“Holly?” She touched her throat, her voice sounding strained and painful.
I nodded. “This is my friend, Jamie.”
“Come on in.” She pushed the storm door open with a loud squeak.
We stepped into her house. In the front, in what was probably intended to be the formal living room, was a crib, some colorful foam flooring, and a tub of toys.
The carpet looked matted and old but clean. Wallpaper from the eighties wrapped the walls in peach-colored roses. But the scent of apples—from a candle burning on the ledge—made everything seem a little more welcoming.
She led us into the kitchen, where she offered us some juice. Both Jamie and I politely refused and sat across from her at the kitchen table instead. She smoothed an old placemat with her long fingers. Above the table there were some photos of Europe that looked like they’d been cut out of a magazine.
“I want to go there one day,” Sarah said, following my gaze. “But it doesn’t look like it will be happening any time soon.”
I actually had some black and white placemats that someone had given me once that had scenes from Europe on them—the Eifel Tower, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Irish castles, Stonehenge. When all of this was over, maybe I’d bring them by for her, along with a prepaid credit card to help her out. It was one of my greatest pleasures in life to help bless other people.
But, right now, I had another mission.
“You haven’t heard from Katie all week?” I started.
She shook her head and snagged a stray Goldfish cracker from the table, popping it into her mouth. “Not other than the text I got on Sunday saying she had something come up and had to go out of town. Something just didn’t feel right about it, though. It’s not like Katie to just take off.”
“The police didn’t contact you?” I asked.
Sarah let out a soft sigh, and her eyes scanned the table, as if looking for any other discarded food. “No, they haven’t.”
Certainly they would have if they’d linked Sarah with Katie. It didn’t appear the police had done that yet.
“How long had you babysat for Katie?” Jamie asked.
“Only three weeks. I know it wasn’t that long, but it was long enough to bond with Jonah.”
“You mentioned a text from Katie,” I said. “What exactly did the text say?”
“Just that she was going out of town and she’d be gone a while. She was sorry for the late notice and would be in touch when she got back.” Sarah shook her head. “I’m doing my best to make ends meet. When people take off without telling me, that means I don’t get paid. If I don’t get paid, I can’t make my bills. So, I’m feeling a mixture of worry for Katie and annoyed that my checking account is ready to overdraft.”
“I’m sorry, Sarah. That sounds difficult.” I shifted, trying to remain sensitive yet focused. “Just a couple more questions. I promise. Did Katie seem to be having any problems lately?”
Her head shot up. “Problems? Not really. Why? Do you think she’s in danger?”
“Katie is missing, and so is Jonah. We’re looking for anyone with information.”
She let out a gasp. “Missing? You think there’s foul play involved?”
I decided not to skirt around the truth. “In Jonah’s disappearance, yes. We’re not sure about Katie.”
“Oh, dear.” A single tear trickled down her cheek. “Poor Jonah.”
“We’re doing everything we can to locate him.”
Wrinkles appeared at the side of her eyes. “How did you say you were connected with her?”
“I’m a social worker, and I’m working with the police to find some answers.” It wasn’t the total truth, but there were strands of honesty in my words. “Besides that, I knew Katie back when we were teenagers, and I’m worried about her. Is there anything you can think of that might give us a clue as to what happened?”
Sarah stared off in the distance before shaking her head, nearly looking resigned. “Not really. I mean, I watched Jonah last week, just like normal.”
I turned over my thoughts, hoping to find more information in the mundane details. Maybe a clue would be revealed there. “Did Katie pay you or did Gage?”
“Gage did. But he never picked up Jonah. I guess he worked longer hours than Katie.”
“Did Katie seem upset lately? Did she mention anything was bothering her?”
“She seemed like any normal working mother. She was tired. But she loved Jonah. Her face lit up whenever she saw him.”
I was happy to hear that. I’d dealt with too many parents who were apathetic when it came to their children. Usually drugs or depression triggered it, however. “Did you watch him on Saturday night? We understand that Katie went out that evening.”
“As a matter of fact, I did. It was unusual. I don’t normally work weekends. But Katie said it was important.”
Going clubbing was important? I wasn’t sure how to interpret that.
“Go on,” I said.
“She looked especially stressed when she dropped him off.”
I remembered what Heathcliff had said about Katie wanting to meet him about getting a gun. Did she feel threatened? Like her life was in danger?
“What time did she arrive back?” I asked.
“It was around midnight, I suppose. A little late for my tastes. I told her Jonah could spend the night here, but she insisted on picking him up. He was sleeping like a little baby doll when she arrived.”
“But she didn’t say anything that gave you any clues about her evening?” I asked.
“Just that she had some matters she was attending to. She thanked me profusely before leaving.”
Well, this conversation hadn’t gotten us very far. Just like many of the rest of them we’d had, we only seemed to run into more questions. Just what was going on here? What had Gage and Katie found themselves mixed up in? How did Heathcliff fit in? He could just be an accessory—someone who’d provided a weapon to people who weren’t on the up and up. People who were desperate to protect themselves.
