by Rita Herron
CAREFUL NOT TO LET THE neighbors see him, Derrick slumped in the seat as two of them pulled from their driveways and passed his car.
The cold seeped through him, but he’d long ago grown used to stakeouts. He just wished he’d brought a thermos of coffee to warm his hands and stave off the exhaustion weighing on him from lack of sleep.
Finally the front door of the Phillipses’ house opened, and a man dressed in jeans and work boots carrying a hard hat stepped out. A woman stood behind him in a thick bathrobe, tears streaming down her face. The man shouted something he couldn’t distinguish, then turned and stormed toward his car. When he climbed inside, he slammed the door and took off, speeding from the drive as if he wanted to escape. The woman slammed the house door, then disappeared inside.
Derrick frowned. It appeared the couple was having marital problems. Maybe arguing over whether or not they should have kidnapped the baby?
If they had, why would they stay in town? Why wouldn’t they have disappeared?
They would have to know that Brianna would confide about her altercation with them and the sheriff would check them out.
He needed to talk to the husband alone, but first he wanted to see if the baby was inside, so he remained parked, watching. A half hour later, the woman appeared at the door again, this time dressed and wearing a long black coat. The snowfall had ceased, but the driveway had accumulated a couple of inches of snow, so she slowly picked her way to the car.
She wasn’t carrying a baby, and he didn’t see a child’s seat in the car, either.
Maybe she had a sitter inside?
Or what if she had hired someone to kidnap the baby? She could be meeting with him later to pick up Ryan.
Although at the moment, she didn’t have a diaper bag or any supplies with her. And she didn’t bring a suitcase, so she wasn’t leaving town.
She might be desperate, but she probably knew Brianna would send the sheriff to her door, so decided to lay low and wait until the dust settled, then connect with the kidnapper afterward. That would be the smart thing to do.
He kept his head down while she veered onto the street and waited until her car had cleared the corner. Then he slipped from his vehicle, crept along the side of the house to the back. Beside the stoop, he found a laundry room window, jimmied it open and climbed inside.
Instincts alert, he hesitated in the doorway joining the laundry room to the kitchen, listening to make sure no one was inside.
But an ominous silence filled the house.
He combed through the kitchen, searched the cabinets to see if the Phillipses had stocked up on baby formula, but found nothing. In the same vein of thinking, he checked the living room, bathroom and two bedrooms—looking for baby paraphernalia, diapers and baby toys—and found a book of baby names where several had been circled. A white bassinet sat against the wall, but it was empty except for a stuffed lamb lying inside.
Was this bassinet for Ryan?
He needed to talk to the couple. But first he rushed to the desk and searched their computer and business records for any financials indicating they’d hired someone to kidnap Ryan.
What he was doing was illegal, but desperate times called for desperate measures.
Too often he’d had to wait on warrants and the perp had escaped. It was damn nice not to have to play by the rules.
AS SOON AS THE SHERIFF AND crime unit left, Brianna phoned her office, explained what had happened, and arranged for another social worker to take over her workload until Ryan was found. Then she dragged herself into the shower and washed off the stench of her attacker. She shampooed and dried her hair, then dressed in jeans and a thick sweater, her heart aching as she glanced at the empty crib.
The first week after Natalie had died, she’d been too grief-stricken to do anything but buy the essentials. A baby bed, a cradle for the downstairs, car seat, bottles, diapers, toys and baby clothes. When she’d cleaned out Natalie’s apartment, she’d found a few onesies and baby clothes Natalie had already purchased along with an infant bathtub, diaper bag and baby book.
Brianna hadn’t been able to open the baby book yet.
Still, she’d vowed to Natalie that her son would know how much she’d loved him.
What if she never got the chance?
Pain gnawed at her insides, but she willed herself to be strong. Derrick and the sheriff would find Ryan. She couldn’t, wouldn’t allow herself to believe anything else.
And she had to admit that it was comforting to have Derrick working on the case.
