Ransom of the Heart

by Susan Page Davis

  “She got proof of life?” Paul asked.

  “Right. They let him talk to her for about twenty seconds. We weren’t able to get a location, but we recorded that second call. It’s probably from a burner phone. Mr. Hobart’s cell wasn’t in his office, but we haven’t been able to ping it. I’m guessing they disabled it.”

  “Okay,” Emily said.

  “The last thing the kidnapper said was that they’ll call again at 10 a.m. They expect Abby—Mrs. Hobart—to raise the ransom by then, but that’s tricky.” Harvey gritted his teeth.

  “How much?” Paul asked.

  “Three hundred grand. Peter told Abby he’s got a line of credit for the business, but I’m not sure the bank will cooperate on that. He probably said that in hopes of buying some time with the kidnappers and giving us a chance to find him. Only we have next to nothing to go on so far.”

  “What will you do if the bank won’t give her the money?” Emily asked.

  “I don’t know yet. Peter may have quite a bit in liquid assets.”

  Paul whistled softly. “Must be nice.”

  Harvey shrugged. “Or he might not. I’m not sure why they picked that number for the ransom.”

  “Okay,” Emily said. “We’ll listen to the recording and set up to wait.”

  Harvey nodded. “We probably won’t hear from them again until ten in the morning. I need to talk to Abby about the banking situation. We may be able to contact their banker tonight and see if he’ll meet with her before business hours. If so, I’ll take her to the bank first thing in the morning.”

  Harvey walked into the kitchen, and Eddie followed him. Abby was hanging up the wall phone.

  “I talked to Vickie. The boys are in bed. She says she’ll check on them, and if they’re awake she’ll tell them now, but she doesn’t want to wake them up if they’re sleeping.”

  “Good,” Harvey said. “How did she take it?”

  “She’s optimistic, but still worried sick, of course. Like me.”

  He smiled and gave her a quick hug. “We’ll get through this, Abby. Peter sounded good.”

  She nodded, frowning. “Yeah. I thought he was honest about his condition.”

  “And nothing he said triggered any red flags for you?” Harvey asked.

  “Well. . .one thing.”

  “What?”

  Abby hesitated. “I’m pretty sure the line of credit is for a million dollars. But he said a quarter million, and that I’d have to max it out.”

  “Are you sure it’s really a million?” Harvey asked.

  “Pretty certain. He had me go in last summer and sign papers for all his accounts, personal and business. I remember being shocked that he could just borrow a million dollars anytime. But why would he say the wrong thing?”

  “I can think of three reasons, offhand. First, to throw the kidnappers off track. If they knew it was a million, they’d ask for a million. Second, he may have already borrowed part of the million to buy stock for the showroom.”

  “You’re right of course.”

  “And third, he was protecting you. The business, too, of course, but ultimately you. Good old Peter.”

  “What do you mean?” Abby asked.

  Harvey held her gaze and said quietly, “If things go sour and we don’t get the money back, Peter doesn’t want you left owing the bank a million dollars.”

  “He’d have to pay it back,” she said.

  “Or you would have to pay it back.”

  Her face tightened. “You’re saying we might not get Peter back alive.”

  “I don’t want to say it, Abby, but it’s a possibility.”

  She inhaled slowly. “I guess I need to be prepared for that. I wish I’d been able to get more information from him.”

  “They didn’t want the call to last long enough for us to trace,” Eddie said.

  “Yeah,” Harvey said reluctantly. “They’re not the most brilliant kidnappers ever, but they aren’t out-and-out stupid, either.”

  “But who are they?” She turned bleak eyes on Eddie, then Harvey.

  “Someone connected to Carter Ulrich,” Harvey said.

  “You’re sure it was Carter?”

  “Almost positive. We should get an official identification tomorrow.”

  “What did you tell the press?”

  Harvey sighed. “That an unidentified man was killed inside the dealership showroom. That’s pretty much it.”

  “You didn’t tell them Peter’s missing?”

