by Karen Leabo
“We’ll find her,” Caro soothed.
“But I don’t even know if I can show you where it is. It’s about a zillion miles into the woods, and I’m not even sure what direction. I’ve been walking all night and I twisted my knee....” She began crying in earnest.
Caro held the girl while she sobbed, but the storm of tears didn’t last long. She quickly pulled herself together. “Maybe...maybe if we go back to the home and start from there, I can find the shack again.”
Terrific, Austin thought. Now they were probably going to have to deliver a baby. He hauled a surprisingly meek Henry to his feet. “You’re not going anywhere except a hospital,” Austin said to Amanda. And maybe, once he got there, he could convince Caro to accept treatment. “Don’t worry, we’ll take care of Terri.”
“But I’m the only one who can find her,” Amanda pointed out. “These woods are huge. You could walk in circles for days.”
“She has a point,” Caro said.
“Okay, okay.” He wasn’t going to argue with these two. Together they had more grit than a barracks full of marines. They’d reached the road. Austin opened the Bronco’s back door and deposited Henry inside. “You’re gonna behave, right?”
Henry nodded, completely subdued. The bloodhound, watching from its vantage point in the truck, whined in confusion but didn’t move.
Without being asked, Caro climbed in beside the prisoner. He wouldn’t dare misbehave within her reach.
Austin started to shut the door, then thought of something. “Hey, Henry, do you know where this shack is?”
“Yeah,” he said sullenly.
“Can you take us there?”
“Why should I?”
Amanda, who’d been keeping a safe distance between herself and the prisoner, moved closer. “For the baby, Henry. It could die if we don’t get it to a hospital.”
He was immediately contrite. “All right, for the baby.”
* * *
The pain was more manageable now. Caro had found her purse in the back of Odell’s Suburban. In the absence of large quantities of morphine, which was what she really wanted, she’d made do with aspirin. But that and all the adrenaline flowing through her system had at least dulled the agony of her burned hands to something she could function around, although an occasional wave sometimes hit her.
Sitting in the back seat of Austin’s Bronco, she kept a wary eye on Henry, who blubbered occasionally and talked strings of nonsense to himself but otherwise appeared to be little threat. His grip on reality was tenuous at best. If he really did murder someone, he probably would never be convicted. She listened as Austin updated the sheriff via radio and called for backup and an ambulance to converge at the Beaman home.
“What about Phoebe?” Henry suddenly asked.
“Phoebe?” Was there another player in this drama that they didn’t know about?
“His dog,” Amanda supplied.
“Oh, the one guarding your truck,” said Caro. “She’ll be okay. We’ll send someone to pick up the dog and the truck.” Taking advantage of his momentary lucidity, she added, “You don’t by chance know where your aunt is, do you?”
He shook his head. “She left this morning. Haven’t seen her.” He paused, his face screwed up in concentration. “She’s gonna be mad at me.”
Not half as mad as I am, Caro thought. After seeing the hulk nearly squeeze the life out of Amanda, she was fighting mad. It had felt good to kick him in the knees. She enjoyed seeing him handcuffed, defeated. And yet...she felt sorry for him, too. Yes, an unmistakable grain of compassion clouded her thinking. Her first instinct was to push that softness aside. Cops didn’t feel sorry for criminals. Or did they? Was compassion a weakness, or was it something she’d been missing, an essential part of her humanness that gave her some much-needed balance?
If she were called on to interrogate Henry, could she do it? Could she wrench a confession out of him? A few weeks ago, her answer would have been a resounding no. He reminded her too much of Charlie Northcutt. But she hadn’t felt sorry for Charlie, not until he was dead.
They had arrived back at the Good Shepherd Home, which was now crawling with uniforms and swathed with yellow crime-scene tape. The ambulance had not yet arrived. A young-looking deputy, full of officiousness, directed Austin to park outside the gate along the narrow dirt drive. This was probably the biggest thing ever to happen to these small-town cops, and they were reveling in it. Caro could only hope they weren’t destroying evidence with all their tromping around.
