by Dianna Love
“Wh—You’re kidding!”
Her excitement rose again. “No. I can’t believe it. Someone called the police department there. They’ve seen Jake.”
“You’re sure?”
“The police have reviewed the tapes. The likeness is enough that they’ve called to have me confirm. They’re investigating. Jeremy, this could be it. Jake could be coming home.”
“What else do they know?”
“I’m not sure yet. Von and Riley are picking me up and we’re headed down there.”
“I would’ve taken you,” he said. “You’re not mad at me for stopping by yesterday, are you?”
“No. No. That’s not it. I’d have gone by myself, but Von insisted. It’s killing me, sitting here waiting on them. I could’ve been there by the time they get here.”
“What can I do? I can come now if you want.”
“No. Just give Grem my message. You can toss any prayers you’ve got stacked up around there my way, too. Do you know what it would mean to....” Kasey tried to hold back her emotions, but they were like an undertow—sweeping her off her feet and tugging her under.
“I know,” Jeremy said. “I know how much you love Jake. Good luck, and keep me posted.”
Kasey dialed Scott next and asked for a rain date on the fishing trip. Then she called Cody.
“It worked,” she said after he answered the phone. “It really worked, Cody.”
“What? Jake?”
“Yes!”
“They’ve found him?”
“Not yet, but a man came forward. He saw the picture of Jake at your concert in Raleigh and couldn’t get it out of his head. His daughter went to your concert down in Louisiana and mentioned it to her dad. When he told her he’d seen a child that looked like Jake, his daughter made him go to the police. Oh, Cody. This could be it.”
“I hope so. What can I do to help?”
“Nothing, but I’ll let you know if that changes,” she said. “I can’t thank you enough.”
“Stop that. No thank you is needed. Let’s just hope this brings the little guy home. I’m prayin’ for you, girl.”
“Von and Riley are on their way. They should be here shortly. We’re heading to Raleigh.”
“Will you call me tomorrow to let me know how it goes? Or as soon as you know? Or text me. I’ll be dying, wondering what’s going on.”
“Absolutely. Thank you again. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
“Take care. I’ll be waiting to hear.”
Just as Kasey hung up, she heard a car door.
“Man, they got here fast.” She picked up her bag, ran to the door, swung it open and stepped forward.
Scott stood in the doorway.
“Scott?” She stepped back. “I thought you were Riley and Von.”
“I don’t think they could get here that fast.”
He pulled Kasey into his arms. She relaxed into his warm hug.
“I figured it would be the longest wait ever. I thought you might need a friend.”
“You’re right. It feels crazy sitting here waiting when I could be halfway to Raleigh by now.”
“You know these things take time, right?”
She stepped back from him. “Time? I’ve been waiting since last August, trying to find Jake. I know what time is. It’s torture. I’ve waited so long.”
“I know, but these leads aren’t always a beeline to the suspect.”
She nodded and took a breath. “I know, but if that’s him on the tape and he’s alive...and....”
He pulled her back into his arms and held her. “What time did they call?”
“I’m not even sure. Not long before I called you.”
He picked up the handset of her phone and searched back through the list of last calls. “Looks like he called an hour ago. You’ve still got a good thirty-minute wait.”
Flopping into a nearby chair, she felt like an impatient six-year-old.
“Do you mind?” Scott gestured toward the kitchen.
“No. There’s not much in there. Make yourself at home.”
Scott disappeared into the kitchen. The microwave beeped as he punched the buttons. He came back into the room carrying a mug of tea for her.
“Nothing for you?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No. The tea is decaf. It said ‘soothing’ on the tin. Hope it helps.”
That was thoughtful.
She lifted the mug to her lips, took a sip, then set it on the side table.
Scott sat on the arm of the chair. “Turn your back to me.”
She did. He placed his hands on either side of her neck, and massaged her shoulders. “That feels so good.”
“Your neck is in knots. Close your eyes. Relax into my hands.”
