“If Tommy and Susan Baker even exist.”
Mitchell smiled. “How long have you been doing this job?” He tossed a dollar on the table then slid out of the booth and paid their ticket at the register.
Ellie waited outside for him and nearly jumped out of her skin when her cell phone rang. She hurriedly dug it out of her jacket pocket and quickly flipped it open, terrified she’d lose the signal in this tiny town. “Jesse?”
“Hey, sweetcakes! Where are you?”
His voice sounded as sweet as a lullaby. “I’m in some little town called Clarksville with Brady Mitchell.”
“What are you doing in Clarksville? The only thing in Clarksville’s a bus terminal and a diner.”
The man’s knowledge never ceased to amaze her. “They’ve added a funeral home.”
“Given the elderly population, I’d say that was a good business decision.”
“Hey, listen, before I lose the signal, I need you to run some names for me. A Tommy and or Susan Baker in or around the New Orleans area. They should be around thirty and maybe have a six-year-old son named TJ. I’m sure it’s short for Thomas Junior.”
“Pretty generic names. There’s probably only about half a million Tommy Bakers.”
“And probably a couple hundred around New Orleans. Check recent bankruptcy filings, too.”
“I checked with the DMV, and they don’t have any accident reports on Kenton. He didn’t file it with his insurance, either.”
How did Kenton know the truck was totaled if he didn’t file an insurance claim? Mitchell joined her outside, gnawing on a toothpick dangling from the corner of his mouth. Apparently he didn’t feel it was a private conversation and stood close enough she could smell the onions he’d just devoured.
Ellie continued. “Did you get anything off the registry?” She could feel the tension knotting her shoulders as she waited for the answer.
“As a matter of fact, yes.”
Her breath stopped somewhere in her chest. “And?”
“Landon Garrett, abducted three years ago at the age of three from Mecklenburg County.”
Ellie felt dizzy. Her breath was coming in short, rapid gasps.
“His mother’s name is Ashley. His father’s name was Andy. Died two years ago.”
Ellie closed her eyes tight. A stream of tears escaped and streamed down her cheeks. “Is she still in Mecklenburg County?”
“According to recent records. She’s a graphic artist at a company called Picture This.”
Ellie briskly swatted away the tears. Mitchell was staring at her, a puzzled look on his face.
“See if you can get her to meet us at the hospital. I’ll be back in an hour and a half.”
“You may want to wait until the morning”
“Why?” Ellie sniffled away the rest of the tears.
“There’s something else, El. I really hate being the one to tell you.”
“What?”
“Aunt Sissy called about an hour ago. She tried your cell but couldn’t get it to go through.” He hesitated, and Ellie wished he’d go on and say it. She knew what he was going to say, and she didn’t know why but her heart was suddenly aching. “Peggy died around eleven this morning.”
Ellie turned away from Mitchell to hide the tears she couldn’t hold back.
“Why don’t we set up a meeting with Ashley in the morning. You go home and be with your dad tonight.” Jesse’s voice was as tender as the morning dew.
“No. If she is his mother, she shouldn’t have to wait. She’s been through enough. I don’t want to keep them apart any longer.”
Maybe her father would forgive her. If she could ever forgive herself.
20
The ride back to Burkesboro was worse than one of those super-duper roller coasters Ellie wouldn’t be caught dead on. One that took you to dizzying heights then sent you spiraling into new depths. One minute she was frantic with excitement in the possibility they may have found Landon’s mother; the next, she was troubled by Peggy’s death. Her heart ached for her father in his loss; her heart pounded with joy for Ashley Garrett’s gain—if Landon was truly her son.
They were meeting Ashley at the hospital at 6:00 and had less than an hour to kill. She parked beside Jesse’s Camaro and sat in her car a moment, getting up the nerve to call Aunt Sissy. Finally, after a couple of deep breaths, she dialed Sissy’s cell phone.
“Hey,” she said when Sissy answered. She fought to keep her voice from cracking. “Jesse told me.”
