“Sure, go ahead,” Wade said, and pulled up a chair next to her.
Hailey removed a charge card from her billfold and typed in the account number. Additional data popped up along with Kellie’s phone number. “The number listed is her cell. Her husband’s name is Lawrence, but there’s no phone number listed under his name.”
Hailey pulled her phone from her purse. “She probably knows no one with the last name of Daniels but I’m sure she doesn’t know many with the first name of Hailey. Hopefully she’ll answer her phone.” She dialed the number and waited. A recording came on saying, “The number dialed is no longer in service.” Hailey tried again. Perhaps she dialed wrong, but no, she received the same recording: “The number dialed is no longer in service.” She closed her phone and tossed it on the desk with frustration. She leaned back in her chair and ran her fingers through her hair. “There must be some way to find her.”
“Sweetheart, you’ve done about all you can. I’m sure you’ll hear from her eventually.”
“Oh come on, Wade. What if we don’t, then what? We have no records for Tara. None at all; we don’t know anything about her family’s medical background, Tara’s birth certificate, nothing!”
“Calm down and come to bed. We’ll think of something. I’m sure we’ll dig up some information, from where, I don’t know; it’ll just take time. We’ll sleep on it for now. Tomorrow is Saturday and while you’re working I’ll try to come up with a way to track her down.”
The next morning Wade made a pot of coffee then fried hash brown potatoes, bacon and scrambled eggs for Hailey, Tara and himself. He waited for Hailey to go out to the greenhouse to begin working on flowers for a wedding. That should keep her busy throughout the morning. When the order was completed she’d have to deliver them to the Huntington Christian Church by noon.
Hailey soon headed outdoors and Wade quickly washed the dishes while Tara finished the apple juice in her sippy cup. “Are you done with your juice, Tara?”
She smiled and held her cup out to him. “Dah dah,” she said with a smile.
“Good girl,” he said, and kissed her forehead then lifted her from the highchair. “Now we’ll find you some clothes to wear.” He walked her up the three stairs and into the nursery then dressed her in a pair of rose-colored jeans and a sweatshirt to match. He found a pair of socks in her dresser drawer and her pink tennis shoes on the floor of her closet.
“There you go, all dressed for play.” He had moved her playpen into the office before he fixed breakfast this morning. He didn’t want to have to search all over the house for her while he was busy on the computer. He set her into it with a few of her favorite toys before he sat in front of the computer and turned it on. While he waited he turned to watch Tara. She picked up her teddy bear and held it in the air for him to see.
“Bear!” she said.
“Yes, bear,” Wade answered back. He smiled. She had learned a few new words in the past month or so. She’s sure growing up fast.
He turned back to the computer.
First he tried the obituaries over the past two years for the name of Kellie Shanlin. He found nothing. He tried the name of Kellie Burke. Nothing. Well that’s good, anyway. Next he read the address listed under her married name of Kellie Burke and typed it into Google Maps. It came up in Miami, Florida. He moved the mouse over to the address and found it was listed as an apartment building at the west end of Miami. He clicked on the button for the street view and was able to read the apartment name on the front of the building. The building name was Rosemont Apartments. “Yes!” He picked up his phone and dialed information for the telephone number of Rosemont Apartments in Miami, Florida. He wrote it down and thanked the operator before he made the call.
A woman answered, “Rosemont Apartments.”
“Hello, Ma’am. I’m trying to locate my sister and her husband. Their names are Kellie and Lawrence Burke. Is there anyone by that name who resides in your building?”
“One moment, I’ll check.” She put him on hold.
He turned to watch Tara. She was lying on her back, thumb in her mouth and holding her little teddy bear with the other hand. She noticed him looking at her and pulled her thumb from her mouth. “Dah dah,” she said, then smiled and went back to sucking her thumb.
“I’m sorry, sir. There was a resident by the name of Lawrence Burke but he moved recently. We have no name of Kellie Burke, but there was a woman living with Lawrence at one time. They left no forwarding address.”
