Fatal Charm

by Aimée Thurlo

  Tony sat down next to a phone jack, then brought out a small laptop computer. “This has got an internal modem. I’m going to use your phone line for a bit.”

  “To do what?”

  “I want to know who Biddle’s been in contact with lately.”

  “How can you do that?” she asked, not even trying to hide her skepticism.

  Tony chuckled. “I have a code that will let me access the phone company’s computer using a back door, so to speak.” As Tony connected, columns of information appeared on the computer screen. “What time did you say that weird phone call came in tonight?”

  “It was around nine-thirty.”

  “Well, it wasn’t Biddle who called. Or set the fire, for that matter.”

  Amanda looked over his shoulder. “How do you know that?”

  “He was on the phone at the time. See?” He pointed to a number on the screen. “He was talking long distance for over two hours.”

  “I told you it was a waste of time. You didn’t have to check his phone records. Doing that is probably illegal anyway.”

  “Of course it is,” Tony admitted. “But I’m not in the Bureau anymore, where I have to get warrants and permission. I use any avenue I can.”

  Amanda tried to squelch her uneasiness. Tony was an impossible blend of threat and comfort, gentleness and violence. She yearned for his touch even now, though her mind fought to suppress that longing.

  She practically pushed him out the door. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”

  “If I could, I’d stay. But right now it could cause more harm than good.”

  Amanda nodded. For a moment, she pictured herself safe in his arms, greeting the new day fearlessly, secure in the promise of his love. Instead, she watched him leave.

  Amanda walked back inside, then with one last glance toward the garage, continued to her bedroom. She’d deal with that problem tomorrow. For now, she had to get some sleep.

  * * *

  MORNING CAME MUCH SOONER than she’d expected. It felt as if she’d only just closed her eyes when she heard knocking at her front door. She glanced at the clock on her nightstand. It was past eight. She’d overslept.

  Grabbing her jeans and a shirt from the floor and dressing as she went, she hurried toward the door. “Bernice?”

  She was halfway through the living room when the phone began to ring. Amanda glanced at it, then the door, then opted to answer the phone first. “Just a second,” she yelled to whoever was standing outside.

  Amanda glanced at the caller ID display, recognized the day-care number, and picked up the receiver. Bernice’s friendly voice greeted her a second later. “I brought Hope with me to the center this morning. You hadn’t called, so I figured you were sleeping late. Hope is fine, so don’t worry about anything. She’s settled in the nursery playing and has all but forgotten about last night.”

  “Thanks, Bernice. I’ll be in before long, but I’ve got to hang up now. I’ve got someone waiting at the door.”

  Amanda rushed to the door, wondering if it was the arson investigator. She opened it and saw a plainclothes policeman holding up his badge.

  “I’m Detective Sanchez, Mrs. Vila,” he said. “May I come in?”

  Amanda checked the photo ID next to his badge, then glanced at his face. Satisfied, she stepped aside and waved him in. “Can I get you a cup of coffee, Detective? I was about to make some for myself.”

  “No, thanks, Mrs. Vila.” He followed her into the kitchen and sat down at the kitchen table. “From the looks of things on your driveway, I’m guessing you had some excitement here last night.”

  “You could describe it that way.” Amanda gave him a brief accounting. “Is that why you’re here? I thought an arson investigator was supposed to come.”

  “He still might. I’m not working that angle. I came by to follow up on the phony bomb incident, but what happened here might be pertinent to my case. Do you have any idea at all who might be behind it?”

  “No. I wish I did.”

  “What does your P.I., Ramos, say, or have you told him yet?”

  “Yes, I have, but he has no leads.” Amanda noted the distaste on the detective’s face as he spoke of Tony.

  “You seem like a nice lady,” Sanchez said slowly, “and from what we’ve heard, you lead a decent, hardworking life. I hope you won’t take this wrong, but I think I should warn you. Ramos is bad news. He used to be an excellent agent, but those days are long gone. He’s more likely to break the law than he is to uphold it nowadays, and you have to be very careful he doesn’t drag you down with him. Ramos works both sides of the fence. He’s good at it, too. He can really manipulate people into doing whatever he wants. If you decide to keep on dealing with him, remember that.”

