by Alexa Grace
"What errand?" she asked. He hesitated just long enough she knew he was about to lie.
"We need some groceries."
"What kind of groceries?"
"We need milk. We're almost out."
"No we're not. I just bought two gallons. What are you up to, Lane?"
He sighed with frustration and pulled into a shopping plaza and parked the car. He looked at Frankie for a long moment.
"Sweetheart, how close are you to Jennifer?"
"She's my cousin, but I think of her as my baby sister. We spent a lot of time together growing up because I babysat her. How could this have happened?" Tears streamed freely down her cheeks.
Lane put his arm around her. "You're too close to this, Frankie. So is your uncle. That's why I'm taking you home. There's something I need to do alone."
She twisted in her seat, surprised. "You know something, don't you? I thought you were acting odd back at the hotel room. What is it? Where are you going?"
"You're too emotionally involved right now. Trust me to do what I have to do."
"I thought you said partners weren't supposed to have secrets."
"That's a good one coming from you. Do you really want to have that conversation we started back at the house now? You know the one, where you were about to tell me about the surveillance you installed on Dr. Caine's computer. Now that was a secret."
She met his icy glare head-on. "We can discuss that later. For now, I'm going with you."
"No, you're not."
Frankie showed no signs of relenting. "Yes, I am. There is no way I'm getting out of this car unless you take me with you."
"Damn it, Frankie." He backed the car out of the parking space and back onto the road. "Just keep your hot temper in check."
The street was lined with cars but Lane finally found a space to park the car in front of an apartment building. Frankie watched him as he scanned the row of parked cars along the street. He acted as if he were looking for particular car that wasn't there. He led her to an outside staircase. Once up the stairs to the second floor, she followed him until he stopped in front of an apartment door and knocked. No one came to the door. He looked up and down the hallway before glancing over the railing to the first floor.
"Where are we? What are you doing?" she whispered.
Lane shushed her and pulled a credit card out of his wallet. He slid it against the inside of the doorframe and the door opened. Pulling her inside, he shut the door and turned on a small lamp.
"I don't believe what you just did. Talk about not following the rules."
"Not now."
Curious she watched him move around the room lifting sofa cushions, fanning magazines and thumbing through what looked like textbooks. "Lane, now would be a good time to tell me where we are and why."
He took her by the hand and led her to the sofa. He sat down beside her. "Will you promise me you'll stay calm and professional?"
"Yes, I promise."
"This is Ally Black's apartment. She shared it with a roommate. When I came here the other day, I bumped into a pregnant girl on the stairs who appeared to be in a hurry. One of the neighbors said the girl was Ally's roommate and she left in a blue Honda Civic like your uncle said Jennifer drives. The girl looked like Jennifer. I've never met her so I can't be sure. I thought I might find something here that identifies Jennifer as the woman living here with Ally."
"But you said Ally Black lived in the apartments where all the other pregnant girls live who are giving their babies up for adoptions — the apartment house that Dr. Caine owns." Then it hit her. Jennifer is pregnant. If she lives here, she must be involved with the adoption agency. No, she can't be thinking of giving her baby to him. "Lane, if it's Jennifer who lives here and has done something to cross Dr. Caine, he or David Chambers will kill her."
"We don't know for sure Jennifer lives here. Help me find something that we know belongs to her."
Frankie jumped to her feet. "I'll take her bedroom."
"Down the hall. It's the first room on the right."
Frankie entered her room and turned on a small lamp near the bed. She opened the first drawer of the dresser. It was filled with bikini panties and bras. The next drawer contained folded sweaters and shirts. There was nothing but clothing in the remaining drawers. Frankie hadn't seen Jennifer for months. She wouldn't be able to identify her clothing, especially since she probably was wearing maternity clothes.
She slid the closet door open and peered inside. The closet was filled with not only pregnancy clothing but regular clothes too. She spied something on the closet floor that made a chill slide up her spine. She lifted a pink leather jewelry case and carried it to the bed where she held it on her lap. She ran her hand over the top where there was scrollwork on the leather in gold. What were the chances this belonged to someone else? On Christmas day when she was sixteen, her grandmother had given as gifts a pink leather jewelry case to each of her granddaughters, including Jennifer. It was identical to this one. She slowly pushed open the lid. Inside a tiny plastic ballerina sprang to life and twirled as the song played. Lying on the top shelf was an engraved silver bracelet that bore Jennifer's name. Frankie had a matching bracelet.
With a heavy heart she carried the case to the kitchen where she found Lane. "Jennifer Brennan lives here."
For the fifth time, Jennifer jumped as high as she could but she could not reach the basement windows in her room. The glass was frosted with a swirly design that kept her from seeing the outside. If only she could find something to stand on. She looked at the bed and realized it was bolted to the floor.