“Okay, thank you.” He closed his cell phone. “Now what?” He tapped his fingers on the desktop. He was considering what his next step would be when Hailey stuck her head into the office.
“I’m about to leave with this delivery. I should be back in about an hour.”
“Okay, hon. Drive carefully.”
“I always do.” She smiled and blew him a kiss. He pretended to catch it and she left with a grin.
I guess there’s nothing else we can do. I’ll have to let Hailey know when she returns, Wade thought.
“Come on Tara. We’ll put a leash on Holly and go for a walk.”
Tara stretched her arms to the top rail of the playpen and pulled herself up. She bounced up and down on her short wobbly legs and gave him a wide grin. Wade lifted her from the play area and set her on the floor where she crawled along behind him into the kitchen. He wanted to check the thermometer on the window over the sink. The temperature was sixty-eight degrees – a perfect September day for some time outdoors. He removed the stroller from the hallway closet, unfolded it and latched the lock into place before he lifted her in and connected the child’s harness. He grabbed Holly’s leash and hooked it to her collar.
“Okay, here we go!” They walked out through the sliding door and off they went. “A perfect refreshing day it is,” he said cheerfully, and they began their stroll down the sidewalk that led to a walking path along the county road.
Chapter Fourteen
Two weeks later Mariah phoned and invited Hailey and Tara to come for a visit. “Nick purchased a pony for each of the twins and they’re anxious to show them off,” Mariah said. “I thought we could have lunch together and afterward the girls would like to show you how well they’ve learned to ride.”
“That sounds like fun. It would be nice for Tara to see horses up close and learn how special they are. She may even want one herself some day, that is if we’re able to convince Wade to build a barn,” Hailey added. “Perhaps I’ll even talk him into a horse of my own, though it’ll be quite a while before Tara is ready to ride.”
“You could always board one here in one of our stables,” Mariah told her. “It would be nice to have one of your own, but I love when you ride Pixie with me. Next time my friend Sarah rides over to visit the three of us would make a great team. Riding together would be fun!”
“Yes, definitely! What time would you like us to arrive for lunch? I’m finishing up my last order for the day. I’ll be able to relax a bit next month; October is quite slow until the week before Halloween.”
“November will be here before long. As always, I’ll be ready to help out if you need me for those busy holidays, and they’re creeping up on us. Come on over when you complete your delivery.”
“Okay, we’ll be there around noon. See you soon.” She hung up the phone and continued with the order.
Twenty minutes later she heard Tara over the baby monitor.
“Momma,” she said softly, then a bit louder, “Momma!” She started to cry and Hailey pressed the button on the monitor.
“I’m coming sweetie.” She lifted the floral arrangement and turned out the lights, then shut and locked the door; she set the delivery package on the porch next to the van before she dashed into the house.
Tara was happy to see her and Hailey prepared her for their visit. She dressed her in blue jeans and a warm yellow shirt, along with a new pair of children’s cowgirl boots and a tan jacket. Next she brushed her long brown hair and put it in a ponyt
ail.
She let Holly outdoors to take care of business before handing her a dog cookie and she immediately curled up on her bed. “You’re a good girl,” Hailey said and leaned down to scratch behind her ear.
“Okay, sweetie. We’re all set; we’re going to visit Angie and Allie for lunch!”
They went out to the car and she lifted Tara into her car seat and buckled the harness. She picked up the floral arrangement from the porch and set it in the rear of the van.
They were finally ready to go and she slid in behind the wheel, put the key in the ignition, and glanced back at Tara. “Here we go,” she said with a smile and took off down the driveway while she sang The Farmer in the Dell. She peeked in the rearview mirror when Tara giggled and her little hands tapped against the padded bar of her car seat.
