“He’s coming home,” Alec whispered. “I refuse to let this end any other way.”
Grace leaned her head on Alec’s shoulder. “How do we make that happen? Mara seems invincible. If Johnny hadn’t found out the truth right before Mara showed up, he might have tried to escape. He’d be snoring in his bed now. Why didn’t I listen to you and tell him sooner? Even if he comes home, he’s never going to forgive me. How do you recover from the kind of betrayal he must be feeling?”
“Not if he comes home. When. He might be furious with you. He might feel betrayed, but stronger than those feelings is his love for you. He’ll remember once he’s home.” She stood and tugged on Grace’s hand. “This tree looks lonely. Let’s wrap Johnny’s presents and put them under it. Johnny will hear them calling to him. That will get him home.”
Grace didn’t move. “I can’t, Alec. It would be a knife in my chest every time I saw those gifts mocking me.”
“No, it would be proof that you believe he’ll be here on Christmas morning to open them. Get up and help me find the paper and ribbons. When we’re done, you’re coming with me to Juliana’s for cannoli.”
Grace knew there was no fighting the force of nature that was Alec. She slowly climbed to her feet and gazed up at her obstinate friend. “Get the wrapping supplies. I’ll get the gifts. Let’s get this over with before I lose my nerve.”
Alec raced to the basement while Grace dug Johnny’s gifts out of their hiding place in the linen closet without allowing herself to reminisce about the time she’d spent shopping for them. If Alec were right, there would be time for that later.
Johnny turned off the shower and grasped the rail so he could pull his towel off the hook. He started drying off but stopped when he heard Mara slamming drawers on the other side of the wall.
“What’s going on out there?” he asked, dreading the answer.
Mara had been agitated since she got back the night before. When Johnny asked what they were having for dinner, she nearly bit his head off and told him to eat cheese and crackers. At first, he worried that she’d found out about his adventure to the lobby, but her behavior didn’t seem to have anything to do with him. She’d been calmer when she woke up an hour earlier, but it sounded like something new had set her off.
The closet door slammed, and she yelled, “Get out here.”
Johnny dried off and dressed as quickly as he could, which wasn’t fast enough for Mara. She pounded on the door until he unlocked it. She shoved it open, nearly knocking him off his crutches. She held one of the candy bars he’d bought an inch from his nose.
“Where’d you get this?”
Johnny froze. No matter how hard he concentrated, his mouth refused to move.
Mara’s jaw clenched. “Answer me,” she hissed.
He took a few deep breaths and braced himself against the counter. “I bought it in the lobby. I was hungry. We didn’t have anything good.”
Mara’s fist slammed into his gut so fast he didn’t have time to block it. Air rushed out of him and he doubled over, which sent his left crutch skidding across the bathroom tile. He grabbed for the sink counter but missed and struck his head on the toilet on his way to the floor. He looked at Mara as she got all blurry before everything went dark.
It felt like someone was pounding a nail into Johnny’s head. He forced his eyes open and found Mara staring down at him. The last thing he remembered was getting out of the shower, but he was lying on the floor next to his bed. He didn’t remember dressing and glanced down at himself in panic, but he was fully clothed. He closed his eyes against the light over his head and groaned.
“What happened to my head?” he asked. His words came out like a croak. He cleared his throat and asked again, but it wasn’t any better. His mouth was as dry as cotton.
“You don’t remember what happened?” He tried to shake his head, but it hurt to move. “You had a seizure in the bathroom. I dragged you out here. It wasn’t easy, I can tell you. Can you walk? I need to get you to the hospital.”
He couldn’t lift his head, let alone walk. “I don’t think so. Call an ambulance. That’s what my mom does.”
“Can’t do that, and I’m your mom.”
Johnny opened his eyes again and squinted at her. He wasn’t in any shape to argue about Grace. “Why not?”
“Just can’t. I’ll think of another way.” She swiveled her head as she scanned the room. “I’ll be right back,” she said and darted into the hallway.
