Dark Matter: SCIENCE FICTION ROMANCE
Page 17
He was about to go down to his office under the apartment when the phone rang. Brinson checked his watch, surprised to be getting a call so early. He checked the id, but didn't recognize the number.
"Hello?" Brinson answered.
"Brinson?" Lily's voice came over the line, hesitant but clear. Her voice flooded his senses. All the time, all the distance, melted away as she said his name.
"Lily." Brinson leaned against the counter, shock reverberating through his body. "It's good to hear from you."
"Brinson," Lily said again, her voice thick with tension and strain. "You have to help me. Please."
Brinson found himself coming to attention, his back straightening. "What's wrong? Lily?"
She was crying now, her sobs carrying over the phone like a knife in his heart. Lily wasn't a weepy woman. Brinson couldn't remember her crying.
"Somebody took my baby, my baby, Brin. Please, you have to help me find my baby," Lily sobbed.
Confusion blurred his mind. "What are you talking about? Lily? Talk to me," Brinson demanded, knitting his brows together.
"Tory, my daughter. She was taken from her school," Lily explained, her words running together as tears clogged her throat and slurred her speech.
Brinson tried to think. He hadn't seen anything on the news. "Have you called the police?"
"Yes, of course!" Lily replied, sniffing. "I called them as soon as I realized she was missing. Then I got a call for ransom. It's like something out of a horror movie, Brin. I don't know what to do."
Brinson started to say he was just a P.I. He needed to explain to Lily that missing kids weren't his area of expertise. Instead, he said,
"I'm on the next plane, Lily. Hold on."
Chapter 2
Brinson wound his way through the airport, searching for the rental car desk. A tired looking woman behind the Avis desk politely told him they were out of four wheel drives, but he could take his pick between a compact, powder blue Ford Focus or a red convertible Corvette.
Brinson took the Focus, even though his six foot two inch frame found it a bit constricting. He threw his duffel in the passenger seat and turned on the navigation. It took him less than sixty seconds to have the locations programmed in.
The two hour drive to Lily's place was some of the prettiest country he'd ever seen. The sky was huge, the mountains mighty and majestic. Brinson was sure he would have enjoyed the scenery had he been there any other time.
Right now, though, the breath taking landscape was a barrier between him and Lily. She needed him and those damn mountains were in his way.
Should have rented a helicopter, Brinson thought, frustrated.
He pushed the needle to eighty and drove.
He found her place with no trouble. The driveway was nearly a mile long, leading to a large, two story house built of log, stone, and glass. It had a wide front porch with a swing and spring flowers blooming in neat flower beds. In spite of himself, Brinson found himself smiling at the sight before him.
The front door of the house flew open as Brinson got out of the car. Lily was running off the porch to him. He opened his arms as she launched herself into his embrace.
Brinson didn't know how long they stood there, Lily wrapped in his arms. His senses flooded with her. She was crying and clinging to him, thanking him over and over for coming.
"You knew I would," Brinson replied. He looked at her, dressed in jeans and a crumpled sweater. "You look like hell, Lily."
"Thanks," she replied, a ghost of a smile playing over her face.
They were both lost in the moment of reunion that neither of them noticed that they weren't alone until the sound of a throat being cleared made them both jump.
Lily turned and gestured for the other man on the porch to join them. "This is Brinson," Lily introduced them. "Brin, this is my brother in law-"
"Sam," the man said, his blue eyes bright. He was handsome in a roguish way, like a fairytale prince with an edge. "I'm Lily's brother in law, and Tory's-" Sam's voice broke and he looked away.
"We'll find her," Brinson said, hoping it was true and letting them lead him into the house.
Brinson found himself in a sunny room that smelled like lavender and lemons. Sparkling hardwood floors shined in the light filtering through the sheer curtains covering large, clear windows. There were family pictures scattered throughout the room in delicate gold frames.
Brinson noticed that there were several dozen of Tory on the light wood tables and the mantel over the large stone fireplace. Brinson picked up one of the photographs, studying it.
In the picture, Tory was sitting in a boat with Lily. They were both smiling; clad in jeans and matching pink t-shirts. They looked happy, grinning at the camera.
Brinson wondered who had taken the picture. Had Sam snapped the photo, or had there been another man in Lily's life since her husband's death?
"Brinson?" Lily's voice was inquiring. He sat the picture back on the table and turned to her.
Lily had dried her eyes, tried to smile as she offered him a soda from the kitchen. Brinson accepted, knowing she needed a minute to compose herself. He sat on one of the long leather sofas and turned to Lily's brother in law.
Sam seemed nervous, or worried, Brinson thought. He studied the other man, trying to get a read on him.