The eager-beaver deputy rushed up to the Bronco as soon as he realized who was inside. He opened Caro’s and Amanda’s doors. “You want I should take Henry here down to the judge and magistrate him?” he asked.
This case was going to be a jurisdictional nightmare, Caro thought. “Not just yet,” she replied. “We still need him for something. Has there been any sign of Odell?”
“Nothing. Sheriff Fowles thinks she might have hitched a ride out of the area.”
Caro hoped not. Finding Amanda alive and well was sweet success. Breaking up Odell’s operation was an added bonus. But Caro would feel cheated if she didn’t bring Odell to justice.
Austin opened Henry’s door. “Okay, big guy, lead the way,” he said.
Henry appeared confused.
“You were going to help us find the shack where the baby is, remember?” Amanda added. She got out of the truck and walked around to where Austin was assisting Henry to his feet. “Terri and I went under the fence behind that building over there, and we headed straight that way.” She pointed due east. “Then Terri went into labor. We didn’t go very far before we found the shack. It can’t be more than a mile or two.”
“Half a mile,” Henry corrected her, finally comprehending. “Straight that way. Can I get something to eat?” He nodded toward the house. “It’s past lunchtime, and I didn’t even eat breakfast.”
“This nice deputy will get you something, right, uh...” Caro looked at his name tag. “Right, Eddie?”
“Sure thing. Hey, you should see a doctor about those burns. How’d that happen, anyway?”
She self-consciously put her hands behind her. “Later. Take good care of our prisoner, please,” she said crisply. “I want everything done by the book. You understand what I’m saying?”
“Yes, ma’am. Sheriff Fowles wouldn’t stand for anything less.”
She nodded, somewhat reassured.
“Can we go now, please?” Amanda implored.
“We should wait for the paramedics,” Caro argued sensibly.
“To hell with that,” Austin said. “I can carry the girl back here. I just want to find her.”
“Okay,” Caro agreed. “Let’s go.”
Amanda walked ahead of them, limping slightly on her injured knee. The woods were thicker here, the underbrush knee-high. Caro wondered how those two girls had made any progress in the dark last night.
“Look,” Amanda said excitedly, “you can see where we walked last night, where the plants are beaten down. There’s sort of a trail.”
“Great, that should take us right to her,” Austin said, leading the way.
Caro brought up the rear of the little procession, wondering what they would find. She hoped for Amanda’s sake that Terri and the baby were all right. Caro could tell that Amanda felt responsible for Terri’s predicament, and the girl would take it hard if any harm had befallen her friend.
They’d been trudging for about fifteen minutes when Austin stopped abruptly. “There, is that it?” he asked Amanda in a hushed voice, pointing ahead.
Caro squinted in the direction he pointed. Sure enough, there was a structure of some sort in the distance.
“I never saw it in daylight,” Amanda said, “but that must be it.” She quickened her pace. A few moments later she stopped cold. “Oh, my God.”
Austin and Caro stopped, too. “What?” they asked in unison.
“The dog.”
Caro squinted again, wondering if sh
e needed glasses. Sure enough there was a big German shepherd sitting in front of the broken-down shack.
“What about it?” Austin asked.
“That’s Bella. Odell’s dog. Either Bella followed us here last night or...Odell is in there with Terri.”
Chapter 19
This was one complication Austin hadn’t counted on. People with guns and ill intent he could handle. A snarling animal that couldn’t be reasoned with was something else again.
“You,” he said to Amanda, “go back and get us some help. Talk to Sheriff Fowles directly,” he added, fearing what some of those yo-yo’s posing as deputies would do without supervision. “And bring the paramedics and a stretcher. The ambulance is probably there by now.”
Amanda’s chin jutted out. “Terri’s in there, and I’m not leaving until she’s safe. I can help you—”
“That is not an option.”
“What are you going to do about Bella?” Amanda asked, obviously trying to distract him.
Good question. The minute the dog had caught their scent it pricked up its ears and bared its teeth. “I’ll shoot the damn dog,” he said rashly.
