Held for Ransom

by Kathleen Tailer

  “I’m in college now,” she said proudly.

  Sophia laughed at her sister’s boast, but Noah just pursed his lips and smiled. “I always knew you’d do great things,” he said lightly. “Look, I know you two want to talk, but there are some things we have to do before you start putting this all behind you. First of all, Kylie, we need to get you checked out by a doctor to make sure you’re okay after everything you’ve been through. Do you need me to call an ambulance, or can I drive you to the hospital for an exam?”

  Kylie and Sophia exchanged looks. Sophia didn’t know everything that had happened to Kylie, but her sister was a smart girl, and she was an adult now. She would know whether or not she needed medical care. Kylie finally shook her head. “I’m okay, and I don’t think I need a doctor. I just need some food and some rest.”

  “Okay. Well, we can definitely get you something to eat, but we need you to come down to the station and file a report so we can get the details from you while they’re fresh in your head. I know it’s an inconvenience—”

  “Oh, no!” Kylie interrupted. “It’s not a problem. I’m going to do whatever you need to make sure you punish that man for kidnapping me and whoever else was helping him. That was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me. I want to help.”

  “Good for you,” Noah agreed, obviously relieved that he didn’t have to convince her. “The team can finish up here while we head back to the station. What would you like to eat?”

  “We’ve already got a plan,” Sophia said with a wink. “Care to drive?”

  “Sure thing.” His smile lit up his entire face. Sophia felt a twitch of attraction shoot right down to her toes and took a step back, surprised by the sensation. This guy could do toothpaste commercials, she thought fleetingly, he had such a nice smile. She was glad to see him relaxing a bit. For some reason, seeing him this way made her feel warm and contented herself, despite the knowledge that there was more work to do.

  It was good to celebrate a win, and finding Kylie definitely fit into the win category. Still, this case was far from over. They needed to discover who had set the bomb that had killed Joanna Crawley, and they needed to find the person who had locked them in the basement at the university.

  Noah drove them to the police station, stopping along the way to visit two different drive-through restaurants to get Kylie the exact type of food she had been craving.

  Sophia and Noah also bought a meal, despite the danger that was still surrounding them. Sophia was actually hungry for the first time in days. She continued to sip her lemonade as she glanced behind them at the surrounding traffic.

  A white sedan was erratically changing lanes and rapidly coming up behind them.

  SIXTEEN

  “Noah!” Sophia quickly.

  “I see it,” he said as he maneuvered into another lane. He glanced at his rearview mirror, then in his side mirror as he watched the car approach.

  “What’s going on?” Kylie asked from the back seat, her voice filling with panic.

  “Somebody is following us,” Sophia responded, hoping that she could keep the fear from her own voice. “Don’t worry. Noah is a good driver.”

  “Kittinger didn’t escape, did he?” Kylie asked, sounding even more terrified.

  “No,” Noah responded as he sped up and veered around another car. “Kittinger is still in custody. I would have heard about it on the police radio if something had happened. This is somebody else. Somebody with a totally different agenda.”

  “It could be someone from Prensky’s family,” Sophia suggested. “The jury is still out.”

  “You have a point,” Noah agreed as he swerved again, this time barely missing a silver minivan that had suddenly slowed in front of them. “But after what happened with Maggie’s fiancé, I don’t want to take a chance and slow down to ask them.” He called in for backup and raced ahead.

  Sophia glanced in her own side mirror and then twisted to see behind them. The white automobile, which had fallen farther behind, was still visible. She put her hand behind her seat, and Kylie grabbed it and squeezed.

  The girl was terrified, and it was no wonder after what she had just endured. They were getting closer to the police station and Sophia said a prayer that they would make it safely to the building where there was an abundance of armed men and women ready to help. Only a few more blocks to go...

  Suddenly the white car veered to the left and disappeared.

  “I’ve got your six,” Roman said over the radio, his voice crackling through the static. “I’ll stay with the white sedan. You get those ladies to headquarters.”

  “Copy that,” Noah responded. “And thank you.”

  Sophia took a deep breath as she realized that Roman had heard their call for help and had rushed to their aid. She could hear the sirens as they turned and followed the white vehicle. She released Kylie’s hand and turned back in her seat, the relief washing over her. “You guys make quite a team,” she said softly as she watched Noah visibly relax and slow his speed. “Roman really helped us out.”

  “Yep. We’re like family, always looking out for each other.”

  The more she thought about it, the more Sophia agreed with Noah’s statement. She hadn’t seen Charlie or Matthews much, but even so, they all worked together well and seemed to share a camaraderie that went way beyond mere professionalism.

  She contrasted that relationship with the solitary aspects of her own chosen profession. Being a reporter was a lonely business, and she had to view others in her field skeptically if they showed too much interest. More often than not, reporters tried to undercut one another to get a scoop and the prestige that went with it. She’d even had people on her own team try to steal a story from her. She didn’t like the cutthroat aspects of the business and, as a result, had opted to work solo for the better part of her career. Seeing what Noah and his team shared gave her pause and made her long for more true connections in her life. With a start, she realized she lived a rather solitary existence and had few people in her life that she could truly count on as friends.

