Ready, Aim...I Do!: Missing

by Debra Webb

  “Let’s go.” He pushed aside the unfamiliar emotions she’d stirred and put on his game face. There was a job to do and he wasn’t about to fall down on getting it done. That he could guarantee.

  She pushed to her feet and reached for her purse. “The chief will try to stop us.”

  “It won’t be the first time someone tried to stop me.”

  Jonathan opened the door for her. His chest squeezed at the scent of her as she walked past him on her way out the door. He booted the sensation aside and followed her. When this was done, he would go back to Chicago and she could get on with her life.

  He hoped she found a man who could feel those emotions she cherished so.

  That man wasn’t him. He’d known that before he’d answered her plea for help.

  She had known it, as well.

  * * *

  CHIEF TALBOT’S HOUSE sat on a side street just off the main thoroughfare. Neat houses lined the street, but only one had a large moving truck parked out front.

  Melissa was out of the car before Jonathan could shut down the engine. Every word she’d said to him was true. But in the silence on the drive over here those words had gotten to him anyway. Left him feeling empty and aching.

  Strange for a guy who prided himself on feeling nothing.

  He caught up with Melissa on the sidewalk. She marched right up to the house and walked through the open door.

  “Where’s Mrs. Talbot?” she demanded of one of the men who were obviously movers.

  The man shrugged. “The owners aren’t here.”

  Melissa turned to Jonathan. “We just spoke to the chief a few hours ago. They can’t have suddenly disappeared.”

  Jonathan hitched a thumb toward the street. “Where are the Talbots moving to?”

  Another of the movers stopped his work and scratched his head. “Gatlinburg. Up in northeast Tennessee. We’re supposed to have all this—” he gestured to the boxes and furnishings “—up there by tomorrow.”

  Jonathan and Melissa exchanged a glance. “Has Mrs. Talbot already left for the new house?” she asked.

  “Don’t know.” He nodded toward the door. “You can ask him. He’s the owner.”

  Jonathan turned to face the chief. The shade of red coloring his face warned that he was not happy to find the two of them there.

  “You’re trespassing on private property, Mr. Foley.”

  His voice was far too quiet, far too controlled. “We came to see Mrs. Talbot.” No point in lying. “We have a few questions about Harry Shepherd for her.”

  The chief ignored Jonathan’s statement and shifted his attention to Melissa. “Now, Melissa, I know you’re all torn up and that’s completely understandable. But you’ve got to talk some sense into your friend. When I give an order I expect folks to follow it. I’m doing all I can to find little Polly. But I can’t do that if I have to keep an eye on the two of you.”

  Melissa shook her head. “Sorry, Chief.” Tears spilled down her cheeks. “I just can’t believe Uncle Harry killed himself and I thought maybe Mrs. Talbot could help me understand what was going through his mind. It’s just so awful.”

  Jonathan had to hand it to her, she’d even fooled him there for a second.

  Chief Talbot patted her on the shoulder. “I’ll see what I can find out. I’m hoping something Harry confided in her will give us some clue as to where Polly is. Carol has been a good friend to him through all this.” He shook his head. “I still can’t understand what he was doing. Maybe Price and Rayburn were up to no good and Harry found out. They may have taken little Polly to blackmail Harry. We just don’t know yet. But you have my word that I won’t stop until I know the whole truth.”

  He puffed out a weary breath. “Right now, I need your help. This has been real hard on Carol, too. She never has gotten over our little Sherry’s death. Polly’s disappearance and all that mess over at the river have torn her all to pieces. That’s why she moved on up to the new house. She needed to get away from this tragedy to save her peace of mind.” He patted Melissa again. “But don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere until we find Polly and this case is sewed up. You have my word on that.”

  “Thank you, Chief.” Melissa swiped her eyes. “I know you’ll be glad to retire like you’d planned and join your wife.”

  “Yes, ma’am, but not until my job here is done.”

  11:18 p.m.

