Chapter 14
FOURTEEN
Since she could practically feel the tension rolling off Linc’s body from the moment he’d entered the house, she opted to come along to the hospital for support. He filled Kendra in on the details he got from Clara as they drove across town.
“Did you want to pick up Jalen and take him to see his great-grandmother?” she asked.
“Not yet. I need to know what kind of condition she’s in before he sees her. I can’t risk her saying anything when Jalen thinks his mother is coming home in two days.”
“That’s a good call.”
While they waited for a red light to change, his right hand tapped impatiently on his thigh. She placed her fingers on the back of his hand to calm him.
He looked into her eyes with a trace of a smile forming. “Thanks for coming,” he said, interlacing his fingers with hers.
The simple touch ignited a longing for more contact. A lot more. In just a matter of days, Lincoln Porter had imploded the wall she’d erected for her protection. Even with a kidnapper potentially still on the hunt for her, she’d never felt safer than she did with Linc by her side.
Outside the ER, they found Clara seated in the waiting room.
“You didn’t need to bring her here,” Clara said, giving Kendra a hug.
“I volunteered.”
Clara raised an eyebrow at that.
“It was come or stay at his friend’s house all by myself.”
“Is Jalen still with your friends?” Clara asked Linc.
“Yeah. I asked him to text when they get out of church to see if they can keep him a little longer.”
“They’re examining Mrs. Feldman now. They gave her a mild sedative, but I asked the nurse not to knock her out until I get a chance to speak with her.” Clara sat back down, and Kendra took the seat next to her. Linc studied the waiting room before sitting on the other side of Kendra.
It took several minutes of sitting there with a home makeover show to distract them before Linc’s leg bounced enough to shake Kendra’s chair. She gently touched his arm and met his gaze.
“Sorry.” He placed his forearms on his legs.
As he scrolled on his phone, she saw he was checking flight schedules to Acapulco. So much for letting authorities handle things. With the kidnapper being shot, that didn’t surprise her.
He angled to stare Clara down. “You said she wasn’t hurt. What’s taking so long?”
“She was a little out of it, so they were going to do an MRI. They wanted to make sure she didn’t have a TIA.”
“She had a stroke?” His posture shifted.
“We don’t know that. It’s just a precaution,” Clara assured them.
Linc took a deep breath and leaned back, resting his head against the wall as they waited. A few minutes later, his phone chimed. He got up. “I’m going outside for better reception to call Walt.”
Clara gave a head nod of approval.
“What would Grandma Ruby say?” Clara smiled like the Cheshire cat at Kendra before Linc even made it from the area.
“About what?”
“Right.” Clara laughed. “I saw you touch his arm and the way you looked at him. I can’t say I blame you. He’s yummy.”
“You’re married. To my cousin ,” Kendra deflected.
“I’m married, not blind. And, if I weren’t married, I’d be finding a way to handcuff him to a?—”
“I do not need to hear more.” Kendra held up a hand. “Yes, I like him,” she admitted. “But with this situation, the timing is hardly ideal. We’ll see what happens after he finishes his deployment. So, you don’t need to be saying anything to Grandma Ruby.”
“I won’t. He may get on my nerves by inserting himself into this investigation, but I admire his dedication. And he’s wicked smart.”
“He’s also great with this nephew.” Which was even more appealing than his looks and intelligence. If Bri landed in prison—or worse—would Linc be up to the task of being a full-time caregiver to Jalen.? From everything she’d witnessed, he would, and he’d been quite adamant that he didn’t want Jalen going into foster care or being adopted. What would it mean for his career in the Army? Even though it might appease Grandma Ruby if Linc left the Army, for his sake, and Bri’s and Jalen’s, she hoped they’d get information from Mrs. Feldman that would lead to Bri getting home safely.
“I know Grandma Ruby has her rules, but from what I’ve heard and seen, she’s got a type, and I think it’s more her bad taste in men than the fact some of them happened to be in the military,” Clara speculated.
“Her type?” A bud of hope sprouted in Kendra’s chest.
