Harvey waited.
McCafferty’s eyes darted about the room. “It was all him.”
“What do you mean by that?” Harvey asked. “Be specific.”
“Holden was the one who shot the guy, not me.”
“What guy?”
“At the car showroom. The guy owed big bucks, and he’d been given umpteen chances to pay.”
“To whom did he owe the money?” Harvey asked. He saw Tony’s flicker of a smile when he said whom.
“Talbot. Davey Talbot.”
“And Talbot sent you and Holden to collect?”
“Not that time. He said the guy wasn’t going to pay, ever. He’d run out of chances.”
“So what exactly was your assignment?”
McCafferty’s lip quivered. “We were supposed to take care of him.”
“Kill him, you mean,” Harvey said.
Mack didn’t say anything, but he looked away, his breath coming in choppy gasps.
“So you shot him,” Harvey said.
“No, it was Web Holden, not me. It was all him.”
“Then why did you have Web’s gun today?”
“Huh?”
“The gun you had in the car you stole today is the same gun that killed Carter Ulrich at the car dealership.”
Mack swallowed hard. “Web left it behind when he went to pick up the ransom. If things went bad, he didn’t want to be caught with a gun on him.”
“You expect me to believe that?” Harvey asked.
“It’s the truth.
“Okay. And whose idea was it to grab the business owner and demand a ransom for him?”
“It was his idea, actually.” McCafferty clutched the edge of the blanket and looked up at Harvey, his expression pleading for mercy. “We didn’t know he was in there, but—but after—Well, he came out of some other room, and he says, ‘What do you want? Do you want money?’ Well, of course we wanted money.”
“And what did you say?”
“Not me,” McCafferty said quickly. “Holden said, ‘Sure. How much you got?’”
“So where is Peter Hobart now?”
“He’s—he’s in a house.”
“Where?” Harvey was becoming impatient, and his tone hardened.
“It’s ... it’s in the West Side.”
“I need the street address.”
“It’s a one-story brick house on Baldwin Place. I can’t remember the number.”
Harvey looked at Tony and nodded. Tony hurried into the hallway.
“Whose house is it?” Harvey asked.
“I don’t know. Holden knew a guy.”
“What do you mean, he knew a guy? The guy who owned the house?”
“No, he didn’t own it. He was a real estate agent, and he knew this house was empty.”
Harvey’s brain clicked and whirled. “Is there a For Sale sign in front of this house?”
“Yeah, I think so.” Harvey’s scowled, and McCafferty said, “Yeah, there is. I’m sure.”
“What agency?”
“I dunno. Red and white sign.”
“You’d better be telling it straight.” Harvey turned on his heel and strode into the hall.
Tony had his phone to his ear. “Dispatch is sending four units, boss.”
“Tell them there may be a red-and-white for sale sign out front, and the house is empty. See what they can get us.” Harvey threw Allison Crocker a glance. “You stay alert. Nobody goes in but medical personnel and cops.”
“Yes, sir,” Allison said. “And the girlfriend?”
Emma was hovering a little way down the hall. Harvey wished he had a reason to hold her, but he believed that she hadn’t known about Peter. She’d have cracked when they questioned her, before she knew where Mack was.
“Only after we get another officer here with you. I don’t like the two of them in there and you alone out here. I want one officer in there all the time.”
He made a quick call to Aaron O’Heir, who had come on duty as night patrol sergeant. While he arranged for another officer to help Allison hold things down at the hospital, Tony told Emma she couldn’t go back inside the room until another patrolman came. One of the officers would stay with her while she was inside the room.
Harvey shoved his phone in his pocket and dove into the nearest stairwell with Tony on his heels.
“You ride with me,” he told Tony. “As soon as we’re in the car, call the rest of our squad.”
Some of the patrol units would beat them to the neighborhood. They would be looking for a vacant brick house. Harvey wished he could be first on the scene, but that was impossible with the moments he’d used to give orders and the distance from the hospital. He put on his lights and siren and clenched his teeth.
