Tainted

by Tess Thompson

  “Are you mad?”

  “Not mad. A little disappointed you didn’t feel you could just come talk to me.”

  “It’s her. She keeps you in a cage, hidden from me.”

  “How about if I come see you guys? We could talk without Violet there.”

  “I would love that.”

  Violet had compared Mel to a cat many times. She was right. Mel purred instead of talked. Mary hugged her bump and shivered. Please God, don’t let her hurt the children.

  “Where are you?” Kyle asked.

  “I’m up north. By a lake. That’s how I always imagine us. With a house by the lake.”

  “Can you send me the coordinates? I could come see you right away.”

  “Yes, please. Come. I’ll wait for you.”

  Kyle’s phone beeped with a text.

  “Did you get it?” Mel asked.

  “Yes, I can see where you are,” Kyle said. “I’ll come for you.”

  “There’s only one thing. I didn’t keep Dakota. He doesn’t fit with us. It’s just you and me and Mollie. Not the other two.”

  Violet pressed her hands to her mouth as if to keep from screaming.

  “What did you do with him?” Kyle fell to his knees, holding the phone out in front of him and staring at it in disbelief. “Are you there?”

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  “Where’s Dakota? Tell me right now,” Kyle said.

  “I left him at the McDonalds.”

  “When? When was that?”

  “About an hour ago.”

  “Where was it? Which McDonalds?”

  “Do you know where Stowaway is?”

  Stowaway? Cameron lived there. A town slightly bigger than Cliffside Bay but not by much. It was about an hour north.

  “I left him in a booth,” Mel said. “He’s fine.”

  Detective Ryan typed furiously into his phone, then ran out of the room, most likely to put out an Amber Alert.

  “Listen to me carefully,” Kyle said. “You stay where you are. I’ll be right there. We’ll be together. Stay put. Okay?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  A deputy stormed into the living room. “We’ve got local police in Stowaway headed to the McDonalds.”

  Detective Ryan returned, along with two deputies. He explained the plan, which was to make it appear as if Kyle were alone. In reality, the police would be right behind them. “We’ll park and run in,” Ryan said. “Surprise her.”

  “I’ll go with him,” Lance said. “I can stay hidden in the car, but he shouldn’t go in there alone. We don’t know what kind of weapons she has.”

  “I can send one of my guys,” Ryan said.

  “No, I want to do it,” Lance said. “Please.”

  “It should be me. I don’t want you in danger,” Brody said.

  “No, Brody. I have to do this,” Lance said. He was Kyle’s best friend. This was his job.

  “You sure?” Brody asked.

  “Yes. It has to be me,” Lance said to Brody before turning to the detective. “Please, sir. Let me go with him.”

  “I don’t know if I can do it without him,” Kyle said.

  Detective Ryan relented. “You’re to keep your cell phone on.”

  “Yes sir,” Lance said.

  Ryan talked through the rest of the plan, quickly. While they made their way up to Mel, two deputies would take Violet to Stowaway. “By the time we arrive, I’m sure they’ll have found your son safe and sound. Stowaway’s a quiet little town. We’ll find him.”

  “Can my friend come with me?” Violet asked.

  “Yes, of course. Let’s get moving,” Detective Ryan said.

  Minutes later, Mary and Violet were in an unmarked police car with two deputies, Snow and Moore. Snow communicated via cell phone with the police in Stowaway as they raced north. After a few minutes, Snow relayed that the local police had stormed the McDonalds. There were no little boys matching Dakota’s description currently there. However, one of the employees remembered seeing him leave with an elderly lady. They’d assumed she was his grandmother. A description of both Dakota and the old lady had been dispatched to police stations all over the state of California.

  Mary and Violet held onto each other in the back seat. Mary prayed silently.

  After another fifteen minutes, Snow took another call. “Great news. Yes, we’re thirty minutes out.” He turned back to Violet. “They found him. The old lady took him to the police station. Apparently, he was quite articulate about what had happened and that his mother and father would be worried sick.”

  Violet crumpled against Mary in obvious relief and started to cry. “That sounds like him.”