By the time she descended the steps, she heard a pounding on the door and Derrick calling her name. She rushed to let him in, but disappointment filled her when she saw the bleak expression on his face.
“What happened?”
Snowflakes swirled with the wind, and he quickly stepped inside, stomped his boots on the mat and closed the door. “I didn’t talk to the Phillips couple.”
“Why not?”
He ushered her into the living room. “I wanted to watch them first. To see if they had the baby. They didn’t.”
Brianna’s stomach caved. “If they don’t have him, who does? Some child predator? Someone who wants money that I don’t have?” She hadn’t realized how much she’d banked her hopes on the fact that Dana had Ryan and was taking good care of him.
That he wasn’t in danger from a crazed, cold-blooded killer who might take money, then kill him anyway.
Derrick stroked her arms. “Listen Brianna, I’ve worked these cases before. If they kidnapped Ryan, they obviously hired someone else to the job which means they’re planning to meet him later. I waited until both of them left home, then searched the house.”
Her hopes skyrocketed. “What did you find? Evidence they’d paid someone or were preparing for Ryan?”
He gave a noncommittal shrug. “Not exactly. There is a crib in the house, and a book of baby names. But no formula, diapers or supplies to indicate they were expecting a baby right away. And their financial records didn’t indicate a recent large withdrawal as if they’d paid a kidnapper.”
She sank onto the sofa. “But they could be meeting the kidnapper out of town?”
“It’s possible, although neither left with a suitcase. If they’re smart though, they’ll probably wait a few days before making the connection.”
She grabbed his arm, adrenaline kicking in. “Then we have to talk to them now. Dana is emotional. Maybe she’ll break down and tell me where he is.”
Derrick’s look turned skeptical, but they had no other leads and she had to do something. “Please, Derrick. I know Dana is on the edge. She wants a baby so badly she’s unstable. Maybe if I talk to her, woman to woman, she’ll open up.” Either that, or the woman would hate her.
But at this point, she didn’t care. All that mattered was finding little Ryan. Because if Dana didn’t have him, someone else did.
And for once in her life, she couldn’t waste time playing nice.
HE CURSED AT THE SOUND OF THE baby crying from the backseat. “Hush up, kid. I’ll get you out soon.”
He swung the car into the motel parking lot, circled around to the backseat and unbuckled the kid, then picked him up. The baby’s cries escalated to a blazing crescendo, and he jiggled him up and down. “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered. “It’s so not worth the cash.”
With the key he’d pocketed earlier, he strode down the row of rooms, and let himself inside.
Candy, his girlfriend, lay stretched out on the bed, blowing at her hot red fingernails reading a magazine. When she looked up at the screaming infant, she pursed her lips. “I can’t believe you brought the brat here.”
“You have to take care of him, sugar, until we can drop him off.”
“You’re kidding, right?” She stood, hands on voluptuous hips. “I don’t know anything about taking care of a baby.”
“Then learn.” He gestured toward the bag of baby supplies he’d stowed earlier. “Get him a bottle and take hi
m. I gotta make a call.”
She frowned and made a pouty look, but did as he said.
Shoulders straightening, he stepped outside with his phone and punched in the number. “I have the baby. It’s done.”
“And Brianna Honeycutt?”
“She woke up and tried to stop me. I threw her down the stairs, but she’s alive.”
“Damn. If she keeps asking questions, we’ll have to get rid of her, too.”
“You have a plan?”
“Yeah. We’ll kill her, then fake a suicide note where she confesses that she dropped the baby at an orphanage because she couldn’t handle the kid.”
“And she cried kidnapping to throw suspicion from herself?”
“Exactly.”
Laughter boomed from his chest. That sounded like a plan that would work. They’d drop the kid, get rid of the problematic woman, take their money and run.
Chapter Four
“Where does Dana Phillips work?” Derrick asked.
“She’s a receptionist at the insurance office in town.” Brianna stewed over whether she believed the young couple would resort to kidnapping. “And Robert is the head of the construction team building those new cabins on the east side of town.”
