Kit wanted to grind her teeth in frustration. She felt like a dog chasing its tail. From the expression on Noah’s face, she could tell he felt the same.
The question was: Was Edward telling the truth? If so, why hadn’t Justin just said he’d gotten the knife back?
“Anything else?”
“Yeah, can you tell us anything about a Porter Haynes?”
Edward shook his head. “Another loser. And a real hothead. He and a guy named Corey got into it during the mock trial. The professor had to call security. It was pretty exciting.”
“Exciting enough that he might want to kill Corey?”
“Who knows? I never met the guy except for that one time. Didn’t like him much, either.”
“Yeah, I got that feeling.”
“Sorry, I just don’t have time for that kind of juvenile behavior. I’ve got a career to plan for, and when that kind of stuff happens, it’s just kind of irritating, you know?”
Kit nodded and Noah walked off, phone pressed to his ear. “All right,” she said, “thanks for talking to us. If we have any more questions, we’ve got your cell number.”
“Right.”
“Thanks for your help. We’ll be in touch.”
Edward looked at his watch one more time. “I’ve got to get going. I have an appointment I can’t miss. Call me if you need anything else.” He lifted a hand to press it to his lips, then gave a sigh. “I sure hope you catch this person.” His eyes darted from one side to the other. “It’s kind of nerve-wracking being a law student these days.”
“I’m sure. Thanks again.”
“You’re quite welcome. I’ll see you soon.”
“Sure, Edward. See you.”
The young law student made his way back into the library and Kit watched Noah frown at the person on the other end of his conversation. When he hung up, he turned and said, “Stephen Wells has just been arrested for the murder of Bonnie Gray.”
“What?” Kit nearly shrieked. “But he didn’t do it!”
“That was Mark Holt. He’s a DA from Greenville County. He’s officially been put in charge of the investigation until further notice.”
Kit shook her head. “This case just keeps getting weirder by the second.”
36
The Judge absently listened to the loudspeaker as a female voice made announcements, then turned to watch the woman with the baby. This adventure had cost him a pretty penny. He’d had to purchase a ticket at the last minute, but as he observed the interaction between the mother and son, he decided it was well worth it. He just had to bide his time. Wait for the big man standing guard over them to leave—or get to a place where the Judge could take care of him without any danger of being caught. Of course, the way he was tossing back the coffee, he’d be needing the men’s room before too long.
Samantha was on her guard too. Constantly looking over her shoulder. Pacing with Andy in his little umbrella stroller. Studying each and every person she passed.
The Judge made sure to look like he was absorbed in his laptop. In truth, he was watching every move she made with the webcam mounted on top of his screen. From her distance, she wouldn’t be able to tell that the little camera pointed at her and not its owner. The roofies in his pocket had passed through security without incident. He shook his head. Idiots. Just put some pills in a bottle with a label on it and you could get anything past security.
The only problem was the bodyguard and the fact that Samantha wasn’t drinking anything. He hadn’t counted on that.
Think, he ordered himself, think.
Okay, Samantha wasn’t drinking anything, but the bodyguard was. He’d simply change his focus, and instead of slipping one in Samantha’s drink, he’d just have to figure out how to slip one in the bodyguard’s drink. That might work better anyway.
A plan formed. The Judge smiled.
With efficient movements, he packed the laptop away and strode to the Starbucks counter positioned diagonally to the waiting area.
Samantha Wolfe and her son, Andy. But Andy wasn’t really her son. Andy was his. The Judge’s perfect son. He knew he was perfect because he’d overheard his perfect future wife say so. He recalled the day he’d followed Kit from her home to her twin’s house. She’d stood on the porch and said what a perfect baby he was. And Andy settled into her arms like he belonged there.
That was all the Judge needed. It was the sign he’d been waiting for.
He’d found his perfect son.
Andy Wolfe would be his before the day was over.
As would Kit Kenyon.
37
Kit’s phone rang and she grabbed it to glance at the caller ID.