  Amanda felt a cold chill run up her spine. She looked away from the detective, hoping he wouldn’t guess how her heart had betrayed her. Finally gathering her wits, she met his gaze. “What have the police found out that can help me? Were you able to gather any evidence from the phony bomb that could lead you to a possible suspect?”

  Sanchez’s expression grew hard. “The only fingerprints we found were yours, Ramos’s and those of the child who found the athletic bag. There were none on the phony bomb. The alarm clock and the bag are both inexpensive brands carried at The Mart, which has six stores within a hundred miles of here. We haven’t given up, though.”

  “When you questioned my day-care staff, did you learn anything that might help?”

  “Do you think we should have?” he countered, eyebrows raised.

  “Don’t play games with me, Detective Sanchez. I haven’t had much sleep lately. I’m dead tired and in no mood for tricks.”

  “No, we really don’t have any leads yet. That’s why I came here. I was hoping you might have remembered or thought of something new that would help us.” Sanchez’s tone was more apologetic.

  “I suggest you join forces with the arson investigator. You may discover evidence that could help in both incidents.” Amanda heard another light rap at the door and excused herself to answer it.

  A man in a dark blue windbreaker stood at the door. He pulled a badge from his shirt pocket. “I’m Investigator Perez from the fire department.”

  “Come in.” Amanda led him to the kitchen and was about to introduce the two officers when they saved her the trouble.

  “Hey, Sanchez.” Perez greeted the detective with a handshake.

  “Morning, Perez. Looks like you and I have crossed paths again. Somebody has been doing a number on Mrs. Vila, it seems.”

  The arson investigator turned to Amanda. “I need to take a look at your garage. My investigation could take an hour or longer. I hope that won’t be a problem.”

  “Not at all.” Amanda opened the kitchen door leading into the garage. “Please tell me if you learn anything useful, gentlemen.”

  “We’ll keep you apprised,” Perez said, then he and Sanchez left to examine the scene.

  Amanda went to her study and telephoned Bernice to let her know she’d be late. “Have any personal calls come in for me?”

  “The private line on your desk hasn’t rung today. We did have two more parents come in to talk, still nervous about the phony bomb incident, but I took care of them. No other kids have been withdrawn.”

  “I really don’t know what I’d do without you. I can’t thank you enough. I should be handling all that,” Amanda said.

  “You will be soon enough,” Bernice assured her.

  It wasn’t until close to noon that the investigators left her house and Amanda was able to go to the center. After having lunch with Hope, she walked into the reception area, where Bernice was arguing with Tony. He was dressed as a maintenance man again.

  “Now what?” she demanded sharply, her attention focused directly on Tony.

  Tony started to reply, but suddenly his expression softened. “You look beat. How did it go with the arson investigator?”

  “I don’t know. They were both really closemouth
ed.”

  “Both?”

  Amanda filled Tony in while leading the way into her office. She shut the door before continuing. “The deadline for the delivery of that list the kidnappers want is almost up. Yet they haven’t called. What do you think is going on?”

  “They’ll call.” Tony rested a hip on the edge of her desk. “In the meantime, I’ve been doing some further investigating. You may be hearing from some disgruntled people, so be prepared.”

  “Like who?” Amanda said, instantly on her guard. “If you’ve made any trouble for me with the parents—”

  “No, nothing like that. I’ve been following the most likely lead. Your ex-husband.”

  “Ron?” Amanda stared at him aghast, then suddenly began to laugh. “Boy, are you barking up the wrong tree! The only thing Ron has time for is his career. He’s never behind on his child-support payments, but there’s no place in his life for me or anyone else, including Hope.”

  “I had to check him out. When women are being harassed, it almost always turns out to be someone they know. Ex-husbands and old boyfriends are at the top of the list.”

  “Did you go see him?”