  Had she pushed people away in her quest for journalistic integrity?

  Had her job become more important than the people around her?

  Had she pushed others away because she was afraid of being hurt?

  Sophia didn’t like the answers to her questions and resolved right then and there to make a better effort at reaching out and maintaining her relationships. She wanted to be a successful reporter, but she also wanted to enjoy the people around her. She would get hurt. People weren’t perfect. Everyone made mistakes. But this second chance at friendship with Noah had shown her how much she was missing in her life, and she was ready to start remedying the situation from this day forward.

  They made it to the police station, and the first thing they did was return to the conference room where they had already spent so much time over the past few days. The computers and everything else in the room were right where they had left them.

  Noah took off his jacket, then took a seat and began the interview with Kylie about her ordeal. He made lots of notes for his report, but there were no new surprises as Kylie responded to his questions.

  Kittinger had abducted her and tied her up, given her a few snacks and a water bottle, and forced her to create the video that he had sent. Sophia wasn’t minimizing the trauma that her sister had endured, but she shivered as she considered what else could have happened. Thankfully, God had protected Kylie from anything worse during her time in the warehouse.

  “The driver got away,” Roman announced as he entered the conference room. “It was a woman, though. I’m sure of it.”

  Noah leaned back in his chair. “Thank you. We made it back in one piece, and that’s what matters.” He untied his tie, pulled it from around his neck and threw it on the conference room table. Then he undid the top two buttons of his shirt, as if
preparing for another long night.

  Roman nodded, but it was clear that he was still processing the situation. “The plates were stolen, but I’ll run them down. If it hadn’t been for this crazy Atlanta traffic, she would be in custody as we speak.”

  Sophia understood his frustration. Driving in Atlanta was a living nightmare. Any sort of car chase seemed virtually impossible with the clogged highways and side streets, despite what had happened with Maggie’s fiancé and his automobile attack.

  She thought through what they knew so far. Prensky’s relatives and Kittinger were convinced he was innocent, so they had kidnapped Kylie to force Sophia to reinvestigate the case. Now that they had Kylie back, Prensky’s family didn’t have any reason to follow her to verify that she was looking into the case. Also, Maggie’s fiancé, Mason Tucci, had been working on his own. Once arrested after the car crash, he’d been out of the picture. So who was this woman following them in the white sedan?

  She thought back over all of the information they had discovered since they’d reopened the case and turned to Noah, her tone thoughtful. “You know, despite all that we have learned, everything hinges on one simple fact—Prensky’s DNA being found at the scene.”

  Roman took a seat as Noah raised his brow. “That’s right. There was blood on the victim and splattered around the crime scene. Some belonged to the victim, but the rest was tested and DNA matched to Arlo Prensky. There was even blood under the victim’s fingernails. The evidence was irrefutable.”

  Sophia leaned forward. “So, let’s all agree that the lab got it right and it was Prensky’s blood. After all, blood work is hard to dispute in court these days. In fact, it’s almost impossible, and lab errors are few and far between, especially of this magnitude. So, for the sake of argument, if Arlo didn’t murder Maggie Spencer, how else could the blood have gotten there?”

  “I don’t want to think about it anymore!” Kylie announced as she stood and put her hands over her ears. “I’m tired, and I just want to get away from all of this. I want to go back to the dorms.”

  The young girl was almost in tears, but Noah was up and out of his chair, reaching her before Sophia did. He embraced Kylie and let her cry. He looked over at Sophia. “I think she’s been through enough. But I don’t think it’s safe to take her back to your apartment yet. Not until we have more answers. She doesn’t need to be a part of the rest of the investigation, though. Now that I’ve interviewed her, she is free to go. Do you want to take her to a hotel?”

  Roman stood. “I’ll take her home with me,” he announced, his voice firm. “My sister, Cindy, is staying with me this week, and she’s bored silly. She and Kylie are about the same age, and my home is like a small fortress. She’ll be safe while the two of you figure out the rest of this mess, and Cindy will keep her occupied.”

  Noah glanced over at Sophia to gauge her thoughts. Before she could even voice an opinion, Kylie had pulled away from Noah and was drying her tears with her sleeve. “How old is Cindy?”

  “Eighteen,” Roman replied. “She finished high school last year and has been working full-time at the local grocery store while she’s deciding what to do with her life. Since you’re a big college girl, maybe you can give her a nudge in the right direction.”

  Kylie smiled. “I’d like that.” She turned to Sophia. “I know you need to keep working on this, but I just need some distance. I want to feel normal again, you know?”

  “I get it,” Sophia agreed. “But are you sure you’re okay with going to Roman’s house? I can take you to a hotel if that’s what you want to do, and I’ll stay there with you so you won’t be alone.”

  “No, I’d rather go meet Cindy,” Kylie said with a smile. She gave Sophia a playful nudge. “I love you, and I’m really thankful for everything you did to rescue me, but I need a change of scenery so I don’t keep thinking about it. Cindy will be a good distraction. And I’ll probably spend the next twenty-four hours half asleep anyway. I’m really tired.”

