Texas Baby Cover-Up

by Virginia Vaughan

  Josh nodded. “I agree. Let’s go confront him.”

  Zeke felt better having a mission. Davenport would tell them where Kelly and Brady had been taken. He would make certain of it. It was all he had left. He climbed into Colby’s SUV and psyched himself up for what was to come. He wasn’t returning to Courtland without his family.

  * * *

  Kellyanne’s heart hammered against her chest as the car finally stopped after what seemed like forever. She heard doors opening and felt the weight of the car shift as the men exited. The trunk opened and the same men hovered over her, then reached inside and grabbed her arm.

  “Let’s go. Get out.”

  This was it. She was finally going to confront Davenport and look into the eyes of the man who’d murdered her friend and kidnapped Brady. She prayed he was safe. She also prayed Zeke had realized what had happened and was looking for her.

  The men pulled her from a garage into an empty house. Through the uncovered windows, she saw houses that looked abandoned, empty streets and sidewalks. No one was around to hear her if she cried out, and she suspected that was Davenport’s plan.

  “Keep moving,” one of the men said, shoving her through the kitchen and toward the back of the house where they rapped on a door and someone yelled out, “Come in.”

  They opened the door and pushed her inside. Another man stood by the window in the back bedroom.

  “She’s here, boss,” one of her captors said.

  He turned to look at her, and although she did know the man, it wasn’t Senator Davenport who stood before her. Instead, it was the man she’d seen Lisa arguing with at the fundraiser.

  “Who are you?” she demanded. “Where is Davenport?”

  “Senator Davenport knows nothing about this,” he told her. “My name is Ethan Lloyd. I’m Senator Davenport’s campaign manager.”

  “You’re the one Lisa confronted at the party.”

  “That’s true. She said she was going to bring him down. I couldn’t allow that. It’s my job to protect him, even from himself.” He turned to look at the men. “Did you bring it?” One of the men handed him the flash drive. He stared at it and then glanced back at Kellyanne. “Thanks for bringing this, by the way. This could have ruined everything we’ve worked for.”

  “Why do you want to work for the man who killed Lisa?”

  His eyes widened and then he laughed. “Killed Lisa? No, no, no. He didn’t kill anyone.”

  “I know she went to confront him the day she died.”

  “She didn’t get past me. I told you, it’s my job to protect Davenport. I made sure she understood no one was going to blackmail us. When she told me about the evidence she had, I had to get it.”

  “So you killed her?”

  His eyes darkened. “She might have lived if she’d only told me where it was. She said she’d hidden it and I would never find it. Once we figured out where the kid was, I figured you must have it. Turns out, I was right. You did.” He placed the flash drive onto the windowsill, picked up a hammer and smashed it to bits. He turned back to her and a smug grin spread across his face. “Problem solved.”

  “You have what you wanted, now where’s the baby? Have you hurt him?”

  He pointed to the doorway behind him. “He’s in there.”

  The men released her, and she hurried into what looked like a storage room. Brady was lying inside a blue plastic crate. His eyes were red and full of tears, but he appeared unharmed. Relief flooded through her as she reached down and stroked his cheek. She’d done it. Thank You, God, for keeping him safe.

  She wasn’t going to let him out of her sight again. “Everything’s going to be okay now,” she promised, but, as she glanced up and saw Ethan watching her with his cold, calculating stare, a sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach.

  Returning the flash drive wasn’t going to be enough to save them. Brady’s mere existence was proof of the affair, and Ethan had confessed to Kellyanne.

  He motioned to one of the men who approached Kellyanne. She backed away from him, afraid of what he was going to do. She spotted the crowbar in his hand moments before he slammed it against her head.

  Pain riddled through her, and she fell to the floor as the man walked out, closed the door behind him and locked it. Brady’s cries were the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness.

  * * *

  Josh pulled the SUV to a curb in front of the television station. Colby had managed to call the senator’s office and get a copy of his schedule, which included a live broadcast from the television station in Dallas. It was the perfect opportunity to ambush him and Zeke was glad they didn’t have to lose time making the drive to Austin. Dallas was much closer, and time was running out for Kelly and Brady.

  Colby flashed his FBI credentials at the front desk. The receptionist asked them to wait, but Zeke wasn’t going to give Davenport’s security team time to react. He pushed past them and left the brothers to deal with them.

  He found the studio where the interview was taking place and forced his way inside, hurrying past the cameras to the platform where Davenport sat talking with a reporter.

  The reporter saw him first and stood. “Who are you? What do you want?”

  Davenport turned just as Zeke reached him.

  “Where are they,” he demanded of Davenport.

  The man stood and faced him. “Excuse me?”

  “Where are Kellyanne and Brady?”

  “I don’t know who those people are.” He looked past Zeke to his security team, but Zeke pushed him back into his seat.

  “They can’t help you right now. Tell me where Kellyanne and Brady are.”

  “I’ve already told you, I don’t know who you’re looking for. Why do you believe I do?”

  “Because Brady is your child and you’ve done everything in your power to keep his identity from coming out.”

