Texas Kidnapping

by Barb Han

  “My office just got a call from our town’s newest resident on Cherry Street. Seems there was an attempted kidnapping involving her six-month-old daughter. Sounds like you’re closer to her street whereas I’m forty minutes away. There are no deputies in the area, either. Any chance you’d be willing to stop off and take the report?” Colton had no idea the day Cash had had.

  “This bad guy still in the area?” Cash asked.

  “It’s a possibility. Dispatch said they could barely make out what Ms. Smith said for a baby’s cries,” Colton said.

  “I got your back.” Duty called and duty had always taken a front seat to Cash’s personal life. Besides, how much worse could his day get?

  There was also something in Colton’s voice that didn’t sit right. Cash put the phone on Speaker and navigated back onto the highway.

  “Everything good with you?” he asked Colton.

  “It’s Mother. She’s probably worrying over nothing.” Colton paused a beat. “Pops isn’t answering his cell.”

  “Is he out on the property?”

  “I keep reminding her about the dead spots on the property and he’d last been around Hunter’s Rock,” Colton supplied.

  “That place is the worst. I never get service out there.” The O’Connor ranch was vast and there were plenty of dead zones when it came to cell service. “Have you noticed that she’s been acting weird ever since Pops’s checkup last year?”

  “I have.” Static came through the line, making it sound like Colton was on the move. “She’s been keeping Pops on what he jokes is a short leash.”

  “I had the same thought.” Even so, Cash figured their father had gotten winded somewhere out on the property and was taking a minute to rest. It wasn’t too surprising that their father hadn’t answered any calls, considering all the patches of land with no cell service.

  “This time, she’s not letting it go. She begged me to put together a team to go out and search for him. That’s the real reason for the call. She’s worked herself into a panic and I don’t think it’s a good idea that I leave her alone right now even though she practically tried to shove me out the door.”

  “Did you call Gayle?” Their neighbor and Mother had been best friends for decades.

  “She’s on her way now,” Colton admitted. “But if there is a kidnapper and he’s in the vicinity, you know better than anyone that time is always the enemy when it comes to criminal cases.”

  “True,” Cash agreed. “You stay put. I’ll take the call. I’m almost there already. Keep me posted on Pops.”

  “I will,” Colton promised. He supplied the basic details of the complaint.

  The two ended the call as Cash pulled in front of 724 Cherry Street.

  Cash walked up to the two-story farmhouse, surveying the quiet street for signs of anything out of the ordinary. The suspect might still be lurking, waiting for an opportunity for round two.

  No two crime scenes were alike. No two calls the same. Variety was part of the reason Cash loved his job. But attempted kidnappings always made him think of his sister, Caroline.

  He white-knuckled his cell phone as he cleared the porch steps, thinking about the impact the crime had had on his parents. It was strange how a ripple could affect so many lives after it was felt.

  At least in this case, the kidnapper had failed. Even so, Cash knew firsthand just how much crime changed people, how much it had changed him.

  Chapter Two

  Cash performed a quick check around the perimeter of the farmhouse on Cherry Street to ensure no intruder lurked around. Dispatch hadn’t classified the call as a domestic disturbance. Those could turn into the deadliest calls. He always dreaded domestic cases and traffic stops for his brother Colton, the sheriff.

  Standing at the door of the two-story farmhouse with coastal-blue siding and white trim, he heard a baby wailing on the other side. He knocked hard, unsure if the mother could hear. He’d barely lifted his knuckle to tap again when the matching-color wooden door opened enough for him to stare into the palest, bluest eyes. A baby wailed in the overwrought woman’s arms, and, although the mother looked frightened, her set jaw and piercing gaze dared him to take one step toward them without identifying himself.

  “I’m Marshal O’Connor. You can call me Cash.” He immediately produced his government-issued ID. “I was sent by the sheriff to take a report on an attempted kidnapping at this address. Are you Renee Smith?”

  “I am.” The beautiful redhead examined his badge before opening the door enough for him to enter.

  Renee Smith stood at five feet seven inches at his best guess. Her cheeks were flushed on otherwise creamy skin. She had on yoga pants and an oversized T-shirt, and somehow made them look sexy on her long legs and smooth curves. One look at the striking woman stirred an inappropriate attraction. Cash ignored it and refocused on why he was there in the first place.

  “I’d offer coffee but—” she glanced down at the crying child in her arms that she gently rocked back and forth “—I can’t seem to get her to calm down again let alone...” She flashed those desperate blues at him and his heart clenched. “You came here to take a statement, not hear about my problems.”

  “Looks like you’re in the process of moving in.” Cash’s mind started running through possible suspects. In cases like these, it usually involved a family member. Based on the boxes, his first assumption was Ms. Smith’s husband. He glanced at her ring finger and didn’t see a gold band or a tan line. Relief he had no right to own washed over him and that annoying attraction surged.

  “That’s right. I’m...we’re new in town.” She sniffed and Cash realized she was trying to hide the fact that she’d been crying.

  “I’m pretty good with a coffee machine if you point me in the right direction.” He did his best not to shout so as not to startle the little one or upset her further. But he needed to get a description of the suspect from the child’s mother as soon as possible and he figured making her a cup of brew while she calmed the baby would go a long way toward achieving that goal.

