Sophia shook her head. “No, nothing like that. She was planning a beach trip with her friends. She was telling me that they wanted to drive down to Florida as a group. They had found a hotel, but they were still trying to work out the transportation issues.”
“Do you or your sister have any connection to Arlo Prensky? Have you ever met him, worked with him...anything?” Charlie asked.
“No. Kylie’s never mentioned him, and I’ve never met him. I really don’t know anything about him that I haven’t learned from the evening news or the paper. I haven’t even had a chance to read through all of these clippings yet. Time is not on my side, Detective. Since jury selection has already started, I only have a couple of days to find out who really killed Maggie Spencer.”
The two detectives finished sifting through the contents of the box, Noah snapping pictures of each article and the photo and the note with his phone. Charlie put the contents back inside, grimacing as he put the picture of Kylie on top. He closed the lid. “I’ll get this down to the lab. Hopefully, the perp left us a fingerprint or two. I’ll have the lab make copies of everything inside so we can work through the contents without destroying any evidence. In the meantime, you can review the articles with the photos Noah just took with his phone.”
Noah nodded and watched him leave for a moment before turning his attention back to Sophia. The pain he saw in her eyes made his heart clench. “I’m so sorry about Kylie. We’ll do everything we can to save your sister, but you have to know that Arlo Prensky is guilty. There’s no way you’re going to be able to pin this on anybody else, especially not before the trial is over. We got the right guy, and that’s exactly what I’m going to say tomorrow when I testify under oath.”
Sophia swallowed and met his eyes. “I understand that, Detective, but I don’t have a choice here. The kidnapper threatened to kill both Kylie and me if I didn’t investigate this case. He also said he would start going after the people involved in Prensky’s arrest if we didn’t find the real killer. If you help me and we fail, your life could be in danger, too.”
TWO
“I’m a police officer. I’m aware of the risks. But like I said, we’ve got the right guy, and that fact isn’t going to change.”
“Okay, Detective Bradley, but—”
“Call me Noah, please. We’ve known each other since we were three.”
Sophia balled her fists as frustration swept over her. She should have known better. As soon as she found out Noah Bradley was the arresting officer, her heart had sunk clear to her toes. He had humiliated her in high school. In a few short years, he’d gone from being her best friend to her worst enemy, and she still didn’t know why. She’d finally given up on him completely and hoped to never see him again, yet here she was, sitting at his desk and depending upon him for her sister’s life. She swallowed hard, trying to get past the lump in her throat. Despite their shared history, she had to try to get his help, for Kylie’s sake. Nothing was more important than Kylie.
Sophia bit her lip, then continued. “Noah, I need your help to rescue my sister and reinvestigate the Prensky case. You’re probably a great detective, and I’m sure you and your team got the right man. Still, I don’t have a choice here. The kidnapper is demanding that I prove Arlo Prensky is innocent, and I will do whatever I have to do to save my sister. If you won’t help me, though, I’ll do it myself.”
Noah held up his hands in mock surrender. “Whoa, now. I didn’t say I wouldn’t help, and I apologize if I came across as defensive. As you saw, Charlie’s already taken the box down to the lab, and he’ll put a rush on getting the analysis completed since he knows time is of the essence. Those folks will analyze the photo, too, to see if there is any identifying information in there that can help us track down her location.” He leaned forward. “Working with us is the best chance you have to get your sister back. All I meant earlier is that we got the right guy. Prensky is guilty. Nothing is going to change that fact.” He motioned to another detective who was walking by. “Roman, I need you to set aside whatever you’re working on. We’ve got a kidnapping.”
“Absolutely,” Roman answered, quickly giving them his full attention. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man, wearing an impeccably tailored dark suit with a red paisley tie and a very expensive pair of penny loafers. He didn’t seem like a detective. Instead, he looked like he had just stepped out of a fashion magazine. Sophia wondered fleetingly if he focused on his work as much as he focused on his appearance. For Kylie’s sake, she hoped so.
Noah turned to Sophia. “Roman is the best in the department at electronic tracking. Can you please give him your phone?”
Sophia quirked an eyebrow but complied, telling Roman her password as Noah gave him a brief overview of the case. The detective quickly turned on her phone, pushed several buttons and then nodded. “I’ll be back in a moment. We’ll put a trace on the phone in case the perp calls again, and we’ll see if we can’t figure out where the call came from in the first place.”
He rushed off while Noah picked up his own phone. “Okay, if the kidnapper calls again, we’ll go over every sound, every detail and every word of what the kidnapper says. Roman is also going to see if he can narrow down where the call originated. If there’s anything there to find, he’ll find it.”
“I need that phone back,” Sophia said, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. “When the kidnapper calls again, I need to answer my phone. I don’t have a landline, and I don’t plan on going home anyway or even sleeping until I meet the kidnapper’s demands so Kylie’ll be released.”
Noah nodded. “You’ll get it back. Just give Roman a few minutes to run the trace setup and download the data from your SIM card. I promise you, we are going to do everything we can to find her.” He scribbled some notes on a small blue notepad. “What’s the name of the college Kylie is attending?”
