Chapter 17
17
A knock at the door forced Heath away from Clara’s side. A quick glance out the picture window showed Laura and Mrs. Collins waiting on the front stoop. He let them in, grateful for their presence as they flocked to Clara and covered her with their love and support.
Laura wrapped her in a hug while Mrs. Collins sat on the couch on the other side.
Clara buried her face in Laura’s shoulder. “I should have done more. I should have stopped him. What am I going to do? What if he hurts them?”
Each word twisted his heart a little bit more.
“None of this is on you,” Laura said. “It never has been. And those kids are tough. We will find them soon and bring them home. This will all be a nightmare we can put behind us.”
“We’re here for you,” Mrs. Collins added. “We will go door to door looking for Davey and Avery. We won’t stop until we find them. And Elsie is with Mila at the hospital.” She glanced at Heath. “Your mom made it through surgery. They’ll stay there until she wakes, longer if needed.”
Some of the pressure squeezing the air from his lungs released.
Clara pulled out of Laura’s hug and wiped her eyes. “I didn’t even ask about your mom. I just—my mind is somewhere else. What happened?”
He worked his jaw back and forth, struggling to keep his temper in check. “Mitch ran them off the road to lure me away from you. He played me. Was one step ahead this whole time. I underestimated him, and I’m so sorry for that.”
His phone rang in his pocket, and he hurried to grab it. “It’s Owen,” he said right before he answered. “Hey. Any news?”
The women stared up at him with wide, expectant eyes.
“No. How’s Clara?”
“Hold on a second.” He covered the speaker with his hand and lowered the phone. “No news yet. I’m going to take this in the kitchen. I’ll be right back.”
Walking out of the room, away from Clara, was harder than he’d thought possible. After what happened earlier, he never wanted to let her out of his sight again. But he also didn’t know what Owen called to tell him. He didn’t want to discuss anything in front of her that would only cause more distress.
“She’s holding on by a thread,” he said, as he lowered himself onto the kitchen chair and hung his head in his hand. “He beat her bad. Concussion, bruised ribs, her face is a mess. Not to mention emotionally. She’s going out of her mind worrying about her kids. Hell, I’m about to jump out of my skin. We have to find them. Fast.” His voice cracked on the last word as all the fear and guilt crashed against the backs of his eyes.
“She’s been through a lot,” Owen said. “And she needs you to be strong. So don’t go down a road you can’t come back from.”
Heath squeezed the bridge of his nose and pulled in a long, deep breath. “You’re right. It’s just…the thought of those kids scared and alone is killing me. Tell me you’ve got something, anything.”
“I wish I had more. We’ve already searched all the places we thought he could be last night and earlier today and found nothing. No one has seen him or knows where he could be staying.”
“Is there anyone who could have lied? It’s one thing to lie to cover for a man who hits his wife. It’s another to take a bullet for someone who’s kidnapped two innocent children.” He ran his fist over the thighs of his jeans, urging his brain to come up with any piece of information that could be useful.
“We’ll speak with the same people again today. Let them know how the situation has changed. I’ll talk with the FBI as well. They’ll be here soon to discuss how what we found on Mitch’s computer coincides with an ongoing investigation.”
Heath’s stomach dropped and bile sloshed up his throat to his palate. “You don’t think he’d do something like we saw in those videos with his own kids do you?”
Clara’s gasp snapped up his head.
She stood in the doorway, one hand on the frame with the other braced against Laura’s forearm. Fire replaced the fear in her eyes. “If even a hair is harmed on one of their heads, I will choke the life from Mitch’s worthless body with my bare hands. Now you or Owen or someone at that damn department better tell me how to help find them because there’s no way in hell I’m sitting here all day and waiting.”
Laura ushered Clara to the chair next to Heath. “I’ll get you guys some tea,” she whispered then busied herself looking through the cabinets.
“Did you hear that?” he asked Owen, then pressed the speaker button and placed the phone on the table.
