Chapter 11
11
W ynona didn’t bother checking the tribal registry for Albert’s name since the bartender had already provided directions to his residence. She wanted to believe they’d find Eli at Albert’s home, but when Chase drove past, the place appeared deserted. Still, she clung to a thread of hope that they’d find something that would break the case wide open. There was no car in the driveway. She frowned. “I wonder if Albert drives a white pickup truck.”
“Good point.” Chase used the hands-free function to call Doug Bridges. When his friend answered, Chase got right to the point. “Can you ask your tech buddy to look up the DMV records for a man named Albert Son’ja? Oh, and include Regina Twofeathers as well. I need to know if either of them owns a white pickup truck.”
“Sure. I’ll call you back in a few,” Doug agreed.
“Thanks.” Chase ended the call.
“Why Regina?” she asked.
“George doesn’t own a car, but his mother might. The tribal police didn’t ask her about it, and I didn’t think of it until now.”
“I see.” She fell silent.
Chase didn’t pull over near Albert’s house. When she glanced at him questioningly, he shrugged. “I’m going to park a few blocks away. It’s better to give Rocky a little room to pick up Eli’s scent.”
She understood his concern. Even if Eli wasn’t being held inside the house, the little boy could have been in the driveway or on one of the side streets as they swapped cars. She silently prayed this would work. “I hope he finds something.”
“Me too.” Chase found a spot to pull over. He turned in his seat to face her. “Rocky and I can handle this. There’s no reason for you to be out in the cold.”
“I’m coming.” While it was nice of him to consider her comfort, she couldn’t sit there wondering if Rocky alerted on Eli’s scent. “Do we wait for Doug to call back?”
“No, let’s put Rocky to work.” He pushed out of his driver’s side door. “If I can’t answer his call, he’ll leave a message.”
She was eager to see what Rocky might find, so she simply nodded and slid out of the car. The wind was brutal, but she ignored the icy chill. Too many hours had passed since Eli had been taken.
“Are you ready to work? Are you?” Chase went through his now familiar routine of getting Rocky revved up to search. In her opinion, the dog didn’t need much encouragement, he seemed to like the game.
She stood back, watching the man she’d once loved work with his K9. The way they struggled for the upper hand was amusing. Chase offered Rocky the scent bag, but he barely sniffed it. Chase then poured some water into a collapsible bowl, and the dog turned his head away in disdain, making Chase sigh. “You’re killing me, Rock. You know that, right?”
The dog wagged his high curvy tail as if in agreement.
“Okay, let’s do this.” Chase stepped back and threw his arm wide, his expression tense. “Search! Search for Eli!”
This was a side of Chase she’d never seen. He’d always loved being outside in nature, making his living as a hunting and fishing guide, but this was different. She liked the idea that he and his siblings offered their search and rescue services to those in need.
Like her. Shame and regret washed over her for not telling Chase about his son.
Rocky lifted his nose to the air, then set off at a trot. She and Chase quickly followed. The K9 didn’t seem to have a set destination in mind, and when he headed in the opposite direction of Albert Son’ja’s house, her heart sank.
Was this going to be another dead end?
Rocky moved between houses without regard for property boundaries. He eventually made his way back in the general direction of Albert’s house but didn’t alert.
She was about to suggest heading back to the SUV when Rocky abruptly swerved and took off in the opposite direction. Chase took off after him, and she put on a burst of speed to keep up.
Following Rocky was reminiscent of the last time the dog had found Eli’s scent on the building block outside the last house. Hope bloomed in her chest as she watched Rocky moving from side to side, his nose to the ground. Every so often the dog would slow down and lift his nose to the air before continuing.
She caught up to Chase. “Do you think Rocky has found something?”
“I’m not sure.” Chase’s answer was noncommittal, but his expression remained tense. “We’ll find out sooner or later.”
Rolling her eyes, she resisted the urge to smack him. No kidding they’d find out sooner or later. She wanted to hear some sort of affirmation that Rocky had locked onto Eli’s scent.
The dog turned and darted between two houses. Beyond that was a busier road. In the distance, she could see the sign for a fast-food restaurant. It made her wonder if the kidnappers were feeding Eli.
Or if Eli had even told them he was hungry.
Rocky slowed his pace, his nose working as he sniffed the air. Then he headed toward a gentle slope topped with evergreen bushes. He sniffed them for a long minute. Then he turned to look at Chase, sat, and let out a sharp bark.
His alert!
“What did you find, boy?” Chase approached the area with a slight frown furrowed in his brow. She understood his concern, as she didn’t see anything at first either.
Then Chase dropped to a crouch. “Is this what you’ve found Rock?”
She peered over his shoulder. “What is it?”
“Looks like a crumpled napkin that’s been caught in the branches.”