“Flint Rock University.”
“That’s about three hours south of here, right?”
Sophia nodded. Maybe Noah would help her after all. He seemed to be all business as he directed his team. Gone was the troublemaker she had known back in high school.
Sophia had to admit that he didn’t even look like she remembered. She barely recognized him. He was wearing a dark suit with a light blue tie, and he seemed like a force to be reckoned with, even just sitting behind his desk. His dark hair was cut military-style, and he had filled out through the years, now broad and muscular. He exuded professionalism, and Sophia had to wonder how and why he had reformed. Had some horrible catalyst made him drastically change direction?
Before today, she’d pictured him with his long hair pulled back in a ponytail and holes in his jeans, riding his motorcycle around town as if he owned the world. She had never imagined that he’d even finish college, much less join law enforcement or earn the rank of detective. She was impressed, to say the least. Hopefully, that same drive and ambition he must have discovered somewhere along the way would help her find her sister before the abductor took her life.
“Tell me about her friends. Who does she hang out with down there?”
Sophia rattled off a few names, while Noah added to his notes. A few minutes later, Roman returned, handed her phone to her and then disappeared again. She turned back to Noah. When she finished listing Kylie’s friends, he punched in a few numbers on his own phone and connected with Flint Rock University’s campus police. He gave his credentials and asked them to open an investigation into Kylie’s disappearance. Finally, after sharing his contact information and the details as he knew them, he ended the call and turned back to Sophia.
“That was Sergeant Kittinger I was speaking to. He seemed bright and motivated. He’s going to start an investigation and interview her roommate and others who might know anything at all about Kylie’s disappearance. He wants a copy of the photo of Kylie that the kidnapper put in the box, in case he might recognize something in the photo.”
He texted Sergeant Kittinger the photo, then looked beyond her and motioned to someone. Sophia turned to see a large, balding, burly man in a gray suit talking to a uniformed officer on the other side of the room. The larger man made eye contact with Noah, nodded and waved him over.
She turned back to Noah as he said, “Give me a minute, Sophia. Then we’ll pull out the Prensky file and I’ll walk you through it.” He stood and walked the twenty feet to the gray-suited man. After a quick conversation, Noah returned.
“Is that your boss?”
“Yes, he’s my captain,” Noah replied. “He’ll make sure my other cases are covered while I work with you. Kylie comes first, especially since Prensky’s jury selection started today. We don’t want to waste even a minute. Timing is critical.”
Sophia’s heart tightened. She was overwhelmed with gratitude, despite the negative feelings she still harbored for Noah. “Thank you, Detective. You don’t know how much this means to me. I really appreciate your help.” She met his eyes and paused for a moment. Everything else about Noah might have changed, but his eyes were still a brilliant blue, the color of the ocean on a hot summer day. Where they had mocked her in the past, now she saw only respect and integrity in their depths. The change was surprising, to say the least. Again she wondered about his past and what had made him decide to become a law enforcement officer. But she pushed away the questions. She even pushed aside the danger to herself. Right now, the only thing that mattered was Kylie.
“You’re welcome.” He held her gaze for a moment, but his look was hard to decipher. It could have been introspective. She just wasn’t sure. He suddenly looked away and grabbed his keys. “All right, let’s go.”
“Where are we going first?”
“Atlanta State University. You want to go over the Prensky case, so I’ll walk you through it and show you the crime scene, as well. I’ve been reviewing the case anyway since I’m scheduled to go to court tomorrow, so a lot of the details are already fresh in my mind. During the drive over, we’ll call the prosecutor, let her know what’s going on, to see if she can get a continuance. In the meantime, Charlie and Roman will let us know as soon as either of them finds anything. You can also look at the pictures of those newspaper articles and read through them. I’ll forward you the pictures from my phone.” He gave her a tight smile. “You’re an investigative reporter, for the Times, right?”
Sophia nodded. “Yes. How’d you know that?”
Noah shrugged. “I’ve seen one or two of your articles over the years. You did a great job on that election fraud case. A lot of people were talking about it.”
He’d seen her work? She was surprised he would have even read it once he’d noticed her byline. “I thought you hated me, Noah. Why would you read any of my articles?”
A look of utter disbelief crossed his features. A look that he quickly masked. “I never hated you, Sophia. Never. Let’s go.” He held the door open for her, and she left the squad room with him right behind her. She could smell his clean, spicy aftershave—and another scent that reminded her of their childhood.
“You still chew Doublemint gum?”
He grinned. “You remembered?”
“Yes. If I’d known you were going to stick with the habit, I would have bought stock in the company.” She smiled, but it quickly turned to a frown. “Tell me she’s going to make it, Noah. Promise me Kylie is still alive and I’m going to see her again.” She tried to keep her voice from shaking, but it just wasn’t possible.
Noah shook his head. “I can’t promise you that. What I can promise you is that I’m going to do everything I can to help you get her back safely.”
* * *
Sophia thought he hated her? Good grief!
