She looked up at him. “Where’s Eddie?”
“Gone to help Nate and the other guys run down the dead man’s friends and every contact on his phone.”
“You got into it?”
“Yes. There was no password. The lab has printed out all the recent calls, texts, and contacts.”
“And?”
“It’s a burner, and there wasn’t much. Most significantly, a couple of blocked numbers. If we get something solid from it, you’ll be the first to know.” He froze for an instant, then yanked his phone from his pocket. “Speak of the devil.” He put the phone to his ear. “Yeah? Really? Okay. Call me as soon as you’ve got an address.” He closed the connection and looked at Abby. “Holden’s phone rang in the lab earlier. The incoming number was one of his contacts, but the contact list just says ‘MM.’ Eddie’s getting the name and address from the phone company.”
“He can do that?”
“This company cooperates when it’s a criminal investigation. Not all of them do.” Harvey shrugged. “I have mixed feelings about that.”
“Me, too,” Abby said. “I’m all for privacy, but right now I want my husband back.”
“Yeah.”
Sarah came in from the dining room. “I’m going out to check the perimeter.”
“Thanks, Sarah,” Harvey said. After she went out the back door, he looked at Abby. “I honestly don’t think anyone will come around here tonight.”
“I know. But thanks. It does make me feel safer.” She let out a long sigh. “Janelle called me earlier.”
“Peter’s sister?”
Abby nodded. “She wanted to come over, but I asked her to wait until tomorrow. I know the whole family wants to be close to the action, but. . .”
“No offense, but they tend to get in the way. They distract the officers.”
“Yeah. I thought if nothing’s changed in the morning, I’d have Leeanne or Jennifer come get the boys and take them to your place for a few hours. Keep them occupied and out from underfoot. My parents would like to see them, and Mom would feel like she was helping if she fed a few people.”
“Oh, that’s right, your folks are coming down tomorrow.”
“I thought Peter would be back, and we’d have a nice celebration.” She couldn’t hold back a sob.
Harvey was at her side immediately. “Abby, I’m so sorry.” He put his arms around her. “I know you didn’t sleep much last night, but—”
She held up a hand. “I can’t.”
“Maybe a sleeping tablet?”
“No. No, if anything happens, I want to be alert.” She leaned against his shoulder for a moment, then pulled away. “What if I tell Janelle and Vickie they can visit with the family at your house?”
“Janelle probably wants to see you in person,” Harvey said.
“You’re right. Tom’s out of town, and she’s probably feeling very left out of things and alone. It’s just so hard to know what to do when everything is up in the air.”
Harvey considered what he would do if Jennifer were the victim, but he couldn’t imagine himself being able to function. He would, somehow. But he had resources Abby didn’t have, things he could do to rule out possibilities. “Maybe tell Janelle to come here for a short visit in the morning, and she can spend more time with her mom and the boys either at Vickie’s or at our house?”
Abby nodded. “I’ll call Jennifer. Although, she’s probably in turbo mode with Mom and Dad coming down. Leeanne has a book signing at the mall on Monday, but she may be free tomorrow.”
“Big day for her,” Harvey said.
“Yeah. But she told me she’s so far into the next book, it’s like the first one was a dream.”
“Hmm. She’ll wake up when people start lining up for her signature.”
“Think they will?”
Harvey smiled. “Eddie’s had everyone in our unit broadcasting the event on social media. I think quite a few people will show up.”
“I hope so.” Abby gave him a wan smile. “Go home and hug your little boy, Harvey. Sleep. Eat. Laugh. Then come back.”
“Not while the boys are out there with a possible lead. But you should sleep. Try?”
Abby grasped his hand. “Pray with me first.”
“Gladly.”
Chapter 10
“Got it,” Nate said. “Sending it to you now.”
Eddie brought in the email. “Deering. The person who called Holden’s phone lives in Deering. But the incoming call came from the West End. They can tell where the phone was at that time.”
“Right,” Nate said. “Sorry I couldn’t get an exact location. But it’s the same phone that sent Holden that text earlier, like around four thirty.”
