Colleen Coble

by Rosemary Cottage

  Curtis had had enough of pussyfooting around this girl, and he grabbed her arm roughly. “No, you took her. You’re the one who’s going to be in a world of hurt. Kidnapping for one. You have to know where she is.” He wanted to shake the truth out of her.

  “You gave her to me!” She struggled to get out of his grip.

  “But you were supposed to take her to my house, not to meet some guy on a boat. You kidnapped her, Heather.” He glared at Tom. “Arrest her, Tom.”

  Tom’s big head nodded. “I’m afraid he’s right, Miss Granger. You’re under arrest for the kidnapping of Raine Ireland.”

  The salt-laden air lifted the curls off Amy’s hot neck. The distant roar of a Sea-Doo floated over the surf. She kicked a broken shell out of the way with her flip-flop, then glanced at Libby, who walked beside her. “I don’t know what we’re doing out here. We’re not likely to find anything.”

  Her Raine was out there somewhere. And she did think of the child as hers. She already loved the little mite with the dimpled smile. They had to find her. Please, God, hold her in your arms. Protect her and let her feel no fear. Raine never seemed to know a stranger, so Amy’s biggest hope was that she wouldn’t be frightened.

  Libby shifted her sleeping son to the other shoulder. “I know, but I wanted to do something. Maybe Curtis and Alec will find the boat. The Coast Guard is on it. They’d all be mobilized. An AMBER Alert has gone out too. They’ll find her.”

  Amy shaded her eyes with her hand and looked out over the waves. “I bet the kidnapper is long gone. It wouldn’t take long to get to Kill Devil Hills or even the mainland. He had plenty of time to get to safe harbor.”

  “You can’t give up hope.”

  She’d seen too many horrific stories on the news, had witnessed too much pain in the world. Though she knew God was in control, what made any of them think that they were somehow special and nothing bad would happen to them? She couldn’t speak past the constriction in her throat. What if they never found Raine, never knew what had happened to her? She couldn’t go through that again. Never being able to bury Ben was bad enough—they had to find Raine.

  The sea deposited foam and kelp on the shore before rolling back for more. They walked close to the water’s edge and nearer to the rocks that jutted into the ocean. There were no clouds in the sky, but the air was heavy with humidity and thick with the scent of kelp.

  “Hey, what’s this?” Libby stooped and grabbed an object in the sand. “It’s a cell phone. Does it look familiar?”

  Amy took it from Libby. “Heather’s phone was similar. I don’t know if it’s hers or not. It doesn’t feel wet. Could she have dropped it before she got on the boat?”

  “See if it comes on.”

  Amy pressed the top button of the iPhone, and the screen came on. “It’s working!” The background was of Heather and another young woman Amy didn’t know. “And it’s Heather’s.” Her phone was a similar model, so she called up the contacts list and dragged her finger along the screen to see if there was a Grant listed. “Here he is.” Her pulse hammering in her throat, she touched the phone number. She would beg the man to return Raine. But the phone blinked off. “Oh no, there’s no signal here.”

  Libby turned back toward the road. “Let’s get this to the sheriff. He’s probably going to have a fit that we touched it. I didn’t think about it being evidence when I grabbed it.”

  “I would have done the same.” She held up the iPhone. “And I’m calling this number as soon as we get a signal.”

  The women hurried to Amy’s car. She’d just buckled her seat belt when her phone rang. Her gut tightened when she saw it was Curtis, and she quickly answered it. “Any sign of the boat?”

  “The cutter out searching stopped a few fishing boats, but they didn’t find her.” Pain laced his voice. “We’ve flown all over the sound and along the shore and haven’t seen anything. We’ve called in the FBI, and Raine’s picture will be all over the news tonight. The entire state’s been mobilized. Maybe the AMBER Alert will get some calls.”

  He didn’t have to tell her that all the effort in the world might not be enough. “Libby found Heather’s cell phone.” Maybe that news would encourage him.

  “You’re kidding! I bet the FBI can retrieve some data even though it’s been in the sea.”

