by Ann Mullen
“What are you talking about?” Claire asked. “We’re not going after him; that’s the job of the police. Besides, I don’t want my kids to get hurt.”
Here we go, again, I thought to myself. After all that has happened to us in the past year, you’d think Claire would have more sense than to rely on the police to come to our rescue. Most of the time they do the best they can, but in real life, their best is not always good enough. I must admit that Sheriff Wake Hudson and his Greene County deputies are better than most cops. I actually think they care about the victims. Most cops only care about two things: throwing the bad guys in jail; and staying alive. I can’t blame them for that, but I do feel they should realize that not all people are bad. There’re some of us out here who really are innocent when we say we are. They should be able to distinguish between the two, but I guess that’s impossible. Everyone is fallible, and at some point in their life they’re liable to err. I know I did. I killed someone. Actually, I killed two people at the same time. It was self-defense. There was never any doubt about that. Yet, I have to live with that knowledge for the rest of my life. It’s not a good feeling. However, if I ever had any doubt about my ability to summon up the nerve to kill someone, I don’t anymore.
“If we want to get the kids back, we have to go after them,” Billy spoke up. He looked at Claire. “We can’t just sit around and wait. For all we know, Carl could be planning to leave the state. If he had the gumption to come here and take your children right out from under your nose, there’s no telling what he might do. We can’t leave this in the hands of the police. No, we need to handle this situation ourselves. We’ll bring your kids back home, Claire. I’ll call my brothers.” Billy got up from the table, walked over to the phone on the wall, and then picked up the receiver. “The Blackhawk brothers will bring your children home.”
Claire jumped up and paced the floor. She was upset and anyone could see that she had her reservations about the possibility of a rescue by anyone other than the police. She kept shaking her head. “Wait a minute, Billy. I don’t know,” she said. “I don’t think this is such a good idea. I have confidence in you, but these are my kids we’re talking about. What if something goes wrong? We need to talk about this.”
“What’s there to talk about, Claire?” he asked her. “The more time we waste, the less likely we are to get them back. If we move now, we can catch him when he’s at his weakest moment. If we give him time to set up his defenses, we’ll never get through to him.”
“I have custody of the kids… shared custody, but they live with me,” Claire said. “He has to give them back. The law’s on my side.”
Her words hung in the air. We glanced at each other.
“Claire, I think we have to put our trust in Billy about this,” Mom said. “We all know that the law can only do so much. I could tell just by listening to that deputy that this case is just like all the others he sees. Did you hear what he said about this happening all the time? He said we’d probably have to go to court to get the kids back. By then it’ll be too late. There’s no telling where Carl will take them. Do you want to spend the next couple of years in court trying to get Benny and Carrie back? I don’t think so. Let Billy go after them. He’ll make sure they don’t get hurt, won’t you, Billy?”
The familiar sound of two dogs barking caught my attention. I went to the utility room door and opened it. Athena and Thor came barreling in. They barked, jumped, and licked at me as if they hadn’t seen me in months. They were ready to go home. I could tell from the look in their eyes that they had missed me. Two seconds later, they had forgotten about me and were asleep by the fireplace.
“You have my word on it,” Billy said as he walked over to Claire. “I promise you nothing will happen to Benny and Carrie. Let me go get them and bring them home.”
“Okay,” Claire said. “But you’d better not pull one of your crazy stunts, Billy Blackhawk. I don’t want to see you and my kids running through the front door with the cops hot on your tail. Be discreet, and don’t get caught.”
“I promise,” Billy said. “I’ll bring the kids back and Carl won’t even know they’re gone, until they’re home safely tucked in their beds.”
CHAPTER 2
Night had settled in. The snow from the last storm had melted, the ground was soggy, and the air was cold. After Claire had drawn up a detailed diagram of her house in Washington, D.C. and gave it to Billy, we gathered up Athena and Thor, and headed home. Billy and I discussed the situation on the way, but he refused to let me be a part of the plan. He said that he and his brothers could do the job.