Connor.
“Hey, Kit here.”
“Andy’s missing and Sam’s hurt. I need you and Noah to meet me and Dakota at the airport.” At first Kit couldn’t process his words. She paused and his husky voice finally penetrated her shock. “Kit, it’s my fault. I didn’t go with her. I sent someone—” He broke off and she could hear the anguish eating him up.
“I got you, Connor. We’re on the way. We’ll find him. How’s Sam? Is she all right?”
“She will be, just get here.”
Frantic, she raced to the car. “Noah! Andy’s missing. Let’s go.”
Matching her hurried lope, Noah grabbed for the passenger door as Kit cranked the vehicle. He slammed it and grabbed for the seat belt as he demanded, “What do you mean he’s missing? I thought Sam was taking him to Florida.”
Throat tight, she did her best to speak. “Someone attacked Samantha in the airport and grabbed Andy.”
“I thought Connor was with her.”
“He was supposed to be, but he sent a bodyguard instead because he didn’t want to stop working the case.”
Noah winced. “Ouch.”
“He’s blaming himself right now.”
“Oh man.”
Kit made it to the airport in record time. Pulling up in front, right behind two other emergency vehicles, she left her lights flashing. Displaying her badge, she pushed through the gawking crowd.
Kit raced for the escalator as she told Noah, “She’s in Gate B.”
He stayed right behind her. More badge flashing and she and Noah made it through security, up the next escalator, and into the area.
“What was the flight number?” Kit asked. Her mind had gone blank.
“We won’t need it,” Noah reassured her.
He was right.
Kit headed straight for the crowd. Once again, they pressed through. The airport had been placed on lockdown, no one coming into the airport and no one going out. Flights were still leaving; however, no one with an infant got on the plane without confirmation of ID.
Connor looked up as they approached. His pale face and tight lips told a story she didn’t want to hear. Medical personnel surrounded Samantha, who looked like she’d gone a few rounds with Mike Tyson and lost. The bodyguard lay on a stretcher.
“Is he alive?” Noah asked the nearest paramedic.
“He’s alive, just drugged.”
Nostrils flaring, Connor didn’t wait for Kit to speak as she hurried to his side. “He’s got Andy.”
Up until he said the words again, she’d managed to keep her fear under control. Now it blossomed into full-fledged terror. Taking a deep breath, she knelt beside her sister and placed a hand on her arm. The paramedic gave her some room even as he worked on Sam’s head. “Sam?”
Sam blinked up at her with pain, shock . . . and unadulterated anger. Her eyes glittered with a rage Kit didn’t think she’d ever seen in anyone before. “He took my baby. I’m getting him back.” Samantha’s words came out in a low, gutteral growl.
Kit nodded. Blinked back tears.
Noah spoke between tight lips. “We’ll get him back. There’s no other option. What happened?” He looked up at Connor. “Give us the details.”
Although he’d spoken the words to Connor, Samantha stood with a grunt, pushing the professional hands a
way with a grimace of pain. “The detective wasn’t feeling well, he said he was going to be sick. He went into the bathroom so I figured I’d do the same.” Sam swallowed. “I pushed Andy into the restroom. The next thing I knew, I felt something hit the back of my head and . . .” Tears welled, her lips trembled, and Connor pulled her to his chest.
Gone were the hard-nosed cops, Kit noted with a pang. In their place were terrified parents of a kidnapped child. Then Samantha pulled away from her husband and raised a hand to her head. “All right, where do we start? I can’t sit around crying and whining while this person has Andy. Let’s get busy.”
Connor nodded, lips tight, nostrils flaring with each breath. “I want to get my hands around this guy’s throat.”
The cops were back.
Alena turned her head and licked her lips. The throbbing in her temples made her wince. Where was she? What had happened? She blinked and focused on the light above her. A single bulb hung from the ceiling.
She tried to move and found herself stuck. Frowning, she tried again. Why couldn’t she move her hands?
