The Christmas Bell Tolls

by Robin Caroll

  Rafe flashed his badge. “Jackson Kent?”

  The man nodded. “What’s this about?”

  “FBI. We have a few questions for you.”

  “About?”

  “May we come in?” Darren asked.

  Mr. Kent hesitated, then opened the door all the way and motioned them inside.

  The living room was small, but cozy. A couch, chair, small end table, and a full-wall entertainment center that housed a television and all the accessories filled the room.

  Mr. Kent waved them toward the couch. “Take a seat, I guess.” He dropped into the only chair in the room. “Now, what’s this about?”

  “Margaret Brewster. Your ex-wife.” Rafe leaned forward from his seat on the far end of the couch.

  Darren sat crushed between Rafe and Eva.

  “Last time I heard from her, she was still in the nut house. She’s crazy, you know.” Mr. Kent fingered the hem of his tattered flannel shirt.

  “Tell us about that.”

  “About what? Her being crazy? That’s actually being generous, by the way.”

  Rafe nodded.

  “Look, I don’t know what she told you, but I—”

  “Pretend we don’t know a thing about her. Just tell us the story of how you met and married and then divorced.” Darren sat a little straighter.

  “We went out maybe two or three times, not many. We weren’t dating by any stretch of the imagination. But, one thing led to another, and the next thing I know, she told me she was pregnant and we needed to get married.”

  “Was she? Pregnant, I mean?” Darren asked.

  “I thought so. She had a positive pregnancy test thing. It was enough for me.” Mr. Kent looked a little sheepish, especially as he made eye-contact with Eva. “I would never turn my back on a kid of mine.”

  Eva smiled. These days, not every man would stand up for his responsibilities.

  “So we got married. We got a little apartment. It was an adjustment. She played a good part, like she was dedicating herself to be a good wife and mother.” He shook his head. “Man, she was good. She had justification for everything I’d question.”

  “What do you mean?” Rafe asked.

  “Like, she couldn’t schedule any of her doctor appointments at times when I could meet her during my lunch hour because her doctor covered for the emergency room during that hour. She brought home pictures of the ultrasound though. A boy. Even a video.” He leaned back in the chair and stared at the ceiling. “She had an answer for everything. Like she was so sensitive about the weight gain that I couldn’t touch her stomach. She wore the biggest and longest maternity shirts she could find. She said it was a high risk pregnancy, so she had to be extra cautious.”

  He made eye contact with Eva, then switched to Rafe. “I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable so I never questioned it. Never asked too many questions. Just did what she asked.”

  Darren shifted on the couch.

  “We got a crib, decorated the nursery. Keep in mind, I didn’t know what pregnancy was like. I hadn’t ever been with a pregnant chick. It never occurred to me to ask about anything. I didn’t have any reason to not believe what she told me.”

  Eva had the strangest sensation creeping into her gut. Rafe and Darren must have had it, too, because Rafe nodded.

  Mr. Kent rubbed his palms against his thighs. “And then one morning, I woke up to find a note on the bed where Mags shoulda been. It said she was in labor and she’d tried to wake me up, but couldn’t.”

  His cheeks flashed red. “By this time, everything had gotten a little too serious for me. The bills were piling up and Mags was always on me about the hours I worked, but construction jobs were getting harder and harder to come by. Every so often, I’d taken to having a beer or two with the guys before coming home.” His face burned now. “So, she might have tried to wake me up and I could’ve waved her off.”

  “What happened?” Eva’s mouth was so dry, cotton would be moist by comparison.

  “The note said she’d taken a cab to the hospital. I called Baptist Memorial, where she’d told me she’d pre-registered, and asked if my wife, Margaret Kent had been admitted yet. The woman on the phone told me she hadn’t yet. So, of course, I got dressed and raced over there. I was relieved I hadn’t missed the birth.”

  “Of course.” Eva could imagine the panic he felt. The fear. And probably a little bit of self-loathing that Mags hadn’t been able to wake him up. A part of Eva felt for Mags, despite everything she knew about her.