“I heard,” Owen said. “Clara, I’m so sorry for everything. Let’s not go to worst case scenario just yet, okay? Chances are high Mitch took the kids somewhere local. He’s made it obvious his goal is to hurt you. He’ll want to stay close to either watch your pain or come after you next.”
“I hope he does,” she said, her voice heavy and tough as steel. “Then I’ll show him what a mistake he made.”
Heath reached across the table and took her hand. “If he comes for you, he’ll have to get through me.”
“Let’s worry about finding him first,” Owen cut in. “And Clara, I understand where you’re coming from wanting to help. But I really think you should stay put. Take care of yourself so you don’t overdo it. You need to be rested and healthy for when those kids come home.”
She shook her head then winced. “Not going to happen. Who all have you spoken with about Mitch? Where have you looked?”
“We’ve talked to his parents and coworkers from Bob’s. We’ve been to Town Tavern and tracked down as many of his drinking buddies as we can find, as well as searched his apartment for any clue where he could be holed up.”
“When you talked to his parents, were they both there?” Clara asked.
“Yes.”
“I’ll talk to his mom,” Clara said on a drawn-out sigh. “If she’s with Fred, she won’t say a word. He’s a bully like his son, and she could never stand up to him. But she loves her grandkids.”
Laura slid a cup of tea in front of Clara. “I didn’t realize you and the kids had a relationship with Mitch’s parents.”
“I wouldn’t call it a relationship. Hope is a sweet woman, but I learned early on it was best to keep my distance from both of them. The kids have dealt with enough abuse from their own father, they didn’t need to take it from their grandfather, too. And it’s not often we could see Hope without Fred breathing down her neck. If you can find a way for me to speak with her alone, she might tell me something to help find my babies.”
“I can arrange to have Fred come into the station,” Owen said. “That should give you enough time with Hope.”
“Are you sure Hope won’t just go with him?” Heath asked. He didn’t know Mitch’s parents, but if his dad was as overbearing as Clara made it sound, he might not want his wife far from his side.
“She won’t go with him,” Clara said. “Especially to the sheriff’s department. It’d be too hard to explain the bruises.”
* * *
An hour later, Heath kept a firm hand on the small of Clara’s back as they made their way up the porch steps to Fred and Hope Parson’s house. “Are you sure you’re up for this?” He’d rather they had this conversation over the phone, where Clara was sitting and taking care of herself. But he’d let her take the lead as long as she was still on her feet.
Clenching her jaw, she gave a small nod. “I have to be, and we need to hurry. I want to be gone before Fred gets home. I need to look her in the eyes when we speak. I’ll know if she’s lying.”
“Tell me if it gets to be too much.” He pressed the doorbell and stood by Clara’s side as they waited for an answer.
The door swung open to Hope Parson’s wide, shocked eyes. She was a small woman with no extra meat on her bones. Her shoulders hunched forward as if she carried the weight of the world, and she circled her arms around her tiny waist. Her dyed-blond hair sat on her shoulders in a sleek long bob.
“Clara?” Hope took a step backward as if the mere presence of her former daughter-in-law was hard to handle. “Wh—what are you doing here?”
The fact that Hope’s first reaction wasn’t geared toward the obvious beating Clara had endured irritated the hell out of Heath, but he pushed that aside. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Parson. We’re here to speak with you about your son. Can we come in for a few minutes?”
Hope flicked her glance around as if searching for permission from someone who wasn’t there. “I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Besides, we already spoke with someone about Mitch.”
“We have more questions,” Clara said. “And if we stand out here much longer, you know Fred will find out. Might as well let us step inside and avoid upsetting him.”
Defeat—or possibly resignation—dipped Hope’s chin, and she allowed them into the foyer before shutting the door. She heaved out a long breath. “What is it? He’ll be home soon. I’d like you to be gone before he returns.”
“Where’s Mitch?” Clara asked.
Heath watched the lines in Hope’s face crumple for a few seconds before her mask slipped back into place. “We already told the police yesterday that we don’t know where he is. Nothing has changed.”
