Chapter 11
ELEVEN
“Did you want to check in with Clara for any updates?” Kendra asked him as they left the Shuler’s.
“I figured she’ll call if she learns anything she can share,” he deflected.
Based on her clearing her throat, she disapproved. Part of him wished she’d stayed back at Dev’s. Having her along complicated things. If they did find the van, he couldn’t risk her safety, and she’d want to report the findings to the police. But she was here, and having a second pair of eyes wouldn’t hurt when they had so much ground to cover.
He’d tried thinking like a drug-smuggling kidnapper and ruled out anywhere with a high-density population, where neighbors could see or overhear. If these guys were connected to some higher-level players, they could even be in an upscale neighborhood with the van parked in the garage, making it harder to find. The low odds of this mission’s success weighed on him, but he had to try.
As he drove to the first neighborhood he planned to scout, his phone rang. Clara’s name on the display gave him goosebumps.
“Did you contact her?” he asked Kendra before answering.
“Not since yesterday.”
Let this be good news. “Did you find Mrs. Feldman?” he asked.
“Good morning to you too. No, we have not. However, from reviewing video footage, we determined the van came from South McPherson Church and headed back that way after taking her. We lost them after crossing Cliffdale. We’re concentrating our search in that quadrant.”
“Good to know.” He was on the right track.
“What are you doing?” When he didn’t answer, she continued. “I can tell you’re in the car.”
“Performing a grid search.”
“You left Jalen and Kendra at your friend’s?”
“No,” Kendra piped up. “He left Jalen with a teammate’s family, and I’m helping.”
“Oh, jeez,” Clara groaned.
“I’ve got nothing else to do,” Linc said. “And no one would know the car we’re in. It’s less likely to alert the kidnapper than police cruisers.” That he could have ditched the van by now wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, but he had to keep looking.
She sighed. “I can’t stop you, but if you find anything, you need to report in and let us handle it.”
“Acknowledged.”
“Stop giving me that ‘acknowledged’ bullshit. I want you to agree.” For someone half Chief Lundgren size, her authoritative tone sounded a lot like his superior.
“Yes, ma’am. If we find the van, we will contact authorities.” Kendra wouldn’t give him a choice. “Any reports on more stolen license plates?”
“No, though, if it were me, I’d get a plate that wouldn’t be missed right away. Like from a car in a long-term parking lot.”
“Exactly.” For being a small-town detective, she impressed him. But he couldn’t leave it all to them. Not when this was Bri. He couldn’t let her down—again.
For the next three hours, he drove down every street in several residential neighborhoods, ruled out all three white work vans they’d seen, and had hardly put a dent in the search area. Man, he wished the team were here to help. Kendra kept a list of streets, which helped when things began to run together. “Let’s take a break and get some lunch,” he suggested.
“Did you want to go to the drive-thru someplace?”
“It should be fine going in to eat. Is Panera okay?”
“Perfect. I never get tired of eating there.”
For once, he’d guessed right. They ordered at the counter and got their beverages. When he placed his hand on her arm to steer her away from a table in the center of the room, she flinched and pulled her arm away.
“Sorry. I was just going to say let’s sit there.” He pointed to a vacant booth in the back of the dining room.
“It’s okay.” She licked her lips.
No, it wasn’t okay. A person didn’t react that way to an innocent touch without a reason. Bri was proof of that.
He took a seat facing Kendra’s appealing face and the restaurant’s interior. Despite the astronomically remote chance of Regina’s abductor walking in, Linc’s gaze swept over the diners and to the door with each new arrival as they waited for their food. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”
“It’s not your fault. You had no way of knowing. None of us did. It’s Bri and Regina that I’m worried about. And Jalen,” she added.
“Level with me. If something happens and Bri doesn’t make it back here, what are my chances of being given custody?”
