Chapter 27
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Salt Lake City, Utah
Kenna paced up and down the center aisle of the RV, doing a poor job of waiting. Reciting random verses from various psalms to herself, working on what she had memorized so that she would always be able to recall it. “I’m driving you crazy.”
“Are you sure?” Maizie didn’t pause typing on the keyboard. “Because it seems to me like you care about this girl.”
“But right now, I’m compromised. It’s a case I should give to someone else to work on because I’m too close to it. I have only emotional judgment and no ability to be rational.”
“It’s good exercise,” Maizie said. “It’s cold outside, and you could slip on the ice.”
Kenna glanced at her young friend, but Maizie wasn’t looking at her. She was worried Kenna would slip, Kenna was worried about Maizie’s privacy, and Jax was worried about all of them.
Kenna leaned over the table and swiped on her phone, looking up Bible verses about worry. Turned out there were a few. Too many to choose from right now. No wonder people tended to worry. Did saying “just don’t” really work? Maybe. It seemed simple. God had a logical idea for how to deal with it.
Think about good things.
Prayer. So her mind could dwell on Him and the fact that, with her life yielded to Him, it meant He was in control of what happened. He was sovereign over her life. Lord, help them.
“Jax should be back soon.”
Kenna shot Maizie a smile. “I don’t need him. I’m a strong, independent woman. I’m not sitting at home, waiting for him to show up just so that I can feel better. Thank you very—”
The door swung open.
She watched him enter. “Hey.”
“Hey, yourself.”
Maizie tipped her head back and started laughing.
Jax frowned. “What?”
“I have no idea.” Kenna slid her arms over his shoulders and linked her fingers behind his neck. “How was your day?”
He kissed her, a smile tugging at his lips.
“I wish it had been more fruitful, but there’s still time.
” He kissed her again, then unzipped his jacket one handed and pulled off his beanie.
Both were tossed on the bed before he came back down the hall putting his sling back on. “Anything from Ellayna?”
Kenna shook her head. “Not since that first message.”
Her stomach clenched just thinking about it, giving her a sinking feeling in her chest that she didn’t like. They could be dead. She might never find them.
Because she had missed the call.
Not to mention the questions of where on earth Ellayna and her mother and brother were and how the girl had managed to call Kenna from someone else’s phone.
“They’re clearly in trouble, though.” Kenna bit her lip. Jax touched her shoulder, and she leaned into his strength for a moment, then said, “Maizie is going to tell me as soon as the phone is turned back on.”
“If she’s purposely saving the battery, that’s a good thing. Wherever she is, she knows to call you because you’ll help her.” Jax pulled out his phone, which was ringing. “It’s Ryson.”
He slid a finger across the screen, then put it on speaker. “Hey, it’s me. You’ve got Kenna and Maizie, too.”
“Good,” Ryson said. “A couple of patrol officers found Wallace Lofton’s car. They’re sitting on the street, waiting for us.”
“I’m on my way. Just text me where.”
Kenna leaned over. “I’m coming, too.”
Jax didn’t argue, thankfully. “We’ll be there.” He hung up the phone. “You sure? Or are you just stir crazy?”
“I want to find this guy. I can wait in the car if I need to.”
He nodded. “I picked up the car on my way back. Preston is returning the replacement.”
“Great.” Kenna figured they didn’t need to talk more if it was settled. At least, not until she got in the car.
As Jax pulled out, she asked, “Where’s Zeyla at? Someone really should be with Maizie.”
“You think she needs protection?” Jax stopped the car, even though the front end was now sticking out onto the lane between rows of recreational vehicles.
“Only in the general sense. Not that she’s specifically in danger.” Kenna called Zeyla, who picked up before the first ring.
“What’s wrong? Are you in labor?”
Kenna chuckled. “Not as far as I know, but the day is still young. Who knows, I might have this baby right in front of you, and you’ll have to help me through the whole thing. As the stalwart auntie available for anything we need.”
Silence was Zeyla’s response.
“Or you could go to the RV and hang with Maizie.”
“I can do that.” Zeyla sounded relieved, which only made Kenna laugh more.
“Thanks.” She hung up, then let the full volume of her amusement out. “That was funny.”
“I think you like freaking her out.”
“Not my fault she has a problem with bodily fluids. We all read the same pregnancy book.”
“She’s the only one who looked white as a sheet when she got to the birthing part.”
Kenna let out an audible sigh, releasing the last of the amusement. “Can’t wait to see her with diapers.”
“I’m glad you’re amused.”
“It beats being terrified.”
“Yes, it does.”
“I’m still terrified.”
He reached over and held her hand, driving with the other. “Me, too.”
It didn’t take long to get across town to where the police were waiting, sitting on a street corner near an older-looking strip mall.
The car had been left parked alongside a dumpster off to the side that was overflowing with trash.
The chain-link enclosure where it lived was propped open with a concrete block.
The nose of the car nearly touched the left side of the enclosure.
