She tried not to sound as cranky as she felt. “Fine, thanks. Who all is outside?”
“The Denver news stations want to talk to you. Along with some rubberneckers hoping to get a glimpse of the distraught mother,” Becky said.
Puzzled, Jessica repeated, “Rubberneckers? What are those?”
Sam interjected. “Curiosity seekers. They hear something is happening nearby and they stretch their necks as far as they can to see what’s happening.”
“Oh.”
“Hospital security has been instructed to get them out of here and take the press downstairs to wait for us.”
“Why? What have you found out?”
“We haven’t found Amy yet, but we’re getting response from the Amber Alert already. That’s good. As for the news stations, it sometimes helps the kidnapper realize what she’s done to see the parents’ reaction,” Becky said quietly. “You don’t have to do it, but we want to try everything we can to help. They want me to give an update on the search efforts, but I wanted you to hear it from me first.”
Jessica’s heart raced and her eyes watered. Becky’s voice seemed like a faraway one talking to someone else. This wasn’t supposed to happen to her; she’d had her share of rotten luck.
“We know that Deanne and Amy were in her bank at seven-thirty, and from what we could see on the surveillance cameras, Amy looked happy and fine. I don’t expect that to be any different now. Deanne pulled out a sizable amount of cash, but we calculate she’ll have to get more before the week is up, or use a credit card, in which case we can track her that way. We’ve ordered her phone records, talked to her family in Kansas, and think she took Amy to replace her own daughter who died in a fire almost a year ago now.” Becky looked at Sam. “We don’t think Amy is in any danger. From what her ex-husband and family tell us, Deanne went into a deep depression when she found out that her daughter died in the fire. Since she took a job as a child-care worker, we believe she equated happiness with being a mother. Sam found a full setup of baby furniture and supplies in her garage.”
Jessica looked over her shoulder at Sam. “You knew and didn’t tell me?”
“Becky is the detective on this case, Jessica. It may have been nothing. I didn’t want to upset you with bits and pieces that may not have been relevant.”
“This isn’t going to be easy, Jessica. Sam has a personal interest in finding Amy, which means he should step back altogether. But he’s human, and an officer, and taking a cop out of a search is like taking chocolate away from a woman.” She shrugged. “Unless you object…”
“Not at all. I didn’t mean that. I’d like him to stay on the case if he can. He found Amy before, um, after my accident. Maybe he can again.” Jessica felt her face flush when she realized she sounded like she’d placed Sam on a pedestal. She moistened her lips. “I understand why he didn’t mention it. So what’s next?”
“If you feel up to it, talk to the press.” The detective reviewed the routine questions, and agreed to intervene if the reporters asked anything that Jessica and the police couldn’t answer.
Becky talked to the doctor while Jessica apologized to Sam. “I’m sorry, Sam. I didn’t mean to sound so untrusting. I—”
His eyes probed her. “You’re doing great, Jessica. I appreciate your confidence in me, but Becky’s trained in missing persons. I’m not. But I do want to be here for you, and if we get a lead on Amy, I won’t hesitate to follow it up if Becky can’t. I want to tell her the thoughts you had about your comments to Deanne. It may or may not help, but she’s the one putting the pieces together—you never know which piece may be vital.”
Suddenly Jessica realized that every part of their conversation would be constantly scrutinized and could end up part of this investigation. She looked at Sam, and he smiled.
“I won’t tell any of our personal conversation, in case you’re worried. But if finding Amy depended on telling that, too, I trust Becky.”
She felt his strength pass to her and nodded her consent to share their conversations. “I feel as if I can’t keep any secrets from you.”
“As it should be. And I hope we have the chance to share a lot more secrets.” He kissed her forehead and turned to Becky.
Kate helped Jessica out of the bed and wheeled the IV pole into the rest room, then closed the door, leaving Jessica alone for the first time since discovering her daughter was missing.