“I’m sorry, honey. When he told me where you were, I knew you’d be checking in with him sooner or later.”
“No. No, don’t apologize. It’s fine. How’s Daddy?”
“He’s good. He’s very, very tired, but otherwise OK. They had already made the arrangements, so at least he doesn’t have to deal with all that.” Aunt Sissy sounded tired, too, and it reminded Ellie of her aunt’s age. Sometimes it was easy to forget the woman was seventy years old.
“Y’all are staying at the house tonight, aren’t you?”
“Oh. Well, thanks, honey, but I guess there really isn’t any need. We’ll probably just head on back home.”
Ellie batted back tears. “Please stay. Just for tonight,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Sissy didn’t say anything for a moment then Ellie heard her sniffle. “OK. I’ll call you back if your dad insists on going home.”
“Tell him I really want him to stay. We’ve got to go meet someone at the hospital, but I’ll be home right after.”
“All right. Go get that hunk of a partner of yours and get going. I don’t want to be up all night again.” Sissy laughed, and the sound was as comforting as a warm cup of tea.
Ellie hung up and headed inside. She stopped at the ladies’ room to see how bad her face looked. Her eyes were bloodshot and the skin underneath puffy and dark. She wet a paper towel and dabbed at her eyes, hoping the coldness would help with the swelling. Maybe she needed one of those cold cucumber packs she had read about in one of those magazines.
Jesse was at her desk, concentrating hard at the monitor. She didn’t have the strength to argue with him about the desk situation and sat down in the visitor’s chair instead.
He looked up and smiled the softest smile; her heart nearly melted.
“Rough day, huh?”
She shrugged. “A lot of mixed emotions, I guess.” She pulled her desk phone around to where she could see it and dialed Marc Deveraux’s number. It was a long shot, but she hoped he could pull some strings.
“Doctor Deveraux,” he said after the first ring.
“Hey, Marc. It’s Ellie. I’m glad you’re still there.”
“Paperwork. It’ll be the death of us all. What’s up?”
“Mind hanging around for a little while longer? There’s a good possibility we’ve found Landon’s mother.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. After a long moment, he finally spoke. “You’re serious?”
The joy in her heart brought a smile. “Yeah. I’m serious. She’s meeting us at the hospital at six.”
She heard him sigh heavily. “Wow,” he said. “What an answered prayer.”
It didn’t surprise her. She would’ve been more surprised if he hadn’t said a prayer for little Landon.
“If it pans out, I’d like for you to talk to her about the medical issues. And also, can you arrange a private meeting room where I can talk with her before I let her see him? I’ve got a lot of questions, and I’m sure she’d like some privacy.”
“Sure, no problem. We have a small conference room behind the nurses’ station. I’ll make sure it’s unlocked for you.”
“Thanks, Marc.” She started to hang up but decided to press her luck. “Oh, and one more thing…didn’t you graduate from Tulane?”
“You’re very observant.”
“Thank you. It helps that I get paid to be. I need a big favor, and I don’t really have time to go through the proper channels
. Do you still have contacts at Tulane?”
“Some, yeah.”
“I know this is asking a lot, but I need to verify if someone was seen in the ER.”
“Uh-huh. And the proper channels you don’t have time for I’m assuming involves getting a warrant or subpoena?”
Ellie squeezed her eyes closed. “Sort of, yes.”
“Is this related to Landon?”
“In a roundabout way, yes. I can’t really tell you the whole story yet, but I need to know if a woman named Becky, or maybe Rebecca, Kenton was seen in the ER any time prior to Katrina, or maybe even right after. She would have been seen maybe multiple times for injuries consistent with spousal abuse.”
“How do you spell the last name?”
Ellie spelled it for him. “I really do appreciate it.” She hung up and looked at Jesse. “Want to grab a bite?” She had barely touched the lunch Mitchell bought, and her stomach was now rumbling.
“As long as you don’t eat all the chips again.”
She grinned and grabbed Landon’s file from her desk then headed toward the elevator with Jesse right behind her.
