The sound of someone unlocking the door sent terror through her. Usually they forced her to eat and drink, which meant shortly after that she’d lose consciousness. Several times she ended up in a different place. At first, she refused to eat, but it only led to pain when they stuck a tube down her throat and poured the liquid down it. The very thought of it made her heave.
The door swung open, and a lady entered carrying a sack. Before it had always been two men.
The female stared at her. “You need to wash yourself and then put on these clean clothes I have for you.” After plopping down the sack in front of Piper, she went to the door, stepped out into a hallway, and picked up something. When she returned, she had a pail of water and a bar of soap. “Now.”
After Piper cleaned herself and changed into the new clothes, a dress, the woman put makeup on Piper’s face then brushed her hair and styled it, using bobby pins.
After the woman assessed Piper, she said, “Stand up and grin.”
Piper did as she was told, but it was hard to hold a smile. Her captor pulled out a cell phone and took several photos of Piper in various poses. She fought the tears she wanted to shed.
When Piper couldn’t do exactly what the lady wanted, she yanked on Piper’s long hair. “Do as I say, or you’ll regret it. If you think this hurts,” the woman tugged even more, “you’re in for ten times worse.”
She stepped back, took the last photo, then pivoted and left the room. The sound of the door being locked sealed her future—unless she could learn to pick her handcuffs and the lock on the chain around her right foot. She uncurled her hand that held a bobby pin she’d slipped unnoticed from her hair during a pose. She’d seen a person on TV using something like it to escape a cage. Her life depended on her learning how and learning fast.
Chapter Sixteen
Brody hurriedly slipped on his shoes and went to the living room window to check outside. He couldn’t see anyone, but Charlie still snarled. Something was wrong, but if he took his dog out, Emma, her aunt, and the kids would be vulnerable. What if it were Emma’s neighbor smoking? As he made his way to the kitchen window on the side of the house, he made a call to Nick, waking him up. Brody couldn’t see anyone, including Neil Lowe, on that side of the house.
“Charlie’s standing in the foyer of Emma’s home growling. Can you get a police officer to come and check the area? I thought of going outside, but I don’t know if that would be best for everyone in the house.”
“I agree. I’ll call and get someone to swing by Emma’s every hour.”
“Thanks.”
“See you later today.”
Brody disconnected the call, left the kitchen to calm Charlie and to get his handgun in case someone was outside and decided to come inside. He commanded his pet to sit beside him while he took a seat on the couch. Charlie rumbled deep in his throat, but he wasn’t barking. He didn’t want the others to wake up. No need to worry them.
When Charlie finally settled down, Brody took him back to Beth’s bed. If she woke up and his dog wasn’t there, it might frighten her. Besides, only one of them should lose sleep over a possible would-be intruder. Returning to the living room, Brody took up his post with his pistol in its holster at his side.
* * *
At Nick’s ranch the next day, Emma walked with Beth toward the barn where the abandoned animals were housed. The five-year-old, in her eagerness, kept tugging on Emma’s hand. It felt as though her heart expanded. In a short time, she’d come to care deeply for her three charges.
As they entered, Beth scanned the area and pointed to the left. “There’s Fluffy.”
“Fluffy?” Emma looked where the little girl was indicating. “You’ve already got a name for your dog?”
Beth nodded. “Someone in Sunday school class helped me.” She whirled around and ran toward the small white pup.
“I see she found her pet,” Brody said close to Emma’s ear.
Her heart rate accelerated at his nearness. She turned slightly toward him. “Beth is so excited. We made her day this morning. Watching her makes me happy.”
Brody grinned. “Me, too. She lights up a room.”
Beth sat on the ground in the barn and held Fluffy who was licking Beth’s face. She giggled while more of the children took a seat on the dirt floor and held a dog or cat. A couple of the older kids were with the goats, a potbelly pig, and a malnourished mare that had only recently appeared at the ranch.
Brody gestured toward the filly. “She’s starting to look better since I saw it a few days ago. I know Candy and Anna have claimed the animal for themselves. They’re sharing chores involving the horse. According to Nick, it’s bringing them even closer.”
“Then for the animals that stay here without a home to go to, we should have the children from Pals share one, two, or up to three of the animals. It will teach them to care and to work with others.”
“Nick’s planning once a quarter to open the ranch to the public in hopes their dogs and cats are given homes. If the abandoned animals increase, he’ll start opening the ranch once a month.”
“How about the other animals like goats, pigs, and horses?”
“The same but it’ll probably be a little harder to find homes for them.”
Emma spied Danny in the corner with the potbelly pig. He grinned from ear to ear. “I hope Danny doesn’t want to take the pig home. I’m not ready for one at my house.”
Brody chuckled and gestured toward Terri. “How about a horse in your backyard?”
Emma swung her attention to the eleven-year-old. “I don’t think my neighbors would like that. I have a feeling I’ll be bringing the kids out here a lot. At least it will give me a reason to talk with Sarah. I can’t wait to see them get married. She deserves someone like Nick.” She tilted her head to the right. “Come to think of it, what happened last night?”