Why on earth had Dr. Caine done this? How could she have so badly misjudged the man? And why in the hell was he keeping her captive? It made no sense. She hadn't done anything to him except tell him that one of his employees may have harmed his patient. Why wouldn't he want to know?
She sat back down on the bed. Maybe that was a very stupid question. Could he and David have done something to Ally Black? She leaned back on her pillow as she considered the question and heard a crackle as she moved. She patted her jean pocket then pulled out the piece of newspaper on which she'd written the directions to the doctor's house. She opened the paper to the directions. Then she turned it over. In the center of the piece of paper was a photograph of Ally Black. Under the photo were the words "Girl's Body Found in Woods".
Lane found Jennifer's laptop under a pile of books on a chair in the living room. He put it on the kitchen counter next to the jewelry case Frankie found. After they scoured Jennifer's apartment looking for clues for another hour, they drove home. Lane glanced at Frankie who sat frozen staring out the windshield. She was holding the jewelry case. They were almost home and she hadn't said a word the entire drive.
"You better not be thinking what I think you're thinking." He worried that Frankie's out-of-the-box ideas and attitude would one day get her into trouble.
"And what's that?"
He glanced at her, and said, "That you want to kick Eric Caine's ass and search his house looking for Jennifer."
"What's wrong with that idea?"
"For one thing it would land us both in jail."
"I can see why it would land me in jail, but why you?"
"Because if he laid a hand on you, I'd have to rip his head off."
"Well, don't call a bail bondsman. I don't plan on doing anything tonight that will land us in jail. I'm going to concentrate on what I do best."
"Really?" Lane asked as he ran his hand up her thigh.
"I don't mean that." She playfully slapped his arm. "I'm going to make some calls, pull some strings and then do some Internet research. I'll find Jennifer. I have to."
"Sounds like a plan. I can't check apartment and house rental agencies or check on campus surveillance cameras until morning, so I'll help."
"Actually, Lane, there is a little something I'd like you to do."
"Oh, yeah?"
"Would you bake some of those insanely good chocolate chun
k cookies? All this stress has me craving them."
Jennifer heard a knock on the door; then someone slid a tray of food in the room through a small slot at the bottom of the door. Next came a bottle of water and a bottle of prenatal vitamins. She just stared at the food. Did he actually expect her to have an appetite?
She gazed at the basement windows. There had to be a way for her to reach them and escape.
David Chambers killed Ally Black with Dr. Caine's approval. She knew it. It was no accident that Dr. Caine imprisoned her shortly after she asked him to talk to the police. What a fool she'd been. She'd actually asked him to go to the police about a crime she was sure he helped commit. Why kill Ally? Was it the money he'd have to return to the adoptive parents if she backed out of the adoption? Was it so much money that he felt he had to take a life to prevent losing it?
What a horrible mess she was in, and she could see no way out of it. It was useless, but she thought about how things could have turned out so differently if Paul had really loved her. She replayed in her head the last night she'd seen him. Only this time when Paul heard about the baby, he cried out with joy. He threw his arms around her and said they'd have to look for a new place that was big enough for the three of them.
But that certainly was only a fantasy and not the reality. Paul had accused her of getting pregnant to trap him and then wanted her to kill their baby. Now that version of the story had no happy ending. Biting her lip, she cried as tears streamed down her cheeks and neck until she fell asleep.
Lane and Frankie sat behind their laptops, facing each other at the kitchen table.
"We can't review her banking documents until tomorrow, so I'll see if she's visited any of the social networks," said Lane.
"While you do that, I'll make a call outside on the patio."
He watched her pace back and forth on the patio through the window. He knew she was calling one of her contacts to get Jennifer's cell phone records. Did she really think he didn't know? He'd seen her face when Tim mentioned he was applying for a warrant.
He went back to his laptop and Googled Jennifer's name. He got hits on both Facebook and Twitter. On her Facebook page, the photo of Jennifer's smiling face haunted him. She looked incredibly happy. He went into her photo albums and discovered many of the photos included Jennifer and Paul Vance at various campus activities. There was one that looked like it was taken after a football game, with Paul still in his uniform, hugging Jennifer and laughing.
He was eager to question Paul. He wasn't as certain as his boss that Paul was involved with her disappearance. The guy looked frantic at the hotel earlier. He clearly wanted to find her.
Frankie slid open the glass door and came in from the patio. "Those cookies smell amazing."
"What did you find out? Spill it."
"My contact needs some time to get the call record and tower history. It shouldn't be long. Ted is calling his bank contact to get Jennifer's debit and credit records. How about you?”
"I'm on Jennifer's Facebook page and it looks to me like she and Paul Vance were crazy about each other. I'm not convinced he was involved. She hasn't communicated on Facebook since last month."