Her body went warm as he pushed into her muscles, kneading at the tension in her neck and upper back. He placed his hands on her neckline, then over her ears, massaging her head with his fingers.
A tear ran down her cheek. “You never told me you were a massage guru,” Kasey said, as she rested in Scott’s hands, her tension seeping away.
“Holding out on you.” His hands soothed the stress in her weary muscles.
“I like it.”
Once Kasey relaxed the time seemed to pass more quickly. But her nerves twisted again when she heard Von and Riley pull into the driveway and honk the horn.
“This is it.” Kasey clenched her fists and let out a deep breath.
“Don’t forget your new neighbors and friends,” Scott said. “We’re here for you, no matter what you need. We want to help. Don’t be shy about asking.” He kissed her forehead.
“I knew I did the right thing moving here. Thank you for coming over.”
“I’ll lock up. Go.” Scott urged her toward the door.
“Thanks.” She kissed him on the cheek and ran outside, leaving the door wide open behind her. She jumped into the back of the SUV, hugged Riley, and waved to Scott as they drove off.
The ride to the police station in North Carolina was painfully slow.
When Von finally took the exit from I-85, Kasey’s stomach began to spin. “I might be sick.”
Riley hugged her close. “It’s okay. You’re going to be fine.”
After speeding down the interstate, it felt as if they were slowly coasting along the town roads. Von braked after a few miles and turned in front of a small brick building.
Kasey sat forward. “There’s no way this is the Raleigh police station.”
Von looked over his shoulder and released his seatbelt. “We’re in Leighsboro. Just outside of Raleigh. The guy saw the alert at the Raleigh concert, but he saw Jake here in his hometown.”
Kasey looked doubtful, then it struck her.
Lala had tied her answer to an ‘L’, a Lee to be more specific, could this be the answer? Finally? She’d owe Lala an apology if Jake was here.
“My house is bigger than this police station,” she said as they walked to the front entrance.
Von opened the door and held it for them. “Size isn’t everything.”
“I’m not responding to that.” Kasey shared a nervous laugh with Riley.
“I will.” Riley reached up and patted Von's cheek. “Honey, you have nothing to worry about.”
They stepped inside and lined up in front of a row of four desks.
Von asked the officer at the first desk to see the police chief.
A huge man walked toward them with his hand extended. “Chief Phipps.” He had a voice that commanded authority, despite his apparently young age. “You got here quick.”
“Perry Von, my wife Riley, and this is Kasey Phillips.”
The chief led them to a private conference room at the back of the station. A buzz-cut ex-marine-looking kind of guy, he pulled out one of the chairs and invited them to have a seat around the table. “Let me bring y’all up to date,” he said.
Everyone leaned in closer.
Kasey reached for Riley’s hand and squeezed it.
Please let it be Jake.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“The gentleman who came forward is Billy Goodwin. He’s fifty-eight, laid off from the mill when it closed this past fall. Worked there over thirty years. Currently employed at Walmart as a part-time greeter. That’s where he saw the child that resembles your son.” Chief Phipps’s eyes met Kasey’s.
Was there hope in his glance?
“Reliable guy, well-known in the community.” Chief Phipps pushed the top page of the report to the side. “Mr. Goodwin stated that he saw the picture of your son at a Cody Tuggle concert in Raleigh the first week of January.”
Kasey nodded. “Yes?”
I was there.
The image of Jake, over seven stories high on that backdrop, was burned into her memory.
Phipps continued, “He’d seen a child who looked familiar while working his shift at Walmart. But he didn’t make the connection until his daughter mentioned the same plea for help and the picture of the child she’d seen at the concert she attended in Louisiana. She suggested he come forward. Which, as you know, he has.”
Kasey swallowed and forced herself to take a breath.
“We’ve secured security tapes from two of the visits Mr. Goodwin remembered.” Chief Phipps turned two black-and-white glossy prints toward Kasey. Kasey’s hand shook as she focused on the picture. The image was grainy and from a distance, but it was Jake.
