Mistletoe Reunion Threat

by Virginia Vaughan

  Garrett’s hand was heavy on her shoulder. “Are you sure you’re all right? He didn’t hurt you?”

  She heard that quiver again and looked up into his face. His brows were furrowed and worry pierced his eyes.

  “Really I’m fine,” she said again, this time resting her head on his shoulder. His arms tightened around her and she felt the rapid beat of his heart just beginning to slow. It was unbelievable to her that his heart could have been racing when he’d appeared so calm.

  The thought hit her that, had Garrett not come back into the apartment, Meeks might have killed her and she would never see her son again. The realization that he’d played a part in kidnapping her son came blazing back to her, pushing away any residual fear she’d experienced from Meeks’s attack.

  She pulled from Garrett’s arms and lunged at Meeks. “Where is my son?”

  Garrett’s arms tightened around her waist, preventing her from getting too close. The man sneered at her with his eyes but he didn’t respond to her demand for answers.

  Garrett pulled her aside and knelt in front of Meeks. “We’re looking for the little boy you helped kidnap yesterday. Tell me where he is and it’ll go easier on you.”

  “I don’t know anything about kidnapping a boy.”

  “The van you sold to Mike Webb yesterday was used in an abduction and murder. Now, we know you’re involved, and I’m certain you know the charges for kidnapping and murder can be steep. Help us out and help yourself out by telling us what you did with the boy.”

  He looked at Garrett then at Ashlynn and sneered again. “She doesn’t deserve to be a mother.”

  His words dug into her soul deeper than any knife could stab her. The photo she’d received with the note came back to her. The similar words confirmed he’d sent it.

  Garrett too seemed surprised by his words. “Why doesn’t she deserve to be a mother? What’s she done?”

  He turned his glare from Ashlynn to Garrett. “I’m not saying another word. If you’re arresting me, I want my lawyer. If not, untie me and get out of my house. This is unlawful imprisonment.”

  Garrett stood and faced her, then blew out a frustrated breath. “I’ll call Vince.” He touched her arm ever so slightly, almost a caress against her skin. She shivered but told herself it was less from his touch and more about the worry of the situation. Meeks knew where her son was and he wasn’t talking. It was now nearing forty-eight hours since Jacob had been abducted. Were they running out of time to find him?

  * * *

  Garrett called for backup and soon had Meeks in a patrol car on his way to booking. Meeks still hadn’t uttered a word about where Jacob was, but Garrett could tell he knew. What really shook him was Meeks’s statement that Ashlynn didn’t deserve to be a mother. His words mirrored the note that had been left on her desk. He had to be the one who sent it. Did he know her personally? Or was he some psycho who’d seen her on TV and decided women with high-powered careers didn’t make good mothers?

  She’d denied knowing him so that left psycho stalker. That meant Jacob could be anywhere.

  When Vince arrived with his team, Garrett updated him on the situation. “We should start by uncovering any known associates of Meeks’s. I also want a full detailed financial analysis to look for any anomalies.”

  “I’ll call one of my officers back at the precinct and get them on that,” Vince assured him.

  He glanced over at Ashlynn on the phone, no doubt with Ken, giving him the same instructions, probably. She slipped her phone into her pocket then curled her arms across her chest. He knew she was trying to keep it together, but her breaking point was near. Meeks was the only lead they had right now and he was a good one. He hoped and prayed if they couldn’t get Meeks talking that something would show up on his financials.

  Garrett walked over and put his arms around her. She was shaking, fighting to hold herself together. She was trying to remain strong and she was one tough lady. Who else could have been through the past hours with the grace and strength she’d exhibited?

  He didn’t give any credence to what Meeks said, either. He couldn’t imagine she wouldn’t be an amazing mother. She’d always had a nurturing way about her. He wondered how many people had seen beneath that tough exterior to the generous and loving woman inside. Had Stephen seen that side of her? Few others would have, he decided. She wasn’t one to let people get too close to her because she’d been brokenhearted too many times. With shame, he realized he’d caused her that same pain even though he’d been trying to do just the opposite and protect her.

