wrapped his arms around her in a big hug. “You’re welcome. Now go home and hug your girls for me.”
“I won’t forget this,” she whispered.
“I know,” he murmured. He cleared his throat and stepped back, clicking on his mic. “Caleb, I’m sending my sister out now. The device has been disarmed, but we need to get this thing into a reinforced box as soon as possible.”
“Roger, Deck. Good job,” Caleb responded. “As soon as your sister is clear, I’ll bring in the box.”
“Have you heard from Isaac?”
“Negative, but I’ll check in with him soon. Right now we have to focus on the device.”
Declan suppressed a flash of irritation. He knew the bomb was important, but he thought it was odd that he hadn’t heard from Isaac. Surely his buddy would have at least checked in to say everything was okay?
He knelt back down to figure out the best way to get the bomb detached from the underside of the ticket counter. This wouldn’t be as easy as cutting through a metal school desk. The counter was roughly two inches thick. How did the perp get the bomb attached anyway?
“Deck, are you there?” Caleb asked.
“Affirmative, what’s up?”
“Isaac is at your place, but Tess and Bobby aren’t there.”
“What?” he asked sharply. “What do you mean? They have to be there. Make sure he checks the entire house, including the basement.”
“Isaac has confirmed the house is empty, including the basement,” Caleb said in a calm tone. “Do you have any idea where they might be?”
“No, I told them to stay there until they heard from me. Are there signs of a struggle?”
“Negative. Deck, why don’t you come out here? I’ll take over inside.”
Declan didn’t have to be told twice. The bomb might have been neutralized for the moment, but it was still dangerous. He could hear his boss arguing through his headset, demanding Declan stay to finish the job.
But Declan pulled off his headset, refusing to listen. Griff could fire him if he wanted, but no way was he going to sit here while Tess and Bobby were missing.
He could only pray that nothing bad had happened to them.
* * *
Declan pulled into his driveway behind Isaac’s truck. Isaac came out to meet him. “They might have left on their own, Deck.”
He didn’t want to believe it, although he’d already tried calling and texting without a response. “Are you absolutely sure that there’s no sign of foul play?”
Isaac spread his hands wide. “Not that I could tell. Take a look for yourself.”
Declan brushed past his teammate to go inside. The first thing he noticed was the yearbooks spread out across the table. The books were closed, but he wondered if maybe Tess had been looking through them for clues. Had she found something incriminating against Allan Gray?
He swept a glance over the room. Nothing else seemed to be out of place. However, the kitchen chairs had been pushed in, which struck him as odd. If Tess and Bobby had left in a hurry, would they have bothered to make sure the chairs were neatly tucked against the table?
The laptop computer was closed, and he lifted the screen and pushed the start button to bring it to life. There were two different search tabs open, one for local bus routes and another for a popular social media website, but he couldn’t tell if Bobby had found anything of importance.
“I don’t like it,” he muttered darkly. “Why on earth would they leave? And on a bus? To where?”
“Maybe they were trying to get out to the movie theater,” Isaac suggested. “Could be they stumbled upon some sort of clue.”
“Call Caleb, see if they showed up there after I left.” Declan pulled one of the yearbooks closer, half listening as Isaac made the call. He opened it up, searching for a picture of Allan Gray.
The image didn’t spark any memories and he battled a wave of helplessness. He didn’t have time to sit here trying to retrace the steps Tess and Bobby had taken. He needed to know they were safe.
“No sign of them at the movie theater,” Isaac confirmed. “Griff’s not too happy with you, either.”
Declan shrugged. “I did my part, Caleb, and the rest of the team can get the device out of there.”
Isaac blew out a heavy sigh. “Look, Deck, there’s nothing more we can do here. I’m sure Tess will get in touch with you soon.”
Declan shook his head. “I can’t let it go. Something’s just not right. The kitchen chairs are neat, but the yearbooks are spread all over. Was the door locked when you arrived?”
“No,” Isaac admitted. “But if they left in a hurry, they may have forgotten to lock the door behind them.”
Declan walked back over toward the door and peered along the door frame. It took a few minutes for him to find the crimson stain. “Does this look like blood?” he asked hoarsely.
Isaac came over and rubbed his finger across the stain. “Maybe.”
“They didn’t leave of their own accord, I’m sure of it.” Declan spun around and went back to the yearbooks. If they had in fact been taken by force, surely they would have tried to leave some sort of clue behind.
“What are you looking for?” Isaac asked.
“I don’t know, but hopefully I’ll figure it out when I see it.”
Isaac joined him in searching through the yearbooks. “Hey, Deck, check this out.”
“What?” Declan glanced over at the yearbook Isaac had open.
“This page was bent over. Do you think either Tess or Bobby left it like this on purpose?”
Declan peered at the page, realizing that the point of the page was right next to a photograph of Steve Gains.
Gains? The guy who’d tried to assault Tess on prom night? Suddenly everything made sense and he mentally kicked himself for not considering the possibility sooner.
This creep would be crazy enough to carry a grudge against him, and using Tess to get to him would be the icing on the cake. Poetic justice, at least in Steve’s mind.
“Steve Gains has Tess and Bobby,” he said in a choked voice. “And I think he’s the bomber, too. We have to find him, before it’s too late!”
SIXTEEN
“Tess? Wake up, sis. I need you to wake up!”
The urgency in Bobby’s voice cut through the fog that seemed to have shrouded her mind. Tess blinked and lifted her head, wincing at the pain in her neck and temple as she tried to peer through the dim light. “Bobby?”
“Thank God you’re all right.” The anguish in his tone made her think she must have been unconscious for a long time.
It took a few minutes for her to realize that she was sitting in a chair with her arms bound behind her back with something that felt sticky, like duct tape. Bobby was sitting across from her, no doubt tied up in a similar manner. Her shoulders ached from the stress of her arms being wrenched behind her, but the pain was not nearly as bad as the throbbing in her head.
She probably had another concussion, on top of the one she already had. She was really annoyed at the way these losers kept hitting her in the head.
“Where are we?” she asked in a whisper.
“Some cabin in the woods,” Bobby murmured. “I’m sorry, Tess. He held a gun on you, so I didn’t dare try to get away. I didn’t want to risk your life.”
“It’s okay, Bobby,” she assured him, even though she secretly wished her brother had saved himself. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything she could do about it now. Maybe together they could find a way out of here.
She struggled against the duct tape tying her wrists together, biting back a cry as pain reverberated up her arms. Was duct tape really that strong? Or had Steve used something else first and then added the duct tape as a precautionary measure?
“Is Tess finally awake?” Steve Gains’s harsh voice echoed through the sparsely furnished cabin.
Tess turned her head toward Steve’s voice, swallowing hard when she noticed he had a boxlike device along with several other items spread out on the rough-hewn table across the room. Her heart sank as the implication hit home.
Steve was planning to build another bomb. And she had no doubt this time he intended to kill her and Bobby. She hated to admit that Steve’s timing was perfect. He must have purposefully set the bomb at the movie theater to keep Declan busy saving his sister, clearing the way for him to come after her and Bobby. And even once Declan managed to defuse the bomb at the movie theater, there was no way he could know where she and Bobby were being held. Steve wasn’t even one of Declan’s top suspects.