  “I got to the hospital and followed the signs to labor and delivery. I checked in at the nurses’ station there, and they had no record of her. I was confused because I’d talked to someone and they’d told me she hadn’t been admitted yet, not that she wasn’t there.”

  “I’m confused. She wasn’t there?” Rafe asked.

  “Exactly, man. I mean, that’s exactly what I thought. So one of the nurses gets on the phone with somebody and she is talking, but looking at me like I’m a little crazy. Know what I mean?”

  Darren nodded. “I do.”

  “She finally hangs up and tells me someone is coming to meet me to take me to my wife. So naturally, at this point, I’m wondering what in the world is going on.”

  Eva was wondering the same thing herself.

  “Get this, a doctor comes and takes me to a conference style room and starts asking me all sorts of questions. Like who is Mags’ OB and had I ever felt the baby kick and stuff like that. Naturally, I’m worried, so I just flat-out ask him if something happened to the baby. And that’s when he lays it on me.”

  Jackson Kent said nothing more, just shook his head and mumbled, “I couldn’t believe it.”

  A moment of silence passed. Then another.

  Eva couldn’t wait any longer. “What happened to the baby?”

  His gaze locked onto Eva’s. “That’s just it. There wasn’t a baby. There was never a baby.”

  Thirteen

  “There was never a baby?” Maddie’s eyes grew rounder as she slid a cup of coffee to Eva.

  Eva reached for a spoon. “Never. She faked the whole pregnancy.”

  “And when she showed up at the hospital, claiming to be in labor, they took her to the psych ward. When Jackson showed up, she claimed they took her baby and Jackson wouldn’t let her see it. He said he didn’t feel like he had a choice so he signed the paperwork to have her admitted.” Darren still had a hard time grasping the enormity of Margaret Brewster’s mental state.

  And she had Savannah!

  “That’s actually kind of sad.” Maddie passed Eva the cream and sugar.

  “It is when you think about it.” Eva poured cream and dumped four spoons of sugar into the coffee.

  “I guess it was too much for Jackson Kent to handle, huh?” Maddie made a tsking noise under her breath. “So many people can’t deal with the mentally ill.”

  Rafe snorted. “It wasn’t that, Mads. She not only lied to him, but she gave him a STD, one that left them both sterile. She wouldn’t have been able to get pregnant had she been trying. He’ll never get to have children.”

  “Oh, that’s horrible.” Maddie took a sip of her coffee.

  He was such a mess of emotions. Angry at Mags one minute, feeling sorry for her, then worrying she was so unstable that she’d hurt Savannah.

  Eva put her hand over his and squeezed. The warmth tingled all the way up his arm. “But she was discharged. Doctors have an obligation not to release someone who is a danger to themselves or others, so she must have been improved.”

  “Or faking it really well, which we already know she’s more than qualified to do.” He still couldn’t imagine how she’d managed to fake a pregnancy. When Georgia had been pregnant with Savannah, there was no question there was an active baby. Her belly moved all the time during the last trimester. And now Savy was in the hands of Margaret Brewster. “And she is a danger. She’s taken my daughter.”

  His cell rang. He checked the caller-ID, then ans
wered. “Agent Lacey?”

  “Warrant came through. SAC Wilson sent a unit to the store to be there as soon as they open. Warrant covers financial records as well as video. We’re hoping to get an address.”

  “That’s great news.” He hesitated in telling her about Jackson Kent and Mags’ mental health. She would most likely be compelled to tell Wilson, which would get them in trouble. He couldn’t risk putting Rafe, Maddie and Eva’s jobs in jeopardy for helping him.

  “SAC Wilson was more than a little upset you were gone before he arrived this morning. Especially since he got here before seven thirty.”

  “I need to be with people who know my daughter. Know me. Love us.” Which wasn’t a lie, but it wasn’t the whole truth either. Lord, forgive me.

  “I understand. I just wanted to keep you up to date. I’ll let you know something as soon as I hear.”