Tony yelled over the noise, “Hey, Cap’n, Eddie wants to know, should he tell Abby?”
“Is he still at my house?” Harvey asked.
“He’s wherever Abby is.”
Harvey hesitated. “Okay. He can tell her, but have him stress that it may come to nothing. But I want him to meet us there pronto.”
“Right.” Tony relayed the message as they roared out of the parking lot.
*****
“Take me with you, Eddie.”
The strain in Abby’s face ripped him to pieces. “I can’t, Abs.”
“Please. You can’t leave me out of this.” She looked around wildly and grabbed Leeanne’s arm. “Tell him. He has to take me.”
Leeanne looked at him, speechless. She never interfered with his police work, and Eddie was glad she kept quiet this time. Still, Abby had been through so much this week. If he was the one who’d been kidnapped, he would want Leeanne to come to him. And giving in would be quicker than arguing.
“Okay,” he said. “But you have to stay in my truck when we get there, until we know it’s safe for you to get out.”
“I’ll do whatever you say.”
She didn’t even take her purse, just ran for the door.
Eddie gave Leeanne a quick kiss.
“Thanks for dinner, Jenn.”
“We’ll be praying. Go.” Jennifer patted his shoulder as he strode past her.
Abby was already buckled in. “Where is it?”
“In the West End. I don’t have an exact address, but it’s a vacant house with a For Sale sign. We’ve got patrol units there now, looking for it.”
“That could take a while.”
“I hope not. Call Harvey and see if they’ve got an address yet.”
“He won’t get mad?”
“Has Harvey ever gotten mad at you?”
“No.” Abby took out her phone and punched in a call to Harvey.
“Now, me he might yell at,” Eddie said, “but you, no.”
The ghost of a smile touched her lips.
“Harvey, it’s Abby. I’m with Eddie. Do you have an address?”
“Just the street name—Baldwin Place. When you get close, you’ll see police cars.” She told Eddie. “Do you know where that is?”
“I know the area. I’ve got a cousin that lives over that way.” He reached over and fumbled the glove compartment open. “There’s ear plugs in there. You might want ’em.” Leeanne had insisted he carry several packages of the cheap foam inserts, so that he wouldn’t be deaf by the time he hit thirty.
Abby got a package open and handed him the plugs then put a pair in her ears, and he let loose the siren. He drove across town, and the traffic pulled over out of their way. They were soon in a residential neighborhood. In the distance he caught a telltale flash of blue.
“There’s one of ours.”
Abby said nothing but stared ahead and clung to the handle on the door frame. A minute later, he pulled up behind a squad car and got out.
“Stay put.” He shut his door and hurried to the cruiser. A patrolman was just getting off the radio.
“Hey, Jerry,” Eddie said. “You got anything? Where’s Captain Larson?”
“They think they’ve found the house. Two s
treets over.” He gave a precise address, and Eddie bounded back to the truck.
“They think they found it.” He put the truck in gear.
“How far is it?” Abby asked.
“Not far.” He took a cross street two blocks and saw the lights from several police vehicles down the street to his right. “That’s got to be it.” He rolled as close as he could get and stopped his truck in the street next to Harvey’s Explorer. He left it running with the flashers on. The house was lit up, and several patrolmen were posted in the driveway and at the door.
Eddie climbed out. “Where’s the captain?”
“Inside,” one of the officers yelled back.
Eddie bent and looked in at Abby. “You stay here. I mean it. I’ll come tell you the second I know something.”
“Eddie!”
Something about her voice stopped him. He stooped lower and looked at her. The blue and red lights made weird shadows on her face.
“What?”
She made a choking noise in her throat and pointed. “That sign.”
Eddie squinted. “The For Sale sign?”
“Yeah.” She turned toward him. “It’s Redmond Realty.”
“So? They sell a lot of houses around here.”
“But, Eddie.”
She was crying. Eddie stared at her for a moment. This was serious. He got in and shut the door.
