“Mary didn’t just take on the last name of Ridden. She started going by her middle name.”
Rather than wait for the dramatic reveal, Hannah jumped right in. “Which was?”
“Ruth. Ruth Ridden.”
Hannah sat up straight and stiffened at the name. She said nothing this time, waiting; half hoping that what came next was what had just crossed her mind.
“She married Gabriel Wormwood. That means---”
“She’s Janus’ twin,” Hannah half yelled in excitement.
“Bada boom, bada bing.”
Everyone at the table stopped talking and turned to look at Hannah. She pointed to the phone and mouthed, “I’ll explain in a minute.”
“There’s more. I ran across an article in a business journal about Gabriel and Ruth. It was about Wormwood International and a foundation for children they set up. He was a quiet man not prone to interviewing, but Ruth Wormwood liked the attention it seems. A couple of things stood out. One, her true family originated in Zebulon.”
Hannah’s eyes narrowed a slight bit as she took in a breath.
“Two, she mentioned that her father could not handle the death of her mother and took to drinking. He couldn’t hold a job and ended up putting his children up for adoption. Thus, when she had the means, she set up the One Family Foundation. It lists as having two goals. Care to guess what they are?”
“To keep children together as a family.”
“And?”
“Assuring families who take them on are suitable for the job.”
“Dead on.”
A knowing look crept across Hannah’s face.
“And last, her mother was a housekeeper who died of sudden cardiac arrest.”
Hannah let out a long breath and nodded.
“Still want me to go see him?”
The sleuth did not answer right off. Cate said nothing. Instead, she just waited. After a moment, Hannah came back.
“Yeah, I think that could still be of some use. Feel him out and see if he knows where his sister is, but be careful. After what they went through as kids and the trouble he went to find her, I assume he’ll be protective.”
“Agreed. We should be there in just a couple of minutes. I’ll call you when we’re done. Let me know if anything else pops up.”
“Will do. Love you.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
Hannah clicked off the phone and looked up to see curious faces.
“What?” Gran demanded.
“You’re not going to believe this.”
Three hours later, Hannah lay with her head on Hymn’s chest. Though the events of the case were almost behind her, she could not sleep.
“What’s the matter, Sherlock,” Hymn asked in a half-awake tone.
“Nothing. Go back to sleep.”
“Can’t. I can hear you thinking.”
“No, you can’t.”
“I can and it’s loud. What’s on your mind?”
“Cate.”
Hymn drew his arm out and stroked her hair. He took in and let out a breath. His eyes crept open, and he yawned. “Is something wrong with her? She’s not sick again is she?”
“No, but she didn’t call back.”
“Maybe she got busy and forgot. Or she and Al were going out. They have lives you know.”
“She’s never late, and she never forgets to call back.”
“What time is it?”
Hannah rolled over and looked at her phone. “Ten forty five.”
“Well, you could call. It’s not that late. Even if she’s asleep, wake her. She might be grumpy but she knows you and will understand.”
Hannah considered Hymn’s solution. Though she, herself, was not pleasant when woken in the middle of sleep, her best friend was the opposite. “Cate always wakes up on the right side of the bed,” Hannah recalled Buster saying about his adoptive cousin. She decided it was worth the effort. She dialed the number and waited. It went to voice mail. Clicking off, Hannah stared at the phone.
“Didn’t answer?” Hymn asked, his voice more awake.
“No.” Hannah thought for a moment more. “I’m worried.”
“Yeah, I kind of got that. Why?”
“Just my gut. Maybe it’s off.”
Hymn sat up and slid over to the edge of the bed to sit beside his wife. He slid his arm around her and gave a concerned look. “Your gut instinct, huh? Have you tried Al’s?”
Hannah dialed again. After it rang several times, she held it up for Hymn to listen. His eyes narrowed a bit.
“Voice mail.” Hymn scratched at his chin. “Well, it is early, but you’d think one of them would answer, if only because of that reason. What do you want to do? I could call Twilight General and see if they’ve had any emergency admissions.”
