by Jodi Thomas
“Can you . . .”
“Yes,” he answered as if it were the answer to anything she was about to ask.
“Do you know where Lloyd lives?”
She nodded. “The trailer park just outside of town on Lone Oak Road. Third trailer on the left. You think we should start there first?”
“Catching her alone at the hospital was an opportunity, not a planned abduction. He’s probably been planning something in his mind for a while, maybe even collecting supplies. My guess is Edith’s announcement tonight fired his plan into action. Now he’ll have to go home to pick up tape, ropes, whatever he needs to hold her.”
“Unless they were stored in the van.”
Gabe watched as Denver reached the end of the parking lot and began to jog. “I’ve never worked a kidnapping like this,” he admitted to Alex, “but I’ve trained for it. I don’t know what he wants her for. If it’s money, she’ll be all right as long as he thinks the plan is working. If it’s rape, she’s got a good chance of surviving it unless she fights, but then he might dump her somewhere and with a broken leg she’d freeze.” He hesitated. “If I know Reagan, she’ll fight, and if she fights ...”
When he couldn’t finish, Alex added, “We may be guessing the worst cases, but no matter why he took her, we have to get to her fast.” Alex’s laugh held no humor. “Time is our biggest obstacle here. The more time he has her, the greater the chance that she’ll be hurt.”
“I know,” Gabe said as Alex’s radio came to life. He heard all he needed to hear. The dispatcher had no surprises. Reagan was not in the hospital, and security had found two people who ID’d Lloyd Franklin leaving just before a girl with a cast on her leg.
Gabe ran to the Rover and climbed in. By the time Alex had backed out of her parking slot, he’d pulled up to her window.
“I’ll follow Denver. If we’re lucky, we’ll all meet up at the trailer park.” He was gone before she could answer.
She drove carefully toward the edge of town. Snow was now falling over ice, making every turn dangerous. The town looked so beautiful, so peaceful. How could a kidnapping have happened in her town?
Alex fought panic. She reached to call Hank, then stopped. He had his hands full on the highway. It would take him thirty minutes to get to her even if he did try to come. Reagan’s life might be at risk, but so were the lives on the highway.
She called dispatch and gave a string of orders as she crawled along the road toward the edge of town.
Finally, she pulled off into the trailer park and waited, lights off.
Five, ten, fifteen minutes. Not one car passed.
Alex called dispatch. No word from anyone. Jess said the only thing coming in was a 911 call from a cell phone, but no one answered when he picked up. He couldn’t get a location, but he was having the number traced.
Gabe pulled up behind her and motioned for her to climb into his Rover, then parked across the road from the dark Franklin home.
“Where’s Denver?” Alex asked.
“The van tracks circled around town a few times and disappeared. I picked Denver up and we came here. Lloyd may be driving around making sure he’s not followed or waiting until he thinks he’s safe.”
Alex looked in the backseat. “So if you picked him up, where is your friend?”
“I let him off when I pulled up behind you. He’s already watching the back of the trailer. We’ll give him a few minutes to move in close, then we’ll go pay a call.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Alex said honestly. She was in over her head.
Gabe whispered, almost as if he didn’t want to say the words out loud. “I’ve been asking myself why he’d take her. I don’t think he plans to kill her. He probably thinks he’s just going to frighten her a little. Who knows, the guy may even think they’re on a date.”
“You’re kidding.”
“No, I think, in his mind, he thinks he can charm her like he did Edith twenty years ago. Or he may try bullying her.”
“So,” Alex guessed, “you think he’s tired of Edith and wants a younger wife?”
“Maybe. Reagan told me about him acting friendly when he came in the Blue Moon, trying to flirt with her. Maybe he thinks that now she’s eighteen he can’t be accused of kidnapping if she says she went along with him willingly. He pretty much got Edith to believe anything, maybe he figures his charms will work with Reagan.”
“He’d have to be pretty sick to believe that.”
“Exactly,” Gabe said.
