Texas Kidnapping

by Barb Han

  Tightness built in Cash’s chest. “It’s a wonder she got him to go to the doctor in the first place.”

  “Her cholesterol numbers were running up and she was afraid his were doing the same. He didn’t go willingly but he did go.” Stacy’s chin quivered. Cash’s heart was breaking because in all the years he’d known her this was the first he’d seen her cry.

  “Sounds about right.” Cash grinned.

  “Your father had no patience for anything that took him off his land or away from his family for longer than thirty minutes.” Pops lived for the family ranch and the legacy the family had built over four generations. “Which shows how much more stubborn your mother is.”

  Margaret Ann O’Connor had a quiet strength, grace and dignity rarely seen. “She rarely takes no for an answer.” And rarely had to speak above a whisper to get her way with Pops. The man was head over heels for his wife even to this day.

  Was, Cash had to remind himself. That one word nearly gutted him. Finn O’Connor gone?

  “I better let you go inside now. Thank you for giving me a few minutes, Cash. It means a lot.”

  “Any time you need to talk, I’m here.” The look of appreciation she shot him was better than any verbal recognition. Actions always spoke the loudest.

  With Stacy on better emotional footing, it was time to steel his resolve and face the rest of his family.

  Chapter Five

  When Cash walked into his mother’s bedroom, the air changed. Palpable grief hit him like a surprise thunderstorm, hard and sudden. His mother was seated in her favorite reading chair by the window overlooking the expansive meadow on the east side of the family home. Three of his brothers stood nearby. No one seemed sure what to say in times of grief.

  Blake spotted Cash first. His brother broke up the trio by making a beeline toward Cash. He couldn’t help but notice the dark circles under Blake’s eyes from worry and shock.

  “Is it true?” Cash knew it was and yet part of him held out hope Stacy had bad information. She would never intentionally lie. The part of Cash’s brain that couldn’t accept the reality of his father’s death took momentary control.

  “Yes.” Blake could be counted on to keep a cool head. Being second born and only eighteen months younger than Cash, the two had grown up best friends.

  “Were there any signs of foul play?” Cash couldn’t think of a soul who’d want to hurt Finn O’Connor. Years of experience had taught him that everyone had enemies whether they knew them or not.

  “No.” Blake shook his head for emphasis. This whole scene was confirmation of news he didn’t want to be true. “Pops had a medical condition.”

  “Stacy filled me in. I just didn’t want to believe it.” Cash’s words were met with a nod as brothers Riggs and Dawson joined the conversation. Cash glanced at his mother who sat with a rigid back, clutching a handkerchief and staring outside. She was the kind of mother who would think she needed to be strong for her kids, forget the fact she had six grown men for children now.

  This wasn’t the first time he’d seen her at that exact window with a similar look on her face, holding on to a handkerchief as though her life depended on it. Later, he’d learned why. A cavern opened in Cash’s chest, the pain felt so palpable that it threatened to drag him under. Margaret O’Connor had always been there for him and he wanted to do the same for her. Although, he doubted she’d want to lean on one of her children.

  “Before twenty minutes ago, I had no idea about Pops’s condition,” Riggs said. He was the tallest O’Connor by a quarter of an inch and normally liked to remind everyone when all the brothers were together. This time, he wore his sadness in the heavy lines bracketing his mouth and deep slashes across his forehead.

  “Same,” Blake said as the others agreed. The air in the room felt heavy.

  Slim held the position of ranch foreman after working his way up from cleaning out stables. He’d become as trusted as Stacy, and as integral to running the family business. Cash realized how little he knew about the family business. Few of the O’Connor men had gone into ranching, only Garrett and Riggs. Pops had made no secret of the fact he wanted his sons to take over the family empire one day. With careers ranging from law enforcement to rancher, Garrett and Riggs were the only sons who’d followed in the family business. To prove a point, and basically be his stubborn self, Garrett had gone to work for a rival ranch.

  “What was he doing over there alone?” Bridal Pass was a spot where folks called in favors from the O’Connors just to have the opportunity to take pictures against the beautiful backdrop of Texas’s rolling hills. A few of the requests came from parents wanting to take their son or daughter’s high-school-graduation pictures but most often a bridal party wanted to take wedding photos there, earning the place its nickname. Springtime was especially beautiful with bluebonnets for acres, making it the perfect location for photos. “He’d been checking fences, working right up until he collapsed.”

  There was a small measure of comfort knowing Pops went exactly the way he would have wanted to: working on his beloved ranch. “No one called a family meeting last year when he and Mother found out about his condition.”

  “We didn’t think it would get worse so suddenly.” His mother’s attempt at bravery as she lifted her chin and pushed to standing lodged a rock in his chest. Breathing hurt while he had to fight every instinct that he had to march toward her and offer an arm. The only reason he didn’t was because he knew in his heart she wouldn’t want it.

  “The doctors wanted to keep an eye on him.” She shrugged. “I guess on some level we knew this was a possibility. He was overdue for his appointment. I should’ve insisted he take the time to go.”

