by Terri Reed
Something niggled at the back of Ryan’s brain. “And she knew who had adopted her child?”
Meghan nodded. “Christina and Burke Hennessy.”
He stilled. “Georgina is Olivia’s child?”
He pictured the little girl with her blond curls and bright blue eyes safe in Meghan’s arms. No wonder Meghan had held the child so tenderly with so much love. She believed the toddler to be her cousin’s daughter.
He remembered when the Hennessys brought the baby home, claiming they’d adopted her, thus rescuing her from a drug addict in New York City. The Hennessys must have known the adoption was illegal and could be challenged if they were tracked down as the adoptive parents by the birth mother. No one had questioned them. There hadn’t been any reason to.
“Maybe Olivia confronted Christina and Christina killed Olivia to keep Georgina,” Meghan reasoned.
“It’s a good theory. There’s evidence that could link her to the crime.” If so, he had the motive they’d been searching for in Olivia’s murder. “But why would Christina kill Burke if they were in this together?”
“I don’t know. Maybe he found out Christina killed Olivia and threatened to turn her in or said they’d have to come clean about the illegal adoption, give the baby to the authorities.”
“Maybe,” he said. What a complicated mess.
“You believe me, then?” Meghan asked, her voice tense. “Or rather, Olivia?”
This woman was related to the deceased and to the baby that may have been the catalyst for Olivia’s murder. “I don’t know why you’d lie.”
“I wouldn’t. I don’t lie.”
He could only take her word on that.
Meghan flipped on her blinker and took the exit ramp for Portsmouth. “Do you know how to get to the police station?”
He arched an eyebrow. “Do you always start driving without knowing where you’re going?”
Her mouth tightened. “I figured I’d ask for directions when I arrived. But since you’re with me, I’d hoped you’d know where to go.”
Shaking his head, he searched for the address on his smartphone and directed her. A few minutes later they pulled up to the square redbrick building of the Portsmouth police headquarters.
Large green, manicured hedges framed the walkway. Summer sun reflected off the paved sidewalk in hot waves, but a slight breeze coming off the Atlantic Ocean a few miles away kept the heat bearable.
Ryan hobbled to the glass front door in Meghan’s wake. She held open the door for him then herded him to the desk sergeant.
Ryan glared at her. He wasn’t limping that badly. He identified himself to the sergeant.
A moment later, a man wearing the navy uniform of the Portsmouth Police Department approached. The stars on the collar of his uniform alerted Ryan to the man’s rank even before he spoke.
“Deputy Chief Fitzgerald, I’ve been expecting you.” They shook hands. “I’m Chief Danhoff. We’ve got the suspect in a room. We’ve read him his rights and he’s declined a lawyer. I was waiting for you before questioning him.”
Chief Danhoff assessed Meghan. “And you are?”
“This is Meghan Henry. She’s a blood relative of the missing child.”
“Ah. You’ll want to observe then.” Motioning for them to follow, Chief Danhoff led the way. He opened a door. “Miss Henry you can watch from in here.”
Meghan disappeared inside.
Ryan followed Danhoff into the interrogation room. He was determined to bring down Christina Hennessy and find the little girl.
THREE
Meghan took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. Nope, didn’t calm her nerves any. Gathering her courage like a shield, she stepped inside the Portsmouth observation room and watched Ryan enter the interrogation room. The small space seemed even more cramped with the big, muscle-bound Jay sitting at a metal table. She couldn’t see his hands. She assumed they were handcuffed to his chair or something.
Surprise flickered in Jay’s dark eyes when he saw Ryan. “What are you doing here?”
“I need answers and you’re going to give them to me,” Ryan said, bracing his hands on the table and leaning into Jay’s face.
“Fat chance, pretty boy,” Jay spat out, testing the strength of the cuffs holding his arms at his sides.
“Did you help Christina Hennessy kill her husband?”
Jay drew back. “I don’t know nothing about no husband and no death. Wasn’t me.”
“Mrs. Hennessy didn’t tell you about murdering her husband?”
Jay frowned. “Naw. She just needed some brawn for the day.”
A muscle ticked in Ryan’s jaw. “What rock did she find you under?”
When Jay didn’t respond, Ryan slapped a hand on the table, the crack echoed off the walls. Meghan felt the impact through the glass. Her heart jolted.
“You’re going down, Jay. Assault on a police officer, kidnapping—”
“I didn’t kidnap anyone!” Jay protested.
“And you’ll be charged as an accomplice in Burke Hennessy’s murder.”
“I’m telling you I don’t know this Burke guy, and I didn’t kill anyone.”
“Then tell me how you hooked up with Christina,” Ryan said, his tone intense.
With a sullen pout, Jay said, “She came into the Last Stand bar asking if anyone wanted to make a quick grand.”
“When was this?”
Jay shrugged. “Just this morning.”
“She gave you a thousand dollars to do what?”
“Oh, I got more than a measly thou,” Jay said, pride puffing up his chest. “Since I was the only one in the bar, she didn’t have much choice. I wanted five grand.”