  They pulled into the parking lot of the police station forty-five minutes later. The deputies advised them to stay outside while they went into get Dakota. “You ladies don’t need to see what’s inside,” Snow said.

  Violet leaned against the car without taking her eyes from the door. Mary looked up and down the main street of the small beach town. With its quaint, old-fashioned storefronts, including a candy and a hardware store, it was like falling back in time. She remembered Cameron telling her they had a city ordinance to protect the aesthetic.

  Dakota came running out. “Mama.” He ran into Violet’s arms. She fell to her knees, rocking him against her chest. “Thank God you’re all right.” She held him away from her for a moment and peered at him. To Mary, he looked the same sturdy, sweet blond boy he’d always been.

  An elderly lady came out from the doors, clutching a light blue purse to her chest. Violet stood, thanking her.

  “This poor child. Just awful what happened. My, my, isn’t he a smart one though. He spotted me in the booth across the restaurant and came right over and told me the whole story. We knew just what to do then, didn’t we, young man?”

  “Go to the police,” Dakota said.

  “Again, thank you,” Violet said. “I was so scared.”

  Dakota tugged on his mother’s arm. “We have to go get Mollie Blue. That weird lady took her.”

  “That was Mel. Did you remember her?” Violet asked.

  “No, Mama.”

  “She came to take care of Mollie when you were sleeping at night,” Violet said, almost to herself. “Of course, you wouldn’t remember her.”

  “She came in my room and before I could scream, she put a towel over my face and it made me go to sleep. I woke up when we were driving. She didn’t even know that Mollie was supposed to be in her car seat. She was on the backseat with me, no seatbelt over her. I patted her, though, like you told me to when she cries and you’re fixing her bottle.”

  “That’s my brave boy.”

  “I was scared, Mama.” Plump tears rolled down his cheeks. “Will she hurt Mollie?”

  “No, she won’t. She’s just very mixed up right now.” Violet looked over at the deputies. “Have you heard from your men who are with Kyle? Is he there yet?”

  Deputy Snow stepped forward and patted Dakota’s head. “Few minutes out. She’s down some dirt road. But she’s stayed there. We’ll get her.”

  “Do we wait here or go there?” Mary asked.

  “You ladies go across the street and get a coffee.” He pointed to a Starbucks. “We’ll keep you posted on everything.”

  They crossed the street with Dakota holding on to his mother’s hand. Mary felt such relief that Dakota was safe, her legs felt weak. When they were settled on a soft couch in front of a fireplace, Dakota crawled onto his mother’s lap and fell asleep. The women waited anxiously for news from the dirt road where baby Mollie’s fate could be decided by a disturbed young woman.

  Chapter Eleven

  Lance

  * * *

  BECAUSE KYLE WAS too shaken to drive, Lance drove them to their destination. When they reached the beginning of the dirt road just outside of Stowaway, they changed places. The car bounced in the potholes of the dirt road that led to the cabin. The cops followed closely behind until they reached the last bend i
n the road, where they stopped. If Mel’s car was there, Kyle was to call and alert them and they would proceed on foot to ambush her.

  They took one last sharp turn. Lance crouched low in the passenger seat. A cabin stood at the edge of a muddy pond. The front porch and patchy roof sagged in decay. A toy wagon and tricycle, abandoned long ago, rusted at the bottom of the stairs. What must be Mel’s old Nissan was parked under the branches of an old cherry tree. Pink blossoms fell like snow onto her car, covering the hood.

  “She’s been here for hours,” Lance said. “Look at the hood of the car.”

  Kyle spoke into his phone to the detective. “She’s here.”

  The detective gave him final directions. “Keep her there. Make her think her plan worked. We’ll come from behind. Lance, keep a close watch on him, but from a distance. Keep us informed of what’s happening.”

  “Yes, sir,” Lance said. He had his cell phone programmed with Ryan’s number. He was also wired. The detective and his team would hear every move they made. Please God.

  Kyle pushed open his door and ran toward the house. Lance followed but stayed hidden behind the trunk of the cherry tree. Kyle ran up the steps to the front porch and tried the door. Locked.

