Looking for Lainey - A gripping psychological thriller

by Kristen Middleton

  As they followed Dan over to the water-heaters, Carissa tried getting a read on Bernie. She couldn’t come up with much, especially since he was so absorbed in what he was doing. She looked at the clock and knew there wasn’t much time to waste. She needed to get closer to him.

  “I’ll be right back,” she said to Dustin and Dan, who were already talking appliances.

  Dustin nodded.

  Carissa strolled back over to Bernie. “You know, you look really familiar,” she said, tapping her chin.

  He looked up from his paperwork. “Oh?”

  “Yeah. I just can’t place it.”

  “Maybe you’ve seen me on television?” he asked, looking amused. “We had a commercial at the end of the summer.”

  She reached out and touched his hand. “You know what? That just might be it. I usually never forget a face.”

  “Especially an ugly mug like mine,” he joked, a twinkle in his eyes.

  “Nonsense. You’re not ugly and your wife would slap you silly if she heard you talking like that,” she chided, removing her hand. “Her name is Wanda, isn’t it?”

  He stared at her in surprise. “Why yes. Yes it is. How did you know?”

  She smiled. There wasn’t anything creepy or evil about Bernie, as far as she could tell. The man was happily married and had a life filled with grandchildren and Golden Retrievers. She sensed he’d rather get run over by a train then hurt a child. “Lucky guess?”

  “Very lucky,” he said, removing his eyeglasses. Staring at her, he began cleaning the lenses. “You know, you actually look familiar to me. I think I may have seen your picture somewhere recently.”

  She pictured him reading the papers and knew what he was going to say before the words left his lips.

  Bernie’s eyes widened in recognition. “Wait a second. You helped solve that case about the missing girl up in Two Harbors last weekend. That was you, wasn’t it?”

  Carissa grinned. “You have a great memory.”

  He chuckled. “My wife would beg to differ. Anyway, our granddaughter, Misty, attends college up in Duluth. She told us about the case first and then we read about it in the papers. We were all fascinated by your help in finding the little girl. Great job, by the way.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Dan,” called Bernie. “This here is that psychic Misty told us about. The one who found that missing child up north.”

  His son looked just as surprised. “Really?”

  “Could I get a picture of you to send to my granddaughter? She’s going to freak out when she finds out you were here. Oh, and would it be too much trouble to get your autograph?”

  Carissa blushed, not used to being treated like a celebrity. It was both flattering and a tiny bit awkward at the same time. “I... um... okay. If you really want it.”

  “Oh, she’ll be thrilled.” He pulled out his phone and snapped a couple of pictures. Afterward, he asked her to sign a business card.

  “Thank you.” He looked at the card she’d signed. “So, Ms. Jones, does my future look like I’ll be getting some brownie points for this? If not, from my granddaughter, but from my lovely wife, Jane?”

  She smiled. “If you really want brownie points, don’t forget that her birthday is coming up soon.”

  Bernie gave her a stunned look. “It’s tomorrow. Young lady, I think you just may have saved my marriage,” he joked, breaking into a smile. “I’ve been so caught up in my inventory, the past few days, it just slipped my mind.”

  Something told her that it wouldn’t have been the first time. Bernie was a nice man, but a little scatterbrained when it came to dates.

  She leaned forward. “Take her out for Italian. It’s her favorite, isn’t it?”

  He chuckled. “You have any ideas for a gift?”

  “Sorry. You’re on your own there,” Carissa replied with a smile. Somehow she suspected that Jane would consider the fact that he’d remembered her birthday as the best gift of all this year.

  “SO, WHAT DID you think?” Dustin asked as they left the store.

  “Definitely not involved.”

  Sighing, Dustin unlocked the truck. “I was afraid you were going to say that.”

  Chapter 19

  Lainey

  LAINEY’S FEET WERE chilled to the bone as she tried keeping up with Tara and Sammy along the narrow, dirt road. The socks provided little protection against the gravel and cold and with every step, it became more and more difficult to run.

