Held for Ransom

by Kathleen Tailer

  “Remember when we were twelve and we got caught in that storm near the lake? We hid under the tree for a while, but even though the rain slowed, we still got completely soaked before the day was over.”

  The memory was a sweet one, and a very good distraction. She could see them both as children in her mind’s eye, back by the lake, laughing under that tree.

  “Yes, I remember,” Sophia whispered. “I was afraid of the thunder, but you kept making up stories about what was causing it. I think my favorite was you said God was bowling, and the really loud booms were when he made a strike.”

  Noah rested his head on hers, pulling her even closer. “And after the thunder passed, do you remember what we did?”

  Sophia gave a small smile. She couldn’t help herself. “Sure. You had been begging me to teach you how to dance because you wanted to take me to the sixth-grade spring party. We spent the next two hours practicing.”

  “I was so awful!” Noah exclaimed. “And you were extremely patient. I think I must have stepped on your feet about fifty times, but you kept at it.”

  “Well, I couldn’t have you tripping all over yourself in front of the other guys. You would have been embarrassed, and then you wouldn’t have taken me to another dance ever again.”

  “I saw that painting on the wall in your apartment of a couple ballroom dancing. Do you still like to dance?” Noah asked quietly.

  “I love it. I was in the ballroom dance club in college, and I still go to organized dances when I get a chance. The waltz is my favorite, but there are several dances that I enjoy. The mambo is a lot of fun, and I even like salsa.”

  Noah swayed with Sophia and moved his hands into new positions as if dancing with her. One hand encircled her waist and held her close; the other took her right hand. “When this is all over, I’ll take you dancing, just like old times. I promise not to step on your toes.”

  Sophia leaned back slightly so she could see his eyes. He was serious. “Do you know how to dance?” she asked.

  “I took a few classes, but I’m sure I’m nowhere near as good as you. I was in Matthews’s wedding party last year, and five or six of us learned a few steps so we could dance at his reception. I know just enough to be dangerous.”

  She gave a small laugh and leaned her head against his shoulder. He had done the impossible in a difficult situation. He had distracted her for a moment and reminded her of good times long gone.

  “Thank you, Noah.” She stepped back from his embrace and happened to glance at the nearby trash can. She laughed when she saw the wrappers of four different packs of Doublemint gum at the bottom. He was a new man in her eyes, but some things never changed.

  * * *

  Roman came in just as Sophia was returning to her computer. He went straight to the laptop connected to the LCD and started typing.

  Noah raised an eyebrow and glanced over his shoulder at the screen. “Something new?” he asked, hopeful.

  He was glad that he hadn’t been holding Sophia when Roman had entered the room. He’d already been on the receiving end of several pointed looks and raised eyebrows from Roman and some of his other colleagues, but thankfully, no one had made him explain their relationship yet. He wasn’t even sure what he would say if he were asked.

  We were childhood friends, but I totally blew it by not apologizing sooner and wasted the last nine years of my life without her?

  I fell in love with her back in high school, and now all of those old feelings are coming back and she’s all I can think about?

  I can’t breathe unless she’s near me?

  It was true. How was he going to go on without her in his life after this case was over? He loved her. In fact, his feelings had been growing exponentially ever since she had walked into his office. She was allowing him to comfort her, which was progress. But did she feel anything for him beyond friendship? He had absolutely no idea. And he couldn’t talk to her about it, especially with her sister missing. He stretched his arms out along his sides, missing the feel of holding Sophia close to his heart. Focus. He had to stay focused on this case. He forced his thoughts back to Kylie and the operation in Flint Rock.

  Roman hit a few more keys, and a video came to life on the LCD. It showed a group of officers, guns drawn, going into a small house. “This is the strike team entering Esau Kittinger’s house to arrest him. He’s probably not home, since his car wasn’t in the driveway. They couldn’t find him at work, though, so they had to try. He seems to have disappeared.”

  Sophia sat in the chair by Roman and kept her eyes glued on the screen. The officers announced themselves and entered the house. They cleared each room of the residence before the leader’s voice came through the speaker. “He’s not here. Looks like our bird has flown the coop. We’ll put an APB out for him and his vehicles immediately.”

  Noah nodded, realizing that the all-points bulletin was the best way to find the missing officer. He saw that Roman had opened a channel so that they could talk to the strike team leader. “Thanks for letting us join in. If you find him, let us know.”

  “You got it,” the leader responded. Then he clicked a button on his vest camera and the video and audio feed both disappeared.

  “Okay,” Roman said quietly as he punched a few more keys. “The other team is almost ready to breach the warehouse. They’ll be connecting to our computer in a moment, and we’ll be able to watch that raid, too.”

  “How does this work?” Sophia asked.

  “The laptop connects to a program in the officer’s body cam. It’s almost like having a GoPro camera and a police radio all in one that’s attached to the officer’s chest. They can’t hear us unless he purposefully lets us. It’s better that way so we don’t make a noise and ruin the operation by mistake. But once he clicks in, we can have a conversation as well as video.”