  He stared at Zeke, his eyes widened and his mouth parted. “What—what do you mean, he’s my child? What nonsense is this? Who do you work for? The opposition?”

  Zeke wasn’t going to let this man talk his way out of this. “Lisa Adams was his mother. She was murdered last week, and since then, you’ve done everything in your power to prevent news of the affair from coming out.”

  Davenport glanced around, and only then did Zeke realize the cameras were still rolling. He spotted someone announcing they were broadcasting live. Davenport’s affair was no longer secret.

  He must have realized it, too, because his shoulders stiffened, and he straightened his tie. “I can assure you, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  “A woman and a four-month-old child are missing, Senator. What are you going to do about it?”

  He grabbed Zeke’s arm and pulled him from the stage as several people, obviously his aides, rushed to the stage and demanded the cameras be turned off.

  Only once they were out of camera range did Davenport turn to him. By that time, Josh, Miles, Lawson, Paul and Colby had joined them. “You said Lisa Adams was killed?”

  “Murdered in her home after she said she was going to confront you.”

  “Look, I don’t know who you are—”

  Zeke held out his deputy sheriff’s badge, and Kellyanne’s brothers flashed their credentials, as well. Senator Davenport focused in on Colby’s, and he paled. “I never saw Lisa after she ended things with me. She never came to see me.”

  “And the baby?”

  “I knew she’d gotten pregnant, but she said she was going to get rid of it. She ended the affair with me, and I haven’t seen or heard another word from her.”

  “Really? It seems coincidental that she was going to confront you and then wound up dead. Talk about a scandal.”

  Davenport held up his hands. “Now wait a minute. I didn’t kill anyone, and I didn’t abduct anyone either. I ha
ve no idea who this woman is you’re referring to. Why would I want to kidnap her or the child? I would prefer he disappear and I didn’t have to have anything to do with him.”

  Zeke felt sick that he could speak of his own child in that manner. “You’re disgusting.”

  “Maybe so, but that doesn’t mean I’m involved in kidnapping and murder.”

  “So then you’re not interested in the photos and voice mails Lisa kept from the affair. She was threatening to go public with them and ruin you.”

  He grimaced. “I’ll admit, if I had known about them, I would have tried to convince her not to share them. I definitely would have tried to get my hands on them, but I had no idea.”

  “Well, someone from your office must have wanted to keep them quiet. Who else would have been as motivated to get their hands on that information?”

  “If I had to guess, my campaign manager, Ethan Lloyd.” Davenport frowned. “He’s always been one for doing things his own way. He’s passionate, but he’s also brutal and competitive. He has visions of me ascending to the presidency, with him coming along. If she threatened that vision, he might have gotten violent. He’s ruthless when it comes to politics.”

  “Where can we find him?”

  Davenport motioned toward one of his security team. “Find Ethan. I need to know where he’s at now.” The man nodded and pulled out his phone. After a moment, he said, “He’s not responding, sir.”

  “Keep trying. Text him that I must speak with him.”

  “How hands-on is this guy? Would he have abducted them himself?”

  “He has connections. He has full control over a serious security team that works directly for him. That’s why you so easily made it past those to protect me here. He must have taken them with him today.”

  “In order to kidnap Brady and Kellyanne.”

  The senator shrugged.

  “Where would he take them?” Zeke demanded of Davenport.

  “I don’t know. He has a condo, but he wouldn’t take them there.”

  The security officer turned back to him and handed him a cell phone. “Sir, I’ve got Ethan on the line.”

  Colby pulled out his phone. “I’ll see about getting a trace on his line. Keep him talking as long as you can.”

  Zeke took the phone from Davenport and placed it on speaker mode, then mouthed, Find out where he is.

  “Ethan, where are you?”

  The voice on the other end sounded agitated. “Aren’t you supposed to be at the television studio? Why are you calling me?”

  “There’s an emergency. Where are you?”

  “On the opposite side of town. What’s the problem?”

  “The police are here. They think I know something about kidnapping and murder. Ethan, what are they talking about? Did you kidnap a woman and child? Did you kill Lisa?”

  Ethan was quiet for a moment, and Zeke glanced at Josh. He didn’t think Ethan was going to give them a confession, but if anyone could get it from him, it was Davenport. “Lisa had damaging evidence that would have ruined you, sir. I couldn’t allow her to go public with it.”

  Zeke saw the senator’s shoulders lag, but he doubted it was for the innocent lives that had been ruined. Scandal would find him regardless, but Zeke didn’t care about him, not after what he’d said about Brady. What kind of man would never want to know his son?

  “What did you do, Ethan? What about the child? Where is he?”

  “It’s being taken care of, sir. There’s no need to involve you.”

  “I’m already involved. You’ve dragged me into this. Now tell me where the woman and child are. I’m sending the police after you.”

  “I’m sorry, Walter. I can’t do that.” He ended the call, and Zeke’s heart plummeted. He glanced at Colby, who shook his head. They hadn’t been able to track the call. They were no closer to finding Kellyanne and Brady than they’d been before they came.

  Davenport’s face hardened. “He said he was on the other side of town. He owns some abandoned properties on the north end of town near the Charleston area. He’s hoping to develop it and sell it to a developer at a profit.”

