by Barb Han
“You think we’ll find Kramer there?”
“It’s possible. If not, we might find a clue as to where he’s hiding. All we need is a receipt or motel bill.”
She didn’t want to think about how relieved she was that the bogeyman who’d haunted her for a decade and a half had a face and a name. No longer was he a larger-than-life figure in a young girl’s imagination. He was flesh and blood. Evil, but a man, nonetheless. And men could be taken down.
She glanced up and was startled to realize Brody was watching her as they ran. No doubt, her concern played out on her features.
“I know what you’re thinking and we’ll get him.” Brody’s words were spoken with a silent promise as they made it to the truck.
“We find him, we might find out what exactly happened to Shane. I have to think Kramer didn’t do anything to hurt my brother, not now that I know he’s grown and in the military. Plus, he seems to be taking these boys in an attempt to replace the son he lost.”
She paused, trying to let that sink in.
“It makes sense. We don’t have the details yet but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that he cared for Shane in the way he wished he could’ve for his own son.”
“I hope DNA confirms that it is Shane for more than selfish reasons. I’d like to give that to my mom. She’s been holding on so long. I want her to know what happened to her son, that he’s alive.” Tears welled in Rebecca’s eyes. One broke free and spilled down her cheek. “I need so badly to tell her we found him, but I want to wait until we’re one hundred percent sure. Otherwise, we’d break her heart again and she can’t take that.”
“Shane’s alive. Believe it. And we’ll get confirmation soon enough.”
Brody climbed into the driver’s seat and programmed his GPS with the address of Kramer’s aunt.
“There isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t wish he’d kept me and set Shane free.” More tears fell as she buckled her seat belt. She needed to tell Brody everything she remembered, to let it go. “We were so scared, but somehow I figured out that my bindings were loose. Shane was upset, crying, so Kramer was in a hurry when he put me back into my shed and he didn’t tie me securely. It took me a minute to realize what had happened. He’d taken Shane to another building to calm him. It was dark outside and I remember my legs giving out as soon as I left the shed. I went looking for Shane. I thought if I could get to him, then maybe we could both get away. I was in shock. I couldn’t believe I was free.” She paused to stop the sobs. “When I couldn’t find him, I thought if I could get away and go get help that we’d get back in time.”
A few more tears flooded her eyes. She didn’t realize she’d been squeezing her hands together until her fingers hurt.
“It’s okay. You don’t have to talk about this now,” Brody soothed, guiding the truck onto the main road.
“I need to do this, Brody. I’ve been holding it in far too long. It feels good to finally let it out, to really breathe.”
“Take it slow. Stop if you need to.” He kept his steady gaze on the road in front of them.
“I got lost in the woods. I remember wandering around, afraid to make noise, stop or sleep. By the time they found me, I was dehydrated and delirious. The sheds had been cleared. Everything had been moved. Shane was gone. The monster who took my brother had disappeared.” Sobs racked her, so she didn’t fight them.
Saying the words made everything real. Being with Brody was different. He made it safe to open up those old wounds. He made her want to let go of the pain and finally talk about it.
She needed to hold on to the feeling while it lasted because as soon as this case was over, he’d be out of her life again. When she could return Shane to her mother, Rebecca would move away from this town and start a new life for herself.
Talking about the past was the first step toward letting it go.
Brody reached out to her with his free hand, patting hers but saying nothing. His touch was more reassuring than any words ever could be. His hand quickly returned to the wheel.
“And you already know we never found out exactly what happened to my brother until now. He was declared dead ten years ago but it felt so hollow. There was no body. No memorial service. Even after the declaration, my mom refused to accept it. She kept vigil. She talked about him like he’d walk through that door any minute and surprise us all. She made a birthday cake for him every year and brought out old photos.”
More sobs came.
Brody just sat there, silently reassuring her.
“For years after she’d see him places—on the playground, driving away in the backseat of cars at the gas station, on a school bus. With every anniversary of his disappearance, those news articles would run, and she’d relive what had happened all over again. And yet, she never gave up hope of finding him. Now, he’s alive and she deserves to know what happened to her son.”
* * *
SITTING THERE, listening to Rebecca as she told her story, without being able to take away her pain or make the jerk who’d hurt her pay for his sin, was a knife stab to Brody’s chest. Justice was coming, though. Even if this lead didn’t pan out, Brody would find a way.
Hearing the words, the raw pain, seeing how Rebecca kept the weight of the world on her shoulders frustrated him to no end. He’d told her before but it was worth repeating. “None of this was ever your fault.”
“I know.”
“You were just a kid. We were just kids. You did the best you could to survive. That’s all any of us can do.”
She mumbled something else in agreement and he had to grip the wheel from wanting to reach out and touch her again. He was on a slippery slope with Rebecca, sliding downhill fast. There were no branches to grab on to, nothing to save him. His heart was falling down that sinkhole called love and nothing inside him could gain purchase to stop it on the way down.
They’d driven straight for an hour and a half when the GPS indicated they were getting close to their destination.
