by Carol Henry
“We’ll spread out from here—get another ’copter in the air. Keep the lines clear unless you find something. We’ll want to get in touch with you.”
“What about your son?” Calla asked. “Let me take him back to your parents.”
“He’s not leaving my side.”
“Is that wise? He’ll be safe with us, Mr. Logan.”
“Not gonna happen. Thanks.” He carried Kurtis to the car, buckled him in, and then drove to a fast-food joint with a drive-through and ordered a hot chocolate for Kurtis, and two large containers of hot coffee. He handed over the money, took a long swallow from one of the Styrofoam containers, and secured both cups in the holders between the front seats. He drove out of Bar Harbor, then pulled the car onto the coastal road at the foot of Acadia and hoped like hell he’d find Katie. He had to find her. He prayed she was still alive.
****
Katelyn lay dazed. What the hell just happened? And then she remembered and wanted to scream. Oh, my God! They had Kurtis. She’d failed to keep Kurtis safe from the kidnappers. If Mark didn’t hate her before, he surely would hate her now. He would never forgive her. Dammit, she’d never forgive herself.
Where were they taking him? Why? What were they going to do with him? The poor boy. He was so scared, he’d clung to her, whimpering, as they pulled him out of her arms before they tossed her from their car. She could still hear his scream as the car drove off. Hopefully Connie had seen them being shoved in the van and got word to Mark in time to alert the authorities? Whatever Mark and his team did in such cases, she prayed they were expedient. They had to find and rescue Kurtis before something awful happened to him.
Small swirling flakes twirled down on her face. She wiped the snow from her eyes, only to have a pain shoot up her left wrist—she pulled back in shock. She moved her legs in turn—they were stiff but working. Surprising, after the way she’d hit the pavement before rolling into a frozen snow bank. She prayed her wrist wasn’t broken. She propped herself into a sitting position using her right hand, caught her balance, and then stood. She dusted the snow off her jacket, and wished she had worn something warmer. She didn’t know how long she’d been lying there, but the air blowing in off the ocean was frigid. She wrapped her scarf around her head, covering her ears, and then tugged it around her neck.
Stiff, sore, cold—it took a minute to determine her location, and figure out which direction she needed to head in order to get back to Bar Harbor and Lobster Cove. She had no idea what time it was, there was no traffic, and the once clear night had become overcast and hid the moon. It was difficult to see more than two feet in front of her. Once she decided on a direction, it was vital that moving forward was better than standing still, she took a deep breath and started walking.
Her cell phone was in her purse, which had been knocked from her shoulders when she had been grabbed. It was probably still lying in the hedge covered with snow. There was no means to contact anyone for help. She prayed a car would come her way before long so she could flag it down. With the way her luck was going, everyone was still enjoying the festivities back at the gazebo unaware of the kidnapping. When the community of Lobster Cove came together for an event, everyone showed up. They were no doubt still singing Christmas carols and having a wonderful time.
Did anyone know she and Kurtis had been kidnapped? Did anyone miss them?
The further Katelyn walked, the more depressed she became. Not only was she responsible for losing Mark’s first child, she had lost his only surviving child. Unless he survived the kidnapping. She sent up a prayer as she walked along the edge of the road, asking for guidance from above to save Kurtis from this horrid ordeal.
In the distance, lights flickered on the water—hopeless, despondent, and feeling a failure, Katelyn recalled her own ordeal of losing her child, and Mark’s reaction to the news. And now Kurtis. She wanted to lie down, roll into a tight ball, and give in to the grief. But sobbing her guts out wasn’t going to save either Kurtis or herself. Freezing to death wasn’t going to solve anything, either. The few tears that did escape were like shards of ice on her cold cheeks. She tightened her scarf around her face as best she could, shoved her gloved hands in her pockets, and trudged on. Time stood still as she put one foot in front of the other. She had to keep moving. Progress was slow, labored. Her feet ached from the cold despite her warm fur-lined boots. Her teeth clattered, her whole body shivered. Katelyn tightened her clothing around her middle and blew hot air through her mouth into her icy hands. She wanted to sit down, rest for a moment.
