by Laura Scott
He stared at the photo on the screen, trying to remember back to his high school years. Declan had run with a group of troublemakers, while Allan looked to be the studious, chess club type.
No matter how hard he tried, Declan couldn’t remember a single interaction with Gray, good or bad. He’d have to check out the class yearbook to see what sorts of activities Allan had done back then. Maybe that would spark some memories.
After glancing at his watch, he realized it was getting close to dinnertime and he wanted to run back over to the hotel to take Tess out for something to eat. But first he had to finish his report for his boss.
Normally he took his time, but tonight he was in a hurry. Declan typed out a brief summary of the day’s events and then included a brief background sketch of the two suspects. He hit the send and print buttons with a sense of satisfaction. Despite the electronic world, the bureaucrats insisted on having their reports on paper.
As he pushed away from his desk, another thought crossed his mind. Had Allan liked Tess back in high school, too? Had he asked her out? Or had she snubbed him in some way, causing him to resent her? Was that his motive for planting bombs?
Feeling grim, Declan dropped off his report on Griff’s desk and left the building, realizing he might have to move Allan Gray up to the top of his suspect list.
And he intended to ask Tess about her relationship with him as soon as possible, to see if there was any way to back up his latest theory.
* * *
Tess was relieved when Isaac called to let her know that her car had been cleared. She’d already spent a small fortune on taxicabs going to all the places she could think that Bobby might be. Back at the hotel, she called a taxi one last time, having agreed to meet Isaac at the elementary school parking lot.
Isaac was waiting near her car when she arrived, looking a little out of place with her purse tucked under his arm. He smiled when he saw her. “Hi, Tess. I have your things and we’ve released your car.”
“Thanks,” she murmured, feeling self-conscious as she took her purse from the sandy-haired deputy’s hand. “Will you drive me over to pick it up? I’ve been going crazy without having my own vehicle.”
Isaac frowned. “I know Deck wants you to stay safe, so don’t do anything foolish, okay?”
“Don’t worry, I intend to stay out of danger,” Tess assured him. Of course, she also intended to find her brother, too, but decided not to mention that part.
Her car had lots of dents and scratches, but right now that was the least of her worries. She slid behind the wheel and started the car, heading out to the street. Where could Bobby be? She hadn’t found him at any of his usual hangouts, which only made her think that it was highly likely that someone had taken him against his will.
What if they’d drugged him? Or hurt him in some way?
She took several deep breaths, knowing it didn’t help to think the worst. She needed to remain calm and rational if she was going to find him.
The ride back to the hotel wasn’t nearly long enough to clear her mind, and she leaned back in her car rather than heading back inside to stare at the four walls of her hotel room.
Where else could Bobby be?
Abruptly she sat up. What if he was hanging out at one of his buddies’ houses? But if that was the case, why would he ignore her calls? Because he thought she’d be upset with him for skipping school? Right now all that really mattered was knowing he was all right. They would deal with the rest later.
Mentally she went through the short list of his close friends. Finn McCain and Mitchell Turner were the only two whose last names she remembered.
For a moment she dropped her forehead to the edge of the steering wheel. What sort of mother figure was she that she couldn’t remember the last names of her brother’s friends?
Maybe she hadn’t done the best job in raising her brother, but she refused to fail him now.
Pulling herself together, she put her car in gear and headed over to Finn McCain’s house. Finn lived very close to the high school, and as she drew closer, she eagerly scanned the area for Bobby’s truck.
But it was nowhere in sight.
With grim determination she parked in the driveway and walked up to the front door. There were raised voices inside, male and female, causing her to pause with her hand raised to knock, remembering what it had been like when her father had yelled at her for getting a B instead of an A.
She swallowed hard and pushed the painful memories away. She rapped sharply on the door. When there was no response she leaned on the doorbell, and that worked because the loud voices abruptly stopped.
After several lengthy moments, the door opened and a big burly man with a huge belly scowled at her from behind the screen. “We’re not buying whatever you’re selling,” he said harshly.
“Mr. McCain, I’m looking for my brother, Bobby Collins. He’s a friend of your son. Are Finn and Bobby here?”
“No.” Without another word, the large man shut the door in her face.
She raised her hand to knock on the door again but then let out a sigh, knowing it was useless. Even if Bobby was here, she doubted Mr. McCain would open the door long enough to admit it.
Since she didn’t see any sign of Bobby’s truck, she turned around and headed back to her car.
Her head throbbed from a mixture of pain, anxiety and hunger, but she wasn’t going to stop for something to eat when she didn’t even know for sure if her brother was safe.
She slid behind the wheel and swallowed hard. Mitchell Turner lived in the poor side of town, in the same neighborhood where Declan had grown up. She wasn’t thrilled about going over there, but at least it was still light out. And based on her reception here at Finn’s house, she didn’t expect her next visit would take too long.