Or Heathcliff could be lying and could have pulled Katie, and therefore Gage, into something shady and dangerous.
Jamie and I stood. I couldn’t think of anything else to ask Sarah.
When we reached the door, Sarah let out an “Oh!” and we turned.
“There is one other thing. On last Thursday after Katie picked up Jonah, she went out to her car. A man met her there, and they began talking in low tones.”
Now this could be interesting. “Did she seem scared?”
Sarah shook her head. “No, not scared. But, by all appearances, it was a pretty serious discussion.”
“What did this man look like?” Jamie asked.
“He was a tall African American with lighter colored skin. He looked like he’d been jogging—he was wearing exercise shorts and had ear buds around his neck. And he had a tattoo.”
“What kind of tattoo?” I asked.
“It was on his neck, and it looked like a lightning bolt.”
Chapter 25
When we got back to Jamie’s van, better known as the Ghettomobile—an old, rundown, ugly but paid-for vehicle—I noticed it seemed a little lower to the ground than usual.
“Oh no, girl,” Jamie muttered, her jaw going slack. “Tell me I’m not seeing what I’m seeing.”
I stayed silent—there was no need for me to reiterate the fact that her tires had been slashed.
She began circling her van.
“Jesus, help the person who did this.” She closed her eyes and began praying. “Because I want to kill them right now. Jesus, help me too. Visions of murder aren’t holy.”
She rubbed the cross necklace at her throat.
“I’m so sorry, Jamie.” I paced the sidewalk, looking for a sign of who’d done this. Instead, I saw a piece of paper on the windshield.
Another note.
Was this one from Katie also?
I plucked it off and opened it. It was written like the second note we’
d found: black marker on white paper. But the handwriting was different from the note that had been left with Jonah—scrawled letters instead of block style.
This time, the message left was clear: Back off before you end up dead too.
The color drained from my face. Someone knew we were searching for answers. We must be getting close. But what did that mean?
“Let me call the police,” I told Jamie. “And a tow truck. I’m so sorry this happened.”
After I hung up and as we stood on the brisk sidewalk with our arms folded across our chests to keep warm, Jamie finally told me what was really bothering her.
Like I didn’t already know.
“It can’t be one of my guys,” she finally said. “They’re not connected with this.”
She’d started referring to the three triathletes as her guys? That probably wasn’t a good sign when it came to objectivity.
“They all have lightning tattoos, right? Isn’t that what you said?” I’d seen it in the front-page news article myself, but I wanted to hear her say it.
She frowned. “But they can’t be involved in this. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“We’ve seen stranger coincidences.”
She shook her head again. “Other people have to have tattoos like that. Certainly.”
“Right. They could. But it can’t hurt to look into this, right? I mean, the Ledger did run an article on them also. Maybe Gage was connected to these athletes through that.”
We both knew we were stretching it. The likelihood was that this was one of “her guys.” The tattoo wasn’t that common.
“Why is it that every time I meet a guy who seems perfect, it turns out he’s a fraud?” She lowered her head into her hands. “I should just kiss any chance of a relationship goodbye. Single Jamie is here to stay.”
I’d always assumed Girl Genius was okay being single. I guess deep down inside, most people wanted to be loved, even the tough, most God-fearing of souls.
“Don’t jump to conclusions.” I squeezed her arm. “Maybe he’s innocent here. Maybe the connection isn’t what we think. We should go talk to them. Or, better yet, we should talk to Chase about them, just in case one of them is hiding a dangerous side.”
Her head shot up, and her eyes went wide. “Not yet. Listen, Holly, all three of these guys are out of town—two doing a race and one at a wedding. Wesley and Anthony will be back tomorrow. Please don’t tell Chase yet. I don’t want to ruin their reputations—not until I give them a chance to explain first, and I have every confidence there’s a logical, noncriminal explanation for this.”
Unease sloshed inside me.
“What if we don’t tell and they’re involved? What if they have Jonah?” My heart pounded in my ears as I asked the question.
“They don’t, Holly. Trust me. Please.” Her eyes pleaded with me.
I still hesitated.
At that moment, Jamie’s face lit with excitement. “They were gone when Jonah was snatched.”
“What do you mean?”
“They went to Indy early to prepare for the race. They left Wednesday morning.”
I nodded as I processed that, just as the police and a tow truck pulled up. They had alibies. Jamie trusted them. I trusted Jamie.
That settled it. “Okay then. I’ll wait.”
Chase had called at five to see if I needed to be picked up for the dinner tonight. I’d told him no, and he’d told me that he wouldn’t be able to stay incredibly long due to his workload.
I again remembered Officer Truman’s words about how many police officers’ marriages ended in divorce because of long hours. Chase’s workload only seemed to be getting larger lately, and there was no end in sight.
That thought made my heart heavy.
I hadn’t had time to make that cake I’d been asked to bring, so I swung by my favorite bakery and bought one instead. I was also still wearing my dress-down outfit—leggings and a tunic, so I didn’t even feel like myself.