  “No. We didn’t know for sure he’d been abducted then, and I didn’t want to say anything that would upset the kidnappers if they were listening. And I didn’t want the press hounding you for sound bites.”

  “Ick. I don’t want reporters swarming this place.” Abby’s gaze darted about the room as though she expected them to pop out of corners.

  “It could happen,” Harvey said. “I hope we can get Peter back tomorrow, though. It’s possible the press would never need to know, but if we hit a snag, we’ll have to go public.”

  “Okay.” Abby sobbed. “Sorry, I don’t mean to sound like a ninny, but you guys will be with me all the way on this, right?”

  “Of course.”

  “Abs, you know we’re going to find him,” Eddie said.

  She placed a hand on his arm and one on Harvey’s. “I’m counting on you guys. You and God.”

  “Do you think you can sleep?” Harvey asked.

  “No.”

  “Okay. I’m going to leave Eddie here while I go home and see Jenny for a few minutes, and then I’ll come back. Maybe you two can play checkers or something.”

  Abby laughed. “I don’t think we even have a checkerboard. Now, if you’d said Battleship. . .”

  Harvey smiled. “I also think you should let Eddie screen any incoming calls. Reporters might start calling here, trying to locate Peter for a comment on the shooting. It was at his business, after all. Are you listed in the phone book?”

  “Unfortunately, yes.”

  “Then let Eddie or one of the other officers answer the phone unless you recognize the caller ID.”

  “Harv, you should get some sleep,” Eddie said. “Those guys won’t call back until ten in the morning. You’ll need all your wits tomorrow.”

  “You should both go home if the techs are staying,” Abby said.

  “Turns out they’re both highly skilled detectives that I respect,” Harvey said. “But I’d still like to have someone from my squad here.”

  “I’ll stay,” Eddie said firmly. “I’ll check the alarm system and all that.”

  “You could catch a few Z’s in the boys’ room,” Abby said. She looked quickly at Harvey. “Unless you need him to stay awake every minute.”

  “No, I think that would be all right. Those thugs have Peter, and they’ve put you on notice. I don’t really think they’ll come nosing around here, but I want to know one of us is with you. Eddie, you should call Leeanne before I leave.”

  “Sure.” Eddie took out his phone. “Are we telling our wives about Peter?”

  “Yes, but stress to her that family only gets that intel.” Harvey turned to Abby. “Now, let’s talk about what Peter said. He put you on all his bank accounts, so they’ll let you access that line of credit?”

  “I. . .I think so.” She grabbed for a tissue from a box on the granite countertop. “Peter made me a partner in the business right after we got married. I told him it was silly because we agreed I won’t go to the store every day. I’ll be here for the boys, and you know I’ve started putting in a few days at the hospital again. Only when I want to, per diem. Peter says I don’t need to work, but I want to keep up my certification and maintain my contacts.”

  Harvey nodded. “That can be useful. But tell me more about the business partnership.”

  She shrugged and wiped her eyes. “It’s just on paper. I don’t do anything. I did sit in on one corporate meeting last fall, with Peter and his mom and his sister Janelle.”

  “Jan
elle’s a partner?”

  “Yeah. When his dad died, he left half the business to Vickie and a quarter each to Peter and Janelle. But Janelle got married, and she didn’t really want to be active in the business. She sold her shares to Peter, which gave her a nice nest egg, but he’s kept her on as a board member on paper. Sort of like me, I guess. And then Vickie made over half her shares to him.”

  “So Peter owns three quarters of the business now, and Vickie the other quarter?”

  “Yes.”

  “Who can access the financial accounts? Specifically, the line of credit?”

  “I’m not sure. We could ask Vickie.”

  “Do you mind if I call her?” Harvey asked.

  “No, go ahead.”

  Abby gave him her mother-in-law’s number, and Harvey placed the call. Vickie was forthright about it.

  “Why, yes, I think Abby can. Any board member could.”

  “Really?” Harvey asked. “Even your daughter Janelle?”