The houses lining the streets gradually became more dilapidated and grungy the closer she came to Mitchell Turner’s address. After crossing an intersection, she spotted a large group of kids lounging in the doorway of a neighborhood liquor store, and she felt her heart drop, hoping that Bobby wasn’t among them. She slowed down, peering at them intently in an effort to make sure that Bobby wasn’t part of that crowd.
A few of the boys stared boldly back at her and she quickly averted her gaze, tightening her hands on the wheel. A quick glance confirmed that her automatic locks were engaged, just in case.
Broad daylight, she reminded herself. Nothing to be worried about.
She caught sight of Mitchell’s house, complete with boarded-up windows and several rusty car parts scattered all over the front yard, which consisted mostly of weeds. Her attention was diverted when she heard a loud crash a moment before her windshield shattered into thousands of tiny pieces.
Wrestling with the steering wheel, she tried to stay on the street she couldn’t see, but despite her best efforts, the car slammed into something hard, bringing her to a teeth-rattling stop. The engine hissed and groaned and she knew she wasn’t going to be able to drive even if she could see through the spider-cracked glass, which she couldn’t.
Fear skittered down her spine as she numbly realized what had just happened. Someone had thrown something at her car on purpose. She slowly unclenched her fingers, remembering the group of boys she’d noticed. Had one of them caused the crash? The force of the impact had caused her purse to tumble to the floor, so she removed her seat belt and leaned over, to search for her cell phone.
With shaking fingers, she quickly scrolled through the contact list to find Declan. She called his number, hoping and praying he’d answer.
SIX
Declan had just pulled into a fast food drive-through lane when his phone rang. He smiled when he realized Tess was calling. “Hi, Tess,” he greeted her.
“There’s been an—accident,” she said in a wobbly voice. “I need you to come pic
k me up right away.”
He frowned and yanked the steering wheel to the right so he could get out of the line of cars waiting for food. “Are you all right? Where are you?”
“I’m in your old neighborhood near Sixth and Forrest. Please hurry, Declan. I’m scared.”
He battled back a flash of fear. “I’ll be there as soon as possible,” he promised. He flipped on the red lights and sirens in the vehicle so that everyone would move out of his way. He could tell by the quiver in Tess’s voice that she was frightened, either because she was injured by the crash or because of the fact that she was a woman alone in the worst part of town.
Or both.
He made it to his old stomping grounds in record time, which was amazing since it was the height of rush hour. He saw Tess’s car smashed up against a light post and his heart rattled in his chest as he pulled up alongside it. Through the driver’s-side window, he could see Tess huddled in her seat, holding a can of hair spray.
The old neighborhood hadn’t improved any over the years. He couldn’t imagine what on earth Tess was doing here, but he climbed out of his car and rushed over to her. “Tess? Are you all right?”
Frank relief was mirrored in her eyes as she slowly nodded. “The door won’t open,” she said.
The front bumper was crushed up into the driver’s-side door, so he jogged around to the other side. A good yank opened the passenger door. “Can you crawl over here?” he asked.
“Yes.” She tossed the can of hair spray onto the floor of the passenger side and gingerly climbed over the console between the seats. He helped her out of the car and she clutched at his shoulders, sagging against him. “Thank you,” she whispered.
He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He was grateful she wasn’t hurt, but he didn’t understand why she was here in the first place. Hadn’t he asked her to stay at the hotel in order to be safe? Why on earth couldn’t she have just listened to him?
“I think someone threw something at the windshield,” Tess murmured, loosening her grip on his shirt. “When it shattered into millions of tiny cracks, I couldn’t see.”
“Did you see anyone suspicious before that?” he asked, raking his gaze around the area.
“There was a group of kids back there by the liquor store,” she said in a low tone. “But they’re gone now.”
“We’ll have to call a tow truck,” he said, trying to keep his tone even. “Why don’t you wait for me in my car?”
Tess shook her head, and then bent down to gather up the stuff that must have fallen out of her purse, including the can of hair spray. “I just need a few minutes to go over to Mitchell Tanner’s house. He lives just a couple of houses down on the other side of the street.”
Declan gritted his teeth in frustration. “Tess, you shouldn’t even be out here at all!” he said, the words coming out sharper than he intended. “I thought I asked you to stay and wait for me at the hotel.”
She acted as if she hadn’t heard him, but before he realized what she intended, she’d looped her purse strap over her shoulder and strode down the street rather than getting into his car.
“Tess, wait!” He quickly caught up to her. “What are you doing?”
She spun around to face him, her eyes full of wounded reproach. “My brother is missing and I intend to go to his friend Mitchell’s house to see if he’s there.”
“Tess...”
“Don’t even go there,” she warned. “If your sister was missing you’d be out looking for her, too.”
She had a point, even though his being in danger was part of his job. He swallowed his anger and tried to keep his tone even. “Okay, fine, we’ll both go.”
“Suit yourself,” she said with a shrug, before turning away.
Declan kept a keen eye out for any other troublemakers as they approached a run-down house. He didn’t see any sign of Bobby’s truck, but he knew that wouldn’t stop Tess from making sure her brother wasn’t here.