  She shook her head like she was turning down his offer. Then she seemed to reconsider as she shot him another distressed look before waving him toward the back of the house. “This way.”

  Kitchens in farmhouses were reliably both in the back of the house and small. This one didn’t disappoint. Even the stove looked like it was from the 1920s. Ms. Smith followed, repositioning the baby in her arms to cradle her up to her shoulder, bouncing the little girl whose cries were pitiful. The homeowner didn’t need to tell him where the coffee maker was because it was the only appliance on the counter. He made quick work of fixing a pot while the stressed mother seemed to be pulling out all the stops to soothe the child.

  “Does she take a pacifier?” Cash’s brother Colton was a single father of twins who’d just turned one. This child was about half their age and Cash remembered his nephews having an awful time with teething.

  The leggy redhead shot him an embarrassed look. “I’ll be right back.”

  She disappeared out of the kitchen as Cash checked the opened box stacked on top of half a dozen others. He located a couple of mugs and rinsed them off in the sink.

  The crying stopped in the other room. When Ms. Smith returned to the kitchen, she held a tight grip on her child whose eyes were finally closed as she sucked on the plastic miracle.

  “I completely forgot about her pacifier.” There was so much resignation in her voice. The scene unfolding appeared to be that she’d left her husband, taking their child with her, and he’d come back to claim the little girl and possibly his wife.

  Cash filled the mugs with coffee. A small white table, the round kind with flaps, had been pushed up against the wall with two chairs tucked underneath. He set the fresh brew next to her where she’d taken a seat.

  “Please, sit down, Mr...” She seemed to draw a blank whe
n trying to remember his name.

  “Call me Cash,” he reminded her.

  “I apologize for the way I answered the door.” She motioned across the small table.

  Cash thanked her and took a sip of black coffee. This was so much better than the burnt-tasting brew he’d picked up at the convenience store earlier. “Can you tell me exactly what happened tonight, Ms. Smith?”

  “You can call me Renee and I’m not married,” she said quickly, giving the impression there was a story behind those words. “I fell asleep working on my laptop upstairs. My bedroom is next door to hers. It’s a beautiful night so I left the windows cracked. I woke to a sound. I wasn’t sure what it was, at first, I mean, I thought I imagined it, or maybe I’d left the TV on. I was so groggy my next thought was the house settling. But then I heard it again and my heart felt like it might burst from my chest.”

  She stopped as though remembering made her feel like she was experiencing it all over again. A tear streamed down her cheek but she brushed it off with the back of her hand and took a sip of coffee.

  Cash focused on the notebook he’d pulled from his front pocket, jotting a few pertinent details.

  “What happened next?” He glanced up and realized what a mistake that was. Those sky blue eyes pierced him. They were the color of a perfect summer-morning sky. The kind with white puffy clouds against a blue so soft, so pale, so delicate. Damn if he wasn’t waxing poetic.

  “I saw him.” She visibly shuddered at the memory. “He was standing over her crib. The window was wide open and he was bent over, picking her up.” She paused a beat. “A noise scared me. I remembered there was a shotgun in the hall closet. It had no shells in or near it but that was all I had to use. So, when I saw the man standing over my daughter’s crib, I pointed it at him and told him to get the hell out of my house.”

  “What did he look like?” Cash perked up.

  “It was dark. I was confused and scared. I’m pretty sure my hands were shaking. I had a tight grip on that weapon. For a split second, I considered turning on the light but quickly thought against it because I didn’t want him to see the gun was useless. Plus, honestly, I wasn’t sure how it all worked, if he could somehow tell it wasn’t loaded. The light from the full moon outside Abby’s window made it easy enough to see but he was nothing more than a shadow.”

  “Can you give me a general idea of height and weight?” Cash asked.

  “He was taller than me, so maybe five feet, nine inches.” She looked up and to the right, recalling facts. “He was medium build from what I could tell. I mean, he wore a hoodie so that’s all I could see clearly. I think he had something on his face, too. Maybe a mask. Whatever it was, it was dark and kind of fitted. Shades covered his eyes so I couldn’t see the color. Not that I would’ve been able to anyway at that distance. I think he meant to creep in and out without ever being heard.”

  “Excuse me for one second. The sheriff is waiting for a description.” Cash fished his cell out of his jacket pocket and held it up. He needed to relay the information as soon as possible, however little it was to go on. Katy Gulch’s population was fifty-three percent male. This guy had medium height and build which narrowed the field. He had to be young or in great shape in order to scale the fence. He might’ve known the layout in advance.

  Cash texted the information to Colton so he could issue a BOLO to his deputies. He glanced up at Renee. “Who was in the house today?”

  “No one except for movers early this morning.” She rattled off the name of the moving company. Her gaze narrowed. “There were four of them, but they were pretty big guys. Except for one, he might be a possibility.”

  “Did he mention his name?”

  She shook her head. “He hung toward the back of the group. The crew leader’s name was Paul. He did most of the talking.”

