“What do you think?”
“She’s doing a good job. I’m trying to stay out of it, even staying away from Cimarron Trail for the time being.”
“I have no complaints concerning Rachel.”
Bill chuckled. “Would you tell me if you did?”
Dallas looked the retired sheriff in the eye. “Yes. She’s smart, trained well and caring about the people in the county, but this case will test her.” He proceeded to tell Bill the details of what had happened the previous day and earlier that morning. “I want her to go by the hospital and get checked out, but she doesn’t want to waste time. She only wants to spend time tracking what few leads we have.”
Bill smiled from ear to ear. “She once fell from a horse and acted like she was fine until her leg swelled up and we took her to the doctor. She has a high pain threshold, which is both good and bad. She’ll let you know. She hobbled into our bedroom and woke us up in the middle of the night that time. Her determination is fierce, but she knows when to say uncle.”
“Good to know. Rachel has told me about her daughter, Katie. Where is she?”
Bill gestured toward the barn. “Anita is feeding the chickens and rabbits. Katie loves to help. I’m gonna miss my granddaughter being underfoot when Rachel finds a house in town.”
If someone forced Rachel off the road, what might that person do to his daughter? What was he going to do about Michelle once she left the hospital? The thought chilled Dallas in the warm summer morning air.
“But honestly, I hope Rachel isn’t in too big a hurry, especially with your nephew being kidnapped. She told me it was possibly part of a statewide baby-snatching ring.”
“Yeah, when I had my office look into what was happening across Texas, they discovered there were other clusters of three abductions. A Texas Ranger I know in El Paso told me when they were getting close to the kidnappers, suddenly the abductions stopped.” Dallas kneaded his nape. “Now that someone’s come after Rachel, I’m concerned they may be after my daughter, too. She might be able to remember what the woman looked like. She wasn’t wearing a mask like the man. One of my daughter’s talents is drawing, especially faces. Even with sunglasses on, she could draw the woman’s face from the eyes down. That might help us.”
“If you think it’s a good idea, I’ll watch over Michelle, too. We already look after Katie. I know my granddaughter would get a kick out of having Michelle here.”
As the screen door opened, Dallas smiled. “That would work.” He rose as Rachel joined them.
“What would work?” Rachel glanced from her dad to Dallas.
“Your father offered to have Michelle stay here on the ranch while we work the case.”
“You think she’s in danger?”
“I hope not, but I don’t want to take any chances, not after your wreck today.”
Bill stood. “When will she be released from the hospital?”
“Hopefully later today. Mom will let me know.”
“Have Dottie call me, and we’ll arrange something for today.”
A huge relief came over Dallas. He couldn’t ask for a better person to guard his daughter. “I don’t want to put Katie at risk. Are y’all sure?”
“Yes,” Rachel and Bill replied at the same time, then they looked at each other and laughed.
“Katie is already at risk. She’s a baby. Ready to leave?” Rachel set her cowboy hat on her head and moved to the steps.
“Thanks.” Dallas shook Bill’s hand and followed her to his SUV.
Settled behind the steering wheel, he slid a look at Rachel. Her hat shadowed her face, hiding the bruises and cuts she’d sustained in the crash. From her ramrod-straight posture and the tic twitching in her jaw, he could tell she was tense. Bill was right about Rachel’s fierce determination. Only an hour ago she’d had a near-death experience, and yet here she was, ready to track down any leads they had. “Do you want to stop at your crime scene before going to the shopping center?”
“No. I doubt there’s any evidence to indicate who was behind the sabotage this morning. One of the few leads we have is where Lenora went on Friday. Where she lost her bracelet.”
Dallas drove away from her father’s house. “I agree. I hope they have surveillance cameras on the outside of the shopping center and in the stores, too.”
Rachel sighed as she reclined. “Your sister went to the drugstore first, then the baby shop and finally the knitting one. Where did she park?”
“I don’t know. Let me call her.” Dallas quickly got in touch with Lenora. “Where did you park at the shopping center?”
“In front of the Knit n’ Pearl. Are you there now?”
“Not yet. Did you remember anything else since yesterday?”
“I know I had it on in the drugstore but didn’t when I left the Knit n’ Pearl.”
“Thanks, sis,” he said, even though she’d already told him yesterday. “I’ll keep you informed of our progress on the case.”
“Please, just bring my baby home.” The last word came out on a sob.
“I’ll do all I can.” When Dallas disconnected his cell phone, the sound of pain in his sister’s voice lingered in his mind. What if his best wasn’t enough?
“You okay?” Rachel’s soft voice reminded Dallas he couldn’t let self-doubt take hold.
He nodded. “Let’s retrace my sister’s steps the best we can, even though we’re here two hours later than she was last Friday.” He’d worked enough abduction cases that were never solved to be concerned. In a kidnapping case, time was of the essence, especially the first twenty-four hours—which was quickly running out for Brady. How was he going to face Lenora if he couldn’t find his nephew?