“Haven’t you noticed she goes for the anti-heroes in movies? And she reads motorcycle club and mafia romances?”
“So?” Kendra hadn’t thought about it from the perspective of Ruby’s attraction to men.
“You always do look for the best in people. I think it’s your superpower.” Clara laughed. “My job makes me more jaded and notice the not-so-best. It’s like Ruby thinks love can redeem the bad boy—which isn’t usually the case in real life. She once asked me if I could dig up information on some men she once knew.” Innuendo laced Clara’s voice. “She couldn’t find them on Facebook or the internet and thought I might have better luck.”
“Did you?” Kendra’s interest was piqued. She’d only heard stories about Ruby and the three military men in her life.
“I found one. He’d served six months in jail for stabbing someone in a bar fight. Even after I told her that, she wanted to know if I had an address for him.”
“ No. ”
“I didn’t give it to her, but make sure she doesn’t get involved in some prison ministry writing letters because I can see where that might go.”
The two laughed, and Kendra mulled over Clara’s point that Grandma Ruby had poor judgment in men. While she’d made a mistake with Don, that didn’t mean she was doomed to make the same mistake by dating another man in the military. Maybe Grandma Ruby needed to accept her share of the blame and butt out of other people’s love lives.
There’d been no way to eavesdrop without them knowing, so Linc kept walking after overhearing Clara mention their Grandma Ruby. It didn’t surprise him that not much got past the detective. And even as an in-law, that Clara knew about Ruby disapproval of military men showed it was serious.
Clara had stated Kendra was a rule follower. That likely meant they’d go on a few dates, and that would be the end, like most of his relationships. He didn’t have a problem being exclusive, but when the where-do-you-see-this-relationship-going question inevitably came up, that was typically the beginning of the end—if not the end.
Since he didn’t want anyone to feel the sting of rejection he’d experienced over and over, he let them make the call. Sometimes, he sped the end along rather than let things get complicated with too many feelings, leading to wanting things he couldn’t have. If he could offer a woman more than short-term, it would be with someone like Kendra. Except her family wouldn’t be on board for them being together. Since she was aware of that, maybe she was looking for something casual—or wanted to take another step in healing from her assault.
Outside the hospital, dark rain clouds hung low in the sky, fitting his mood. While he doubted anyone would show up for this Malloy guy, Linc still made sure no one was within earshot when he gave an update to Walt, who assured him Jalen was still having a great time. “He needs a sibling or some cousins,” Walt teased.
“I’ll bring that up to Bri when we get her back,” Linc tried to stay positive. Walt was right. It certainly made life better that he and Bri had each other until they were separated. Because of their ages, he hadn’t formed tight bonds with his foster siblings, and they never stayed together long enough to feel like family. Jalen needed a family.
Please let Regina know something useful.
Kendra and Clara flashed guilty smiles when he rejoined them in the waiting room. He didn’t need to ask if they’d been talking about him.
“Is Jalen all right?” Kendra asked.
“Yeah. Plan is for him to stay with the Shulers. That way, I can head to Mexico once we know where Bri is. Have you heard anything from the team searching the house or credit card charges for hotels?” he asked Clara.
“Not yet. And you need to let the authorities handle this or you could both end up in jail—or the hands of the cartel. I do not have the authority to get you out.”
“I know that.” If only his team were here, he’d have backup to avoid both of those possibilities. But he could do this on his own. He could handle Tawnya. Even without a passport, he could get Bri out of Mexico if he had to. He just needed her location.
“Detective Lowe?” A middle-aged woman wearing a short, white lab coat over scrubs looked around.
Clara got to her feet. Linc did too.
“Mrs. Feldman’s MRI is clear. There was no sign of a stroke. Dehydration could contribute to her being disoriented. We’re running an IV, and we’ll keep her overnight for observation since she said she doesn’t have family here to look after her.”
Linc started to speak up, but he couldn’t volunteer to watch over Regina when he planned to be on a flight to Mexico. The hospital could keep her safe.