Hannah swallowed hard. The thought she had sent them to see the twin of a suspected killer crossed her mind. Though he purported himself to be a religious man, she knew this did not mean he acted as such.
“We don’t have many options. You call them. I’ll call Chief Malloy and see if he can send one of his men over to check out the cabin.”
Hymn gave Hannah a questioning expression. “He’ll do that for you?”
“I’ve done him a few favors, so he still owes me.”
“Of course he does. What was I thinking?”
Both husband and wife picked up their phones. After some quick internet searches, they found numbers and dialed. Though unhappy about the hour, Malloy, as predicted, agreed to send over a patrol car to the Janus’ rented cabin. Hymn reported no admissions to the local emergency room. Hymn eyed the small coffee maker in the hotel room. “I’ll make some,” he said picking up the pot. “It’s going to be a bit before they get back to you I’d imagine.”
A half hour later, after Hannah finished off her second cup, her phone sounded. She grabbed it and put it on speaker so Hymn could listen in. The voice of an older gentleman came on.
“Hannah, its Paul. Listen, I sent a car out like you asked. Your friend Alvin Hayes was inside.”
Hannah’s eyes widen, and she gulped in air, trying to breathe. Malloy’s next words seemed an eternity in coming.
“Someone tied him up. Gagged and blindfolded him, too. They also stunned him at some point, but otherwise, he’s okay. They took him to the hospital just to check for sure, but your other friend…”
“Cate.”
By this time, Hannah’s legs were growing weak. She staggered back and almost fell, but Hymn managed to steady her.
“Yes. This Janus fellow took her. Do you have any idea why he would just take her? Or where he would?”
Hannah let out a burst of air. Her hand came to her chest as Hymn helped move her to the edge of the bed.
“Hannah?” Malloy asked. “You there?”
“I… I am. I don’t know for sure. She’s been helping me on this case.”
“You said this was about an investigation when you called earlier, but give me details.”
Hannah gave a nervous, brief summation of the case to the Twilight police chief. He said nothing but listened until she finished.
“Okay. Well, you said this Sheriff Borden already had an APB out on this woman, Ruth Wormwood. I did the same for Raymond Janus. Law enforcement across the state is looking for him and Ms. Jordan. I’d imagine from what you just told me he’s headed to wherever his sister is.”
“But we don’t know where she is,” Hannah responded in a despondent tone.
There was a silence on the line for a moment before Malloy continued. His voice was sympathetic.
“I know, but there’s not much more we can do until we find them. Just stay put and I’ll keep you apprised.”
“Will do. Thank you, Paul.”
“Always, Hannah.”
The line clicked off.
Hymn, who again sat beside his wife on the bed, looked over at her but said nothing. He reached over, pulled her into his arms, and held her as tears hit his arms.
“I don’t know what to do,” Hannah said, near sobbing. “For the first time in forever, I don’t know what to do.”
Hymn pushed her from his chest and looked straight into her eyes. “You get dressed. We go tell Buster and Magdalen, then Sindee and Jayland. We get in touch with Al and make sure he’s okay. Then we start figuring out where this jackass took our friend.”
Hannah gave Hymn a hug and agreed.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Ten minutes later, Hymn and Hannah headed down the hall to Buster and Magdalen’s room. They had checked into the same hotel, much to the consternation of Gran. Papa Jay informed his wife that “Until this resolved, ain’t nothing gonna happen no how” and “to get over it.” Rather than argue the point, Gran acquiesced.
After rousing Buster and Magdalen, Hannah informed them of the situation. Buster, hearing his adoptive cousin was now hostage, responded with contained fury. Upon hearing the news, the large framed, handsome actor rose to his feet and clenched his fists into solid balls. In a methodical, calculated voice, he said, “If he hurts her… in any way… I will kill him.” He then stepped away to look out the window. Hannah walked over beside him and stared out into the night as well. For a while, Hymn and Magdalen sat on the edge of the bed watching the two. After a while, Buster readjusted his stance. “I’m not kidding. Prison, no prison. I don’t care.”