Her heart thumped with anticipation. Now she could see it too. The white napkin was hard to see as it was snagged on the bush close to the ground covered in snow. Interesting that the napkin appeared mostly dry. Maybe because it hadn’t been there for very long? Or was that more wishful thinking on her part? She kept her tone even with an effort. “Can you tell if there’s some sort of logo on it? Maybe we can track down where the napkin came from.”
“I can try.” He disentangled it from the shrubbery. Using his gloved hands, he turned the wadded napkin over to examine it on all sides. “I don’t see anything. It looks like a plain napkin that could have come from anywhere.”
She frowned. It appeared rather innocuous now that she could see it more clearly, and despite her faith in Chase and Rocky, she had to ask. “Are you sure that napkin contains Eli’s scent?”
Chase shrugged. “Rocky is rarely wrong.” He carefully dropped the crumpled napkin into his coat pocket. “I don’t have evidence bags. We should get this to Griff’s team. Maybe they can run the DNA to prove it was used by Eli.” He stood and grinned at his dog. “Good boy, Rock! Good boy!” He tossed the red ball high into the air. Rocky leaped up to grab it, then ran in circles with his prize.
Remembering her son’s runny nose, she could easily see him using the napkin to swipe at it. But how had the napkin gotten way out here? She scanned the area again. Was Eli being held close by?
They were at least five blocks from Albert’s house. “Do you think Eli was at Albert’s house until he was moved down this street?” She gestured behind them. “I noticed Rocky passed it along the way. Maybe the scent of the napkin was stronger than whatever scent was left behind back there.”
“Good question. We’ll check the place out with Rocky to make sure he didn’t miss a chance to identify the scent.” Chase swept his gaze over the area. “I wonder if we should ask the various fast-food places if they’ve seen Eli.”
She had considered that possibility too. Once again, they’d come so close to finding Eli only to come up empty-handed. She didn’t want to wait for the DNA results. She was still clinging to Chase’s comment about finding Eli today.
Not tomorrow, or the next. Today.
“I like that idea.” She didn’t see a downside in asking around. Other than getting the evidence to Griff, they didn’t have another avenue to pursue. “After we have Rocky check Albert’s house.”
“Okay, let’s go.” He turned toward his dog. “Rocky, heel!”
The dog ignored him. Chase stood his ground, waiting, and the K9 finally trotted toward him. When Chase held out his hand for the ball, the dog dropped it on the ground six inches away.
She bit her lip as Chase sighed and bent to retrieve the ball. “That’s it,” he muttered. “When we’re finished here, we’re doing more training exercises. You hear me, Rocky? You hate training exercises.”
The dog didn’t seem to care, wagging his tail as they turned to retrace their steps. When they reached the street where Albert’s white trailer house with the black shutters was located, Chase stopped and bent toward his dog.
“Are you ready? Are you?” Chase injected enthusiasm into his tone. “Search! Search for Eli!”
Rocky tilted his head to the side as if asking why he was playing the same game again so soon, but then he turned to lift his nose to the air. After a long second, the dog moved forward, making his usual zigzag pattern.
But when Rocky went directly past Albert’s house, Wyn realized this was the end of the road. Rocky hadn’t alerted, and it was clear that Eli hadn’t been there.
“That’s okay, Rocky. Good boy.” Chase didn’t offer the red ball reward. He turned. “Come, Rock.”
The trip to the SUV didn’t take long, but she was shivering by the time she climbed inside. Chase noticed and started the car for her using his key fob. The initial warmth from their mad dash to finding the crumpled napkin had worn off, leaving her feeling chilled to the bone.
And somewhat depressed as she’d hoped for more.
Turning in her seat, she noticed Chase was taking some extra time with Rocky, examining his paws before stepping back to close the hatch.
“Is he okay?” She glanced back at Rocky as he slid in behind the wheel.
“Yeah, just checking. We were gone longer than I anticipated, and I wanted to be sure there weren’t bits of ice or salt between his pads.” Chase offered a wry grin. “Maya’s K9, Zion, uses booties without complaint, but no surprise, Rocky hates them.” He held his hands toward the heating vents, and it made her feel better to know he was feeling the cold too. “I try to avoid using them if possible.”
“I thought K9s were supposed to be well trained.” She arched a brow. “Seems like Rocky doesn’t listen as well as he should.”
“Tell me about it.” Chase shook his head. “When I adopted Rocky, I didn’t realize Elkhounds were known to be stubborn and independent. Yet he’s an amazing tracker. I’m encouraged by the way he alerted so often on Eli’s scent.”
“Yes, me too.” She did her best to shake off the cloak of despair. Before she could say anything, Chase’s phone rang. The name on his dashboard computer screen identified the caller as Doug.
