by Rita Herron
And if they didn’t want money, they didn’t intend to return the baby.
NATALIE’S COMMENTS IN HER journal worried Brianna. She’d sensed her friend had been frightened, but having her suspicions confirmed added a different spin to Ryan’s kidnapping.
“Why don’t we divide up when we go inside?” Derrick suggested as they parked in front of the high school. “I’ll meet with the principal while you talk to some of the teachers.”
Brianna nodded. Thankfully, she’d visited the school for her job before so being seen in the hallways wouldn’t raise a red flag. They entered the building, and Derrick went straight to the principal’s office. She walked down the hall to the teacher’s lounge first, hoping to find a couple of teachers there for coffee or during their free period, and she lucked out.
Pauline Brown, an English teacher, and Seth Ingram who taught Health, were getting coffee and doughnuts.
“Oh, my gosh, Brianna, what happened to your face?” Pauline asked.
“Have you found the baby?” Seth inquired.
Brianna had attempted to hide the worst with makeup, but her efforts obviously failed. “I fought with the kidnapper,” Brianna said. “ And no, we haven’t found Ryan. That’s why I’m here.”
“I don’t understand.” Pauline folded her hands. “How can we help?”
“In Natalie’s journal, she admitted she was afraid. She also mentioned something about a meth lab and a club. That something bad that happened eight years ago. Do you know anything about this club or the meth lab?”
Pauline frowned. “No, but I wouldn’t be surprised that the kids knew about a meth lab. The mountains are probably full of them.”
Seth grimaced. “Unfortunately she’s right. But what does this have to do with Natalie? I thought she died in childbirth.”
The door opened and Evan Rutherford, the high school football coach, loped in.
“I don’t know yet,” Brianna claimed. “But someone tried to run Natalie off the road. Then she went into labor the next week and died. And now her baby Ryan has been kidnapped.”
“All of that does seem strange,” Pauline commented.
“So what are you saying?” Seth asked. “That Natalie didn’t die in childbirth?”
Brianna shrugged. “I’m not sure. I’m just trying to find out what happened to her and why someone would take Ryan.” She glanced at Evan but he poured himself a cup of coffee and remained silent.
Brianna folded her arms. “What about this club? Have you heard of it?”
Pauline pinched the edge of a cinnamon doughnut. “No.”
“Me neither,” Seth said.
Brianna twisted her hands together. “If you all think or hear of anything that could help, please call me.” She ducked out the door and headed down the hall to Sarah Keefer’s room. Sarah and Natalie had taught side-by-side for two years now. If Natalie had confided her fears to anyone here, it was probably to Sarah.
The bell to change classes rang just as she arrived at Sarah’s room, and she stepped aside as teenagers poured from the room and flooded the halls. Sarah spotted her and rushed toward her.
“Good heavens, Brianna. You look horrible.” She gave her a hug. “I’m so sorry about Ryan. Have you heard any news?”
She shook her head. “No, and I have to ask you something. And I need the truth.”
Sarah’s lips grew pinched. “The truth about what?”
Brianna explained about Natalie’s journal. “Did she tell you what she was afraid of or mention this club?”
Sarah fidgeted. “You really think this might have something to do with Ryan being kidnapped?”
“It’s possible, Sarah.” She clutched her hand. “Please, tell me what you know.”
Sarah lowered her voice. “Natalie said that she’d heard about a meth lab and discussed it with Principal Billings. He told her that he’d look into it, that it was dangerous for her, but as she was leaving, she overheard him make a phone call.”
“What exactly did she overhear?”
“Principal Billings mentioned The Club, and that he was worried about what happened eight years ago, that they couldn’t let the truth get out.” Sarah tucked a strand of her curly hair behind her ear. “Later Natalie admitted that she was really scared, and that she was thinking of leaving town once the baby was born.”
Brianna grimaced. Apparently Principal Billings was hiding something.
And if it had anything to do with Natalie’s death or Ryan being missing, she’d see that he paid.
