Mysterious Abduction (Badge 0f Honor Mystery Book 1)

by Rita Herron

  “That’s impossible,” Drew shouted. “Because I wasn’t involved!”

  The man sounded convincing, but he could be adept at lying. “Really? Because we think we know who adopted her, and she claims the baby’s father didn’t want her.”

  “What?” His voice rose. “That’s insane. I loved my baby. Now, who has her?”

  “I don’t believe you.” Jacob jabbed Drew in the chest. “I think you wanted your career more than you wanted a family and you gave this woman money to get rid of Alice so you could make partner.”

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Worry nagged at Cora. How could they find Nina when they had no idea who this woman Valerie was? If she was desperate, which she must be to have kidnapped Nina, she could be anywhere.

  For God’s sake, she could be hopping on a plane to a foreign country.

  Panic made her heart pound as she drove Faye to the bank to access her safety deposit box.

  She remained in the lobby while Faye met with the bank manager, then Cora followed her to retrieve the papers.

  Frustration knotted Cora’s insides as Faye read the name on the documents. Tate Muldoon.

  She searched her memory banks in case he worked with Drew, but she didn’t recall a lawyer named Muldoon. Although hadn’t Evie mentioned Muldoon?

  “I’m texting Jacob the lawyer’s name. If he can find him, maybe he can force him to talk.”

  Faye nodded and closed the safety deposit box while Cora sent the text.

  She and Faye walked outside to the car together, but she was at a loss as to what to do now. They could go back to her house and wait.

  She’d been waiting for so long...

  “Why don’t you try to sketch what this woman Valerie looks like,” Cora suggested.

  “I’ll try but it was a long time ago.”

  Faye’s phone buzzed just as they settled in the car. She snatched it from her purse, her face paling as she read the message. She angled her phone toward Cora.

  If you want to see Nina again, do exactly as I say. Meet me and bring Cora Reeves with you. No police or you’ll never see the little girl again.

  * * *

  JACOB SCRUTINIZED DREW’S reaction for a tell that the man was lying. But he seemed genuinely upset.

  Because he was innocent or because he’d been caught?

  “Look, Drew,” Jacob said, forcing a calm tone, “if you tell me everything now, tell me where this woman has taken Nina Fuller—Alice—I’ll see about cutting you a deal.”

  “I don’t need a damn deal,” Drew bellowed. “Because I had nothing to do with my baby’s kidnapping. And if I knew where she was now, I’d be in my car on the way to get her.” He paced, sweat trickling down the side of his face. “I know you think I was cold and that I should have stayed with Cora, but it was just too damn hard. I loved my baby, and I felt guilty for not protecting her. And not because I paid someone to take her. Because I was her father, and fathers are supposed to protect their children.” He sank onto the sofa and dropped his head into his hands. “I would have done anything to have found Alice. It just hurt too much to look at Cora every day, because it reminded me that I’d failed her, too.”

  Jacob breathed out. “You certainly moved on quickly.”

  Drew pinched the bridge of his nose. “It may seem that way, but I never stopped loving Cora. We were both such a mess, though, and when I tried to help her by cleaning out the baby room, she accused me of not caring, of forgetting about our baby.” He pounded his chest. “But I never forgot. Not for a moment.”

  “You have another child,” Jacob said.

  “Yes, and I love him. But he didn’t replace my daughter.” He scrubbed at his face and the tears tracking his cheeks. “Now please tell me. Do you know who took Alice and where she is?”

  Jacob read the lawyer’s name that Cora messaged him. “I was hoping you could help with that.”

  “But I don’t know anything,” Drew said between clenched teeth.

  Jacob released a breath. He didn’t like Drew, but he was starting to believe him. “She told the woman who thinks she adopted your daughter that her name was Valerie.”

  Drew’s brows knitted in a frown. “I don’t know anyone named Valerie.”

  “What about a lawyer named Tate Muldoon?”

  Drew frowned. “No. I’ve never worked with anyone by that name.”

