Chapter 41
Forty-One
A sher stared at his hands, the scene from the farmhouse running on a loop through his mind. Dried blood occupied the creases of his nails and under the short tips. A streak he’d missed when washing them decorated the side of his right index finger. He rubbed at the spot, causing some of it to flake away. He should probably make another visit to the men’s room and wash it off, but he didn’t want to leave the waiting room. It had been several hours since the trauma team at the hospital here in Eugene had taken Esther back for surgery. Any moment now, those doors could part and someone in green scrubs would walk through, asking for Essy’s family. He wanted to be available when that happened, so he didn’t have to wait for them to come back.
Even though they couldn’t really tell him much because he wasn’t related. The details would have to wait for Edie to return from chasing down Bradley, but he’d at least know if Esther was alive.
He glanced at the clock, willing someone to come out and tell him that. There was no certainty they would. The sickly gray pallor she’d had to her skin wouldn’t leave his head. When the paramedics arrived, the most senior member of the team had taken one look at her injury and radioed for a helicopter. The thought was the bullet had hit her liver.
Asher hoped that was all it hit.
Commotion near the door drew his attention. He looked up to see a man walk in, flashing a badge at the volunteer at the desk. The elderly woman gestured in Asher’s direction. The cop turned, and Asher sat up straighter.
“Asher Horn?”
As the man approached, Asher stood. “Yes. You are?”
“Detective J.D. Stroud. I’ve been working your kidnapping case, and now Miss Campbell’s shooting. How is she?”
“I don’t know. She’s still in surgery.”
The detective’s head bobbed a couple of times. “Okay. Can we chat while we wait?”
“Of course.”
“Good, good. Let’s use one of their consultation rooms.” Stroud gestured to the bank of doors lining one wall.
“Sure. Just let me tell the receptionist where I’ll be.”
“She knows. I already asked if we could use a room.”
“Oh.” Asher’s brow wrinkled as his addled brain tried to shift gears. He’d been locked in his thoughts too long. “All right.”
Following Stroud across the waiting area, they settled into one of the consultation rooms.
“Now, I know you’re probably eager for me to dive into what happened today, but I want to start at the beginning. Walk me through the last few days.” Stroud flipped open a pocket notebook and clicked his pen.
Asher took a deep breath, forcing his mind to think back to Friday. “I helped Esther surprise Leah for her birthday. She wanted to do something extra fun and exciting for the girl, so she made her a cake and we bought an inflatable unicorn costume. Everything was fine when we got there. I put on the suit, went in, did some silly dancing, then left Esther to finish the day’s lesson. I was at the car, taking off the costume, when someone—Lennox—bashed me over the back of the head. When I woke up, I was handcuffed in the back of my SUV, and we were in a building big enough for him to drive inside. But it wasn’t a garage.”
“You’re sure?”
Asher nodded. “I couldn’t see the walls. And the ceiling was high. It was too dark to see much of it, but it looked like metal rafters.”
“Okay, so industrial?”
“Most likely. He opened the back tailgate long enough to drug me while we were there. The next thing I remember, I came to in the basement.”
“Was Leah there already when you woke up?”
“Yes.”
“And you don’t remember how you got into the basement?”
“No.” Asher frowned. “And I didn’t have any weird bruises, so he either carried me or had me strapped to something to bring me down. Probably the latter. He seemed fit, but I’m not small, and he wasn’t that big. I never asked Leah about it. She might know. Not that it’s important.” He waved a hand. “Anyway, I tried to ambush him on Saturday, but he had infrared cameras placed around the room that we didn’t know about, and he ambushed me instead.” His hand went to his stomach. It still hurt. “He rigged a taser to a pole and shocked me with it. Several times. After that, I didn’t try anything. Not until we heard him leave in a hurry earlier.”
“Why? What made you think you needed to do something then?”
“It was just the suddenness of it. It was quiet upstairs, then suddenly an alarm of some kind sounded and he was running out the door. I knew something was up, so I decided to risk getting caught. I dug into my mattress to get to the springs and I made a hook so I could try to unbolt the door. I made a shiv too.” He reached behind his waist and pulled out the homemade weapon, giving it to the detective. “You should probably take that. I forgot I had it until now.” The only thing on his mind since the farmhouse was Esther. First on keeping her alive, then praying that the surgeons could fix her.
