Trumped Up Charges

by Joanna Wayne

  Someone gave a low whistle. R.J. didn’t see who, but he could tell from the way they all sat up a little straighter in their chairs that he had their attention.

  R.J. saw no reason to mention that most of the money had come from the one gamble in his life that had actually paid off for him—a one-dollar lottery ticket purchased from the truck stop in Oak Grove.

  He winked and managed a smile. “I’m glad you all came and hopefully we might even discover we like or can at least tolerate each other. Now who wants a beer?”

  * * *

  THE OTHERS FOLLOWED R.J. to the kitchen. Adam stepped outside to clear his head.

  So this is what it felt like to be bought. Was that what R.J. had done to his mother, insisted she dance to his tune or leave the party? Adam wondered how much it had been worth to the man to get rid of her and Adam.

  He expected it was a sizable amount, enough to ease R.J.’s guilt if he’d had any. Even before Adam’s mother had remarried, they’d lived in a nice house in an exclusive neighborhood and as far as he knew, there had never been any money worries. His mother still lived in that house.

  His phone vibrated. This time he took the call. “Hello, Mom. What’s the matter? Can’t wait to hear about R.J.’s latest tricks?”

  “Did you hear the AMBER Alert the Houston police issued a couple of hours ago?” Her voice was shaking so hard he could barely understand her.

  “I haven’t.”

  “Twin girls were kidnapped from their grandmother’s home in a Dallas subdivision during the night.”

  “Is this someone you know?”

  “The grandmother is Janice O’Sullivan, Adam. It was Hadley’s children who were kidnapped.”

  His heart bucked and knocked against his chest wall. He fumbled for words while he tried to get his mind around the news. “How did that happen?”

  “I have no idea. The only details released were a description of the girls and the area where they were kidnapped.”

  “Then how do you know the missing girls are Hadley’s daughters?”

  “My friend Crystal just called. Her daughter’s husband is on the Dallas police force and was one of the first responders to the 911 call. He talked to Hadley. She’s frantic.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “I know you two had a bitter breakup, son, but her daughters are missing. I think you should go over there and see if you can help.”

  “She has the Dallas police and maybe even the FBI. I’m sure they don’t need me.”

  “But you’re a decorated marine.”

  “We didn’t handle child abductions in Afghanistan, Mom. Besides there’s no reason to think Hadley or her husband would appreciate my interference.”

  “There was no husband around when Crystal’s son-in-law talked to her. She was by herself.”

  “Where was her mother?”

  “Janice is in the hospital. She’s having surgery this morning. That’s why Hadley and the girls are in town. And now her girls have been kidnapped. Hadley can’t face this all alone.”

  “She has a husband.”

  “But he’s not with her now and who knows how long it will take him to get to Dallas. I don’t even know where they live. But you’re here, Adam. At least talk to her. You’ve always helped anyone in trouble.”

  But this wasn’t anyone. This was the woman whose image he’d held on to through hell and back only to learn she’d married someone else and borne his children.

  The woman he’d spent the past few years trying to erase from his heart and mind.

  But Hadley was alone and no doubt terrified, her children in the hands of an abductor. His heart pounded as adrenaline exploded inside him.

  She might kick him out when he got there, but not going to her wasn’t even an option. Eight million or eighty million dollars on the line, it made no difference.

  He was out of here.

  Chapter Two

  “When did you first realize your daughters were missing?”

  “When I woke up and went into their room.” Hadley stared at Detective Shelton Lane, trying her best to concentrate and cooperate. But his questions were redundant and tearing at her slivered control.

  “I’ve explained this at least three times this morning to three different police officers. Don’t you talk to each other?”

  “I’m sorry to put you through this, but I was just assigned to the case, Ms. O’Sullivan. I like to get my answers firsthand.”

  “So you just sit here and ask me the same questions over and over instead of looking for my girls?”

  “We’ve issued an AMBER Alert. Every officer on the street has your daughters’ picture. I have officers going house to house in this neighborhood talking to everyone who might have seen something.”

  “I just want my girls back.” Tears welled in her eyes. She dabbed at them with the shredded tissue clutched in her hand.

  Detective Lane granted her a few seconds to gain control before he hit her with the next question. “Were you home all evening?”

  “The girls went with me when I drove Mother to the hospital. We stayed until she was settled in her room. It was just after five when we got home. We didn’t leave again after that.”

  “And no one else was here with you?”

  “No one. I made the girls dinner and then we went outside so they could get a little exercise before baths and bedtime.”

  Hadley stood and walked to the window, looking out over the front walk where Lacy and Lila had ridden their trikes last night. They’d been so cute. So happy. So innocent.

  Had someone been watching even then and planning the abduction? The front door had been unlocked while they were outside, but she’d been right there. She’d surely have seen if anyone had entered the house.

  She turned away from the window. “This is supposed to be a safe neighborhood. There are guards at the gate. I don’t see how this could have happened.”

  “I’m having trouble figuring that out myself.” The detective shifted in his seat. “You say you didn’t hear anything during the night.”

  “Nothing. And it’s not as if I slept that well. I was worried.”

  “About the girls?”