Johnny dragged himself closer to the bed and propped his back against the end of it. His head hurt worse than it ever had in his life. He reached up and ran his fingers over the spot that hurt most. There was a bump the size of an egg. That wasn’t too unusual. He’d bumped his head lots of times when he’d had a seizure, but he usually remembered the seizure starting. All he remembered this time was getting out of the shower. It was a blank after that.
The door swung open and a luggage cart rolled in with Mara behind it. “Think you can climb on here?”
“I’m not getting on that. It’s for suitcases, not people,” he said and crossed his arms.
“You have to go to the hospital. You hit your head on the toilet when you fell. If you have another way to get to the car, I’m listening.”
He didn’t, and he knew she was right about going to the hospital. His head didn’t feel right. He slumped his shoulders. “Fine, but make sure you don’t drop me. I don’t need any more bumps.”
She rolled the cart closer and helped him lift himself on to it. As she pushed him toward the door, he noticed their bags lined up in front of the closet. He was about to ask why, but she went through the door and rounded the corner, so he had to hang on to keep from falling.
Getting him to the car was the easy part, and he wished he’d thought to bring his crutches. It took fifteen minutes to work his way from the cart to the front passenger seat with Mara’s help. His headache grew worse with each movement.
Once he was in the car, Mara left him and took the cart back into the hotel. He thought she was returning it to the lobby, but she came back ten minutes later with their belongings piled on it. He watched while she loaded it into the car. She left with the cart again but came back after a minute.
“Why are we leaving the hotel?” he asked when she climbed into the car. “You said we were staying for a few more days.”
“You ruined that, didn’t you? You went to the market and now they have you on the security camera. We can’t stay here.”
Mara’s words were a foggy jumble that he couldn’t understand. He closed his eyes and turned his head to the side so his bump wouldn’t press against the seat. He was sad to leave the hotel, but all he cared about was getting relief from his headache. Mara couldn’t get him to the hospital fast enough.
14
Wrapping Johnny’s gifts had seemed like a good idea at the time, but when Grace came out of her room after dressing, she couldn’t bring herself to look under the tree. Each beautifully wrapped package was a harsh reminder that Johnny wouldn’t be there to open them on Christmas morning. She kept her eyes forward and rushed past to the kitchen.
“Keep us posted,” Ryan said and hung up his phone as Grace walked into the kitchen.
“Who was that? Wes?” she asked.
Ryan, Steph, and Mark were at the table. They glanced at each other before staring at her.
When Grace reached for Ryan’s phone to check the caller ID, Steph said, “It was Jason. Jen might be in labor. They’re on their way to the hospital.”
Grace rubbed her forehead. “Labor? So early. Give me details.”
“Only three and a half weeks early. You know twins typically come ahead of schedule,” Ryan said. “Steph and Jen were born two weeks before their due date. It might be a false alarm. They went to urgent care because she didn’t feel well. Her blood pressure was slightly elevated. The contractions started while they were there. The doctor told them to go to the hospital.”
“It’s the s
tress over Johnny. Worrying about him sent her into labor. Mara did this. The longer this goes on, the greater the chaos in her wake.” She stared at the wall calendar Johnny had given her the previous Christmas. “What day is it?”
“Sunday,” Mark said.
“Sunday,” Grace repeated. “Tomorrow marks a week since Mara tore our world to shreds. We should be with Jen, not here anxious for any scrap of news about Johnny.”
Ryan went to Grace and pulled her into his arms. “It’s beyond unfair that we can’t be with Jen and Jason, but they have one of the best obstetricians in the country. We’ll have to trust her. Maybe it’s a false alarm, and we’ll be there when the babies come, with Johnny.”
Grace gazed up at him. “How are you always so calm and rational?”
“Adam’s magic pills,” Mark said.