Brody slowed the vehicle when he entered the cul-de-sac. He parked two houses down as he watched a tall, thin man exit the ranch-style house.
Kramer?
Rebecca reached for Brody’s hand and then squeezed.
The man took the driver’s seat of a green sedan.
He was too far away to be able to tell for certain that it was Kramer.
Until the sedan slowed as it neared them and the driver saw Rebecca.
His expression said everything they needed to know. And then he accelerated, his tires squealing as they struggled to gain traction.
“It’s him,” Rebecca said, her voice no longer shaky with fear. “I saw his face.”
Pride filled Brody as he banked a U-turn in the cul-de-sac and sped to Kramer’s bumper.
Dark eyes stared at them from the rearview mirror.
“He makes it onto the highway and there’s a good chance we’ll lose him,” Brody said. “Make sure your seat belt is secure.”
“Catch him, Brody.”
Kramer turned onto a farm road.
Brody maintained a safe distance without allowing Kramer too much leeway.
A few turns and they were following him onto a gravel road.
“He knows this area,” Brody said. And Kramer was using it to his advantage as he maintained break-neck speed.
Brody’s truck was heavier. He floored the gas pedal, trying to keep up.
Kramer must’ve panicked because his car veered left and then right. He cut through a corn field and then circled around toward the street they’d been on before.
Any number of innocent people could get hurt if Kramer was allowed to get back on a main road.
Brody gunned the engine, pulling beside Kramer, trying to force him off the road.
In response, Kramer drove his speed up past the hundred-mile-an-hour mark.
The two-lane road was empty, save for Brody and Kramer. That could change any second. Brody had to decide if he should keep pushing the limit, or drop back
and follow. But then what? Allow this man to get away? To reach the highway?
Brody gunned the engine, keeping pace with the sedan, and then nudged the wheel right.
Kramer twisted his, jerking the vehicle away from Brody a second before their side panels collided. Then, Kramer overcorrected and his vehicle flew out of control. He sideswiped a tree and was sent into a death spin.
Another tree brought a sudden stop to the deadly rollover. The sound was deafening. The blaze ignited instantaneously.
By then, Brody’s truck was at a complete stop.
“Stay here,” he said to Rebecca, who was already barreling toward the inferno.
She kept going.
All he could do at that point was try to catch up with her.
The blast that came next caused them both to freeze.
Brody reached for Rebecca’s hand. She spun around and buried her face in his chest as they both fell to the ground.
“It’s over,” she said, tears streaking her cheeks. “It’s finally over.”
They stayed long enough to give statements to law enforcement and learn that an officer had been sent to the aunt’s house. No one was said to be home.
Once in the truck, Rebecca put her hand on Brody’s arm as he cranked the engine.
“Can we go there?” she asked. “I need to see for myself that Jason isn’t there.”
Brody nodded.
Twenty minutes later, he pulled into the familiar cul-de-sac.
Rebecca made it to the door first and knocked. Lights were out and everything was completely quiet. It didn’t appear that anyone was home, just as the officer had reported.
“We can ask the neighbors who lives here. Maybe one of them will know something,” Brody offered.
“That’s a good idea actually. Surely, someone has seen something,” she said, spinning around and heading toward the opposite house.
A middle-aged woman answered on the second round of knocking. Rebecca introduced herself and Brody. He hung back a little so as not to intimidate the woman.
“We’re sorry to bother you, but we’re trying to reach our friend Thomas Kramer. Is this still his address?” Rebecca pointed to the house in question.
The woman gave an odd look. “Do you mean Thomas Harper?”
Harper? Brody made the connection to Randy’s last name.
Rebecca must have, too, based on the way her shoulders stiffened.
“Right, sorry. Having one of those days,” Rebecca hedged, recovering her earlier demeanor.
“I’m Patricia and yes, that’s his house,” she confirmed. “Doesn’t look like anyone’s home. He travels most of the time for work. His little boy comes to visit sometimes.”
“And his aunt?” Rebecca asked.
“Never saw a woman around.” She shrugged. She had a solemn look on her face, completely unaware that her neighbor was a monster.
“How long have you lived here?” Brody asked.
“We moved in a couple of years ago,” Patricia responded.
Brody wondered if the aunt was still alive. He gripped his phone in one hand and gently squeezed Rebecca’s with the other as he thanked Patricia and told her to have a good night.
On closer appraisal of the house, a few of the side windows were boarded. The front room had a window AC unit. The door would be easy to breach. “His aunt might live somewhere else,” he said. “She could be nearby. I’m guessing she keeps Jason when Kramer is on the road.”
“I can’t leave until I know for sure,” Rebecca said.
“I know.” Brody took that moment to kick the door. It flew open.
Stepping inside, he called for Jason.
There was no response.
It was dark and Brody had no idea what waited inside.
He clicked on a light. The room looked like something out of an episode of Hoarders. Stacks of papers and magazines were everywhere. Old pizza boxes and fast-food bags were piled on the coffee table.
Brody caught movement out of the corner of his eye, so he tracked it to the kitchen. “Jason. We’re here to help. Your mommy and daddy are looking for you.”
