Lost Summer: A Gripping Romantic Suspense

by M T Stone

  “I don’t want to hurt you,” she muttered, massaging her neck with her thumb and fingers. His strength had been completely overwhelming, and it felt as if she had punched a sack of potatoes instead of his stomach. She knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would have to use her head and cunning in order to escape. She had always been good at manipulating boys to do things for her. Maybe Leo would be no different. Getting to know him was going to be the best strategy. She had heard somewhere that people have a harder time hurting someone who has shown interest in them. He might also buy her a few necessary things, like a pair of shoes.

  “What made your dad stop beating you?” she asked submissively after recovering in silence for several more minutes.

  “I got stronger than him,” Leo smirked, flexing his bicep for her. “The last two times he tried, I beat the living shit out of him. He finally learned to leave me alone.” He put the vegetables into a bucket of water and started scrubbing the dirt from them. “Do you know how to cook?”

  “A few things like spaghetti, mac and cheese, or anything that goes in the microwave,” she replied, looking around the barren room for a familiar appliance. “Do you cook on that?” she asked, pointing toward an old wood stove in the corner of the room.

  “Only when it’s too cold outside,” he replied, pulling everything from the wash bucket and placing it in a rusty looking cast iron skillet. “I use the fire pit most of the time.” He put the lid on the skillet and headed back outside, leaving Summer once again with her thoughts.

  She cringed violently, trying to shake off a myriad of feelings that continued to course through her body. Despite the fact that he had nearly choked her to death, she was relieved by the fact that he hadn’t actually gone through with it. She had also noticed how quickly his demeanor changed once she said she didn’t want to hurt him. She was going to have to tread carefully, but she began to feel a deep seated confidence that there was a chance she could beat this guy.

  Chapter 4

  It was nearly one thirty in the afternoon by the time the judge set bail, Carson delivered the money, and Dylan’s release had been processed. He blew out a long-held breath as he followed Carson to his SUV. The judge had agreed to the minimum bail requirement since Carson pledged to personally keep an eye on the boy until his first court appearance. Since Summer was nearly eighteen and he had just turned nineteen, it wasn’t as big of a deal as her dad and the cops had made it out to be. It was more of a scare tactic than anything.

  “I want to thank you for getting my ass out of there,” Dylan told him, pausing at the door before opening it.

  “Hey, I owe you that much. I’m just glad I was in the area. Ryan Bennett has always been an asshole, and I’m not going to let him beat up on my favorite nephew,” Carson replied with a wink.

  “It’s not hard to be the favorite when I’m the only one.” Dylan chuckled and opened the door to his SUV. “Will you help me find Summer?”

  “That’s the plan. My new partner can handle our caseload for a few days. He’s the type who can drink coffee by the gallon and get by on little or no sleep. I’ll make it up to him once we get your girlfriend back.” Carson started the vehicle and headed out of the parking lot. “First, we’ll stop by the Bennett residence and see if the investigators have found anything useful.”

  “I hope Fuck Face isn’t there,” Dylan replied with anger instantly raging in his eyes. “I’m not in the mood to deal with any more of his shit right now.”

  “You can just stay in the car, bud. I’ll take care of Ryan,” he said with a sly smirk. “We used to tangle on a regular basis when we were younger. I usually came out on top.”

  “Great . . . you’ll fuck with him, and then he’ll hate me even more just for being your nephew.” Dylan rolled his eyes and stared out the passenger window, already thinking about the next confrontation.

  “Oh, believe me, he already hates you because of me. Why do you think he’s been so hard on you?” Carson asked, shedding a little light on the subject. “That’s why you and I are going to solve this case. If we find his daughter, believe me, you will have his blessing.”

  “I don’t even know where to start.” Dylan continued to sulk, avoiding eye contact with his uncle. He had a strong determination to get out there and rescue her ass, but in reality, he had no clue how to go about it.

  “Well, I know exactly where to start. In fact, I’m about to give you a crash course in how to hunt someone down,” he replied. “I’ve gotten pretty damn good at it over the past eight years. All I need are a couple of clues to get me headed in the right direction and we’ll track the bastard down like a couple of bloodhounds.”

  The entire block was crawling with law enforcement, but there was no sign of Ryan or Olivia when Carson pulled up to the curb in front of their house. “You sit tight, and I’ll go see where everything is at.” Carson got out of the vehicle and walked directly up the sidewalk toward the front door. He rapped his knuckles on the door a couple of times, but when there was no response, he slowly opened the door and stuck his head inside. “Olivia?” he asked loudly to announce his presence. “Is anyone home?” The only sound he heard was a gentle sobbing coming from the kitchen. He knew it had to be her. He took a few more steps before peaking around the corner. “Olivia.” He sighed upon seeing her condition. She lifted her head to look at him, her normally stunning green eyes all teary and bloodshot, an obvious result of being up all night. “Everything is going to be okay, Olivia,” he tried to assure her as he moved toward the table and held out his hands. “Come here.”

