Harvey grinned. “I wouldn’t do that, would I?” He nuzzled Connor and kissed his clean cheek with a loud smack. “What’s your day going to be like, Connor? Are you going to help Mommy get ready for company? Your grandpa and grammy will fuss over you and tell you how big you’re getting.”
Jennifer laughed. “He’s growing like the proverbial weed.”
Harvey stroked Connor’s back, thinking about Gary’s misguided foray. “I’ve been thinking a lot about Leah.”
“So have I,” Jennifer said.
“Gary isn’t that much different from her—they both want to find their dads, but they’re not sure how to go about it.”
“Those kids are hurting so badly.” Jennifer’s eyes misted. “I know you’ll want to keep helping Leah when this is over.”
“I’m worried that if she does find her father, she may not like what she finds.” Harvey leaned over to kiss her and flicked a glance at the clock. “I hate to put Connor down, but I’d better.” He handed her the baby and made a quick call to the dispatcher. “Anything new on the Hobart case?” No one had found Chad McCafferty or Emma Skerritt, and no one had called Abby about the ransom money.
Fifteen minutes later, Harvey kissed Jennifer with ardor at the door. “I’ll call you.”
“Okay. I’ll be here.”
She held Connor while she watched him go to the garage. They waved when he drove out, and Harvey got that leaving-home feeling. He hadn’t hit the street yet, and already he longed to return.
He walked into the office at ten to nine. Tony and Jimmy were already in, and Tony was saying, “I ran into her in the parking garage this morning, so we walked up together. I think she’s super.”
“Who’s that?” Harvey asked as he passed Tony’s desk.
Jimmy answered for him. “Laney Cross, the chief’s new secretary.”
“I’ve met her,” Harvey said. “She seems like a nice girl. Woman.”
“Watch it, boss,” Tony said.
“Right.”
Friday. A week from today would be Judith’s last day on the job, and Laney would be on her own in Mike’s outer office.
Harvey looked up as Paula approached him with a cluster of phone messages in her hand.
“Oh, I’m sorry, Paula,” Harvey said. “I should have let you know we’d all be coming in a little late.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “I knew you’d been putting in extra hours, and somebody needed to answer the phones here. They’ve barely stopped ringing.”
To prove her point, the phone on Harvey’s desk rang. He picked it up, and Paula’s phone started in. She dropped the messages on his desktop and hurried back to her own station.
“Larson,” Harvey said.
“Hey, Captain, it’s Ryan Toothaker.”
Harvey grimaced. “Not now, Ryan. I just got to my desk, and I’ve got nothing for you.”
“Press conference later? The day sergeant said to ask you.”
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
“The earlier the better,” Ryan said.
Harvey sighed and drummed his fingers on the desktop. He really wanted to get some things in motion before he talked to reporters. “Two o’clock, I think. In the station lobby.”
“I was hoping for earlier.”
“Should I send you a formal apology?”
Ryan chuckled. “Nah, I’ll cope.”
“Good, because the more time I have to work before we meet, the more information I’ll have for you.”
“Can’t you give me a little something now to get started with? You must have an I.D. on that man who was run over on Union Street yesterday.”
“I do.”
“Well?” When Harvey didn’t respond immediately, Ryan said, “Come on, Captain. The place was swarming with cops when it happened. I was there five minutes after the collision, and you and Sergeant Legere were both on the scene already. I counted at least five detectives and half a dozen uniforms. Either that was a superfluous response, or something was going down.”
“His name was Webster Holden,” Harvey said. “Now I’ll expect you to give me anything you find out about him before the press conference.”
“Deal. He’s a local?”
“Yeah. Have fun with it.” Harvey hung up.
The messages were a mixed bag, and between incoming calls he returned them. One from Mayor Jill Weymouth was on the top of the stack. Paula usually ranked his messages in what she perceived as order of importance. Jill’s secretary put him right through.
“Captain, good morning.”
“Morning, Mayor,” Harvey said. “How can I help you?”
“I spoke to the chief a few minutes ago, and he apprised me of the kidnapping situation. Does your squad have anything new on that?”
