by Hope White
Carly knelt beside Whit. “Where were you hurt?”
“Head.”
“Were you shot?”
“Pistol-whipped. Did you say...it was Kurt? The owner of the inn?”
“That’s who was standing over you with a gun, telling you not to move.”
“We need to go.”
“Relax. Let me take a look at your head.” She eyed a bruise forming above his right eye.
“I’m confused,” Whit said.
His weak voice worried her. She flashed two fingers. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Peace.”
“You must be okay if you’re joking around.”
He squinted as if struggling to see her.
“You need a hospital.”
“No hospital. We’ve gotta go.” He started to get up and sat back down.
“Good choice.”
In the distance, she watched Trish aim a hose at the kitchen area of the house, while Roger and Kurt took turns working some kind of pump. Carly didn’t see a flame, just smoke.
“If the innkeeper is a part of this, we need to get out of here,” Whit said.
Just then two police cars pulled up. One of the deputies joined the fire relief efforts, while the other approached Carly and Whit.
“You okay?” the deputy said.
“Yes, Officer,” Carly offered.
Whit nodded.
“Are you Brody Whittaker?” the deputy asked.
Whit cocked his head. “Yeah.”
“I’m Deputy Smith. Logan filled us in on your situation. You think this is related to the case in Miner?”
“Not sure. Looks like I was assaulted by the innkeeper, Kurt, which makes no sense.”
“Once they contain the fire, we’ll get everyone’s statements and figure out what happened.” With a nod, Deputy Smith went to help the others.
“What happened is we’ve been discovered and need to get out of here,” Whit grumbled.
“Take it easy. No one’s going to attack us with police here.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Whit said. “How’s the baby?”
Carly glanced at Mia. “Perfect. I’m thankful she’s oblivious to all this.”
“Well, I’m thankful you’re both okay.” He eyed Mia with a strange expression. “I shouldn’t have left you.”
“You had to save Trish.”
“Her husband was obviously inside.”
“Well, he wasn’t coming to her aid, so you did the honorable thing.”
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” Carly questioned.
“Or I was trying to maintain my hero status.”
“You aren’t making sense.”
“Harry once said it was more important for me to be a hero than to be a brother. Kind of like you saying it’s more important for me to be a cop than an uncle.”
“I never said you acted as if it were more important to be a cop. I said you get to choose, in any given situation, to put family first or your job first.”
“Hopefully one day I’ll make the right choice.”
Carly didn’t respond to that comment. She decided not to argue with a man suffering from a head injury. Whit’s remark couldn’t be further from the truth, at least from her perspective. He needed to save Trish, who could have died from smoke inhalation. Plus, he knew Mia was in good hands with Carly.
Whit wasn’t the type of man who could walk away when someone needed him. At least that was Carly’s take on Brody Whittaker.
She’d like to hold herself to that same high standard, which was one of the reasons she’d chosen to become a nurse. The fact that she hadn’t been able to protect Greta when she needed Carly most still wore on her soul.
* * *
A few minutes later the fire trucks showed up. As the crew took over, Deputy Smith approached Carly and Whit, while the other deputy questioned the innkeepers and guests.
“The innkeeper found out you were using a false name,” the deputy said. “He assumed it was because of criminal activity.”
“How did he find out?”
“You used your credit card at the general store and he’s friends with the clerk. Kurt was on the way back to confront you when he saw the smoke. By the way, there was no actual fire. Someone planted smoke devices in the HVAC system and set off an explosive device to cut the electricity.”
“To get us outside,” Whit said under his breath. “Then why did Kurt assault me inside the house?”
“He claims that wasn’t him, that he only saw you when you jumped out the window onto the porch.”
“Which means the perp could still be inside,” Whit said.
“Unlikely. It’s been cleared.”
“He could still be around.” Carly protectively held Mia and scanned the property.
Another car pulled up the driveway and Deputy Logan, in civilian clothes, joined them. “I heard the call go out.”
“The assailant might still be on the premises,” Smith said. “I’m calling the desk sergeant.”
He stepped away and Deputy Logan stood protectively near Whit and Carly.
“How did they find us again?” Carly said.
“Phones?” Logan suggested.
“Location services are off,” Whit said. “Maybe they figured out what I’m driving and are tracking my truck.” He looked at Carly. “What I don’t get is that you were out front with Mia, which was the perfect chance to take the baby. Why come inside after me?”
“Well, I wasn’t alone. Roger, Ingrid and Trish were with me.”
“Maybe they were trying to get you out of the picture for good,” Logan suggested to Whit. “Without your protection, you two—” he nodded at Carly and Mia “—would be easy targets.”
Whit nodded, and Carly wondered if puzzling through all this was irritating his concussion.
“You should have the paramedics look at you,” she said.