“No,” both women objected.
“Shh! Keep it down.”
“If you discharge your gun, you’ll warn Odell we’re here,” Caro pointed out. “We want to take her by surprise.”
True enough, he conceded with a nod.
“It’s too bad we don’t have any food,” Amanda whispered. “Bella can be bribed.”
“Who says we don’t have food?” Austin rummaged around in his jacket and came up with the Twinkie he’d pocketed that morning, a lifetime ago. “Will this work?”
Caro stared in blatant amazement, murmuring, “I’ll never criticize your eating habits again.”
Amanda nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah, Bella will eat anything. Hand it over.”
“Uh-uh.” Austin pointed in the direction they’d just come. “Go.”
“Bella knows me,” Amanda reasoned. “I can distract her while—”
“Absolutely not. Caro, take Amanda back to the house.”
Amanda looked at Caro and, seeing no support from that quarter, slumped in defeat. “All right, I’m going,” Amanda said. “And I don’t need an escort. Just be careful. Please don’t let anything happen to Terri.”
That’s all Austin needed, an eighteen-year-old telling him how to do his job. He forced himself to be patient with her and try to allay her fears. She’d been through a lot. “We’ll do our very best.”
When she’d gone, he turned to Caro. “Do we go, or wait for backup?”
“I say we go. If fifteen people try to take this place with a siege, we lose the element of surprise. You bribe the dog. I’ll sneak up and take Odell. Shouldn’t be too difficult. If she’s busy delivering a baby, she won’t be toting around her gun.”
“You’re gonna take her with that peashooter?” He nodded derisively toward the little stainless-steel gun she’d pulled from her boot.
“Okay, then I’ll distract the dog—”
“Nah, I’ll do it.” Austin figured Caro didn’t need dog bites on top of her other injuries, and she’d already proved to his satisfaction that she knew how to sneak up on someone. Her performance with Henry had been stellar.
The shepherd had drawn closer. Thankfully it wasn’t barking. Austin quickly unwrapped the Twinkie and held it toward the animal. “Nice Bella. Good dog. Pretty dog.” He’d always had a way with dogs. He hoped this one wouldn’t prove to be the exception. He didn’t really want to harm the animal.
Bella immediately stopped growling and came closer still, sniffing furiously. Austin broke off a piece of the cake and offered it to her, watching from the corner of his eye as Caro slipped toward the shack, slinking low up to the boarded-up window and peeking in between the planks. She looked back at him, signaled him that she was okay, then moved toward the doorway.
It didn’t take long for Bella to demolish the Twinkie. Austin managed to scratch her behind the ears as he crooned reassuringly to her. By the time the dog had licked Austin’s fingers, she was wagging her tail.
“Some watchdog you are,” he murmured. “Want to go for a walk? You do?” He had no intention of letting Caro handle Odell by herself. He walked slowly toward the house, the dog at his heels, then cut around to the opposite side. Capable as Caro was, he wouldn’t leave anything to chance.
* * *
As she cuddled the squalling infant, Odell felt a glow of accomplishment, almost as if she’d given birth to the child herself. She had saved the life of this baby girl, saved her from the abortionist’s knife. She was large and healthy, and Odell could only hope the deplorable conditions of her birth wouldn’t leave any lasting effects. There had been no time to take Terri outside for the birth. The baby made its appearance within seconds of Odell’s arrival, and Odell’s part in the delivery had been reduced to catching the infant as it came out, then tying and cutting the cord with an unsterilized pocket knife. It would be a miracle if the child escaped without an infection, but at least there had been no serious complications so far.
Odell had wrapped the baby in Terri’s sweatshirt. Terri, who had managed to wiggle back into her clothes, wrapped her wretched blanket around her shoulders and watched Odell anxiously.
“Can I hold her now?” she asked Odell.
Odell looked up. “That’s not a good idea, dear. You don’t want to get too attached to her.”
“Why in the hell not?”