Surprise washed over Meghan.
“She had that much cash on her?” Ryan voiced the question rising inside Meghan.
“Yeah. I could tell she was rich. Liked to look down her nose at others. I know the type.”
Christina had obviously been planning her escape to have so much cash at the ready.
“What did she want you to do?”
He shrugged. “To go with her to get the kid and make sure they got to the airport safely.”
“Do you know where they were planning to fly to?”
He shook his head. “Naw. She thought I was just a big dumb guy she could boss around. For five grand, I let her.”
“Which airline did you drop her off at?”
Jay shook his head. “Didn’t. She changed her mind.”
Ryan pinned him with a look. “Then where is Christina and the toddler now?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know.”
Meghan pressed her hands against the glass willing the man to talk.
“Where did you leave them?” Ryan’s tone echoed with irritation.
“She wanted to be dropped off at the mall.”
Meghan’s stomach sank.
“Mall? Where? Which one?” Ryan asked sharply. His gaze strayed to the mirrored wall and bounced away.
“The fancy one, near the expressway.”
“Did she talk to anyone?” Ryan pressed. “Was she meeting someone there?”
Jay shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone. But she could have been meeting someone. She made a call on her cell.”
Meghan’s pulse sped up. She strained forward.
“Did you hear a name?”
“Naw. She was talking real low. Couldn’t hear anything. She sat in the back like I was her chauffeur or something.”
“You didn’t hear anything to let you know where she was headed or what her plans were?” Doubt infused Ryan’s tone.
“Naw, man. That’s all I know.”
Ryan str
aightened and nodded to the chief who’d hung back without saying a word. The men exited the room.
Meghan met Ryan in the hall. Chief Danhoff headed away. “We have to get back to Revere. To the Northgate Shopping Center, it’s right off the Northeast Expressway.”
“Chief’s already making contact with Revere P.D.”
“Let’s go!” She turned toward the door.
Ryan snagged her elbow and held on. “We’re going to let the Revere P.D. handle this. You’ve done enough.”
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “You can stay here. But I’m going to the mall.”
His frustrated growl sent a shiver down her back as she rushed for the front door.
“Hold up.” Ryan’s agitated voice halted her as she pushed open the glass doors. He limped as fast as he could toward her, each step bringing a wince of pain. Empathy rose. She knew what it was like to have to function while hurt. The abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her ex-husband had made some days nearly unbearable.
He reached her side. “Can we at least wait to see if the mall security can locate them? We don’t know whether or not she had another car already waiting to whisk them away.”
“But we have to do something!”
“You’re right. But us driving all over the place chasing our tails is not going to bring Georgina back. We need to be patient.”
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.
He looked her in the eye. “No, actually, it’s not.”
She believed him. He was a man of action, used to being in control. He was a Fitzgerald, after all. He was probably accustomed to snapping his fingers and having the world jump to attention. Even as the uncharitable thought formed she dismissed it. Ryan may be many things but pompous wasn’t one of them.
Chief Danhoff halted beside Ryan. “Mall security has locked down the mall and the Revere P.D. is on the scene. We’ll know something shortly.”
“Good.” Ryan looked at Meghan expectantly.
Conflicted, she hesitated. She wanted to jump in the car and hightail it back to Revere, but if Christina and Georgina weren’t at the mall, then the trip would be wasted. Better to stay put and be ready to move when they were found. She acquiesced and released her hold on the door.
The seconds ticked by. Meghan tapped one foot in a rhythmic cadence. Ryan placed a hand on her arm. The light contact stilled her nerves in a way she’d never experienced before. The tapping stopped. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, yet it left her feeling vulnerable. She frowned and moved away from his touch. Instantly her nerves jumped to life. She paced the length of the entryway.
“Chief,” called the desk sergeant, holding up a phone. “It’s the Revere P.D.”
Anticipation grabbed hold of Meghan as she and Ryan followed Danhoff toward the phone. Danhoff took the call, listened for a moment then thanked the officer on the other end. His grim expression turned Meghan’s blood cold.
“The Revere police did a thorough search. Mrs. Hennessy and her daughter are nowhere to be found.”
Meghan fought back tears. She’d had Georgina in her arms. Anxiety fisted in her chest, creating a deep ache that nearly drove her to her knees. Her last remaining relative was in danger.
“What about security cameras?” Ryan asked.
Danhoff shook his head. “They have them entering through the south entrance of the mall and going inside one of the big department stores. They lost them in the women’s restroom. They never came out.”
“How can that be?” Meghan questioned, her voice rising with disbelief. “Someone had to have seen them.”
“Christina was prepared. She most likely had a disguise ready and changed her and Georgina’s appearance in the bathroom.” Ryan ran a hand through his short-cropped dark hair. “I can’t believe this.”
Meghan couldn’t, either. The trail had gone ice cold. Despair and fear clawed at her throat. Tears stung her eyes.
Now what?