“Jake!” She swallowed hard. “My baby.”
She looked at Riley and grabbed her arm.
“He’s got Bubba Bear with him. Look at the way he has it hiked under his arm with his thumb in his belt loop. Only he would do that. He’s okay. He looks okay, right?”
Riley nodded. “He does. He looks good.”
Von agreed. “It’s him. The bear. Yep.” He turned back to the chief. He pointed to the pictures. “Do you have a lead on the woman he’s with?”
“No, not yet,” the chief said.
Von opened his leather portfolio, then handed him a drawing. “This is a sketch of the woman suspected to have sent photos of the crash to Kasey from Nashville a few months ago. I can’t tell from the picture if it’s the same person.”
The chief nodded and looked. “Me, either. The woman’s image isn’t clear in that picture. Billy Goodwin says he’s seen Jake on three occasions. When Goodwin’s daughter called after the Cody Tuggle concert, and went on and on about the missing child, that’s when it clicked for him. She’ll show up again.”
Kasey held her shaking fingers to her lips.
“Can I get you some water?” Chief Phipps asked her.
“Yes. Yes, please.” Kasey‘s tongue felt thick, and she was having difficulty swallowing. “I feel like I can’t breathe.”
Chief Phipps leaned out the door and asked an underling for water, then came back in and sat at the table.
Riley pushed Kasey’s hair back over her shoulder and rubbed her back. “Calm down. Inhale through your nose. That’s it. It’s going to be okay.”
Kasey took in a shaky breath.
“That’s good,” Riley said.
Following two raps on the door, another officer entered with a bottle of water and some paper cups. Riley poured a cup for Kasey.
“It’s Jake,” she said. “What do we do?” Her hand shook as she lifted the cup of water to her lips.
“We’re working to identify the woman,” Phipps explained. “When she comes back into the store we’ll know for sure, but we’re hoping we can run her down before then.”
“Can we talk to Billy Goodwin?” Von asked.
“Yes. That’s fine. He said he’d cooperate any way he can.” Chief Phipps pulled a pen from his shirt pocket, copied Goodwin’s number on a slip of paper, and handed it to Von. “Here you go.”
“Is that it?” asked Kasey. “This is all we can do? Wait?”
Chief Phipps exchanged a glance with Von. “For now.”
Von shook the chief’s hand. “You’ve got my numbers and the hotline’s. Keep us posted. Thank you so much.”
He led Kasey and Riley out of the station.
“My son is alive, probably somewhere nearby, and we just have to wait?” cried Kasey.
“We’re getting closer. Don’t flip out on me now.” Von fastened his seatbelt and started the truck. “We’ll get a room and stay for a couple days. Maybe we can speed things along. I’ll give Mr. Goodwin a call and set something up. It’s not that big of a town.”
The Walmart was near the interstate. There were a couple of hotels and a strip mall there, too. Von pulled into the Hampton Inn parking lot and went inside to register.
“I can’t believe it,” Kasey said.
“He’s alive.” Riley turned to her. “We’ll find him.”
“His hair was long. Did you see how long his hair was in the back?”
“First thing I noticed, too,” Riley said. “Nick was always fastidious about Jake’s hair being short.”
“So he wouldn’t look like a girl,” Kasey finished the thought as the memories of arguments between she and Nick about Jake’s hair came to mind. Such a stupid thing to fight about.
Von came out a few minutes later. “I got connecting rooms. We’re right around the corner here.” Von said as he pulled the vehicle around to the side of the building and parked.
They piled out of the truck and wheeled the bags to their rooms. Riley propped open the door between them. She and Kasey sprawled across the king-sized bed in one room.
Von set up his laptop in the other and called Billy Goodwin. He hung up the phone and stepped into the doorway between the two rooms. “Hey, girls, Billy Goodwin will be here around five-thirty. He’s going to stop by on his way to work.”