I was late arriving—another unusual occurrence since serial late-ists—my made-up word—drove me crazy. Everyone else had already settled in by the time I pulled up to my sister’s massive house on the outskirts of town.
Balancing the cake-laden box on my hip, I pulled open the door, not bothering to knock. Everyone was talking jollily when I walked in. “I’m here!”
Chase rose to meet me and took the cake from my hands. I instantly saw suspicion in his gaze.
“Store-bought cake and leggings?” He kissed my cheek.
I shrugged, my energy draining out of me. “Long day.”
He let out a little uh-huh, which I knew meant he knew there was more to the story. Because there was. But I couldn’t tell him. I’d promised Jamie.
My heart lurched again as I thought about eating with my family. It almost seemed like a celebration. We couldn’t celebrate—not with Jonah missing.
Chase helped me out of my coat. “You doing okay?”
I nodded. “As well as can be expected.”
He placed my coat with the other outerwear on the couch in the formal living room. Then he took my hand, and we joined the rest of the family in the great room at the back of the house.
Why was I feeling so many doubts about our relationship? Everything about being with Chase right now should feel perfect. Normal. Like we were on the right track.
Yet something didn’t settle right in my gut.
I hated being a basket case, and I was beginning to feel like one.
“Glad to see you made it, Holly.” My sister’s gaze traveled up and down my outfit. “No dress?”
I really had trademarked my look, hadn’t I? I hadn’t realized it until this very moment. People expected me to look like a fifties housewife—minus the unmovable hair. I preferred mine long and flowy.
“It is cold outside,” I explained.
Alex got everyone drinks, and I went to sit by my brother, as Chase and William, Alex’s husband, began chatting.
“How are you doing?” Ralph asked, pushing his glasses higher.
I shrugged. “I miss Jonah. I can hardly sleep as I think about something happening to him.”
“Chase was just telling us he’s incredibly hopeful that Jonah is doing okay. He said if that man had wanted to harm him, he would have done it already.”
“That’s what I’m hoping also.” I really had to change the subject before tears started flowing. “How are things at work? Am I messing you up too much by not being there?”
He shook his head. “We’re managing. Do you think you’ll come back on Monday? Or do you need more time?”
I thought about it a moment. Did I? I didn’t feel like I was in any hurry to return. Which was unlike me. I’d always loved working. But . . . working for Ralph hadn’t been everything I’d expected, I supposed.
And what about Jonah? If he wasn’t located by Monday, could I really resume life as normal? Could I simply move on? I wasn’t sure.
“I’ll do my best,” I finally told him.
He gave me a look that indicated he’d read more into my pause than I’d intended. I didn’t want to go there now. And I didn’t have to because my mom stood and tapped a spoon against her glass.
“Can I have your attention, please?”
We all turned to her. Chase slipped down beside me and took my hand in his.
“There’s something I want to share with all of you,” my mom started. “As you all know, I’ve been cleaning out the attic. I found some old papers of your father’s while I was doing so.”
She paused and composed herself. I could see she was on the brink of tears.
Where was she going with this? Had she discovered something horrible?
Optimistic, Holly. Think positive!
“Some of your father’s papers seemed strange to me, so I started doing some digging,” she continued. “The short story is this: I’ve discovered that your father was adopted.”
I gasped. “What?”
Ralph stiffened besid
e me. “Are you sure?”
Alex shook her head. “How can that be?”
“I didn’t want to believe it either,” Mom said. “But I couldn’t find his birth certificate. I couldn’t even find any photos from when he was younger. So I called around. Asked around. Talked to his family some. I also had Officer Truman help me.” She blushed ever-so-slightly. “Sure enough, your father was adopted at three years old.”
“Adopted?” I repeated. “Who’s his birth family?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. It was a closed adoption.”
“So, we could have more cousins and aunts and uncles out there,” Ralph said.
He was probably mentally calculating the effect this could have on his next election. It was a politician thing. They had to think about everything—everything. Just one wrong word or negative news story, and their career could end.
“Anyway, that’s all I know,” Mom said. “I have decided to look into it a little more, though. I wanted to share that news with you, and, as I learn more, if you want to know I’d be happy to share.”
Well, that had been unexpected. It would take a while to let that sink in.
It looked like my mom had been the one who’d wanted to pull this dinner together.
“Actually, while you’re here and we’re making announcements, I have one also,” Alex said.
She stood and William came to stand beside her. He put his hand around her waist, and I braced myself for their announcement. Chase squeezed my hand, as if he could sense my anxiety.
“I just wanted to share that William and I are . . . having a baby!” Alex said.
My heart thudded. Then soared. Then thudded again.
A baby. I was going to be an aunt. I was going to love being an aunt, and I was so happy for Alex.
But, deep inside, I wanted to be the one making that announcement—after I was married, of course.
Everyone stood, and hugs and congratulations went around.
Then we ate lasagna and salad and garlic bread. The conversation was lighthearted and joyful. Emptiness spun inside me, though. Unfulfilled longings threw a pity party with my psyche. Indecision pulled at me.
Random Acts of Greed: Holly Anna Paladin Mysteries, Book 4 Page 16