“No, ma’am.” Harvey scribbled himself a note. If Jill knew about Peter’s kidnapping, the world may as well know. Not that she was indiscreet, but too many people were in on it now, and it would leak out and be common knowledge soon. If he didn’t lead with it at his press conference he’d be accused of a coverup. “It’s our top priority right now.”
“I won’t keep you long. Chief Browning implied that the traffic accident victim yesterday afternoon was mixed up in it.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve scheduled a press conference for 2 p.m.”
“All right, I’ll expect to hear more then,” Jill said.
“Okay. We have several leads to follow today.”
“I’ll let you get to it. Keep up the good work, Captain.”
“Thank you.” Harvey hung up with a sigh. He tossed the top message in his wastebasket and eyed the second one. A TV reporter. He set that one aside. His phone rang.
“Paul Trudeau here, Captain. I’m at the Hobarts’ again, monitoring calls until noon. We haven’t had any incoming, and Mrs. Hobart says there’s nothing new from your end. Is that right?”
“That’s correct. How’s Abby holding up?”
“She seems pretty Stoic. Plans to take the boys to her sister’s after lunch.”
“How’s Gary?”
“I don’t think he’s up yet. Abby said he didn’t sleep well because of the pain. Too bad about his arm.”
“Yeah. Maybe someone in the family should pick up the boys so that Abby can stay near the phones there.” He didn’t want Abby halfway across town when the kidnappers rang her cell phone.
“I’ll suggest that,” Paul said.
“Well, she won’t want to get Gary up if he’s sleeping now. I’ll trust her judgment.”
Nate walked in, and Jimmy walked over to talk to him. Tony got up and hovered by Harvey’s desk until he closed the conversation with Trudeau.
“You got something, Tony?” Harvey asked, riffling through the messages.
“Maybe. Eddie just called in. He’s got a lead on Holden’s boss.”
“Great. Where is he?”
“Eddie? He’s on his way in.”
Harvey handed him three memo sheets that held messages from reporters. “Could you please give these to Paula? Ask her to call them all back and tell them I’ll hold a press conference in the lobby at two o’clock. Then we’ll sit down together, and I’ll give assignments.”
“Sure.”
Tony took the messages, and Harvey decided only one more message really needed a speedy response. By the time he’d made the call, Eddie was in and the four detectives had drifted into the interview room where they could sit comfortably around the table.
“Eddie, talk,” Harvey said as he sank into a chair.
“Yeah, I went to see my C.I., Silver. He didn’t have much, but it may be a fleck of gold.”
“Silver’s always steered you straight. What did he give you?”
“Web Holden provided muscle for that guy they call the Falcon.”
Harvey scowled. “Lionel Prewitt? I thought he was in jail for money laundering.”
“He is,” Eddie said. “The word is, he’s running his concerns from inside.”
“Who’s his
lieutenant?”
“Silver says it’s a guy named Talbot.”
Harvey took out his phone and tapped into the computer network. “Davey Talbot?”
“Could be,” Eddie said.
“He could be running Prewitt’s insurance rackets and high-interest loans,” Harvey said.
Eddie nodded. “That’s how I see it. Peter’s salesman, Ulrich, probably owed him.”
Harvey rubbed his sore neck, regretting spending several hours in the recliner. “Okay, let’s get a 20 on him.”
Nate rose. “On it.” He hurried out to his desktop.
Harvey looked across the table at Tony. “You had a couple of names last night—buddies of Holden’s.”
“Right,” Tony said. “We didn’t get anything helpful, but there’s a couple more guys we could lean on.”
“See what you can find out, but take Jimmy with you.”
“Will do.”
“All of you stay on the alert, in case we get something on Chad McCafferty and Emma Skerritt.”
Jimmy and Tony nodded solemnly.
Nate came to the door of the interview room. “Prewitt’s got an estate in Cape Elizabeth. Talbot’s living in it. Runs his operations from there.”
Harvey didn’t like it. The man’s base was outside the city, and therefore outside his jurisdiction. But the fact that he was living in the Falcon’s house pretty much clinched the hunch that Talbot was conducting business for him.