  “YOU’RE SURE THAT’S IT?” Melissa peered up at the grand log house. “I can’t believe the chief was able to buy something like this up here.” Housing prices in the Gatlinburg area were far higher than those down in Bay Minette.

  “It’s the one.” Jonathan shoved his cell phone into his pocket. “According to my sources—”

  His sources. He never gave up names. She’d overheard far too many of his conversations back when they were together.

  “—the chief has saved a serious chunk of change during his career. He also recently sold the property near the river.”

  Melissa cringed at the thought of that river. Polly hadn’t been found in the water but she could still be out there somewhere.

  “I don’t remember hearing about that.” But then she wasn’t one to listen to gossip or rumors. She focused on work, taking all the overtime the hospital would allow. She’d saved quite a chunk of change, as he put it, herself over the past three years. As much as she loved the Shepherd home, she’d always hoped to move on with her life. Maybe go back to Birmingham or Montgomery. Maybe even Huntsville. But with Will, Polly and Harry, the concept just kept fading into the future.

  Harry was gone now. Her heart squeezed at the thought. Whatever he’d done the final days of his life, he’d been a good uncle to her and Will for most of their lives.

  All the emotions associated with his death would have to be sorted out later...when Polly was home.

  Or buried.

  She closed her eyes and exiled the thought. Polly had to be alive. All they needed was someone to tell them where Harry had taken her...and why. That last part wasn’t entirely necessary, but it would be nice to know why he’d done this. She could guess, as Jonathan had, but she needed to know.

  Jonathan hadn’t said much on the way here. She couldn’t blame him. She’d said some awful things to him. Most had been true, but she’d been raised better than to say something hurtful.

  “Someone’s home,” Jonathan said, pointing to the massive front windows on the first floor.

  Melissa squinted to make out the figure moving around in what she presumed to be the main living area. “That’s Carol.”

  Carol moved about the room, but Melissa couldn’t determine what she was doing. Putting things away maybe? Didn’t seem likely since the moving truck hadn’t arrived. The movers had said they were expected tomorrow.

  Carol stopped suddenly, picked something up from what appeared to be a table and placed it against her ear.

  Melissa stared harder. A phone. Cell phone probably, judging by its size.

  Carol started to move around again.

  “She’s pacing.”

  “Looks that way,” Melissa agreed.

  Carol abruptly stopped once more, directly in front of the big windows. She seemed to stare out into the dark night. Melissa resisted the impulse to hunker down in the seat. She couldn’t possibly see them. The tree-crowded drive Jonathan had selected was well hidden. They’d driven all the way up to the house across the road from the Talbot place and no one had been home. Several newspapers had lain on the porch suggesting the owners were on vacation. Parking at the end of the drive gave Melissa and Jonathan a perfect view of the new Talbot home.

  Carol reached up and tugged on something.

  “What’s she doing?” Melissa murmured.

  Heavy drapes glided across the windows, blocking their view into the house.

  “That call must’ve been from the chief.” Jonathan checked the road in both directions. “He’s probably on his way here.”

  They had known that as soon as Chief Talbo
t figured out they had left town he would likely follow or he would send one of his deputies to stop them. Apparently he hadn’t learned of their departure quickly enough to stop them en route.

  “We should go to the door and talk to her before the chief or whomever he sends gets here.” Melissa was terrified they’d come all this way for nothing. If the chief got here he would ensure they didn’t get close to the house.

  Jonathan turned to her in the darkness. She couldn’t see his face but she could feel the tension emanating from him. “You realize that once we set foot on their property, we’re breaking the law. The chief isn’t likely to let us off with a warning this time.”

  “I don’t care.” The law wasn’t going to stop her from talking to Carol Talbot. Not unless they locked Melissa away where she couldn’t get out.

  “Let’s do it then.”

  Jonathan reached under the seat and removed something that he stuffed under his shirt.

  “What’s that?” She was almost afraid of the answer.

  “We can’t go in without protection.” Before she could argue, he added, “I have a license to carry this weapon. I’m an expert marksman. I’m not going to shoot anyone unless they try to shoot one of us first.”