  Jacob glanced around the room. “Is your wife here?”

  Drew shook his head. “She dropped our son at the nanny’s because she had a luncheon with her friends. Why are you asking about Hilary?”

  “She was at the hospital the night Alice was kidnapped. She also worked with you before the kidnapping.”

  “So? A lot of people worked with me. She was there to congratulate me and Cora.”

  Jacob shook his head. “We looked back at security cameras and found a woman dressed in scrubs carrying a bundle through the downstairs laundry area. We think that woman may have kidnapped Alice.”

  For the first time since he’d met Drew, hope brightened the man’s eyes. “Did you identify her?”

  Silence stretched between them for a long minute. “No, but I have an idea who she is.”

  Drew stood up and fisted his hands by his sides. “Dammit, Sheriff, stop beating around the bush and tell me everything you know.”

  Jacob stared into the man’s eyes, gauging his reaction. “I think the woman in the scrubs was your wife.”

  Drew staggered backward as if he’d been punched. “Hilary?”

  “Yes,” Jacob said.

  “That’s crazy,” Drew said. “Hilary would never do something like that.”

  “She was at the hospital the night Alice was born, then disappeared when the fire alarm sounded. And according to the private investigator’s notes, someone at your office suggested Hilary was interested in you before your baby was taken.” The pieces clicked together in Jacob’s mind. Now he had to make Drew see the truth. “He also uncovered a police report regarding Hilary when she was in college. Apparently she was obsessive about a guy she met, and began stalking him. He had to take out a restraining order because she became violent.”

  “My God,” Drew said, his voice edged in disbelief. “I had no idea.”

  Jacob gave him a moment to absorb the revelation. “What if Hilary took your baby and gave her away in order to break up your marriage?”

  Drew shook his head in denial, although Jacob saw the wheels of suspicion begin to turn in the man’s mind. “But she tried to console Cora...and me.”

  Jacob raised a brow. “You were both distraught. Her scheme was working. So she comforted you. That was part of the plan, too. You were vulnerable, and she stepped in to hold your hand. It was her way of winning your affection.”

  Emotions darkened Drew’s eyes. “No...she wouldn’t...”

  “Has your wife been acting strangely lately? Nervous?”

  Drew’s gaze locked with his, the fear in his eyes palpable, as if he realized the woman he married might be a cold, calculating monster. “Well...after you left the other day, she accused me of still being in love with Cora.”

  Jacob’s gut knotted. Was he?

  “Someone tried to kill Cora, Drew. Twice. I believe it was because Kurt Philips was on the verge of revealing who took your baby. If Hilary thinks you still love Cora, that could have been a double blow. She may have feared she was about to get caught and that she was going to lose you. So she panicked.”

  “My God, I...just can’t believe Hilary would do that. She had my son—”

  “Not long after you were married,” Jacob said. “Another clever ploy. Giving you what you lost cinched the deal for her. Having a child with her meant that you’d never reconcile with Cora.”

  Drew leaned over, breathing deeply as if he was going to be sick.

  “We need to fin
d your wife,” Jacob said. “Where is she?”

  “I told you, having lunch with her friends,” Drew said, his voice strained.

  “Then call her.” Jacob shifted. “Do it now, Drew.”

  Drew nodded and reached for his phone.

  He pressed his wife’s number and put it on speakerphone. But the phone rang and rang, and no one answered.

  * * *

  CORA BATTLED COMPLETE panic at the idea that this woman would hurt a child. What kind of horrible person was she?

  Someone who’d tried to kill her because Kurt had figured out her identity.

  “I have to call Jacob,” Cora said. “We could be walking into a trap, Faye. This woman might kill us both. Then what would happen to Nina?”

  Faye clasped her hand, terror emanating from her. “You heard what she said. Do you want to get Nina hurt?”

  Cora barely resisted correcting her and telling her Nina’s real name was Alice. “No, of course not,” Cora snapped. “More than anything I want my baby back.”