  “Wait!” she gasped, having to stop to catch her breath. They weren’t even that far from the house, maybe seven hundred yards, but Lainey was exhausted and her feet ached.

  “Are you okay?” Tara asked, looking concerned.

  “I’m cold and tired,” Lainey replied, her teeth chattering.

  “I know,” Tara replied softly. She leaned down and touched Lainey’s left foot. “I’m so sorry about this. I’d give you my shoes but you’d fall right out of them.”

  “Mine are cold too but it’s better to be out here than inside with them,” Sammy said, shifting from one foot to the other.

  Tara looked back toward the farmhouse and then to where they were headed. “We need to get moving again. Before someone comes for us.”

  “Yeah, Lainey. I know you’re cold but you’ll be home soon. Think about that,” Sammy said.

  “Okay,” she replied.

  “Come on,” Sammy said, grabbing her hand. “I’ll help you.”

  “Thanks,” Lainey replied.

  They began moving again, this time at a slower pace. Unfortunately, it was starting to snow, making it more slippery for the children. If that wasn’t bad enough, after another two-hundred yards, they saw headlights approaching in the distance.

  Swearing, Tara stopped and turned toward the younger children. “Hurry! Run to the woods!”

  “Come on, Lainey,” Sammy said, pulling her with him.

  The trio crossed over to the other side of the dirt road and headed toward the trees. Once they were deep enough in the woods, they crouched down and waited for the headlights to pass. It took a while for the car to move down the road, the occupants inside obviously searching for them.

  “Is that them?” asked Sammy.

  “Yes. It’s Kurt’s car,” replied Tara.

  They waited until the car reached the farmhouse and then took off again, back toward the road.

  “Wait, what if they see us?” Lainey asked, stopping suddenly.

  “It’s too dark,” Tara told her. “They’ll only be able to see us if their headlights are shining our way.”

  “Oh. Good,” she replied.

  The three continued moving, fear and adrenaline driving them onward. Even Lainey, who couldn’t feel her feet anymore, fought through the painful side-ache she was starting to have, and the rough, cold terrain. All she kept thinking about was her family. Her home. Her warm bed.

  “You guys are doing great,” Tara said, slowing down to catch her breath. “I can’t believe we’ve gotten this far already.”

  “We’re going to make it, aren’t we?” Sammy said, a hopeful look on his face.

  Tara glanced back. She could see the taillights of Kurt’s car, parked outside of the farmhouse.

  She looked at the kids “Yes. Just keep going. I’m sure there has to be a house coming up. We’ll ask the people who live there for help. They can call the police for us.”

  “Okay,” he replied.

  Soon, they rounded a bend and the farmhouse was well out of sight. The trees began to taper off and eventually they ran into a fork in the road.

  “Which way do we go?” Sammy asked.

  Tara sighed. She knew that if they continued to go straight, they’d make it to the frontage road and then to the highway. But, it was still a long way away and with their luck, Kurt and Yury would find them. Especially since they’d be out in the open.

  “This way,” she said, deciding to go right. There were more trees ahead and she might have been mistaken, but it looked
like there were lights beyond.

  Chapter 20

  Carissa

  HUNGRY, THEY WENT through a Taco Bell drive-through and decided to eat in his truck. Dustin requested extra packets of the spiciest salsa they carried, which amused Carissa.

  “You have an iron stomach,” she said as they pulled into one of the parking spots to eat.

  He grinned. “Spicy food is good for you.”

  “Maybe for you. I get heartburn with the mildest of salsa.”

  “Don’t be too hard on yourself. It does take a special kind of training to eat the way I do,” he said, opening up the bag. “And a nearby restroom.”

  Carissa chuckled. “What’s the joy in punishing yourself like that with such spicy food?”

  “It tastes good.” He gave her a half-smile. “I think.”

  Still smiling herself, she shook her head.

  “So, Carissa, how’s life been treating you?” Dustin asked softly as he opened up a packet of salsa and squirted some on the end of his taco.

  “Fine,” she replied, knowing what he was really asking. “Busy. You?”