Maybe just for a minute.
****
Had something—someone—moved up ahead?
Mark slowed, focusing on the spot where he thought he saw something dark shift alongside the road up ahead. He reduced his speed, drew closer, only to discover an area where the snowplow had pushed snow to the side, and was now covered in sand.
Nothing!
“Help me look, bud. Does this area look familiar? Did you drive along this road?”
“Don’t know,” Kurtis whimpered.
“That’s okay. We’ll find Katie, bud. Sit tight.”
It was a long shot that Kurtis had seen anything, but it was worth a try. The poor kid had been traumatized. He probably should have let his son stay behind with the authorities, but he needed to have him close, make sure he was okay. And to give Kurtis the security he needed after what he’d gone through. He couldn’t get the look of sheer relief on his son’s eyes out of his mind, when Kurtis had spotted him.
He drove on, creeping along, searching in the dark for any sign of Katie. He drove around a bend in the road, scanning the area, looking out into the coastal waters. Was he going in the wrong direction? Had the kidnappers driven along this route? Maybe he should backtrack, go off-road. He rounded another bend in the road, and slammed on the breaks, and pulled over. A lone figure stood hunched over against the cold on the side of the road. He knew in an instant it was Katie! It had to be Katie!
He did a quick check of his surroundings to make sure they hadn’t been followed, then double-checked Kurtis to make was he was secure in the back seat. He kicked up the heater on high before he exited the car on a dead run, locking the doors with the key fob. He was by her side in seconds.
“Katie. Oh my God. Are you okay? Are you hurt?” He didn’t give her time to respond, he scooped her into his arms.
He kissed her forehead, her cold cheeks, and hugged her to him. He never wanted to let go. “I thought I lost you, too.”
She came alive all at once, her eyes glazed, wide.
“Too? Oh, God. No! Kurtis? What happened? Where’s Kurtis?”
Tears trickled down her cheeks. He wiped them away with the pad of his thumbs.
“Hush. He’s okay. Kurtis is okay. He’s in the car with me. Come on, let’s get you inside where it’s warm.”
She leaned into him, he caught her. “Come on, love, let me help you to the car. You’re shivering to beat the band. You must be freezing.” He didn’t want to think about how long she’d been out in this frigid weather. Had she been knocked out when they’d thrown her from the car? Lying on the side of the road in this god-awful weather?
“I’m f-f-f-f-ine. P-p-p-p-put me down, Mark. I c-c-c-can walk.”
“I don’t think so. You can hardly talk, let alone stand up straight.”
“I can make it.”
He set her down, slowly, until her feet reached the pavement.
“Katie! Katie!” Kurtis rushed from the car, and flung his tiny body against her quivering legs.”
“Easy, bud. Katie’s a bit shaky. We need to get her to the car, and get her warm.”
“Katie, did those bad men hurt you?”
Katie disentangled her arms from around Mark, and dropped to her knees. She pulled Kurtis close. “I’m f-f-fine, honey. How about you? Did those awful men hurt you?”
“No. The police caught them and took them away. Then my daddy came. Then we came to find you.”
“We’re safe now. Let’s go home.”
Mark had all to do not to cry from relief at the sight of the two most important people in his life—safe. They were safe. His insides curled—he should never have come back to Lobster Cove and put their lives in danger. He kneeled next to them, wrapped his arms around them in a group hug.
“Back to the car, bud. I need to help Katie. Can you open the door for me?”
Mark did a quick check inside the car as Kurtis had left the door open when he got out. He wasn’t about to chastise his son for this safety violation, but they would certainly have a talk later to discuss such issues. For now, he concentrated on making sure Katie was settled in the front seat. He checked to make sure Kurtis was secure, then wrapped the seatbelt around Katie, and locked the doors.
“Mark…”
“Hush. We’ll talk later. I bought you a cup of hot coffee.” He lifted the tab back from the sealed lip and handed it to her. “It’s loaded with extra sugar. The hot liquid will warm your inner core and keep the outer cold from moving in and lowering your body temp. How are the feet? The hands?”