“You going to tell Jack about Ashley Garrett?”
Ellie shushed him then leaned against the wall as they waited for the elevator. “This is going to be a jurisdictional nightmare as it is. I’ve come too far for him to pull the plug. We’ll let the different DA’s offices figure all that out.”
Jesse shook his head. “Second day on the job, and I’m already breaking the rules.”
Ellie couldn’t help but smile. “We’re not breaking the rules. Besides, Jack doesn’t like to be bothered with the little details. He’s more of a results-type man.”
Outside, Ellie tossed Jesse the keys and settled into the passenger seat. She was too tired to drive. Hopefully after their meeting with Ashley, she could wrap this thing up with one more trip to Avery County.
“What’d you find out with Tommy and Susan Baker?” she asked.
Jesse shook his head. “Found plenty of Tommy Bakers and Susan Bakers but no Tommy and Susan Baker in or around New Orleans. And none with a kid named TJ.”
It didn’t surprise her. She knew Kenton was lying as sure as he was breathing. Her gut tightened, wondering what happened to Becky. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the headrest. She’d have to leave Becky to Brady Mitchell.
“Did you talk to Aunt Sissy?” Jesse asked.
Ellie slowly nodded. “They’re going to stay tonight at the house, then go home tomorrow.”
Jesse nodded. “You know…you can take a couple days. I mean, I’m sure there’ll be a funeral and all, and it’s perfectly acceptable if you wanted to—”
“And let you make this arrest? Over my dead body. I’m seeing this one through to the end.”
“Go ahead, take all the glory. Even if I’ve done most of the legwork,” he mumbled.
“Ha! Legwork? Only if it involves a computer. Who’s run their butt off all over half the state?”
He was furiously fighting off a smile. “Oh, I see how it’s going to be, partner. I get stuck with all the desk work because you barely know how to send an email.”
Ellie burst out laughing. “I know how to send email, thank you.”
“You sure don’t know how to delete anything or put it in folders.”
He had her there. She huffed and stared out the window. “Fine. You’re a little better on the computer than I am.”
He glanced at her. “A little?”
“OK, don’t push it. You’re an invaluable partner. Besides, you’ve got contacts, too. I think you know everybody under the sun.”
“Not quite, but close. Comes from years spent in vice.” He grinned at her.
Ellie shifted in the seat and stared at him. “Speaking of vice…why’d you leave?”
He didn’t say anything for a moment, just stared straight ahead at the road passing by then finally shrugged. “It’s a long story.”
Ellie glanced at her watch. “Well, if I’ve calculated the time correctly, we’ve got about an hour before we meet Ashley.”
He smiled a soft smile then sighed. “I didn’t like the lifestyle anymore. Not that I ever really liked it. I just reached a point I didn’t want to be a part of it anymore.”
Jesse Alvarez was too good at what he did to have just walked away from it. “What happened?”
He took a deep breath then shrugged again. “I made a choice. I saw an opportunity, and I took it.”
Ellie furrowed her brows and stared at him. She wasn’t letting him off that easy. “And the rest of the story? What was the choice?”
He sighed heavily then a gentle smile slowly spread across his lips. She didn’t know if it was a memory or resignation that she wasn’t giving up that triggered the smile but he had her full attention.
“There was a girl, Brittany. She was fifteen and had been hooking for drug money for about six months. Her family life was awful. Dad ran off when she was a kid; mom was on her fourth husband and didn’t care if Brittany came home or not. We knew Brittany was involved with Eddie Mako, making buys for him, and we’d been on his trail about two years. She started showing up to make her buys, and I noticed a bruise here or there. Mostly on her upper arms, on her legs occasionally. She told me she had a john that liked it a little rough. Then she showed up one day and her face looked like a punching bag that had been hit one too many times.” He shook his head, shaking off the memory, then continued.
