A Texas Hero

by Linda Warren

  “Devon didn’t know he wasn’t getting a dime?”

  “No.”

  “Honor among thieves,” Ethan murmured. His and Abby’s lives were worth a lousy twenty-five hundred dollars each. His gut churned with renewed anger.

  “Listen, I didn’t know all those bad things were going to happen. I’m sorry.”

  Two uniformed officers stepped into the room. Ross started reading Estelle her rights.

  “What’s happening? What’s going on?”

  “You’re under arrest, Mrs. Campbell,” Ethan said, closing his case and getting to his feet. “Welcome to hell.”

  “I can’t go to jail.” She tried to pull away from the officer. “I have grandkids to pick up.”

  “CPS will get them,” Ross told her. “And they will locate your daughter.”

  “No, no, no, you can’t do this!” she screamed as the officers dragged her from the room.

  Ethan walked out, spent and more disillusioned than he’d ever been in his life. How could something like this happen? He didn’t have time to dwell on it. The lieutenant slapped a warrant into his hand.

  “Make the arrest. It’s your collar. Take two uniform cops with you. Keep it quiet and legal.” He glanced at Hal. “You going?”

  “Nah. This is Ethan’s show.”

  The lieutenant turned to Ross. “You?”

  “Damn straight.”

  “I’m proud of the way you guys worked together. You did a great job.”

  “I’m still not clear about Bauman’s motive,” Ethan said.

  “It’ll fall into place.” The lieutenant returned to his office and he and Ross headed for the door.

  “Just a minute.” He reached for his phone and called Abby. Even though she didn’t want to speak to him, he had to let her know. It rang and rang. Answer, Abby. Answer. She didn’t. It went to voice mail. Damn it!

  “It’s Ethan. Call me. It’s important.”

  Call me, Abby. Please.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  AFTER A JOG, Abby took a quick shower. Wrapping a towel around her, she went into her bedroom and sat at her dressing table, rubbing lotion onto her legs and arms. She planned to pick up Chloe early and spend some time with her dad and Gayle.

  She’d thought the interview with the police might push Gayle off the deep end, but it had accomplished just the opposite. It had prompted her dad to have a long talk with his wife. They had agreed to be more open with their communication and that Gayle would stop smothering Abby and Chloe. Abby had seen them yesterday and they were giggling and teasing each other like teenagers. If Abby didn’t love them it would be quite sickening. But she was very happy they had found a balance to make their marriage work.

  Removing the towel, she picked up a thong from the bed. She’d bought a few new sets of underwear on Tuesday, and had thought Ethan would get a kick out of them. They were pink and Taste Me was written in red on the triangle in front. Wadding them into a ball, she tucked them away in a drawer and reached for another pair. She slipped her feet through the holes and vowed she wouldn’t think about Ethan.

  Hooking her bra, she refused to let Wynken, Blynken and Nod cross her mind. When a tiny sob left her throat she knew she’d failed. She quickly grabbed slacks and a top and sat at her dressing table, brushing her hair. As she applied lip gloss, her cell buzzed. She glanced at the caller ID. Ethan.

  Why was he calling? Should she answer? No. If she heard his voice... The phone stopped and then there was a beep. He’d left a message.

  Her hand shook slightly as she touched a button to listen. “It’s Ethan. Call me. It’s important.”

  Important? His voice sounded stressed. Something was wrong. Before she could call him back, someone pounded loudly on her door. And kept pounding. What the...? She ran to see who was at her door. It could be Ethan. She hated herself for the way her heart raced at the thought.

  Looking through the peephole, she saw it was Doug. Damn! She yanked opened the door. “What are you doing?”

  “Let’s go.” His hair was tousled as if he’d been running his hands through it, which was odd because his hair was always impeccable.

  “What?”

  “Let’s go, Abby.”

  “What are you talking about? I’m not going anywhere with you.”

  “Fine. Chloe and I will go without you.”