“The feet are cold, but okay. My wrist is a bit sore. I think I sprained it when I tried to break my fall when they threw me out of the van.” She took a sip of the coffee he handed her and held the cup between her hands. He knew the insulated cup did nothing to help warm them.
He had done a quick check when he spotted her along the road—pleased her scarf covered her ears and face. The ears were always the first to be affected by the cold. Thankfully, it didn’t look as if frostbite had set in. Mark knew the body would pull the blood back from the hands and feet to keep the core temperature elevated. The heater would take care of her feet, but she needed something for her hands. The hand warmers hunters used would be perfect, as would the lightweight, specially designed blanket he kept in the trunk for emergencies.
“We need to get you to the hospital, now, get you checked out for hypothermia. We’ll have them check your wrist, as well.”
“I’m fine. Really. Just a bit cold.”
“Don’t argue. I’ll be right back.” Mark made sure the doors were shut to keep the cold out before he rounded the car, opened the trunk, pulled out an emergency kit, grabbed what he was looking for, and then dashed back to Katie’s side.
“Here, put these inside your gloves, they’ll warm your hands faster than this heater.” He snapped the packets, then handed her one for each hand. He unfolded the blanket and wrapped it around her.
“Daddy. Look. A ’copter.”
Mark pulled out his cell phone on his way around the vehicle and stood outside the driver’s side door while he punched in a number. It only took seconds for someone to pick up on the other end.
“I’ve got her, Gerald,” he said. “We’re on the way to the hospital. Call our parents and have them meet us there. But for God’s sake make sure they know they’re both okay. I don’t want them to panic. Is everything under control at your end?”
“Roger that. Contact me the minute you get back to Lobster Cove. We’ll wrap things up here, and touch base in private later.”
“Thanks. Let the men in the helicopter know we’re okay down here.”
Mark looked up in the sky as the helicopter glided off toward Bar Harbor.
He got in the car, did a K-turn in the road, stepped on the gas, and sped toward Lobster Cove’s hospital.
Chapter Thirteen
Mark pulled the car up to the emergency entrance. A wheelchair was waiting for her as she stepped out.
“I don’t need a wheelchair. I can walk in on my own.”
“That may be, but I’d prefer you let someone take care of you—get you inside out of the cold while I park the car.”
As soon as she sat, she was whisked through the automatic glass sliding doors. She blinked, adjusting her eyes. The brightness of the stark white interior was blinding after coming in from the dark, overcast night. Mr. and Mrs. Logan swooped in, Mr. Logan lifting Kurtis into his arms. Mrs. Logan stood next to them, trembling, running her hands over her grandson’s head in soft, gentle strokes as if he would break in two. She leaned in and kissed his cheek, then the three faded to the other side of the room.
Katelyn blinked back tears, only to shed more, as her mother and father rushed to her side, tears streaming down her mother’s face, her father’s eyes bright.
“Oh, Lord, Katelyn, we were so worried.”
“I’m okay, Mom, Dad. Mark insisted I come, but I’m okay. Really.”
Her mother leaned in and had her in a tight hug, her father’s hand covered her shoulder, squeezing it gently. “My Katie-bug. Are you sure you’re okay?”
“Yes, Dad. I’m fine.”
“Everyone’s been calling. The entire town knows about the kidnapping and rescue already. They’re so concerned about you and Kurtis.”
“Nothing stays a secret for very long in Lobster Cove.”
“They’re worried about you. Linda, Helen, Calla, and even Father Zack called to see how you were doing—they wanted to make sure you and Kurtis had been rescued. Father Zack assured us God would work miracles to find you both safe.”
“Let them all know I’m going to be fine.”
“We’ll have her checked out in a jiffy,” the orderly said. “If you’ll excuse us, now, Dr. Willson is waiting for Miss Sullivan.”
Her mother clung to her hand as she was taken to a glassed-in cubicle, and only then did she let go and step back while Katelyn was transferred to an examination table. A nurse’s assistant drew the curtain closed for privacy. She heard her mother’s sob. Her own insides clenched.