Jessica took a deep breath and closed her eyes, refusing to give in to depression. She looked into the mirror. It was a miracle Sam hadn’t already run the other way. If she was going to speak to the press, she would have to clean up and look strong enough to take care of a rambunctious three-year-old. She turned on the shower and quickly scrubbed her face and hair, keeping her back as dry as possible.
She’d just turned off the water when she heard the anticipated scolding from Kate.
Jessica blotted herself dry. “I’m not going on the news looking so pitiful that everyone will side with the kidnapper.”
Kate laughed sympathetically. “Next time, you’ll take the dressing off before you shower, then after you’re dried off, have Sam put a little ointment on and replace the dressing. I’ll be right back.”
“Would you get my clothes while you’re at it? I’ve had about enough exposure in this gown for one day.”
She heard Kate explaining to Sam and the doctor, “We have a fighter on our hands, gentlemen. She’s ready to take on anyone who stands in her way.”
Jessica smiled as tears rolled down her face. “Hang in there, Amy. Mommy’s coming to get you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Later that day Sam escorted Jessica home from the hospital. She’d held up well through the press conference, losing her voice only once in her touching plea for Deanne to bring Amy home. The hospital staff had rallied together to help bolster Jessica’s confidence. She looked vulnerable yet strong and determined by the time the cameras rolled. Her hair looked soft and touchable, and with a bit of makeup from the nurses, no one could tell she’d just been through surgery. The burgundy sundress she’d worn gave her a healthy glow, and flowed comfortably over her incision. She fielded questions about her surgery and the ability to get back to a normal life with unbelievable optimism.
Flowers had come in from friends and strangers once the news hit the airwaves, and Jessica had suggested that they be donated to other patients, all except for the calla lilies Sam had given her. She had tucked all of the cards into her overnight bag, hugged the vase to her chest, and said her goodbyes to the staff.
Sam had seen one of the reporters get into a black car as he went to get his pickup, and called Travis to come run interference if the need arose. It took a little extra coordination, but they managed to lose the car in the Palmer Park area where the streets were narrow and didn’t run straight through. There were benefits to knowing all the back roads.
By the time Sam drove into his parents’ garage, he’d gone thirty miles out of the way to lose the tabloid journalist.
“Will I be able to go to my apartment today?” Jessica asked.
The look in Jessica’s eyes made him wish again that he could make all of this trouble vanish into the thin Rocky Mountain air.
“I really think you should stay here for a while,” Sam answered as unselfishly and honestly as he could.
“What if Deanne calls my apartment?”
Sam paused. The medication hadn’t affected her thought process. “We’ll have your calls forwarded. Do you have a cell phone?”
She shook her head. “I don’t have call forwarding either.”
“That’s easy enough to take care of—”
His dad opened the back door and welcomed Jessica, interrupting the discussion. Sam’s mind kept a list of details to tend to as soon as Jessica was settled.
“I’m Max, Lidia’s roommate. Come on in.”
Sam groaned. “Dad retired recently. He traveled a lot, so he’s still getting used to thinking of this as his permanent reside
nce.”
Jessica laughed. “Oh, so this is like a second honeymoon.”
Lidia rushed through the huge kitchen, catching only Jessica’s comment. “Oh, Sam, you didn’t have to tell her that!”
“I didn’t say anything, honest.” Sam laughed, knowing his parents wouldn’t believe him.
His mother was as shocked as Sam. “You two even think alike. I tell you, God has a plan for you both.”
“What did I say?” Jessica looked as bewildered as she did tired.
“Honeymoon,” Sam whispered. “I always tell them they’re as giddy as newlyweds.”
Jessica beamed. “How cute. Sam, do you know how lucky you are to have such a happy family?”
“Yeah, I’m blessed.” He didn’t need to fill her in on the entire truth right away. Not that they were unhappy, just that they were not happy in quite the way the average middle-class family used the term. One brother had been missing for three years, the other had been grieving for fourteen.