  “Chloe?” That shook her.

  “She’s in the car.”

  “How did you get her?”

  “I picked her up from day care. I am her father.”

  “They’re not supposed to let her go with anyone without my permission.”

  He turned toward the stairs as if she hadn’t spoken. “We’re leaving. You can come or not.” He took the stairs two at a time.

  “Doug. Doug!” She slammed the door and ran after him. He wasn’t taking her child anywhere.

  He backed out of a parking spot and she opened the passenger door and jumped in. He shot out into the street. Buckling her seat belt, she glanced to the back. Her heart stopped. Chloe lay limply in her car seat, not moving. Her skin was so pale.

  “What have you done to her?”

  “I gave her some liquid Tylenol. She’s sleeping. That’s all.”

  “Why would you give her Tylenol? She’s not sick.”

  “She was screaming, wanting her mommy, so I had to give her something to keep her quiet.”

  “And you just happened to have Tylenol?”

  “Yes. I have to keep it because she always cries wanting to go home. My daughter doesn’t want to spend any time with me because you’ve turned her against me.”

  “So you’ve been drugging her?” Anger churned inside her.

  “It’s the only way I can get that damn doll away from her. Dad said she has to learn discipline.”

  “You are a lousy excuse for a father.” She glanced at Chloe. “Something is wrong with her, can’t you see that?” She unbuckled her seat belt, intending to get to her baby any way she could.

  When she attempted to crawl between the leather seats, Doug pushed her back and grabbed a small handgun from the console.

  Pointing it at her, he said in a cold voice she didn’t recognize, “Sit back and buckle up or I’ll kill all of us.”

  * * *

  ETHAN, ROSS AND two officers took the elevator up to the top floor of the Bauman building. It opened into a large reception area. Ethan walked up to the woman at the desk.

  “We’re looking for Douglas Bauman.”

  She eyed them warily. “His office is down the hall to the left, but he’s not in.”

  “Where is he?”

  “He left for a vacation about twenty minutes ago. He and his ex are getting remarried and they’re taking their little girl with them on a second honeymoon.”

  Son of a bitch. He was too late.

  He turned to Ross. “Get info on his car and I’ll call Abby to verify this crap.” But Ethan already knew the answer.

  “I better call Mr. Richard Bauman.” The receptionist poked a number on her desk phone.

  “You do that, sweetie,” Ross said.

  Ethan stepped aside to call Abby. It rang and rang and went to voice mail. He then called Abby’s father. “Mr. Baines, this is Ethan James. Is Abby there?”

  “No. Why do you want to know?”

  “Could you please give me the name of Chloe’s day care?” he asked, ignoring the question.

  “Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

  He drew a deep breath. “Is Abby getting back together with Doug?”

  “No.”

  “Mr. Baines, I will have someone contact you later, but right now we need to verify Abby’s and Chloe’s whereabouts. This is urgent.”

  He must ha
ve gotten through to him because he rattled off the number. “Just let me know my girls are safe.”

  “I will.” Ethan immediately called the number. A woman answered.

  “This is Detective Ethan James with the Austin Police Department. Is Chloe Bauman in your class?”

  “Yes.”

  “Is she there?”

  “No. Her father picked her up about fifteen minutes ago.”

  Damn it. He had them.

  Ross hurried over. “I called the lieutenant and he’s putting out an APB on Bauman and he’s getting a chopper in the air. He wants to know where Bauman is headed.”

  Before Ethan could respond, Richard Bauman charged in.

  “What’s going on here?”

  Ethan pulled the arrest warrant out of his shirt pocket and slapped it against Mr. Bauman’s pristine white shirt. “That’s an arrest warrant for Douglas Bauman. Where is he?”

  “You must be mistaken.”

  “Where is he?” Ethan shouted.

  Mr. Bauman took a step backward. “He’s...on vacation with his ex-wife and daughter. They’re putting their marriage back together and I couldn’t be happier.”