DERRICK’S PHONE BUZZED WHILE he waited to see the principal, and he checked the caller ID box.
Larry Hampton.
Hoping the man had news, he quickly connected the call. “Derrick McKinney speaking.”
“Mr. McKinney, this is Larry Hampton. You left a message for me to call you.”
“Yes. I’m working with Guardian Angel Investigations, and we’re investigating the kidnapping of Ryan Cummings Honeycutt.”
A tense silence vibrated over the line, then a labored sigh. “What does that have to do with me?”
Derrick would have preferred to meet with the man in person, but a phone interview would have to suffice. “I don’t know if it does or not, but I’m investigating all possibilities.”
“Why call me?” Hampton asked. “I don’t even know the Honeycutt woman.”
“I understand that your wife recently lost a baby, Mr. Hampton.”
“Who told you that?”
“It doesn’t matter. And I am sorry for your loss. But I also understand that an emotional trauma like she suffered could have caused her to do something rash…something she normally wouldn’t do.”
“You’re accusing my wife of kidnapping that baby?” Anger radiated strong and clear in the man’s voice. “I can’t believe this crap.”
“Look, Mr. Hampton. I’m not accusing her of anything. But I have to explore every option, and it would help if I spoke with her. If for no other reason than to eliminate her as a suspect.”
Hampton cursed. “Talking to her is not an option.”
“Protecting her won’t do you any good.”
“I have to protect her, she’s my wife,” Hampton said. “But it’s not what you think. Rhoda didn’t kidnap that baby.”
“Then let me talk to her myself.”
“I said no.”
“Why not? It’s either me or the sheriff.”
Another low curse. “You can’t talk to her because she’s been admitted to the hospital in the psychiatric ward.” His voice broke. “My wife tried to commit suicide, Mr. McKinney. I carried her to the E.R. myself two days ago.”
The day before Ryan went missing. Damn.
“I’m sorry,” Derrick said and meant it. “I hope she gets help, Mr. Hampton.”
Hampton released a weary sigh. “I hope you find the baby, too.”
The line went silent, and Derrick snapped his phone shut, then looked up to see Brianna standing beside him. “Who was that?”
He relayed details from Hampton’s call.
“I’m sorry to hear about her suicide attempt,” Brianna said in a strained voice. “Have you talked to Principal Billings?”
“Not yet, I’ve been waiting.”
“We need to push him for answers.” She passed on what Sarah had revealed, and he grimaced.
Principal Billings opened his door and gestured for them to come in. Derrick introduced himself, and Brianna shook his hand, then Derrick explained the reason for their visit.
“We know Natalie talked to you about a meth lab,” Derrick confirmed. “And that you said that you’d look into it, that it was too dangerous for her. What did you mean by that?”
Principal Billings claimed his desk chair, picked up a pen and began to roll it between his fingers. “Sometimes kids involved in drugs can be dangerous.”
“Why specifically for her?”
Billings looked rattled. “I meant it would be dangerous for anyone.”
“Did these kids bel
ong to some kind of club?” Brianna cut in.
Shock widened his eyes for a moment before he masked it. “I don’t know. I have teachers listening out to see if we can narrow down any specific students who might be involved in drugs.”
“Natalie was afraid after she talked to you,” Brianna said. “She mentioned leaving town after her baby was born. We’re wondering if someone from this club thought she knew too much and wanted to keep her quiet.”
Billings rolled his pen between his fingers more frantically. “Like I said, I asked her to let me take care of things. If there is a meth lab and my kids are involved, I’ll put a stop to it.”
“What do you know about the club and how it’s related to something that happened eight years ago?” Derrick asked.
Billings dropped the pen, then tugged at the collar of his shirt. “Nothing.”
Derrick crossed his arms, his voice hard. “Natalie overheard you on the phone, Mr. Billings. What happened eight years ago that has you afraid?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He stood, glanced at his calendar then gestured toward the door. “I really don’t understand what this has to do with the baby kidnapping, but I hope you find the child. Now, please excuse me. I have another appointment.”
