by Meg O'Brien
“Abby, I’ve got my hands full right now, and I just don’t see how I can stop what I’m doing to handle all this.”
Abby was silent a moment. “I don’t get it. If they have Danny—”
Kris’s voice sounded tired and desperate. “I know, but I don’t think…Abby, I just don’t think it’s Danny they’ve got. Maybe they do this all the time, hold kids hostage. Who knows who this kid might be?”
“But what makes you think it’s not Danny? This is the best lead we’ve had, Kris.”
“Abby…” There was a long pause. “Look, this is between us, okay?”
“Uh, sure…I guess.”
“No, I mean this. You’ve got to swear.”
“Okay, okay! I won’t breathe a word.”
“If you ever do…”
“Kris, for God’s sake!”
She could hear Kris’s deep breath over the phone. “I’m pretty sure Gerry Gerard has my son.”
Abby was stunned. “Gerry! You can’t be serious.”
“I’m quite serious,” Kris said. “I’ve tried all my sources, and no one has heard anything about this Candlelight group, the IRA or al-Qaeda holding a little boy hostage.”
“But—”
“Abby, I’ve talked to the people who would know, people I trust to tell me the truth. That leaves me with just one son of a bitch cruel enough to do what he’s done. Gerry Gerard.”
“But that doesn’t make sense. Why would Gerry—”
“It makes all the sense in the world. I don’t know why I didn’t think of him in the first place. Gerry is Danny’s father, Abby. He’s been trying to get him from me for years.”
“My God!” For a long moment, Abby didn’t know what to say. “Does Alicia know about this?”
“Not from me. And I doubt Gerry ever told her. It was a one-night stand, Abby. I was hired to be his bodyguard at a convention one night, and when we got to his hotel, one thing led to another…” She sighed. “It’s not like we had a relationship of any kind. He went home to Alicia afterward, and I had Danny and raised him alone. End of story—or almost. He found out about Danny somehow and picked him up from school one day. With a forged note from me, by the way. Took him to New York and kept him for five days. Danny didn’t know who he was, just what Gerry told him—that he was a friend of his mother’s. It scared him to death.”
“But that’s terrible! And you didn’t know where he was? For five days?”
“Not a thing. While he had him, Gerry had a crony MD of his run a paternity test in record time. His lawyer showed up at my door five days later and told me he’d bring Danny home after I signed papers giving Gerry joint custody. I was outraged, of course, but frightened, too. I already had the police looking for Danny, but Gerry was threatening all kinds of things if I told them what he was doing, like taking him out of the country so I’d never see him again. I knew he’d do it if I didn’t think of something, and fast.”
“So you gave in to him? You gave him joint custody?”
“Like hell I did. I had a couple of guys on my CIA team find out where he was keeping Danny, bring him home and at the same time scare the hell out of Gerry.”
“And since then?”
“Since then, I’ve practically had to build a moat around Danny, to keep Gerry from grabbing him again.”
“He’s tried?”
“Oh, yes, he’s tried. Twice.”
“Can’t you get a restraining order against him?”
“I finally did get one, despite all his threats. It might as well be an engraved invitation, for all the good it does.”
“Kris, I’m so sorry. Gerry used to be someone I admired, but I guess I really don’t know him anymore.”
She was remembering that Alicia hadn’t wanted him to know what was going on with her, nor did she want him to take care of Jancy while she was away.
She’d denied that he was abusive, though. So there must be other things Alicia knew about Gerry that she was not ready to talk about.
At the very least, she probably hadn’t trusted him enough to tell him about the murder at the Highlands, or that the FBI and CIA were looking for her father, and why.
“Okay, look,” Abby said. “I have another source for finding out where that guy on the phone is. You just do what you have to do there. Which reminds me, where are you?”
“I’m in New York. Shadowing Gerard, looking for a chance to get into his apartment. He’s got it guarded better than the queen’s castle. That, if nothing else, makes me think he’s got Danny in there.”