“I’ll let you talk to her now. With what she’s been through, she’s pretty wrung out.” The doctor motioned for them to follow her.
“I’ll wait here,” Kendra said.
“The guy that took her was brought in with a GSW to the chest. Do you know if he made it through surgery?” Clara asked.
The doctor pressed the button for the elevator. “I heard the call come in. I can check and let you know after you talk with Mrs. Feldman. It’s best not to say in front of her.” They stopped outside a private hospital room. “I’ll check and have a nurse give you an update on the shooting patient.”
Inside, Regina wore a hospital gown and laid against pillows. Her eyes flew open as they entered.
Her hair was uncharacteristically unkempt. Without her usual make-up, her skin was pale, and dark circles under her eyes spoke of her terrifying ordeal. Her gaze darted from the doctor to Clara, then settled on Linc. “What are you doing here? Where’s Jalen? They?—”
Linc choked down the urge to defend his presence. “He’s safe. He’s with friends from my team.”
“Thank goodness.” Regina rested a hand on her chest and breathed out.
“Mrs. Feldman, I’m Detective Lowe. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through, but I need to ask you some questions regarding your granddaughter.”
“Bri? She’s—she’s in Mexico with a woman who I—I think that woman is working with the man who took me.” Regina’s voice warbled.
“We’re aware of that,” Clara said. “We retrieved a voicemail Bri left you shortly before you were taken.”
“If she’d called me, I would have answered,” Regina shook her head.
“She called from a burner phone, likely belonging to whoever she was with. Do you know the name of the friend she went to Mexico with?” Clara asked.
“Tawnya something. She was emphatic about the pronunciation.”
“Did you meet her?”
“Briefly. She stopped by the night before they left to drop off a suitcase for Bri to use.”
Alarm bells pinged in Linc’s brain at that information.
“Is this the woman?” Clara showed her a picture on her phone of a Caucasian woman with straight, dull brown hair.
“Yes! That’s her.”
“Did they give you the name of the hotel or resort where they were staying?”
“They said Acapulco. Bri showed me pictures of blue water and palm trees where they’d be staying, but I don’t remember them saying a name. I’m sorry.” She snuffed out Linc’s sliver of hope that she knew where and that it was Bri’s actual location.
“Do you know if anyone came to the house with the man who took you?” Clara continued to probe.
“There was a second man in the van. After the first night, I only heard one man’s voice. And I heard what sounded like that Tawnya, but I’m sure they were on the phone. They mentioned Bri not wanting to do something. Tawnya was all fired up that he took me and didn’t get Jalen. Things got real heated, and I heard him leave, but I couldn’t get free.” Regina rubbed the bruises on her wrist.
Linc’s skin broke out in goosebumps. What if he hadn’t come? Malloy could have followed Kendra and gotten to her and Jalen.
“I heard him talking to a man last night, but I think it was on the phone too. I never saw anyone else. Bri’s in danger, isn’t she?” Regina locked gazes with Linc.
He nodded.
“She said you were deployed to Europe.”
This wasn’t his fault. Why did he always feel less than around this woman? “I was. She called, indicating she was in trouble. When I couldn’t reach her, I took leave.”
“You’ve got to get her back. Please.” Tears shimmered in the woman’s eyes, and her jaw trembled as her gaze shifted between Clara and Linc.
“We’re working on that. If you think of anything that might be useful, call me.” Clara set a business card on the hospital tray. “Get some rest.”
“Lincoln, can I speak to you for a minute?” Regina looked him in the eyes rather than through him.
“I’ll see about getting an update from the nurse.” Clara stepped out of the room.
“Thank you for coming to help her. When your mother and Clifton died, I—I was wrong to split you and Bri up. She needed you. I didn’t see it then. If I could go back in time, I’d have you live with me too. No one wants to be labeled a racist, and I could blame my upbringing, but I thought you’d be a bad influence. It’s past time to apologize for being wrong about that too. I’m trying to do better, and I hope, with time, you can forgive me.”