  “This didn’t happen because of something you did or didn’t do.” Cash beat his brothers to the punch. Any one of them would say the same thing. Their nods confirmed it. With him being eldest, the others usually showed him the respect of letting him speak first. Everyone except for Garrett. He challenged Cash and anyone else in authority for his own amusement.

  Her weary steel-gray eyes pierced right through Cash. “You know how he gets this time of year.”

  Spring was the busiest time on a cattle ranch, with calving season. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “He seemed fine this morning.” She paused. “But then your father wasn’t the complaining type.”

  “No, ma’am.” Cash spoke on behalf of his brothers.

  A wistful smile upturned the corners of her lips and a little of the spark normally found in her eyes returned. “He was a mule when it came to doing anything he didn’t want to do.”

  “Truer words have never been spoken, ma’am,” Cash agreed and it seemed like everyone exhaled at the same time.

  “He wouldn’t want us to make a fuss about him,” she quickly added, wagging a finger.

  “No, he would not.” Finn O’Connor was the most down-to-earth man. The term salt-of-the-earth type was tossed around a lot when people spoke of him even though he shied away from praise. His standards set the bar high. The man wore jeans and a button-down shirt no matter how hot it got outside. In Texas, that meant triple-digit summers. He always spoke about his wife, their mother, with the utmost love and respect. And, maybe more importantly, treated her that way.

  “I miss him already.” Mother wiped away a tear. “There’ll be another huge hole in our lives now.” The first she referred to was, of course, Cash’s sister. The similarities between her kidnapping and Abby’s near abduction brought an icy chill racing down Cash’s back. Any time he came across a case involving a baby around the same age as his sister, he thought of her.

  The hours-old kidnapping attempt hit a little too close to home. With literally decades between the crimes, the likelihood that the cases were related was next to none. Considering his mother was about to bury her husband, Cash didn’t want to add to her sadness by dredging up old memories of Ca
roline. Their parents had launched several investigations over the years to find Cash’s sister, none of which bore fruit. They’d been honest with their sons about what they were doing and why. Mother had brought out a small birthday cake every July 28 after supper for Caroline’s birthday. The cake represented a mother’s prayer that her child was alive and being well cared for. It was accompanied by a quick prayer and a few precious shared memories.

  For Abby’s attempted kidnapping, the perp couldn’t possibly be the same person. Caroline’s kidnapping happened more than thirty years ago. If the perp had been in his twenties back then, he would be in his fifties now. Not impossible but definitely not likely. There hadn’t been another kidnapping or attempt involving a six-month-old girl in town for three decades.

  Cash should know. He and his brothers who worked in law enforcement had searched cold cases for similar crimes. Deep down, he wanted to bring closure to his family.

  Margaret O’Connor had enough to deal with at present.

  “Has anyone been able to reach your brother?” Everyone knew who their mother was talking about. Garrett. The man changed cell phone numbers more often than some people changed shirts, or so it seemed.

  “Not that I know of.” Cash fished his cell out of his pocket and held it up. “Does anyone have his latest number?”

  “I don’t think so,” Riggs said.

  Being an investigator, it shouldn’t be this difficult to keep tabs on his own brother. And yet, Garrett knew a thing or two about not being found when it suited him. It wasn’t unlike him to disappear for weeks or months on end. Being busy with his own life, Cash didn’t think much of it. It was always just Garrett’s way. He’d show eventually. No one had really needed to find him until now. Outsider or not, Garrett needed to know about their father. “I’ll make a few calls. See if I can come up with something.”

  Their mother smiled. “In the meantime, how about I put on a pot of fresh brew?”

  From the looks of his brothers, everyone needed a drink a helluva lot stronger than coffee. That cold beer sounded better and better to Cash. He wiped a hand across the stubble on his face, figuring coffee was the most appropriate option at this hour despite being up most of the night.

  “I’ll take a cup.” Riggs was the first to speak up. The others nodded. “I can make a pot if—”

  “I’ll do it.” Their mother was petite and thin with a soft voice, but also stubborn. She was always well put together, kind and a gentle encourager. Still beautiful inside and out. She also had a full head of hair, something she joked that her sons would thank her for later in life since it was rumored boys inherited the bald gene from the mother’s side.

  Their mother loved her library and spent many a night there long after her usual bedtime reading one of her novels.

  A few of his brothers exchanged glances as their mother walked out of the room. Margaret Ann O’Connor did a lot of things. However, making coffee wasn’t one of them.

  No matter what else was going on, she woke at four o’clock on the dot six days a week to be with their father to eat breakfast with him before he headed out for the day. No one would ever accuse her of being a morning person and yet she managed to smile through her yawns. A cup of coffee later, and she’d spend mornings working in their home office. Pops used to say that she was a whiz with numbers. A good day to Pops meant being on the land with the animals, working side by side with his foreman and ranch hands.

  Cash excused himself to make a couple of calls so he could try to track down their missing brother. Garrett came off like he didn’t care, but that couldn’t be true. It seemed like he’d been born with a chip on his shoulder and Cash couldn’t figure out why for the life of him.