The oven timer went off and Lane pulled out the baking tray of cookies. He laid it on top of the stove and pulled a couple of dessert plates from the cabinet along with two glasses. He filled the glasses with milk from the refrigerator and used a spatula to place two warm cookies on each plate.
"I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone that I was baking cookies in the middle of two murder investigations and a missing person case. I don't want to think about the ribbing I'd get, along with the blow to my reputation."
"My lips are sealed." She smiled at him as he pushed the plate of cookies and glass of milk in front of her. "At the moment, I'm thinking you're pretty darn amazing."
David Chambers sat in the Lincoln Town Car on the street where Frankie and Lane were living. He'd been watching their house for hours but no activity. Earlier, he'd crept around the house through the side yard and watched Frankie talking on her cell phone on the patio. He couldn't hear what she was saying but couldn't move any closer for fear of being discovered.
He'd noticed her early on and had decided he disliked her. She seemed like one of those women who thought she had the world by the balls with her hot body and good looks. Those were the type of women he liked the least. His wife was like that before he'd broken her in. All it took was a couple of beatings and the promise there'd be more. Then when the kids arrived, it was even easier to control her. All he had to do was threaten to beat one of them and his wish was her command.
He still couldn't believe she'd left him and taken his kids. He'd look for her when things calmed down and when he found her, she'd regret it. And heaven help them, if he discovered anyone had helped her escape. They'd pay big time.
But for now, he focused on Frankie Henderson. He watched as one by one the lower lights went out in the house. Then a light appeared in what was probably a bedroom upstairs. He turned the ignition key, started the car's motor, and eased down the road. Tomorrow was another day. And if he discovered Frankie Henderson had planted that computer surveillance software and knew more than she should, it would be her last day.
Frankie awoke to sound of a cell phone and instinctively patted the bedside table next to her for it. She picked it up to look at the display. No call. She glanced at the clock. Only six in the morning.
She pushed herself into a sitting position and answered. "Hello?"
"Frankie, it's Ted. Sorry about the hour. I just heard from my contact at the bank. It seems Jennifer used her debit card two days ago. She bought some things at a Target store and she got gas at a 7-Eleven on West 11th Street. Those are the last times she's used her debit card. She hasn't used her credit card at all. Do you want me to come down there and get their surveillance tapes from these stores?
"No, but thanks for the offer. Lane is tracking down surveillance cameras and tapes today. I'll add these stores to his list."
She ended the call and set the cell phone back on the table. She turned to look at Lane who was now yawning and stretching beside her.
"I heard. I'll visit Target and 7-Eleven this morning too. I don't think I can go back to sleep. I'm going downstairs to make coffee."
"I'm coming with you." She threw on her robe and followed Lane down the stairs. It was still dark out but she was wide awake. She'd gotten little sleep, tossing and turning all night as one nightmare about Jennifer after the other spun its web in her mind.
Once in the kitchen, Frankie pulled out the coffee canister and handed it to Lane who was washing the filter in the sink. She found a carton of blueberry muffins and brought them to the kitchen table. As she fired up her computer, she suddenly remembered they had Jennifer's laptop in their possession.
"Lane, where's Jennifer's laptop?"
He looked at her for a long moment. "Crap, I think I left it in the back seat of the car."
Frankie ran to the car and opened the back door. There was Jennifer's small black laptop on the seat. Pulling it out of the car, she tucked it under her arm and raced back into the house. She moved her own laptop to the kitchen counter and put Jennifer's in its place on the table. The first thing that appeared on Jennifer's laptop screen was a photo screensaver featuring Jennifer and Paul. She still loved him, Frankie thought. If a man had wronged her, a photo screensaver highlighting the two of them would be one of the first things to go. Why torture yourself like that?
Frankie accepted a hot mug of coffee from Lane as she surfed to Jennifer's Internet history. On the Google website, Jennifer had visited a couple of times using "Ally Black" as a search term. Checking the dates of the visits, she discovered each search occurred on the days immediately following the projected date of Ally's death. She was living with Ally. Of course, she'd be suspicious when Ally had her baby then never returned to the apartment. What worried Frankie was who Jennifer shared these suspicions with. Sharing them with the
wrong person would land her in a lot of trouble. The kind of trouble that ends lives.
In addition to this search were some Internet searches for information on the stages of pregnancy as well as one using the search term "giving up baby". Was Jennifer having second thoughts? There was another search that caught Jennifer's attention. It was to the Indiana University Health contact information web page. Why did Jennifer need this information? Is this where Ally Black gave birth? Did Jennifer visit there? She intended to find out.
In Jennifer's email account, there were weekly emails to her mother that discussed her classes, the weather and family stuff. She frequently told her mother how much she missed her but term papers and course assignment prevented her from coming home.