“No time. We need to keep moving,” Whit said.
“Where to?” Logan said.
“Anyplace we can’t be found,” Whit said. “We need to figure out how they tracked us here.”
“I can check for tracking devices on your vehicle.”
“That would be great. In the meantime, we have to consider that the perp who assaulted me inside the house is watching us plan our next move.”
The fire captain approached them. “No structural damage to the house. As we suspected, just smoke, no fire. Should be cleared in an hour.”
“Thanks,” Whit said, then looked at Deputy Logan. “Don’t suppose you know where I can get cheap wheels for the next few days.”
A few days? Carly appreciated his optimism about the amount of time it would take to resolve things, find the Bremertons and finally put an end to the violence.
“I do, actually,” Deputy Logan said. “You thinking of abandoning your truck?”
“Temporarily.”
Logan glanced across the property at Whit’s vehicle. “I’ve always wanted to try one of those out.”
“If they’re tracking it that means they’ll be following you,” Whit warned.
“I’ll park it at the station and drive my cruiser home. Neighbors like seeing the squad car out front anyway. You want to take my car for a few days?”
“It has to be a completely random car. No connection between me and the owner.”
“I might have some ideas for you there. Can’t do anything until morning, though. The three of you should spend the night at the station. You’ll be safe there.”
* * *
The door creaked open and two men in clown masks entered the small room. They stood over Harry and Susan, the silence deafening.
Was this it? The end? Lord, I’m not finished.
“I’ve changed my mind,” the lead
clown said. “I’ll take your money.”
“It’s yours,” Harry said. “As much as you want. All of it.”
A few seconds passed.
“Take her.”
The other guy grabbed Susan and pulled her up.
Harry reached out. “Wait, what are you doing?”
“Making sure you don’t alert anyone to your whereabouts when you transfer the money.”
“I wouldn’t do that.” Harry tried pushing past the thug.
The guy punched Harry in the gut. He doubled over, gasping for breath.
“I make the rules.” The guy leaned close. “If you don’t follow them, this is what happens.”
He shoved a cell phone in Harry’s face. A video image of smoke spewing out of a large house filled the screen. “Your daughter was in that house.”
“Mia,” he groaned.
“Bring the laptop,” the kidnapper said to his associate.
A few minutes later Harry was transferring millions into a random offshore account. The lead clown closed the laptop and handed it to the other guy.
Harry leaned against the wall. “My daughter...?”
Someone tapped on the door and cracked it open. “Gus lost them,” a man’s voice said.
The lead clown slugged the guy. Harry heard him hit the ground, coughing.
“Idiot. I ordered him to wait,” the lead clown said.
“I know,” the man said in a raspy voice. “He was trying to make up for—”
“No excuses!”
From his stance, it looked like the lead clown was pointing his gun at the guy.
“Please, boss, we’ll find them.”
There was a hesitation, and then the leader lowered his weapon and shut the door. He turned back to Harry, who dreaded the physical abuse he was about to take from this maniac, but Harry’s own discomfort was nothing compared with his worry about Susan and Mia.
The clown squatted next to him. This was it. Harry was about to get a bullet to the head. The kidnapper had gotten what he wanted—all of Harry’s money, or at least everything that was liquid.
“About your wife,” the kidnapper said.
Dread whipped through Harry’s chest. Susan was dead.
“I’ve decided to release her.”
Harry wanted to believe him but suspected this was another way to mess with Harry’s head.
“Thank you.” Harry played along.
The man burst out laughing and stood. “Oh, I’m not letting her go out of the goodness of my heart. We need to find the little girl. And where your wife goes, the daughter will follow.”
“Mia was never in that burning house?”
“Oh, she was there.” He stood and crossed the room. “But she’s vanished, thanks to your cop brother. He’s a real thorn in my side, but not for long.”
The guy shut the door, leaving Harry alone.
“Way to go, Whit,” he whispered.
* * *
They’d be safe? At a police station? Ironic, Carly thought as she sat on a cot next to Mia, giving her a morning bottle. Carly had kept a close watch of Mia all night for fear she might roll over and off the cot. Carly didn’t sleep much, except when Whit demanded he take over so she could rest.
Carly couldn’t sleep surrounded by bars. Last night at the inn she’d started to protest the suggestion they spend the night at the station, knowing that would mean sleeping in a cell. It turned out to be the best solution, even if that meant she’d have to relive her trauma in the worst possible way.
Somebody help me.
Why won’t anyone help me?
They were the distant cries of a confused girl who’d been taken from her home for doing what she thought was right: protecting her baby sister, first from her mom, and then from police.
“Carly?”
She glanced across the cell at the open door. Whit stood there watching her. “You okay?”