Stroud took the shiv and looked at it, turning it over in his hands. “I found the hook. Twisting the springs together was genius. This is too. How much time did you have?”
“Before he came back with Esther and Connie?”
The detective nodded.
“Thirty, forty minutes, maybe.”
Stroud stilled and blinked several times. “That’s… that’s impressive.”
Asher shrugged one shoulder. “I was determined.”
“I guess so.” Stroud laid the shiv on the table beside his chair. “Do you remember hearing or seeing anything of note while in captivity? Other voices? Phone calls? Lights? Sounds outside?”
Asher stared at a point over Stroud’s shoulder, thinking. “No. That house is pretty isolated, so there wasn’t anything outside. Inside, he never talked on the phone, and he never had any visitors. We could hear him moving around. The pipes would clang when the water heater kicked on, so we always knew when he was taking a shower or doing dishes.”
“He lived there with you?”
“Yes. From what I could tell. He rarely left.”
“And alone?”
“Yes.”
“Okay. Explain what happened today.”
“Leah and I were attempting to unlock the bottom bolt on the basement door. I knew if I could get it open, I could bust through the top bolt. But Lennox returned before I could. Turns out it didn’t matter. He called us up. Leah saw her mom and ran to her. That upset him. He revealed who he was to Leah, then demanded she come away from Connie. The girl didn’t want to, rightly so, and Connie couldn’t get her to step away, so Lennox demanded I take her.”
“Did you?”
“Not by force. Connie and I managed to convince her to stand with me.”
“Why didn’t he want her with her mother?”
“Connie never told him about Leah. He accused her of being a bad mother and said he was going to make her watch while he and Esther raised Leah.”
Stroud’s eyebrows shot up. “Connie didn’t mention that part when I talked to her. She did, however, say he tried to shoot you, and Esther jumped in front of you. Is that right?”
Asher flinched, seeing the moment in his mind. “Yes.” He ran a hand through his hair, gripping the strands for a moment before he let go. “After Connie asked how he planned to keep Leah from contacting the authorities when she was out in the world, he said she’d stay silent to protect her mother and Esther. Both women told her not to worry about them. It was at that point Lennox decided they needed a demonstration. I was expendable, so he tried to shoot me.” He paused, tears welling in his eyes again. He dashed them away with the back of his hand. “I still don’t know what Esther was thinking.”
“You want my honest opinion?” Stroud’s voice was softer.
“Sure.”
“She wasn’t. I think she was protecting you; someone she loves. If she makes it through this, you better never let her go. You won’t find a woman who loves you more.”
A crinkle formed on Asher’s forehead. Was that why she did what she did? Stroud’s reasoning made sense, but the man also didn’t know Esther. It was in her nature to protect people. To help them. Even if it hurt her.
Leah was case-in-point. Essy never would have continued to go to that neighborhood and put herself in danger if it weren’t for the girl. Not that Asher blamed Leah. He didn’t. He didn’t blame anyone except Lennox.
“So, what happened after Esther was shot? Connie said you and Lennox grappled.”
Asher jerked as he snapped out of his thoughts. “We did. I knocked the gun out of his hand when I tackled him, and it slid under the table. With the chairs in the way, we couldn’t get to it.”
“How come he got away? Not to be rude, but I met your friends and got some backstory. Aren’t you some sort of former super-spy?”
“No. I worked in intelligence, mostly behind a screen. I’m not defenseless, but I’m not the warrior some of my friends are. And I didn’t have the best hold on him when we went down. I grabbed his legs. It took all I had to hang on. When Connie’s pleas for me to help finally registered, I looked back and saw Esther and all the blood.” He stopped for a moment, looking at the dried blood on his hands again. Balling them into fists, he turned a bleak expression on Stroud. “It was a shock, seeing her like that. Enough so that I forgot what was happening for a moment. Lennox took advantage of my lapse and kicked me in the face.” Asher pointed to the slight swelling on his cheek. “I was still between him and the gun, and the kick didn’t faze me for long. After seeing Esther, I was ready to kill him. Apparently, he saw that on my face, and he ran rather than fight me to get to the gun.”