“Yeah. ‘Where RU?’ I remember. I figure whoever’s on the other end is Holden’s sidekick.”
Eddie clicked his phone to call Tony.
“Yeah, Shakespeare?” Tony sounded full of energy, though it was nearly ten o’clock and he’d been working fifteen hours.
“Did you guys get anything at Holden’s apartment?” Eddie asked.
“We found a note with a phone number on it. No name, but it’s Carter Ulrich’s cell number. Nothing else helpful. Doesn’t look like Holden’s been home much lately. Dust everywhere, and there’s milk going sour in the fridge.”
“Maybe he’s just a slob.”
“Yeah, maybe. We’re not done, but there’s nothing obvious. No sign of Peter Hobart.”
“Okay. We’ve got a new address for an incoming text and call on Holden’s phone—his MM contact. Leave the techs where you are and meet me there?”
“Sure.”
“It’s in Deering.”
Tony swore. “Sounds like an all-nighter.”
“Maybe.” Eddie gave him the address. “I’m leaving the office as soon as I make a couple calls.”
Leeanne was first on his list. “Hey, babe. Don’t wait up, okay? We’re following a rabbit trail.”
“Okay,” she said. “Be careful, huh?”
“I will be. Love you.”
He called Harvey next and told him he was heading to Deering with Tony and Jimmy. “The guy’s name is McCafferty. Chad McCafferty.”
“I thought it was MM.”
“That’s what the contact list said. I don’t know why.”
“Are you where Nate is?” Harvey asked.
“Yeah, I’m still at the office.”
“Tell Nate to work the connection between those two. How do Holden and McCafferty know each other?”
“Right.”
“Do you have info on his car?”
“Not yet.”
“Tell Nate to do that first. You want me to go out to Deering with you?”
“Nah,” Eddie said. “Stand by and I’ll call you.”
He relayed Harvey’s instructions to Nate and jogged down the stairway to the garage. His phone rang before he had his truck in gear. Charlie Doran in Comm—he was making a late night of it, too.
“We pinged that phone again. It’s moving.”
“Where now?” Eddie asked.
“Downtown.”
Eddie grunted. “Call the captain, would you? He may have some ideas for following that phone.”
*****
Abby woke from a sound sleep when someone tapped on her bedroom door.
“Who is it?” she called. Her clock said nearly one in the morning.
“It’s Sarah Benoit. May I come in?”
“Of course.” Abby snapped on her bedside lamp. After all the urging Sarah and Harvey had done to get her to rest, they wouldn’t wake her if it wasn’t important. Her heart raced as Sarah opened the door and walked over to the bed. “What is it? Is there news on Peter?”
“No, I’m afraid not,” Sarah said. “But, do your boys have bicycles?”
“Bikes? Yes, they both do. Why?” Abby slid to the edge of the bed and groped for her slippers.
“I heard something in the garage, and when I went to check, the door was up. Not t
he one behind your car, the other door.”
Abby’s heart lurched. They’d left Peter’s car at the store, but the boys’ bikes had racks on that side of the garage.
“Come take a look?” Sarah asked.
“Yes.” Abby grabbed her robe and flung it on as she ran through the hall, living room, and kitchen. She noted that a different comm tech, one she hadn’t met, was seated on the couch wearing headphones.
She yanked open the door to the garage and looked out, beyond her Equinox. Little Andy’s bike was where it belonged, which relieved part of her anxiety, but Gary’s was missing.
“It’s Gary.” Abby glanced at the row of coat hooks on the wall. “His helmet’s gone, too.”
“Well, that’s something.” Sarah’s brown eyes were full of angst. “I ran outside, but I couldn’t see anyone. He must have been really quick.”
“Where’s Harvey?” Abby asked.
“He left to lead a manhunt.”
Abby stared at her. “What happened?”
“Someone called the kidnapper’s phone, and they got a fix on the other phone. They I.D.’d the person it’s registered to, and they got his motor vehicle records. The captain ordered roadblocks, and they’re looking for the owner. Eddie and the other guys have gone to his house in Deering.”