“All the more reason why you shouldn’t be doing this alone. Gerry sounds like he’d do just about anything to stop you if you went in after Danny.”
“I agree, I need help. And, Abby—I don’t want you to feel like I’m stepping on your toes here, but I’ve asked Ben to help me out.”
“Ben?”
“Well, he’s not part of any of the agencies, and I’m supposed to be out sick, after all. He’s the one person I could think of to keep this confidential, at least once he’d heard the whole story.”
“So you did tell him about Gerry being Danny’s father?”
“I…I had to. I’m sorry, Abby. I know you and Ben have a relationship, and I’m honestly not trying to put myself in the middle of that.”
“No…I mean, you’re right, of course. Ben’s a good choice. But you’re not going to tell him what I’m doing, are you?”
“That you’re in Galveston chasing down Alicia Gerard and Pat Devlin? Not a chance. Although I must tell you, I’m sure he’s figured at least some of it out.”
“I’d be surprised if he hadn’t,” Abby said. “But you still want me to hold off on turning Devlin in—that is, if I find him—till I hear you’ve got Danny?”
“If you possibly can. I don’t think Gerry would actually hurt him. I mean, that note—if he’s the one who sent it—was just meant to scare me, I’m sure. On the other hand, I doubt Gerry would hesitate to take Danny out of the country and hide him away someplace where I’d never see him again.”
“Kris, about that note. Why would he have made it look like The Candlelights sent it? Does Gerry have some connection to them?”
“Not that I ever knew of. But it does seem too much of a coincidence, all this happening with The Candlelights and Gerry taking Danny at the same time.”
“My point exactly,” Abby said. Her voice hardened. “What about Jancy? Do you still insist on using her to make Devlin turn the bomb over to the feds?”
“Oh, Abby…I was half out of my mind about Danny when I did that. I’ve already had her taken back to the Prayer House.”
“So she’s okay?”
“The only harm she might come to is being spoiled to death by Sister Helen.”
Abby breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank God.”
“Well, I couldn’t really give that poor kid any more grief in her life. She’s half the reason I’ve been keeping Danny’s paternity a secret. And before this is over, she and her mother will have all the trouble they can handle. Now, what about you? What are you doing next?”
“We’ll be checking out a mobile home park here as soon as the office opens. My informant thinks we might find the Devlins there.”
“We?” Kris said.
“I have a friend here helping me.”
“A friend. That wouldn’t be your partner in crime from Phoenix, would it?”
“It would.”
“He’s trustworthy?”
“Absolutely.”
That’s great,” Kris said. “We both have backup, then. Call me the minute you have Devlin under control.”
“Kris,” Abby said worriedly, “I know Danny’s got to be your priority, but don’t forget…we only have today and tomorrow left. In fact, we don’t know how much of tomorrow is left.”
“I’ve hardly forgotten,” Kris snapped.
“I know. I just meant…oh, I don’t know what I meant. Sorry.”
She did know, but couldn’t bring hersel
f to say it: while Kris was busy getting her son back, they could be losing the race to find that bomb.
But there had to be thousands of agents all over the country by now, working on finding it. They didn’t need Kris, and they sure as hell didn’t need her getting in their way.
Still, she couldn’t back off now. Even though that note threatening Danny’s life might have been a hoax, written by Gerry, they couldn’t be sure until Danny was found. Besides, there was her promise to Jancy—that her mother and she would be all right. That might not be a promise she could keep, as far as Alicia, at least, was concerned, but she could try.
She hung up after wishing Kris luck, then turned to Jimmy.
“Kris has her hands full. I’m thinking Joey, for that phone number?”
“Dial for me,” he said. “I’ll talk to him.”
He told her the numbers and she punched them in. Joey answered personally and she handed the phone to Jimmy.
“We need a phone number,” he said, “and we need to know where it is. Pronto.”