“It started happening more and more—her showing up with the crap beat out of her. Busted lips, black eyes. And she used to have the prettiest hair, long honey blonde, and one day she shows up and it’s all whacked off—no style, it just looked like someone had taken a pair of scissors and hacked at it. I asked her if her john did it, and she told me no, that she had done it. Got mad one night and just lopped it off. I never really knew whether to believe her or not.
“She was a pretty girl. You know, the kind you imagine being on a high school football field leading the cheerleading squad every Friday night. I took an interest in her and got to know her pretty good, trying to gain her trust—for all the wrong reasons. We were using her to get to Eddie Mako, and she was slipping further and further into a world she didn’t belong in. We were looking right through her, looking at the big fish and couldn’t see the little fish dying right in front of our eyes.” He shook his head again, took a deep breath then continued.
“She didn’t show up for a buy one day, and I got worried about her. I found her at a crack house. She’d done a couple hits then slit her wrists.”
Ellie’s stomach knotted. She swallowed the bile in her throat. “Was she dead?” she asked, her voice a small whisper.
Jesse shook his head. “She’d lost a lot of blood, but the razor was old and rusty. She didn’t get a clean slice.”
Ellie sucked in a deep breath, allowing it to fill her lungs with much needed air. “What happened after that?”
Jesse smiled. “I witnessed to her. I introduced her to Jesus Christ.” He looked over at Ellie and his eyes sparkled like dark chocolate diamonds. “I told her the truth about who I was and told her what God had done in my life and what he could do for her. She gave her life to Christ and hasn’t looked back.”
Ellie stared out the front window. She swallowed the knot lodged in her throat. “But if she wasn’t in the life anymore, then your cover wasn’t blown. Right?”
Jesse looked at her as if he didn’t understand her theory. “My cover didn’t have anything to do with me leaving. I didn’t want to be a part of that life anymore. Do you know how much sin I saw every day?”
Ellie glared at him, an edge of resentment creeping into her thoughts. “I see the same sins, Jesse. We all do. It doesn’t matter whether you’re in vice or wearing a uniform. It’s part of the job.”
He nodded. “But you’ve never had to act like selling dope to a kid was cool.”
She’d give him that one. Apparently, he was very good at acting. �
�Have you talked to Brittany since?”
“Oh, yeah. Her mom gave up custody of her so I set her up with a family at church that takes in hard-to-place foster children. She’s been with them ever since. She’s back in school, Academy Christian, and is going on her first mission trip at spring break. Costa Rica, I think. She needs to raise about twelve-hundred dollars to go, so she got a job after school cleaning the church.”
“And how much have you donated to the cause?” Ellie asked with a slight grin.
He laughed. “Let’s just say she’s halfway there.”
****
After a quick bite, they headed to the hospital. Ellie’s stomach was in knots, and it had nothing to do with the greasy burrito she’d just devoured. What if Ashley Garrett wasn’t Landon’s mother? What if she was? Ellie tried to imagine what was going through Ashley’s mind at the moment. Had she saved his little toddler clothes and toys? Or were they packed away in a storage tote in the far corner of an attic, out of sight, the memories too painful to bear. Had she left his bedroom untouched, if she even lived in the same house? Perhaps she had moved? It would surprise Ellie if she had. It had been her experience that parents of missing children seldom left the house the child called home, fearing authorities, or even the child, wouldn’t know how or where to find them. Ellie assumed Ashley hadn’t remarried; her last name was still the same as her late husband’s. Did she want to remarry? If she was Landon’s mother, would there be a stepfather in the future? Would he love Landon like his own? Would he play ball with him? Would he take him fishing?
“Ellie?” Jesse was staring at her. “You OK?”
They were parked outside the Emergency Room. Ellie stared at the red neon sign. “Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Thinking about the meeting?”
She nodded. “Yeah, a little. You ready?”
“Are you?” He looked at her, a look of genuine concern shadowing his perfect face.
She forced a smile. “I’m always ready.” She removed the photo of Landon from the file, smiling and happy and laughing at Leon then slipped it into her jacket pocket.
The Rising Page 20