by Tori Scott
There was only one room to check. Rand had already looked in the kitchen, but Maddie wandered in there anyway, though she couldn't imagine why anything there would be missing. People who left televisions and computers untouched weren't too likely to steal the cheap silverware she'd purchased.
The first thing she noticed when she stepped through the door was a rose on the countertop. Not a long-stemmed, florist-style rose, but one that looked as though it had been cut from the bush in the back yard. She smiled at the thought of Brandy doing something so sweet and picked up the rose, lifting it to her nose to smell its sweet scent. When one of the thorns pierced her finger, she yelped and automatically stuck her finger in her mouth. Seconds later she started to feel weak, and her limbs grew heavy. She swayed on her feet and grabbed onto the counter for support. Then everything went black.
***
Rand saw her as soon as he stepped into the kitchen. Maddie lay crumpled on the floor by the bar, her skin as pale as the white linoleum tile beneath her head. "Maddie!"
She didn't move or open her eyes. What the hell had happened in the two minutes she'd been out of his sight? There's been no one else in the house. He'd stake his life on it.
Cody skidded into the room. "What happened?"
"I have no idea. Call an ambulance." Rand barked out the order as he checked for a pulse. Then he checked for injuries or wounds, but found none. That was strange. Maybe she’d just fainted. But that didn’t sit right with his gut. Her skin was clammy, her breathing labored.
It was when he picked up her hand that he noticed the puncture wound on her finger. He wouldn’t have paid any attention to it under normal circumstances, but the angry red mark put his hackles up once again. Scanning the area, he noticed the rose on the counter. "Son of a bitch. He got to her again. I'm going to kill this guy when we catch him. There won't be any need for a trial."
The ambulance pulled up out front and the paramedics quickly assessed the situation, started an IV, and loaded Maddie onto a stretcher. "I'm going with her," Rand said. "Cody, go pick up Brandy and bring her to the hospital"
"Which one?"
"Mother Francis. They have the trauma center and we have no idea what we're dealing with." He carefully picked up the rose using a pot holder to protect his hands and dropped it into a paper bag he found under the sink. "Send this to forensics and tell them we need to know what's on it ASAP."
***
When Cody got back to the station, Linda was frantically searching the offices. "Brandy's gone. Did she go with you?"
"No. Oh shit. Rand's going to be fit to be tied. We left her here, in your office. When did you notice she was gone?"
"Just a few minutes ago. She asked if she could have a soft drink, so I left her in here while I went to the break room. I wasn't gone more than a couple of minutes. She has to be here somewhere."
"Did she somehow hear about what happened to her mother? Maybe she talked one of the other deputies into giving her a ride to the hospital." Cody raced from room to room, Linda right behind him, but there was no sign of Brandy. They checked with every clerk, secretary, and deputy, searched every bathroom, and closet, and even the jail. No one had seen her.
"I'm calling Rand. He'll know what to do." Linda dialed Rand's number, braced for the explosion she knew would come when he found out she'd lost Brandy.
But although his voice shook, he remained calm. "Start making calls to everyone you can think of. Tell them Brandy's missing and that we're looking for Aaron Myers in connection with her disappearance. "
"Aaron, boss? Are you sure? He hasn't been back to Greendale in years. What would he want with Brandy?"
"I'll explain later, but yes, I'm sure. But first, call Detective Thacker. Tell him what's happened and ask him to contact the FBI. And call the highway patrol. And put out an Amber alert."
"Don't we need a vehicle description or license plate number for that?" Linda wrote notes to herself, with Cody looking over her shoulder and already calling the highway patrol.
"Technically, but since we have reason to believe her life is in danger, they'll do it. You got all that?"
"Yes sir. We'll get right on it. How's Maddie?" Linda felt awful. She should have made Brandy go to the break room with her, but she'd been typing so intently on the laptop since Rand and Maddie had left that she didn't think the girl would even notice she was gone.