He told Joey the address of the warehouse and explained that they didn’t know the number there. Then he gave him the time Abby had made the call, and said that this was the address they needed. Joey said he’d get on it and call back.
They headed back to the motel, Jimmy driving and Abby sitting silently—or so she thought—next to him.
“What was that?” Jimmy said, as he navigated the early morning traffic.
“What?”
“You were thinking out loud. Muttering.”
“Oh. Well, one thing I was thinking is that Pat Devlin couldn’t have turned the bomb over to The Candlelights yet, because Hardy and his little friend were still there at the warehouse waiting for it.”
“If the package is, in fact, the bomb,” Jimmy said.
“Right. You think it’s something else?”
“Just wondering. This woman, Linda, who’s supposed to be delivering it. Unless she’s Wonder Woman, I can’t quite see her lugging a bomb onto a truck, hauling it through the streets of Galveston and then sneaking it into that warehouse. Even if she could hide it somehow, there’s no loading dock, remember? No lift or any other kind of loading equipment there.”
“Not to mention that there’s just that one small door in back and another in front,” Abby said. “Of course, we don’t know if they’re talking about the entire bomb.”
“True. Maybe the package is the deadly part of it, the bioweapons or chemicals. I would imagine they might come in a small package, to be loaded into the actual bomb.”
“Which could be just about anywhere,” Abby said, holding back a groan. “But let’s look on the bright side,” she added. “If you’re right, then the ‘package’ could very well be right in Devlin’s house.”
She looked at her watch. “Ten after six. The office at Emerald Gardens doesn’t open till nine. We need to get there as soon as we can, in case Devlin isn’t there at all.”
“Or he is, and we can’t get to him,” Jimmy said.
“In which case—”
“In which case, we’d better call in the marines,” Jimmy said. “Meanwhile, let’s try to catch a nap when we get to the motel. This is bound to be a long day—and probably an even longer night.”
By the time they’d settled in—Abby on the bed and Jimmy stretched out on the floor, which he insisted was better for his back than the bed or a chair—Joey was calling back with the address of the redialed number in Galveston.
“The place is over the causeway from Galveston, toward NASA and Houston. It’s built like a farmhouse, but most of the surrounding land is just swamp,” he told Abby. “There’s a long dirt road leading to it, and you can’t get there any other way, except maybe by chopper. If you’re in a car or walking, they’ll be able to see you coming, ’cause there’s no trees, no nothin’.”
Joey had additional information about Emerald Gardens. “If you’re hoping to get anything out of the guy in the office, good luck. His job is to steer people away from the place. So number one, don’t let Jimmy go in there. He’ll be spotted as a lawyer right away. And when you do go in, Abby, wear something dressy. A good suit, maybe. Try to look well-off. It’s a mobile home park, but my guy says you’ve never seen one as classy as this one. Anyway, this is the last address he could find for the Devlins, and it wasn’t easy. Or cheap.”
“Send me the bill,” Abby said.
“You better believe I will. But, Abby, I can’t promise you they’re still there. I’m just thinking maybe you can find someone who knows where they are now. A neighbor, maybe. Just don’t go around asking too many questions, because I’m pretty sure they’ll just clam up. Look for clues, instead. Mailboxes, trash, if it’s on the curb, cars parked with mail on the dash, that sort of thing.”
“I’ll remember that,” Abby said, wondering just how inconspicuous she could manage to look doing all that in broad daylight. Especially in some “dressy suit.” Which, come to think of it, she didn’t have with her.
She thanked Joey and told Jimmy what he’d said, adding that she’d have to pick up a suit and heels somewhere along the way. “That’s going to change our schedule a bit.”
“Just a bit?” Jimmy said skeptically. “Since when does a woman take ‘just a bit’ of time shopping?”
“When that woman is me,” she said. “Just watch me.”
“And where exactly are you hoping to find this up-scale suit? I haven’t seen anything but gas stations, restaurants and motels along the highway.”