  “He lied to you.”

  “No.” Richard shook his head. “He wouldn’t do that. He knows what’s at stake.”

  “What would that be?”

  “I told him to get his life straight with Abby or he could kiss the CEO position goodbye. I want a family man at the helm, not a playboy.”

  And the last piece of the puzzle, the motive, fell into place. Anger gnawed at him once again.

  “Mr. Bauman, you’ll be happy to hear that your son followed your orders.” He tapped the warrant again on his chest. “Read this. Doug hired two thugs to scare Abby, misguidedly thinking she’d be so afraid she’d run back to him, I suppose. But the thugs decided to rob the bank and take hostages. I think you know the rest of the story.”

  The man paled. “No. That can’t be true.”

  “Where is Doug going on vacation?”

  “To Italy. He rented a villa there.”

  “Let me guess. You have a company jet?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is it hangared?”

  “Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.”

  Ross was immediately on the phone to the lieutenant.

  “Mr. Bauman, I’d advise you to corral all the lawyers on your payroll because your son is going to need them. To add to the other charges, he has now kidnapped Abby and Chloe. He’s going down with the other scumballs he hired.”

  * * *

  THE CAR STEADILY moved down I-35. Abby had no idea where he intended to take them. Her only concern was Chloe. Doug held the gun in his right hand and it rested on his thigh. If she tried to grab it, they’d swerve into traffic, hurting innocent people, not to mention themselves. She had to try something else.

  “Doug, please. Pull over. Let’s talk. I’ll do anything you want. Just let me go to Chloe. Please.”

  “How does it feel to beg, Abby? I’ve been begging you for months and you’ve ignored me. I shouldn’t have to do these things. We should be together.”

  “I don’t love you anymore and you don’t love me either. What kind of marriage would we have? It wasn’t good the first time.”

  “Love?” He grunted. “I was in lust with you, but you were this demure, cold bitch I could never get close to. Dad said I had to marry you. You were the perfect wife for me.”

  “Your dad told you to marry me?” She was aghast.

  “Yes.”

  Abby fought to control her temper and it wasn’t easy. She took a couple of deep breaths. “Pull this car over and let me and Chloe out. Do you hear me?”

  “I can’t. I’ve gone too far and I can’t stop now.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing. The jet is waiting for us. I’ve taken care of everything. We’ll fly away to Italy and get reacquainted. In a couple of weeks we’ll return as a family and Dad will appoint me the new CEO and everything will be just like it should be.”

  “You’re insane, Doug.” She calmly released her seat belt. “Now I’m going to my daughter. Shoot me if you have to, but I don’t believe you have the guts. You’re a yellow-livered daddy’s boy.”

  As she rose out of her seat, he lifted the gun. She knocked his hand away but he quickly brought it back and hit her against the head with the barrel. She felt the cold steel, heard the window pop where her head landed. A searing pain shot through her and everything went black.

  * * *

  ETHAN SLID INTO the driver’s seat of their unmarked squad car. Ross took the passenger side, still on the phone.

  “The lieutenant said to head back to the station. Chopper’s in the air, the highway patrol and all police units have been notified. They’ll locate Bauman.” Ross clicked off.

  Ethan listened closely to the police radio. “Highway patrol spotted a gray BMW headed south on I-35. That’s it.” He backed up and sped out of the parking lot, heading for the interstate.

  “Uh, Ethan. The station is the other way.”

  “I know.”

  “Damn. I knew you weren’t going to let this go. Sometimes I feel like we’re Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. And in case you’re wondering, I’m the good-looking one with all the hair.”

  “Yeah, right. Hold on.”

  “I wasn’t thinking of doing anything else.”

  Ethan zoomed in and out of traffic.

  “The BMW is turning onto Texas 71 headed east” came over the radio.

  “He’s probably headed for US-183 near the airport,” Ethan said. “We have to cut him off before he gets there.” He wove in and out until he reached a string of cop cars driving side by side.