  Faye’s gaze latched with hers. A mixture of fear, pain, regret, even sympathy rippled between them.

  Cora’s throat closed. They were two mothers who loved one little girl. Saving Nina—Alice—was all that mattered.

  “Please,” Faye cried. “I couldn’t stand it if anything happened to my—our—daughter.”

  Tears pricked Cora’s eyes. “All right. Let’s just go to the location she texted you. Do you know where it is?”

  Faye shook her head. Cora entered the address from Faye’s phone into her GPS, then started the engine and pulled away from the bank. They headed north, deeper into the mountains.

  Cora’s phone rang as she veered onto the mountain road. Jacob.

  The temptation to answer it seized her full force. She wanted to hear Jacob’s voice. Have his expertise on her side. Know he was behind her and with her, and that he would be there to rescue Nina. Alice.

  God, they had to find her. Save her.

  Faye twisted a tissue in her hands. “I can’t imagine what you’ve been through,” Faye said. “I swear to you, Cora, I didn’t know Nina was kidnapped.”

  Tears blurred Cora’s vision at the sincerity and anguish in Faye’s voice. Cora wanted to be angry with her for having the last five years with Alice, years she’d missed.

  But if Faye hadn’t adopted Alice, someone else might have. Someone who might not have loved and cared for her and protected her as Faye had. Nina was strong and confident and funny and creative—an amazing kid. She had Faye to thank for that.

  Thunderclouds darkened the sky, threatening rain, and they fell into silence as she concentrated on driving. The winding mountain roads were treacherous and dangerous enough without a storm.

  She clenched the steering wheel with a white-knuckled grip. She had to get them safely up the mountain.

  Although fear consumed her. She and Faye might be walking into an ambush. This woman had killed Kurt and tried to kill her twice.

  Who would raise Alice if something happened to her and Faye?

  * * *

  JACOB PHONED CORA to see if she’d heard something from Nina’s kidnapper, but she didn’t pick up. Dammit, where was she?

  He left her a message warning her that he suspected Hilary was behind the kidnapping, then asked her to call him.

  “Cora didn’t answer,” Jacob told Drew. “Any word from your wife?”

  “No,” Drew looked defeated. “I’ve called all her friends. She didn’t make their luncheon today, and no one has heard from her.”

  “Drew,” Jacob said, struggling to remain calm. “Is there a place where Hilary would go if she wanted to be alone? Do you two own another home or vacation property?”

  Drew leaned his head into his hands, shaking his head back and forth as if tormented. When he raised his head and looked at Jacob, tears filled his eyes.

  “I can’t believe she’d do this. But if she has Alice, I want you to find her.”

  “A place? An address?” Jacob asked.

  Drew rose and walked over to the corner. He opened a desk drawer, rifled through some papers, then turned back to Jacob.

  “Hilary’s family owned a place in the mountains. She inherited it when they died last year.”

  “Where is it, exactly?”

  Drew swiped a hand over his eyes. “It’s up north. It’s a little hard to find, but I can take you there. We visited once with her family when we were first married.”

  Jacob snagged his keys from his pocket. “Let’s go. If she has Alice and she’s scared we’re on to her, Alice might be in danger.”

  Jacob raced outside to his police car, anxious to get on the road. Every minute that passed meant Hilary was getting farther and farther away with Cora’s daughter.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Nerves tightened every muscle in Cora’s body as she drove up the mountain. Dark clouds threatened to unleash rain on the winding road and lightning zigzagged across the foggy sky.

  She prayed it held off. Rain would make the roads more treacherous. She sped around a curve, struggling to keep the car on the highway around the switchbacks.

  The GPS directed her to turn onto a side road that seemed to disappear into the thick woods. Trees shrouded the light, the branches clawing at her as if they were long arms and hands trying to keep her from reaching her daughter.

  Faye sat stone-still, her fear palpable.