“Ah, but that’s where being a woman comes in handy. I—being a woman—noticed a mall a few miles up the road. It probably doesn’t open till ten, but I’m pretty fast at shopping for clothes. I figure we can be at Emerald Gardens by eleven, if not before.”
Jimmy sighed. “I guess we’ll see if I was right, then.”
“Right?”
“Calling you Wonder Woman.”
Abby smiled and lay back down on the bed, appreciating the cool pillowcases under her head. She would just close her eyes for a minute….
“Wake up, Sleeping Beauty,” she heard, as if through a fog. Opening her eyes she saw that Jimmy had showered and dressed in a clean shirt and jeans. He was shaving with a cordless razor as he wandered around the room, now and then pushing the drapes back an inch or two to look out.
“What are you looking at?” she asked.
He shrugged. “Not much.”
“What time is it?”
“It’s 9:22. I figured time enough for you to get dressed and get to that mall when it opens.”
“Sounds right. I’ll get ready,” she said.
He set the razor down. “We’re out of coffee. I’ll go down to the office and get us some.”
“Sounds great.”
At the door he turned back. “By the way, check the news on TV. There’s a tropical storm headed this way.”
“Please, not a hurricane,” she said. “That’s about all we need now.”
“Just some heavy rain, I think.”
He left, and she took a quick shower. Fifteen minutes later she checked herself out in the motel mirror, thinking she’d managed to look upscale from the neck up, at least. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a smart twist, and her makeup was perfect. It showed off her high cheekbones and dark eyes, but was still subtle enough to be considered “tasteful.” At the store she’d find pearl earrings and a necklace, possibly a lightweight designer suit and sunglasses.
Since Jimmy hadn’t returned yet from the office, she decided to get his car in back and drive up there. Stepping out of the air-conditioned motel room, though, was like opening the door of a blast furnace. A sign across the street on a bank read 102 degrees, but the heat index had to be at least 115. By the time she’d walked to the back lot where their cars were, Abby was drenched.
“And it hasn’t even started raining yet,” she muttered. Her “subtle” eye makeup was dripping and her reflection in the car window told her that rather than an up-scale
society matron, she looked like Dracula’s bride.
She unlocked Jimmy’s car and slid into the driver’s seat, turning on the air-conditioning full blast. Taking a Kleenex from the car’s glove box, she wiped as much of the makeup off as she could. Then she drove around to the front office. When she didn’t see Jimmy through the office windows, she got out of the car and went in to look for him.
The manager glanced up and asked with a smile, “Good morning. Something I can do for you?”
“I’m looking for my friend,” Abby said. “Tall, dark hair…he came down to get coffee….”
Her voice trailed off as she looked around and realized there wasn’t a table set up with coffee and doughnuts, as in some motels.
“I’m sorry,” the manager said. “We don’t offer a continental breakfast. There are coffeepots in every room, though.”
“I know, but…My friend must have gotten his signals crossed. He did come in here?”
The manager shook his head. “No one’s been in here in the last hour. Most of our guests pay in advance, then they leave their keys in their rooms.”
“I know,” she said, confused and still looking around. “I just thought…”
She went back to the car and drove around the motel, checking out the parking lot on every side. It was late, and most people had already checked out. There were only a handful of cars in the lot.
And no Jimmy.
There was a gas station next to the motel, and she drove over there to look for him. Had he walked over here looking for a coffee machine, then used the restroom?
But no one answered her knock on the men’s restroom door, and the clerk inside said he hadn’t seen anyone matching Jimmy’s description.
She was seriously worried now. If Jimmy had intended to go any distance, surely he’d have taken his car. She crossed over to the bank and looked inside. Not there.
For the first time, the thought struck her: Something’s happened to him. He wouldn’t just disappear like this.
Then she remembered the way he’d been looking out the motel room window when she’d woken up. She’d asked what he was looking at, and he’d said, “Not much.” Shortly after that he’d said he was going to the office for coffee. Where was he?