  Lance scanned the yard. No one. He stepped from behind the tree and pointed toward the back of the house. Kyle nodded and disappeared around the corner of the house.

  Lance followed, making sure to keep some distance between them. Tall grasses dampened his shoes and the bottom of his jeans. At the corner of the house, he stopped and peered out to the yard.

  Kyle stood about ten feet from a figure in a blue coat who stood near a pond. Her back was to them. Before she could turn and see him, Lance darted behind an overgrown rhododendron not far from the pond.

  Kyle shouted to her. Mel turned. She had Mollie in her arms. Her raven black hair looked almost purple in the bright light of the afternoon. Mollie’s pink blanket flapped in the breeze. Sheer joy spread over Mel’s face.

  “I knew you’d come.”

  “I’m here.” From the bush, Lance watched Kyle move toward her until he was close enough to reach out and grab her.

  “Give me Mollie,” Kyle said.

  Mel shook her head and stepped closer to the water’s edge. “No. She’s fine.” From what Lance could see, Mollie slept peacefully in Mel’s arms.

  Kyle moved nearer to her, his voice steadier. “What’re you doing, Mel? This isn’t the way to get my attention.”

  “I had to get you away from her, so we could talk,” Mel said.

  “You scared me when you took the kids. You could’ve talked to me about this, not involved the babies.”

  Mel’s eyes and hair were wild, like she’d stuck a fork into an outlet. “Do you know how she’s played you? She’s wormed her way into your life because she wants your money. But I love you for real. I would never fake it with you.”

  “I’m sorry about that. But now we can talk freely. We can make a plan. Wherever you’d like to go. But first, can I hold the baby?”

  “No. First you tell me the plan.” She clutched Mollie close to her chest. The blanket lifted in the breeze. Something shiny in Mel’s hand glinted in the sunlight. A pistol, no bigger than a flask. She had a gun next to the baby. Did Kyle see it?

  “I knew you felt the same way. You’ve hidden your feelings because of her. But we can be together now.”

  “That’s right. We can escape. Maybe buy a little piece of property near the ocean.”

  “Off the grid where we can be together,” Mel said.

  Lance spoke to him silently.

  Play her game. Keep her on the hook.

  “But I need to hold Mollie,” Kyle said.

  Mel tightened her grip around the baby. “I told you she’s fine with me.”

  “Let me take her. She gets heavy. You’ve done enough.”

  “What’s that noise? I hear something.” Still cradling the baby in one arm, she raised the pistol with her left hand and pointed it straight at the bush where Lance was huddled. “Come out with your hands up. I can see you.”

  Lance did as she asked. Hands in the air, he walked closer.

  “What the hell? Where did you get a gun?” Kyle asked.

  “I’ve had it,” she said. “From before.”

  Before what?

  “Take it easy,” Kyle said. “It’s just my buddy Lance. He’s on our side.”

  She waved the gun. “You said it was just you and me. No one else.”

  “It will be. As soon as you hand the baby over to me, we’ll go wherever you want. I’ll buy you dinner and we’ll talk through everything.”

  “Up north where no one can find us,” Mel said.

  “I want my baby.” Kyle inched closer to her.

  She aimed the gun at Lance. “Don’t come any closer or your friend gets it.”

  Lance took in a deep breath. Don’t panic. Stay still.

  “Mel, not this. Not like this.” Kyle’s voice sounded like ice hitting cold steel. “You could get into trouble and then how would we be together?”

  Just keep her talking. The police would be here soon. They’d take her down.

  “Put the gun away,” Kyle said.

  “You’ve betrayed me.” She turned the gun on Kyle. “If I can’t have you, no one will.”

  A deafening crack of a gunshot sounded in the spring air. Mel crumpled to the ground with the baby in her arms. Blood spilled from her head onto the wet grass. Kyle reached her first, grabbing the baby.

  Mollie started to cry. Lance didn’t know much about babies, but one who could scream that loudly sounded quite healthy. He was afraid his legs might fall out from under him as he ran toward his friend.