Thankfully, he and Lucia had managed to keep the upheaval in their lives to a low rumble, which, considering one worked Vice and Narcotics, and the other had forged her way into the fire department as one of the first female firefighters in the city, was a miracle in itself.
“Most kids wonder if their parents will adjust to both being in the house all day. We were worried how ours would manage living in the same town for more than a week or two at a time. Yeah, I have a lot to be thankful for.”
Jessica, still carrying the flowers, looked around for a place to set them.
“Oh, here, let me set those in the dining room.” Sam headed into the next room, still talking. “Dad, could you get Jessica a cell phone? We’re going to have calls forwarded from her house to it, just in case Deanne calls. I’ll call the phone company.”
“I’ll take care of that, too,” Max added.
Jessica reached for a purse that didn’t exist. “Sam, we have to go by my apartment. I don’t even have my purse or money…”
“Don’t worry about that.” Sam didn’t dare tell her that his dad kept several activated cell phones in the basement for emergency cases such as this.
She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “And I’ll need a change of clothes and other things. And you needed me to see if anything else is missing. I didn’t even think of my stash of money.”
Sam lifted an eyebrow. “Where is it?”
“In an old pair of tennis shoes,” she said.
He made a face and plugged his nose. “I doubt Deanne would look there.”
She looked guilty. “Well, I suggested it at the counseling sessions at the shelter once. The discussion was about fleeing abusive relationships. I shared…what I’d heard once.”
Sam didn’t push, though he wanted to. Then again, part of him was afraid to hear her admit it. That was the past, he reminded himself. She’s obviously changed. “Your landlords said reporters have been waiting outside all day. Maybe by morning they’ll have given up, and we can run by.”
“I picked up a few things I thought you might need, Jessica,” said Lidia. “They’re in the guest room. Sam, would you show her where that is? If you’d like to nap before dinner, you’ll have plenty of time.”
“Lidia, you’re so sweet to share your home with me. You shouldn’t have gone to the extra trouble to get me something, too. Thank you.” Jessica looked at Sam. “Everything is catching up with me. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep another minute, but it sounds pretty nice right now. Any word on…Amy?”
“No, but I’ll call Becky. I’ll let you know if anything has changed.”
Jessica glanced at him, her gray eyes dull, as if she’d lost hope in finding Amy.
Sam led the way, showing her around the first floor of the house.
“This is a really pretty house, Sam.” Jessica seemed overwhelmed with the spaciousness.
“And this is your room,” he said finally.
Jessica stepped up to the door, then turned and looked into the bedroom across the hall. “And whose room was this? I take it he liked basketball.”
Sam smiled. Jessica was beginning to relax and Sam liked that. “He still does.” Sam found himself resisting the urge to kiss her.
Jessica’s smile looked sleepy, especially from close up. “It was yours, wasn’t it.”
Sam couldn’t imagine how she’d come to that conclusion. He and Travis both loved basketball. All three boys were in law enforcement somehow, and when they’d all lived here their rooms had never been clean enough to tell one from the other. Of course, now that they were in their own homes, his mother kept the house spotless. He looked into the room and back to Jessica.
“Why do you think it’s mine?”
Jessica laughed. “Your mother told me.”
“Ha ha.” Sam’s gaze lingered on her lips, which were beautiful when she smiled. “Why don’t you get some rest?”
Jessica raised to her tiptoes and brushed a kiss across his lips. “Thank you, Sam.”
She closed the door, and Sam went into his old room and dropped onto the bed. Using his cell, he checked in with Becky and gave her his parents’ number to call if anything came up. She had delivered Deanne’s computer to FBI computer expert and old friend Jake Montgomery for inspection and was waiting to get reports back from the investigation on her fire.
Sam closed his eyes, said a short prayer, and dreamed of bringing Amy home to her mother—and a father.