  Roman glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. We’ll head home, and I’ll call in tomorrow to get a status report.” He looked Sophia in the eye. “I promise I’ll take good care of her, but I want you to be totally at ease with this. If you’re not, say so now, and we’ll make a different plan.”

  Sophia glanced at the pleading look in Kylie’s eyes and relented. After surviving her kidnapping, her sister certainly had a right to choose her own path to healing, but it did sting a bit that Kylie had chosen a stranger over family. Still, Kylie was a teenager, and Sophia tried to be understanding.

  Sophia had been more like a mother to her sister ever since their parents had died a few years ago, and Kylie was at that age when she was trying to spread her wings and figure out who she wanted to be and how she was going to get there.

  Had Sophia pushed Kylie away, too, in her quest to avoid being hurt? It was certainly possible. She resolved to work on that relationship, as well, but also to give Kylie space to heal from the trauma in her own way and in her own time. She would make herself available and follow Kylie’s lead as they moved forward.

  * * *

  After Roman and Kylie had left, Noah checked his watch and approached Sophia. “It’s late. Do you want me to take you to a hotel? I don’t think your apartment is safe yet, so I don’t think you should go home—not until we find out who is behind the bombing, anyway. But you do need rest. We both do. Another night of sleeping in this conference room isn’t going to be good for either of us.”

  Sophia sat in front of one of the computers, but she didn’t start typing. She seemed deep in contemplation, so Noah seated himself, as well, wondering where her thoughts had taken her. He didn’t have to wait long.

  “Why did you decide to become a policeman, Noah? I never would have guessed you’d end up being a detective.”

  Noah laughed, taken aback by the sudden twist. He had to admit the question surprised him. “Well, where did you think I would land?”

  Sophia shrugged. “I really don’t know. You seemed to like a lot of different things back then, but you weren’t really serious about any of them.”

  Noah considered that. “I guess you’re right.” He decided to answer her question with a question. “How about you? Why did you decide to become an investigative reporter?”

  She tilted her head, as if considering.

  Finally, she spoke again. “I became a journalist because I wanted to change my corner of the world for the better, and it’s important to me to raise awareness about issues that I’m passionate about. Over the last few years, I’ve discovered that I can make a real difference with my writing. Sometimes, even the smallest article gets read by the right person and can lead to big changes. If I can improve the lives of the people around me, then I’m satisfied.”

  She aimlessly drew a circle with her finger on the table, then suddenly stopped and met his eye, her expression grim. “I had a friend that got injured when she went horseback riding. It was nobody’s fault, but she hurt her back rather badly after being thrown off and became a paraplegic. She also got a rather nasty concussion.

  “I started my career by writing a story specifically to educate people about the sport. I didn’t want people to stop riding horses, but I did want them to know and understand the dangers, and to take proper safety precautions. Horses are big and powerful, and sometimes they are easily frightened and behave erratically. My friend would still have gone riding, but if she’d been wearing a helmet, her injuries would have been less severe.” She shrugged and gave him a playful nudge. “I guess the bottom line is that I want to help people. Okay, your turn.”

  So, he hadn’t deflected her question after all. He sighed. “I don’t tell many people this, but I know I can trust you to be discreet.” He paused, then pushed forward. “You remember my sister, Candace?”

  “Sure. She was like ten years older than you, right? She used to babysit me when I wa
s younger. If I remember correctly, she moved up north to go to college and then got a job in New York City selling real estate, I believe.”

  “That’s right. Well, my freshman year of college, she was working late one night and decided to take the train home to Brooklyn after showing an apartment. She was assaulted and left for dead in an alley.”

  “Oh, Noah! I’m so sorry!”

  “Me, too. It took them over a year to catch the guy, but by that time, he had assaulted three other women. I was just a dumb college kid, but I saw what it did to Candace, and I can imagine what it did to the others. Even now, she’s afraid to go out at night and rarely leaves her apartment. She was so vibrant and full of life before it happened. Now she has become a veritable recluse.

  “I vowed to become a police officer so I could help other victims. The officers who worked her case treated her well and tried their best to catch the perpetrator. They never gave up. They inspired me and taught me that I could make a difference.” He met her eye. “I’m trying to change my corner of the world for the better, too.”

  She reached over and squeezed his hand. “Thank you for answering my question. I can tell that’s not an easy story to share, but I’m grateful that you told me.”

  Noah was overwhelmed with the urge to kiss her, right there in the conference room with the window shades wide open and in full view of everyone still left in the bullpen. He glanced toward the windows. There were still a few cops at their desks, but most were done for the day and had already left.

  He turned back to Sophia. Her lips seemed so red, sweet and inviting. It was all he could do not to reach out and touch her, to trace the softness with his fingertips. The air felt electrified. But he didn’t dare kiss her like he wanted to. Even though they had just shared something personal, he still had no idea how she felt about him. She was grateful, sure. And he could call her a friend again. But was there anything more? It was still too soon to press—too soon to even ask direct questions about her feelings. Still, he had to know if he had even the smallest chance, so he opted for asking a simple question that would leave things open to future possibilities.