  The cops advanced, guns aimed at Mel. But the girl was still. They’d killed her. Lance stumbled backward, away from the dead girl, swallowing hard to keep from vomiting. Kyle shielded Mollie against his chest and took off for the car. How was there so much blood? He stumbled after Kyle.

  More cop cars arrived, sirens blaring. Kyle appeared not to notice as he opened the door and rummaged through the diaper bag. He pulled out a bottle of formula and climbed into his car to give Mollie her bottle. Lance leaned against the side of the car.

  He shook so hard his teeth chattered. A delayed reaction to a gun being pointed at his head, perhaps? He fell to his knees and bowed his head to pray. Thank you, God, for keeping us all safe.

  He sat on the grass with his head in his knees. Inside the car, Kyle murmured to his baby daughter. “It’s all fine now, Mollie Blue. No one will hurt you.”

  Violet. He needed to call Violet. He grabbed his cell phone from his jeans and punched in her number.

  Violet, with a panicked voice, answered after one ring. “Lance?”

  “Mollie’s fine. We got her.” He’d save the details for later. No need to frighten her further. “The police are taking care of Mel. Kyle’s feeding Mollie a bottle. She’s unharmed. Completely perfect.”

  “Thank God. Thank you for going with them,” Violet said. Lance sobbed silently at the sound of her voice. The idea of what could have happened overwhelmed him. Sweet Violet. Innocent Mollie. His brave best friend helpless and frightened. The next second, Mary’s voice came on the line.

  “Lance, are you all right?”

  He sobbed harder. His Mary. Their unborn child. How useless he was to protect them.

  Lance?” Panic heightened the pitch of her voice. “Are you there?”

  “Yes, I’m here. It was awful. So awful.”

  “When can you come back?”

  “It may be a while,” he said. “The police will have questions for us. Can you take Violet and Dakota home or are you too shaken?”

  “No, I can. I’m fine. I’ll call everyone and let them know everything’s all right. Kara and Brody just called to see if we’d heard anything yet.”

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered. “I was worried.”

  “Me too.”

  “I’ll see you at hom
e. Do you understand? We’re all fine.”

  “Yes,” he whispered.

  “Just come home.”

  “As soon as I can.”

  They hung up.

  Lance slid into the driver’s side. He patted his best friend’s shoulder.

  “Jesus, Lance, I could have lost Mollie, or been killed and left Violet alone to raise these kids without me.”

  “I know, bud. But it’s okay. You’re all okay now. It’s going to be fine.”

  With a voice as dry as a desert, Kyle dipped his chin to his chest and closed his eyes. “I have no idea how to keep them safe. Not one clue.”

  “I know.” He did know. They were no longer boys, but men. To keep their families and loved ones safe from harm was now the primary goal. But they were all at the mercy of evil. It could take them out at any given moment.

  He wanted to build a life with Mary, provide for her, protect her. These were old-fashioned ideals, of course. The women they knew and loved would chastise him if he were to express them out loud. Regardless, it was truth. Men wanted to shield their families from harm. He gazed up into the pink blossoms of the cherry tree. They rustled in the breeze and dangled precariously. A heavy rain would toss them from the branches and scatter them across the hard ground.

  Lance placed his hand on Mollie’s head as she sucked from her bottle and gazed into her daddy’s eyes.

  Kyle wiped his eyes. “Thanks for being here, man. I swear to God, I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you, but I’m grateful.”

  “I’d do anything for you.”

  “She could’ve killed you,” Kyle said.

  He managed a smile. “I’d have died trying to help my friend. There are worse ways to go. But you owe me a beer.”

  “And a scotch.”

  Hours later, Lance put on soft music and turned on the fireplace. Mary was in the kitchen, putting together a quick dinner of steak and salad. Freckles lay in his bed, mostly asleep, with an occasional glance at Mary as if to ensure her safety. Outside, the sun had fallen, bringing darkness and a fat full moon that hung low in the sky. Lance went outside to his deck. He leaned over the railing and peered out to the sea that waited like an old friend below the cliff. The moon lit the water and illuminated the waves as they crested and rolled to shore.