Kenna glanced around, getting a look at the scene, while Jax parked. The uniformed cops and Ryson were now over by the car. One officer had a flashlight, even though it was daytime, and was shining it in the driver’s window. Probably to try and see in the dark corners of the car.
“Want to stretch your legs?” Jax turned off the engine.
“Yes, thanks.” She shoved the door open and he was around the car in a second, holding out his hand. They met Ryson over by the vehicle. “Any sign something happened to him?”
Ryson gave her a side hug but addressed his officer. “What have we got?”
The guy stepped back, which didn’t give him much room between the door and the fence the dumpster backed up to. “His wallet is on the floor. Passenger’s side.”
Jax peered in that window. “Keys are still in the ignition.”
The officer looked down the lane, along the fence, behind the car, his gaze assessing. A breeze ruffled his hair and the collar of his police department uniform coat.
Kenna said, “You think he ran?”
The cop nodded to her and Ryson. “Yes, ma’am. I think something happened to him.” He looked at the ground and crouched. A second later, he said, “There’s a single shoe under the car.”
Ryson said, “Get some gloves and search the vehicle.”
The cop’s partner said, “Yes, Lieutenant,” but the words were eclipsed by a semitruck driving past on the street beside them.
Kenna wandered to the back of the car and looked at the trunk but didn’t see any signs the lock had been picked. “Can one of you pop the trunk?”
The cop by the driver’s door opened it and reached in. A second later, the rear hatch popped up.
Jax strode over as if something was going to jump out at her. Right. Something very well could have, but it didn’t. She waited and let him open it, his gun drawn. The other officers covering him.
“No Wallace.” She stuck her hands on her hips. “Are those zip ties?”
Jax leaned over the open trunk. “Looks like he broke out of them. Possible, but also really painful.”
Kenna winced. “Question is, did he run?”
She surveyed the ground around the trunk of the car and spotted what might be a drop of blood on the ground. “Someone who can crouch, maybe take a look at this, please?” She made sure they saw it and kept going.
Jax came with her, tracking her while she followed the trail of blood. The lane behind the storefronts was empty of people, but not trash. It looked like a homeless person might have camped back here at some point. There was no sign of them now.
Maybe scared off by the sight of a man, bleeding and stumbling past.
She kept going. The lane spilled out onto a street. Kenna looked for blood on the ground and spotted some in the road. “He crossed here.”
Jax held her hand, and they walked through a gap between cars across the street. Ryson stayed behind them.
“There.”
She looked to where Jax pointed and nodded. “I see him.”
She picked up her pace, but he let go of her and jogged over a berm of grass in front of an office building to where a man lay against a tree. She looked around. “How did nobody see him?”
“Looks like that office is for rent. Maybe no one uses it right now.” Ryson had his radio out. “Jax! Ambulance or coroner?”
Kenna moved close enough to see for herself and saw the rise and fall of his chest just as Jax yelled, “Ambulance!”
She looked at the street, trying to find someone who should’ve seen this man. Looking for a window…a storefront. Someone watching from their house. A crowd gathered on the street. But there was nothing.
If the cops hadn’t discovered the car, and she hadn’t followed the blood trail here, this guy could have bled to death or succumbed to exposure and died out here.
Kenna would have failed.
Jax crouched in front of Wallace Lofton and shook his shoulder. “Wallace? Mr. Lofton, I need you to wake up!”
The guy had blood drips coming from his mouth. He’d been beaten, but there were no lethal wounds, or he wouldn’t be alive now. Who knew how long he’d been sitting here, unnoticed. “He’s got to be hypothermic by now.” She shook her head. “I can’t believe no one saw him.”
“Maybe it hasn’t been that long.” Jax touched the side of Lofton’s neck with the back of his fingers. “He’s hanging on, but he needs to see a doctor now.”
She needed answers now. This guy might look like a victim, but he could have information that could help find Ellayna. Kenna lowered in a crouch, far enough that she could put one knee on the cold, hard ground beside the podcaster’s body.
“Wallace.” She patted his cheek. “Tell us where they are.”
The guy groaned. He lifted his head, but it rolled around and flopped on the other side.
Jax said, “Hang in there, Wallace. Help is on the way.” Jax pulled off his jacket and laid it on the injured man, insulating him some from the cold temperature in the air.
Kenna wasn’t feeling quite so charitable. “Where are they, Wallace?”
Jax didn’t react to her question, thankfully.
She wanted an answer, and there was enough frustration and powerlessness built up in her after hearing Ellayna’s cry for help to demand information.
After all, this guy coerced a twelve-year-old into being a guest on his podcast. Even someone only interested in ratings would think twice about doing that.
“Wallace.” She patted his cheek again, and he finally opened his eyes. “Where are they?”
Air puffed from between his lips. “My…” He started to lose consciousness. “Office.” His head drooped again, and his chin touched his chest.
“He’s out.” Jax shifted. “Back up because the ambulance is here.”
“We need the whole story as soon as he wakes up, but right now, we need to find his office.”
“I have a better idea.” Jax stood. “You and I follow the ambulance to the hospital. Zeyla can go to the office with Ryson.”