  “About my mother. I told you, she’s in surgery right now, having a malignant stomach tumor removed. I was supposed to be with her. Now...” Now she was in a nightmare.

  “Did you check on them during the night?”

  “Once.”

  “What time was that?”

  “It was a few minutes after one. Eleven after, to be exact. I remember looking at the clock when I woke up. They were both sleeping soundly. I picked up the almost full glass of water Lila had asked for when I was reading them a bedtime story last night and carried the glass to the kitchen.”

  “What did you do with the glass?”

  “It’s probably still on the counter. What difference does it make?”

  “I’m just trying to get a complete picture in my mind. So you put Lila’s glass on the table, went back to bed and then you didn’t go back to their bedroom until this morning?”

  “Right.”

  “Did you go to check on them as soon as you woke?”

  “I went to the bathroom first, but then I went to get them up.”

  “When you didn’t find them there, what did you do?”

  “I called for them and searched the house.” Hadley dropped to a chair and tried to get a handle on the sickening fear that was churning inside her.

  “How long did you look for them before you called 911?”

  “I’m not sure. I think it was only fifteen minutes or so. By that time I was shaking so hard that I couldn’t punch in the numbers. Matilda took the phone and did it for me.”

  “I thought you said you were alone.”

  “I was. Matilda arrived while I was searching for the girls. She helped and even searched the garage and the yard.”

  “And Matilda is your mother’s housekeeper?”

  So he had talked to the other officer
s. “Yes. Matilda Bastion. She’s worked for Mother for years. She’s practically part of the family.”

  “Where is Matilda now?”

  “At the hospital. When I couldn’t leave, she went to be with Mother.”

  Thoughts of her mother attacked anew Hadley’s fragile hold on control. Janice was still in surgery, but unless they found the girls quickly, she’d have to be told about the abduction. As if cancer wasn’t enough to deal with.

  “Who was going to watch your daughters while you were at the hospital this morning?”

  “Matilda. They were excited about staying with her. She’s so good with them.”

  “Does Matilda have a key to the house?”

  Hadley nodded, but even in her fractured emotional state she could see where this was going. “Matilda had nothing to do with the abduction.”

  “I’m just making sure we have the facts straight.”

  Hadley checked her watch for the hundredth time that morning. It was five before twelve. Lunchtime for the girls. Were they hungry? Were they crying for her? Were they safe?

  A new wave of anxiety coursed through her veins. “What kind of monster would take two little girls from their beds in the middle of the night?”

  “I don’t know, but I can assure you that we’re doing everything in our power to find out.”

  The doorbell rang. The jarring noise splintered Hadley’s rattled nerves. She hesitated for a heartbeat and then jumped up and ran to the door, praying it was a police officer bringing Lacy and Lila home.

  She swung open the door and stared into the face of the last person she’d expected to see. Her muscles clenched. Resentment and old hurts attacked with dizzying force. Her hand clutched the door, ready to slam it in his face.

  “Hadley.”

  The sound of her name on his lips reached deep inside her, striking chords she didn’t want to acknowledge.

  He opened his arms and her traitorous, angst-stricken body fell into the only port in this terrifying storm.

  * * *

  HADLEY’S HOT TEARS fell on Adam’s neck and rolled beneath the collar of his shirt. His reaction hit hard and fast, his senses reeling from the fragrance of her hair, the softness of her skin.

  Damn. How could he think of that now? He was here to help. Start getting caught up in the good, the bad and the ugly of the past and that would be impossible.

  A man about his age in navy blue slacks and a white sports shirt stepped into view behind Hadley. The girls’ father, no doubt, the man who’d swept Hadley off her feet and helped her move on in record time.

  The one whose neck should be catching her tears.

  Adam disentangled himself from Hadley quickly and extended a hand to the man.

  “Adam Dalton. Hadley and I go way back. I heard about the abduction and came to see if I could do anything to help.”

  “This is Detective Shelton Lane,” Hadley said.

  So he wasn’t the husband. Still his handshake was far from friendly and his gaze and stance were clearly meant to be intimidating. Adam wasn’t fazed. It was hard to bully a former marine.

  “How did you hear about the abduction?” Lane asked.

  “It made the news.”

  “No names were given in the AMBER release.”

  “Police leak,” Adam quipped honestly. “You know how fast those travel.”

  The detective scowled.

  “I’m not here to interfere in the search,” Adam assured him. “I’m just here to offer my support. Do you have a problem with that?”

  “I don’t, but it’s not my house.”

  Adam turned back to Hadley. “I’d like to help if I can, but say the word and I’m out of here.”

  “You’re here. You may as well stay. Maybe you can come up with something we haven’t.”

  He doubted it. He knew about raiding terrorist hideouts and sneaking past enemy lines on craggy mountainsides. He knew nothing of tracking down a kidnapper of innocent children.

  But then he did have a reputation for being a whiz at eking out danger.

  Hadley led them to a small sitting room off the foyer.

  “I’ll make some coffee,” she said.

  The detective brushed her offer aside. “Can that wait? I only have a few more questions.”

  “What good does it do to keep going over and over the same information? There’s nothing more I can tell you. If I had any idea who took Lacy and Lila, I’d have screamed his name the second you walked in or gone after the monster myself.”