  “It’s not wet. I think she dropped it on the beach. I tried to call that Grant, but there are no cell bars out here.”

  “Don’t call yourself. You might scare him off. Meet me at the jail. We’ll get Heather to make the call while law enforcement is listening in. She’ll be able to get more information out of him. And if she can keep him on the call, they can triangulate his location. Hurry!”

  “We’ll be there in fifteen minutes.” She ended the call and started the car. As she drove to town, she told Libby what Curtis had said.

  “The phone might be our lucky break.” Libby looked in the backseat. “Noah’s wide-awake and sucking his thumb.” She smiled at her infant son.

  Amy’s chest constricted at the thought that she might never see Raine’s sweet smile again. “Do you want me to drop you off at Tidewater Inn? Alec will be home soon.”

  “Are you kidding? I want to be right there when we find her.” She shuddered. “I can’t even imagine something as terrible as this. And besides, I’m sure Alec won’t be in until it’s too late to look for the boat. He’ll be turning over every rock. I’m sure he’s hurting for Curtis.”

  Amy shot her a glance. “I—I could use the support. I feel a little out of place. I love Raine already, but that whole custody thing is going on, and I’m not sure how Curtis feels about me now that my parents are involved.” She should have known better than to let her emotions get so involved.

  Libby reached over and patted her hand. “Have you called your parents?”

  “No, but I’ll have to. If they see it first on the news, they’ll be livid.” The clock on the dash glowed the time of 3:10. “It might already be on the news.”

  “Will they blame Curtis for handing her over to Heather?”

  “Probably.” Amy’s jaw tightened. “Honestly, I even blame him a little.”

  “Oh, Amy, you don’t! He had no way of knowing she had something like this planned. And it was an emergency.”

  Amy sighed and tried to push away the anger that had been growing toward Curtis all afternoon. And she was angry at herself as well. She was as much to blame as Curtis.

  THIRTY-ONE

  Clouds billowed above him, and thunder rumbled in the distance, nearly obscured by a boat horn in the harbor. The weather seemed to punctuate the terror clawing at Curtis’s gut. It was all he could do to hold himself together. The panic grew with every minute that passed. He had to find Raine.

  Edith hadn’t stopped crying since he’d picked her up. Her face was red and blotchy, and he held on to her arm to keep her from collapsing to the pavement. He murmured some kind of comfort he didn’t believe himself as he watched for Amy’s car. When her small compact pulled into a parking space in front of the jail, he settled Edith on a stone wall and went to meet Amy and Libby.

  Libby got out of the passenger side, then opened the back door and reached inside to get little Noah. Curtis’s heart squeezed at the sight of the baby. Just a year ago Raine had been that size, and now she was . . . gone.

  Amy’s eyes were huge in her white face, and her expression pleaded with him to tell her good news.

  Swallowing down his pain, he met her on the sidewalk. “I told Tom you found the phone. He’s squawking about contaminating the evidence, just so you know.”

  “I knew he would be. So still no news?”

  He shook his head and took the phone she handed him. “There are four bars now, so we’re good. Tom is going to move Heather to an interrogation room. He’s got some kind of equipment where he can listen in on her call without her knowing about it. So we can hear more than what she’s saying. We’ll be able to hear the scumbag too.”

  Amy nodd
ed but her eyes looked distant, as though she was thinking of something else. “I have to call my parents before I go in. I just heard something about it on the radio, so it’s going to be all over the country.”

  “It will take a few minutes to set things up anyway. Go ahead.” He needed to call his parents as well, but not until he managed to regain a steady tone. His mother would fall apart, and he needed to be strong enough to help her.

  To give Amy privacy for the call, he started to walk away, but she grabbed his hand as she placed the call. “Stay. I could use the support.”

  She settled on the wall that ran the perimeter of the yard. Libby gave her an encouraging pat as she settled beside her.

  “Hello, Dad? Listen, there’s trouble here.” She told the whole story, ending with finding Heather on the beach. “And Raine’s still missing, kidnapped from Heather by this unknown man.”

