The Keres Case (Heartfelt Cases Book 4)

by Gilbert,Julie C.

  Targeting the Duncan children would spark the same problem as the Parker children. He could target the elder Davidsons but he didn’t think that would have the same impact. Besides, retirement aged adults made lousy hostages as they had less compunction about speaking their minds. Young adult males, like Annie’s kid brother, Nicholas Eliot Davidson, were also hostage headaches. None of the Davidson clan, save Annie, would provide the effective pressure Ryker needed. She was the logical choice, but something seemed wrong.

  What am I missing?

  Putting down the pool cue, Ryker massaged his temples with both hands and squinted at Annie’s chalk-marked face. Capturing her would give him direct control over Patty D and ancillary power over Baked Goods. The flaw struck Ryker between the eyes with near physical force. The emotional connection between Annie and JP was mainly through a third party. Nicholas only gave him direct control over Annie. Joy as a hostage would provide direct control over Annie plus Baked Goods, but that would leave feddie-main—Patty D—and JP relatively free to attack any way their creative little minds could conjure. The linchpin he sought must therefore be Mrs. JP. Taking her would exert direct control over JP and Annie and secondary power over both Baked Goods and Patty D.

  Ryker snapped up a red marker and drew a large circle around Mrs. JP. Drawing a line out from the circle, he wrote: LINCHPIN. Once he got started, ideas flowed nicely. A well-timed threat against Mrs. JP would send one of the agents flying to her rescue. As a betting man, Ryker would place his money on Patty D. Baked Goods had his hands full playing nice with the cops. That left a tossup between Annie and Patty D. Annie would want to help her friend, but Ryker’s instincts told him that male ego would make JP more comfortable calling on Patty D for help.

  Annie will feel left out. We mustn’t have that. How shall I entertain her?

  As the plan formed, Ryker decided that a ranger figure seemed better suited for Annie than a thief.

  ***

  Davidson Residence

  Fairview, Pennsylvania

  Aside from obsessively checking the tracer locator, Ann spent the rest of Thursday at her parents’ house sorting notes and reading articles and cases until her eyes ached and the details blurred. Reason told her she didn’t have the whole story, nor would she. Of the hundreds of cases involving kidnapping or murder in the last ten years, a few dozen contained details that made her flag it for further analysis. These she passed on to Baker and Patrick who studied them carefully. Baker helped the local authorities follow the most promising community tips, and Patrick kept in close contact with Jon’s team of computer warriors.

  For some odd reason, the news special on Karen Tyler stuck out in Ann’s mind. She pulled it up from an internet archive and watched it a few times. Lina Galen’s polished performance was as flawless as it had been when Ann first saw the piece. Nothing unusual struck her about Chief Finney’s part either, except maybe the rather liberal use of a satellite phone. Porter had made a passing comment about the budget cuts making it so that Finney had to foot the satellite phone bill when using it on personal time, including fishing trips.

  How expensive are those things? How much are the minutes?

  A quick internet search satisfied her curiosity. Since it didn’t move her any closer to solving the case, she filed it away in the back of her mind.

  After a homemade dinner of roasted chicken with rice and a side of string beans in garlic sauce, Ann allowed her mother to talk her into a half-hour visit with the children. Ann held Amanda and watched Joseph play with some ancient blocks that had run the gamut of Davidson children from her to Joy to Nick. When the self-imposed deadline passed, Ann kissed both her children goodnight and retreated to her father’s office. She would gladly have spent the whole evening with the kids, but she couldn’t rest easy while Karen Tyler’s mother waited for the timer to tick to zero. It wouldn’t be fair.

  Brad Matthews, computer genius and Jon’s unofficial protégé, had called earlier to let Ann know the bad guys were cheating. The website money counter for Karen’s ransom only registered one of every three or four donations. A disclaimer in fine print said the actual numbers might be higher than reported due to processing delays. That was merely an excuse for some donations not registering. Brad promised Jon had the team working furiously to counter the false counting and reported with reasonable certainty that they could reach the ransom in time.