“Why didn’t you go after him?”
“Because Esther needed me.”
A soft knock on the door interrupted their conversation. Stroud got up and answered it.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, Detective. The patient’s sister is here and wants to speak with Mr. Horn.”
Asher stood. “Edie’s here?” He’d told her he’d call when he had news, so why was she here? Eugene wasn’t a short drive from Coos Bay. Had she found something?
Stroud glanced at Asher, a frown marring his face. “You sound surprised. Why wouldn’t she come to the hospital?” He crossed his arms and narrowed his eyes. “Esther told me about her sister’s and her friends’ backgrounds and what they do now. What are they up to?”
“Wait, you know about the work my friends and I do?”
“Yes. Those ladies are quite effective in digging up information.”
Asher wasn’t surprised at that. His friends?—
His thoughts cut off mid-stream. A fierce frown pulled his eyebrows down.
Ladies? What?
“I’m sorry, who are you talking about?”
Stroud’s brows dipped. “Esther’s sister and her friends. There were four of them.”
“You said ladies. The people with Edie are all women? There were no men?”
“No.”
“Did one have a British accent?”
“Yes. And she called a friend that had one as well. I don’t know who it was. No one would tell me her name.”
Jo.
He’d bet his lair it was Jo. But where were Ford, Dean, Sam, and Max? And Jordan? He moved toward the door. “I need to talk to Edie.”
“So do I, I think.” Stroud pulled the door open wider and stepped out. Asher followed.
Edie stood a few feet away, flanked by Audra, Brooke, and Annabeth. They all looked stressed and worried.
“You look terrible,” Edie said as she walked up to him and gave him a hug. “I’m so glad you’re all right.”
He hugged her back. “Thanks, Edie. Me too.” He pulled away to look at her. “Why are you here? I told you I’d call with updates.”
“We need you.”
“What? Why? What happened?”
“After you called, we headed your way, hoping to intercept Lennox. It was a long shot, I know, and it didn’t pan out. Anyway, the next step was to look for cameras, and we found some. But”—she hesitated slightly, her gaze darting to Stroud—“Audra’s friend is having trouble gaining access. No one can hack a camera like you. We need a license plate to go any further.”
“Hold on a second.” Stroud held up a hand. “Hack? No. I can get warrants for?—”
Edie slashed a hand through the air. “There’s no time for that. The longer we wait, the more likely he changes cars and gets away. I’m not about to lose this asshole while waiting on some bureaucratic bullshit.”
Stroud stared at her. Asher could see him weighing the pros and cons of her plan, but he didn’t care what the detective decided. “You have your laptop?” he asked Edie.
Annabeth opened the tote she carried and produced it.
“We need to do this the right way.” Stroud scowled.
Asher took the computer. “This is the right way. For us. You can stop me, but I guarantee Lennox will be long gone by the time your warrants come through.” He didn’t wait for the detective to respond; just spun on his heel and went back to the consultation room.
“Here’s a list.” Brooke handed him a piece of paper as he sat down. The whole group had crowded into the small room. “It’s all the cameras within a mile of the farmhouse we could find. I wish it was a bigger list.”
Asher looked at it, and his heart sank. There were only two businesses listed. “I’ll see what I can do. Have you checked for doorbell cameras?”
“Not yet,” Audra said. “When my friend had trouble accessing those feeds, we broke off to come talk to you.”
“Okay. Go back and see what you can find. For those, we’ll need permission and access from the people who live there. I can’t get into those without knowing considerably more about the homeowners.”
“How do you not need that from the businesses?” Stroud propped his hands on his hips, watching as Asher logged into Edie’s laptop.
“Because internet companies are typically limited in any given area, and business internet even more so. Most businesses use whatever the locality’s major supplier is. I don’t have to backdoor my way into the individual businesses, just the internet supplier. From there, I can access the businesses routers and the devices connected to it. Residential doorbell cameras run on Bluetooth, typically to an app and a cloud server. Not only are there more internet options, but there are multiple brands of cameras. They’re harder to access without the right information.” He pulled up a browser and logged onto his server. From there, he found the main business internet supplier for the area and set about locating the back door into their system. “You guys go. See if you can get some footage. Just in case this is a bust.”