Alex stared at the Franklin trailer. “Edith was a frightened child; maybe she figured Lloyd was as good as she could get. Maybe she loved him, I don’t know.” Alex put her hand on the door handle. “All I know for sure is that Reagan isn’t Edith. She didn’t leave the hospital willingly.”
“I know,” Gabe said. “And if she didn’t, you can bet she won’t go along with anything Lloyd has in mind.”
“You think he might kill her if he doesn’t get his way.” Alex stepped out of the Rover.
“He’s desperate. I’m not sure what he’ll do.”
They pulled their weapons and held them at their sides as they moved in on the home. The place was dark and silent. The falling snow left a soft blanket on the drive and road beyond. No one had turned into the drive in a while. Wherever Lloyd had taken Reagan, it wasn’t here.
Gabe whistled softly and Denver answered back. He knocked, then waited. “No one is here,” he whispered, and motioned for her to go over to the trailer across the drive. Lights were on there, and the windows faced the Franklin trailer.
Alex left Gabe looking around the yard and crossed to the next home. She asked the neighbor to call in if he saw any movement of any kind at Lloyd’s trailer. The man said he’d be happy to do whatever he could to put Franklin’s ass in jail for anything. “I’ll turn off my light and post myself, with phone in hand, by the window. If a rabbit hops on his land, I’ll let you know.”
Alex walked back to her car and called dispatch to pull in anyone not working a bad wreck. “Get in touch with Hank and have him call anyone with a four-wheel drive that he trusts. They’ll need manpower to handle this. I’ll meet them at the fire station as soon as I can.”
Gabe moved to the other side of her car and nodded as he listened.
“I’ll call the highway patrol. They’ll block any roads that haven’t already been closed because of the storm. We might get lucky if he tries to take her out of the county. Very few people will be out tonight.”
“You know, if you pull in men, untrained men, they’ll be more in the way than help.”
Alex didn’t argue. “I don’t know what else to do.”
Denver appeared beside Gabe. “He’s got a handgun. I saw the half-burned box in the trash.”
Denver stared at her a moment and said simply, “Alex, if you’ll pick up Edith and take her in, maybe she’ll know something. Gabe and I will meet you at the fire station as soon as we can.”
“Where are you going?” she asked.
“It’s a long shot, but I want to check out the address on the box the gun came in.” Using his flashlight, he read off the numbers and road.
Alex didn’t have to check her computer; she knew the address, she’d worked a few calls there. “That’s Lloyd’s little brother’s place. You want me to go with you?”
“No,” Denver said, already moving with Gabe toward the Rover. “If it’s a dead end, maybe you’ll have other leads after you talk to Edith.”
They pulled away without saying another word.
Alex forced herself to drive slowly even though her heart was pounding about a thousand beats a minute.
She called dispatch and asked them to check on Truman.
No change. He had not come out of recovery from heart surgery. If he did come to before they found Reagan, the news would probably kill him.
Alex fought down panic. She felt like her world was falling apart. She’d always been in control at her job. Always been able to handle whatever c
ame her way. Prided herself in playing every hand by the book.
Only tonight, she wasn’t sure. The minutes were ticking by and they were no closer to finding Reagan. The storm had closed in around them. There was no way help could get to her anytime soon.
“Sheriff? You still there?” Jess’s voice cracked over the radio.
“I’m here,” Alex answered.
“That 911 call that keeps coming in . . . it’s from Lloyd Franklin’s cell phone.”
Alex smiled. Reagan. It had to be the girl calling in. Somehow she had managed to get his phone. That had to be the only reason. Lloyd would never make the call. “I’ll be there as fast as I can.” Alex whispered, “Hang on, Reagan.”
Chapter 47
SOMEWHERE IN HARMONY
REAGAN WAITED FOR JUST THE RIGHT MOMENT. LLOYD had stopped the van on a dark street she didn’t recognize. She could hear him banging on a door ten feet away. The thought of running crossed her mind, but with her leg in a cast she’d have no chance of standing, much less escaping him.
The wind howled like a wild animal coming for her. Even if she could get out of the van and get away from Lloyd, being outside in the wind and blowing snow would probably freeze her before she could find help.