  The picture suddenly flickered and they could see another group of officers readying to enter the warehouse. They used hand signals to communicate as they moved into position. Then, as soon as everyone was in the correct location, they breached, shouting “Law enforcement!” as they entered. The officers quickly spread out and began searching the building.

  The warehouse was empty.

  Noah’s heart sank as the officer’s body cam turned full circle to show the viewers the warehouse. Several shelves, filled with boxes of varying shapes, lined the walkways, as well as forklifts and stacks of crates. They could hear officers yelling “Clear!” as other areas of the warehouse were secured. So far, not a single person was anywhere in the building.

  “Have them look for an office or other room where they could have been holding her,” Noah requested, his eyes studying everything, even the smallest detail, in the warehouse.

  Roman relayed the command, and the leader made his way through the aisles until he came to a row of three offices. Two were quickly searched and cleared. Nothing.

  The third held a desk, a chair, and a large bookcase filled with binders against the back wall. The side wall was lined with a stack of boxes of varying sizes. Some had International Cherry Blossom Festival stickers on them; others weren’t labeled. In the middle of the room was the chair where Kylie had been tied during the video. The bindings lay on the floor and the chair was empty, almost seeming to mock them.

  They were too late. Kylie was gone, along with her abductors.

  Noah’s jaw clenched as his chest tightened. They had missed her. But the day’s search wasn’t a total loss. Now, at least, they knew who’d taken Kylie and why. He looked over at Sophia and hoped she could read the regret and sorrow in his eyes.

  His cell phone rang and he took the call. After a few short answers, he hung up and stored his phone.

  “That was the prosecutor at the courthouse. The defense just rested. Arlo Prensky’s case just got sent to the jury.”

  FOURTEEN

  “Kittinger is not at the c
ourthouse,” Roman confirmed, his call on Noah’s speakerphone. “We really didn’t expect him to show up there, but we had John Prensky under surveillance in case they met up. Now he has disappeared, as well.” He ended the call.

  Sophia sat motionless, numbly taking in all that was going on around her. Warrants had been issued for John Prensky’s home and office in Atlanta, but a search of each location had proved fruitless. How could people disappear so easily in this day and age?

  “How did Kittinger know to move my sister? Did someone warn him?”

  Noah nodded, his face grim. “A clerk that worked for the judge in Flint Rock gave him the heads-up as soon as the judge signed the warrant. She and Kittinger are friends, and they are probably dating. In any case, she gave him a call about twenty minutes before we searched the warehouse. She’s under arrest and isn’t talking. Her first words when we tried to interrogate her were ‘Get me a lawyer.’”

  Sophia absorbed this new information. She was done crying. Now she was angry. “So Kittinger was lying all this time about trying to find Kylie?”

  “Yes. Looks like he and John Prensky were childhood friends. They grew up together. They apparently remained friends and even became business partners over the years. In fact, Kittinger owns an interest in Prensky’s fireworks business, and he manages some of the sales to the festival organizers and such on the side.”

  Sophia shook her head, remembering how Noah had expressed misgivings about Kittinger earlier in the investigation. “Looks like your gut was right all along.”

  Roman looked up from his computer. “We’re not sunk yet. Esau Kittinger is driving an older-model car that doesn’t have a GPS system, but John Prensky has a newer Toyota. I’m working with Toyota now to get the data. Give me a minute, and we’ll be ready to go find his car.”

  “Good work,” Noah said before turning. “Sophia, let’s go get you a bulletproof vest. We need to pack up and be ready to go as soon as we find his location. I’m guessing he’s still in the Atlanta area since he was so invested in watching the trial. Now that it’s gone to the jury, I’m thinking he and Kittinger are going to meet up somewhere to decide what to do about Kylie. All we need is a location, and we’ll be good to go.”

  She followed him out of the conference room and down the hallway to a storage room filled with gear of all shapes and sizes. He got his own vest that had his name inside, then pulled one of the spares from the shelf, checked the size and handed it to her. “Try this one.”

  She pulled it over her head, and he helped her with the straps, checking to make sure it fit her correctly.

  “That’ll do,” he said softly. He looked up and met her eyes. “We’re going to find her, Sophia. Have faith.” He leaned forward and gave her a chaste kiss on the forehead. “We’re going to do everything we can to save your sister.”

  Sophia nodded, unable to speak. Despite the anxiety that kept coming at her in waves, she knew without a doubt that Noah meant what he said, and that his entire team was committed to finding Kylie. She held his sea-blue eyes and studied him for a moment. Gone was the rowdy, self-absorbed teenager she had known. In his place stood an honorable man who had done his utmost to help. In fact, he had even put his own life on the line to find Kylie.

  Her respect for him went up another notch. No one could promise a positive outcome, but Sophia knew instinctively that if Kylie did have to pay the ultimate price, Noah would stay by her side to help her through it.

  She reached out and cupped his cheek with her hand. “Thank you, Noah. You’ve been amazing. I couldn’t have asked for more.”

  She also said a silent prayer, thanking God, as well, for bringing Noah into her life during this desperate time. She had gotten his help, and she had also put to rest some of the difficulties from her past. Maybe they could actually be friends after this was all over. After all, God was the God of second chances, wasn’t He?