“What makes you think something happened?”
“When I got up to fix breakfast, I saw you asleep sitting up with your gun in your lap.”
“You walked softly.”
“I had to. I didn’t want to wake up the kids until I was fully alert. As I passed the girls’ bedroom, Charlie glanced up at me then put his head back down again.”
“I didn’t sleep very well. Charlie woke me up around one growling at the front door. I called Nick, and he contacted headquarters. A patrol car came by, checking the home and yard once an hour.”
She slept through the night unaware of what could have been going on outside her house. “Did the police officer see or find anything?”
“Nick told me this morning before going into the church that the ones who patrolled your house and street found something suspicious. There were footprints in a flowerbed where the girls were sleeping along with a cigarette butt that matched the same type I found on the side of your house. There were also footprints outside Danny’s window, too. Nick’s partner is looking around your place and taking a cast of the footprints and anything else he can find as a clue to the identity of your prowler.”
The idea that someone was outside Beth and Terri’s window sent a shudder through her body. “Why is someone coming after us?”
“Maybe they think one of the kids saw something like Bobby Joe did. Danny ventured away from their brush shelter.”
“They’re looking for Danny?”
“Possibly. He knew about the homeless guy behind the shelter. Maybe he saw something and doesn’t realize the significance of it.”
“We need to talk to Danny when we go home.” When she thought of the homeless guy being murdered and left in the back of the SUV in the Greene’s garage, she could see the assailants coming after Danny if he did see something he didn’t realize could reveal someone’s misdeeds.
Brody took her hand and held it between his two. “That’s why Charlie and I are at your house. I’m not going to let anything happened to the kids.”
Emma scanned the inside of the barn, checking where Terri, Danny, and Beth were. She w
ould have to be more alert. What occurred with Bobby Joe only emphasized that—two men guarding one person, and he was still kidnapped. She shook her head. She couldn’t dwell on what was going on. The children would pick up on her vibes.
Emma searched for something to lift her up. When she saw Beth walking around seeing the other animals while holding the white puppy, she smiled. “If we can bring home Fluffy today, you’ll get Charlie back. You’ll sleep better then. I want you to get the rest you need.”
Brody stared at her. “Are you okay?”
“As well as I can be with what’s happening. On Tuesday, I hope that Terri will enjoy meeting the other girls in my group session at the center.”
“You’ll be there. She’ll like it.” Brody zeroed in on something behind Emma. “I need to take care of them before it turns into a fight.” He walked toward the opened rear double doors to break up a brewing fight between two teenage boys.
As usual, Brody managed to calm the guys who were arguing over an animal. Watching him at work, she realized her feelings toward Brody were changing and developing into something more than friendship. For months, she had worked with him as a colleague and friend, but now it was different, in a good way.
* * *
Later that night, Brody knocked on Danny’s closed bedroom door. The eight-year-old let Brody inside.
“Did you enjoy going to the ranch today?”
Danny sat on the bed. “Yes, I want to go back and help take care of Curly.”
“Curly?”
“The littlest piglet.”
“Piglet?”
“Yeah, I learned today that’s what a young pig is called.”
“Are you ready to go to school tomorrow?”
“Yes, now that I know a few kids that go to Sooner Elementary.”
“Great.” Brody sank onto a chair across from Danny. “I need to talk to you for a moment. Did you see anything or anyone with the homeless guy behind the shelter? You knew about him. How? Did you follow Nate to see what was going on? Or did Nate tell you about him?”
Danny dropped his head, gripping a handful of sheets on both sides of him. “I wasn’t supposed to but…”
“But what?”
“Something wasn’t right with Nate. He was scared.”
“The day he disappeared?”
“Not the first time.” Danny’s words were mumbled.
“How many times did you follow Nate?”
Danny held up his hand, indicating the number three.
“What did you see? Anyone?”
Danny didn’t say anything for a long moment.
“You aren’t in trouble.”
“Promise?” Danny mumbled.
“Yes.” His body language, trying to curl up into a ball, shouted that Danny saw something he shouldn’t have.
“We’ve been together for a few days. I’m here to protect you. I won’t let anything happen to you, but any information, even small things, might help me figure out what’s going on.”
Danny lifted his face until their gazes met. “A big man took Nate. I was gonna help my brother, but the homeless guy stopped me. He put his hand over my mouth, so I couldn’t scream for help.”
“What did the person who took your brother look like?”
“Big and tall.” Danny got up on the bed and indicated over six and a half feet. “Dark hair.”
“Was there anything else that stood out? Anything on his arm?”
Danny shook his head. “But…” The child stared at his lap.
“What else? We need anything you can tell us.”
“The guy came from the shelter, and he dragged his left leg.”
“Did he see you?”
Danny shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know.” He tilted his head to the right. “I think—maybe he did.”
Brody clasped his arm around Danny’s shoulders. Now Brody understood why someone might be after one of the kids.