“We could ask him to pay us a courtesy call,” Eddie said.
“Me and Shakespeare can go to Cape Elizabeth,” Tony said.
Harvey turned his frown on him. “I thought you were the grammar whiz, Winfield.”
“Sorry.” Tony smiled sheepishly. “Shakespeare and I can go. It just doesn’t have the same ring to it.”
“No, it doesn’t,” Harvey said. “But I don’t think we’re ready for that. We don’t have anything solid that connects this Talbot to the kidnappers, even if he is hand in glove with the Falcon.”
“What if they’re keeping Peter down there?” Eddie asked.
Harvey let out a breath, not liking the suggestion. “If we spook Talbot now, it could spoil things later. Unless we find a connection and can get a warrant, I don’t see getting permission to search that place. Now, what else have we got?” He skimmed the print-outs of reports that had come in that morning from the lab and the night patrol sergeant. “Why can’t they find Emma Skerritt or her car?”
“Dunno, boss,” Jimmy said. “She might have gotten past our roadblocks last night, before we realized she was mixed up in this.”
“In which case, she could be in Canada,” Tony said.
“And the phones?” Harvey asked.
“Ms. Skerritt and McCafferty must have wised up and turned them off,” Nate said.
“Maybe.” Harvey had yet to be convinced that the people who’d kidnapped Peter had high IQs.
“If they’re using burners, maybe they ditched those and started using new ones,” Eddie said.
Harvey grunted. “That’s more likely. McCafferty probably tossed his. But apparently Emma Skerritt’s was a smart phone through AT&T. Women don’t like to give up their phones.”
“Or anything else,” Tony said.
“Shelley had fits when we got new ones,” Jimmy said. “All her apps and contacts. . .She had to make sure every single thing got transferred to the new phone.”
Harvey straightened the papers. “Nate, tell the techs to keep trying her phone. She may turn it on this morning, thinking she can give her messages a quick look.”
“Got it,” Nate said.
“And try to find out if Chad McCafferty also worked for Falcon Prewitt or his flunky, Talbot.”
“Silver didn’t know anything about McCafferty,” Eddie said. “He did say he heard Holden mentioned in connection with someone called Mack, though.”
“Could be our guy. ‘Mack’ McCafferty. The MM caller.” Harvey looked questioningly at Eddie. “Are you ready to ride down to Cape with me?”
“Sure.” Eddie stood. “Think we can get a warrant?”
“I don’t know, but I think it’s time to talk to Davey Talbot anyway.”
“Boss, what about the other phone?” Tony asked.
Harvey looked at him blankly for a moment, then his mind connected Tony’s words to a loose end. “Carter Ulrich’s.” He looked at the lab report again. “There’s nothing here on it.”
“Maybe it was low priority,” Eddie said.
“Nate, find out about that. I want every contact Ulrich made.” As he rose, Harvey said, “Jimmy, you help Nate compile every single report that’s come in overnight on this thing. Check every night shift cop’s report.”
“Instead of going out with Tony?” Jimmy asked.
“Yes. Tony, you’re on McCafferty. I think that’s more promising right now. Any little tidbit you find, you call me.”
“Copy that,” Tony said.
They moved into the outer office, and Harvey paused for a moment by Eddie’s desk. “I’m going to touch base with Abby. You go through what Silver told you, and cross reference with Tony about Holden’s friends. You may have an overlap, and something might pop out. We already know Holden and McCafferty were communicating. I need anything that will connect either of them solidly to Talbot.”
He sat in his swivel chair and called Abby’s landline.
“How you doing, kiddo?” he asked when she answered.
“We’re okay,” Abby said. “Gary’s having some pain and a little trouble adjusting to wearing a cast and having his activity restricted. I’m keeping both boys home from school again, though I don’t know how long I can do that.”
“Pray that something breaks over the weekend.”
“I am. I’m praying all the time.” Her voice cracked.
“Jennifer says she looks for the folks after lunch,” Harvey said.