  Her father’s voice boomed out of the phone, loud enough for Curtis and any passerby to hear. “What do you mean kidnapped? I knew that Coast Guard fellow couldn’t care for her properly. We’ll be there first thing in the morning. I have a meeting tonight I can’t get out of.”

  Amy was white when she dropped her phone back in her purse. “Sorry that you’re going to have to contend with them. My dad will use this as ammunition to bolster his fight for custody.”

  “Right now we need to get her back. Then I’ll worry about your dad.” She nodded, but he didn’t like the way she didn’t meet his eyes. “You think it’s my fault, don’t you?”

  She rose and slung her purse strap over her shoulder. “It was my fault too, Curtis. We were running on pure adrenaline and didn’t stop to use our heads. Neither of us knew Heather well enough to entrust her with Raine. We should have called Libby or even a neighbor we knew.” Her voice broke. “This is going to be hard to live with for both of us if—”

  The doubt in her eyes nearly buckled his knees. “We will find her!” Hope was all he had to cling to. No one was going to take that away from him. He would search for Raine until his dying breath.

  She nodded. “Of course. Did you call your parents?”

  He paused. “No, and I need to. I don’t want them to hear about it on the news.” With his shoulder brushing hers, he placed the call and got his mother. Dad would likely be in meetings. “Mom?”

  “Curtis, I was about to call you.” His mother’s voice quavered. “I was watching the news. That isn’t our Raine who’s been kidnapped, is it? Please tell me it isn’t.”

  “I’m afraid so, Mom.” He plunged into what had happened, sparing no details and taking the full blame. His mother cried softly on the other end and promised she and his father would get there as soon as they could. Sighing, he put his phone away. “They’ll be here in a few hours too. Dad will come in on his private plane.”

  Amy gripped his hand. “I heard what you said. It wasn’t your fault, Curtis.”

  “A few minutes ago you weren’t so sure.” He started to pull his hand away, but she held on and shook her head. “It is my fault. I handed her right over to Heather without a care in the world. I should have known better. I wasn’t thinking.”

  She held his gaze. “Neither of us was. An emergency can do that to a person. Blaming ourselves isn’t going to get her back. And we will get her back, Curtis.”

  The way her voice held conviction gave him hope. He took her arm. “Let’s get inside and make Heather call that monster.”

  The air-conditioning in Heather’s holding room gave a thump and a wheeze before it let go of slightly cooler air that did little to alleviate the stuffy space. She sat on a metal chair covered with the thinnest cushion she’d ever seen. The table was metal as well, and four other chairs were grouped around it. Sniffling, she willed herself not to cry, but her eyes kept burning and flooding with tears. She’d been so stupid. There should have been some way to prevent Bossman from taking the little girl.

  Down the hall, a door slammed. Footsteps came toward her door, and she rose with her hands clutched together. There had been no one to call to get her out of jail, and she had little hope that whoever approached would help. If she could just call Grant, he would know what to do to get her out of this.

  The metal door of her room swung open, and the first person she saw was Amy. Curtis and Sheriff Bourne, Alec’s cousin, were behind her. Heather wanted to rush forward and throw herself into Amy’s arms. Amy had a gentle, competent way about her, and Heather was sure she could help her. But would she? She had no real cause to help when it was Heather’s fault that Raine was in the possession of that awful man.

  Amy gently took Heather’s shoulders and disentangled herself from the young woman. “Heather, how are you?” Her tone held interest without condemnation. Her face was pale and full of pain.

  Heather searched the other woman’s face for signs of sincerity. Did Amy really care that she’d been thrown in jail? Her green eyes were warm with compassion.

  “It’s hot in here. And I’m scared.” Heather’s voice broke. She stepped back and rubbed her burning eyes. When Amy took her arm and settled her back in the chair, Heather leaned into her. Right now anyone’s touch was welcome. She felt so alone.

  Amy pulled out a metal chair and sat beside her. “Could we get her a glass of water?”

  “Or a Mountain Dew?” Heather put in.

  Sheriff Bourne’s lips tightened, but he inclined his head and went to the door. Sticking his head out, he told someone in the hall to bring her a drink.