Ryan frowned at Mark over the top of Grace’s head. “Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Grace squeezed Ryan’s hand and turned back to the calendar. She read the notes she’d jotted down for the past week and checked off all the activities she’d missed. The reminders felt like they were for another person from another world. Now, Jen was in labor, and she’d miss that, too. They’d anticipated and planned the birth for all those long months. Grace couldn’t have imagined anything could keep her from being a part of the most important event in her stepdaughter's life.
With her back to Ryan, she said, “Have you heard from Wes or Scott?”
His silence was all the answer she needed.
“I was so sure the evidence from Waynesboro would point them at Mara. You were at their headquarters last night, Steph. What were they saying?”
“Not much, but they still had a pile of evidence to sift through. It will take more time. They’re working on an image of what Mara might look like with the new hair length and color. She’s quite the master of disguise, but the techs showed me some of the innovative new technology they have. It’s more than equal to Mara’s tricks. They’ll be ready when she slips up.”
“Good to know,” Grace whispered. She sighed and turned an empty Juliana’s box on the counter. “Where’s Alec? We’re supposed to get cannoli.”
“She said to ask you for a raincheck because of Jen. She went to get Adam and the kids,” Mark said. “Rosie is begging for you to sign her cast. Valerie’s wondering if she can bring our two over here. They miss you.”
“I’d love to see them. I need a good dose of their energy. There’s as much joy around here as a morgue.” When Ryan cringed, she said, “Sorry, terrible choice of words.”
Mark got up and headed for the living room. “I’ll call Val.”
Grace saw the mail piled in a basket on the counter next to the empty box. “When was the last time you read through the mail?” she asked Ryan.
“You mean after one of the agents has gone through it with a microscope? Not since Friday. It was mostly just bills and junk. We got a few Christmas cards. I wasn’t sure you’d want to see them.”
He was right. Reading about their friends and family’s perfect lives would be torture while they were living a nightmare. Not that she begrudged them their good fortune. She just needed one less reminder that theirs had been stolen from them.
Grace picked up the basket and carried it to the table. She rifled through it but didn’t find anything needing immediate attention. She glanced at the bank statement and said, “Where’s my laptop? I should check our accounts to make sure we haven’t run out of money.”
Ryan cocked his head toward the door. “Dining room.”
Grace took the bank statement into the other room with Steph close behind her.
“Tree’s pretty,” Steph said as she passed it.
Grace grunted and sat at the dining room table with her laptop. She logged into the bank site and checked their accounts. She considered skipping over Johnny’s account until she noticed that the balance was almost a hundred dollars less than it was last time she checked. She clicked the link and saw he’d made a cash withdrawal the day before.
“Come look at this,” she called to Ryan.
He rushed out of the kitchen, drying his hands on a towel. “What’s wrong? Did someone clean out our accounts? It wouldn’t surprise me the way our luck’s going this week.”
Grace turned the laptop to show him. “Steph, call Wes.”
It only took minutes for the techs to trace Johnny’s ATM withdrawal to a hotel on the west side of the city. Wes’ excitement escalated as he mobilized his team. After all the disappointments, moments like that validated his decision to join the Bureau. Capturing Mara and bringing Johnny home would make the sacrifice and struggle worth it.
The driver of Wes’ SWAT vehicle parked in the circular drive of the hotel and the two other vehicles pulled in behind them. Agents piled out with Wes on point.
“Prince, take your team and set up a perimeter to the west. Elliott, you go right,” Wes said. “Cameron, keep your eyes on the entrance from here. The rest, you’re with me.”
The desk clerk’s eyes widened at the sight of the geared-up CARD team descending on him en masse. Wes displayed his credentials and smiled to reassure him.
“Mr. Singh, we believe that the prime suspect in a kidnapping investigation is checked into your hotel.” He held up the picture of Mara with short blond hair and the rendering of how she’d look with auburn hair and extensions. “Do you recognize this woman?”