Thirty minutes later Hailey made the left-hand turn onto the Colburns’ driveway and drove up to their house. Just as she climbed out of her vehicle she spotted Wade. He was headed across the meadow. Hailey waved at him; he smiled and raised his hand before he continued to the barn that held the rescue horses. She phoned him earlier to tell him about their plans. Hailey turned to the van, opened the back door and released Tara’s seatbelt. Tara was eager; she waved her arms and kicked her feet, giggling with excitement. Hailey slid her from the car seat, hung her purse strap over her shoulder and shut the door with her butt. As she walked around to the front of her vehicle she noticed Mariah waiting for them on the deck. She held the door open for them and reached for Tara who was happy to greet her.
“She’s getting very heavy,” Hailey warned her.
“Yes you are, Tara. You’re becoming a big girl.”
They went into the house and Hailey removed their jackets before she put Tara on the floor.
“Lunch is almost ready,” Mariah said and called out to the twins. They came running from their room; they were anxious to visit with Tara. It had been a while since their last play date.
“Hurry, Mom! We want to show our horses to Tara.”
“You don’t have to rush; they’ll still be there when you’re done eating. Now go wash your hands and your lunch will be ready.”
Once they finished eating Bess cleared the table while the girls got ready to go out to the corral. The ponies were already saddled and waiting for them to arrive. The twins ran ahead of the others to greet them.
One of the ranch hands came out to help each of them up onto her pony. They rode to the edge of the corral for Tara to see them up close.
“This is Brownie,” Angie said with a grin.
“And I named mine Charmin, cuz she’s so soft!” Allie said.
Mariah rolled her eyes. “She insisted,” she whispered to Hailey.
“My goodness, what a cute name, Allie,” Hailey said.
“Look, Tara!” Hailey extended her arm to pet the pony, but Tara turned and hid her face in Hailey’s neck and lightly shook her head back and forth.
“It’s okay, sweetheart. They’re nice ponies. They want to be friends with you.”
“Maybe she’s scared because they’re so big,” Angie said. “We were afraid of horses at first too, weren’t we Mommy?”
“Yes you were, but you learned to love them and Tara will too, once she’s seen them a few times.”
“Watch us ride, Tara,” Angie shouted and each girl rode her pony around the corral several times until suddenly out of nowhere Nick and two of the ranch hands quickly approached them.
Nick ran to Mariah and Hailey. “Get the girls in the house and lock the doors – now!” Nick clutched Tara so Mariah and Hailey would be able to run faster and make it to the house safely.
The ranch hands removed Angie and Allie from their ponies and held them in their arms as they ran toward the house, about two hundred yards from the corral. The twins and Tara began to cry. The women and their children were extremely frightened.
When they arrived at the door Nick told them to stay indoors and away from the windows.
“What happened?” Mariah asked.
“The police are on their way. There’s been some trouble in a barn located near the northern pasture. I don’t want anyone to leave the house,” he said, then turned and ran out the door. He didn’t want them to have any knowledge of an employee being held hostage in the barn – the very barn that held six new rescue horses. He didn’t know which one of the men Wade had assigned to work in that area today.
Nick bolted to his jeep and was about to take off across the prairie when four police cars arrived. One of the men waved the others off to the north, in the direction of the barn and Nick rushed over to the remaining officer.
“Hey, Hutch,” Nick called out.
“Nick, we have three more on the way. They’ll enter from the south side. I want you to remain here close to your main outbuilding and in view of your house.”
“What do you…”
Hutch held up his hand and turned away as a call came in; “10-4” he said into the receiver attached to the shoulder of his uniform. He faced Nick. “I’m going over. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Do they have any idea who’s being held hostage?”
“We’re assuming there’s only one – Wade Daniels, but they don’t know where he is. They’ve been unable to locate him.”
“I’m going along,” Nick said. “I have men covering this area.”
“Okay, let’s go,” Hutch motioned with his head. As soon as Nick climbed in Hutch took off before the passenger door was closed.
Hutch pulled his vehicle into the area and parked a good distance away. They were able to see the five officers posted – three near the main door in the center of the building and two at the north end. Nick was able to hear the horses making high pitched whinnies; they sounded terrified.