Linc swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat at the confession he never thought he’d hear from this woman. He let out a breath along with most of the resentment he’d harbored for over a decade. His life might have taken a different path if it weren’t for her. But would it have been better? Was it all part of a cosmic plan meant to put him here today with the skills to rescue Bri?
“I’ve resented you for that,” he admitted. “But I’m willing to put the past behind us and start again.”
Regina sniffed, and fat tears rolled down her wrinkled cheeks. “I should have had the courage to say all that years ago.” She gave a weak smile. “It feels like a weight’s been lifted.”
He nodded in agreement. Even if she didn’t have information to help with his mission, they were family because they both loved Bri and Jalen.
“Bri’s so proud of you. Says you’re in one of those special units that can’t talk about what you do in the Army.” She studied his face when he didn’t confirm or deny her statement. “I hope it’s true and you get her back because if she doesn’t do what they want, I think they’ll do something horrible to her.”
“I’m going to do everything I can. I need to go now.”
“Be careful.”
He started to respond with I always am , like he would say to Bri, but, coming from her, the warning made him hesitate. As personal as this mission was, he was on his own and needed to be cautious.
In the hallway, he spotted Clara waiting near the nurses’ station. “What’d you find out?”
“He’s still in surgery. It doesn’t sound like we’ll be talking to him for a while—if at all. I’m going back to the precinct to see what we can get from the phones we found at the house—if we can access them.”
“Bring the phones here. If he used biometrics, we use his prints, facial recognition, or scan his iris to access it. Since you have proof of the kidnapping, I’m sure you can get a warrant.”
“Good idea. A patrol officer is coming to provide security outside Mrs. Feldman’s room. I’ll have him bring the phones over so we can try unlocking them.” Clara was already placing the call.
“Was she able to tell you anything useful?” Kendra asked when they rejoined her in the waiting room.
“Not really,” Clara said. “Other than being a bit traumatized, she wasn’t injured.”
“I’m sorry she didn’t know where Bri is,” Kendra said to him.
“I figured her knowing the location was a longshot.” With Malloy in surgery, his phone could be their only shot at getting that information.
In less than twenty minutes, a uniformed officer arrived and handed the phones to Clara. For the next half hour, Kendra kept a list while he and Clara tried passcodes before getting locked out.
“Let’s take a break and get some coffee while we wait for the lockout to end or for him to get out of surgery,” Clara suggested.
Despite years of experience waiting days and even weeks to execute a mission, this was excruciating. If he couldn’t get on one of today’s afternoon flights to Acapulco, the morning flight wouldn’t get him there until nearly five tomorrow afternoon. He hadn’t realized it’d take nearly twelve hours to travel on commercial flights to Acapulco from here. That left him fifteen hours at best to find Bri and get her away from Tawnya and anyone else who could be holding her.
A surgeon in scrubs and skull cap entered the waiting room. “Detective Lowe?”
Clara stepped over to speak with him.
Linc edged close enough to hear that Malloy survived the surgery. Then Clara launched into her explanation of why she needed to see his patient now.
“Come with me.” The surgeon didn’t even hesitate.
Clara motioned for Linc to join them.
“Give the detectives a minute with the patient,” the surgeon instructed the post-op nurse inside the recovery room as he removed the tape from Malloy’s eyes.
Please let this work. Linc pressed Malloy’s finger to the screen. The home screen appeared. “Thank you,” he whispered, then swapped phones with Clara and accessed the second.
“We need to get these to the tech.”
“Why not check them here?”
“We can’t risk losing information or breaking the chain of custody.”
He exhaled through clenched teeth and checked that they were sufficiently charged. Without the passcode or supplies to clone Malloy’s fingerprint, the last thing he needed was for them to die or time out. Not when he needed every minute.
“You drive.” He handed the keys to Kendra in the waiting room so he could manage to keep both phones active on the drive to the police station.
After they were passed off to a tech, they went back to waiting mode. Fortunately, it wasn’t but half an hour before the tech called them into his workspace.