  Even though she was an ADA, she was also a victim, so Vince asked her not to touch anything. It could corrupt the chain of evidence that might be used against Meeks during a trial of kidnapping her child. Garrett was certain Vince would have preferred she wait outside or go back to the precinct, but Garrett was determined not to let her out of his sight again. He’d taken his eyes off her for only a few minutes and look what had nearly happened. He wasn’t taking any more risks with her safety.

  He took over the job of entering the evidence the team collected into a logbook, examining each item carefully first, while Ashlynn watched.

  He picked up a framed photograph that looked old and worn. He turned it over and saw a group of kids together for a shot. It didn’t look like a sports team or class photo, and nothing about it captured his attention. He wrote it in the log and turned to place it in a bin.

  But Ashlynn grabbed his arm to stop him and stared at it, jogging his memory that it had been at her feet when Meeks was holding the knife to her. Had she been looking at it before the attack against her?

  “What is it?” Garrett asked. “Do you recognize this photo?”

  She nodded, but she’d turned a shade whiter. “I do.” She stroked her hand over the image of the woman with the dark hair and wide smile. “I saw this before but I couldn’t place where. Now, I remember. This woman in the back is Kathryn Rollins, my foster mother.”

  This time Garrett gaped. He took back the photo and stared at it. “Are you sure?”

  “I could never forget her face. She tried to present a happy front to the world, but her eyes were cold and hard and so was she. Her hair is shorter in this picture, which is why I guess I didn’t immediately recognize her.” She pointed to another adult. “That’s her husband. He was a wisp of a man who did whatever she commanded.”

  Now Garrett understood. Ashlynn had been in an abusive foster home before she’d come to the group facility where they’d first met. She’d been beaten severely by her foster mother and had later testified against her about the atrocities she’d suffered at the woman’s hands. He looked down at the photo and the image. This was the woman who had caused Ashlynn so much pain and suffering. “This was your foster mother?”

  This didn’t make any sense. Why would Meeks steal an old photograph of Ashlynn from when she was a little girl? What would he possibly want with it? “When did you last see this photograph? Had you noticed it missing from your house?”

  She shook her head. “No, this isn’t my photograph. I had one similar to this but I tore it up and threw it into the fireplace years ago. I couldn’t stand looking at the smug smile on her face and the happy image she tried so hard to portray to the world.”

  He stared at the photo again, trying to process this new information. If this wasn’t Ashlynn’s picture then it must belong to Meeks. Had one of these freckled-faced boys grown up to be Meeks? And if so, why had he targeted Ashlynn?

  Somehow, they had to convince Meeks to talk. He was the key to figuring this all out.

  * * *

  Ashlynn watched through the two-way mirror as Vince questioned Meeks. She’d been in this spot many times in a professional capacity and each time she’d wanted the detectives to find that hot button that would get the suspect talking, but she had never wanted it more th
an she did now. She needed Meeks to talk. He was the crucial link to finding out where Jacob was being held and who was involved.

  But Meeks remained tight-lipped. He claimed he knew nothing about the van in question and nothing about a kidnapping. Ashlynn tried to remain calm but inside she was screaming. The mother in her wanted to claw his eyes out until he told her where Jacob was. The prosecutor in her wanted to toss the book at him and send him away for years. Neither reaction would garner them the information they needed.

  Vince exited the interview room, his expression full of disappointment. “He’s not talking,” Vince said.

  She’d seen that for herself through the two-way mirror, but to hear Vince sound so defeated still bothered her. He didn’t believe they would get Meeks to tell what he knew, meaning this lead was quickly drying up.

  “He’s definitely not the right build to be the man who was in your house,” Garrett noted.