A whimper sounded from inside the pantry.
Opening the door slowly, Brody repeated the boy’s name.
As light filled the little room, he saw the boy huddled in the corner. His clothes were dirty and he was frightened. “It’s okay, Jason. Take my hand.”
The little boy started crying harder.
Rebecca dropped down to her knees. “Hey, Jason. My name is Rebecca and I’m here to take you home. I know a very bad man took you away from your family. He did the same thing to my little brother. It’s going to be okay. I know you’re scared. But you didn’t do anything wrong.”
In one swift movement the boy sprang into her open arms, buried his face and cried.
She soothed him, stroking his hair, and when she smiled up at Brody there was a deep sense of peace in her features.
“I’ll call his parents first and then the police,” he said.
She nodded, moving carefully as if trying not to disturb the boy clinging to her. “Have his parents meet us here. I want to stay until they arrive.”
“Absolutely.” Brody wouldn’t have it any other way.
The Glenns made record time.
As soon as the little boy heard his mother’s voice, he broke into a full run toward her. Brody watched Rebecca, witnessed the emotions playing out on her face as each parent thanked her and gave her a hug.
Brody stood back a little, taking it all in. The thought struck him that he’d believed Rebecca to be disloyal. What an idiot he’d been. She was the most loyal sister and advocate that anyone could hope to have in their corner.
As soon as the family walked away, Brody hauled her close to him.
“It all makes sense now,” she said, looking into his eyes. “The timing of why Kramer attacked the other morning. He was getting desperate because he must’ve known I’d found Shane.”
“You threatened to expose his lies and uncover the truth. He couldn’t have that happen. His life would’ve been over.”
She nodded.
“Are you ready to get out of here?” he asked.
“Yes. Get me away from this.”
Brody didn’t let go of her hand as they walked away from the house.
She glanced toward the house one more time. “He can’t hurt anyone else, Brody. It’s over.”
* * *
THE RIDE BACK to town seemed to zoom by even though neither said much. Brody didn’t mind. Silence was comforting as she sat in the middle seat, snuggled next to him, and there was something very right in the world.
Rebecca. His Rebecca.
There was a fork in the road ahead. Go left and he’d be taking Rebecca back to her bungalow. Make a right and he’d be heading to his ranch.
The road was split, but his heart knew exactly what it wanted, if she wanted him.
He stopped the truck in the middle of the farm road, put on his emergency flashers and opened his door. “Will you step outside with me?”
Surprise was written all over her face, but she did as he said. “Is it safe?”
“Should be at this hour.” It was just past midnight. A new day had dawned. Could they make a fresh start?
He met her at the front of the truck, the headlights lighting a path, his heart pounding against his chest. “Rebecca, we can’t change the past.”
She dropped her gaze to the ground. “I know. And you don’t have to say anything, because I already know how you feel.”
“Do you?” He lifted her chin until her eyes met his, those intense honey browns vulnerable. “Because I don’t think you do. As much as I loved you, I needed to grow up. I had too many wounds from the past, from my mother.”
“I’m so sorry about the past, Brody, but I can’t change it.”
“I wouldn’t want you to. We let go of what we had in high school and maybe that was a good thing. Life is crazy and it’s uncertain. I’m only sure of about
one thing. I love you.”
Her eyes sparkled as soon as she heard the words. “I love you, Brody Fields. Always have and I always will. It’s only ever been you. But you need more than my words.”
He placed his hands around her neck and guided her lips to his, to home. “You’re all I need, Rebecca. You’re enough.”
She kissed him slowly, sweetly; that shy smile had returned.
“I just have one question,” he said.
“Which is?”
Right there in the middle of the road, he bent down on one knee, preparing to ask the woman he loved to marry him.
He didn’t touch ground before she’d dropped into his arms and said the one word he needed to hear before he had a chance to ask.
“Yes,” she said. “I’ll be your wife.”
Scooping her up, taking her to the passenger side, he asked the other question on his mind. “You belong at the ranch with me. Are you ready to come home?”
Tears streamed down her beautiful face as she said, “You’re home to me, Brody. I’m already there.”
Epilogue
“Whatever will I do with one of those things?” Her mother’s face screwed up as she motioned toward the laptop Rebecca was setting up on the side table next to her bed. Beside it, she placed Shane’s Spider-Man watch.
“Believe me when I say that you’re going to want to keep this close,” Rebecca said, motioning toward the laptop.
“Tell her I don’t know how to use it,” Mother said to Brody. Her gaze stopped on the keepsake.
He smiled and his clear blue eyes sparkled. “Trust her. She knows what she’s doing.”
The past few weeks had been good to her mother after hearing news of Thomas Kramer’s death and his aunt’s arrest. Her mother had started leaving her room to play chess every afternoon and stopped resisting physical therapy. Every day she was getting stronger and the doctor was hopeful, especially following the initial results of how well her body was adjusting to the new medication.
Rebecca hadn’t told her about all the events that had transpired. She’d been waiting for the right moment to talk about Shane. And this was it.
