by Natalie Ann
“And she didn’t worry about the threat?”
“Guess not.”
“So, she’s willing to pay the ransom?”
“Not a penny. But… she didn’t want it on her conscience that her decision might kill her daughter. It’s a sin, one the church would never accept. Figures it’s up to the police to handle it. She wants us to solve the case, find Carrie and get this ahh… nonsense stopped.”
“Sounds like a real sweetheart.” Beau’s droll statement had Harding grinning while he nodded.
“Takes all kinds.”
Though Beau felt relieved over the description of Caro’s grandmother’s disinterest, he still couldn’t believe his brother had anything to do with such a crazy stunt.
“Detective Harding, my brother might be a lazy drifter, but he’s by no means an idiot. You can’t get me to believe he’d be involved in a crazy stunt like this.”
“We’ve talked to everyone Carrie was involved with before her disappearance, and most of her crowd says she’s been hanging out with the kid’s father who you say is your brother.”
“Did any of them give you a description of that guy? I mean Roger is pretty much unforgettable. He’s an inch or so shorter than my six-three, has the same vivid green eyes and for years has worn his thick, blond hair either free or in a ponytail that comes halfway down his back. He calls it his crowning glory. He’s also covered in tattoos, my favorite being the dragon wrapped around his neck with the arrow-like tail pointing downwards.” Intending criticism to show in his sarcasm, he figured from the grin on Harding’s face, he’d hit the mark.
A call from one of the other S.W.A.T. officers at the door had Harding holding up his hand. “One minute, okay? I’ll just go and clear these men so they can get back to work.”
While he was busy, Beau checked to see if Caro had settled down with Elli. He stood in the kitchen doorway and watched the little girl being cuddled in Elli’s arms and wished himself there next to them.
Once Harding waved off the other officers, he returned to Beau. “I’m sorry, Mr. Williams. It looks like we must have the wrong man. Our perp is a bald-headed, bearded weightlifter who’s been hanging around with Carrie for some time. I’m thinking he took on Roger’s name so the trail would lead here, and Roger would get blamed for the kidnapping.”
“And is Carrie in any real danger?”
“That I don’t know. We have until the four p.m. deadline tomorrow to find her.”
“And if you don’t?”
“The orders are to drop the money off at a gas station nearby.” Detective Harding’s cynical expression had Beau worried.
“Do you believe she’s in any real harm? If so, I’ll pay the ransom. Caro, her little girl, is with me, and there’s no way I’d want to stand by while her mother suffers at the hands of a killer.”
“Or is in the plot herself, and they’re just trying to scam her mother out of some money.”
Beau stared at the man across from him and rage began burning low. “You think that’s a possibility. That she’d involve my brother in a sick scheme like this to get money from her own mother?”
“Sure. Many others have done a lot worse. Look, your brother is the father of her baby, right? Carrie’s mother kicks her out, and she’s forced to look after the child herself. So, like most girls in that situation, she finds other men to support her and finally meets up with a real doozie. Who’s to say he hasn’t set her up to work the scam with him. Hell, who’s to say it isn’t her own idea to get revenge for being dumped.”
“But you can’t be positive. I mean, it’s alright to surmise if her life wasn’t hanging in the balance.”
“Exactly. We have no choice but to take this threat seriously. If we need the money, I’ll be back.”
“No, don’t. I’ll use the morning to give the bank time to organize the cash, and then I’ll deliver it your station. You’ll have it available tomorrow. Better safe than sorry.”
Detective Harding headed for the door, stopped on his way and reached into his pocket to bring out his card. He handed it to Beau and then offered to shake hands. “Appreciate your support, Mr. Williams. See you tomorrow.” He went to the door that stood crookedly open. He hesitated before adding, “Sorry about breaking in and wrecking the door. Send the repair bill to me, and I’ll make sure it’s covered.”
Chapter Twenty
Elli waited until Detective Harding left before she stepped into the room. “I heard what you said. I’m so proud of you, Beau. Offering to pay the ransom.”
Beau’s appearance – arm’s crossed and a serious scowl on his face – left her with no doubts. The accusations against his brother had disturbed his normal calm. Consternation covered his face. “Did you listen to all of the conversation?”
“Not all. It took a while to settle Caro down again. She’s sleeping now. So, I only got to hear the end. One good thing, it doesn’t look as if your brother is involved after all.”
Beau’s anger eased from her words. “Well that’s true. If it were Roger, I’d be less worried. He couldn’t hurt a fly, never mind kill someone he loved enough to make a baby with.” Beau bit his thumb, a mannerism she’d never seen him do before. Teasingly, she approached and took his hand in hers. “Now I know why Caro sucks her thumb. It’s obviously a family addiction.”
At first, he didn’t seem to know what she meant until she held up his thumb. Then he relaxed enough to lower his mouth to kiss her hand. “Funny thing, my mom told me she’d bribed me to finally stop.”
“What did she use?”
“Suckers. A lot of them.”
“I’m not even going to comment on what I think of that.”
He grinned, looking more like himself. “It worked until my dad found out and put a stop to it. Where’s Caro?”