  Melissa took a tight breath as she squeezed the door handle. “You think we should just call the FBI or something?” Second thoughts burrowed deep into her brain.

  “And tell them what?”

  “That we believe Carol Talbot knows something about Polly’s disappearance.” It might be worth a try.

  “And when she says she doesn’t, what then?”

  Jonathan was right. “Okay, let’s go.” Melissa opened the door. The interior light didn’t come on since Jonathan had adjusted it to stay off.

  If they hurried, maybe they could talk to Carol before anyone else arrived.

  Jonathan led the way through the darkness, across the road and up the hill upon which the Talbot house proudly sat. It was cooler in the mountains. Melissa wished she had brought a jacket.

  “We’re going around to the back,” Jonathan whispered to her. “There isn’t a security system yet, so we don’t have to worry about that.”

  Confusion muddled Melissa’s focus again. “How do you know this?”

  “I have sources.”

  “Right.” How could she have forgotten?

  Jonathan stayed within the shadows of the trees that bordered the big yard. Once they reached the rear of the house, he grabbed her hand and darted toward a clump of designer shrubbery that provided some amount of protection from the landscape lighting.

  They stayed put for a few seconds, long enough to assume they hadn’t been spotted, then he hauled her all the way to the corner of the house.

  Melissa struggled to keep her respiration slow and deep. Her heart was beating so fast she could hardly draw in a deep breath. Jonathan’s firm grip on her hand was all that kept her courage in place.

  As long as she was with him, she could do this.

  Lights were on all over the house. Was Carol Talbot afraid of being here alone?

  Jonathan pulled Melissa forward, staying close against the back of the house. At the first window they reached, he listened for a moment, then peeked inside.

  When he’d flattened against the house again, she asked, “Anything?”

  He shook his head. “Empty room.”

  They moved forward again, checked a couple more windows. Nothing. When they rounded the corner at the other end of the house, the window was too high for Jonathan to see inside. If they could determine exactly where Carol was, she couldn’t pretend not to be there when they pounded on the door. They needed her to know that they knew she was in the house.

  “I’ll get on your shoulders,” Melissa whispered.

  He considered her suggestion a moment, then dropped to his knees. Melissa climbed into a sitting position on his shoulders and he slowly pushed to his feet. She leaned a little to her left to avoid being in full view of the window.

  Once he had braced against the house, she leaned a little the other way and peeked inside.

  There was a bed in this room, and a suitcase. Melissa stretched her neck to see more of the room without exposing any more of her body than necessary. But she saw nothing else.

  The door to the room opened, and Melissa’s breath stalled in her lungs.

  She knew she should move, should somehow signal Jonathan to lower her down, but she couldn’t react. She remained frozen, watching as Carol Talbot entered the room.

  The elegant-looking woman walked toward the mattress and patted it as she said something Melissa couldn’t quite make out.

  Carol repeated the actions, and a child walked hesitantly through the door.

  Melissa’s heart skipped a beat.

  Polly.

  Carol Talbot whipped around to stare at the window. That was when Melissa knew she’d said the name aloud.

  Carol snatched up Polly and ran from the room.

  “She’s here!” Melissa shouted. She tried to get down. Her sudden movement toppled both her and Jonathan to the ground.

  Melissa scrambled up. “Polly’s here!” she cried as she ran around to the front corner of the house.

  “Melissa, wait!” Jonathan called after her.

  Melissa didn’t stop. She couldn’t wait. Polly was inside. She was alive.

  She hit the front steps in a dead run. Jonathan passed her on the way up and banged on the door. “Carol Talbot, we know you’re in there! Open the door!”

  Melissa shoved her fingers into the front pocket of her jeans and fumbled to pull out her cell phone.

  Jonathan rammed his shoulder into the door. The entire frame shook. “Open the door, Mrs. Talbot!”

  Melissa started entering the numbers. 9...1...

  Jonathan hit the door again and it burst inward.

  Melissa forgot about calling for help. She rushed past Jonathan and headed for the room at the north end of the house.