Or her feet?
The panic started in the pit of her belly and moved north. Frantic now, she let her eyes roam. When they landed on the chair opposite where she lay, she let out a scream.
The Judge looked down at the woman at his feet. She’d been helpful in her role. Now that he didn’t need her anymore, she was expendable.
He stuck the gun in the waistband of his jeans and walked over to the bed.
The baby lay on his stomach on the hotel’s bedspread. He’d rolled over when the woman had placed him on his back, so the Judge had positioned pillows around him in case he rolled more. He couldn’t have his new son taking a fall.
Satisfaction filled him. Yeah, he’d be a good dad. No, a great one.
Picking up the baby, he held him to his chest and breathed in his clean baby smell. A small hand reached out and grabbed his nose.
The Judge laughed.
And the baby smiled.
Which was good because if he cried too much, he wouldn’t be the perfect son and he would have to die.
Now he just had to get the woman who would be the perfect mother for his perfect son and all would be right with his world.
38
“There.” Kit pointed at the video. “That woman exchanged the cups. Right under the guard’s nose.”
Noah observed out loud, “Long brown hair, oversized glasses, and dark lipstick.”
“She’s tall. At least 5’10”, 5’11”. Maybe even six feet,” Connor said.
“And she’s smooth,” Kit murmured. “Did you see how she switched the cups when Sam’s back was turned and the bodyguard had his eyes on Sam? She knew exactly what she was doing.”
“Wait a minute,” Samantha interrupted. “A woman? So this person is working with someone else? Was that in the profile?”
Kit shook her head. “No, Olivia said he worked alone.”
A minute later the guard’s hand reached out to wrap his fingers around the cup and lift it for a sip.
“Okay, we’ve got him drinking the drug.” She bit her lip as she watched Sam pace with Andy in front of the bodyguard. She checked her watch as an approaching plane pulled into the gate.
“Look,” Noah pointed, “the woman sat across from the bodyguard—what’s his name anyway?”
“Detective Martin,” Connor said.
“The woman sat across from Detective Martin and pulled out a laptop,” Noah finished.
Kit shifted. “She fixes the webcam—”
“—and is able to watch Sam’s every move without letting on she’s watching. The camera’s backward.”
Sam let out a small whimper. “I never noticed. I wasn’t watching for a woman . . . I . . .” She swallowed. “From the profile Olivia gave us, I was looking for a man. Where did this woman come from?”
“And what did she hit you with?” Connor muttered. “No weapon was found. She couldn’t have gotten through security with a gun, so what was it?”
A few minutes later, Detective Martin stood, stumbled a bit, then leaned over to tell Samantha something.
The woman watched, and Kit caught the small smile that crossed her lips before she looked back at the camera.
“What did he say?” Kit asked Samantha.
“He said he felt sick, dizzy,” Sam said. “He needed to go to the bathroom.” On the video, Sam nodded and followed the man to the restroom. “Then I told him I needed to go and would take Andy into the handicapped stall with me.”
Sam and Andy disappeared into the bathroom, and the woman approached the detective, who slid down the wall and dropped his head against his chest.
The woman waved for help and soon he was surrounded by airport personnel.
Leaving Sam and Andy as perfect targets as she slipped into the women’s bathroom.
Connor blew out a breath. “She pulled that off without a hitch.”
“She knew they were going to be there,” Kit breathed. “Who knew Sam was going to the airport?” She looked at her sister, who blinked and shook her head. “You, Mom and Dad, everyone in the meeting in the captain’s office, my friend, of course.” She rubbed her temples and frowned. Pain flashed across her face. “I think that’s all. I mean I didn’t make a public announcement.”
“See if your mom and dad told anyone,” Noah suggested.
Sam grabbed her cell phone and punched in the numbers.
Kit looked back at the video to see the woman exit the bathroom, pushing Andy in his stroller. No one paid the slightest bit of attention to her.