  “Yeah. He threw me out and told his clerk to call the cops if I ever showed up again. Then he called Bernice and gave her a hard time. That’s what we were arguing about when you came in.”

  Amanda closed her eyes, shook her head in disbelief, then opened them again. “Your capacity to create trouble never ceases to amaze me.”

  “You’re right about him, though. He’s a money-hungry jerk. Then again, I’ve never been too crazy about lawyers on either side of the bench. It’s a holdover from my days in law enforcement.”

  “Ron has many faults, but he’s unlikely to be responsible for what’s been happening to my business or my home. He’s just not that passionate about anything.” The smoky fires mirrored in Tony’s eyes seemed to take the words right from her lips. “But, then again, passion is never enough,” she added hastily.

  “Don’t ever underestimate the power of fate, Amanda.” Tony walked to her door. “I’ll be in touch.”

  Amanda stared at the empty doorway long after Tony disappeared from her view. He was a hardened, self-possessed man with a battle-scarred spirit. Yet none of that seemed to matter when he looked at her with an intensity that made her feel as if she were the only woman in the world.

  When Bernice appeared at her door, Amanda managed a smile. “I really appreciate your holding down the fort this morning.”

  Bernice sat across from Amanda’s desk. “The more I’m around that man, the less I like him. I wish I could say the same was happening to you. Nothing good can come from your involvement with him, Amanda. He’ll just use you. In fact, it’s quite possible he’s been manipulating you all along.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He knows you’re keeping secrets, Amanda, and he wants to know what they are. You make it easy for him. Don’t you see what’s right there in front of you? All these accidents—the rock-throwing incident, the fire last night and even the bomb—nothing like that ever happened to you until Tony Ramos came into your life. Have you considered the possibility that he might be the one behind these incidents? You know he’ll use whatever he can dream up to get you to lower your guard and start depending on and confiding in him.”

  Amanda stared at Bernice. “He wouldn’t—” She clamped her mouth shut. She knew all too well that Tony was capable of anything when it came to the search for his daughter. Imagining that he could have done all those things wasn’t too far a stretch. Maybe the enemy he’d warned her about had been closer than she’d ever dreamed.

  * * *

  BY THE END OF THE DAY, the kidnappers still hadn’t called, and the tension had Amanda on edge. Anything could happen at this point.

  Bernice poked her head inside the office as Amanda was clearing her desk. “Do you want Hope to stay with me again tonight?”

  “Uh...no,” she said hesitantly. “I really need her with me, Bernice. We’ll be all right. Thanks anyway.”

  Amanda left the office quickly after that, afraid that the phone would ring and new troubles would keep her working late. The truth was that she was looking forward to a peaceful night alone with her daughter.

  When Amanda entered the nursery, Hope rushed up and gave her a hug. “Mommy, is it time to go home?”

  “Sure is.” Taking her daughter’s hand, they walked to the car.

  The drive home was blessedly uneventful. Although weary, just being with her daughter made Amanda feel refreshed. Tonight she’d fix spaghetti and bake some chocolate chip cookies, Hope’s favorite. It would be like old times for them, before all this trouble began.

  When Amanda arrived home, she was grateful to see no one was around. Maybe, just maybe, tonight would be a normal evening. As Hope went to her room to get her toys, Amanda stepped into her bedroom. She would slip into her favorite pair of jeans and an old sweatshirt and get ready for the kind of laid-back evening she enjoyed the most.

  As Amanda bent down to open the dresser drawer, she noticed an empty spot on the dresser corner. The small, framed snapshot taken of Hope and her on the shore of Cochiti Lake was missing.

  She glanced all around the base of the dresser, thinking she might have knocked the picture onto the carpet. After a fruitless search, she sat on the edge of the bed, fighting to hold back tears of anger and dismay. Nothing else seemed to have been disturbed, but the photo was definitely gone. Someone had been in her bedroom—someone intent on stealing memories and a priceless piece of her life.