“Everything’s changed.” Clara’s voice caught and she clutched his arm.
Hope frowned. “What do you mean?”
Clara jabbed a finger toward the marks on her face. “Do you see what he did? He found me and took my kids. Told me I’d never find them. If you know where he has them, please. Please tell me. No one needs to know you’re the one who gave the information. Fred will never find out. But don’t protect Mitch at the cost of your grandchildren.”
Tears filled Hope’s eyes, turning the cobalt blue cloudy. “He wouldn’t hurt them. He loves them. All he’s ever wanted was to get his family back. To go back to the way things were.”
“You mean back when he hit Clara and scared the kids and nobody said a word about it?” Heath snapped, unable to rein in his temper. He could empathize with Hope, knew that she was as much of a victim as Clara, but he wouldn’t stand by and let her get in the way of bringing Davey and Avery home.
Hope winced and wrapped her arms tighter around her stomach. “He’s a good man. He’s just?—”
Clara held up a hand. “Stop. I know he’s your son and that means you see him in a way I never will—never have. But honestly, I couldn’t care less about your feelings toward the monster you helped create. Right now, all I care about are my children.”
“I don’t know where they are,” Hope whimpered. “I would tell you if I did. I promise.”
“What about last night? Do you know where Mitch stayed? Where he was hiding?” Heath asked.
She dropped her gaze to the well-polished wood floor. “He was here.”
“What?” Clara yelled then winced, her fingers flying up to rub at her temples. “How could you lie to the deputies?”
“He’s my son. I don’t want to see him in a jail cell. I thought if a little bit of time passed, things would calm down. You guys could figure all this out and everything would go back to normal. I didn’t think it would hurt anything if he crashed in the garage for a night or two.”
It took every ounce of self-control he possessed not to react to Hope’s admission. Instead, he grabbed his phone. “Give me a second.”
He didn’t wait for Hope’s reaction or permission and sidestepped into the formal living room to call Owen.
He answered on the third ring. “Hey. I’m just finishing up with Fred Parson. Can I call you back?”
“Did he tell you anything you didn’t already know?”
“Nope. He’s sticking to his story. Doesn’t know where Mitch is and hasn’t heard from him.”
“Keep pushing. Hope just confirmed Mitch stayed in their garage last night.”
“Excuse me?” Owen asked, temper clear in the clipped words. “I’ll try and get Fred to admit to this without letting him know you spoke with Hope. Are you still with her?”
“Yeah. She’s a nervous wreck.”
Owen snorted. “No surprise there. See if she’ll let you in the garage. Maybe Mitch left something behind that will help us find him now.”
“I’ll see what I can do.” He disconnected the call and met the women back in the foyer.
“Are you sure there’s nothing else you can tell us?” Clara asked. “Did he mention any friends or places he wanted to visit? Does he have money with him that would allow him to leave town? I know you love the kids, and you know the best place for them is with me.”
Hope firmed her mouth into a tight line. “They need their father, too.”
“But not like this,” Heath said. “Not while their dad is running from the law. What kind of a life is that for them? He can’t give them what they need right now. If you help us, maybe it will create a path forward for you to have a better relationship with them. Hell, it could even create a better situation for Mitch and the kids. But first, we have to find them.”
“I don’t know where they are,” Hope repeated, throwing her arms in the air. “He left this morning and hasn’t been back. He didn’t tell me where he was going or what he planned to do. Why would he? He’s never told me anything. If I knew where my grandbabies were, I would tell you. I swear.”
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Clara leaned against the wall and swallowed hard. “This is a waste of time. We need to think of something else.”
“Hope, maybe there is something you can do to help. You can let us see the garage. Maybe Mitch left something behind we can use. We won’t be long, and we won’t disturb anything. Just let me take a look.”
Indecision bounced Hope’s gaze between the two of them before she turned on her heels and walked down the hall. “Come with me. You have five minutes then you have to go. If Fred finds out you’re here, he’ll kill me.”