  Noah covered her hand with his own. “You are very welcome.” He gave her a reassuring smile before his expression turned serious. “I don’t want you in the line of fire when we find Prensky and Kittinger, but I want to take you with us in case Kylie is there. That way, you can see her right away and comfort her while we process everything. Will you promise me you’ll stay in the car until after we’ve made the arrest? I hate making you wait, but I really don’t want you hurt. I also don’t want to be forced to leave you behind if you don’t agree.”

  Sophia nodded, thankful that he’d considered her safety as well as what would be best for Kylie. It also saved her the trouble of arguing with him. She had always planned to go—even if she’d had to follow from behind in her own vehicle. She looked into his eyes and could tell that he had anticipated her move and had outmaneuvered her, but she didn’t care. As long as she got to be there when they found Kylie, nothing else mattered. “I’ll stay in the car. I promise.”

  He squeezed her hand, then brought it to his lips and kissed the inside of her palm. “Let’s go. Roman will have an address for us soon. We want to be ready.”

  Sophia followed him out of the room, her heart pounding. She glanced at her hand where he had kissed her and bent her fingers, as if to hold on to the kiss before it escaped. Why had he kissed her? That was twice in about five minutes. Both kisses had been friendly without being forward or suggestive, but they still made her wonder. How did he feel about her? And how did she feel about him? Her thoughts churned as she walked.

  They returned to the conference room, where Matthews had joined Roman and they were going over the details of the upcoming operation. Roman looked up and shared the news.

  “Backup is ready. We roll in five. We have an address on the southwest side of town near the airport. John Prensky’s car is at a house that belongs to his cousin. We’re hoping to find him there, too.”

  “Let me run the op,” Noah said roughly, his tone leaning toward the demanding side.

  Roman shook his head. When he spoke, his tone was equally resolute. “Not a chance, Noah. Be glad I’m even letting you come along.” He lowered his voice, but Sophia could still hear his words. “I’ve seen how you look at her. We all have. You either do it my way or you don’t do it at all.”

  Matthews, standing behind Roman, crossed his arms. It was clear he agreed with Roman.

  Noah’s eyes went back and forth between his two colleagues. He glanced at Sophia, then finally put up his hands in a motion of surrender. “All right, all right. You’ve got this.”

  Roman nodded, his expression intense. “Yes, I do.”

  * * *

  Noah shifted and adjusted his vest a little to the left, waiting for the signal. He stood partially hidden by the side of the house, ready to back up the other officers once they entered.

  He glanced over at Roman, who flanked the front door with Matthews. A third officer, standing slightly behind Roman, carried a battering ram to breach the door if needed. Two other officers flanked the back door, and another officer, opposite Noah, watched the far side of the house. They had the building surrounded. Prensky’s expensive burgundy 4Runner was parked out by the curb. All signs pointed to Prensky being in the house. The question was, would Kittinger and Kylie be with him?

  Roman stepped out of the line of fire, then reached over and knocked. When no one answered, he tried the knob and found the door locked, despite the fact that they could hear someone moving around inside. “Police! Open up!” He waited about ten seconds and then nodded to the officer to breach the door. “Police! Freeze!”

  Noah ran up the porch stairs and entered behind his colleagues, his gun trained on John Prensky, who had dropped his weapon and raised his hands when Roman and Matthews had entered the house. His face was a mixture of anger and humiliation, fire shooting from his eyes as he glared at the intruders.

  Noah heard other cops calling out as they cleared the rest of the home and his heart sank.

  Kittinger and Kylie were n
owhere to be found.

  “Where’s Kylie?” Noah demanded as Roman secured Prensky’s gun and read him his Miranda rights. Prensky said nothing as he was handcuffed and frisked to verify that there were no other weapons hidden somewhere on his body.

  Noah took a step forward and repeated the question. This time Prensky looked up with a smirk. His body language and attitude were clearly very different from when they had interviewed him at the courthouse. This time, he knew the jig was up, and defiance filled his countenance.

  “Kylie who?” Prensky said flippantly. He allowed the search and didn’t change his expression. In fact, if anything, he stood proudly, his back ramrod-straight, his demeanor insolent. His lip curled when he spoke, and anger seemed to radiate from his entire being. “I have no idea what or who you’re talking about.”

  Noah advanced quickly, his own body language so threatening that Prensky actually took a step back. “In case you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re not playing games here. Now you need to make a decision. Do you want to spend a few years in prison or the rest of your natural-born life behind bars? It makes no difference to me. I’ll find the girl either way. But if you want to help yourself, now is the time.”

  “Go ahead and arrest me,” Prensky spit. “You’re good at arresting the wrong guy. Why stop now? I’ve got proof Arlo never killed that woman. You just never wanted to believe it.”

  “So, your answer was to kidnap an innocent girl? Terrorize her and make her live with the trauma for the rest of her life?” Noah holstered his gun and fisted his hands. “If you’ve got proof, all you had to do was bring it to the police. We would have listened and investigated whatever you brought us, but you never darkened our door. I never even laid eyes on you before the trial. You have nothing. But even if you did, kidnapping isn’t the answer. It isn’t the way to get people to do what you want when you think you were treated unfairly.”