“What is it, Abby?” He put his arm around her. “What’s going on?”
“Tom,” she said. “Tom Merrick.”
“Who—” Eddie caught his breath. “You don’t mean. . .”
Abby nodded. “Peter’s brother-in-law. Janelle’s husband works for Redmond.”
Chapter 17
“Eddie?” Abby’s face was streaked with tears, and her hand shook as she reached toward him.
“Sacre bleu.” Eddie exhaled.
“What do we do?”
He swallowed hard and gave her a little squeeze. “Okay, you listen to me. Do not move. I’ll lock you in, and you stay here. I’ll make sure Harvey knows.”
“Eddie, I’m a nurse.”
“I know. Just let me find out what’s what.”
She sobbed in earnest then, big shaking sobs. Eddie wanted to comfort her, but he knew the best thing he could do was get to Harvey.
“Here.” He snatched a tissue from the box in the console and shoved it into her hand. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
He got out and ran for the house, holding his badge up in case any of patrolmen didn’t recognize him, though there was a fat chance of that after all the publicity he’d gotten last winter as the Heartbreaker Hero. He would probably never live that down.
An ambulance pulled up, siren wailing. His hopes rose. If Peter was dead, Harvey would have called the medical examiner, not the EMTs.
He asked the cop at the door, “Any hostiles inside?”
“No, but they found a guy in the basement. Might be the kidnap victim.”
Eddie hurried inside. He found the cellar stairway quickly. Two uniforms stood near the door, in the bare kitchen.
“Down there?” Eddie asked.
One of them pointed. Eddie strode to the open doorway. Lights flooded the basement below, and he heard voices. He went down the stairs. Harvey, Tony, and two more cops were crowded around a man on the concrete floor. Eddie stepped closer and looked down at Peter’s haggard face. His eyes were closed, and he wasn’t moving. Eddie laid a hand on Harvey’s shoulder.
Harvey looked up at him.
“EMT’s are here.”
“Good.”
“He’s breathing, then?”
Harvey stood. “Yeah, but he’s in rough shape.”
“Harv, Abby’s in my truck outside, and she told me something that may be important.”
Harvey moved a few steps away, toward the oil furnace, and Eddie went with him. Harvey cocked his head to one side and quirked his eyebrows.
“That Realtor’s sign outside—Redmond.”
“Yeah?” Harvey asked.
“Peter’s brother-in-law works for them.”
Harvey stared at him for a moment. “Tom? Janelle’s husband?”
“Yeah. Tom Merrick.”
Harvey let out his breath in a puff. “We’ll have to pick him up. McCafferty told me at the hospital that Holden knew a guy in real estate. He told them about this place, maybe even let them in.” He rubbed his chin. “Guess I’d better go talk to Abby. She would know his address.”
“It might not be him,” Eddie said.
“It’s too coincidental.”
“Yeah, but coincidences do happen. That’s why circumstantial evidence isn’t usually enough.”
Harvey grimaced. “Yeah. Where’s your rig?”
“Right by yours.”
A shuffle at the top of the stairs drew their attention, and Jeff Wainthrop and Mark Johnson hurried down, carrying their equipment. Jeff zeroed in on Harvey and Eddie.
“Is it Peter?”
“Yeah,” Harvey said. “Abby’s outside, and I’m going to go talk to her. “I’ll be back. You can tell Eddie and Tony anything pertinent.” He nodded to Mark and jogged up the stairs.
*****
Abby had the pickup window down and was staring toward the house.
“Harvey,” she called as soon as he hit the front steps.
He beelined toward her and stopped beside her door. “Abby. We’ve found him.”
“Is he okay? I want to see him.” She unlatched the door, but Harvey stood in front of it so that she couldn’t open it.
“Not yet,” he said gently. “Jeff and Mark just went in. Let them take his vitals and get an IV in.”
“An IV?”
“I think he’s dehydrated. And, Abby, he may have some broken bones.”
“They beat him up?” Her voice rose in outrage.