Someone finally answered the door, but Reagan harbored little hope they would help her. She could make out two men arguing, but she couldn’t understand what they were saying.
The van’s back doors opened and two huge shadows stood in front of her. Lloyd and a younger, smaller look-alike.
“See, Donnie,” Lloyd bragged as if showing off the catch of the day, “she’s not even yelling or crying. She just came out of the hospital. I told her to come along. It was like she knew about what you and I talked about. She’s saying now that she won’t give us money, but she’ll change her mind.”
“Yeah”—Donnie shook his head—“I can tell she came willingly. How come she’s got blood all over her chin? It’s dripping down like a leaky faucet.”
Lloyd reached in and jerked her toward him so suddenly Reagan didn’t have time to bolt.
She lost her grip on the hammer beneath her body as he pulled her halfway out. “Help me carry her in. It’s too cold to talk out here.”
Her broken leg hit the ground, shattering off another piece of her cast.
Reagan fought as Donnie grabbed her legs and Lloyd seized her hands. They half carried, half dragged her across the snow.
She tried to see where she was. They had to still be in Harmony, but she couldn’t see a streetlight, much less the lights of another house. Then she heard a flapping sound of old boards rattling in the wind and knew. Back behind the abandoned railroad station was a storage building that had been left to rot for years. So much of the original brick had fallen away or been stolen that only thin wood framed the walls in places. Noah had taken her there once to listen. He said the building sounded like it was shivering in the wind.
Beyond the shivering building stood a row of little houses that had been used for migrant labor in the forties. Someone had made an attempt to fix them up as cheap rentals maybe twenty years ago, but now they looked as bad as they probably had sixty years ago. Only one seemed to be occupied.
The one she was being carried into.
When they got inside, Donnie dropped her legs and went after tape while Lloyd still held her hands high in one of his big fists.
She opened her mouth, and he raised his free hand and doubled it into a weapon. She got the message and remained silent.
Donnie brought the tape, then whined as Lloyd wrapped it around her wrists. “I didn’t think you’d really do it, Lloyd. I thought you were just kidding. You know, talking about making fast money like it was a game we were playing in the bar.” He shook his head as he looked Reagan up and down. “We could go to jail for this. This ain’t right.”
“Shut up.” Lloyd finished binding her hands in front of her and shoved her hard. “The brat asked for it. She’s been telling my Edith to leave me. Once she gives us the money, I’m going to get her to take back all she said to Edith as well.”
Reagan tumbled onto the floor without a sound. She could hear it in Lloyd’s voice now. Like a child who knew he’d made a big mistake and wasn’t willing to admit it. He wasn’t backing down. He planned to storm ahead.
Donnie stared down at her. “Look, Lloyd, she can’t even walk and she doesn’t look to be more than a girl. She’s bleeding all over and it looks like you hurt her foot bad. I’ve heard what they do in prison to guys who hurt children.”
“I didn’t hurt her. She slipped on the ice.”
“You busted her lip and I’ll bet there are bruises all over her from rolling around in the back of that junk van.”
Lloyd grabbed her hair and jerked her head up so he could see her face. His wide thumb moved over her chin, then he wiped her blood on his trousers. “I don’t remember doing that, but if I did, she asked for it.”
Donnie swore.
Lloyd shoved his brother so hard the younger Franklin almost tumbled off his feet.
“She don’t look any the worse for her trip,” Lloyd insisted. “And it’s good she’s got the bad leg. She can’t run out on us while we’re trying to talk to her. All we have to do is keep her here for a few hours until she starts thinking about making a deal. She may be all mad right now, but give her a little time and she’ll calm down.”
Reagan stared at Donnie. He had the dull look about him of a person who’d sold his soul to drugs. If they kept her here a hundred years she wouldn’t make a deal with him or Lloyd. From the way he jerked when Lloyd moved suddenly, she guessed Donnie had probably been Lloyd’s first punching bag.
“Tell your brother to let me go,” Reagan tried. “If you don’t, you’ll both go to prison for life.”