  He licked his finger and threw the packet away. “Same. As much as I can, anyway. It’s all I have right now. Without you.”

  She saw the pain in his eyes and looked away. “Dustin, you know this isn’t a good time to talk about this. We have to stay focused on Lainey.”

  He finished chewing the bite he’d taken. “I know but, really, when is?” he replied, an edge to his voice. “The only time we talk is when it’s about a case. And, if I try to bring up anything personal, you brush it off.”

  Frustrated that he wouldn’t let it go, she put down her burrito. “What more is there to talk about? You know why we’re not together.”

  “All I know is that you’re being stubborn and refusing to give our relationship another chance.”

  “I told you before that I will not sit back and watch you die. Especially when you can just as easily prevent it.”

  “If I can save one more person, instead of cowering behind a desk like a chicken-shit, taking a bullet will be worth it to me.”

  He was so pigheaded and yet, it was why Carissa loved him. She just couldn’t bear the thought of Dustin dying because of his stubbornness. Just like him, however, she wasn’t one to back down. It was one of the reasons why she’d left him in the first place. In her heart she thought that he’d eventually come to his senses, and step away from his career. At least for her, if he wouldn’t do it for himself. But, she’d been wrong. The man was too headstrong for his own good.

  “I know you want to save the world, but there are other things you could do that could be just as fulfilling.”

  He frowned. “Really? Like what?”

  “What about the Cyber Crimes Center? You mentioned once that you were interested in trapping online pedophiles. Or, what about being a youth counselor? I mean, there has got to be something out there that keeps you out of the line of fire but can still give you purpose.”

  Dustin sighed wearily. “Carissa, did it ever occur to you that the future you see for me is going to happen, no matter what I do for a living? That the end result will occur because of every single choice I make in life, regardless of how I get there, or where the money in my wallet comes from?”

  She opened her mouth to respond but then realized, he might very well have a point.

  Oh, dear Lord....

  What if the premonitions she had about Dustin were unstoppable?

  The thought made her stomach sour.

  She’d always assumed that the future could be changed. That her visions, these so-called gifts, were warnings. But, what if they were inevitable outcomes? Unchangeable fates, written in stone?

  Then I’m cursed and not gifted, she thought miserably.

  Noticing Carissa’s sudden silence and her troubled look, Dustin reached over and touched her cheek. “I love you, Carissa. I’ve never stopped,” he said, staring into her eyes. “And as far as I’m concerned, my future has already been screwed because you don’t want to be in it.”

  “But, I do,” she replied, her eyes filling with tears. “I’m just so frightened of losing you.”

  “Babe, I’m here. Right now. You haven’t lost me. Just... don’t give up on me. On us.”

  Carissa blinked and tears rolled down her cheeks. Dustin wiped one away with his thumb.

  “My God, woman. You’re so busy mourning the ‘dead’ me you’re forgetting that I’m still alive and kicking.” He smiled sadly. “And still hopelessly in love with you.”

  “I love you, too,” she replied.

  He leaned forward and kissed Carissa deeply, reminding her again of how much she’d missed and truly loved him. In those few seconds, she knew that to keep asking him to give up something he was so passionate about, was totally unfair of her. And to give him an ultimatum, even crueler. Her stubbornness was the cause of both of their suffering. Not his.

  “You’re not getting rid of me so easily again,” he said huskily, when they pulled away. “Premonitions or not.”

  She smiled.

  Dustin’s stomach growled loudly, making them both laugh.

  “Sorry,” he replied, smiling sheepishly.

  “No worries. Oh, speaking of premonitions, by the way, one is coming to me,” Carissa replied with a straight face as he reached into the bag and grabbed another burrito. “Did you happen to bring some Tums?”

  “Why?” he asked and then smiled. “Oh, one of us is going to be hating life soon?”

  “It isn’t going to be me,” she said, as he reached for a salsa packet.

  “Really?” With a devilish glint in his eyes, Dustin rolled up her window, which had been slightly cracked. “Think again.”

  AFTER THEY WERE finished eating, the two headed over to Jeremy’s, in North Oaks.