* * *
Traffic on the way back to Fitzgerald Bay added to Meghan’s frustration. Not only had they lost Georgina, they had no idea where to look for her. Christina could have taken her anywhere.
Heart aching, Meghan sent up a silent prayer of protection for Georgina.
In the passenger seat Ryan shifted, again. From the moment they’d left the Portsmouth Police Department, he’d been restless and kept looking in the side-view mirror.
“What are you doing?” she finally asked after he turned in his seat with a groan, because of his hurt ribs, to stare out the back window for the umpteenth time.
“We have a tail,” he stated, facing forward again.
She frowned. “A tail? Like in being followed?”
“Yeah, exactly like.”
She glanced through the rearview mirror at the multitude of cars dotting the highway behind them. “There’s so much traffic. How can you tell?”
“There’s a silver van about five cars back. I saw it at the police station. It’s been keeping the same distance for the past ten miles.”
“Coincidence?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He gestured ahead. “Take the next exit.”
She signaled and moved over to the far-right lane. In the rearview mirror she noticed the van did the same. Her heart pounded in her chest as she took the exit ramp. The van sped up and barreled down the ramp behind them.
“Ryan?” The light at the end of the ramp turned red. She pressed on the brakes, the car skidding to a halt. The van pulled up alongside the car. The back panel door slid open. Masked men aimed big black guns at them.
“Get down!” Ryan yelled.
Meghan screamed and ducked as a spray of gunfire pelted the car. The side window shattered. She felt a stinging sensation in her shoulder.
Reflexively, she stomped on the gas to get away from the flying bullets. The Subaru jolted forward through the red light. Horns blared. Tires squealed on pavement as cars swerved to avoid hitting them. She yanked on the steering wheel to prevent them from ramming into a streetlight. The back window exploded into a million pieces.
“Keep driving!” Ryan shouted.
She didn’t have to be told twice. She kept her foot pressed on the gas and swerved around a car.
This couldn’t be happening.
The whole event seemed surreal, like she’d stepped into some action movie by mistake.
She turned down a side street and another and another until she had no sense of where they were or what direction they were headed. The van wasn’t following them now, but that didn’t lessen her panic. Her shoulder throbbed, her arm and hand numb. Ryan spoke to her. His phone in his hand, she could see his lips moving when she glanced his way, but only heard the rush of adrenaline in her ears.
He placed a hand over hers on the steering wheel. His touch grounded her. Through a foggy haze she heard his voice.
“Meghan, come on, Meghan, I need you to hold it together. Slow the car down.”
She eased her foot from the gas. The car’s acceleration dropped.
“Put your foot on the brake,” Ryan instructed.
She did as asked. Allowing him to guide her hands, she pulled the car to the curb, halting at an odd angle. Smoke curled from under the Subaru’s hood. She began to shake.
“You’re bleeding!” Ryan quickly undid his seat belt and bolted from the car.
He limped around to her side of the car and yanked open the driver’s door. Carefully, he eased her out of the seat. The world swam and she clung to him for support. He helped her to sit on the curb.
Her dress was covered in brown sticky stuff. She frowned. Her left hand was covered in it, too.
Blood.
The thought slammed into her mind, sending waves of shock through her
system. She was bleeding. Nausea churned, she clamped her mouth tight. She would not throw up on him.
Ryan took off his blue uniform shirt and then his white T-shirt, revealing the nasty bruises peeking out from under the bandage wrapped around his torso. He bunched the T-shirt into a ball and pressed it to her shoulder. Pain zinged at the point of contact.
Her mind grappled to make sense of why he was doing that.
Reality crashed in. She’d been shot. She swayed.
“Put your head between your knees,” Ryan said, pushing her head down with gentle pressure.
After a moment the world stopped spinning. The sounds of sirens sent a tremor coursing over her flesh. Twice in one day they were waiting for an ambulance.
Thank You, Lord, for Your protection.
“Who were those men?” she asked Ryan when she felt steady enough to raise her head.
His mouth pressed into a grim line. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think this is connected to Christina?”
“Could be. Maybe. I don’t know.”
“Are you working on another case? Someone who wants you dead?” she asked, reaching for some explanation.
“No.” He peered at her. “What about you? What are you working on?”
“Just my cousin’s murder.”
At the reminder, she shuddered. Her cousin had been murdered, and now someone had tried to kill her and Ryan. Was this attempt on their lives connected in some way to Olivia’s death? Had Christina orchestrated the masked gunmen?
“Is the dolphin charm the only evidence you have that Christina might be involved in Olivia’s murder?” she asked, hoping to piece the facts together.
“There was a second blood sample found on the rock used to kill Olivia. DNA testing finally eliminated my brother Charles as a suspect. I wouldn’t be surprised if Christina Hennessy’s DNA is all over that rock.”
She was glad his brother was no longer a suspect in Olivia’s death. Charles Fitzgerald had been Olivia’s employer. She’d been his twins’ nanny. Meghan knew Olivia had loved those kids.