  Jonathan caught up with her, passed her, shoving her behind him as he went.

  “Stop right there or I’ll shoot.”

  Carol Talbot huddled in the hallway, Polly wrapped in her arms, her face pressed to Carol’s chest. The gun in Carol’s hand shook, but its intended aim was unmistakable.

  Melissa ceased to breathe.

  Jonathan held out his hands in a placating manner. “Put the gun down, Mrs. Talbot.”

  She shook her head. “No. You’re not going to take her.”

  Polly whimpered. Melissa’s chest constricted.

  “Mrs. Talbot,” Jonathan reasoned, “her parents are waiting for her back home. You need to let her go now and we’ll work this out. I’m certain you intended her no harm.”

  Carol shook her head adamantly once more. “Leave or I will shoot.”

  Melissa stepped forward. “Then you’re going to have to shoot me, because I’m taking my niece home.”

  Jonathan reached for Melissa, but she stepped beyond his reach.

  “Stop!” Carol shouted.

  “I’m sorry, Mrs. Talbot,” Melissa said, “but you can’t keep Polly. I appreciate that you’ve taken such good care of her. But you have to let her go home now.”

  Polly cried out, apparently recognizing her aunt Melissa’s voice. She wiggled in an attempt to get free. Carol held her tighter, kept the weapon aimed at Melissa.

  “Shh, Polly, it’ll be okay now,” Melissa murmured.

  “Leave my home,” Carol demanded. “Before I’m forced to do something I don’t want to do.”

  “Mrs. Talbot,” Jonathan urged, “think about what you’re doing. This whole thing was Harry’s idea. You aren’t the one who took Polly. You tried to help. That’s what we’ll tell the police.”

  Carol blinked. “That’s what I told my husband.” She tightened her grip on the weapon. “Harry almost lost his mind when William went off to Afghanistan. But when William came home it only got worse. Harry kept saying he had to do something. He took Polly that night. Had Stevie wat
ching her. Everything would have worked out perfectly if that fool Scott Rayburn hadn’t gotten in the way. I had to kill him. He was going to ruin everything.”

  Melissa nodded, following Jonathan’s cue. “You had no choice. You tried to protect Polly and Harry.”

  Carol made a keening sound. “It would have been so perfect. William would have seen Presley for what she was and gotten rid of her, then if he was forced to deploy, Harry and I would have taken care of Polly.” Her hold on Polly tightened. The little girl fretted.

  “You loved Harry,” Melissa said softly. “And he loved you.” The kind of love these two had shared had twisted their minds, pushed them over some sort of ledge.

  “He was too weak to handle what needed to be done.” Carol lifted her chin in defiance. “Now I have to do it. Presley isn’t fit to be the mother of this child and William is hardly any better. Sherry needs a real family. One who will love and take care of her.”

  Sherry. She thought Polly was her daughter.

  “Mrs. Talbot,” Melissa said, “this is Polly, not Sherry.”

  Carol blinked as if she didn’t understand. In that moment of distraction, Polly darted out of her hold. Carol screamed at her to come back, but the girl ran down the hall to Melissa.

  Melissa knelt down and wrapped her arms around the child.

  “You won’t take her!” Carol shouted. Grasping the weapon with both hands, she aimed it at Melissa and Polly.

  Jonathan slammed into Melissa, knocking her and Polly to the floor, just as a bullet exploded from the weapon, echoing through the house.

  Crouched over Polly, Melissa heard the sounds of struggling. Jonathan was attempting to subdue Carol. She held Polly close to her chest and scooted away from the danger.

  As another shot rang out, Melissa reached into her pocket for her cell phone. Not there. Had she dropped it?

  Carol screamed, and the weapon fired again.

  She chanced a glance over her shoulder and saw Jonathan fling himself atop the woman.

  Melissa jumped to her feet. She had to do something.

  She rushed into the closest room, put Polly in the closet. “Stay right here, Polly. Don’t move.” She closed the door, winced at the child’s sobbing.