Stroud sighed; the sound told Asher he was accepting defeat.
“You guys are going to sound like crazy people, knocking on doors like that. I’ll send some officers with you. Maybe you won’t get them slammed in your face, then.”
“That would be great. Thank you, Detective,” Brooke said.
“I’m staying here,” Edie said.
Asher pushed out the chair next to him. “Have a seat. You can keep me company while I search, then help me go through video.”
“I’ll look into that building you said you woke up in.” Stroud scooped Asher’s shiv off the table, then headed for the door.
A thought occurred to Asher. “My car. Did you check with the rental company about the GPS?”
“It was deactivated shortly after the vehicle left the Tylers.’”
Asher wrinkled his nose. “Damn. Okay. I’d start with the area around where the data stopped. I don’t think I was out too long after he hit me over the head. I woke up before we got there, and we didn’t drive that far before he pulled into that building. It’s possible he disconnected it there after he drugged me. That would take some time, and he wouldn’t want to be too exposed. Not with me in the back.”
Stroud nodded. “I’ll check.” Turning, he looked at the volunteer who’d stayed close after knocking. “I know this room isn’t meant for this sort of thing, but they need to stay here.”
She held up her hands. “It’s fine. We have others. You do what you need to do, Detective.”
“Thank you.” With a nod, he slipped past her. “Ladies, follow me, please.”
“Call us if you find something,” Audra said. “We’ll do the same.”
Asher kept his eyes on the screen, typing away, but saw Edie nod out of the corner of his eye.
“We will,” she said.
Silence descended as everyone left. Edie shifted in her seat, pulling her legs up to sit cross-legged on the chair.
“You okay?” He gave her a quick glance.
“Not really. But I’ll be fine. Just keep me busy.”
He understood how she felt. He was far from all right himself. If it weren’t for the work that needed to be done to catch Lennox, he’d probably be close to screaming and throwing things.
“Do your parents know about what happened?”
Silence met his question. He glanced over again to see her wringing her hands together, staring at them.
“You didn’t tell them? Edie…”
“I know, okay? I know I need to, but I—” She stopped and looked away. “I wanted to wait until she was out of surgery so I could tell them more. So maybe they could see her. Right now, they’d just come up and have to twiddle their thumbs like me.”
“Okay, I want you to think about something for a minute, all right?” Asher raised a finger, focusing an intense gaze on Edie.
“What?”
“Think about that baby you’re carrying.” He tipped his finger toward her middle. “If it were that child in the operating room, and you were the parent sitting at home oblivious, would you want to stay oblivious or would you want to know? Even if you couldn’t do anything. Would you want to know?”
Her jaw worked, and she stared at him for several long moments. “Dammit,” she finally whispered. “Fine. I’ll go call them.”
“Good. And if you haven’t eaten, find some food. A drink too. You need to take care of yourself.”
Grumbling, she got up. “I’m not an invalid. Just pregnant. I’m fine.”
“Just humor me, please?” He pinched the bridge of his nose. He loved Edie. Truly, he did. But she could try the patience of a saint some days. “I know you think you’re superwoman, but I also know you will push yourself to the brink of exhaustion. And that line is closer now than you’re used to.”
Some of the indignation left her expression as the rationality of his words sank in. “All right. Do you want anything?”
He dropped his hand. “Coffee. And I wouldn’t be opposed to a snack.”
“Okay. I’ll be back soon. If the doctors come out…”
“I will call you immediately. Wait. No. I don’t have a phone. I’ll have the receptionist call you.” He made a mental note to get a burner cell as soon as possible. After he got into these surveillance systems, he’d take a walk and see if he could find a store that sold pre-paid phones.
“That works.” She hesitated at the door. “I do not want to make this phone call. It’s not Esther whom they should be worried about getting shot. It should be me.”
“Life’s not fair, Edie.” If it were, Lennox would be dead, and Esther would be in his arms.
“No. No, it’s not.” She walked out.