FIVE
Rachel straightened in the front passenger seat as Dallas pulled into the Chesterfield Shopping Center, which had a row of six stores facing seven other stores across the parking lot. She noticed the Baby and Things sat next to the Chesterfield Drug Store. Knit n’ Pearl was across from them. Dallas parked in a spot in front of the tax accounting firm next door.
“I only see one video camera at the end of the sidewalk.” He pointed to the left.
“I wonder if it belongs to the store it’s in front of or the company that owns this center.”
“When we’re through, we’ll ask, although I think the butcher shop put it up. I don’t see any outside cameras at the other end.”
“Nor in the parking lot. Not a lot of security. I’d be curious how much crime takes place here.”
Dallas started across the parking lot. “The houses around this area are nice—middle to upper end. Maybe crime is low in this part of San Antonio.” At the drugstore, he held the door open for Rachel.
A young girl with a long ponytail, probably no older than twenty, worked behind the cash register. When she looked at them, the teenager’s eyes widened when they fixed on Dallas. Rachel leaned close and whispered, “I have a feeling you’ll get more from her than I would. I’m going to walk around the store and see what kind of security they have.”
Smiling, Dallas approached the checkout and tipped his cowboy hat. Rachel didn’t hear what he said to the cashier but glimpsed him showing her the photo of Lenora. As Rachel circled the store, she noted four security cameras and paused in the rear at the pharmacy. “Is the manager here?” she asked the older woman behind the counter.
“He should be.”
“Where can I find him?”
“I’ll call him.”
“Thanks.” While the woman made an announcement asking Mr. Matthews to come to the pharmacy, Rachel turned toward the rows of merchandise. When the older lady finished, Rachel swung back to her, holding up a photo of Lenora. “Do you remember seeing this woman here last Friday morning, probably around ten?”
“I can’t help you. I don’t come in until eleven.” The pharmacy tech stared at
Rachel’s sheriff’s badge. “Is there a problem?”
“This woman lost a bracelet here last Friday.”
“Must be an expensive bracelet if you’re here checking on it.”
Rachel glimpsed a man in his thirties with a name badge pinned to his shirt coming toward them. She pivoted and held out her hand. “Mr. Matthews, I’m Sheriff Rachel Young. Thanks for meeting with me.”
“What’s this about?”
“I’m investigating a kidnapping case.” She moved farther away from the counter and lowered her voice. “I see you have surveillance cameras throughout the store and one outside near the entrance. I’m interested in video footage from Friday between 9:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon.”
“Was there a kidnapping here at the store?”
“No, but a piece of evidence related to this case may have been lost in your store.” When the man didn’t say anything, Rachel noticed Dallas making his way toward them. From the solemn expression on his face, she could tell he hadn’t found anyone who remembered Lenora. “An eight-month-old baby was kidnapped. The family is devastated.”
The manager paled. “We keep security tapes for a month. I’ll help any way you need. I heard on the news about an abduction in Cimarron Trail. Is that it?”
She nodded. “Mr. Matthews, this is Texas Ranger Dallas Sanders. He’s working with me on the case.”
Dallas shook the manager’s hand. “We appreciate any help you can give us.”
“Come back to my office, and I’ll get you the surveillance footage from Friday. All the cameras in the store were working, but the one outside went down Friday morning. Nothing was taped on it. I didn’t realize until later in the afternoon. We don’t monitor them all the time, but throughout the day, I’ll glance at them.”
“What happened to the camera outside?”
“Someone sprayed its lens. In fact, some of the other stores said the same thing happened to their outside cameras.”
“Did any footage catch the person spraying the lens?”
“Mine didn’t. I think Baby and Things might have. You need to check with them.” The manager moved toward a door at the back of the store.
Mr. Matthews ran the surveillance tape on his computer to make sure it was what they wanted, fast forwarding through the first twenty minutes until it showed a woman pushing a baby carriage into the store.
Dallas tapped the screen. “That’s the woman.”
Mr. Matthews copied the footage onto a flash drive.
A few minutes later, Rachel and Dallas left and headed to the Baby and Things shop next door.
When Rachel stepped inside and looked around the large open space filled with every item a baby might need, she whistled. “Now I understand why Lenora drives over here. I could do some serious damage in this place.”
Dallas smiled. “Let’s show Lenora’s picture to the employees.”
“Did you notice when we came in, the camera lens outside is still painted black?”
“Yeah, whereas Mr. Matthews had a new lens. That’ll be a good question to ask the manager.”
Rachel took the right side of the store while Dallas canvassed the left. The first salesperson she met studied the photo Rachel showed her and couldn’t help her. Rachel moved on to the next employee.
“Have you seen this woman shopping in this store recently?”
The older woman cocked her head. “She looks familiar. I’ve seen her somewhere, but I can’t tell you where or when. I forget people’s names, but I remember faces.”
“But you can’t say she was in here last Friday morning?”
“No. I was off that day. You need to talk with Carrie Zoeller and Lynn Davis. They worked on Friday.”
“Where are they?” Rachel scanned the shop and caught sight of Dallas speaking to a middle-aged man with blond hair at the rear of the store.