  She shook her head. “Nor the man who attacked me in the break room. He’s too skinny. Yet it seems too coincidental that we were in the same foster home.” She still couldn’t believe this all could have some connection to Kathryn Rollins. As far as she knew, the woman had died in prison so she surely couldn’t be acting out a revenge scenario. Ashlynn took the file from Vince. “Let me speak to him.”

  “That’s not a good idea,” Vince cautioned.

  “It’s better than doing nothing.” She opened the door and walked into the interview room before he could protest.

  Meeks stared at her then shifted nervously in his seat. “I don’t have anything to say to you,” he told her, his voice full of bitterness and bite.

  She pulled the photograph from the files and slid it across the table toward him. “We found this in your apartment. Apparently, you and I were in the same foster home together. Which one is you?”

  He stared at the photo then cautiously, as if he wasn’t sure about acknowledging it, pointed to a redheaded boy on the end.

  She glanced at the picture. “I remember you, Randy. You liked to pick flowers from the yard and give them to Kathryn. She liked them, didn’t she?”

  He nodded. “She always put them in a glass of water on the windowsill.”

  Ashlynn nodded. “The house smelled like honeysuckle because of it. That was nice. She was good to you. She wasn’t so kind to me.”

  He lowered his head, obviously aware that her statement was fact.

  “How long were you with the Rollinses?”

  “Four years. Until she went to jail because of you.”

  She jumped to defend herself. “She went to jail because of her own actions.” Ashlynn bristled and knew she’d misspoken. He’d obviously been happy there and he blamed her for breaking up his family. She had to try another tactic. She pulled the photo of Jacob from the file. “This is my son. He’s only four years old. He has nothing to do with any of what happened all those years ago. Please, Randy. Please, if you know anything about him, I just want to bring him home.”

  He stared at the picture then shook his head. “I don’t know anything about your kid and I wasn’t involved with any kidnapping. That’s all I have to say without my lawyer.”

  Her heart fell. He’d just shut her down and she knew from experience he was unlikely to offer any information once his lawyer arrived.

  She gathered the photos and walked out, aware that she was likely wearing the same expression of disappointment she’d seen on Vince earlier.

  Vince sighed then nodded to her. “Don’t worry. I’m sure we’ll find something inside that van that will get him talking. I’ll go put a rush on the lab.”

  As he walked off, Garrett took her hand. Ashlynn felt a shiver when his fingers closed over hers. His hand was large and strong and she felt so small and comforted by his touch.

  “Try not to worry,” he said softly. “We found Meeks and we’ll find others that will lead us to Jacob.”

  “I just want him home,” she said. She swiped at a tear that slipped from her eye but another followed it and then another so she gave up and let them fall. What did it matter if Garrett saw her crying?

  He reached up and wiped away a tear, his finger stroking her cheek tenderly. Once again, she was glad he was here. She needed him by her side. This was one time she didn’t have to do it all herself. She had another person she could depend on who understood her need to find Jacob.

  She hoped, even dared to pray, she could trust him to stick around this time.

  * * *

  After the disappointment of being unable to get Meeks to talk, Ashlynn needed to get away from the police station for a while. She asked Garrett to drive her and he agreed. But she hadn’t realized how entering her own neighborhood would affect her. They passed her street and Ashlynn felt a pang of sorrow. So much had happened here. Mira had been murdered, Jacob had been stolen from her and she’d been shot at.

  Garrett pulled into Olivia’s driveway and they got out. Olivia threw her arms around Ashlynn the moment she opened the door, and Ashlynn knew she’d made the right decision in coming here. She needed the encouragement her friend offered. She greeted Garrett, then pulled Ashlynn into the house. She poured them both a cup of coffee, then placed one in front of Ashlynn. “How are you holding up?”

  “I can’t believe this is really happening. And now this all may have a connection to my past. I feel like my entire life is falling apart.” Tears filled her eyes, but she didn’t push them back. This was one place she felt comfortable showing her emotions. “I just want him back. I want to hold him and rock him and tell him I love him. I’m so frightened I may never get that chance again.”