“She’s in her room. I wanted to lay her in her bed, but she cried. So, I left the mattress on the floor, and she settled right down with her thumb tucked in her mouth and her new blanket hugged close.” Elli smiled, thinking about how the child had firmly resisted any of Elli’s prompts about the comfort of the bed and the idea that all little girls slept in one. Her mulish expression never even wavered. When Elli mentioned how happy Beau would be seeing her in the beautiful bed he’d bought for her, the hesitation lasted for a few seconds, but she still shook her head and made as if to go to the corner.
Finally, knowing how exhausted the toddler was, Elli gave in and settled her on the floor, insisting she had to at least use the mattress.
Beau voiced his thoughts. “I wished we knew how to convince her that her bed was safe, and she should use it.”
Elli had seen firsthand Caro’s stubborn streak. “I’m thinking we don’t push it. Let her decide when she feels secure enough to sleep there safely. At least, she’s not under a bed.”
“Or in the closet. I guess I can live with her on a comfy mattress on the floor.” He whipped Elli up into his arms and headed back to his room. “On the other hand, I need my bed and a gorgeous, warm willing woman to snuggle against.”
“You want me to stay?” Elli held her breath. After all, he’d had a terrible shock, and she wouldn’t blame him if he’d rather be on his own without having her there needing attention.
He stopped so she could see his eyes. The sincerity and certainty that he wanted her shone openly. “I’m happy you’re here. I won’t stay awake brooding on what just happened.”
Elli’s arms tightened around his neck lovingly. Enfolding him in a hug, she said the words she’d been thinking. They burst out before she could haul them back. “Roger is an insensitive jerk! I’m sorry if you don’t want to hear this, but he has a responsibility to you. You’re his brother. The least he could do is find a way to keep in touch – call or email. At the very least, give you his number so you can reach him.”
Beau kissed her. If he expected it to stop her from voicing her thoughts, it worked. Once she felt his mouth on hers, every sensible notion and caustic comment disappeared.
&nb
sp; ***
Beau knew Elli voiced her opinions to show her support, and he appreciated her concern. Regrettably, he agreed with her views and had made the same arguments many times to Roger only to be told that he’d touch base as often as he could. Roger’s voice came back to him. “Bro, you need to understand. Most of the time, I’m nowhere near a place where they have phone connections.”
That’s when Beau presented him with the newest smartphone and made Roger understand that it would cost him nothing. The bill would be charged to Beau’s own account. It only led to more disappointment because Roger never turned it on.
When Beau called him on it, Roger came back with the fact that he hated being tied down, needed his freedom to roam and do as he pleased. He didn’t want any ties. Though he cared about Beau, he’d reach out when it suited him.
“What if I move? You wouldn’t have the new address.”
“Then I’d contact Neal. He’ll always know where to find you. Look, Beau, I really appreciate your sentiments. I love you too, buddy. And I’ll really try to keep in touch more often.”
Having to settle for the little Roger was willing to give, Beau had bitten off the caustic comment hovering. He’d swallowed his plea for the brothers to stick together being as they were the only family they had. He’d lived with the sadness of rejection and prayed Roger would grow up soon and get a life.
Chapter Twenty-one
The next morning, Beau left the girls in the apartment and tackled the bank, making the necessary arrangements in plenty of time to bring the small duffel bag full of cash to Detective Harding.
Asked to wait in the spacious outer area, Beau watched the busy uniformed officers carrying on their day-to-day responsibilities and decided working here wouldn’t be for him. Seeing lowlifes and hookers along with what looked like ordinary joes and even men dressed for business going through the system might have been interesting on the one hand but would be discouraging on the other.
Constantly faced with individuals’ troubles, and in many cases, escorting them through the worst days in their lives, must leave a terrible mark on one’s psyche. You’d need to be a special kind of person to handle it without becoming directly involved or tainted or even worse… uncaring. He saw a weeping woman being escorted into a hallway and had to force down the urge to go and offer his help.
Another officer roughly handled a belligerent teen who’s dirty mouth screamed for a bar of soap. Beau felt sorry for the cop who had to put up with the abuse and understood the need for force when the kid tried to bite him.
Finally, Detective Harding appeared and led him to his office. “Sorry to keep you waiting. Hope you didn’t get too much of an eyeful of the losers in Maricopa. When it’s a full moon, things can get pretty bizarre.”
“No, I’m fine. But I’ll admit to holding this bag very close.” He put the money on the desk in front of the other man and took the seat Harding offered with a gesture.
“I’m glad you came early. I wanted to discuss a very distressing situation with you. First, we picked up the character who’d sent the ransom note. His name is Jeb Fielding. After I left you yesterday, we had another talk with one of Carrie’s friends, and she was able to give us the address of a bar where she knew Carrie and this bearded dude mostly hung out. Her friend had taken a snapshot of Fielding months ago when she’d double-dated with the couple. We were able to get a copy to take with us to the establishment, and after some unnecessary persuasion, got an address. Shortly after that, we had the idiot in cuffs. Once interrogated, he confessed to inventing the plot all by himself.”