Brinson had never seen a man as unapologetically good looking as Sam. He looked like a model, with tanned features that set off his light blue eyes and blonde hair. Sam wore a snug white shirt that showed off a sculpted torso and lean waist.
Deciding that it would be unfair to hate Sam just because he was pretty, Brinson took the opportunity to find out what the other man knew.
"What do we know?" Brinson asked Sam, in a low voice.
"Not much," Sam admitted, raking his fingers through thick blonde hair. His eyes looked past Brinson, an unreadable expression crossing Sam's face. "She was taken from her school, and Lily got a ransom call about six hours later. I offered to help her pay the ransom."
"How much did the guy ask for?" Brinson asked, looking around the bright, comfortable room, trying to guess how much Lily might be worth to a kidnapper.
"Three million," Sam whispered, hanging his head for a moment as though the amount was a weight around his neck.
"She has three million dollars?" Brinson asked, a little taken back. He reevaluated the room, but he couldn't make the numbers tally in his head.
Sam shook his head, looking defeated. "No. I told her I could get a loan, buy this place from her, make it legit."
Brinson stared at him. Sensing his scrutiny, Sam explained. "It would be quicker than trying to raise the money other ways. This place is appraised much higher than that. I wouldn't take it from them," he added, almost defensively, his mouth settling in a tight line.
Interesting, Brinson thought. He didn't suggest a mortgage, or a personal loan. He thought of buying the place. Brinson filed that information away in his head. After all, it might mean nothing.
"How long has she been missing?" Brinson asked, changing the subject.
"Six days," Sam whispered, lowering his eyes to the rug. "Six whole days."
Brinson nodded, his heart sinking. Forty eight hours was the best window for retrieving a lost child alive. Most abducted children died within six hours of being taken.
He decided to keep that information to himself. They didn't need to hear it.
Lily returned, her face scrubbed, eyes red but dry. She offered him a can of Pepsi and a glass full of ice. Her expression was carefully neutral, but Brinson could see the strain in her dark eyes.
Sam stood up, stretching. He tried to smile but it didn't touch his eyes. "I have to get back to the cabins, Lily. Radio me if there's any news."
"Of course," she said, returning Sam's half smile with one of her own.
Sam embraced her quickly, tightly, then shook Brinson's hand again before leaving them. Brinson watched him go, wondering if Todd had been as good looking as his brother.
Lily was still Lily. Her body was more rounded, more womanly, but she was still the way he had remembered her to be. Long legs, curved hips, slender waist, a generous chest. Even distressed and frantic, she was beautiful.
"Are you hungry?" Lily asked. "There's a stew that one of the neighbors dropped off."
"Have you eaten?" Brinson asked pointedly. From the thin hollows in her cheeks, Brinson would bet that Lily had barely touched food since Tory had gone missing.
Seeing her like this made him feel helpless. "Lily, please," Brinson said, struggling for calm. "You need to sit and eat. You have to keep up your strength."
She turned, her eyes darker with fear and unshed tears.
"I can't. I would choke on it. I can't eat. How can I eat when I don't know if Tory has eaten?" Lily demanded. Her mouth twisted and she turned from him, raising one slender hand to her face.
"Because if you don't eat you won't be able to help bring her home," he replied, trying to sound reasonable. He didn't feel reasonable. He felt lost, unable to offer any comfort to Lily.
In all honesty, he understood. Though he had no children of his own, he could understand the emotions Lily must be feeling. Brinson could easily imagine the terror, the fears of everything they didn't know.
Hell, he was feeling the emotions. Tory was Lily's child, and for that reason Brinson loved her. He didn't understand it, but the feelings were there, clouding his heart and mind.
Cut it out, Brinson told himself, firmly. You have to think clearly if you're going to help Lily.
"You don't understand," Lily snapped, her eyes angry, her face full of agony. "This is my daughter, my baby. She's only seven years old, for God's sake."
"I know," Brinson assured her. "But the guy made contact. We can find her, Lily. We will bring Tory home."
Lily began to pace again, wringing her hands. Brinson watched her in silence. She was like a caged animal, her boots making hollow sounds on the hardwood floor as she prowled the room.
"I don't understand it," she spat out. "I don't understand anything. Some maniac takes my daughter from school. He calls and demands millions of dollars that I don't have, then claims to have killed Todd."
"How did Todd die, Lily?" Brinson asked, curiosity and professional interest at war in his mind. He both needed and wanted to know.
Lily stopped pacing and stared out the window. Brinson saw the pain in her face reflected in the glass and momentarily felt a pang of jealousy toward her late husband.
Lily had loved her husband. Really loved him. She had loved him enough to marry him, move to this isolated place and start a family. It showed on Lily's face, the adoration she had felt towards Todd.