Mr. Singh’s gaze flitted over the face of each agent before he nodded. “I remember her. She didn’t want to use her credit card. Let me pull up her record.”
Wes shifted his feet while Mr. Singh tapped on the keyboard. He was anxious to get to Mara’s room before she had a chance to bolt. Mr. Singh printed Mara’s check-in record and handed it to Wes.
Wes studied the sheet of paper while Mr. Singh created a key to Mara’s room for him. They had some concrete vitals on Mara for the first time. Her full name was Mara May Brennen, or at least that was the name she was using. Wes doubted it was her birth name. It was such an ordinary name for such a notorious person. Her driver’s license listed a Portland, Oregon address. Whoever Mara was, she was a long way from home.
“This will open her room. Number 332,” Mr. Singh said and gave Wes the room key.
“Thank you.” Wes turned to the agents standing in a semicircle behind him. “Mendez, take your team up the north stairs. Malcolm, you’ve got the south stairwell.”
Wes led the remaining team members into the elevator.
“This is the slowest elevator ever created,” Wes said and paced the small space as it crawled to the third floor.
He sprang through the doors the instant they opened. Mendez and Malcolm were waiting for him with their teams when he reached room 332. He rolled his eyes and tapped his knuckles on the door.
“This is the FBI. We have permission to enter. Please open the door.” When there was no response, he swore under his breath. “I repeat, this is the FBI. You have five seconds to open the door before we enter.”
Silence answered, so Wes counted to five before swiping the keycard against the reader. The light turned green, so he motioned for his team to get ready and turned the handle. They barged in and began their search, but the room was empty. No personal items. No luggage. No Mara or Johnny.
Wes grabbed two of his agents and took the stairs at a fast click to burn off frustration. As he made his way to the lobby, he tried to figure out what tipped Mara off that they were on their way. She must have bolted after Johnny used the ATM. Wes hoped the blood in the bathroom wasn’t a reaction to Johnny defying her.
Wes radioed the agents outside the hotel to be on alert for Mara and ordered agents in the room to search every corner. When Wes thought no one was looking, he kicked the bathroom door with his boot. It swung back and slammed into the wall.
Malcolm poked his head out of the bathroom. “Everything all right, buddy?” he asked as he came out and checked where the doorknob had struck. “Accounting won’t be happy if they
have to repair a hole in the wall.”
“Glad it was only you who saw that, old friend. I need to get a grip.” Wes propped the room door open and motioned for Malcolm to follow him into the hallway. “How did Mara know? How did she know we were coming?” Wes rubbed his forehead. “Get forensics up here. I want proof Mara and Johnny were here.”
“Hey, boss, we’ve got what looks like blood on the bathroom tile,” Mendez called from inside the room.
“I hope it’s Mara’s,” Wes whispered only loud enough for Malcolm's ears. “Look for bloodstains in other parts of the room while you wait for forensics,” he told the rest of the agents. “I’m going down to talk to the desk clerk.”
He showed the clerk a picture of Johnny when he got to the lobby. “Was this boy with Mara Brennen?”
Mr. Singh studied the photo carefully. “Yes, I think I saw him, but his hair is black and short. The face is the same though. The boy I saw was on crutches. He bought some items from the market.”
Wes walked around the corner of the counter to the small market looking for cameras. “Does the security camera cover this area?”
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Singh said.
Wes walked back to the registration desk. “We’ll need all of your security recordings from the time Mara Brennen checked in.”
“Let me call the manager.”
While they waited for the manager to come out of the office, Wes said, “Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Singh. The information you’ve provided will be vital to our case.”
Mr. Singh pressed his palms together and gave a slight bow. “It is my honor to help. I hope the boy will soon be returned to his grieving mother and this villain will get the punishment she deserves.”
Wes nodded. “As do I.”
Mara jumped out of her chair next to Johnny’s ER bed when the doctor came into the room.
The Complete Arms of Grace Series Page 47