“He was smart enough to delete messages, but he didn’t delete the cache, so I could retrieve everything from the past week. Based on the voicemail and text messages, they kept the phones turned off most of the time. I noted the time and length of the phone calls. They were only between four numbers, and one of those was a local Chinese restaurant.”
“That tracks with the delivery cartons found on scene,” Clara said.
“I cloned the sim card in his phone. This will get any calls or texts to his numbers, but you won’t need a passcode to access it.” He handed Clara a cell phone and a printout. “I put the texts and voicemails in chronological order. Start with the first recorded message. You’ll be able to follow what’s going on quite clearly.” His tone added more weight to Linc’s shoulders.
Clara played the message. Linc recognized the woman’s voice as the one interrupting Bri when she called him.
“We have a problem. Somehow, she got wise to the switch on the suitcase. I offered to pay her for carrying. I’ve locked her passport in the safe and even showed her the picture of her kid, but she’s not cooperating. Bitch lifted my phone. She called her grandmother and warned her. You need to stake out Bri’s apartment and get them before she can get the kid and disappear.”
“Malloy texted back a half hour later.” The tech pointed to the string of text messages.
You want me to snatch her grandma and the kid
Are you nuts?
She’ll cooperate if we have them.
That’s a lot of risk I’m not getting paid to take
Think about the alternative if we don’t deliver or lose a shipment this size
Unfortunately, they knew better than to mention who they worked for in the texts. It would have given them some information to work with.
Her Grams drives the bright blue Toyota SUV with Georgia plates
You need to go now
“That was the end of their conversation. Next were those text messages.” The tech referenced the sheet.
I got the old lady.
What about the kid?
“Then there’s a four-minute phone call between these same numbers. Since it was live, I don’t have info on that,” the tech stated.
“Probably the call Mrs. Feldman mentioned overhearing.” Linc imagined Tawnya giving him hell for grabbing Regina before picking up Jalen. Thank God for that miracle.
“She sent the next text a few hours later.”
Did you get the kid?
Working on it
Couldn’t get in daycare
Black woman picked him up
Followed them to restaurant
“Then, about a half hour later, he texted this.”
Lost her. Have her plate #. Sending it to Taz to run.
“If he had followed me to Bri’s . . .” Kendra shivered.
“He would have had to deal with me.” Linc had been on alert because of Bri’s phone call and Regina being missing, but he’d been unarmed.
“He texted the picture of Mrs. Feldman to the number.” The tech moved quickly past the photo of Regina tied to a chair. “The next texts were from another number. Probably this Taz because it’s, um, Ms. Andrews name, address, and that she’s a social worker.”
“Just like that? He found out who I am and where I live and work?” Kendra’s voice shook. “You were right about me not going back to work or home.”
Linc placed a hand on her lower back, and she leaned closer. He wouldn’t let them get to her any more than he’d let them get to Jalen.
The next texts involved Malloy saying she didn’t have the boy with her, and Tawnya replying that Kendra would know where the kid was but not to take a risk in daylight. Later that night, he’d messaged that Kendra’s car was at her apartment but that she didn’t appear to be home.
“Didn’t you have a surveillance camera put up?” Linc asked Clara.
“I did. Its motion activated, and I haven’t seen anything suspicious,” she said. “I’ll review it again, but he might have kept clear and looked for lights on.”
“This voicemail came in this morning.” The tech hit play.
“So much for loving her Grams. She’s still not cooperating. You’re gonna have to get her kid. We have him, and she’ll do it. She’s a one-and-done. Maybe none-and-done. We could have had some fun here. Instead, she’s ruined this trip. But, if you can’t get the kid by tonight, I’m not risking her narcing us out. I’ll get an experienced courier for this size load. It’ll cost as much as I can get selling this pain in my ass to Inez.”
“What does that mean?” Kendra asked.
“That they’ll sell her to sex traffickers.” Linc didn’t sugarcoat it. He couldn’t deny the reality pounding in his brain. He didn’t have time to get to Mexico and save Bri.