Derrick stood but held his ground. “If you’re hiding something, Billings, we’ll find out and be back. And if you know anything that could help us locate Ryan, you’d better speak up. If not, you can be held as a conspirator in a kidnapping case. And—”
He made a point of looking around the office. “If we discover Natalie didn’t die of natural causes, an accomplice to murder.”
BRIANNA FOLLOWED DERRICK OUT to the car, her nerves on edge as the hours and minutes ticked by.
Hours and minutes that meant Ryan was getting farther and farther away from her. Hours and minutes that meant that they might never bring him home.
“I know Principal Billings is not telling us everything,” she declared as they fastened their seat belts. “But what if we’re wasting time on a wild goose chase? What if this lab has nothing to do with the kidnapping?”
Derrick sighed, ran his hand through his hair, and glanced at her, his eyes full of turmoil. Her heart squeezed for him. He’d been strong, taking care of her, and pursuing every lead.
But this investigation had to be tearing him apart inside. He’d loved Natalie as she had, and his son was missing.
Yes, she knew Ryan was Derrick’s. When she’d first seen Derrick at her house when she’d regained consciousness, she’d noticed the similarities. His strong nose and jaw. His dark blond hair and deep brown eyes.
Eyes that sucked a girl in.
“Brianna,” Derrick began, “I’ve worked a lot of cases. The Amber Alert is out with Ryan’s photo. And we have to follow every lead we have.”
“But—”
“Shh.” He took her hand and pulled it into his. The warm contact soothed her nerves slightly and she clung to his voice.
“Most kidnappings are personally related, meaning that the kidnapper knows the victim. Since neither you nor Natalie had money, we have to believe that.”
She nodded, needing to trust him, to cling to hope. “Where are we going now?”
“The hospital.”
They lapsed into silence, and she felt the tension coiling inside him as they entered the hospital.
Dr. Thorpe, the doctor who delivered Ryan was in surgery, so they were forced to wait. Derrick insisted they have lunch, and she managed to swallow a few bites of a salad, but the food churned in her stomach.
An hour later, they met the doctor in his office. He looked at her with furrowed brows. “Miss Honeycutt, I didn’t expect to see you again.”
Derrick cleared his throat, then spoke in a take-charge voice and detailed their suspicions about Natalie’s fears being related to Ryan’s kidnapping.
“I don’t understand,” Dr. Thorpe said. “Natalie died of heart failure after the C-section.”
Derrick frowned. “Is there any possible way someone could have slipped into the recovery room and injected Natalie with a drug that could have caused her death?”
“We have security,” Dr. Thorpe noted. “And the staff here is well trained.”
“Is it possible?” Derrick asked. “Most women who die in childbirth die of hemorrhaging. How many females in their twenties die of cardiac arrest?”
“A small percentage,” Dr. Thorpe admitted.
“Too small and too coincidental considering the circumstances and things we’ve learned.”
Silence stretched between them fraught with tension. Dr. Thorpe pulled at his chin. “I suppose it’s possible someone could have slipped in unnoticed on a busy night. But I don’t really think that’s what happened….”
In spite of his protests, doubts clouded the doctor’s eyes.
Derrick lowered his voice to a lethal tone. “We’re going to get to the bottom of all this, Dr. Thorpe. And the hospital had better be ready if we discover that you or anyone assisting you in any way caused Natalie’s death.”
DERRICK REMOVED HIS CELL PHONE from the inside of his jacket as they rode the elevator to the parking deck. He punched in Sheriff Cramer’s number and shared what he’d learned so far.
“I told you to let me handle this investigation,” Cramer repeated.
“Look, I’m calling you for help,” Derrick snapped. “We don’t have time to argue. If you really cared about Natalie, you’ll get a warrant to have her body exhumed. It’s imperative we know if there was foul play.”