  “Well, I’m not positive about her. I think her name came off the financial accounts when she sold her shares to Peter. But I’m pretty sure Abby can do it, and I know I can. Captain, if you need me to go to the bank tomorrow, I will.”

  “Okay, I’ll let you know on that. Thanks, Mrs. Hobart.” Harvey put his phone away and looked at Abby. “She thinks you’ll be able to get the money, and if not, she’ll help.”

  “That’s a relief.”

  “Come on,” Harvey said. “I’ll introduce you to Emily and Paul.”

  *****

  An hour later, Harvey pulled off his necktie and sank into an armchair in his own living room. Jennifer slid onto his lap, and he wrapped his arms around her. He’d told her about the calls from the kidnapper, and she’d immediately asked what she could do for Abby and Peter’s sons.

  “Pray,” he said. “I can’t believe it’s after midnight. Before any of this happened—before Abby called me—”

  “You’d already worked a full day,” Jennifer said.

  “Yeah. But here’s the thing.” He looked into her solemn, blue-gray eyes. “Twelve hours ago, Eddie and I were eating lunch at the diner, and a girl came up to us.”

  Jennifer’s eyebrows drew together, but she remained silent, her full attention on him.

  “She introduced herself as Leah Viniard, and then she dropped the bomb.”

  “Not a literal bomb, I take it.”

  Harvey sighed then watched her anxiously as he delivered the news. “She thinks I’m her father.”

  Jennifer didn’t move or speak.

  After about ten seconds, she twined her arms around his neck and held him close.

  Harvey said, “Aren’t you going to ask?”

  “Ask what?”

  “If it’s true.”

  “No. You told me on the phone it would be all right.”

  Relief washed over him, even though he’d known deep down she wouldn’t doubt him.

  “If it was true, you’d have come home before midnight,” she added.

  He smiled at that and held her close. “That’s why I love you so much. Well, part of it.”

  She stroked the back of his neck, then ran her fingers up through his hair. “Do you think you can sleep now?”

  Harvey leaned back and cocked his head to one side. “Don’t you want all the details?”

  Jennifer shrugged. “When you’re ready. But you must be exhausted. You ran two miles at six this morning, and you’ll have a long day tomorrow.”

  “You’re right.”

  Jennifer got up, and Harvey rose slowly, pulling off his suit jacket.

  “I told her it’s not possible. Then I took her to a lab for a DNA test to prove it. I figured we’d get that done, and I’d put her on a bus back to Lewiston.”

  “Heavens.”

  “Yeah, well, it didn’t quite go that way. I called the lab first, and they wouldn’t take her sample without parental consent.”

  “How old is she?”

  “Fifteen.”

  Jennifer nodded. “You couldn’t have it done at the police station?”

  “That was my first thought, but it would be a technical no-no. Personal business. And anyway, she didn’t trust my friends to tell her the truth.”

  “I see. So, what did you do?”

  “It took a while, but I finally convinced her to call her mother—that’s her adoptive mother. They live in Lisbon, and Leah caught the bus in Lewiston this morning. I made her call home before we even left the diner. The mom was appalled that Leah was in Portland. She said she would drive down and get her. We waited at the police station, and I had the unit secretary give her a tour. I didn’t want any accusation of impropriety or anything like that.”

  “Good thinking. Paula was a good choice for that.”

  Harvey nodded. “When the mom got there we had a chat, and she apologized for Leah showing up like that and taking me away from my work. She was going to whisk her out of there, but I explained to her that doing a cheek swab could put Leah’s mind at ease, and Mrs. Viniard finally agreed it might be the best thing. So we all went over to the lab.”

  They walked into the bedroom as he talked, and Harvey removed his shoulder holster and set it on the dresser. He began unbuttoning his shirt.

  “They didn’t have to take blood?” Jennifer asked.

  “No. The buccal swab is what we use all the time for suspect identification from DNA. It basically gives you the same information as a blood test would.”

  “So, what happens now?”

