“How are you, Kyle?” She pulled back further and started checking him, looking for any damage. “Did they hurt you?”
He shook his head.
She looked over her shoulder at the doctor, who smiled at her. “He's fine, Mrs. Stone.” He walked over to them and ruffled Kyle's hair. “He's ready to go home.”
Amanda looked at him, almost not believing she could bring Kyle home. Then she went into action, getting him dressed.
After a moment Kyle stopped her. “I can dress myself, Mom.”
She laughed, her eyes unnaturally bright. “I'm sorry. Of course you can.”
He finished dressing, jumped off the table and stood there, ready to go.
Throughout everything Mark had been standing quietly in a corner, taking it all in. He walked over to Kyle and gathered him in his arms, tears flowing freely. Kyle pulled back slightly.
“Dad? Why are you crying?” He hadn't seen his father cry before and didn't know what to make of it.
Mark hugged him close, the tears choking up his voice. “I'm just so happy to see you, Kyle. I love you.”
Kyle hugged him back. “I love you, too.”
Amanda joined the hug and knew her family was complete again.
They climbed into their car as quickly as they could, trying to ignore the shouts of the media. They drove home and ran in the house before the reporters caught up with them.
Chapter Thirty-Seven
Stacey entered the atrium and walked toward the woman who was sitting at the table by herself. She figured she had a few minutes before Deanna finished getting a new room key and came back down. At the thought of Deanna, Stacey looked up in the direction of the room she had just been in, not sure exactly which one it was. She didn't see anyone on the eighth floor watching her, so she stepped up to the table where the woman was sitting.
“Excuse me,” Stacey said, a goofy smile on her face. “Don't I know you?”
The woman looked uncomfortable. “I don't think so.”
Stacey touched her finger to her chin. “Are you sure? You look really familiar.”
The woman smiled, uncertain.
“What's your name?” Stacey asked.
“Tammy Everett.”
“Oh.” Stacey assumed she was Deanna's sister. Then, making a face like she was deep in thought, she asked, “Where are you from?”
The woman looked around, apparently uncomfortable with all the questions. “I'm from out of town. I'm just here visiting someone.” She looked around again. “And she should be back here in a minute.”
“Sorry.” Stacey smiled at her. “I guess I thought you were someone else.” Stacey quickly walked away.
She wondered if Tammy was a guest there, too. She also wondered why Deanna didn't just have her sister come visit at her apartment. One more puzzle to solve, Stacey thought. Every time I think I'm getting closer to the answer, more questions pop up.
She looked at her watch and saw she still had two hours before she was to meet Deanna.
I hope she doesn't bring her sister along to the meeting, thought Stacey.
Because she wanted privacy while opening the envelope she had pilfered from Deanna's room, and because she was famished, she decided to go to a restaurant, find a quiet place to sit, and have a bite to eat. That would give her more isolation than in the open hotel atrium. She remembered seeing a couple of restaurants across the street and decided to go to one of them.
Walking out the door of the hotel, she turned down the street and walked until she came to a familiar Mexican restaurant, El Toritos.
As she opened the door, the smells of spicy Mexican food filled her nostrils and she felt her stomach growl. The waitress seated her at a table in the corner near a window. After looking through the menu, she ordered a chicken enchilada and water.
As she waited for her food, she looked around at the other diners. There were still several empty tables, but the ones that were occupied were filled with people who seemed to be having a good time. As she listened to their subdued chatter, she thought about her family and wished she could have stayed home with them instead of coming to the hotel. Closing her eyes, she leaned her head back as she thought about her husband of nearly nine years.
He was probably fixing peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for their children right now. She hoped they would enjoy the day together.
Reaching into her purse, she pulled out the envelope. She knew it was against the law to open someone else's mail, but it was against the law to murder someone, too, which was exactly what Perkins seemed to be accusing her of. Which was the lesser crime? Besides, this envelope had already been opened.
Again, she read the name on the envelope. It was addressed to Deanna and the return address was the Stone's house. Stacey reached in and plucked out the contents. Her eyebrows went up as she stared at the first photo. It was a picture of Deanna and Kyle. Kyle was smiling and the picture looked recent. Who had taken it? Could it be Tina, Deanna's roommate? Is she involved, too? Stacey turned to the next photo. This one showed a smiling Mark and Deanna, their faces pressed together cheek to cheek, facing the camera.
When were these taken? Do Mark and Deanna have Kyle stashed someplace where he thinks he's just on an adventure? I hope so, she thought.
Stacey nearly jumped as the waitress set the food down on the table in front of her. Quickly putting the photos back in the envelope, she wondered what would happen when Deanna couldn't find them.
As she picked up her fork to begin eating, she looked out the window at the cars driving by, then dropped her fork back onto her plate with a loud clatter. She had just seen someone drive by and pull into the hotel parking lot. Someone who looked a lot like Detective Perkins.
Maybe he found something out about Deanna, she told herself. Either that or Jason was forced to tell him I came here and he's here to arrest me. She shuddered at the thought.
Well, I did tell him in that note that Deanna's staying there, she thought. So he's probably just here to talk to her.