Lloyd glared at her. “Don’t listen to her. She could bring us enough money to live in style. When we was talking I was thinking about asking her for a loan, but now I’ve decided maybe we should just get her to give us what we need to live awhile. Way I see it, she owes me for the trouble she’s caused.”
Donnie shook his head. “No. I want no part of this, Lloyd. It’s not right. Get her out of here. I don’t want the police coming here, thinking I had any part of this mess you got yourself into. You’re not thinking right.”
“Me? You’re the one who said she’d be the easiest girl to lean on for a little money.” When Donnie didn’t agree, Lloyd looked like he might hit his brother, but to Reagan’s surprise, he didn’t. “I can’t just take her back.”
“We were drunk when we thought of this plan, Lloyd. She’s not going to cooperate. It don’t work like that.”
Reagan watched Donnie. He was afraid of his brother, but he wasn’t a fool. He saw a glimpse of the trouble they were in. She found it hard to believe, but this brain-fried little brother was the smarter of the two.
“We could give it a try.”
“It won’t work.” Donnie shook his head.
“What am I supposed to do with her? I can’t get her out of town; what roads that are still open will be slick. I barely made it here. Another hour or so, there won’t be anything moving in this town.”
“I don’t care what you do with her. Toss her in the snow. She just needs to be gone.” Donnie paced, trying to think. “We’ve got to get somewhere where people see us so we’ll have an alibi. That’s it. We’ll go over to Buffalo’s and have a beer. He never closes and if he does, we’ll wake him up and demand a drink. Since he sleeps upstairs, he probably won’t mind. Then, when folks realize she’s missing we can act as surprised as everyone. Maybe even help with the search.”
Lloyd slowly nodded, as though what he’d done had finally sunk in. “You’re right. I know a place where I can leave her where nobody will look for her till spring.”
“Don’t kill her,” Donnie said. “Promise me you won’t kill her. I think that could go really bad for you if you do.”
“I won’t.” Frustration boiled in him. “I’ll ju
st leave her tied up. If she freezes, that’s not my problem, right? I’ll go back tomorrow. If she’s still alive, she’ll probably trade keeping quiet for being untied. I might even claim I found her and saved her. That way I could be a hero like that Gabriel guy who found her when she broke her leg. The whole town’s talking about what a great guy he is.”
Donnie frowned at him. “You’ve been fired from every job you ever had, Lloyd, for acting when you should have been thinking, but this is by far the dumbest thing you ever did.”
“Take me back,” Reagan demanded as if she had a right to be part of their conversation. “Drop me off at the hospital entrance. I’ll say I fell. I won’t tell anyone.”
Annoyed as though this were somehow her fault, Lloyd slugged her so hard she tumbled backward and hit the corner of a wooden box. She saw stars, as if someone had fired off fireworks in her head.
“Never trust a woman,” he said as he wound the tape around her mouth and head. “All they ever do is lie.” He bound her good leg to the one in a cast.
When she tried to struggle, he slapped the side of her head once. “Be still, girl. You’ve caused enough trouble tonight.” Just for good measure, he slapped her again, taking all his anger out on her.
Reagan’s head spun and the room went dark. She felt them gripping her, lifting her without care and carrying her back to the van. She didn’t fight, she just let the blackness melt over her.
When she woke, she was alone in the silence of what smelled like a shed. Through dirty windows, she could see the back of a big two-story house. It was only fifty feet away, but it might as well have been a million miles because she was tied against a pole almost as big around as her waist. The wide industrial tape crossed over her chest and around the pole. Her arms were bound to the elbows.
Most of her body was covered with rags and dead leaves in a halfhearted effort to bury her. When she wiggled, the trash tumbled away from her face and shoulders.
She twisted her finger and found the phone still tucked in her sleeve. It wasn’t easy to pull past the elastic of her cuff, but she finally held the phone, Lloyd’s lost phone, in her hand. Guessing at the numbers, she dialed 911 but couldn’t lean forward enough or raise her arms to quite reach her ear.