“I can’t say for certain. There’s an excellent chance if she named you as custodian in a legal document. I know you have to have a family care plan for deployments, but Jalen’s going to have to continue in therapy for a few years. If Regina is found, at her age, it’s not likely she can provide the level of care he needs. If you don’t have other family as backup, you’d have to consider who could handle that kind of commitment. That can be a lot for someone to take on. It isn’t ideal for Jalen to be placed with a family he doesn’t know either,” she cautioned. “If you were in a position that didn’t deploy or got out of the military, that would change things.”
“What other options are there?” He hated to ask.
“He could go into foster care. He’s young. There are families he could be placed with who are looking to adopt. Just this week, I met with a couple?—”
“No. I wouldn’t have a say on who. They may not allow me to stay a part of his life. Or they could move. Jalen might think I’d abandoned him.” That he wasn’t worth sticking around for.
“You could ask someone you know to adopt him.”
Except Linc didn’t know who he could ask. That left him one option: get Bri home safely. If he failed, it might be the end of his time on the Bad Karma team or in the Army.
Half an hour after they had resumed their search, Kendra sighed and angled to face him in the car. “So, after your mother died in the car accident, Bri went to live with her grandmother, but you went into foster care?”
“Yep.” Memories of Regina driving away with Bri resurrected that sick to his stomach, helpless feeling. “Bri and I wanted to stay together; however, our social worker said it would be difficult to place us together.”
“And Mrs. Feldman wouldn’t take you?”
“I wasn’t her blood. She was certain I’d be a bad influence. Steal or get involved in drugs because I was a Black teenager. Never mind that was her white son’s MO, and she let Bri go down that same path as her son and our mom.” But for different reasons.
“Yet, we’re out here looking for her.” Kendra scanned the cars on her side of the street.
“I’m doing it for Bri. And for Jalen.”
“I’m guessing foster care wasn’t the best experience.”
“It wasn’t that much worse than home. At least there was food. They encouraged me to do my schoolwork. I only got roughed up by the older boys in the first of the three group homes I was placed in.” He didn’t expect someone to adopt him, but there’d been no love. No feeling like he had worth. He couldn’t put Jalen in a situation like that.
“The other kids beat you up?”
“I was smaller than them, and I wasn’t black enough for my foster brothers.” Just like he wasn’t white enough for Regina. His Bad Karma teammates didn’t care about his skin color. “You probably understand what it’s like. People asking what you are. You’re multiracial is my guess.” And beautifully so.
“I do get asked that a lot. Usually, it’s curiosity since people like to put you in a category. Black, White, and Korean mix is not all that common.” She smiled as she said it. “Both my parents are bi-racial, so I’m second generation, and they helped navigate the uncomfortable questions and prejudices they knew would come up.”
“That would have been helpful.” He didn’t mean to say that out loud. “Bri saw some of it with me as her brother, but seeing it isn’t the same as experiencing it.”
“People have different experiences being mixed-race. You being raised by your white mother with your white sibling was different than my father being a Black Asian raised by a middle-class white family?—”
“What?”
“He was adopted.”
“I guessed that much. But it’s still unusual.”
“My grandfather was a doctor and went on several medical mission trips. When he went to Korea, my grandmother decided to join him, and they brought their son, my Uncle Matt. They worked at orphanages where kids don’t get the medical care they need. There were a lot of kids fathered by American service members during and after the Korean War. Korean culture is big on family lineage and, unfortunately, rarely adopt, especially mixed-race children. At that time, a Korean national was defined as any person born to a Korean father . So, if the father was of a foreign nationality, the child wasn’t even considered a citizen. Most of those kids were sent to orphanages and institutions.”
“I never heard that about the citizenship,” Linc said.
“Not many people have. It changed in the late nineties. Anyway, while my grandparents were at the orphanage, Uncle Matt played with the kids, and at the end of the second day, he said one toddler was going to be his brother.”
That sounded like something Jalen would say. “How old was your uncle?”
“I think five. My grandparents thought it was cute but tried to explain they couldn’t just take a baby home with them. As the week passed, he became even more adamant that this little boy was supposed to be his brother. My grandmother had miscarried twice, and she started to get on board with the idea, but my grandfather was not.”