  “Amy, what’s going to happen to me? I’ve seen movies about women who went to jail. Something like that couldn’t happen to me, could it? If I told them I’m only seventeen, would that change things? Maybe juvie would intervene. If I have to go to jail, being with girls my own age would be better than prison.”

  Amy chewed on her lip. “Honey, that’s up to the sheriff. I don’t know anything about the legal stuff.”

  When the sheriff turned back to the table, he pulled out a chair and dropped into it. “Curtis, have a seat.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. “This yours?”

  She reached for it eagerly. “I think so!” Her fingers closed around it, and she recognized the slice in the plastic cover on the back. “It’s mine. Where did you find it?”

  Amy kept hold of her hand. “On the beach. I think you dropped it before you got in the water. It still works, and I don’t think it’s ever been wet. We want to help you, Heather, but to do that, you have to help us.”

  Heather didn’t like the sound of that. “Are you talking a trade? I turn Grant over to you and you’ll let me go? I can’t do that. I love him. And besides, I don’t think he had anything to do with what Bossman did. I think he’d help us get her back though. Once I tell him what’s happened, he’ll figure it out.”

  The sheriff gave an exasperated humph. “Girl, that man was using you, and you’re too dumb to see it. He’s letting you rot in jail while he does whatever he set out to do. I’m expecting a ransom demand.”

  Curtis’s head shot up. “Ransom?”

  “Your folks have money. It makes sense. And Heather said something about using the kid to make a lot of money.”

  Heather shook her head. “I don’t believe Grant would ask for a ransom. I know he wouldn’t hurt her. Let me call him and tell him what Bossman has done. I’m sure he doesn’t know. He’ll help us track down Bossman and get Raine back.” Sobs surged in her throat. “I never wanted to hurt the little girl. I like kids. Truly.”

  The sheriff’s frown darkened. “Yeah, well, prove it. Call your fella, and let’s see what he says.” He motioned to the rest of them to follow him. “We’ll give you some privacy so you can talk.”

  They exited the room and Heather exhaled. It would have been awkward to have them listening. Her hands trembled as she called up Grant’s number. What if he wasn’t there? Or what if what the sheriff said was true and Grant had been using her?

  The phone was answered almost immediately. “Heather, you’re supposed to
wait for my call.”

  She exhaled. “Oh, Grant, thank goodness you’re there.”

  “Of course I’m here. Where else would I be? And why are you calling?”

  “It’s Bossman. He picked us up. He tried to kill me, Grant. He got out a gun and shot me.” Her fingers crept to the furrow in her arm. “Be careful with him. I escaped, but he took Raine.”

  “And brought her to me. I didn’t tell him to hurt you though. Are you exaggerating?”

  Heather licked her dry lips. “Of course I’m not exaggerating! Hang on.” She quickly snapped a picture of her injured arm and texted it to him. “I just sent you a picture of what he did. He tried to kill me.”

  There was a pause. “It looks like a bullet, all right. And Bossman did this?”

  “Yes.” A sob escaped her throat. “Is Raine all right?”

  “She’s fine.”

  “You have to bring her back. You have to, Grant! They know I took her, and they’ll send me to prison. Bring her back and everything will be okay. We’ll go on our vacation and forget about this nightmare.”

  He gave a heavy sigh. “Listen, I’m seeing someone else now. It’s time we both moved on.”

  “But you said you loved me, and that you’d already bought tickets to the beach.”

  “Grow up, Heather. You did what I asked, and we’re both moving on.” His voice was hard. “Now leave me alone. And don’t go to the police. You’d just get yourself in trouble since you’re the one who took her. And even worse, I’ll sic Bossman on you, so keep your mouth shut if you want to live.”

  The phone clicked in her ear, and she let it slip from nerveless fingers. She felt frozen inside and out. He couldn’t have meant what he said. He couldn’t.

  The door opened, and Amy stepped back inside with Curtis and the sheriff. Amy slid back into her chair. “Are you all right? You’re pale. Did he say where Raine is?”

  “He has her, but he’s not bringing her back.” She put her hand to her mouth. “He used me.”