  “It will come back negative. But it makes me wonder if there’s another Harvey Alan Larson out there.”

  Jennifer’s eyebrows rose.

  “My name is on her birth certificate, along with her biological mother’s—but that woman is now deceased.”

  “So, no interviewing her.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Maybe someone picked your name out of the phone book fifteen years ago.”

  He sighed. “I wish I knew. Anyway, I know the lawyer who sent the birth certificate to Leah, Trent Jarvis. I called him after she left with her mother.”

  “Was he helpful?”

  “Not as much as I’d like. He said Tara Ervin, the birth mom, came to him about five years ago for her divorce from a guy named Leland. Jarvis said she regretted giving up her baby, and he was afraid she wanted to start legal proceedings to try to get her back. He discouraged her from that. He implied that Tara had a hard life and still wasn’t in a good position to raise a child. And anyway, the adoption was solid, or so he said.”

  “Was he able to talk Tara out of trying?”

  “Yeah. But she insisted that he set up this thing for her with a packet of documents, to be sent to Leah on Tara’s death. He says he didn’t know it contained a copy of the birth certificate, but I’m sure he suspected. Leah told me she also got a copy of Tara’s death certificate with it.”

  “That’s a little morbid, don’t you think?”

  “Kind of, especially when Leah’s so young. But Tara arranged it all a couple years ago, to be done after her death, and he was carrying out the client’s orders.”

  “What triggered that? Was she sick?”

  “Breast cancer. I guess she was scared. And she wanted her daughter to know who she was, even if she couldn’t get to know her.”

  “Wow.” Jennifer sat still for a moment, taking on Leah’s sorrow. “You won’t be able to let this go, even when you see the negative test results, will you?”

  “Probably not. I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” she said. “You feel responsible, even though you’re not.”

  “I paid for the test.”

  “Okay.”

  Harvey continued to undress. “Leah really thinks it’s true, but I know it’s not. I gave her and her mother my card and told them to call if they want to.”

  “I would expect no less of you.” Jennifer kissed him. “You’d better fall into that bed. What time are you going in?”

  �
�I’ve got to be at the office at seven, and I left Eddie at Abby’s with two other officers.”

  She heard a faint cry. “There’s Connor. He was a little fussy tonight. I think it’s because you didn’t come home. I’ll go check him.”

  “Bring him down,” Harvey said. “He ought to see me, and maybe he’ll settle down then.” He wondered if Gary and Andy Hobart were sleeping, or if they were lying awake fretting over their father.

  He climbed into bed with good intentions of staying awake to greet Connor, but he made the mistake of closing his eyes.

  *****

  Peter sat on a lumpy sleeping bag on the concrete floor in the dark and tried not to think how many people had used it before him. He flexed his arm and shoulder muscles and wriggled. If only they’d taped his hands in front of him, he knew he could break loose, but with his wrists tightly bound behind him, his efforts only caused discomfort. His hours at weightlifting had built strength, but he wasn’t a contortionist. Maybe Abigail was wiser to gear her workouts to flexibility and endurance.

  He closed his eyes and leaned back with his head against the wall. Cold granite blocks. This house must be a hundred years old or more.

  Every time he let his mind wander, the sickening sight of Carter’s body came unbidden. Abigail would have seen that. She would have walked in on it.

  Over and over, Peter replayed the minute after he’d heard raised voices in the showroom. From inside his office, with its door open, he’d heard Carter talking to someone. A late customer? Maybe he’d asked someone to come at closing time to sign documents.

  Carter’s voice rose in panic. “No, please!”

  And then a loud sound that startled him, followed by a thud. He leaped up from his desk and strode to the doorway, his heart hammering. Two men stood between the new vehicles on display.

  Peter took two steps into the showroom, and they jerked around toward him and he saw the gun one of them held. Before he could duck back, the gunman had trained his weapon on Peter. If only he’d had the door shut or hadn’t stepped out of the room. He could have dived under his desk and called 911. But he wasn’t quick enough.