  In a way, the cheating might be good for Karen’s cause, for it meant that the ransom had indeed been met and that the venture proved profitable for the bad guys. That might persuade them to live up to their end of the bargain. If they harmed Karen, they would jeopardize future chances at a similar ransom. Ann’s cynical side said the criminals would know that the market of public sympathy would soon be tapped out anyway. If this wasn’t a straightforward bid for money, Karen might well be doomed regardless of what the counter said.

  Needing to talk to someone who wasn’t directly involved with the case, Ann called Rachel Parker.

  A young voice answered the phone.

  “Hello, Jason speaking. How can I help you?”

  “Hi, Jason, how are you? May I speak with your mom?”

  “Oh, hi, Aunt Ann. I’m fine. We’re packing, but Andy’s annoying Mom. He keeps picking out different outfits that are wrong, and he wants to take his whole collection of Anotech Chronicles figures.”

  Ann laughed, picturing the chaos in the Parker household.

  “Maybe I can put her in a better mood.”

  “That’d be good,” said Jason, trying to sound upbeat. “Daddy’s talking about canceling the trip ’cause of the case he’s working on.”

  The news surprised Ann. She had spoken with Jon at least three times this week and he’d not once mentioned such thoughts.

  Of course he didn’t talk about vacation. All he talked about was the case.

  “Don’t worry, Jay. I’ll make sure you get that vacation if I have to put your parents on the plane myself.”

  “Thanks, Aunt Ann. Let me get Mom. She’ll listen to you.”

  “I’m told you have a message for me,” Rachel said, less than a minute later.

  “You can’t cancel the trip!” Ann inserted false desperation into her tone.

  Rachel sighed.

  “Tell that to my husband. He’s caught up in this Tyler case.”

  “Rachel, this case could go on indefinitely,” Ann warned, suddenly serious. “There’s no reason to put your lives on hold while we wait to see what manner of crazy we’ve drawn this time around. Jon’s team can function without him for a week, and who knows, he might come back with fresh ideas.”

  “I gave him every good reason,” Rachel assured. “Wait, Andy. I’m on the phone. Have Jason help you pick out two figures.”

  “I take it packing proceeds despite Jon’s hesitation?” Ann’s inflection made it a question.

  “I’m not sure ‘proceeding’ is the correct word as it implies progress,” said Rachel. “Andrew’s room looks like a bird’s eye view of a war zone. Action figure casualties are strewn on nearly every surface. I told him he could take two figures on the trip. If I left it up to him, he’d pack nothing but action figures.”

  “Boys have different priorities than we do, Rach.” Ann suppressed a laugh.

  “I suppose,” Rachel admitted, sounding distracted. “We all have something special we want to take with us.” The sound of several drawers opening and closing came through the connection.

  “What’s up?” Ann asked, reacting more to her friend’s tone than words. “Did you lose something?”

  “I can’t find the bracelet Jon gave me,” Rachel whispered.

  “Why are we whispering?” Ann wondered, adjusting her volume accordingly.

  “I don’t want the boys to know the bracelet’s missing. They’re terrible at keeping secrets, and I don’t want Jon to know. He already thinks he made a mistake. I told him I love it and I do, but it was painful to wear the first few days. I thought I put it in my je
welry box, but it’s not there.”

  “Give it time. It probably got shuffled about in the packing madness,” Ann ventured. “This has been a rough week for everybody.”

  “How’s your mother handling Malia’s absence?” Rachel asked, following Ann’s line of thought.

  “Not well,” Ann confessed. “She keeps a brave face on for Marina and Joseph, but I can tell she’s shaken. I told her the odds are good that Malia will return soon on her own, but she’s not buying it.”

  “Do you honestly believe that?”