Odell cast her eyes heavenward. “Please, your language. It will be that much harder when you have to give her over to her new parents. The couple I’ve selected are so excited—”
“I’m not giving her up,” Terri said. “I’m keeping her.”
“Now, Terri, you know that would be foolish. You can’t even provide for yourself, much less a helpless baby. If you really care for the child, you’ll want what’s best for her. Anyway, you don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“Like hell! You might have taken the other girls’ babies away from them, but not mine. It’s over, Odell, can’t you see that?”
“It’s not over yet,” Odell said harshly.
“Amanda will bring the cops—”
“Then why hasn’t she? Why hasn’t anyone come to rescue you, hmm? I still have hope. If Henry stopped her before she could tell anyone, we’re still in business.”
“Henry’s the one who helped us escape,” Terri said defiantly.
Odell shook her head. “That might have been his original intention, but I think he changed his mind. He wasn’t at the home when I got there, and he took Phoebe with him—and his gun.”
That silenced the chit.
Lord, she hoped she was right about Henry. That was another problem. She’d given him far too much trust, and he’d betrayed her—after all she’d done for him. She’d taken him in when his own parents had become afraid of him; she’d counseled him and tutored him, took him to church, taught him how to cook and wash so he could take care of himself when he no longer had her. He worshipped her, and it seemed inconceivable that he would defy or deceive her. But apparently he had.
What a burden her life had become. But this—this new life in her arms—made everything worthwhile.
“What are you going to do with me, now that I’ve had the baby?” Terri asked. “Are you going to drug me and dump me—” The words caught in her throat. She looked past Odell toward a boarded-up window.
Odell turned to look, too. One of the boards hung loose, letting in a stream of light. But she saw nothing there out of the ordinary. She returned her attention to Terri. “I’m not sure what I’ll do with you,” Odell said earnestly. “You and Amanda know the name of the town we’re near, thanks to Henry’s big mouth. I can’t just release you.”
“I won’t tell,” Terri said. Her eyes darted to the window again.
Odell laughed without humor. “You would go right to the police and you know it.”
“She won’t have to.
” A stranger burst into the shack, gun drawn and pointing straight at Odell—and straight at the baby.
Terri screamed.
Odell stared in disbelief as she backed up against a wall, holding the baby closer against her chest with hands still bloodied from the delivery. Staring at the intruder, Odell realized she wasn’t a stranger after all. “Marie?” Odell asked in a shaky voice.
“Detective Corporal Carolyn Triece, Dallas Police Department. You’re under arrest.”
Odell looked quickly from side to side.
“Don’t even think about it,” the woman said. “My partner is at the window behind you. There’s no escape. I want you to slowly give the baby to Terri over there, then put your hands in the air.”
Odell felt a rush of desperation welling up inside her. Now she knew what an animal felt like when it had been cornered by a hunter. Her whole world was crumbling. “No, I won’t do it,” she said, scarcely breathing the words.
“You have no choice,” a man’s voice chimed in. He’d entered from the other side of the shack, gun drawn. Bella had followed him.
My God, even her dog had betrayed her, Odell thought. But she wasn’t finished. No, not by a long shot. She held the trump card. She held the baby. No cop would shoot a woman holding an infant.
“Of course I have a choice,” Odell said, growing more sure of herself. “As long as I’m holding the baby, you can’t do anything.”
“Oh, yeah?” the man said. He stuck his gun in a holster under his arm and took two threatening steps toward Odell.
The moment he moved, she shifted the baby into the crook of her left arm, revealing the .38 she’d slipped out of her jacket pocket. “Stop right there. I’ll kill you.”
The man froze.
“Or her.” Odell nodded toward Terri. “Or the baby,” she added recklessly. She had the power. God would protect her, as He always had. “I’m walking away from all of you right now, and you can’t stop me. You can’t!”
“There’s nothing for you to go back to,” the lady cop said confidently. “Your home is crawling with police officers. Your nephew is in custody, soon to be charged with murder.”
That little bombshell threw Odell. “Murder? If this is about Marcy Phelps—”