“They were arguing when he left the house,” Derrick said. “Maybe their fight had to do with the baby.”
“Or it’s possible it had nothing to do with this and the kidnapper is long gone.”
“There hasn’t been a call?” Derrick asked.
Brianna shook her head. “No. I can’t figure out what the kidnapper wants.”
Derrick’s silence added to the anxiety knotting her insides. “I’ll talk to Dana.”
“I’m going with you,” Brianna stated.
He paused, his look filled with concern. “Are you sure you’re up to that, Brianna? You have a concussion, and the medic said you probably cracked some ribs.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “I can’t just sit here and wait, Derrick. I’m going crazy.”
“All right. But if you start to feel bad, let me know.”
Brianna agreed, grabbed her coat and purse, and they hurried to his Jeep. The temperature had dropped, and she burrowed in her coat, but the chill inside her had nothing to do with the weather. Images of Ryan crying, cold, in the hands of a madman taunted her.
Christmas lights and decorations glittered in town, decorative snowflakes and wreaths adorning the storefront windows, and red bows had been tacked on every streetlamp and sign. It would be a picture perfect Christmas with the snow blanketing the town.
Except that a kidnapper had escaped and a tiny little baby was missing. Her son.
“There’s the insurance office,” Brianna said.
Derrick swung the vehicle into a parking space in the square, jumped out and circled to the passenger’s side to help her, but Brianna was already pushing open the door and getting out. He took her arm to steady her as they dodged an icy patch on the sidewalk, and climbed the two steps to the office door. A Santa had been painted on the window, advertising that he would bring savings in your stocking with a life insurance plan.
Derrick opened the door, and Brianna spotted Dana sitting at the front desk typing on the computer. When Dana saw Derrick, a wariness darkened her expression.
A frisson of guilt attacked Brianna. If Dana hadn’t kidnapped Ryan, accusing her was cruel. But Dana was their only viable suspect right now.
“Brianna, what are you doing here?” Dana asked.
“I have to talk to you.” Brianna lowered her voice. “Ryan has been kidnapped, Dana.”
Dana’s eyes widened. “What?”
Brianna gestured to the bruises on her face. “Someone broke into my house early this morning, knocked me unconscious, then took the baby.”
The color drained from Dana’s face. “My God, that’s horrible. Do you know who did it?”
For a brief moment, Dana stood as if to console Brianna, then her expression changed as if she realized the reason for their visit. “You can’t think that I had something to do with this?”
Derrick cleared his throat. “Mrs. Phillips, my name is Derrick McKinney. I’m with Guardian Angel Investigations and I’m trying to find the baby. If you know something, please tell us now.”
“If I know something,” Dana echoed shrilly. Tears shimmered in her eyes. “I can’t believe you’d come here like this, Brianna. First of all, you were supposed to help me adopt a baby, then you adopt the first infant that comes along, and now you have the audacity to accuse me of kidnapping.”
“Please, Dana,” Brianna pleaded. “I’m just trying to find Ryan. I…don’t know where to turn. You were really upset with me yesterday and you said you wanted Ryan.”
“I did,” Dana said. “And if you find him, I still think he’d be better off with me and Robert. After all, you had him and you let someone take him from your home. What kind of mother are you?”
BRIANNA SHUDDERED AS IF SHE’D been slapped. Derrick gritted his teeth at Dana’s statement, his suspicious nature kicking in. Could she have arranged to have the baby kidnapped to make Brianna look like a bad mother to give her ammunition for a custody case?
That sounded drastic, but the young woman didn’t actually seem stable. Had her obsession with wanting a child pushed her over the line?
“Mrs. Phillips, we’re not accusing you of anything,” Derrick explained. “But if you do know who kidnapped the baby, it would be in your best interests to tell the truth. Give him back, and we can make a deal not to press charges.”