  “I don’t know what to believe. Kids run away all the time, but Malia’s background is about as far from ordinary as you can get. I’m inclined to believe her note about trying to rescue Karen Tyler.”

  “What would put that notion in her head?” Rachel wondered.

  “No clue, but if Malia’s linked herself to Karen, we’re running out of time to help her.” Ann let frustration season her tone.

  “The thought’s killing you, isn’t it?”

  “I hate deadlines,” Ann muttered. She kept silent for a few heartbeats before adding, “There’s something much bigger than a high-tech ransom demand going on here. I’ll have to talk to Jon and Patrick about it later.”

  “Is that the famous Duncan gut speaking?”

  “Yes, and it says we need to rally the prayer warriors. Good old-fashioned hard work is coming up wanting. You up for spearheading the spiritual attack?”

  “Definitely,” Rachel affirmed. “I’ve got to see to the nightly bedtime routines, but then I’ll hit up the usual forums and call my people. Get some rest.”

  “You’re a gem, Rach.”

  “I know. I’m wonderful. You can give me my medal later. You sound like you could use some sleep.”

  They exchanged farewells and hung up. Ann sat staring at her cell phone until it went dark. Then, she put it back in the case attached to her waist and mentally took stock of the situation. She could make some coffee and pull an all-nighter or admit she needed rest. She had just decided on the coffee plus all-nighter option when her body chose for her. Surrounded by case files and notes, Ann fell asleep on the plush, leather chair in her father’s office.

  ***

  House for Sale on Maple Drive

  Edinboro, Pennsylvania

  Richard Longhue checked and double checked each detail. The boss man’s instructions had been quite clear. It had taken Longhue almost seven hours to arrange this masterpiece. Being a private investigator could be fun, but nothing he had done in his previous life came near the sense of accomplishment the boss could provide. There was a time when Longhue would have turned down this job, but the cops and feds weren’t playing nice. Despite his relatively good name, they’d grilled him for hours about that stupid video of Wickerman’s house. Since they thought him a danger, he figured he ought to do his part to prove them right.

  Clicking on the tiny voice changer, Longhue called the Tyler tip hotline. When a woman answered, he said, “I saw a girl who looked like the one on TV in a home on Maple Drive. You know, the Tyler girl.”

  He disconnected before the woman could pepper him with questions.

  Chapter 16:

  Last Day Interview

  Ryker’s Base of Operations

  Elk County, Pennsylvania

  As the sun rose on Friday, Dara Surhan woke up and felt twin surges of anticipation and dread battle for her emotions. A sweet, somber melody played in her head. She closed her eyes and tried to remember the dream still lingering on the edges of her awareness. After several minutes of praying quietly, a song she knew ages ago resurfaced and prepared her for the day ahead:

  If this was your last day upon the Earth,

  What thoughts would run through your mind?

  Would you regret the pain soon to befall loved ones?

  Would you cry for the days lost to time?

  Would you rise up and fight for one more moment?

  If this was your last day upon the Earth,

  Would your loved ones feel your heart’s silent cry?

  Could they say, “We, one and all, felt your love

  Reach across time and throughout space to touch us.

  This world will never be the same without you.”

  If this was your last day upon the Earth,

  What words would you say to those left behind?

  Could you say, “Don’t worry. I’ll be all right.

  There’s a place waiting to welcome me home.

  I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment.

  I am ready to leave these pains far behind.

  Do not mourn long. You’ll find me again.”

  If this was your last day upon the Earth,

  Could you look at your life and say it went well?

  With the song running through her head again, Dara got dressed, slipped into the kitchen, and prepared a light breakfast of scrambled eggs and toast. When she finished eating, she made a second breakfast for Karen. After the incident where poor Yuri wound up dead, the children had been moved to a different cell so it could be cleaned. Two days of subtle suggestions from Dara finally scored Karen her own cell. The new batch that had arrived yesterday received the tainted first cell.