  Olivia turned and rose from her chair, trying to squelch her uncontrollable tears. “She just disappeared,” she squeaked in a barely decipherable voice, holding out her arms to accept a much-needed hug. “I can’t believe this could happen in Westbury.” She melted into Carson’s strong arms as she sobbed against his broad chest.

  “I just wanted to let you know that I won’t rest until she is found,” he whispered, kissing her on the top of the head and breathing in the scent of her golden hair. Even at her worst, she was still the most beautiful woman he had ever encountered. He looked down upon her and pushed a stray lock of hair from her face. “I promise you, I’m going to track them down and bring her safely back to you.”

  “You have no idea how badly I want to believe that,” she replied through her tears. “There’s just no way of knowing whether she’s even still alive.” Her face scrunched up and her shoulders began to shake violently as she once again lost control.

  “She’s going to be fine,” he reassured her, lifting her chin and looking into those pitifully sad eyes. “Focus on her being safely back home.” He lowered his head and gave her a kiss on the lips, holding her tightly even as she tried to pull away.

  “I appreciate your help, but . . .” Olivia’s voice trailed off as she shook her head in disappointment. “I’m just a little shocked that you would use a moment like this to steal a kiss. But you are right. I need to stay positive. She’s a smart girl. She’ll be fine.” She looked up, giving him the slightest hint of a smile.

  “I’m sorry for kissing you,” he quickly apologized. “It just hurts me to see you in so much pain. I want to solve this for you instead of going around pointing fingers and making false accusations.” His hand glided up and down her back in an effort to relieve some tension.

  “You should probably go out and talk to him,” she replied flatly. “He’s not the best at making clear decisions in a crisis. He’s just desperate to find out what the hell happened.”

  “I’ll go find him, and then we’ll find her.” He gave her another kiss, this time on the forehead. “Sorry, that one was for me.” He let go of her, turned, and headed out the front door. He didn’t look back in spite of being able to feel her eyes following him every step of the way. She was right. He shouldn’t have kissed her. Things hadn’t been right between them for a long, long time. It was just something that he had been thinking about doing for months. Now, he needed to
go out and find her daughter, as that would be the fastest way to get back in her good graces.

  Ryan’s jaw dropped upon catching a glimpse of Carson coming down the front steps of the house. He glanced over at the black SUV parked out front and saw that he was accompanied by the kid who had been corrupting his beautiful young daughter. He shot one of the investigators a sideways glance before turning toward the house to confront him. “If you think you’re going to come here and start defending that arrogant little prick, you can save your breath and get the hell out of here!”

  Carson held up his hands in an attempt to disarm the situation. “I’m only here to offer my help, Ryan. I know you guys have to be going through hell right now, so I just want to offer an extra set of eyes and ears to help out with the investigation.”

  Ryan paused for a moment, a deep scowl still nestled on his face. He glanced over at Dylan again, who remained in the car, before turning back to the investigator with whom he had been discussing the case. “Do you know Carson Chase?” he asked.

  “We’ve met,” the investigator responded, giving him a nod.

  “Hey, Chris. It’s a small world out here,” Carson said, moving toward him and holding out his hand to shake his. “Did your dog find anything?”

  “Yeah, there was a ton of scent behind the house, and then he led us about halfway down the block, stopping under that big elm tree,” he said, pointing to a big old tree that was easily capable of blocking out the street lights.

  “Are you guys canvasing the neighborhood to see if anyone saw what type of vehicle was parked there last night?”

  “Yeah, we’ve already had two hits. Both remembered seeing a van parked there. One didn’t know many details, because she didn’t see it until after dark. But the guy who lives in the house right there got a good look at it. He said it was an old white delivery van that had been stripped down. He could still see the outlines of where the logos had once been.”

  “Wow, that’s great,” Carson replied with a burst of enthusiasm. “Half the battle in cases like this is determining what type of vehicle was used and whether it stands out from the crowd. An old panel van like that should be fairly easy to track.”

  “I know. He also said that there were scratches all over the side of it, so that’s another distinguishing marker to look for,” Chris shared with him. “I’ve already added the full vehicle description to the APB. A couple of detectives are talking to people in the park to see if they remember seeing a dark-haired man with a stocky build driving a van fitting that description.”

  “That’s great. If I remember right, there’s a traffic camera at that intersection just south of the park, right?” Carson asked. “I know several of the businesses on that street have security cameras too.”

  “Yeah, that intersection has the new HD cameras. Detective Thomas is already going through the footage from yesterday afternoon and evening,” Chris added with a confident nod.

  “Summer’s friend, Jana, said they were there about five o’clock yesterday afternoon,” Ryan added, bringing Carson up to speed.

  “At the park?”

  “Yes. They apparently talked to a scruffy, dark-haired guy who was sitting on the bench in the park before rollerblading over to the Dairy Bar. She thought they got back here a little after five,” Ryan explained.

  “All right, make sure Thomas checks the security footage from the Dairy Bar too,” Carson told Chris with a pat on the shoulder. “I’m going to start along the most probable routes he would’ve taken out of here and see if I can find any signs of a white panel van. From what Dylan told me, we’re concerned with the timeframe of eleven thirty to just after midnight, correct?”