"I don't know. She's not conscious and we don't know what we're dealing with. Some kind of drug or poison, but no idea what kind. I'll let you know when I find out more. Call me if you hear anything about Brandy. Please. I don't want to lose my daughter now that I've found her."
Well, at least he finally knew Brandy was his. Linda had known the moment she first saw her, but it wasn't her place to tell him. She just prayed they could find Brandy before something really awful happened.
She couldn't get over Aaron Myers as a suspect. She remembered him as an awkward child, a social misfit in high school, but she'd never heard a word about him after he left Greendale. Doc never mentioned him unless someone asked about him, and then he always said that Aaron had chosen to remain up north where he had a thriving practice and was just too busy to visit.
So, was Aaron really a successful doctor, or had Doc been lying all these years? As soon as she'd finished making the calls Rand had requested, Linda headed for her computer to see what she could find out about the elusive Aaron Myers.
***
Rand paced the emergency waiting room, too wound up to sit for more than a minute or two. Worried about Maddie, frantic to get out and find his daughter but stuck at the hospital until Maddie was out of danger, he used his time to make phone call after phone call. Every law enforcement agency in the area had been alerted, the churches in Greendale were calling every member of their congregations, BOLOs were posted in a three state area. There was nothing more he could do besides get out there and start looking himself.
He still couldn't believe how much his life had changed in just a few days. Maddie was back, he had a daughter, and some psychopath was after them both. It had to be Aaron. There were just too many coincidences, it all came together when he put what Maddie had told him together with her father's insistence that he was innocent, that Rand's parents were already dead when he got there. And all these years, Doc had covered it up. There was no other explanation. Doc had known the truth but had chosen to protect his son.
He made one more phone call. "Cody, find Doc Myers and bring him in for questioning. And whatever you do, don't let him leave before I get back." He cut the call short when the desk clerk motioned him over.
"The doctor would like to talk to you. Down the hall, third door on the left."
To his relief, the doctor was smiling.
"How is she?"
"She's going to be fine. We don't know what it was, but she woke up on her own with nothing more than a headache. We'll watch her for a while to make sure there are no lasting effects, but she should be able to go home in a couple of hours."
"Thank God. Can I see her?"
"Sure. She's in room 3." The doctor shook his hand and left. Rand found the room, but paused outside the door. Should he tell her about Brandy's disappearance? Would it cause a setback? But if he didn't tell her, she'd never forgive him. He took a deep breath and opened the door, already dreading having to tell her that once again he'd failed her.
***
Maddie knew something was terribly wrong as soon as Rand stepped through the door. She'd never seen him look so unsure of himself before. Was he worried about her, or…
"Has something happened?"
He stood there, twisting his hat in his hands, not meeting her gaze. "I'm sorry Maddie. I was supposed to protect you. I was supposed to protect you both. But I failed. Failed you, Brandy, the whole damned town."
She struggled to sit up, but her limbs felt like spaghetti. She gave up, hating the vulnerable position she was in. "What about Brandy? Where is she? God, Rand, tell me what's going on."
<
br /> He finally looked up. "She's disappeared, Maddie. Right out from under the noses of everyone at the station."
"No! Rand, please, not my baby!" Brandy would never have left on her own. She knew how dangerous it was for her to be alone. That bastard had her. Maddie shoved the covers back and tried once again to sit up. Rand was at her side in an instant, helping her. "We have to go find her, Rand. Help me get up. Find my shoes."
He shook his head. "The doctor wants to keep you for a few hours, make sure you're okay. I have everyone in the county looking for her. Hell, everyone in the state. They'll find her."
"I'm not lying in this bed while my daughter's missing. If you won't get me out of here, I'll find someone who will!"
"I have a deputy on his way here to stay with you, then I'm going to find Brandy. You won't do her any good if you get sick again. The doctors don't even know yet what made you pass out. Let them do their job, and I'll go do mine." Rand straightened his shoulders, seeming to find resolve from somewhere deep inside. "I'll bring our daughter home safely, Maddie. I promise."