“I don’t know. It looks more like he may have taken a bad fall. He may have been trying to escape. He wasn’t bound, but we saw evidence that he had been.”
“What do you mean? Ligature marks?”
Harvey reached through the window and touched her shoulder. “Let us gather the evidence. I’ll tell you all the details when we’ve sorted them out. I promise.”
She pulled in a shuddering breath. “Can I call and tell the boys?” Her chin jerked up sharply. “He’s going to make it, right? Harvey, tell me. Is Peter going to be okay?”
“I’m not a doctor. He was unconscious when we found him. He may have hit his head pretty hard. You know that’s serious. He has other injuries, too.”
“What kind of injuries?” Abby’s eyes hardened.
“His hands are bleeding, and there are cuts on his wrists, his palms, and his fingers. One ankle is lacerated. We think they had him chained by one foot. Knowing Peter, he probably fought it and tried to break the chain.”
She took two breaths and met his gaze. “Okay. What else?”
“I don’t know. If he fell from the stairway, which looks like a good bet, he could have internal injuries. Broken ribs, anything.”
She pushed on the door. “Let me go in.”
“Why don’t you call the boys first? I can go in and get a report from Jeffrey.”
She hesitated. “Should I ask my mother to bring Gary and Andy to the hospital? I think they need to see him, too.”
“I don’t know. Will they let the boys in if Peter goes to the ICU?”
“I’ll make them allow it.”
Harvey nodded. “All right, but remember it’s possible Peter will need surgery. I’m sure they’ll do X-rays and run tests, anyway.”
She sighed. “Okay, I’ll tell them not to come until I call again. Maybe morning would be better, but I know the boys won’t sleep tonight.”
“Listen, Eddie said you mentioned Tom Merrick.”
Her eyes focused on his, and her lips thinned. “Yeah. That’s his real estate company.”
“Can I ask you not to tell Janelle yet that we’ve found Peter?”
She eyed him kee
nly. “You’re going to go find Tom?”
“That’s the plan, as soon as Peter’s in the ambulance.”
She nodded slowly. “Janelle said he was out of town this week.”
“Where?”
“Boston. Some real estate seminar.”
“It’s Friday night,” Harvey said. “Think he’s home yet?”
“I don’t know.”
“When did he leave?”
“Wednesday? Thursday?” Abby frowned. “Do you think he was gone when this happened?”
“Maybe.” Or maybe he wasn’t gone at all, Harvey thought, but he wasn’t about to say that.
“Well, that would be good, wouldn’t it?” Her hopeful tone made his stomach churn. He didn’t want to disillusion her.
“Let’s just see what we see. If Tom was in Boston all this time and had nothing to do with it, that would be great. But let’s hold off on telling that side of the family for a few hours, okay? Say, 8 a.m.? If Peter’s mom calls you before then, don’t lie to her, but I want time to figure this out.”
Abby nodded.
“What’s Janelle and Tom’s address?”
She gave it to him, and Harvey was glad it was within ten miles of where they were.
“It’s not late,” he observed. “When we’re done here, I’ll probably ride over there and have a little chat with Tom if he’s home.”
“Okay. I’ll call the boys now.”
“Good. And I’ll see what I can get out of Jeff. If he gives the go-ahead, I’ll come get you and take you in the house. Deal?”
“Deal.”
*****
Abby called the Larsons’ house, and Jennifer answered on the first ring.
“Abby? What’s going on?”
Abby smiled. “I have some news, but I want to tell the boys first, if you don’t mind.”
“Of course,” Jennifer said. “I can put Andy on here in the kitchen and take Gary to the extension in our bedroom. Will that work?”
“It’s perfect. Thanks.”
“Hold on.”
Abby waited, watching as more officers arrived and residents gathered to chat in small groups on the sidewalk across the street.
“Mommy?” Andy said on the phone.
“Hi, honey. It’s me. Is Gary there yet?”
“Aunt Jennifer is getting him another phone.”
“Okay. Are you guys doing okay?”
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