“You can get a little rest and then go back to your Mom’s, or you could just stay home and do some research on the computer,” he said. “We still have Brian Cherry’s case to think about.”
“You’re out of your mind. I’m not staying home and I’m not going back to Mom’s house.”
“You’re not coming with us!” he said, loudly as he walked up the porch steps. “As soon as my brothers get here we’ll decide how to handle this operation. I don’t want any interference from you!”
I was furious. We’d been married a couple of weeks and he was already trying to tell me what to do. I grabbed my duffle bag and along with the dogs, followed him inside.
“Why can’t I be a part of this? It’s not as if there’s any danger involved. Carl’s a wimp. He won’t give us any trouble.”
“He already has.”
“All we have to do is go to his house and take the kids.”
“We might have to take them by force. Who knows what could happen? No, `ge ya, I think you need to stay out of this one. You’re too close.”
“And you’re not?”
“I can be objective,” Billy replied. He dropped his duffle bag on the floor and went to the phone.
“Hogwash!” I said. I walked over to the thermostat on the wall and turned up the heat. “It’s cold in here. We need to build a fire in the fireplace.”
“I’m serious about this, Jesse. I don’t usually make demands, but this is different. You’re too emotionally involved and that alone could get someone hurt. I have to think of everyone concerned. Please trust me and let me handle this.”
My anger subsided. Billy was right. Besides, there’s no telling what I would do if I lost my temper, and Carl has always had a way of pushing my buttons. Even after he made that pass at me at their wedding, I tried to forgive him and like him for Claire’s sake, but as time passed, I saw him for what he really was—a low-down, cheating scumbag who only cared about himself. All he had to do was be in the same room with me and I’d get crazy. Every time I looked at him, I would get a yucky feeling in my stomach. I think if I could just whack him in the head with a baseball bat, I’d feel so much better.
Thirty minutes later, I had a raging fire burning in the fireplace, and the dogs were cuddled up next to it. A knock at the door echoed through the house. Billy’s brothers filed in, one by one. Jonathan, the bounty hunter, Daniel, the car dealership owner, and Robert, the owner of the Rising Sun Restaurant, didn’t waste any time showing up. That’s one of the many things I love about Billy’s family—they are always there for each other, no matter what.
“Come on in and sit down, guys,” I said as I opened the door and gave each one of them a hug. “Billy will be right out. He’s changing clothes.”
“This is a heck of a thing for you to face as soon as you get home from your honeymoon, huh?” Daniel asked.
“What can I say? People do crazy things.”
“You’re not kidding,” Jonathan said. “Two days ago I was after a guy who had jumped bail, and when I tried to handcuff him, his girlfriend attacked me. She won’t no bigger than a mouse, but she managed to sink her teeth into my arm.” He held up a bandaged arm for me to see. “I had to get a tetanus shot.”
“People do some weird stuff,” Robert chimed in. “I got a call from an old man who wanted to know if anyone had found his set of false teeth in the restaurant bathroom. It seems he to
ok them out because he had food stuck under them, and he wanted to rinse out his mouth. He forgot to put them back in.”
“Did you find them?” I asked.
“Yeah, one of the waitresses put them in a plastic bag. The guy sent someone to pick them up that afternoon. The young lady said her grandfather was too embarrassed to come get them himself.”
“That’s sad…”
“I’m glad you all could come,” Billy said as he walked out of the bedroom. He shook each one of his brother’s hand. “We need to jump right on this problem before too much time passes. I don’t have to tell you that the longer we wait, the harder it’ll be to find this guy. Have a seat.” He motioned for them to sit at the kitchen table, and then he looked at me. “Jesse, would you mind making some coffee, please?”