“I don’t know if we have enough to convince a judge,” Cramer said.
“Dammit, Cramer. You grew up around here. Use any pull you have.”
Cramer hissed a deep breath. “All right. I’ll see what I can do.”
They reached the car, but Brianna paused and pointed to a note on his windshield. Derrick cursed as he read it.
Stop asking questions or you’ll never see the baby again.
Brianna paled as she read it over his shoulder, and reached for the car door. But his instincts kicked in, and he grabbed her arm and held her back. “Wait.”
Years of experience warned him to check beneath the car. He squatted down and looked underneath the vehicle, and his breath stopped.
A bomb was strapped below the engine, then a clicking sounded, and he realized someone had triggered it.
“There’s a bomb! Run!” He grabbed Brianna, and raced toward the grassy area beside the parking lot.
The bomb exploded, metal flew, glass shattered and the impact tossed them to the ground.
Chapter Nine
Derrick covered Brianna with his body, taking the brunt of the metal and glass spewing through the air and pelting the asphalt. A second later, the gas tank exploded. The horrific sound jarred the air with smoke and the acrid scent of gas and burning rubble.
Brianna’s body trembled beneath him, and he stroked her back to calm her.
“Are you okay, Bri?”
“Yes,” she said hoarsely. “Are you?”
“Yeah.” But if she hadn’t noticed the note and he hadn’t herded her away in time, they would both be dead. The realization sent fury rolling through him.
The sound of feet running and voices shouting drifted through the haze. He pivoted to see flames from the Jeep shooting upward, smoke billowing in the air. Heat radiated from the burning vehicle and thickened the air, suffocating in its intensity.
A man in a suit approached, two women beside him. “I called the paramedics.”
“Good heavens, are you two all right?” one of the women asked.
Derrick shifted to his knees, then helped Brianna stand, and faced the spectators. “Yeah. Thanks.”
“Was that a bomb?” the other woman asked.
Derrick clenched his jaw. “Yes, it was a bomb. I’m calling the sheriff now.”
Questions pummeled him. Cramer had wanted to marry Natalie, and knew that Derrick had slept with her. Could he trust Cramer?
He had no choice, though. He had to report this. And surely Cramer wouldn’t do something so stupid as to set off a bomb in front of a hospital.
Two paramedics jogged toward them, but he waved them off from examining him, and they turned to Brianna to make sure she wasn’t hurt. Two security guards from the hospital appeared and began to corral the crowd to keep spectators from getting too close. He removed his phone and quickly punched in Cramer’s direct number.
“Sheriff Cramer.”
“It’s Derrick McKinney. Someone just tried to kill me and Brianna.”
Cramer cursed. “What happened?”
The fire engine raced up, siren wailing and screeched to a stop. Derrick covered the phone so he could hear over the noise as the firefighters jumped into motion to extinguish the blazing vehicle.
“We stopped at the hospital to talk to the doctor who delivered Natalie’s baby, and while we were inside, someone put a bomb under my SUV.”
“Dammit, McKinney, I’ll be right there. But I told you to let me ask the questions.”
Derrick angled himself away from Brianna so she couldn’t overhear his conversation.
“Cramer, I can’t just sit on my ass. You know every hour a child is missing exponentially decreases the chance of finding the child alive. And Ryan has been missing for over twenty-four hours now.”
“I’ll send the CSI team over to search for clues. Why in the hell were you asking questions about Natalie’s death?”
“I’ll fill you in when you arrive. I want to check on Brianna.” But first he phoned Ben and told him about the bomb. “Anything on the couple we discussed?”
“No. There’s nothing suspicious about their finances, although the wife was seeing a therapist. But no property or other family.”
Derrick sighed. “Do me a favor and check out Beau Cramer.”
“The sheriff?”
“Yeah. He was in love with Natalie.”
“I’ll get right on it.”
Derrick hung up and turned to see her staring at his SUV as the firefighters extinguished the blaze. She looked pale and bruised and frightened.