“So, Carrie wasn’t involved?”
“No. Her girlfriend told us that Carrie had gotten sick and tired of the guy’s meanness, especially when he started in on Caro. That’s when she took her kid and bolted.”
“How did the boyfriend come up with the idea of the kidnapping?”
“According to what he told us, he’d heard enough of Carrie’s constant bitching about her old lady, and how much money she had. Guess he figured her mother would care if it meant her daughter’s life hung in the balance.”
“And she didn’t.”
Detective Harding’s mouth tightened, and he shook his head. “Go figure? The old lady has no other offspring.”
“Guess she’ll be leaving all her money to the church, and her daughter and grandchild will get piss all. Makes my stomach turn.” Beau had to wonder how some people’s minds worked. You screw up your daughter’s life, kick her out when she needs you the most and then withhold her rightful inheritance because you dislike the results you created with your own callousness.
With his hands held palms up in front of him, Detective Harding answered sadly, “What can I say? We meet all types in this business.”
Feeling suddenly tired, Beau answered, “Yeah. Guess so.” He stood to leave and stopped when the detective cleared his throat and began speaking.
“I have other news that isn’t good. You maybe want to sit down again?”
One look at the cop’s face and Beau did as directed.
“Yesterday you gave me your brother’s description and it rang a bell. When I came back to the office, I checked old files and found one about a John Doe whose body was never claimed. He had no identification on him, and though the department tried, they couldn’t find any next of kin. I believe this man was your brother, Roger.”
A horse’s kick in the gut wouldn’t have hurt as much as the words he’d just heard. Doubling over, hiding his reaction until he could control his pain, Beau held his hand up.
Detective Harding, a man used to all kinds of shocked responses, gave him the time he needed.
After a few minutes, Beau’s brain processed the words he’d heard, and he said, “Tell me why you figure this dead guy could be my brother.”
The detective handed over a photograph and the image made the tears start in Beau’s eyes. Now, he couldn’t disbelieve. The image of the dead man was Roger.
“When? When did you find his body? How did he die? What happened?”
“He died saving the life of a woman and her eight-year-old child. She’d lost control of her car, says the brakes failed, it hit a barrier and careened off the bridge into the lake. Your brother happened along. Before the car sunk, he dove in and was able to pull the woman to safety. When she tried to go back, screaming for her child, he swam back to the vehicle, freed the child and shoved her to safety just as the car sunk and pulled him under. He drowned.”
“Where did this happen?”
“In Tennessee. They sent the image to all the police stations hoping to get someone who could identify the hero. It was the dragon on his neck that prompted me to remember this story. I have a dragon tattoo myself on my shoulder, and so it stuck with me.”
Beau listened to Harding’s voice, feeling the dismay begin to turn into pride. “He’s a hero?”
“Yep! The woman he saved couldn’t say enough about how brave he was. Neither her nor her daughter would be alive today if it wasn’t for his quick thinking and courage. You can be very proud of him.”
Beau admitted, “I’m feeling incredibly proud. How was it that they couldn’t identify him?”
“He carried cash but no wallet. Nothing on him to help us with identification. No one who knew him ever came forward.”
“Jesus. How sad.” Beau thought of the many times he’d tried to get through to Roger about just this kind of thing. A thought came to him – an uplifting thought. “At least, one day his daughter will have a better memory of him than that of a father who deserted her. Not like her mother, who just dumped her off.”
“Again, I can tell you more about what we learned on that subject. It seems that Carrie Davis’s life was hell with that asshole Jeb Fielding. I’m glad we’ll be putting him away for quite some time. Not only was he abusive to her, but according to her friend, he made life hell for the little girl too. Guess Carrie had no choice but to leave him and go on the run. She told her friend she didn’t know how she
could support the kid and herself while on the road. It terrified her that Jeb would find them.”
“So, she dropped her off at the home of a stranger where she had no idea if I was worse than Jeb.”
“But she did. According to her girlfriend, she’d done a Google search on you, and then decided to follow Roger’s advice. Before he left, he’d told her if she ever had trouble, you would be there for her. Seems she believed him.”
Feeling somewhat better about the whole situation, Beau added, “Let’s hope Family Services feels the same and gives me custody.”
“You ever need a reference, I’ll be glad to tell the people in charge what I know.”
Beau stood to shake hands. “I appreciate that Detective. Thanks for your help. One more thing. Can you tell me how I would claim Roger’s body?”
“I can tell you where to find that information. I’ll send you an email of the address where you would make that request.”
Beau left the building with his money, and his cracked heart. Pride filtered through grief, and he felt exhausted. He never had to worry about Roger again. Yet he’d give anything if that weren’t true.
Chapter Twenty-two
As soon as Beau entered the apartment, Elli knew he’d gotten bad news. She’d never seen his shoulders slumped or the air of dejection that surrounded him before today.
She approached with her arms open and was thrilled when he stepped right into them and hugged her in return. At this point in their relationship, she had no idea where she stood and had questioned herself all morning. Was this a serious romance for him? For her, she’d fallen hard, and any form of rejection would have scalded her hopeful heart.