Afraid she might snap his head off because of lack of sleep, she nodded and glanced at baby Mia. Placing an open hand on Mia’s tummy, she thanked God that they’d been able to protect the child. It wasn’t until this morning that Carly realized how exposed and vulnerable they’d been standing out in front of the inn. She’d been confident that nothing could have happened to them last night since they were surrounded by innocent bystanders, yet in the light of day she wouldn’t put anything past the men who were after baby Mia.
Why? Why were they after this precious child?
Whit joined her on the cot and placed his hand over Carly’s left hand, resting on her thigh. She didn’t want his comfort. She wanted answers. She wanted this to be over.
She was done feeling vulnerable.
“Can you watch Mia? I need to stretch my legs.” She stood and he held on to her hand.
“Where are you going?”
“To pace. I need to do something physical to shake all this gunk from my brain.”
He released her hand. “Gunk?”
“Yes, gunk,” she said, leaving the cell to pace in the hallway. She felt better already, just being out of the cage and moving around.
“You want to expand on that?”
“I like a calm environment. I also like to sing and read. I don’t like fearing for my life, fearing for Mia’s safety and being locked up in this place.”
“We’re not locked up. We can leave at any time.”
“Only we can’t because this is the safest place for us right now. I get it, I do, even if I don’t like it.”
“I guess I can see how being in here would make you feel bad if you’d done something wrong.”
“I haven’t done anything wrong, not now and not back then.”
“I believe you.”
She stopped short and narrowed her eyes. “Even though I was arrested?”
“Your record was expunged. That counts for a lot in my book. Besides, the way you’ve taken care of my niece these past few days, well—” he glanced at Mia “—it shows me what a good person you are.”
That practically floored her. Carly wasn’t used to a man being honest and kind...and complimentary. Her dating experience hadn’t been all that successful, with her last boyfriend breaking up with her because he claimed she “mothered” him too much.
“You’ve only known me a couple of days,” she said, sitting on the cot across the cell from him.
“I’m usually a pretty good judge of character.” He smiled.
Her insides lit up like fireflies on a warm summer’s night.
“Then again, I am suffering from head trauma,” he teased.
“How can you still have a sense of humor when everything is such a mess?”
She wished she could be less serious and use humor to balance out her stress.
“Sorry, did my comment offend you?” he said.
“On the contrary, it made me smile and right now I didn’t think anything could make me smile.”
“I’m glad.”
Tension eased from Carly’s shoulders. Somehow she and Whit had developed a bond, maybe even a friendship, that brought her out of her spin zone.
The outer door opened and Deputy Logan joined them wearing a serious expression.
Whatever calm she’d felt from her and Whit’s banter was immediately overshadowed by worry.
“What is it?” Whit said from the cell.
Logan glanced from Whit to Carly, back to Whit.
“They found the child’s mother, Susan Bremerton.”
TEN
Silence filled the holding area. Whit couldn’t bring himself to ask, fearing his brother was dead, even though the deputy hadn’t mentioned him.
“Is she...?” Whit said, unable to complete his sentence.
“Alive.”
Whit sighed with relief.
“Is she okay? W
here did they find her? Does she know what it’s all about?” Carly fired off. “Where is she now?”
“Back in Miner at Franciscan Health Center.”
“What is she being treated for?” Carly asked.
“They can’t share that information.”
“But she’s alive,” Whit said, hoping that meant his brother was, as well.
“Yes, she’s alive.”
* * *
An hour later they were headed back to Miner to see Whit’s sister-in-law. He was able to buy a used car from a friend of Deputy Logan’s so they wouldn’t be spotted when they got to Miner.
He reconsidered his decision to return to Miner, but Mia’s mother had been found and he needed to reunite Susan with her child.
Her adopted child?
Another claim needing to be confirmed.
“I can’t even imagine what she’s been through,” Carly said softly.
Which sparked his imagination about what they were doing to Harry. Hang in there, little brother.
Carly interlaced her hands, bowed her head and whispered something.
“Would you... Can I listen?” he said.
She looked sideways at him. “Of course.” She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “Lord, we pray for Mrs. Bremerton’s recovery and for Mr. Bremerton’s safe return. We pray for You to keep watch over him during this turbulent time. Amen.”
“Amen,” Whit whispered.
She was right. It did seem to ease the tightness in his chest.
“Thank you,” he said.
“Of course. Do you think Detective Harper will be waiting for us at the hospital?”
“Yes. I hope he has more information about the kidnapping and leads on my brother’s whereabouts.” Whit gripped the steering. “Right now, the thought of losing my brother...” His voice trailed off.
“Don’t go there.”
“You said we have that in common, wanting to protect our siblings. When was the last time you saw your sister?”
“Fourteen years ago. The day my parents sent me to live with my aunt.”
“They sent you away?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
“I was arrested, remember?”