  “What kind of abandoned properties?” Colby asked.

  “Houses. It used to be a subdivision, but it’s all but abandoned now.” He jotted down an address and shoved it at Zeke. “He could be keeping them inside one of them.”

  “And if he is, no one would be around to hear her cries for help.”

  Zeke didn’t like that. He took the senator by the arm. “You’re coming with us. To show us.”

  “I am not. I’ve told you what I know. I’m not going anywhere. I’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do here after you spilled my indiscretions all over TV.”

  “I’m afraid that’s going to have to wait.” A figure emerged from the shadows. Zeke was surprised to see Detective Shaw.

  “What are you doing in Dallas?” Zeke asked him.

  “I came to town to speak to Senator Davenport about the murder of Lisa Adams. I was at the police station when a report came in of several men breaking into the TV station where he was being interviewed. I should have known it would be you.” He turned his focus on Davenport. “You’re coming down to the precinct with me for questioning.”

  Zeke wanted to protest. They needed Davenport to help find Ethan, but Colby pulled at his shoulder. “He doesn’t know where Ethan is,” Colby assured him, “but we’ll find him.” He turned to Davenport one last time. “I’m certain the FBI will also have questions about your campaign’s involvement in kidnapping and extortion.”

  Colby pressed Zeke toward the door, and he followed the brothers back outside to the SUVs. Paul, Lawson and Miles hopped into one vehicle, while Colby joined Zeke and Josh in the other.

  Zeke keyed the address Davenport had given them into the GPS. “We need to hurry. Ethan knows he’s been discovered. If Kelly and Brady are still alive, they might not be for long.”

  The brothers seemed to understand his concern. Josh started the engine, and they sped away. Zeke could do nothing but hang on and pray.

  God, please keep them safe until I can get to them.

  TEN

  Kellyanne awoke on a hard surface. As the darkness faded, she heard crying that dragged her awake. She put her hands on the floor and discovered she was lying on cold concrete.

  Where was she, and what had happened?

  The crying continued, and she realized it was a baby’s cry.

  Brady!

  She pulled herself awake and forced her eyes to open against the blinding headache that continued to push her down. What had happened to them? And how had they gotten here? More important, where was here? Then she remembered.

  Ethan! He’d had one of his men knock her out.

  Brady lay beside her in a blue crate. She pulled the crate closer and looked inside to check on him. He was crying and needed a dry diaper, but he seemed unharmed. She wanted to pick him up and calm him down, but getting them both out of here was her priority.

  Ethan.

  He was the one behind all of this. He’d killed Lisa and done his best to get rid of Kelly and Brady. She couldn’t let him get away with it all.

  She stumbled toward the door and tried the handle. It was locked. She pounded on it and cried out for help but heard no sounds from the other side. Either no one was close enough to hear her cries, or else they simply didn’t care. She spun around and took in their surroundings. The room was windowless, so they were trapped.

  She fell back against the concrete and pulled the crate to her. She touched Brady’s cheek and spoke softly to him to try to get him to calm down. She wanted to pick him up and hold him, but she wasn’t sure she had the strength for it. He seemed to calm as she spoke to him. He was frightened, and so was she.

  She wished someone knew where she was. She didn’t even know. If only she ha
dn’t pushed Zeke away. If only she’d told him she loved him and wanted to remain in Courtland with him. But she’d been stubborn and gullible. Why did she continue to push away the people who loved her?

  Tears slipped from her eyes and landed on Brady’s chest. She’d ruined their chances for a life with Zeke. She glanced at Brady and realized how foolish she had been. She was a mother now, and she couldn’t continue to act so irrationally.

  She gasped as the realization that she thought of herself as a mother hit her. As Brady’s mother.

  She didn’t want to lose him. She didn’t want to place him somewhere else for strangers to care for him. No one else in this world would love him the way she could. If he couldn’t have his real mom, she wanted to be the next best thing.

  She thought about Zeke again. If only she’d come to this decision before she’d been abducted. If only she’d told him she loved him and wanted to build a life with him in Courtland.

  He was a good man and would have made a good dad, and she was wrong to have kept the pregnancy and miscarriage from him. She’d focused on her own pain and sorrow and hadn’t included him. She’d been afraid he would blame her, but that shouldn’t have stopped her. He’d had a right to know.

  Sadly, she realized now that he wouldn’t have blamed her. He was a good man, and he would have been there for her during her suffering. They could have lived their grief together...if only she had allowed it.

  She rocked Brady gently. She wanted so much for this little boy. More than being made to disappear or being killed by someone who saw him as a mistake.

  God, please help us out of this mess before it’s too late.

  She might not make it out of here, but Brady had to. This child had to live.

  Her eyes began to sting, and she rubbed at them. Brady coughed, and she looked down to check on him. He was burning up. In fact, the entire room was hot.

  She sat up and noticed smoke seeping in beneath the door. Panic gripped her, and all her senses kicked in. The house was on fire. Had Ethan trapped them inside a burning house to get rid of them? Her heart fell at the idea that someone could be so evil.