Sickness swirled in the pit of her stomach. Oh God, if ever there was a time for you to listen to one of my prayers, please pick this one. Please bring that baby home safe.
All of a sudden, the emotional turmoil she’d been living with seemed small, petty, and unimportant. Getting Andy back was all that mattered now.
But how?
“Play it again, will you?” Kit asked.
Was there something vaguely familiar about this woman or was that just a desperate wish on her part?
Noah spoke from behind her. “I’ve got the passenger manifests for the flights leaving from that gate. There were eight more flights left for today. We’ve got video of the woman coming into the airport about ten minutes after Samantha.”
“Which counter did she go to?”
“She didn’t. She went straight up to the gate and through security without a problem. She had her boarding pass already printed, so there’s no telling which flight she bought the ticket for.”
Sam paced behind Kit, hand held to her head, lips moving silently. No doubt she was praying.
Noah studied the video as it played out again. Tilting his head sideways, he absently listened as Dakota barked orders into his phone. Something about video from the parking garage.
That woman.
Something didn’t ring true with her. What was it?
“Play the part where she switches the drinks again,” he requested.
Kit shot him a questioning look and Noah shrugged. “I just want to see it again.”
The video started.
He leaned in. “There, look at her hands. Do you notice anything weird about them?”
Beside him, Kit moved closer and Noah couldn’t help but breathe in her subtle scent. It didn’t distract him from the video, though.
She drew in a breath. “They’re large.”
“And rather masculine, don’t you think? Look at the dusting of hair above the knuckles.”
“And the fingernails. They definitely look like a man would keep his nails. Neat, but blunt and short.”
Kit leaned back in her chair and looked at Noah. “You think that’s a man disguised as a woman?”
“I don’t know.”
“I do.” Dakota’s voice came from behind them and Noah looked up to see the FBI agent’s grim frown. “You’re on the right track. The security camera in the garage got our woman climbing into a car. The pass
enger seat. We couldn’t see her face, but we did get her pulling off her wig and tossing it in the backseat.”
“So it is him,” Sam breathed an agonized moan. “I was almost hoping it was some poor woman desperate for a baby. At least I could believe Andy was being cared for by someone—” She broke off and swallowed, cleared her throat. “But if it’s the killer . . .” Her voice cracked. “Why would he want my baby? What possible reason could he have to steal my child?”
Noah heard the underlying hysteria. “We still don’t know if it’s him or not.” He looked at Dakota. “Did you get a plate?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Dakota looked at Kit. “It’s registered to an Olivia Pappas.”
Kit gasped. “That’s Alena’s mother!”
39
Alena whimpered and stared at the sight before her. She’d long ago screamed herself voiceless. What was going on? Who had done this to her?
“Mom?”
Where was her mother? Panic fluttered inside her. She had to get loose. She had to get out of here before he came back. Squinting against her fear, she pulled at her bonds. Glanced at the recliner in the far corner and shuddered.
“Don’t look at him,” she whispered. “Don’t look.”
“Okay, here’s the plan.” Noah spoke abruptly. Dakota stopped his pacing and gave him his full attention, as did everyone else in the room. “I’ve got every possible person available questioning people at the airport. I’ve got someone on the way to Olivia Pappas’s house. As soon as we find the car, we’ll have forensics going over it with a fine-tooth comb. This guy has to have some DNA somewhere.”
Dakota nodded. “I’m going to put in a visit at the crime lab. See if I can get some specialized attention on the evidence collected at our previous crime scenes. I know they’ve given this priority, but it’s still not going fast enough.”
Kit stood. “I’m going to grab the files and our list of suspects and start going back through them one by one. We’ve also got photos of all the people who gathered around the crime scenes. I’ll study those and see if anyone stands out.” Sometimes people like serial killers liked to be a part of the crowd as all of the excitement unfolded. She’d already looked at the photos, but this time she had even more of an incentive to push her brain to recognize something, someone, anything.
A Killer Among Us Page 25