  “I thought I might find you awake,” Dara said by way of greeting. “I brought you breakfast.”

  “Hope it’s not a last meal,” Karen quipped, wincing as the attempt at lightening the oppressive atmosphere clearly backfired.

  Dara set the tray down and unlocked the cell with the key she had borrowed from Reuben. She wished she could make a copy to let Karen free herself, but Reuben would expect it returned promptly in an hour. She tucked the key back into her pocket and stepped inside half-expecting Karen to attack her.

  “I wish you would,” Dara murmured, not realizing she was speaking audibly.

  “Wish I would what?”

  “Jump me, steal the key, and escape.” Dara tried to grin but failed.

  “I couldn’t do that,” Karen said.

  “I know.” Dara sat down on the cot next to Karen and handed her the tray, being careful not to spill the orange juice. “I didn’t add any salt this time, though I’m not sure how you can eat scrambled eggs without it.”

  “Much practice.” Karen thanked Dara, prayed over the food, ate the eggs, and drank the juice. Then, she walked over to the next cell and wordlessly held the toast out to the young twins who had been staring longingly at it as she ate.

  “You shouldn’t do that,” Dara said. She tried for a tone of reproof but it came out weary.

  “Why not?”

  “It can spark a fight,” Dara answered. This girl would never understand, but there was little sense in changing her mind now. Let her cling to idealism as long as possible. Dara shook her head. “Forget it. I came to take you on a walk and interview you.”

  “Why would you want to interview me?”

  “I’ll explain later,” Dara said with a slight nod toward the camera watching them.

  “I thought you weren’t supposed to let me out of the cell,” Karen said, still skeptical.

  “Please, just come.”

  It took Dara about ten minutes to convince Karen she had permission to let her out. Once they finally reached Dara’s room, she turned on the TV, stuck a T-shirt over the hidden camera, and waved for Karen to sit on her bed.

  “We should be able to talk freely for a few minutes,” Dara said, speaking quickly so as to not waste time. “I’m going to run a final interview with you. Ryker lets me journal about some of the kids who pass through here.”

  “Why are you nervous if he lets you run these interviews?” Karen wondered.

  “I also need to ask you some important questions.”

  “Such as?” Karen prompted when Dara hesitated.

  “How much do you want to live?”

  Karen looked at her like it was the strangest question in the world.

  “A lot, I guess. Who wouldn’t want to live? You’re not making much sense.”

>   “Please, trust me.”

  An angry knock pounded on the door.

  “Dara, uncover the camera right now,” Reuben demanded.

  “Sorry!” Dara called, inwardly cursing Reuben’s sudden efficiency.

  Go drink your Mountain Dew!

  She had the answer she wanted, but she would have liked to chat more privately with Karen. Whispering, “Trust me,” Dara took the shirt off the camera and retrieved a notebook, digital recorder, and pen from her desk. Holding the recorder evenly between them, she said, “Please state your full name for the record.”

  “Karen Michelle Tyler.”

  “What can you tell me about your family?”

  Karen hesitated.

  “I’m not sure I want to answer that question.”

  “Why not?”

  “He might use the information to hurt them.”

  “I won’t let him,” Dara promised. “This is just for me.”

  “My dad’s a bank manager and my mom’s a nurse,” Karen answered reluctantly.

  “Do you have any siblings?”

  A gentle smile brightened Karen’s face.

  “Yes. My sister’s name is Ellie. She’s the happiest person I know.” The momentary joy vanished and tears poured down Karen’s cheeks. “I miss her.”

  Dara steeled her emotions and forged on.

  “What are your hopes and dreams?” That had always seemed a cruel question to Dara, but her desire for answers outweighed the distaste.

  “I don’t know. I’m going to die soon.”

  The statement took Dara by surprise.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You called this a ‘final interview,’” Karen reminded her.

  “Maybe the ransom will come through and he’ll let you go. That would be reason for a final interview too.”

  They both knew it was a lie.