Hannah reached over, took hold of his hand, and squeezed. “I know you’re not. Just one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“I get to help.”
Buster agreed with a nod.
Hannah gave one more squeeze of the hand. “Now, get dressed. We need to wake Gran and Papa Jay. Let them know. I also need to get in touch with Sheriff Borden. Then we call Al.” She glanced down at Buster’s boxer shorts. “Rocket ships?”
“Yeah. Some days, even my lucky underwear doesn’t help.”
Though the circumstances seemed dire, Buster’s remark made her give a half chuckle. If nothing else, Hannah thought, he always makes me laugh.
After giving Papa Jay a call and waking them, the elder Starvling agreed to pick the four up at the hotel. A short time after doing that, the group, all gathered in the Starvling’s RV, which Papa Jay parked in front of the Medical Center. Borden soon joined the group inside. Stepping in, Hannah apologized for waking him.
“Are you kidding me? The only real police work I get to do for the most part is track down stolen farm equipment or break up brawls after the football games.” Taking in the spacious interior of the RV, the lawman also commented that he was “in the wrong business.”
Inside, everyone gathered around a small center table. Buster sat petting the jet-black cat, Casper. Papa Jay held the Yorkie named Gigantor. Gran sat next to him, petting the small canine, and Hazelnut lay between Hymn and Hannah on the seat along the vehicle’s wall. Borden stood just to the side of all. An uneasy truce existed between the beasts as the rest listened to the phone.
“Just a stun gun,” Al said. “Two small burn marks is all. But Cate…”
“We’re working on that,” Hannah informed. “Trying to find out why he took her. I need you to give every detail that you can remember.”
All could hear as Al let out a breath. Hannah could tell from his voice that he was on edge. Cate was Hannah’s best friend, and Buster’s adoptive cousin. However, it was Al that she was in love with, and he with her. Hannah recalled how she felt when a murderer took Hymn hostage during a case early in their relationship. It about killed me, she noted. He’s feeling helpless. She tried to reassure the man.
“Al, I will do everything I can for her.”
“I know you will.” He cleared his throat.
“Okay, listen to me. I need every detail so, as strange as this is going to sound, I need you to close your eyes and try to relax.”
“You’re trying to hypnotize him?” Borden responded in a disbelieving voice.
“No, just helping him recall. Trust me.”
“Can do.”
After a pause, Hannah began.
“Breathe deeply through your nose. Let it out through your mouth. Three times. Then begin. Picture it in your mind. Brief, short sentences. Tell us what happened. Remember every word.”
“Okay, we pulled up. Knocked on the door. Father Janus came to the door. We explained who we were. He asked us in.”
“How did he act?” Hannah inquired.
“Uhmm. Nervous, but friendly.”
“Good. Keep going.”
“He offered us a seat. Went to the kitchen and came back with two table chairs. I sat on the left. Cate on the right.”
“Where did Janus sit?”
“Across the way from us on the couch. Cate asked him about Ruth Wormwood.”
“Did he seem upset at the mention of her name?”
“No, he just looked at her, and then she asked if it were his sister. He squirmed a bit and asked how she knew that. She said you asked her to look into him. I think it made him mad. His expression changed. Angry like. He demanded to know where you were. Cate said you were in Happiness, checking on Whipson. That’s when I blacked out.”
“He zapped you.”
“No, someone else did from behind.”
Hymn leaned back and crossed his arms. “Well, we know where Wormwood went.”
“You didn’t hear anything else?” Hannah asked Al.
“No, next thing I knew, I found myself tied to the chair, blindfolded. I think Cate was gone. I couldn’t hear her. Couldn’t hear anybody. I sat there for a long time.”
“How long?”
“Two hours, maybe. I heard a car pull up. I tried to free myself but just managed to tip myself over. Then this officer untied me, asking if I was okay.”