Linc wondered if that had to do with race.
“They hadn’t even talked about adoption before this trip,” Kendra continued as if reading his mind. “But my grandmother said she felt called to come with him this time, and maybe that little boy was why. Their story is that after a particularly long day working at the orphanage, my grandfather sat in one of the rocking chairs to take a quick nap and woke up with Dad sleeping on his chest.”
“And that did it?”
“Pretty much. They talked to the staff about what they needed to do to adopt him that night. It took several months to make it happen, but any doubts that they were meant to make him part of the family were gone.”
“Did his adoption play into you becoming a social worker?” he asked.
“A little. I think it was more that we took in Lamont and Derrick after what happened with my aunt. My background gave me a heart to advocate for kids and see things from a parent’s perspective. We all mess up sometimes and need a second chance to prove our past doesn’t define us.”
“Like Bri. Having Jalen may have saved her life. She was scared, but he gave her a reason to do better. Though I had to convince her she could do it—if she got clean. She sure didn’t have a good role model.”
“Sometimes learning what behaviors we don’t want to emulate is as beneficial as ones we do. And she truly participated in the parenting classes rather than just show up or expect somebody else to do all the work.”
“Learning what resources were available to help with Jalen gave her confidence that she could do it and that she wasn’t totally on her own. Then something like this happens.” It was eating him from the inside out.
“Your sister’s not their first target. I’m sure they’ve got the story down pat to reel people in.”
“If she’d told me about the trip, I would have been suspicious. Then she wouldn’t be in this jam.”
“It’s not your fault.”
Maybe if he hadn’t been overbearing out of fear that she’d backslide, she would have told him what was going on in her life. More than once, she’d told him to be her brother and to stop trying to be a father figure. Not that he knew how to be a father. Clifton had never been a real father, even after he and Mom had Bri. Mostly, he came around when he needed a place to stay or hoped to get laid. They could have used those parenting classes. Bri invited Linc to go with her to the class, but with his schedule and the fact he was never having kids, he hadn’t made the effort. Why want something he couldn’t have?
They drove down several streets in silence before they both spotted a white van simultaneously.
Kendra sat up straighter. “That looks like the one I remember.”
The van backed into the drive and the shrubs’ overgrown state were both indicators that this could be the one.
“I’ll call Clara to send a patrol car to check it out,” Kendra said as they cruised slowly past the house.
“No.” He studied not only the house but the neighboring ones and continued down the block, ignoring Kendra, though fully aware of her staring and her phone in her hand. Even though a female would be less suspicious, he wouldn’t ask her to approach the house with the potential kidnapper inside. “I’m going to go around the corner and get out. Wait until I get to the house to drive past and wait for me.”
“You heard what Clara said.”
“I’m only going to peek at the bumper and get the plate. It’ll save the police time and resources if it’s not the van. And, if it is and he sees a cop car, that could end badly for Regina.”
“What if he sees you ?”
“I’ll roll with it.”
Kendra shook her head. “I know you’re armed, but this is not a plan.”
He pulled the car to the curb and shifted it into park. “I’m asking you to trust me. I know what I’m doing.” He put his hand on the door handle.
“I’m going to have 9-1-1 up and ready to connect.”
“Only if there’s an emergency.”
“Like you get shot?”
“You don’t have to wait for that. If you see a gun, call.” He exited the car before she could call Clara. If no neighbors were outside, he could slip in and be back down on the street in less than ten seconds. He had this, and he needed a break.
He hadn’t reached the driveway where the van was parked before a dog yapped from inside. Great. Once he passed the van, he detoured up the side for a quick look. Not seeing a dent in the bumper, he didn’t bother recording the plate.
“What are you doing there?” An older woman’s voice called out just before a barking tan and black ball of fur stopped a few feet away.
He calmly turned and reached for his wallet. “US Marshal, ma’am.” He smiled and flipped his wallet open to his badge and credentials as a member of the elite Delta unit. “A similar van was used in an abduction.”