“Deering?” It wasn’t far away, but it was an outlying area of the city. “Do they think Peter is there?”
“They don’t know.”
Abby nodded, trying to push aside the distraction. “We’ve got to find Gary. Can you get some more people to help us?”
“Yes. Do you have any idea where he might be headed on his bike? His grandmother’s, maybe?”
“No, not there.” Abby closed her eyes for a moment. “When I tucked him in, he was talking about how we should be out there looking for Peter. He mentioned the park, and how Peter takes him and Andy there a lot.”
“Which park? The one that’s a block over from here?”
“Yes. And he also mentioned Peter’s gym, but it wouldn’t be open now.”
“Would Gary know that?”
“I don’t know. He might not think of that.” She gave Sarah the name of the gym and its location.
“I’ll request a search immediately,” Sarah said. “We’ll try the park first.”
“I’ll go get dressed.” Abby headed for the bedroom, wishing she’d followed her impulse to keep her street clothes on.
“Wait,” Sarah said. “The two of us can’t go out looking for him. We need to stay here.”
“Of course,” Abby said. “Andy—”
“Yes, and there may be a second kidnapper on the loose. I’ll stay with you, but we’ll get a lot of people out there fast, trust me.”
“Okay. Thanks.” Abby trudged up the stairs feeling useless. She opened Andy’s door and peeked in. The little boy slept soundly. She stood gazing down at him for a moment then turned to Gary’s room. As she’d expected, his bed was empty.
“Peter, we need you,” she whispered, and wiped a tear from her cheek. “God, we need Peter.”
*****
Harvey took a call on his radio as he pulled up to the roadblock at the Franklin Street on-ramp for I-295. “Yeah, Charlie?”
“Nothing on the license plate readers.”
“Okay, thanks.” He scowled as he got out of the Explorer. He was a step behind the kidnapper. The man could be across the state line by now. He checked in with the officer in charge and got the same report.
“We’re keeping an eye out for him, but we’ve got nothing so far, Captain. We’ve had four Acuras come through here since we arrived, but none of them matched the suspect’s plate.”
“Okay. Don’t give up.”
Eddie was calling him again, and Harvey clicked his phone on. “Yeah?”
“Hey, Harv, McCafferty’s not at his house, but it looks like someone packed and ran in a hurry. Maybe two people. It’s a duplex, four rooms. I’d say McCafferty has a girlfriend. There are feminine clothes and cosmetics lying around, and we found some mail with the name Emma Skerrit on it.”
“Okay, I’ll give that intel to Nate. Anything else?”
“Yeah. McCafferty’s car is here—the Acura. Nothing suspicious on first look.”
“How about the girlfriend’s car?” Harvey asked.
“I was hoping you could have someone check on it for us.”
“Affirmative.” Harvey walked over to the officer in charge of the road block. “Hey, we’re looking for the wrong vehicle. Hold on while I get some more accurate information.”
It took almost ten minutes for Nate to run down Emma Skerrit’s DMV records and relay the information to Harvey. She’d registered a ten-year-old Honda a few months earlier. Harvey passed on the information and noticed an incoming call from Abby. This couldn’t be good at 1 a.m.
“Abby, what’s up?”
“Gary’s gone. He sneaked out and took his bike. I think he’s gone looking for Peter.”
“Okay, slow down and tell me why you think that.”
“His bike and helmet are gone, and Sarah heard the garage door go up. Do you want to talk to Sarah?”
“Yeah, put her on,” Harvey said.
“Captain, I apologize,” Sarah said. “The boy got past me. I’ve been watching for someone trying to get in, not out.”
“Understood,” Harvey replied. “What are you doing about it?”
“We’ve got patrol officers searching the park where Mr. Hobart took the boys to play, and two have gone to his gym on the off chance Gary went there, since he mentioned it to his mother.”
“Okay, anything else?” Harvey’s mind clicked through places he’d seen Peter or knew his brother-in-law frequented.