  “That’s right.” Both men nodded. “You can access our surveillance system?” Chris asked with surprise in his voice.

  “DEA can access any camera in the country, just like homeland security or the NSA,” Carson assured him. “I’ve had to use your system a few times over the past few months.” He gave both men a pat on the back and turned to head back toward the SUV. “I’ve got a dark-haired, stocky suspect driving an old white delivery van to find. That was all I needed to know.”

  “Thanks, Carson,” Ryan yelled at his back.

  “No problem,” Carson replied with a wave of his hand, not stopping to look back. He had already shifted into operational mode.

  “Why was Carson in here?” Ryan asked Olivia when he eventually made it back into the house.

  “He was looking for you.” She sighed. The hesitation in her voice made him wonder if there was more to the story, but he knew that now wasn’t the time to discuss it. “He just wants to help find her.”

  “That’s what he said. I about fell over when I saw him coming down the front steps. He’s not exactly welcome here.” He gave her a stern look. “Right?”

  “You know I haven’t been giving him the time of day these past months, but in this case, it’s not like I was going to refuse his help,” she replied with a pleading look in her eyes. “I think we need all the help we can get.”

  “Yeah. I’m going to check in with Chuck.” Ryan pulled out his phone, effectively ending the conversation. He knew well the history between Carson and his wife. They had been high school sweethearts who parted ways when she went off to college and he joined the Marines. Luckily, she and Ryan had chosen the same university, so he was there to help fill the void left by his departure. By the time Carson got out of the Marines, they had been happily married for over a decade and Summer was a ten-year-old little girl.

  Olivia tried hard not to show it, but Ryan knew she still harbored feelings for him. Carson, on the other hand, had made his feelings obvious on several occasions, which also explained why he was so eager to help out with the investigation. He also probably wanted to help out that loser nephew of his. One thing Ryan knew for sure was that he wasn’t doing it to appease him, but he had more pressing matters than pondering all the possible ulterior motives.

  “We spotted a white van on the traffic camera surveillance footage that was parked across the street just south of the park,” Chuck told Ryan immediately upon answering. “A dark-haired guy got into it at 5:02 yesterday afternoon. After that, he turned and headed south on First Avenue.”

  “So he did follow the girls. Jana said they went to the Dairy Bar at roughly five o’clock. Dammit! Did you get a good look at him?” Ryan ran his free hand through his short salt and pepper hair as he began to pace the room.

  “He has long, dark hair and looks like he’s got a strong build, about average height,” Chuck replied. “We sent the video clip over to the state crime lab to see if they can enhance the resolution.”

  “You need to get a picture of him and that van out to everyone in the area,” Ryan told him, fearing what his little girl was going through at the hands of this stranger.

  “There will be an updated Amber Alert out within the hour, and it’ll include the picture. It will go state-wide, so it should generate a ton of calls,” Chuck assured him. “Also, for some reason, the traffic camera on the corner of eighth and main was knocked catawampus, so it was pointing right at your front yard.”

  “That’s weird. How would that happen?” Ryan inquired, suddenly feeling as if his privacy had been invaded.

  “Storms can move them around,” Chuck replied, “but something must’ve hit it since it was turned completely sideways. Just a lucky break, I guess. Sergeant Reed is going through everything it recorded last night to see if that same van was the one in your neighborhood.”

  By the time Ryan got off the phone, Olivia had broken down again and was sobbing violently. Neither of them wanted to see a picture of the man who had taken their daughter. Seeing his picture would make it even more real and make them even more desperate to find her. As if they didn’t already have enough fear-ridden thoughts racing through their minds. “She’s a smart girl. I know we’re going to find her alive and well,” Ryan whispered to his wife while standing behind her and kissing the top of her head.<
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  “I want to believe that, but she’s so young and defenseless.” Olivia whimpered before unleashing another flood of anguished tears.

  “She might be young and small, but she’s tough like her mother.” Ryan placed his hands on her shoulders and began massaging them. “And it’s not like we haven’t been preparing her for the real world.”

  By the time the revised Amber alert crossed Carson’s phone late in the afternoon, he had already traced Leo’s route out of the city. He had stayed on Seventh Street and gone straight to the highway, heading west out of town. The last place the van had shown up on video was just before it crossed the state line going into Montana. Judging from the time differential between sightings, he was traveling at roughly sixty miles per hour. A vehicle with similar headlights had passed the gas station at Belleville, MT eight minutes later, but it was an unlit intersection, so it was too dark to determine the color or exact make of the vehicle. The next fully lit intersection with a high quality camera was known as Trucker’s Junction, about twelve miles further down the road. There was no record of a white van passing through that intersection, but Carson stopped off at the convenience store to talk to the clerk.

  “Do you recognize this man or the white van?” Carson asked the elderly clerk who was sitting behind the counter of the otherwise vacant convenience store.

  “Well . . . I might’ve seen someone looking like that, but I can’t say I know him or anything,” he replied in a thick Scandinavian accent, tilting his head back and squinting through smeared up bifocals.

  “Last night?” Carson pressed.

  “No, not last night. I was at bingo with the missus last night. I only worked the day shift,” he clarified.