Kasey lifted her head from the pillow and looked at the clock. It was just after lunchtime. “What do we do until then?”
“Rest?”
“At least you didn’t say wait. I’m about over that word,” said Kasey.
Von pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’m going to take a ride. Can I get y’all some lunch first?”
“I’m not hungry,” Kasey said. She turned the pillow over and scrunched it under her chin. “I’m going to try to sleep so five-thirty gets here quicker.”
Riley said, “I’m not hungry either. Too excited, I guess. Bring something when you come back, just in case.”
“Sounds good. I’ll call if I hear anything, but I don’t expect news for a while. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.” Von closed the door behind him as he left.
Riley got up and twisted the privacy lock, then lay back down with Kasey.
A knock at the door woke Riley—Von’s knock. She jumped up to let him in. Von gave her a peck on the cheek as he breezed by her and placed a bag of take-out on the small table. “I didn’t know what to get. It’s sort of a buffet.”
Kasey walked into the room, bleary-eyed.
Von handed her a large drink. “Diet?”
“Thank you.” Kasey accepted the cup and took a long sip. “You’re the best.”
“I know. She tells me all the time.” He smiled and tugged Riley to him. “What do I get for bringing you a regular Coke?”
Riley raised her brow suggestively. “We’ll discuss that when there isn’t so much going on.”
“Thanks for that,” Kasey said, rolling her eyes. “What time is it?”
“Almost five,” Von said.
“I slept hard.” Kasey scrubbed her fingers through her hair and tugged her bangs into submission. “By the time we finish eating, it should be time for Billy Goodwin to show up.”
Von arranged Chinese takeout containers on the table, along with two cups of egg drop soup. “I know you girls love that egg drop soup. Looks like snot to me, but anything that looks that gross has to be good for you.”
“Thank you, sweetie,” Riley said as she grabbed a container of soup and handed the other to Kasey. “You’ve put a real scrumptious light on it. I bet the Food Network will be hunting you down to write blurbs for them.�
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“I call ’em like I see ’em,” Von said, looking innocent.
When the knock came at the door, they all stopped in mid-bite. Von wiped his hands on a napkin, strode to the door, and opened it.
“You must be Billy Goodwin.”
The round-faced man extended his hand. “Yes, sir.” His smile showed perfect teeth, and his blue eyes almost danced. “Hope you don’t mind I came early.”
“Not at all. Come on in. Thanks so much for coming to talk to us.” Von gestured for Billy to come into the room. “This is my wife, Riley, and our dearest friend, Kasey. She’s Jake’s mom.”
Billy walked over to Kasey. She stood and extended her hand, but he opened his big arms wide. “I bet you could use a hug instead.”
“Thank you,” Kasey said. “I’ve been looking for Jake since the end of August. I knew in my heart he was alive. I never gave up, but I can’t believe we’re finally getting close to finding him. Thanks to you, Mr. Goodwin.”
“Billy,” he said with a smile. “Call me Billy. Everybody does.”
“Thank you, Billy,” Kasey cried—tears of joy, fear, hope and frustration.
They all sat down at the table.
Von flipped to a clean page on his notepad. “Do you mind talking us through everything? I know you’ve already done all of this with the police. But it might help. If you don’t mind.”
“No problem. Are you kidding? Anything to help.” Billy started from the beginning and told his story. It lined up with what Chief Phipps had already shared, but with a few questions from Von, they got some additional details.
“You say you saw him a few times?” Von tapped his pen on the pad.
“About once a week, I think. He looked familiar. But it wasn’t until my daughter was tellin’ me how it broke her heart when Cody Tuggle made that announcement at the end of his concert that it occurred to me where I’d seen him.” Billy turned to Kasey. “I went to the concert here in Raleigh. Anyway, I remembered the bear. One time when they came in, I greeted them and offered them a cart, and the little guy was standing there hugging that bear.” Billy laughed. He had a hearty laugh, the kind you can feel across a room.