Stacey wondered if it was still a good idea to meet with Deanna at two o'clock. Then she decided to show up for the appointment, just to see what would happen.
Picking her fork up again, she tried to eat her enchilada, even though her appetite had suddenly diminished.
* * *
Sitting at the table and admiring the flowers hanging nearby, Stacey noticed the atrium was beginning to empty as people went off to their various destinations. Stacey looked at her watch again, then looked around to see if Deanna was approaching yet. It was only one-thirty, so Stacey didn't really expect her for another half hour.
Trying to be inconspicuous as she looked at the other people sitting at tables, she stood up, needing to stretch her legs. As she walked toward the lobby she was surprised to see Tammy Everett talking to the clerk at the front counter. There were suitcases by her side and Deanna was nowhere in sight. Stacey hoped Tammy was checking out.
She watched as Tammy signed something, lifted her bags off the floor and left the hotel. She wondered if Detective Perkins was up in Deanna's room questioning her or if he had left too. Wandering over to a comfortable chair, one deep in a corner of the room, she sat down again, prepared to wait a while longer.
An hour later, when Stacey was convinced she was not going to come, Deanna walked into the atrium and looked around.
“Hi, Deanna. I was about to give up on you coming,” Stacey said as she approached her.
Deanna smiled briefly. “I had to take care of something.”
“That's all right.” Stacey motioned to a nearby table. “Why don't we sit over there?”
Deanna followed Stacey to the table and sat down. When Stacey asked if she could get her something to drink, Deanna declined and said, “Look. I have a lot of stuff to do today. What did you want to talk to me about?”
While she had been waiting for Deanna to show up, Stacey had thought about how she would approach this conversation. She had finally decided the direct approach w
ould be best. Pulling out the pictures she'd taken from Deanna's room, Stacey laid them out on the table.
“Where did you get those?” Deanna asked, anger clear in her voice.
“A little bird gave them to me,” Stacey said, smiling.
“What newspaper did you say you worked for?”
“I don't work for a newspaper, Deanna.”
Deanna jerked back in surprise. “I thought you said you were a reporter.”
Stacey laughed. “That's just my cover.”
Deanna was obviously confused. “What do you mean? Cover for what?”
Stacey leaned forward and looked around conspiratorially. “I'm not at liberty to say. But I also need to know who that woman was you were with earlier. Was she your sister?”
“Wait a minute. Please tell me what's going on.”
“I'm investigating Kyle Stone's kidnapping and I would suggest you answer my questions,” Stacey said, hoping she sounded authoritative.
“Is that why you were asking about Mark Stone at the school?”
“Yes. Now tell me about these pictures,” Stacey said, hoping Deanna would quit asking so many questions. “And was that your sister you were with earlier?”
“Yes that was my sister. We're here taking care of some family business.”
“Good. And when were these pictures taken?” Stacey asked, tapping the photo of Deanna and Mark.
“Do you have some identification?” Deanna asked.
The only identification Stacey had was her driver's license and she wasn't about to show that to her.
When Stacey hesitated, Deanna asked, “What's going on here? Who are you?”
“We have reason to believe Mark Stone was involved in his son's kidnapping,” Stacey said, hoping to distract Deanna from the fact that Stacey was lying about who she was.
The gasp that came out of Deanna's mouth caused several people sitting nearby to look over at them. “It couldn't be him!”
“What makes you so sure?”
Deanna sputtered for an answer. “It just couldn't, that's all.”
“We have evidence to support this assumption.”
The confusion written on Deanna's face was genuine. “But Detective Perkins said some people named Jason and Stacey Hunter were persons of interest.”
The smile froze on Stacey's face. “He told you that?”
Deanna's hand fluttered up to her mouth. “I wasn't supposed to tell anyone.”
“Don't worry. I won't tell a soul.” So that was Perkins I saw! And he was talking to Deanna. Maybe I can find out exactly what they have on Jason and me. “When did you talk to the detective?” Stacey asked, sounding much calmer than she felt.
Deanna looked up toward her room. “Just a little while ago. In my room. In fact, he said he thought the woman might be here!” Deanna became excited. “Can you imagine? A real criminal, right here.”
Stacey's composure began to slip. “Is he still here?” She looked around self-consciously.
“I don't know. Maybe. Why?”
Stacey rested her elbow on the table, her hand next to her face. “I was just wondering.”
Deanna nodded.
“Did he have a picture of these people?”
“No,” Deanna said, then she seemed to remember something. “Did you hear? Kyle came home today.”
Stacey was thrilled to hear this. “Really? That's great. Who told you?”
“The police officer.”
The mention of Perkins' presence was like a splash of ice water. Standing quickly, Stacey said, “I've got to run now. But thanks for meeting with me.” She walked away, leaving the pictures on the table and a confused Deanna staring after her.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Darcy Gilbert was a small woman, just under five feet tall, which made her an ideal person to interview young victims. Right now she was kneeling in front of Kyle and speaking to him in almost a whisper.
“Kyle? Tell me what you remember about the people who took you.”