Chapter Seventeen
Shivering, Piper sat on the mattress in the small room she was kept in. They took her clothes and shoes away and left her only in the dress she’d changed into for the photos the woman took of her. Why did she do it? What was going to happen?
Every time she heard footsteps outside her room, her body stiffened, and her heartbeat raced. She had to escape. They kidnapped her for something bad. What did she need to do to get away?
Leave now.
How could she do that?
She lowered her head, lifted her shackled hands, and cradled her face.
Use the bobby pin.
She’d tried to pick the lock earlier and had gotten nowhere. Tears welled in her eyes and ran down her face. She had to try again. She had no other choice.
Help me.
She dug the bobby pin out from under her mattress, drew in a deep breath to calm her shaky hands, and started working on the lock. When she heard the sound of someone approaching her room, she jammed the bobby pin back under the mattress and waited. So far, whenever someone came close to the door, they passed her room.
Until this time.
The lock turned, and the door opened.
Piper scooted back against the wall.
The lady entered, carrying a sack. “It’s time to get you ready. A lot of people want to be with you.”
Be with me.
She knew what that meant. Terror gripped her.
As the woman put more makeup on Piper’s face, all Piper wanted to do was scrub it off.
When her jailer fixed her hair, Piper was determined to mess up what she did—after the woman left.
Then the lady pulled out a dress that left little to the imagination. “Get this on. In a while, I’ll come back and take you to meet your special guest.” Her jailer left, the sound of the lock clicking shut.
Guest!
Piper yanked out the bobby pin and frantically worked on the lock.
Five minutes later, she managed to release herself from the chain that kept her only a couple of feet away from the wall. She gripped the bobby pin because she still needed to get the handcuffs off of her. More importantly, she had to get out of the room. She rushed to the window, making sure she didn’t make any noise, peeked out between the slits, and saw in the dim light a field stretching out before her. After lifting the blinds, Piper tried to unlock the window. It wouldn’t budge.
Her eyes watered. Amber told her once when she needed something, she asked the Lord, especially in a time of need.
Please help me, God.
She put all her strength into trying again to move the lock. Her arms quivered as she strained. It budged. When she unlocked the window, she lifted it, holding her breath that she didn’t make any noise.
As she leaned out of the window, she looked down at the ground—ten or twelve feet away. She had a choice. Either she returned to the mattress and endured what was to come, or she lowered herself out the window and prayed she didn’t break a bone when she let go and hit the ground. She chose the last option and crawled out of the window, turned, and gripped the ledge while dangling on the side of the house.
With a deep, bolstering breath, she let go.
Chapter Eighteen
Early Monday morning, Emma had about ten minutes between her second and third patients and decided to sit on her couch with a cup of tea to center her thoughts. Right before she’d left her house at six-thirty, Brody had called Nick about what Danny had seen behind the shelter when Nate had been kidnapped. Nick assigned a police officer to the house to be with Aunt Polly and the children.
She took a long sip of her warm tea, her eyes closing for a few seconds. She mulled over the information Danny gave Brody. There was only one way to find out what was going on at the shelter. She and Brody needed to go there. Maybe the guy was still hanging around. The shelter was one place he could find kids that might not be missed. If it hadn’t been for Mathew, Brody wouldn’t have found out about Nate’s disappearance. Had the abductor been at the shelter very long? Had this child trafficking ring bee
n around for a while or just coming through, kidnapping kids then moving on taking the kids with it? There were a couple of children missing in other counties in Oklahoma. Did their disappearance have anything to do with what was occurring here?
With Brody and Charlie at the house, she felt safe. Even better, Nick had a patrol car making frequent drive-bys last night and now an officer guarding the children. At this moment she wasn’t sure what she was going to do about enrolling the kids in school today or tomorrow. She would need to decide soon.
After her next patient left an hour later, Emma called Brody. “I’m free for the next two hours. Let’s go to the shelter then go to the ranch to pick up Fluffy. With the children staying home rather than going to school today, I think it would be a good idea that Beth get the puppy she wanted. It will take her mind off of what’s going on. I can’t wait to see Beth’s face when she sees the puppy.”
“Me, too. She has a great smile, and I want to see more of that.”
“We have to get Nate back. They lost their mother and dad. I don’t want them to lose their older brother.”
“I’ll swing by and pick you up. I’m only ten minutes away.”
“I’ll be out front in the reception area. See you.”
After Emma disconnected her cell phone and slipped it into her jacket pocket, she rose, put her mug on her desk blotter, then headed for the front of the building. She looked forward to seeing Brody. He gave her hope that everything would work out. They would find the missing children, and the people behind the trafficking ring would be caught and sent to prison.
Emma caught sight of Brody, a frown on his face, walking into the building. She hurried to him. “Is something wrong?”
“Yes. I need to clone myself. I can’t do everything that needs to be done.” He checked his watch. “Which leaves us around four hours to go to the shelter to see if we can find the guy Danny was telling us about, pick up Fluffy at the ranch, and do whatever comes up.”
Missing (Everyday Heroes Book 6) Page 13