They made their way to the university in relative silence as she read through the Prensky clippings, but he had stolen several looks at his passenger as they’d made the trip. He couldn’t believe Sophia Archer was actually sitting in his car with him. Question after question filled his mind as he drove, but he said nothing and focused on the job at hand. Hopefully, there would be time later to rehash the past.
He parked near the university’s science building. As they got out of the car and headed for the front entrance, Noah’s senses went on high alert, just in case. Once inside the building, he relaxed somewhat and lightly touched Sophia’s back to guide her to the chemistry department. He felt her flinch at the contact and immediately dropped his hand as if he’d been burned.
He’d been a jerk to her in high school. It was his own fault that she was reacting this way. Despite what he had done and how he had treated her, however, he had loved Sophia back then. Even after she’d pushed him away, the love had burned within him. Her rejection had devastated his pride, and as a result, he had truly made a mess of things. But now that Sophia was back in his life for a few days, maybe God was giving him a second chance to make things right and earn her forgiveness. He wasn’t going to waste it. He doubted she would ever come to care for him, but maybe he could at least make up for the past and they could part ways as friends once this was over.
Noah’s mind turned to the case before them. Despite his reassurances, he was reluctant to reopen the Prensky file, especially since he didn’t want anything to derail the trial. He had moved on to work other cases, but the details of Maggie Spencer’s murder had stayed with him, given it had been a particularly heinous and needless homicide. Some cases were like that. Maggie Spencer had just been beginning her life. She’d had a bright future ahead of her.
Noah was confident Arlo Prensky was guilty of the murder and had taken great satisfaction in the arrest. But if taking another look would save Kylie and help Sophia absolve him of his past behavior, then he would do whatever it took to earn that redemption, especially since Sophia’s life was in danger, as well. She had told him of the caller’s threats, and it certainly seemed like the kidnapper was desperate and eager to ensure her cooperation. Had the abductor sent the driver in the black sedan to follow them? Was the perp prepared to follow through and start killing off anyone involved in the investigation if Prensky wasn’t exonerated?
Noah led Sophia to the elevator inside the building, double-checked the directory and then headed toward the professors’ offices. He’d called Maggie Spencer’s professor on the way over to make the appointment to see him, but it had been a while since he’d been at the university and Noah didn’t want to waste time going to the wrong place.
He sneaked a quick look at Sophia as the elevator rose. She was even more beautiful now than she had been back when they were teenagers. Her shoulder-length brown hair was cut in an attractive style that made her look both professional and feminine, and the sun caught the red highlights whenever she shook her head. Long lashes accentuated her large brown eyes. Her high cheekbones and porcelain skin made her classic looks even more appealing. Her body was full and shapely, and she was toned as if she played a sport or spent a lot of time at the gym. She had been a competitive swimmer back in high school. He wondered if she still swam for enjoyment.
He paused in his contemplations. Others might not find her as attractive as he did. They might say her smile was a little too wide or her determination to succeed made her appear a bit too fierce. But to him, she was simply magnificent. There had been no one else he had ever loved; only faint imitations at best. Yet even so, after all that had passed between them, he knew it was impossible they’d ever end up together.
Focus. He had to stay focused. Sophia and her sister were victims who, after he solved this case, would return to their separate lives. Forgiveness was the best he could realistically hope for.
But forgiveness would be worth it.
THREE
“Tell me again where we are going?” Sophia asked, breaking into Noah’s train of thought.
He shook his head as he came back into the present. “I wanted you to meet Professor Keenan. Maggie Sp
encer, the victim, was his research assistant. She was working with him on her dissertation when she died. She was just a few months away from her graduation. Her old office is in this building, too, but it’s in the basement. The university promised to leave it untouched until the trial ended. We can go there after we talk to the professor so you can take a look and see where she worked.”
Professor Reginald Keenan met them at his office door. He was a short, thin-haired man with a brown goatee sprinkled with gray and sharp, penetrating brown eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses. He appeared strong and brawny beneath his tweed jacket and dark brown pleated pants, yet also studious and refined. Noah guessed his age to be late fifties or early sixties, though noted his face was lined with stress marks that likely made him look older than he actually was.
The professor shook hands with both of them as Noah introduced Sophia, and Noah noticed that his hands were clammy, despite the firm handshake. Keenan motioned them into his office, toward two leather chairs positioned in front of his desk, then took his own seat across from them. “Security alerted me that you were on the way up. Is there something I should know about the trial?”
Noah shook his head as he and Sophia took the proffered chairs. As he sat, the height of the chair surprised him. It was closer to the ground than most chairs, causing him to look up at Keenan, whose own chair was significantly higher. Noah shifted. He had never particularly liked Professor Keenan, who had always seemed convinced that he was the smartest person in the room. The setup of the office and the shorter chairs just solidified that dislike. “Ms. Archer works with the Times, and she’s interested in the Spencer case. Since you and I will both be testifying, I thought it couldn’t hurt to go over the details of Ms. Spencer’s murder with her since we have to review the facts anyway to prepare for our testimony.”
Held for Ransom Page 2