“I didn’t take the baby,” Dana declared, her voice filled with fury. “Now get out of my office and don’t come back.”
Derrick gripped Brianna by the arm, then tossed his business card on the woman’s desk. “Call me if there’s any way you can help us.”
He led Brianna out into the cold, trying to decide his next move.
“She hates me now,” Brianna said in a pained voice.
“She’ll get over it.”
“But she’s right. I let Natalie and Ryan down.” She turned to search the streets, then looked toward the steep mountain ridges. “What if he’s out there somewhere with a crazy man, someone who won’t take care of him?”
“Don’t go there, Brianna, it won’t do any good.” He ushered her to the car, and they settled inside. She huddled in her coat, and he started the car and flipped up the heater. “The sheriff is organizing a search party for the mountains. If the kidnapper is holed up around here somewhere, we’ll find him.”
“And what if he’s long gone?”
“Then the Amber Alert should help.” He reached over and squeezed her hand.
“So what do we do now? Just wait?”
“Let’s talk to Dana’s husband. Maybe he can shed some light on the truth.”
Brianna clasped her hands in her lap as he drove to the construction site. The crew had temporarily ceased work due to the snowstorm, but they found Robert Phillips in the office of an on-site trailer. Through the window, Derrick noticed Phillips pacing. He was obviously agitated.
Derrick knocked and opened the door before the man could answer. When Phillips saw them enter, he frowned. “I’ll call you later, Dana,” he said. “Try to calm down.”
He snapped his phone closed, then shoved his hand through his hair. “I just talked to Dana. She’s hysterical.”
“I’m sorry,” Brianna apologized. “I…don’t know what to say, but someone kidnapped Ryan last night, Robert, and I didn’t know where to turn.”
“You thought Dana arranged to have him kidnapped?”
Brianna bit her lip, but Derrick spoke up. “We have to explore all possibilities. Since Brianna hasn’t received a ransom call, and has no major assets to invite ransom, we have to look at other options.”
“And my wife is desperate for a baby, so you came to her first?” Anger laced Phillips’s voice, but there was a twinge of understanding—as if he recognized their point.
Derrick shrugged. “S
he did have an altercation with Brianna yesterday morning.”
“I know.” Phillips scrubbed his hand over the slight beard on his chin. “Dana has been distraught and overly emotional lately. She’s obsessed with getting a baby.” A look of anguish flashed in his eyes. “It’s tearing our marriage apart.” The big guy slumped down in his chair with a heavy sigh. “We even argued this morning because I told her I had second thoughts about adopting. I mean I want a kid, but I can be happy with just her and me. But Dana…”
“She needs counseling,” Brianna said.
He leaned his forehead on his hand. “I tried to talk her into counseling, too, but she got mad and accused me of not wanting a child.”
“You don’t think she took the baby, do you?” Brianna asked.
Again, he looked pained, even torn, but finally he shook his head. “No. She may be desperate, and I know she lashed out at you, but she’d never steal a child.”
“She didn’t happen to withdraw any money lately?” Derrick asked.
“No.”
“Will you check your account?” Derrick insisted.
Phillips’s mouth tightened as he clicked a few keys on the computer, then pulled up his bank account. He studied it for a moment, then angled his head toward them. “Take a look yourself. There are no cash withdrawals, and the only checks are for the house, bills and groceries.”
Derrick believed the guy, but gave the screen a perfunctory glance just to make certain he wasn’t covering for his wife. “How about her family? Would Dana have access to money from them?”
“She and her family don’t get along,” Phillips said. “They live somewhere up north. She’d never go to them for help or tell them about our problems having a child.”
With a weary sigh, Phillips stood. “Listen, I am sorry about the baby, Brianna. You have been wonderful to us. If y’all are organizing a search party, I’d be glad to help. I know these mountains like the back of my hand. And when I was looking for sites for this project, I found a few abandoned cabins someone could use to hide out in.”
Brianna sighed softly, obviously touched. “Thank you, Robert. I appreciate that.”