"His boat capsized. He must have hit his head on a rock. Todd was a strong swimmer and he knew that river. No way that he just drowned. There had to have been an injury. He was alone, which I still don't understand, even now."
"What do you mean?" Brinson pressed, hating to make Lily relive the pain, but needing to know everything all the same.
"He had taken a group of hunters up river to the Elk Run Cabin. It's our most popular cabin, and the biggest. Todd and Sam were going to stay with them, guide their hunts. They were real idiots, those hunters," she added, smiling as she remembered.
"Idiots? How so?"
"We get all types here," Lily explained. "Wannabes that show up dressed like mountain men that have never shot a gun, hippies that want to convene with nature. We get some that are experienced hunters, serious outdoorsmen, but these guys weren't. There were ten of them, from some marketing firm in Chicago. They showed up in slacks and tennis shoes, like they were going to the country club. One guy had actually brought golf clubs. They kept checking their phones and seemed shocked that there was no WiFi."
"Then why were they here?" Brinson asked, trying to imagine why such a group would choose to go to a hunting and fishing lodge in the boondocks.
"It was one of those corporate bonding things."
"They drop businessmen in the wilderness for team building?" Brinson asked, amused. "Like survival of the fittest? That's crazy."
Lily shrugged. "Like I said, we get all types. That's why Sam went along, even though it was technically Todd's group. They took one look at those guys and decided they might need two guides."
"So why would he come back early?" Brinson asked.
Lily shook her head, her dark hair swinging. She sighed and resumed her pacing. Brinson didn't interrupt. He knew she was trying to hold herself together. She was in more pain than any mother should have to be in. Thinking about the death of her husband was just more worry and sadness.
Brinson wondered if she'd rather have Todd here now.
Of course she does, you idiot. Their child is missing.
He didn't want to cause her more pain by bringing up those memories, but he knew that he would have to.
"Lily, I know this is hard," Brinson said. "But I need to know everything. I need to figure this out. I know the authorities are working on it, I know that they are searching, but you wanted my help so..."
"You need to know everything," Lily sighed.
She sat down and looked at him, the exotic planes of her face achingly familiar. She toyed with the fork, looking away. Lily let out a long breath, then raised her eyes to his face, met his gaze.
For a second, Brinson felt the familiar spark that he had always felt, looking into Lily's eyes. While he couldn't swear to it, he had a suspicion that Lily felt it, too.
"Todd inherited this place," Lily began, lowering her eyes to the table, her expression hidden beneath her lashes. "He and his brother Sam ran it. Todd loved this place, loved all the people and the wilderness of it. He was a good guide, a good woodsman. He was always careful. He respected the risks that come with living in untamed wilderness like that. Bear, wild pigs, elk, snakes, all that. Todd wasn't a risk taker."
"Why did Todd inherit it alone? What about Sam?"
"Sam is his half-brother," Lily explained. "His mother was married before she met Todd's father."
"No bad blood about that?" Brinson asked, casually. Lily might be painting a picture of brotherly love, but two thousand acres and a thriving business were plenty of motivation for murder.
"Of course not," Lily said, brushing the idea with her hand. "Sam and Todd were partners."
Brinson had an uneasy feeling that Lily wasn't being entirely truthful about the relationship between her husband and brother in law. He wanted to press the issue, but decided that he would let her go on.
"Okay," Brinson agreed, but he wasn't ruling Sam out just yet.
"The sheriff said it was an accident," Lily insisted. "The boat must have hit something. Maybe an animal in the water, or a log, some sort of debris. It happens."
Brinson nodded. He wasn't going to push anything tonight. She didn't need to go over the details, not now. Todd, after all, was dead. Her daughter might still be alive.
"Did anybody act out of character after Todd died?" Brinson asked, taking another bite of the stew.
"What do you mean?" Lily asked, genuinely confused.
Brinson elaborated. "Offers of help, maybe offers to buy you out?"
"The real estate people were like sharks, but that's to be expected. Otherwise, everyone was normal. Sad, but normal. Todd was a very well-liked man."
"Okay. What exactly did the ransom call say? It's important," Brinson added. "How it was worded, how the guy sounded."
Lily sighed and closed her eyes. The tension was even more pronounced on her face. She looked like she had passed exhaustion up three days ago. She was holding herself on her feet by sheer will.
"He said, 'I have your daughter. I will kill her like I kille
d Toddy. If you want to see her alive you will pay three million dollars in cash. "
"How did he sound?"
Lily thought for a moment. "Like he was reading it. You know, like he had written it down. He wasn't mean or anything- he was just reading it."
"So it might not have been the kidnapper that made the call," Brinson said, thinking out loud.
"Who else would make a call like that?" Lily demanded.