  Lane spread his hands in front of him, palms up. “I understand your frustration, Ms. O’Sullivan. But try to bear with me a few more minutes.”

  The detective had referred to her by her maiden name. Odd, since she was married. But then the detective’s focus was surely on more important matters than getting her name straight.

  “Any problem with my listening in?” Adam asked.

  “That’s up to Ms. O’Sullivan.”

  “Stay,” Hadley said. “Then you won’t have to ask the same questions when the detective leaves.” She dropped into an upholstered chair by the window and took a tissue from the box on the table.

  The detective took a chair near Hadley’s. That left the sofa for Adam. Before they could get started, the detective’s phone rang.

  “I need to take this in private,” he said, “but I’ll only be a minute.” He hurried out of the room.

  “I hate to ask, but can you bring me up to speed?” Adam asked. “Just the basics for now.”

  “All I know are the basics.” The terror was not only etched in her eyes but echoed in every syllable.

  “The twins and I stayed here alone last night because Mother had to check in the hospital yesterday afternoon. She’s in surgery now, having a malignant tumor removed from her stomach. When I woke up this morning, the girls weren’t in their bedrooms. We searched the house frantically, calling for them, but they weren’t here.”

  “You said we,” Adam noted. “Who was with you?”

  “Matilda Bastion, Mother’s housekeeper. She got here just after I realized the girls weren’t in their room. Someone broke into the house and carried them off, Adam. I should have heard them. I should have saved....” She choked on the self-incrimination, swallowing the end of her lament.

  “Except, technically there’s no sign of a break-in,” Lane said as he reentered the room.

  “What exactly does that mean?” Adam questioned.

  “According to Ms. O’Sullivan, the doors and windows were still locked this morning. The alarm system wasn’t set, and it didn’t go off during the night.”

  “I don’t remember setting it last night,” Hadley said. “I had so much on my mind.”

  “But the abductor would have expected it to go off, unless he had the code to disarm it before it did.”

  “Or the technical ability to disarm it from the outside,” Adam said.

  “That’s possible,” Lane admitted. “But the evidence still suggests that whoever took Lacy and Lila either had a key or was let in and out by someone on the inside.”

  “No one let him in,” Hadley said. “I was the only one here.”

  “Which leaves us with an abductor with a key to the house.”

  That added a multitude of new layers of complexity to the situation, Adam decided. On the positive side, it narrowed the field of suspects. They just had to figure out who had a key to the house and the means, opportunity, motive and perhaps a rap sheet.

  Other than the arrest records, the information would have to come from Janice O’Sullivan. He was certain Hadley would hate dragging her mother into this so soon after surgery, but she’d have no other options—unless they found the girls first.

  Adam listened as the detective went back to his questions for Hadley. Most dealt with her search for the girls and anything unusual she or Matilda had noticed. A few dealt with Hadley’s personal relationships and whether anyone had stalked or threatened her.

  There was no mention of Hadley’s h
usband. His whereabouts and their relationship had likely been covered before Adam arrived on the scene.

  This time it was a call on Hadley’s cell phone that interrupted the conversation. She yanked it from her pocket and checked the caller ID. Disappointment furrowed deep grooves into her forehead. Clearly this was not the kidnapper.

  “It’s Matilda, calling from the hospital,” she said.

  “Answer it,” the detective said, “but don’t stay on the line long. We don’t want to miss a call from the kidnapper.”

  Hadley talked for only a few seconds, but Adam could tell from her side of the conversation that the call wasn’t good news. He didn’t get a chance to ask before she lit into the detective.

  “Matilda was in tears,” Hadley said. “A cop just left there and he treated her as if she was involved in the girls’ disappearance.”

  “I’m sure he didn’t accuse her of any criminal involvement.”

  “Perhaps not directly, but he definitely insinuated it.”

  “Everyone who has a key to this house is a person of interest, Ms. O’Sullivan. Everyone.”

  “That’s ridiculous. Matilda has babysat the girls since they were only a few months old. She’d never hurt them. She loves them.”

  “I hope you’re right, but I can’t afford that kind of trust in this case and frankly, neither can you.”

  Adam agreed, though he didn’t comment.

  “That’s enough questions for now,” Lane said. “I need to check on a few things with headquarters. Why don’t you and Adam go have that coffee?”

  “What if my phone rings and I don’t know the caller?”

  “Don’t answer it without finding me first so I can listen in. I’ll be in my car.”

  She nodded her agreement.

  Lane stood and left the room, leaving Adam and Hadley alone. Awkward tension swelled, almost as tangible a presence as the detective had been.

  Adam struggled to think of the right thing to say and do. He’d take action over dealing with emotions any day.

  Finally, Hadley broke the stalemate. She squared her shoulders and turned to face him. “I didn’t expect to ever see you again.”

  “I kind of figured the same.”

  “So why did you come?”

  Good question, and he wasn’t even sure he knew the real answer. “I knew you’d be devastated and desperate,” he said, settling on an obvious truth. “I’d really like to help if I can, but if my being here makes it worse, I’ll leave.”