  Checking out the names should be easy enough. After scribbling more notes, Cash needed to take another lap around the grounds in order to get a closer look. “Would you excuse me for one minute? I need to check the perimeter.”

  “Mind if I come with you?” That fearful look returned to her eyes and it was a gut punch.

  “Not at all. Just keep some distance so you don’t accidentally disturb evidence.” For her sake, he hoped there’d be a clue outside, a footprint or some DNA would give him something to work with.

  “I’m sorry. I’m not normally afraid of my own shadow, but I left everything familiar behind to move here and start a new life with my daughter—”

  “No apology needed.” Cash walked out the back door and noticed she locked it behind them when she followed.

  “I picked this town to live in because I believed it was safer than bringing up a child in downtown Dallas. Now, I’m not so sure. And in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m new to motherhood,” she admitted. “I adopted Abby a little more than a month ago. This is our first night in our new home.”

  “You said you aren’t married. Is there an ex in the picture?” He had to ask the question even though it might come off as insensitive. His job was to investigate, not judge or worry about stepping on toes. Normally, he didn’t feel the kick of betrayal in his gut when he asked standard questions.

  “Yes, but he has nothing to do with the adoption.” Her voice had a musical quality to it even when she was frustrated, like a breeze after a cleansing rain. She added quietly, “I don’t need a man in my life to have a family.”

  “I’ve met plenty of people who had two parents but still weren’t a family.” He hoped those words reassured her. He’d made note of the fact that she seemed like she was still finding her way when it came to caring for her daughter. Most seasoned mothers he’d met would’ve remembered the pacifier first thing if it wasn’t time to feed their baby again. The blush to her cheeks when she’d returned after finding her daughter’s and then allowing it to soothe her had given her away as a novice.

  But the fierceness in her eyes when she’d first opened the door to him also said this woman might be a new mother but she was already bonded to her child. He’d heard about it and seen it with his brother Colton. He’d been hit the day his twins had been born.

  It was one of those beautiful Texas nights with a million stars in a sky that seemed to go on forever. And that’s where the beauty stopped. As he rounded the corner, he saw that a ladder had been placed against the side of the home that he hadn’t noticed when scanning the yard for movement.

  “I’m guessing your daughter’s room is at the top of the rungs.” Cash pointed it out as she followed close behind him near the base.

  Her gasp was audible and echoed in the chilly night air.

  “That’s mine. It was on its side, lying against the house. I should’ve moved it. All I could think was how handy it would be to have around to paint the shutters and then I promptly forgot it was there.” The moon reflected in her wide blue eyes as she stood next to Cash.

  He didn’t want to notice how beautiful her eyes were in this light. Or how her curly hair was barely contained in the band around it. A few tendrils were loose and he had to clench his fist to stop himself from tucking strands away from her face.

  Renee made a move toward it and he knew exactly what she wanted to do.

  “Don’t touch it. There might be fingerprints on the metal.” Although, he knew that was a stretch. Metal wasn’t the best when it came to lifting prints.

  “Oh.” She stopped cold. “I’m sorry.”

  “Also, there might be footprints near the base and we might get lucky with a shoe or boot print. You already said it was dark. Any chance you saw what he was wearing on his feet when he climbed out the window?” Cash figured it was worth asking.

  “I’m guessing tennis shoes but I didn’t get a good look because I didn’t have my glasses on.” She stared at him blankly. “I’m sorry. It all happened so fast and all I could think about was my daughter. Once he set her down,
I was determined to get him out of my house.”

  “You did a great job. Your daughter is safe with you.” Her small smile caused warmth to spread in his chest. Using his phone’s flashlight app, he lit the area. There was grass all around the foundation, so no dirt. That would make it more difficult to get an impression.

  The glint of metal caught his eye. He moved over to the spot and took a knee. From his pocket, he pulled out a rolled-up plastic glove. He sheathed his right hand and picked up the object. It was a Zippo lighter. The design looked to be a custom job.

  Again, a metal object wasn’t ideal for picking up fingerprints, but this gave a direction. “Let’s hope this gives us a clue as to who tried to take your daughter.”

  He walked to his rental and pulled out a paper bag. After depositing the evidence inside, he set it on the passenger seat. Next, he closed the door and locked his vehicle. “Mind if I take a look at the inside of your daughter’s room?”

  “Not at all. Follow me.” Renee turned and started toward the house. She unlocked the front door and let them in only to twist the lock once he was inside.

  Cash could understand her fear. Being in a new city and a new house with a baby must have Renee feeling vulnerable. The thought was another gut punch. They were racking up today.

  He followed the witness up the stairs. The landing area was small. There were two bedrooms, side by side, with a closet in the hallway and a bathroom on the opposite wall, just as she’d described.

  Forcing his gaze away from her sweet backside, Cash gave a mental head shake. It was his job to notice things, but he’d never had an issue with professionalism when dealing with a witness.

  This wasn’t the time to break form despite a draw he hadn’t felt in far too long.

  Chapter Three

  Cash moved around inside the Smith home with a shadow. Renee stayed so close behind if he stopped too fast she’d most likely crash into him. He didn’t mind. He was used to it when a witness or victim felt threatened. The closer the person stayed, the more frightened.