  “Wow, this is such a beautiful place,” Carissa commented when they pulled up to the gated driveway. A tall metal fence surrounded the property, which seemed to be a block long.

  He pulled out his phone. “You’ve never been here?”

  “No.”

  Dustin sent Jeremy a text and seconds later, the gate opened up. They slowly drove up to a massive colonial style mansion that looked more like a museum than a house.

  “Looks like someone enjoys the holidays,” Dustin remarked.

  Colorful Christmas lights and expensive holiday decorations adorned the property; Carissa knew that the amount of money spent on that alone would blow her mind.

  “The government must have paid him well,” she said.

  “Yes, but his wife, Bria, also has money. Remember? She’s a famous shoe designer.”

  “That’s right,” Carissa replied, remembering that Jeremy had mentioned it once before, when the three of them had met for coffee. One pair of shoes cost more than what some paid for rent. It was outrageous. Although Carissa had a closet full of footwear, she couldn’t fathom paying the kind of money they were charging for Bria Cole’s line.

  Dustin parked the car and the two went to the giant double-doors and knocked. A minute later, they opened up and Jeremy greeted them with a warm smile.

  “It’s good seeing you guys,” he said, letting them in. “I mean, I know we talk on the phone, but it’s not the same thing.”

  “True,” Dustin said as they stepped into the grand foyer. “Wow, looks like Bria is really in the Christmas spirit this year, huh?”

  Carissa couldn’t help but stare at the enormous Christmas tree that stood between a double, winding staircase. Soft music, warm lighting and more holiday decorations filled the area; it was almost like stepping into a Thomas Kinkade painting.

  “Yes,” he replied, glancing at the tree. “We’re a little more festive than usual, though. She did an interview for some fashion magazine yesterday, and they took pictures of the house. That’s why there’s more decorations than usual.”

  “Well, it looks beautiful,” Carissa said, smiling at Jeremy, in his dark, gray wool sweater and white turtlen
eck. As usual, he reminded her a professor she had in college, Mr. Duncan, with his messy red hair and thick beard.

  “I’ll let her know you thought so. She’s a big fan of yours,” Jeremy replied.

  Carissa’s eyes widened. “Really?”

  “She’s fascinated with your work and was frustrated when she found out you were going to be here. She’s in New York right now,” he answered. “Left this morning.”

  “Well, I’d love to meet her sometime,” she said.

  “We’ll have to have you over for dinner.” He looked at Dustin. “Both of you.”

  “That works for me,” Dustin replied. “Does Bria still cook those fabulous meals or did you hire a chef?”

  “Both.” Jeremy looked Carissa. “When she’s not cooking in the boardroom, she’s cooking in the kitchen. I swear, she can’t sit still. Always has to be doing something.”

  “I don’t know much about women’s shoes, but that wife of yours is an amazing cook,” said Dustin.

  “And it shows,” Jeremy said, patting his waist.

  “I was going to say, are you eating for two?” Dustin ribbed.

  “Hopefully soon,” he replied with a smirk. “We’re working on expanding the family. Not just my waistline.”

  Dustin and Carissa laughed.

  Jeremy sighed. “Anyway, I suppose we should get down to business and try to find the little girl. I actually may have found a couple of possible leads. Let’s go to the den and I’ll show you.”

  Carissa and Dustin followed him past the staircase to a long corridor that eventually led to his office.

  “This is... new. How quaint,” joked Dustin, as they stepped into what looked more like a library than an office. “I think you should have went bigger. It must get claustrophobic in such a small space.”

  Jeremy smirked. “I know. It’s much more extravagant then what I’m used to. Hell, I was happy with my old office. But, you know Bria. When she decides on remodeling something, she goes overboard,” he said, walking over to his desk, where he had three separate computers set up, two desktops and one laptop. He sat down and began typing on the laptop. “Anyway, after hours of searching through the filth I happened upon a chatroom where two users were discussing some kind of auction. I tried asking questions, but they wouldn’t divulge anything useful.”