“Yeah, she said they’d come get the boys later if I need to stay here,” Abby told him. “They need some distraction. I got on the school’s website a few minutes ago and got Gary’s homework assignments.”
“Good,” Harvey said.
“Well, he just got up, and he doesn’t really feel like doing schoolwork, but maybe by tomorrow.”
“It would probably do them good to see your parents and Randy and Jeff and Beth and the babies.”
“Yeah.” Abby’s voice took on new decision. “I want to see everyone, too, but I feel like I need to stay here.”
“The officers will notify us both immediately if anyone calls.”
“I know.” Abby sighed. “Janelle’s coming here soon. Maybe I should go to Jenn’s with the boys later.”
“I suppose so, if the kidnappers haven’t called you by then.”
“If Gary feels up to it, we’ll go over after we eat lunch.”
Abby’s voice was firmer, and Harvey decided that getting away from her house and the constant presence of law officers might be good for her.
“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “We’ve got some leads we’re following up on. I’ll keep you posted if we learn anything.”
“Thanks, Harvey.”
He could hear imminent tears in her voice again.
“Chin up, Abby.”
“Yeah. I’m doing my best, for the boys.”
“You’ve got a lot of people who love you and will do anything you ask to help you.”
“I know. Thanks.”
When Harvey hung up, Eddie and Tony were leafing backward through their pocket notebooks.
“You got something?” Harvey asked.
“Don’t think so,” Eddie said.
“Well, I really want a warrant for Talbot’s place. Get me something.”
“Don’t worry, Cap’n,” Tony said with his crooked grin. “We’ll look under every rock.”
Harvey clicked open a database on his desktop. “Don’t forget to look up once in a while.”
“Hey, Captain,” Nate said from across the room.
; “Yeah?”
“I may have what you need. Jennifer’s program is showing me that Webster Holden was arrested for assault three months ago, and the victim said it was connected to a debt he owed. And Holden was bailed out by Davey Talbot.”
Harvey looked at Eddie. “Get my gear and stand by. I’ll put the warrant app in, then we go.”
*****
Peter’s left ankle throbbed. If he moved it the slightest bit, pain stabbed him. What he’d give for a handful of aspirin!
The window was bright now. This must be Friday, but he wasn’t certain. It was hard to keep track of the days. He must have slept a long time. He was hungry, very hungry.
He had to work harder to sit up this time. He ought to use the bathroom, but he wouldn’t be able to undo his belt. He hadn’t drunk anything for twenty-four hours, and it didn’t seem urgent. He supposed he was dehydrated. Abigail would have fits if she knew.
He leaned back against the cold wall.
Where was Harvey Larson? Peter had convinced himself that Harvey was the greatest detective since Hercule Poirot, but he hadn’t been near the vacant house. Was Harvey losing his touch? Was this house even in Portland? Maybe they took him farther than he’d estimated. He could have passed out for a while during the ride and not realized it. But, no, he didn’t think he’d lost consciousness during that harrowing trip in the trunk of Mack and his buddy’s car. It seemed like a fading dream.
The only sensible conclusion was that he was on his own. He couldn’t count on Harvey and the Portland P.D. to find him before he died of thirst, any more than he could count on Mack to come back and release him. He had to free himself.
He dreaded even trying, because he knew how much it would hurt. And he was getting weaker. Did it make any sense to fight the chain again?
He’d heard of animals caught in a trap chewing off a foot to get free. Well, he couldn’t do that. At one point he’d managed to get hold of the chain and pull against it with all his weight, but nothing gave. So much for his years of weight training. He’d chafed his wrists so much on anything he could reach—the chain, the sleeping bag’s zipper, the edge of the sink—that he was sure his arms were bloody. But the flimsy strips of tape still held him. That didn’t seem right.
Eddie had shown them as a party trick how to get loose when your wrists were wrapped with duct tape. It was simple. Even Beth Wainthrop had done it. But Eddie had noted that it didn’t work if your hands were taped behind you. Peter had tried anyway, but he couldn’t get the leverage he needed.
Ransom of the Heart Page 14