  Chapter Nine

  After making sure the windows were still securely locked, Amanda walked to the kitchen, trying to figure out where she could turn for help. The police would probably do little more than file a report. Tony was in a better position to do something, since he knew about the kidnappers, but if Bernice’s theory was valid, it was possible he was behind the theft in the first place.

  Unable to come up with any clear answers, Amanda decided to wait. The doors were locked, and for now at least, she knew she and Hope were safe.

  It wasn’t until after she put Hope to bed that she decided to call Tony, bring up what had happened, and see what his reaction would be. Just as she reached for the phone, it rang. On the display screen, Amanda saw the now-familiar phrase signifying that the caller had had the number blocked. Braced for trouble, she picked up the receiver. Hearing the electronic voice greeting her was like having someone press an ice cube to the small of her back.

  “I’m ready to give you instructions for the drop. I’ll only say it once. I want you to come to the Plaza del Sol Cinema at 6:00 p.m. tomorrow and watch the new science-fiction movie. Carry the envelope with the information we asked for in a shopping bag. You’ll be contacted there. And one more thing.”

  “Yes?” Something about the sound of the woman’s voice and the pause in instructions, which Amanda knew had been for dramatic effect, made her skin crawl.

  “Have your daughter carry the shopping bag.”

  “Bring Hope? Absolutely—”

  “How wonderful!” the caller said, deliberately interrupting her. “I knew we wouldn’t have any trouble. You wouldn’t want Ramos to lose his child forever or harm your own so very pleasant little family.”

  Before Amanda could respond, she heard the dial tone.

  Her hands were shaking as she hung up. It wasn’t a fair request. She couldn’t drag her daughter into this. If the kidnappers wanted the information badly enough, they’d accept a change of plans.

  She dialed Tony’s number. The second she heard his voice, she blurted out the story including the part about the missing photo. “I won’t take her. No way. It’s time we made a few demands of our own.”

  “I’m coming over now. I have to hear that tape. Afterward, we’ll work out the logistics.”

  “There’s nothing to work out. I’ll take the information to them. I’m not having my daughter in any part of this.”

  �
��Okay. Fair enough, but we need to plan this very carefully. I’m going to talk to Raymond and ask for his help. Then we’ll decide on the best way to handle this.”

  Amanda replaced the receiver, then stared at the phone, lost in thought. Her worst nightmare had come true. The kidnappers were asking her to put her child in jeopardy in order to save another.

  Thirty minutes later, Tony arrived, accompanied by Raymond. They quickly drove inside Amanda’s garage and she shut the door behind them. Raymond’s face was somber as he took in the remnants of the fire.

  “I haven’t had time to clean up in here,” she admitted.

  Raymond nodded. “I heard about the fire from Tony, and also about this demand for another drop. My old partner has been doing a tap dance every time I ask him what information is being passed to these people, but, for the record, if they want a kid involved, it’s time to call in the cavalry. We should have a tactical team ready and give them one helluva surprise.”

  “Raymond and I have already had a heated discussion over this,” Tony said, glancing at Amanda as they walked through the kitchen and on into the living room. “The kidnappers asked for Hope to come along with you just as insurance. No way they’ll harm a kid with all those witnesses around. Besides, they know I’ll be there to make sure nobody gets near Hope.”

  He was making sense, yet in Amanda’s heart only one emotion ruled—fear. “I’m not bringing her, nor any other child.”

  “They won’t hurt Hope, Amanda, believe me. It’s just their way of insuring that there’ll be no gunfire or double cross,” Tony said. “All you have to do is have Hope set the shopping bag down where they tell you and then walk away as quickly as possible.”

  Raymond gave Amanda a level look. “Their target isn’t your daughter, but it’s foolish to deny that there’s a risk involved.”

  “We’ll both be right there alongside Hope,” Tony insisted. “We’d put a stop to any trouble in a flash.”

  Amanda’s thoughts raced. If she didn’t comply, the kidnappers would retaliate against her. So really, the best way she had of keeping Hope safe was to do as they asked. “All right. Hope will go with me under one condition. I want you both so close you’ll hear our hearts beating.”