  “We can’t get through,” Ross pointed out.

  “Yeah. A minor inconvenience.” He let his window down, reached for the red flashing light and slammed it onto the top of the car, then hit the siren. A loud wail echoed. He picked up the radio receiver. “This is Detective Ethan James. I have a warrant for the arrest of Douglas Bauman. Let me through. I’m right behind you in a black sedan.”

  “Ethan, what the hell are you doing?” the lieutenant’s voice blasted through the receiver.

  “It’s my collar, sir.” He kept up his tough stance, but he meant it.

  Voices mumbled on the radio, but Ethan couldn’t make out what was being said. The lieutenant was talking to someone.

  The police had all civilian cars stop. Ethan continued to follow the caravan of cop cars. He was just waiting for one to slow down so he could zip through.

  “This is Chief Alveraz” came through loud and clear on the radio.

  “Shit, we’re toast,” Ross quipped.

  “Make sure all civilian cars are stopped and out of harm’s way,” the chief continued. “Let Detective James through, but be prepared to back him up. And, James, don’t you screw this up.”

  “Thank you, sir.” He and Ross high-fived.

  The patrol cars slowly shifted into single file. He zoomed by, waving his thanks. The gray BMW was up ahead.

  “I’m driving past him and making a roadblock with the car. Hold on.”

  “Let ’er go!” Ross shouted.

  Ethan pushed his boot down on the accelerator. They whizzed by the BMW, Ethan slammed on the brakes and the sedan spun to a halt on the highway. The BMW was forced to stop. He and Ross jumped out, guns drawn. Ethan ran to the driver’s side, Ross to the passenger’s side.

  Ethan yanked opened the door and everything came to a complete stop. Doug had his right arm around Abby’s neck and a gun held to her head with his left. Blood matted her blond hair. His heart crashed against his ribs in fury.

  “Back off or I’ll shoot her,” Doug warned
.

  Ethan kept his cool. “Let her go, Doug. It’s over.”

  “Tell everyone to back off and let me through to the plane or I will kill her.” He pushed the end of the barrel against the side Abby’s face. She moaned.

  He shut out the sound. “That would defeat your purpose, Doug. You did all this to get Abby back into your life.”

  “Just let us go to the plane. This is between Abby and me.”

  “You’re wrong there. You involved nefarious people in your scheme and it backfired. Estelle Campbell gave you up. Your dad was more than shocked to hear about your illegal activities.”

  “You told my father.” Doug’s eyes glazed over with fear. “Why’d you do that?”

  Ethan had his gun pointed at Doug’s head, but he couldn’t figure out a way to get to the man without Abby getting hurt.

  “Have you told Abby the truth, Doug?”

  “Shut up.”

  “C’mon, man. Tell her everything you did to force her back into your life.”

  “What did you do?” Abby asked, her eyes wide.

  “He hired Rudy to teach you a lesson.” Ethan didn’t want to tell her this way, but he hoped if he did, it would save her life. He had to keep Doug distracted enough so he wouldn’t pull the trigger. “And it backfired.”

  “Shut up!” Doug shouted, losing his grip on the gun. “He’s lying!”

  “Afraid not. Like I told you, Estelle Campbell ratted you out and we have a warrant for your arrest in connection with the bank robbery, the death of Mr. Harmon, kidnapping and a whole lot of other charges.”

  “Oh, my God!” Abby began to struggle. “How could you?”

  Doug had a stranglehold on Abby, and she coughed from the pressure. “It wasn’t meant to turn out like that. The idiot was only supposed to scare you. Remember when you were in college and that guy was stalking you? You called me and I took care of it. You needed me, and I was there for you. I would have done the same this time, but that stupid bastard decided to rob the bank.”

  “I would have never called you,” Abby growled. “I would have called the police.”

  “No, you would have reached out to me. You know I can protect you.”