“They don’t work on Tuesday. They both work Thursday, Friday and Saturday. We’re closed on Sunday.”
“Who else was here on Friday who is working right now?”
“Our owner.” The older lady waved toward Dallas and the blond-headed man. “The young girl at checkout and Betty Biden, who you just talked to.”
Rachel withdrew her business card and gave it to the salesperson. “If you remember where you’ve seen this woman, please give me a call. This involves a kidnapping case and time is critical.”
“Oh, my! Now I remember where I’ve seen her. On the news this morning on TV. I’ve waited on her before but not Friday.”
“Thanks.”
Before joining Dallas, Rachel hurried toward the cashier with beautiful long red hair at the back counter. Rachel noted her name on the badge she wore: Jan Thomas. “I understand you were working last Friday morning. Did you see this woman in here pushing a baby stroller?”
“Yes. She bought some clothes for her son. He was so adorable. In fact, later I remember she called the store to see if anyone had found an antique bracelet with a gold heart with the initials DN engraved on it. She’d lost it but wasn’t sure where.”
“Did you find a bracelet like that?”
“No, but I remembered seeing it when she was paying for her purchases, so she didn’t lose it in here.”
“Did anyone help her in the store?”
“Yes, Carrie did. She’s not working today.” Her eyebrows slashed downward. “Is the woman in trouble? She was so nice.”
“She isn’t, no. This is about a kidnapping case.”
“The baby in the stroller?”
Rachel nodded.
Jan gasped and shook her head. “I can’t believe that. If I remember anything else, I’ll let you know.”
“Thanks.” Rachel wound her way through the store to join Dallas and the owner, Steve Tucker.
“I’m sorry we don’t have any security tapes for you. We don’t keep them past two days unless there’s an issue that we might need the tape.”
“Thanks,” Dallas said. “I appreciate the list of the people who worked on Friday and their contact information.”
“I wish I could help you more. I didn’t arrive at the store until one on Friday.”
When they exited the shop, Rachel glanced up at the black lens. “Why doesn’t he have the outside camera fixed yet?”
“He told me he hadn’t gotten around to it, but he showed me the brief glimpse of who blacked out the lens. He’d made a photo of him before erasing the tape. All I saw was a face with a ski mask on—black. Sound familiar?”
“The guy who attacked Michelle.”
Dallas drew in a long breath. “It’ll be a pleasure to bring this guy in.”
Rachel gently fingered her bruised, sore face. “If he’s the guy who hit me—and the evidence seems to indicate that—I’ll be right there next to you.”
“Let’s check Knit n’ Pearl out. So far, not much to go on.”
“The cashier, Jan Thomas, told me she saw Lenora wearing her bracelet when she paid for her purchases. That narrows down when she could have lost it.”
Dallas frowned. “In the Knit n’ Pearl shop or somewhere out here, most likely.”
“Lenora went back to the Knit n’ Pearl. She didn’t find it.”
“So, this is where we need to concentrate.” He swung the door to the shop open and waited for Rachel to go in.
When she entered, a warm and fuzzy feeling immediately enveloped her as she moved farther inside. Several round tables off to one side were filled with women and one man, knitting. A lady, probably about sixty with salt-and-pepper hair, moved from one person to the next, assisting and encouraging the knitters. Laughter filled the air that was scented with lavender and vanilla.
“I’ve never thought about learning to knit, but this place makes it tempting to try. I’ll talk with the lady helping at the tables.” Rachel glanced around the cozy shop. “It doesn’t loo
k like they have many cameras.”
“I’ll see what the lady behind the counter says.”
As Rachel approached the two tables, the chatter subsided. Most stared at their knitting projects while their hands slowed. A couple followed her progress. Rachel stopped next to the instructor and lowered her voice. “May I talk with you for a few minutes?”
“This is about Lenora Howard and Brady’s kidnapping?”
Rachel nodded. “You’re following the story?”
“Yes. She’s been a good customer for a while. The last time I saw her was Friday.”
“I’m Sheriff Rachel Young.”
When she held out her hand, the older woman shook it. “I’m Barbara Norris, the owner of this shop.”
“I understand Lenora lost a bracelet and came back in here to look for it.”
“Yes. Me and Annie, my sister and partner in the shop, helped her to look around the store at that time. She was so upset about losing it.”
“It was a gift from her mother.”
Barbara stared off to the left of Rachel. “I hated seeing tears in Lenora’s eyes. We searched everywhere, even after she was gone. Brady started crying and nothing she did calmed him so she left. I told her I would call her if we found it.”
“How many customers did you have when Lenora was here?”
Barbara tapped her finger against her jaw. “There were five people browsing the merchandise. Two helped us look for the bracelet.”
“Do you know who the customers were?”
“The two who searched with us were regulars—Donna Eagan and her daughter, Linda. The other ones I didn’t know. They looked around and left. A young woman with a man who seemed uncomfortable being in our store and a gray-haired woman.”
Texas Baby Pursuit Page 6