He left, not giving Maddie another chance to argue. Fine, she'd call Ellie and by the time she got to the hospital, Maddie would be strong enough to leave. She hoped. But there was no way she'd lay there with her daughter in danger, no matter what Rand said.
Five minutes later a deputy opened the door and introduced himself, letting Maddie know he'd be right outside the door if she needed anything. She couldn't see his face, didn't know if it was one of the deputies she'd already met. Could she talk him into helping her escape?
No, if he was one of Rand's men, he'd follow orders to the letter.
Damn. How was she supposed to escape from the hospital and the bodyguard?
***
Rand walked into the station to find it packed with people. Gertie, Andy Biggs, Jeb Hawkins. Marcus Daly, Millie Landers and Jenny Wright. Even Nancy was there. What seemed like half the congregation from the Methodist church, along with their pastor. Every member of the city council. Some faces looked concerned, others angry. A newspaper reporter he'd known his entire life shoved a microphone in his face and asked, "What do you think about the City Council's petition for your recall, Sheriff? Is this connected with the arrest of Doctor Myers? Just exactly what are the charges against the doctor?"
Rand shoved the microphone away. "Damn it, Shawn. This isn't television news, for Pete's sake. Give me a minute to sort out what's going on."
Linda grabbed his arm and tugged him through the crowd to his office, shutting the door behind him. "Sorry about that, boss. I couldn't get them to leave. They've been bickering out there for an hour."
Rand hung his hat on the coat rack and picked up his messages, sorting them into order by importance. "What's all this about a recall? I thought we put an end to that nonsense?"
"It's Doc. The Council is upset, but what they don't realize is that they have no power here. You're elected by the county, not the city, so just ignore them for now. Cody has something to show you. He's on his way now."
While they waited for Cody to arrive, Linda caught him up on who had been called, which law enforcement agency was doing what, and what the townspeople had been told. He made phone calls to Detective Thacker, the Smith County sheriff, and the FBI. Satisfied that everything possible was being done to find Brandy, he sighed and leaned back in his chair.
The door opened and Cody stepped inside, carrying Brandy's laptop. "You need to see this, sheriff." He set the laptop on Rand's desk, typed a few words on the keyboard, then spun it around "Brandy's been chatting with some guy named Sam. She was talking to him online right before she disappeared, and she told him where she was."
Rand leaned forward to read the chat log. "Who the hell is Sam?"
"I've been reading their exchanges, and she's been talking to him for about six months. He seems awfully interested in anything she said about Maddie, so I'm guessing Sam is really Aaron Myers. He was posing as a teenage boy to gain her trust." Cody handed Rand a stack of papers. "I printed it all out for you."
Rand glanced through the pages, but he didn't have time to read it all right now. He handed them to Linda. "Go through these with a fine tooth comb and see if there's anything in there we can use. I'm going to go talk to Doc." He grabbed his hat and shoved it onto his head. "Nice work."
***
Maddie managed to get herself dressed and forced herself to walk around the small room until she felt like she could stay on her feet without falling. Where was Ellie? She glanced at her watch and saw that it would take her friend at least another fifteen minutes to get there.
There was a knock on the door, and the deputy opened it just enough to say, "Rand called and said to bring you back to the station. They've found Brandy. She's okay."
Maddie let out a small cry. "Oh, thank God!" She followed him out the door, forgetting all about Ellie.
When the nurse tried to stop them, Maddie signed herself out against medical advice while the deputy stared out the window. He was a strange one, Maddie thought. Hadn't said a word to her since he told her about Brandy. He'd stood with his back to her, hat pulled low, until he'd mumbled something about bringing the cruiser around. Most of the deputies she'd met had been more like Cody, friendly and outgoing. Maybe it was the stress of knowing a child had been missing, or maybe he wanted to be out there, looking for a serial killer instead of babysitting her.