“I couldn’t think of any other places, and Abby didn’t come up with any others. She says he wouldn’t go to his Grandma Hobart’s.”
“I hope not. It’s too far away. How about the church?”
“You think he’d go there?”
“I don’t know. Call Eddie. He should be on his way in from Deering. See if he can swing by our church. And tell him to talk to the pastor, too. Wake him up if he has to.”
“Yes, sir,” Sarah said.
A sudden thought struck Harvey. “What about Peter’s store?”
“The car dealership?”
“Yeah. Gary hasn’t been there since the shooting. He might wonder if his dad would show up at the place he disappeared from.”
“It hadn’t occurred to me,” Sarah said, “but it sounds reasonable.”
Harvey made a quick decision. “I’m not too far from there, and I’ve got the keys Abby gave me. I’ll drop by. Any chance there were more keys at home that Gary could access?”
“I’ll ask.”
He walked back to his car while he waited. Seconds later, Abby was on the phone.
“There’s a key to the store’s back entrance here, Harvey. Gary doesn’t have it. I don’t think there are any others around here that I don’t know about.”
“Okay, thanks. He’s probably not there, but I’ll look. And, Abby, do me a favor? Call the Rowlands and tell them Eddie will be coming by the church to look around. I think it’s time to activate the prayer chain.”
He drove to Hobart Chevrolet and prowled slowly through the car lot, looking for a bicycle. It would be easy to hide among the scores of vehicles. He didn’t find anything, so he parked near the front doors and walked completely around the large building. When he got back to the main entrance, he stopped and listened, but heard only the sounds of distant traffic.
*****
Eddie turned into the empty parking lot at Victory Baptist. The wide expanse of pavement mocked him. He pulled his pickup into a handicapped spot near the front steps.
“Try the front doors and look around for a bike,” he told Jimmy, who was riding with him. “I’ll go around and check the side entrance.”
“What’s that building?” Jimmy pointed to an attached annex.
“That’s the new fello
wship hall and kitchen, and some classrooms. Check those doors, too.”
Eddie walked quickly but examined every possible hiding place for a ten-year-old boy. There weren’t many spots that would work. Two streetlights flooding the parking lot and spotlights illuminating the steeple made it easy to see that nothing was out of place.
“Gary,” he called. “It’s Uncle Eddie. Gary, you here?”
No answer. He strolled around the back of the building and tried another doorknob. He went on around the annex and met Jimmy between the Dumpster and the kitchen door.
“See anything?”
“No,” Jimmy replied.
The faint sound of a door closing pulled Eddie’s attention to the parsonage, a hundred yards away. Pastor Rowland had come out his side door and walked across the lawn, then the pavement, toward the two detectives.
“Eddie?”
“Yeah. I hope we didn’t wake you.”
The pastor came closer. “I got a call from Abby Hobart. She said you were coming to look for Gary.”
“I don’t suppose you’ve seen or heard anything odd tonight?” Eddie asked.
“No. I wish I could tell you he was safe in my house.”
“It was a long shot,” Eddie said. “This is Detective Cook—Jimmy. This is Pastor Rowland.”
“Pleased to meet you, sir.” Jimmy shook the pastor’s hand.
“Abby updated me on what’s happened with Peter,” Mr. Rowland said. “She says Harvey told her we should start the prayer chain. That wouldn’t endanger Peter worse than he already is, would it? Having more people know about it, I mean.”
Eddie shrugged. “I don’t see how it can get much worse. We haven’t heard from the kidnappers since the drop was bungled. If that guy was working alone, Peter could be in real trouble. And if he wasn’t working alone—well, I have no explanation. I don’t see how it could hurt to have more people alert and on the lookout.”
“That’s right,” Jimmy said. “This has gone beyond hushing it up so we don’t upset the kidnappers.”
The pastor nodded. “Abby said Harvey’s considering going public with the full story in the morning if you haven’t found Peter. But Gary. . .I’m so sorry she has this to worry about on top of the rest.”
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