“She’ll be good as new in no time, Dawn. Our baby will be okay,” her father comforted her mother.
Exhausted, Katelyn wanted to sleep forever. She lay back, shut her eyes only to have Tracy Novak, an ER nurse, wrap a blood pressure cuff on her arm.
“How you doing, Katelyn? You look like a Mack truck ran you over. How’d you get those bruises?” Tracy rubbed a newfangled thermometer across her forehead, while another medical assistant entered and covered her with a heated blanket.
“Thrown from a van. Road was pretty solid. My whole body aches, especially my wrist.” Not to mention her heart. The heated blanket was bliss.
“We’ll check it out. Make sure you’re good to go before we release you. I see Mark came to your rescue. He’s even more handsome now than he was in high school.” Tracy pasted electrode pads all over her chest for an EKG to observe her heart. She lost track of time as Tracy continued to talk and monitor everything connected to her sore body. Her mind floated back to the kidnapping—glad Kurtis was safe, her parents were there, and Mark had rescued her.
Half an hour later, Mark was by her side, waking her with a kiss.
“How are you doing?” He slipped her hand in his and squeezed it. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”
Her eyes fluttered open. She was thirsty, but managed a weak “How is Kurtis? Is he okay?”
“Yes. My parents took him home. They’ve had undercover round-the-clock security at the house since I arrived—as a precautionary measure to make sure he was safe. It was the only way I could leave his side without worrying 24/7.”
“What about when he was at daycare?”
He smiled and she had her answer. He’d had that covered, too.
“I take it you know Gerald Wolfe and Peter Gray?”
“Undercover?”
“Yep. Gerald will be moving on in six months. I’ll be taking his place.”
“So, you’ll be staying in Lobster Cove?”
“It’s where I belong. Listen, Katie, I’m really sorry about all this. I didn’t think the kidnappers would follow us to Lobster Cove. Thank God my team in Maine had everything in place and they were able to apprehend those responsible before they got very far. And thanks to Connie for alerting us so quickly that the two of you had been forcibly taken and thrown in a van.”
She squeezed his hand still holding hers.
“Are they okay—Connie and Jason?”
“Yes. The kidnappers didn’t see them. They were too busy trying to get to Kurtis.”
“I’m glad they’ll be okay.”
“I have to go to a debriefing in a few minutes, but your parents are still here and will take you home. I’ll stop by later to make sure you’re okay.”
He kissed her on the lips, which did more to warm her insides than the heated blanket. He squeezed her hand again, looked at their linked fingers for several seconds before letting go, his flushed face thoughtful. What was he thinking? Was this his way of saying goodbye? Again?
He disappeared around the curtain, the imprint of his kiss lingered in his wake.
****
Mark nodded to the guard outside the cubicle, and then approached Katelyn’s parents.
“I assured Katie you’d take her home when they discharge her.”
“Is she going to be okay?” Dawn Sullivan clutched her husband’s arm.
“Yes. They assured me she is in excellent shape. A bit bruised, a sprained wrist, but no internal bleeding, concussion, frostbite, or hypothermia. Just shaken up a bit. I can’t tell you how sorry I am she was involved.”
“It’s not your fault, son. We’re just thankful Kurtis and Katelyn are safe now. You played a big part in that. We can’t thank you enough for finding her before something bad happened.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan, you can see Katelyn now.” Tracy stuck her head outside the exam room. “We’ll be releasing her as soon as Dr. Willson signs off. It might take a while. He’s had another emergency come in.”
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to meet with the security team.” Mark nodded to the Sullivans. “I told Katie I’d stop by later to see how she’s doing.”
****
Ten minutes later, Mark met with Police Chief Johnson, Gerald Wolfe, Jake MacKenzie, Calla Hutchins, and a few others he hadn’t been introduced to, yet.
“You left Bar Harbor just in time.” Calla was the first to speak. “The yacht blew up seconds after our men backed off the vessel. One of the Coast Guards got a tip that it was ready to explode once they were out to sea. With all the commotion, I assume they decided not to wait.”