The three officers at the main entryway slowly entered the building, the two at the north end also moved in. They kept their eyes on a man who made an attempt to remove two of the horses from their stalls; the guy kept glancing back at both entrances.
“I’m going in, Hutch. I’m pretty sure the guy in there is Ross Wittenburg, the previous owner of those horses. This isn’t the first time he’s tried to get them back. The Minnesota Horse Rescue Team brought them to me two weeks ago. They were malnourished – apparently hadn’t been fed for quite some time. There were also bruises on their necks and legs; signs that Ross Wittenburg whipped them both a few times. I’ll try to talk to him.”
“Remain near the officers, Nick. We don’t know if he’s armed. My men who are already in there haven’t located your employee. They don’t know where he is. Here, take this in with you.” He handed Nick a megaphone.
“Thanks,” Nick said, then turned and ran toward the barn. He entered the sliding door which led him to the center of the building. Wade’s office was to his right. Located beyond the office were three horse stalls. To the left of the main entrance were three more.
“Ross?” he called out.” There was no reply. He tried again, using the megaphone. “Ross, I saw you enter the stall with Pearl. Come on out and we’ll talk.”
“You’re full of crap, Colburn! You stole my horses and I’m taking them back to my ranch where they belong.” Pearl again whinnied frantically.
Nick noticed two of the officers slowly move in from the south entrance. “Where is my man, Ross? Free him and we’ll make a deal.” It was obvious that he’d been drinking heavily.
Ross bellowed out a loud laugh that sounded more of a howl. “You have no idea, do you, Colburn? Your employee is a good friend of mine – he’s helping me out, you ass! Open your eyes and you just might see him. Watch your step, he’s right behind you!”
He’s definitely had too much to drink, Nick thought, and rushed inside.
Ross stood swaying, all six feet of him, and he’d put on weight since Nick last saw him, close to three hundred pounds. An empty bottle of Bourbon lay in the straw.
“There you are, you idiot!” Ross growled. “Wade’s been on my side since he discovered you t
respassed on my property and stole my horses. You thought I’d allow you to get away with that? You’ll go to hell for this Colburn!” Ross suddenly lost his balance, fell to the ground, and lost control of one of the horses. Pearl began to paw at the ground angrily, elevated her head, pinned her ears and showed the white around her eyes. She was angry. Ross tried to roll away from the stall when the horse set in to buck.
The police officers crept up behind Ross, clutched his arms and pulled him away from the frantic horse.
Nick eased himself into the stall and gently attempted to calm the horse. She continued to paw at the ground until she saw Ross was no longer in her stall. Nick ran his hand along Pearl’s neck. “Good girl,” he said. “You’re okay, Pearl.” He backed out of the stall and closed the gate.
Ross fought, kicked and spat at the officers until one of them held him down on the ground while the other handcuffed him before he read him his rights. Another officer brought him outdoors and forced him into the backseat of one of their vehicles.
Nick searched the entire barn, inspected each of the stalls and prayed he would locate Wade. He continued to search throughout the stable, unable to find him. While he and the other officers remained indoors to continue their search they heard noises coming from the opposite side of the building.
With gun drawn, Hutch slowly moved to the south side and found a pickup truck with a horse trailer attached. He moved in closer and discovered Wade Daniels inside, draped with a tarp, wrists tied behind his back and a wide strip of canvas tightly covered his mouth and held firmly with duct tape. Hutch slid his gun back into his holster and pulled a knife from his pocket. He carefully released the tape that constrained Wade’s mouth before he cut the rope that bound his wrists and his ankles.
As soon as Wade was released Hutch helped him out of the trailer. “How ya doin buddy? You okay?”
“A bit stiff, but mighty glad you arrived when you did. The drunk told me his six horses would be joining me in there. I thought it’d be somewhat cramped.”
“Glad I found you in time. You feel okay – other than the stiffness?”
Forever, I Promise (A Northern Woods Novel) Page 11