Hannah wiggled her nose for a second before answering back. “Alright, now listen to me. Stay by the phone in case they call or in case she finds a way to. Chief Malloy will want to put a trace on your phone. Let him. It’s pointless to tell you to relax, so just be strong. I’ll let you know the minute I hear something. You do the same for me.”
“Alright.” Another pause crossed the space. “Take care of her.”
Hannah produced a sympathetic smile. “I will.” With that, she hung up.
Everyone sat staring at the phone. The frown on Buster’s face told Hannah of his increasing frustration and anger at the situation. Magdalen, looking to Buster, told of concern for her newfound love. Gran held hands with Papa Jay. Her concentration meant she was contemplating the case. Papa Jay’s grimace bore the same meaning as Buster’s. Hymn’s visage told of concern for Cate, Magdalen, and Whipson, but in particular, for her. She wondered if what they saw in her expression revealed itself. Fear. Out and out, one hundred percent fear. Looking around the room and thinking of Cate, it came to her just how blessed of a life she led. Loving family, friends, and a wonderful new husband. She could not bear the thought of losing any one of them.
“Woof,” Hazelnut let out in response to the sudden quiet.
“Baroof,” responded Gigantor, ears perked.
The sudden outburst made everyone jump and brought the situation back around.
“How long’s it been since they went out,” Gran asked.
“Just before we bunked in. Ten or so.”
“It sounds like they might need another go.”
How long has it been? Hannah’s thought.
Gran looked up to see Hannah’s quirk presenting itself. “Well, that brought up something.”
Hannah reached out and picked up her phone. She scrolled back through the calls she made, talking as she did so.
“I talked to Cate while we were at dinner. Around 7:30. She was almost at the cabin. It’s now 1:35.”
Buster produced his phone. “Yes.”
Hannah tapped at her phone. “Assuming they arrived and talked to Janus fifteen minutes or so, that would put the attack at around 7:45.”
Everyone leaned in to try to follow along with the sleuth’s line of listening as sh
e continued with intense focus.
“Stun guns tend to knock someone out for around ten minutes. Al thought he was tied up for about two hours. I called Chief Malloy around 11:00. He sent a patrol out and they found him, I’d imagine around fifteen minutes later or so. That all fits. He called us back around 11:30.”
“Where are you going with this?” Borden asked.
“When Gran asked how long it had been since the dogs went out, it got me thinking about two things. Where would Janus and Ruth go, and how long would it take to get there?”
“We don’t know that,” Borden stated. “Otherwise, I’d have them in custody by now.”
“True enough, but consider what they did. They murdered people. We don’t know why they poisoned those specific people.”
“But they didn’t poison all of them,” Hymn noted. “Remember Rhoades?”
“Yes, and that’s my point. Remember what I told you after Cate called the last time. Her mother was the woman who Whipson ran up on while trying to steal the car. Janus and Ruth Wormwood are her remaining children. This is about revenge.”
“Well, yeah,” Gran affirmed, “we get that much.”
“So, revenge is about making someone suffer for their perceived sins. Those poisoned were just collateral damage to hurt Whipson. Their crime was knowing and for being close to the Reverend. But I’m willing to bet you a cookie they didn’t know Rhoades was with Whipson the night their mother died. Otherwise, they would have poisoned him as well. Somehow, Ruth found out Rhoades had evidence linking her to the crimes.”
“And she attacked him to get to it. She was trying to get it from him when we interfered.” Magdalen inserted with a burst of enthusiasm.
Gran patted the woman on the arm. “Oh, you’re getting good at this, dear.”
Hannah gestured in agreement. “They’re not about random acts of violence, just controlled ones. I doubt she meant for Rhoades’ injury to occur the way it did.”
Hymn agreed. “We know she has a stun gun, or least access to one.”
Borden shifted his weight and stood erect, crossing his arms as he did so.
The Priest Who Ate A Poison Petit Fore Page 21