“I’ll be glad to,” I said. I’d come to terms with Billy’s demand. I decided to do as he said. I reached up and kissed his cheek, and then whispered in his ear, “I love you.” A big smile appeared on his face. I winked at him as I walked to the kitchen. “You can have your way on this one because we’re newlyweds, but next time I won’t give in so easily, Billy Blackhawk.”
Since Carl had moved back into their house after Claire and the kids had moved out, we had the advantage of having an inside view of the layout from Claire’s descriptive diagram, and we also had the code to the alarm system. We wouldn’t be dealing with unknown turf. Even though I had only been to their house a couple of times, I still remembered the hidden room behind the wall in the library—something that even Claire had forgotten about until I mentioned it. What better place to hide two children if someone came looking?
A precise and detailed plan had been hatched out. Billy would go to the front door and talk to Carl, stalling him while his brothers slipped in the back way. The operation would be a breeze and nobody would get hurt. And if Carl proved to be a formidable foe, they’d just stick a gun in his face. One way or the other, they wouldn’t leave without Benny and Carrie.
“Assuming that this was a last minute decision on his part, I’m guessing that he’ll take the kids to his house just long enough to rest up and get his head together and then he’ll head out again. But if he planned this out in advance, he probably won’t be at his house. Chances are he’ll leave the state.”
“Carl has a summer house in Florida and a cabin somewhere in Colorado. His parents left both places to him in their will.” I added my knowledge to the conversation. “At least, that’s what Claire told me a while back. She said she’d never seen either one, but was sure they existed because she’d seen the real estate tax bills. She asked Carl if they could spend their vacation at the house in Florida once, but he refused. He claimed it made him sad… memories of his dead parents and all that bull. I think he’s full of crap. He probably made the whole thing up. He’s a cheating husband. If they cheat—they lie!”
That last little tidbit about cheating husbands was ignored.
“Having more than one place and each being so far apart, does create a problem,” Jonathan said as he sipped his coffee.
“Yeah, that’s a lot of ground to cover,” Robert added.
“We’ll worry about that later.” Billy turned to me and said, “Call Claire and find out all you can about those other two places and then search the net for anything else you can find. Check and see if the sheriff has called her. I’m sure that by now he’s called the D.C. Police Department and they’ve already been to Carl’s house. That deputy was right. If Carl’s there, I’m sure he told them that his wife knows he has the kids and that it was prearranged. Call me as soon as you talk to Claire.”
“Are you taking your truck? You know the phone in it isn’t working right. You don’t have a cell phone and mine isn’t charged enough for you to use. How will I reach you?”
Billy rattled off each of his brother’s numbers as I quickly wrote them down on a notepad.
“Jonathan’s driving my truck while I catch a few winks, and Robert will be riding with Daniel. I’ll call you as soon as we get to D.C. Give us about two hours.”
“What if I call Claire and she says the cops went to Carl’s house and he wasn’t there?”
“We’re still going to his house to see for ourselves,” Billy replied as he got up from the table and headed to the front door. “He could be hiding.”
I wrapped my arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. “Be careful. Call me the minute you have the kids.”
“You know I will,” Billy said. “Take care of my little warrior.” He patted my stomach.
“Your little princess is going to be fine,” I said. I blew him a kiss as he walked out and closed the door.
Athena and Thor jumped up from their spot by the fireplace and ran up to me. They both looked as if they knew what was going on and they didn’t like it one bit. Thor barked at the door and Athena howled behind him. I knew they were going to be my shadows until Billy returned. I shooed them back over to the fireplace as I sat down on the sofa, thinking about what my next step would be. I looked around the house.
Even though this was once the house Billy had shared with his first wife, Ruth, and their two boys, it was now our home. Most women would freak out at the idea of living in some other woman’s house, but not me. I didn’t have a problem with the past memories of this place, because Billy and I were going to make new ones. The way I see it, this was Blackhawk land and belonged to the woman who loved her man enough to keep her family going, and to make each day as happy as it can be. Ruth relinquished that right a long time ago when she left Billy. I, on the other hand, was ready to dig in.