Two hours later, Max woke them for dinner, with the surprise news that Sam’s sister and brother, Lucia and Travis, had also come to eat with them. Except for the disturbing reason for their gathering, it would have been a monumental way to let Jessica get acquainted with his family. As it was, everyone seemed to walk on eggshells, which wasn’t anything new. Anytime Travis was in their parents’ home the same chilly atmosphere prevailed.
Jessica’s eyes were puffy again. She’d obviously not slept as well as Sam had.
Travis held the chair out for his sister and mother, while Sam doted on Jessica. “Nice to see you again, Jessica.”
“Hi, Travis. I was able to make the arrangements you wanted for your auction date.”
Travis rolled his eyes as Lucia razzed him. “Hot date, huh, Travis? Who do you think the lucky lady will be? You are going to get a haircut, aren’t you?”
Travis ignored the baby of the family. “I’m really sorry to hear about Amy. If I can do anything, Sam has my number. I don’t like to step on official toes, but then again, I don’t care much about red tape anymore either.”
“Thanks, Travis. I’m sorry to learn about your daughter, too.”
Sam felt the room spin as everyone seemed to gasp at the same time. No one in the family mentioned Natalie or Allison unless Travis initiated the subject.
Travis held himself together. With his usual gruffness, he said, “I hope you don’t ever have to find out what it’s like. We’ll find Amy.”
Jessica forced a smile and the tears threatened again. Sam offered his hand, and she accepted, blinking the tears away with determination.
Max blessed the dinner and added a prayer for Amy’s safety and Jessica’s quick healing, then helped Lidia bring the meal to the dining room. For the next hour, dinner was the main topic of conversation, along with Lucia’s latest jokes from the fire station.
The phone rang, and everyone froze. Lidia answered, then handed the phone to Sam.
He wasn’t surprised to hear Becky’s voice. “What do you have?”
“Nothing more,” she said regretfully. “But I’d like to come by and talk to Jessica for a bit.”
“Anything specific?” He took the empty water pitcher into the kitchen, using the excuse to get away from listening ears.
Becky hesitated. “I want to discuss some theories.”
“Theories? Such as?”
“Why don’t I just talk to Jessica about this?”
Sam shook his head. “You tell me what this is about first.”
“Come on, Sam.
I called as a courtesy. It’s not like I don’t know where you two are.”
“And you know enough to know you’re not coming in to ask anything without telling me what you’ve found. She’s already distraught, and I don’t want anyone telling her how slim the chances get of finding Amy alive every day she’s gone. It’s bad enough that I know the facts.” Sam waited for some lame argument. “What theories?”
Becky let out a huge sigh, as if knowing he wouldn’t give up. She knew him well. “You should know me better than that. I think replacement is clearly her motive.”
“We came up with that the first search. Is that all you’ve found after two days?”
Becky never was one to beat around the bush and that she was doing so now scared him. “Fine, here it is. Could Jessica have said something—” It sounded like they’d been cut off.
“Becky, what’d you say? You cut out.”
“Could she have given Deanne permission to take Amy? We found comments logged into a journal at the shelter.”
“No, she wouldn’t have given up her child. Absolutely not.” Sam closed his eyes. He couldn’t believe anyone could think that of Jessica. Couldn’t believe he’d ever questioned her parenting.
“Sam, we need to talk to Jessica.”
“Did anyone else in the shelter back up that theory? Did anyone else ever hear Jessica say any such thing?”
“No, but…”
Sam didn’t like the way this investigation was going. “Get over here. And bring the journal.”
They managed to finish eating before Becky arrived. Sam answered the door, and the rest of the family sat down in the living room and waited for Becky to take the first step in the wrong direction. Sam knew that if any one of the Vances had any doubt about how the investigation was being handled, they’d take it into their own hands.
Becky was aware Travis had retired from the force, and had a general idea what his father had done for a living. When she finally asked Jessica about the journal, there was less innuendo than in her phone conversation with Sam.
Finding Amy Page 12