  Olivia glanced at Garrett, who was outside on the patio, standing guard while also giving them some privacy. “I can’t believe I finally got to meet the ranger. He’s just as hunky as you described. No wonder Stephen didn’t measure up.”

  Ashlynn gasped. “What? That’s not true. I did love Stephen. He was a wonderful husband. He’s the one who left. The divorce was his idea, not mine.”

  “Yes, he was a wonderful husband and a good father. You should have appreciated him more.”

  Ashlynn frowned. Why was Olivia attacking her?

  Olivia set down her coffee cup then sighed. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. You’re already going through so much. You don’t need me piling on.”

  “Do you really believe that about me?”

  “Ashlynn, I love you, but nothing is ever good enough for you. You had a great husband, a sweet little boy, a nice home. I don’t understand why that was never enough for you.” Her voice faltered and Ashlynn realized Olivia was going through something herself. Her friend had lost her husband and her son in a car wreck three years prior, and Ashlynn was certain Jacob’s abduction was only bringing up painful memories for her. She’d bonded with Jacob, often offering to babysit or take him for an afternoon at the park.

  Ashlynn couldn’t help the way her eyes kept being drawn to the photos on the mantel. Olivia’s son had been four when he’d died, the same age as Jacob was now, and Ashlynn noticed the two boys shared similar coloring and stature.

  Was it possible...?

  She pushed that thought away immediately. Olivia was her friend. She would never betray Ashlynn in such a manner. But Ken’s words kept floating to her mind. He’d been talking about Bridgette, not Olivia, but she felt they were still applicable. Jealousy was a powerful emotion that often led rational people to do the unthinkable.

  Could grief have turned to obsession for her friend?

  Ashlynn set her coffee mug on the table. “May I use your bathroom?”

  Olivia smiled. “Of course. Go right ahead. I believe I’ll go see if your ranger friend would like a cup of coffee.”

  Ashlynn walked down the hall but glanced back, making sure Olivia was out of sight before she rushed through the house
checking each room, throwing open closet doors and even looking behind the shower curtain. She found no sign of Jacob and for that she was relieved, but that didn’t mean her friend wasn’t involved.

  She saw herself in the bathroom mirror and realized she was the one who’d become obsessed. Look what her anxiety had led her to. She was accusing her friend and searching her house. She buried her face in her hands and let the tears come. She wanted this to be over and she wanted Jacob home.

  Olivia had been right when she’d said those things. Ashlynn should have been more appreciative of what she’d had. It was a revelation, a wake-up call. She’d been so focused on what she didn’t have and how life kept pushing her down that she hadn’t stopped to appreciate all she did have. Stephen had tried to tell her as much and she hadn’t wanted to listen, but now, too late, she realized the truth.

  God had been trying to bless her all along but she hadn’t been paying attention.

  * * *

  As they left Olivia’s, Garrett watched Ashlynn gently touch the raw mark around her neck from Meeks’s attack. Anger still burned in him over that and he knew Meeks should be thankful Garrett wasn’t the kind of man to exact revenge. His heart hammered just remembering the look of terror on Ashlynn’s face when he’d entered and seen the knife to her throat.

  As it was, Meeks wasn’t talking. And a text from Vince delivered more bad news. They hadn’t uncovered any evidence in Meeks’s apartment that could link him to Jacob’s abduction. As of now, only the van and the unknown witness Garrett had spoken to pointed to his involvement. And they hadn’t been able to track down the guy Garrett had cornered outside the shop. Garrett suspected he had headed home the moment they’d left and was long gone once the police arrived.

  He and Ashlynn had reluctantly returned to the cabin, each hyperaware that forty-eight hours had passed and they were no closer to bringing Jacob home.

  He walked over and tossed another log onto the fire in the fireplace as Ashlynn remained curled up on the couch.