Billy and I live at Number Two, Bear Mountain Road in Albemarle County. A graveled driveway leads to our secluded, two-story log cabin, and our home is surrounded by woods and wildlife. I love the privacy and spectacular views. Mountain tops line the sky.
Like so many other places in this rural area, Bear Mountain Road is a private road leading into a large area of private, family homes. In this case, all the homes were part of the Blackhawk Compound. There are seven such homes, and each sits on several acres of land. There’s one house each for Billy, his three brothers, and two sisters, and at the end of the road is the home of Chief “Sam” Standing Deer and Sarah Blackhawk. Billy said his folks planned it that way. I can’t blame them. They have a big family and this was one way to keep them close, except for Jenny and Beth. The great outdoors wasn’t so great as far as they were concerned. They have their own house on the compound, but they live in the city with their families.
“Wow, what a great place to raise a child,” I said to the dogs as I got up from the sofa and walked to the kitchen and then back to the living room, turning off lights on my way. I left a single lamp burning on the computer table. I stretched out and looked around the room. The fireplace was such an added comfort to my chilled body. I guess being pregnant not only made you sick, but also caused your thermostat to get out of whack. I’ve had my share of nausea in the past month, and I’ve definitely had a problem with my body temperature. Mom says that will all change after a couple of months. We’ll see. She told me to forget about being pregnant and just take care of myself. She said to eat right and after I’d reached my third month, I would be safe. That was a scary thing to be told. Since this is a first for me, I guess I’d better listen, at least until I’ve done some research on the subject. “Are you guys listening?”
Athena’s ears perked up. Thor rolled over and threw his legs up in the air—his tongue hung out of his mouth.
“I’ve had a long trip. I’m going to lie down for just a minute and then I’ll get up and call …”
I dozed off for what seemed like just a little while, only to be awakened by a bark from one of the dogs. I sat up and rubbed my eyes. The room was dim and the fire had died down to a bed of embers. The soft glow cast shadows on the walls. I looked over at the clock above the desk.
“It’s eleven-thirty! I can’t believe it!” I yelled. “Why hasn’t Billy called? He should’ve call
ed by now!”
I jumped up from the sofa and ran straight to the phone on the kitchen wall. I grabbed it and did the first thing that came to mind. I dialed Mom’s number. I tried to get my head together as I waited for her to answer.
What did I do with that list? I looked around and caught sight of the notepad lying on the kitchen table. I reached over and grabbed it. After waiting through only two rings, I hit the clicker to end the call, and proceeded to dial the first number on the list. After much static and hissing, an electronic message came on and said that my call couldn’t be completed as dialed. I tried the number again. This time, the phone rang and rang, but to no avail. Nobody was answering. I dialed Jonathan, the next number on the list. Again, a message came on, but this time it said that the wireless customer was unavailable at this time. That meant that Jonathan had turned off his cell phone. Why would he turn off his cell phone unless he was in the middle of something? I dialed the last number on the list as my stomach did a flip-flop. The phone didn’t even ring. I dialed it again and still got nothing. Now I was really in a tizzy. I hung up the phone, walked over to the refrigerator and then opened the door. The cold air blasted me in the face as I stood there and waited for the hot flash, or whatever it was that had hit me, to pass. I reached in and grabbed a can of soda, popped the top, and walked to the kitchen table to sit down. I took a big gulp from the can. My hands shook. I had to get it together. I mean, how bad could it be? Carl is a crybaby wimp and Billy is a girl’s knight in shining armor. There was no contest! Billy could handle anything. Everything was fine. I was sure of it! I had to call Mom. Now that I think about it, why hasn’t she called me? She calls me on a regular basis. She even called me on my honeymoon. Something must have gone wrong! No, if something had gone wrong, I would’ve heard about it by now. Isn’t that what they always say? I took another sip of my drink and then went back to the phone. I dialed Mom’s number, and after several rings, she finally answered.