  Last Cash heard, his brother worked on another ranch as a hand. The guy was heir to one of the biggest cattle fortunes in the state of Texas and he worked for little better than minimum wage, a roof over his head and three square meals a day. There couldn’t be a better way to thumb his nose at his upbringing or his family.

  Owning mineral rights on the family land had made the family beyond wealthy and Pops wasn’t afraid to share the wealth with the men who worked for him. Speaking of whom, Cash needed to see who planned to tell the hands what was going on. The news should come from one of Finn’s sons.

  Garrett was the first priority. Cash used his phone to look up the website of his brother’s last known employer. He found it easily enough and then located contact information. This situation necessitated a call rather than an impersonal text. He entered the number and hit the call button.

  “Thank you for calling Bullman Ranch.” The female voice was perky. The young person sounded barely out of high school. She had a drawl to her voice that was decidedly country.

  “My name is Cash O’Connor. I’m looking for my brother, Garrett. Last I heard, he worked at your ranch.” He didn’t see the need to say her parents’ ranch, that was obvious. He also decided against using his law-enforcement title. It might scare her into thinking Garrett was in some kind of legal trouble.

  “Oh, sorry. He took off weeks ago. No notice. He just up and left after an argument with his foreman.” She sounded genuinely sad to deliver the news.

  “Any idea where he might have gone?” Cash could’ve figured as much. It sounded like something Garrett would do.

  “No, sir. My dad wants me to tell anyone who asks about him not to hire him and that if Garrett wants to get paid he needs to see my dad for a check. My dad didn’t okay the electronic deposit like usual.”

  “I’ll pass along the message next time I see him.”

  “That would be awesome.”

  Cash thanked her and ended the call.

  * * *

  HOURS HAD PASSED since Cash had left and Renee realized Abby’s pacifier must’ve fallen out of her mouth either back at home or in his vehicle. It was midafternoon and she couldn’t find the darn thing anywhere near Abby. After walking around the guest cottage with a crying baby over her shoulder for close to half an hour, she needed to come up with a plan. Going back to the farmhouse wasn’t an option until she knew who was behind the kidnapping attempt and the jerk was behind bars.

  There wasn’t much more terrifying than moving to a new place, not knowing a soul and having a baby to care for. All of which was trumped by the crime that had happened last night. Between work and Jamison’s sick mother, Renee was beginning to realize how small her circle had become. People she’d believed to be friends at work started avoiding her once word got around that she was helping care for a terminal patient. No one was obvious about it. At least, not at first. Then the lunch invites had started to dwindle. The sadder and more miserable Renee became by staying in a relationship whose breakup was long overdue, the more often she declined invitations. She’d reasoned that no one wanted to be around a killjoy and nothing depressed a mood like her being honest about two major things in her life: the end of her relationship and his mother’s condition.

  Sadly, those two things quickly became her life. Waking up at five to go to the gym and get in a workout every morning had become her saving grace. Looking back, it was almost comical that Jamison had accused her of cheating on him with the spin class instructor. She should’ve realized he was just trying to throw her off his trail. But his jealous streak had only increased over the years. He’d become more and more possessive. He would’ve freaked out if he’d known what Darion had pulled at work.

  Jamison dropped the cheating subject real fast when she’d invited him to start coming to class with her.

  Abby almost quieted as Renee gently bounced her up and down. Just when Renee was ready to declare victory, the little girl pulled in a deep breath and belted out the most heart-wrenching cry. “I’m sorry, Abby. I promise I’ll get better at this. I’ll figure out what you want.”

  Renee patted the little girl’s back. She wondered if she should sit around and wait for Cash to sho
w back up. After a few more laps around the cottage, desperation was mounting. Renee had to do something besides pace and pat her daughter’s back. Abby was fed and her diaper was clean. Renee needed that pacifier.

  Didn’t Cash mention there was a set of keys to a vehicle outside?

  Without hesitation, Renee moved to the key that was hanging on a hook in the kitchen next to the garage door. She put her daughter in her carrier and buckled it into the car. Renee and daughter were on the paved road toward the exit inside of five minutes.

  Using the navigation system on her phone, she programmed in the nearest grocery store, figuring it would have a pacifier, and then from memory made it to the security gate leading off the property. At least the sun was going strong on a cloudless spring day. Abby settled down by the time Renee turned onto the main road into town. She’d be lost without GPS and her phone. Cash had mentioned there were spots on the ranch with no service. The thought made her want to shudder.

  There were only a few vehicles on the road for the longest time. The car ride had soothed Abby back to sleep. Renee reluctantly pulled into the parking lot of the Green Grocers and found a space. A dozen vehicles dotted the parking lot. It wasn’t full by Dallas standards but she had a sneaking suspicion it might be busy for the small town of Katy Gulch. And it was good she was getting out and learning the area.

  Busy unbuckling her daughter’s carrier that doubled as a car seat, Renee barely noticed when a car pulled up near hers and parked. Out of the corner of her eye, she did see another block hers in. Palming her keys and placing one in between her first and second finger, she fisted her right hand. Shoulders back, she set the car seat in the back and figured she could slam her car door into anyone who got close. With the jagged side of the key ready, she scanned the area. Pressing the panic alarm on the key fob could scare the baby.