She didn’t look at all nervous as she rapped loudly on the door. He lingered a little behind her and to the right, in case the situation went south.
There was no answer, so she knocked again, harder. After a long minute, the door opened and a woman stood there, smoldering cigarette in one hand and a glass full of amber liquid in the other. “Yeah? Wadda ya want?”
“My name is Tess Collins and I’m looking for my brother, Bobby. Have he and Mitchell been here?”
“I dunno.” Mitchell’s mother swayed in the doorway, and from the glazed look in her eyes, Declan knew she was intoxicated. “I don’t think so.”
“Please, Ms. Turner, this is important. I haven’t seen Bobby all day and I’m very worried about him.”
The woman tossed back the rest of her drink and then swiped her hand across her mouth. “If I see ’im, I’ll have him call ya.” She moved back and shut the door.
Tess’s shoulders slumped as if the weight of the world rested upon them. Declan’s earlier ire vanished and he put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on, Tess, I doubt Bobby and Mitchell are hanging around here.”
She didn’t protest as he guided her back down to the street and over toward his car. At the curb, they had to stop and wait for a car to pass by. He glanced at the driver, and then did a double take as he realized the man behind the wheel looked like Allan Gray.
“What is he doing here?” he asked, staring after the nondescript beige car. He quickly memorized the tag number, in case he’d made a mistake.
But he didn’t think so. The driver had absolutely looked like Tess’s neighbor. And if he didn’t know better, he’d think the guy was following her.
Had he been the one to throw the rock at her windshield, too? Although, if that were the case, Gray had plenty of time to pretend to be the hero, coming to her rescue.
“This way,” Declan said, turning Tess in the direction of his car. It didn’t seem like the right time to mention how he thought he’d seen Gray. First he needed to run the license plate number in order to be sure.
“I have to find my brother,” she whispered as he opened the car door for her.
“I know.” There was no point in arguing, because he realized that Tess cared more about finding her brother than she did about her own safety.
And while he couldn’t blame her, he still didn’t approve of her decision to drive to the seediest part of town to look for Bobby, especially when she could just as easily have asked him to go with her. Or to have asked him to do the task himself.
Unless there was some reason she didn’t want him around when she finally caught up to her brother. The thought pulled him up short. Was that it? Was there more to Bobby’s disappearance than she was letting on?
And if so, what?
* * *
Tess kept her gaze averted from Declan so he wouldn’t see how close she was to losing it. First she’d been in a car crash caused by vandalism and then he’d yelled at her, just as her father used to do. And now she was no closer to finding her brother than she had been earlier that morning.
She’d been so certain that she’d find Bobby at one of his friends’ houses, but instead she discovered that Bobby’s friends were in horrible home situations, worse than she ever could have imagined. Even worse than what she’d endured with her father.
How was it that Bobby identified so well with these two boys? Did he really think living with her was as bad as what these boys had to deal with? Maybe she wasn’t perfect, but she wasn’t that bad, either. She simply couldn’t comprehend what was going on with her brother.
Despair overwhelmed her. She had no idea where to look for Bobby next. And having Declan go from holding her close to basically yelling at her was too much to handle.
She sniffed, trying to fight back her tears. There had to be something she could do. But what?
Pray. She dropped her chin to her chest and squeezed her eyes shut, blocking everything else out.
Dear Lord, if it be Thy will, please guide me in searching for Bobby. Please watch over him and keep him safe. Please grant me the patience and strength I’ll need to get through these next few days, Amen.
A sense of peace crept over her and she took a deep breath and let it out slowly, knowing that God would carry her burdens if she simply asked Him.
Tess subtly swiped away the evidence of her tears and glanced over at Declan. Now that she’d had a chance to calm down a bit, she understood that he’d been upset with her for leaving mostly because he was worried about her. She probably needed to explain about her past, but she was too exhausted to broach the subject now.
She pulled herself together, knowing that this situation wasn’t Declan’s fault. Furthermore, she was truly grateful for the way he’d come the moment she called.
“I’m sorry,” Declan said, reaching over to take her hand in his.
Surprised, she glanced up at him. “For what?”
“I shouldn’t have gotten upset with you. It’s just that this place...” He paused and then shook his head. “You know this neighborhood isn’t a safe place to be, even during the day. Especially not for a woman like you.”
“I’ve been here before. I dropped Bobby off here a while ago.”
Declan actually winced. “Don’t tell me stuff like that. I can’t stand the thought of you being anywhere near here.”
She realized he was embarrassed that he’d grown up in the neighborhood. “Was joining the marines worth it?” she asked softly.
“Yes,” Declan responded without a moment’s hesitation. “As hard as it was to become a marine and to fight in Afghanistan, I don’t regret getting the chance to leave this all behind.”
She nodded, understanding without being told that Declan’s life experiences must have been all too similar to what they’d just witnessed with Mitchell’s mother. And she found it amazing that Declan had turned his life around, to become a member of the SWAT team, no less.