They were in the Stone's living room surrounded by Mark, Amanda, and a couple of detectives. Once Kyle had been returned and the FBI had determined the kidnapping had never crossed state lines, the case had been turned back over to the police, although the FBI was still giving help and sharing evidence with the local authorities.
As Darcy smiled encouragement to Kyle, he was hesitant and held his mother's hand. Amanda gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “It's all right, Kyle. Tell her what you remember.”
Kyle glanced up at his mother, who smiled down at him through eyes shimmering with unshed tears. He looked back at Darcy kneeling in front of him. “I don't know who they are.”
“That's okay, Kyle,” Darcy assured him. “Did you see what they looked like?”
He shook his head. “No. They had masks on whenever I saw them.”
“Okay. Could you tell how many there were?”
“Mostly it was a man.”
Darcy glanced at one of the detectives who was taking notes. The detective gave her a small nod to indicate he was getting it all. A tape recorder sat on the coffee table recording everything Kyle had to say.
“Was there anyone else besides the man?”
Kyle nodded. “I think there was a lady.”
Darcy gave him a reassuring smile. “Good, Kyle. Now, do you remember anything about these people? Like the way their voices sounded or the way they walked or the way they smelled?”
Kyle's eyes lit up. “The lady smelled like Aunt Cindy.”
Darcy looked at Amanda questioningly.
“That's Mark's sister.” Amanda glanced over at Mark, who was sitting on the other side of Kyle.
Darcy turned back to Kyle. “What do you mean, she smelled like your Aunt? Like the way her clothes smelled or the perfume she wore?”
Kyle sat up straighter and looked at his mom. “You know that stuff she's always putting on?”
Amanda nodded.
“The lady smelled like that.”
Darcy looked over at Mark. “Where does your sister live?”
“She lives back east with our mother,” Mark said. “She's still in college.”
Amanda spoke up. “She might have left some of that perfume here the last time she visited.” Amanda stood up. “I'll go check.” She hesitated, looking at Kyle.
Mark smiled at her. “He'll still be here, Amanda,” he said, gently.
She smiled faintly and nodded, then turned and left the room.
Everyone waited in silence as Amanda went up the stairs to search for the perfume. After several minutes she came back down carrying a small crystal bottle. She handed it to Darcy.
She looked it over and noted the absence of a label. Then she pulled off the stopper and inhaled the scent, then waved it beneath Kyle's nose. “Is this the smell you remember?”
Kyle breathed in the fragrance and nodded, suddenly cowering. “That's it.”
Darcy put the stopper back on. “Thank you, Kyle. You've been a big help.”
He sat up straighter and smiled.
The detectives gathered up their equipment and left, taking the small bottle of perfume with them.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Day 8 – Monday
“By the way Jason, I have a party tonight.” They were all sitting around the table eating breakfast, Robby and Nikki wolfing down their eggs and bacon.
Jason groaned. “I'll be glad when you don't have to do those parties anymore.”
“Me, too.” She smiled at him. “But it does help to pay the bills. This is a party Patricia booked for me last week. She called last night to remind me about it.” Stacey thought about the call. Patricia had sounded strange. The last time she'd spoken to her had been the night she had confronted her about Jason. It was weird the way she was acting so normal now, as if nothing had happened. It gave Stacey the creeps.
When she stood to clear the dishes, Jason pulled her down into his lap and nuzzled her neck. She placed her hands on both sides of his face and lifted his h
ead so they were eye-to-eye, then she kissed him on the lips. “I love you, Jason.”
“I love you, too,” he said, his voice husky. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
She gave him a hug, then went into the kitchen and set the breakfast dishes in the sink. Robby carried his plate over to the counter and looked at his mom. “I'm glad Kyle's home now. Do you think he'll be at school today?”
Stacey ruffled his hair. “I don't know, honey. I think his Mom and Dad want to spend some time alone with him first.”
Robby nodded.
“Now go brush your teeth. It's almost time to go.”
“Okay, Mom.” He scampered off to the bathroom.
After taking Robby and Nikki to school, Stacey went over to Amanda's to see how things were going. There were only a handful of reporters in front of their house now and Stacey ignored their questions as she walked to the front porch.
Amanda's face radiated happiness. She told Stacey that Kyle and Mark were both still asleep but Kyle was doing very well. “What you said was true, Stacey.”
“What was that?”
“That we aren't given more than we can handle.”
Stacey smiled, grateful Amanda was doing so well.
“And I have to tell you, I really leaned on your faith. Sometimes the only thing that kept me going was remembering you said you believed Kyle would come home safely.”
Amazed to know her words had meant so much to Amanda, she felt even worse about looking through Mark's personal papers. Then she thought about Deanna and the unexplained pictures. She wondered what they meant.
Amanda told Stacey about Kyle's interview with the police. “They weren't able to learn anything new about who took him except for one small thing.”
“What was that?” Stacey asked.
“The woman who was involved in the kidnapping was wearing the same perfume Mark's sister wears. We confirmed it when Kyle smelled a bottle of the perfume she left here the last time she visited.”
Stacey wondered if it could be the same perfume Deanna wore. “Can I smell it?”
Suspicions: a novel of suspense Page 19