  “Thanks, Agent Lacey. I appreciate it.” He hung up, then let the rest of the group about the warrant.

  “We already know it’s her. This is almost a waste of time,” Maddie said.

  “But maybe we’ll get an address from the financial records,” Eva offered.

  “That would be a miracle,” Darren mumbled. All he wanted was to have his daughter safely home. He didn’t care if Mags was punished or not, he just wanted Savy back. Please, God. Please give her back to me.

  Riley snorted as she plopped down on the couch, her laptop open in her hands. “Maybe not. Let me try.” Her fingers flew over the keyboard. “I’m still not finding any address on her. I’m starting to take it personally. I can usually find someone.”

  “It’s possible that she’s hidden her tracks well. She did plan this abduction,” Rafe said. “She’s crazy, but she’s also wily in a way.”

  Eva’s cell rang. She quickly answered. “Ivan, what’s going on?”

  A pause while Eva waved Maddie over. “Yes, I’m here with Maddie. What’s the news?”

  Everyone in the living room went silent.

  “You’re positive? Dr. Sebrowski confirmed?”

  Eva let out a long breath, then smiled. “Thank you, Ivan. I know you put a lot on the line to call us. I won’t forget this.” She hung up the phone and stared at Darren. “We’ve got a match. One of the samples I got from the community center matched DNA to a Margaret Kent. That’s why her name didn’t pop up in my search. It was under her married name.”

  “Maybe that’s why I can’t find her,” Riley mumbled, going back to her computer.

  “Ivan said Peter already had a call in to Leo Wilson. This will definitely get things in motion. Arrest warrant as soon as the bureau can track her address.”

  Thank You, Jesus! Darren blinked against burning eyes. The people in this room had put their careers on the line for him and Savannah. Was it too much to hope it was about to be over?

  “I can’t find an address even under her married name,” Riley said.

  “The bureau will find it,” Nick said as he grabbed his keys. “Protocol aside, we need to see Wilson. Come on, Rafe. You, too.” He bent and kissed Maddie. “I’ll let you know what we find out.”

  Eva paused in front of Darren. He could understand what she felt. He wanted to hug her, kiss her like Nick had kissed Maddie, but knew he couldn’t.

  She took the decision off his plate when she stood on tiptoe and hugged him. Hard. He breathed in, drawing in the unique spicy smell of the perfume she always wore. “I’m praying,” she whispered before letting him go.

  He didn’t have time to reply as Nick already had the front door open and Rafe handed him his coat. Darren followed them out the door and into the snow.

  Snow…The ground was covered already. It hadn’t even begun to fall when they’d come back from talking with Jackson Kent, and now, the ground crunched as they made their way to the car. He prayed that wherever crazy Mags had Savannah, his daughter was warm and safe.

  Nick and Rafe kept up conversation on the drive to Darren’s, but his mind alternated between Savannah and Eva. Now wasn’t the time to be thinking romantic thoughts, his logical mind screamed, but his emotional side demanded that he accept what he was feeling for Eva. She had to feel it, too.

  Didn’t she?

  What if he’d blown his chance? What if it was too late for them? But that hug…

  Was Savannah using the inhaler every six hours like she was supposed to? Would Mags know? Would she make sure his baby kept to her medical plan? Did she even know about Savannah’s heart condition?

  Eva had held him so tight, surely she had feelings for him, too.

  “I can’t believe I’m not finding anything.” Riley sat the laptop on the coffee table and grabbed her coffee. “I’m better than this.”

  Maddie chuckled and pulled the throw blanket over her legs. “Face it, Ril, there are some things even you can’t uncover.”

  Riley stuck her tongue out at her sister.

  Eva chewed her bottom lip.

  “What?” Maddie asked.

  “There’s one thing we haven’t asked ourselves about the situation.” Eva set her empty cup on the table.

  “What’s that?” Riley asked.

  “Well, it can’t be a coincidence that Mags saw—dated—whatever Darren six years ago and now abducted Savannah. She had to have targeted Savannah.”