She rode in the back seat, feeling like a criminal with the barrier between her and the deputy. But he'd told her it would be best in case she needed to lie down. She didn't, but she did close her eyes against the bright sun that seemed to make her headache worse. It would take them nearly an hour to get back to Greendale. She desperately wished she had her cell phone so she could call Brandy, hear for herself that she was okay. She thought about asking the deputy, but he never turned around, his attention concentrated on his driving.
When the road got rough, she opened her eyes. Where were they? There weren't any dirt roads between Tyler and Greendale, at least not any that they needed to travel. "Hey, where are we going?" she demanded. "I thought you were taking me to the station?"
The deputy glanced in the rearview mirror, and their eyes met. That's when she knew. He wasn't one of Rand's deputies.
He was Aaron Myers. And she'd stupidly played right into his hands.
***
Brandy struggled to loosen the duct tape binding her wrists and ankles to the chair, but so far all she'd managed to do was rub her skin raw. How could she have been so stupid? She'd thought Sam was her friend, but he'd only been using her to keep tabs on her mother. Now he was going after her mom, and it was all her fault.
Tears streaked her cheeks, tickling her skin, and she couldn't wipe them away. Her nose dripped, too, driving her crazy. But the worst part was the tape over her mouth. With her nose all stuffy, she couldn't breathe. She had to stop crying or she would suffocate--her worst nightmare.
She'd already checked the cabin, as much of it as she could see from her perch in the middle of the room, anyway. There was nothing she could use to cut the tape, even if she could reach it. The old cabin held only a mattress, an old television, a rickety table shoved against one wall, and pegs on the wall that held a few items of clothing. How did the man eat? There was no kitchen, no microwave, no knives that she could see. A knife would be good.
She tried rocking the chair to see if she could move it, but nothing happened. It felt like it was nailed to the floor. He'd thought of everything, it seemed.
Where was her dad? He said he'd protect them.
And he would have, if she'd stayed put like he said. But when Sam or whatever his name was told her what had happened to her mom and offered to come get her and take her to the hospital, she hadn't thought twice. She'd snuck outside when Linda left the room and ran to where Sam waited. She didn't realize her mistake until a man her mother's age stepped out of the car instead of the boy she was expecting. And by then, it was too late. He'd slapped a piece of t
ape over her mouth and tossed her into the back seat, ordering her to lie down.
She wouldn't have, if he hadn't said he'd kill her mom if she didn't do what he said. But now she was pretty sure he was going to kill her mom anyway. And her, too.
Dad, please! You have to find us. Hurry!
***
Rand closed the door to the interrogation room behind him and stood for a moment, staring at the man he'd known since he was born, a man he'd respected but now despised. While Doc hadn't personally killed his parents, he'd protected the man who did and let an innocent man go to jail. And possibly ended that man's life. How had it come to this?
He swung a chair around, straddling it. "Doc, have you been read your rights?"
Doc glared at him and nodded.
"I need you to verbally acknowledge that, Doc. We're recording this session. Now, have you been read your rights?"
"You know damned well I have."
"Okay," Rand continued. "Then you know you have a right to have a lawyer present during questioning."
"Don't need a damned lawyer. I haven't done anything."
"Okay, fine. Then why don't you tell me where Aaron is?
"He's up north, you know that. Got a practice in New York City."
Rand sighed. "You know that's not true, and so do we. He's been nearby all these years, hasn't he, Doc? He's the one who killed my parents, and you covered it up."
Doc shook his head and hunched his shoulders, seeming to draw in on himself.
Rand slammed his palm on the table, making Doc jump." Godammit, for once in your miserable life, tell the truth! That sonofabitch has my daughter!"
That got a reaction, but Doc said nothing. His eyes showed his fear, but his lips pressed together and remained stubbornly closed.
"Why are you protecting him? He's a sociopath and you damned well know it! He's killed eleven women so far, and now he wants Maddie. If he can't get to her, he'll kill Brandy. You know he will."