  Finally they reached another turn that wound up a long hill and ended deep in the forest. A rustic cabin was perched on the side of the mountain, and a gray SUV was parked sideways near the front door, as if the driver had been racing to get inside the house.

  Cora’s heart pounded as she rolled to a stop and threw the gearshift into Park.

  “She can’t have hurt Nina,” Faye said in a raw whisper. “She just can’t.”

  Cora gripped Faye’s hand for a minute. She wished Jacob was here, but the woman had said no police and she couldn’t take any chances with her daughter’s life.

  Cora gathered her courage. “Let’s go.”

  Faye climbed from the passenger side, and they walked up to the door together. The shades were drawn, the dark sky adding an eerie feel that sent a chill through Cora.

  She knocked on the door, then Faye reached out and pushed it open.

  Before they could step inside, the shiny glint of metal flashed, then Drew’s wife ordered them to come in.

  Dear God. Hilary. She was behind this.

  Faye exchanged a terrified look with her, fear clawing at Cora. But she’d do anything to save her little girl.

  The composed, well-manicured and polished Hilary had disappeared. In her place stood a crazed, disheveled-looking woman waving a gun in their faces.

  “Where’s Nina?” Faye asked.

  “She’s safe in the other room,” Hilary said shrilly. “She’ll stay that way as long as you do as I say.”

  “She must be frightened,” Cora said. “You have a child of your own, Hilary, don’t hurt her.”

  “I told you that she’ll be fine if you cooperate.”

  “What do you want us to do?” Faye asked in a shaky voice.

  Hilary motioned for them to move into the den where she’d drawn all the curtains.

  “Tell me,” Faye cried.

  Hilary spun toward her, the gun raised. “I’ll let you go if you take Nina and leave town. Go far, far away and keep your mouth shut.”

  Faye’s eyes darted toward Cora. “But what about Cora?” Faye asked.

  A bitter laugh escaped Hilary, cutting into the strained silence in the dreary interior of the cabin.

  Hilary barked a sarcastic sound. “She’s going away for good.”

  Cora steeled herself against reacting. If she was going to die, she wanted answers. “You killed Kurt, didn’t you? Then you tried to
kill me.”

  “You wouldn’t stop looking for that baby,” Hilary cried. “I thought you’d give up eventually, and Drew would see how crazy you were, but no, you were so damn persistent.”

  The truth dawned on Cora. “You told Drew about that day at the mall, not Julie.”

  “He had a right to know how unstable you were.”

  “Because you kidnapped my child,” Cora said, rage hardening her tone. “Did you and Drew plan it together?”

  Another bitter laugh, almost maniacal. “Ha. Drew had no idea. I fell in love with him the minute we met. I knew I could help him reach his career goals, and that you didn’t care. All you talked about was having a kid.”

  Cora clenched her hands by her sides. Drew hadn’t known?

  Hilary waved the gun in Cora’s face, her eyes wide with rage and hatred. “I knew when you had that baby, he’d never leave you, that you were going to ruin him. He’d never have made partner so quickly if he’d stayed with you and been saddled with a kid.”

  “But you had a child with him a year after you married,” Cora said, anger surfacing through the shock.

  Hilary paced in front of the fireplace, her arm jerking as she waved the gun back and forth between Cora and Faye. “Only because he felt so damn guilty over you and that baby of yours. I figured the only way to help him get over it was to give him another child.”

  Tears burned Cora’s eyes. “Does he know what you did?”

  Hilary paused in front of Cora, the gun aimed at Cora’s head. “No, and he never will!”

  “Don’t do this,” Faye pleaded. “It’s not right, Hilary. Think about your little boy.”

  “I am,” Hilary shouted. “He needs for me and his father to stay a family.” She turned a hate-filled look at Cora. “That means I have to get rid of you.”

  * * *

  JACOB SPED TOWARD the cabin Hilary’s parents owned, hoping Drew wasn’t leading him astray. If Drew was lying about not knowing what Hilary had done, he could be guiding him into the wilderness to kill him and dispose of his body where no one would ever find him.