  Maddie nodded. “I’m sure. I mean, she’s in the hospital for five years, finally released to what? Jackson divorced her. She doesn’t have anybody. She can’t have children. So she plans to take Savannah.”

  Eva nodded slowly. “Does she hope to entice Darren to her so she can have a family? Is that her end game? Take Savannah, which will draw Darren out? She thought herself in love with him before. Does she think she can have the happily ever after now?”

  “Maybe. Probably.” Maddie shrugged. “In her mind, it’s logical. She and Darren had a great love affair until Georgia came along. After Jackson divorced her, I’m sure she became fixated on a happier time in her life. Darren. If she has his daughter, he’ll come back to her and they’ll live happily ever after.”

  “That’s so sick.” Riley finished her coffee.

  “But how did she know about Savannah? Know that it was just Darren and Savannah?” Eva couldn’t believe they hadn’t gone down her motive before. They’d been so focused on finding Mags, they hadn’t really considered why she took Savannah. Now that they figured out the connection, they were missing the bigger questions to ask.

  “Maybe she saw them in a store and recognized them.” Riley yanked the blanket from Maddie and covered her feet, then pulled the computer back onto her lap.

  Maddie nodded. “And started stalking them. We know she followed them to the shoe store last weekend. She probably started following them weeks ago. Planning.”

  “Right. So that means…” Eva smiled.

  Riley snapped her fingers. “That means she’s local. FBI agents don’t have their personal information available to the public. There had to be a chance sighting, which means she had to be in the area.” She started typing. “That might help me locate her.”

  Fourteen

  “We’ve got her home address. A garage apartment less than thirty minutes away.” No mistaking the excitement in Darren’s voice. “Wilson’s relented and letting us go with the team.”

  “That’s as it should be. Be careful. The news says the roads are horrible.” Eva was both excited for Darren, and worried at the same time.

  “Tell Maddie that Nick said he’d call as soon as we have Savannah.”

  “Good luck. We’ll be waiting to hear the good news.” She disconnected the call and told Maddie and Riley. “I guess it’ll be over with soon.”

  Riley stood and looked at her cellphone. She’d had Darren send photos of the maps and such from his house. “I don’t know.”

  “What?” Maddie stared out the window into the snow pelting down.

  “The sightings…they were going away from town.”

  “Maybe she planned to leave, but once the Amber alert hit,
she realized she wouldn’t be able to get out.” Even as Eva said it, she didn’t believe it. Mags Brewster might be crazy, but she’d managed to pull off the abduction and not get caught for over twenty-four hours.

  She had a plan.

  “Something else is bothering me,” Riley said.

  “What?” Maddie joined them in the living room.

  “She didn’t try to hide her address.”

  “Why would she? I doubt she thought she’d get caught,” Maddie said.

  “No, I see where Riley’s going here.” Eva sucked on her bottom lip as she thought. “If she really planned to have a life with Darren and Savannah, she would think bigger. She wouldn’t risk taking Savannah to a garage apartment where someone could see her. Even when she pretended she was pregnant, on some level she knew it wasn’t real because she wouldn’t let Jackson Kent see her naked or touch her stomach.”

  Riley nodded. “And she’s been careful to hide her appearance at the gas station and drug store.” She typed on the computer. “She might have bought something online that I can track.” She looked over the laptop. “You two might not want to be in here.”

  “Why?” Eva asked.

  “The way I’m about to try and find out some information isn’t, well, it isn’t exactly legal.”

  “Riley Baxter Simpson, are you going to hack into something again?” Maddie sounded more exasperated than angry.

  “Again?” Eva didn’t know Riley all that well, but she’d never heard Maddie mention hacking before.

  Riley shrugged. “A couple of times, to get a story, I’ve had to be…uh…creative in how I obtained information.”

  “Creative in that her husband almost had to arrest her.” Maddie crossed her arms over her chest. “You said you didn’t have those types of contacts anymore.”

  “I don’t. They taught me how to do it myself.” Riley had the decency to blush. “Do you want me to try and find this woman and possibly Savannah or not?”