The woman with gray-streaked hair and thick glasses scooped up the dog, which continued to bare its teeth. “My husband uses this van for his upholstery business. He ain’t involved in no abduction.”
“I already confirmed this wasn’t the van used,” he said as a slightly stooped man in his sixties exited the house. Definitely not the kidnapper in the video. “I’m sorry to have disturbed you, ma’am.”
The woman watched him walk to Dev’s car, which Kendra had stopped just past their driveway. “Hope you find ‘em.”
He gave a grim nod.
“Not the right van?” Kendra asked when he slid into the passenger seat.
He shook his head. “You didn’t call the police, did you?”
“No. I didn’t honk to warn you either when she came out.” A bit of a smile played on her face as she drove.
“I wouldn’t shoot an unarmed woman or yappy dog.” He smiled back at her. The chill between them had thawed considerably since last night, and she was proving to be a good ally. And the most attractive one he’d worked with, but he needed to keep focused on his mission. It’d been over two days since Regina had been forced into the van. Was she still alive? Was Bri?
They drove around another four hours with no more scares and no success finding the van. “We should probably call it a day and get Jalen,” he conceded.
“I’m guessing you’d prefer we not go by my apartment, but can we stop somewhere so I can buy a change of clothes if we’ll be staying at your friend’s house another night?”
“We can stop at the Post Exchange on base on the way.” That would be safe.
They only spent about ten minutes picking up some clothing without bothering to try things on. After Kendra loaded her items at the checkout, Linc removed the divider she placed on the conveyor belt.
“I’ve got this.” He inserted his credit card to pay as she discreetly bagged the pack of underwear she’d selected without him getting a good look. He couldn’t help but picture her in a black lace bra and pair of hi-cut panties, even though that was not what she had bought. However, they weren’t granny panties. That would have killed his little fantasy. For all he knew, she could be dating someone. It’s not like he’d asked, though she also hadn’t called anyone to cancel plans or give an update on her situation.
He waited until they got to the car to call the Shulers.
“I was just about to call you,” Walt greeted him. “Any luck?”
“Afraid not. We’re on our way to pick up Jalen.”
“We’re about to eat dinner, but the kids wanted to know if he could spend the night. They’ve been cooking up plans to turn the bunk beds into a tent.”
“That’s my fault. I made him a tent fort last night.”
“It’s all good. They’ve gotten along great. This way, you can keep doing what you need to do.”
“Let me talk to him for a minute.”
“Hello,” Jalen didn’t sound overly enthused to be interrupted to talk on the phone.
“I hear you’re having a good time there, J-man.”
“Uh-huh. Cans I spend the night, please ?” He drew out the word.
“All right. If you need anything, have Mr. Walt call me.” Linc held the phone further away as the boys squealed.
“Guess you said yes,” Walt said.
“I did, but if he changes his mind in the middle of the night, just call me.”
“I don’t see that happening. I wore these kids out. We spent two hours at the park, and I made them do PT and run drills. If he tells you I shot him, it was with a water pistol, and they both shot me back.”
Linc laughed. “I appreciate you, man. See you tomorrow.” He ended the call and started the car. “Guess we’re free to keep searching for a bit. If you’re done, I can always drop you back at the house.”
She sighed lightly. “I’m good for a while longer.”
“Dinner first, or resume our search?”
“Whatever you think is best.” She looked out the car window.
“We’ll eat and then cruise around. That way, it’ll be dusk or dark in case I need to get up close with another vehicle.” He tried to lighten the mood but didn’t get a response. “I’d love some Chinese food.”
“Sounds good.”
What had he said or done wrong to warrant this sudden aloofness? Did she think Jalen was too young for a sleepover? He had memories of being left alone overnight with Bri when she wasn’t much older. Maybe he should have asked Kendra before committing, but he wouldn’t disappoint Jalen by changing his mind now.
After they ate, they canvassed neighborhoods until depleting the adrenaline and caffeine fueling him. “Let’s call it a night.” He’d catch a few hours of sleep and head out again.