“Hey, Doug,” Chase answered. “What did Ian find?”
“No white truck for either of those names,” Doug said. “Do you have any other known associates?”
“Unfortunately, we don’t.” Chase looked dejected at the news. “Thanks anyway.”
“You know, Ian is still working the ancestry angle,” Doug said. “I don’t think he’s found anything related to that first name you gave me, Julia Stone. I’ve asked him to add Regina Twofeathers to the mix.”
“Have him include a George Twofeathers too,” Chase said.
“And Carl Longfoot,” she chimed in. “Regina, Carl, and George are the names of people we know for sure are connected in some way to Eli’s disappearance. Either as a willing participant or guilt by association.”
“Will do,” Doug agreed. “If you need anything else, let me know.”
“Thanks.” Chase ended the call. “Should we contact Griff about the napkin? Or head over to the fast-food restaurants to ask around about Eli ourselves?”
“Fast-food restaurants.” She gestured toward the sign that was barely visible in the distance. “Maybe it’s wishful thinking on my part, but I’m hoping these guys care enough about Eli to feed him. And if they used a drive-through, maybe someone will remember seeing him. I still believe that people here on the rez will be more likely to talk to me as Eli’s mother than to the FBI.”
“Sounds like a plan.” Chase put the vehicle into gear and circled the block so that they were headed in the correct direction.
As they grew closer to the main street winding through town, she noticed there were two restaurants within a half mile. One was by far the more popular, and she wondered if the kidnappers might have avoided that one on purpose.
Then again, she wasn’t sure what these kidnappers were thinking. There still wasn’t a ransom demand, and she couldn’t understand what they were waiting for.
Chase pulled into the small parking lot of the closest one, finding a long empty space to park the SUV and the trailer. As Wyn opened her door, she glanced up at the sunny sky and silently prayed.
Please, Lord, guide us to Eli! Please? We need to find him before it’s too late.
* * *
After parking the car and trailer, Chase decided to leave Rocky in the SUV. The dog had done a great job that morning and was currently stretched out on his side, asleep. There was no reason to take him inside. He left the SUV engine running, hoping they wouldn’t be too long.
He’d have to stop for gas again very soon. Hauling the trailer was wreaking havoc with his mileage. He could pretty much watch the needle of the gas gauge tick down toward empty with every mile.
He opened the door for Wyn, then hung back as she took the lead.
There was no doubt Griff wouldn’t be happy to learn they’d questioned the local fast-food restaurants, but he sensed Wynona was right about her ability to convince her fellow Native Americans to cooperate with finding their son. As far as Chase was concerned, this was a circumstance in which it was better to apologize afterward than to request permission.
“Excuse me,” Wynona said. “I’m looking for my little boy, Eli. He was taken last night without my consent.” Her carefully worded statement alluded to the fact that the child’s father may have been the one to take him. “I’m wondering if anyone has seen a man traveling with a small boy? Eli is four and a half but tall for his age.”
“I have not,” the young man behind the counter said. Then he turned, and asked, “Has anyone seen a man with a kid?”
A chorus of negative responses came from the others. Wyn’s smile faltered, but she nodded. “Thank you very much. If you do see a man with a little boy who doesn’t seem to belong to him, will you please call the tribal police?”
This request was met with silence. Finally, one woman said, “Yes, if we see anything suspicious, we will call the police.”
“Thank you.” Wyn turned and grimaced as she joined him near the door. “I don’t think they’re lying to me, but did you notice how they froze when I mentioned calling the tribal police?”
“Oh yeah, they didn’t like that.” He held the door for her. “Maybe we’ll have better luck at the next place.”
“Maybe.” She didn’t look convinced. It was clear the lackluster response to her request to notify the tribal police bothered her.
He drove the short distance to the next chain restaurant. This one had more cars in the parking lot, forcing him to find someplace to park out on the street. For the millionth time, he wondered if he’d been foolish to drag the trailer around the city. So far, the areas where Rocky alerted to Eli’s scent had all been near streets. Not out in the wilderness.
Better to be overprepared than not , he thought with a sigh.
Again, he left the motor running and Rocky in the back. The dog seemed content now that he’d won the search game. At least for now.
He and Wyn went inside and had to wait in line to speak to anyone. The young woman at the register looked harried. “What do you want?”
“Have you noticed a man with a little boy buying food this morning?” When the woman stared at her blankly, Wyn added, “Like maybe the little boy didn’t look happy to be there?”
The woman gave her an exasperated look. “I’ve been here since six in the morning. I have no idea how many customers I’ve served.”
“Could we speak to a manager?” Chase asked. “This is really important. We’re searching for a missing child.”
“Just a minute.” The girl turned to scan the workers. “Rose? These people want to speak to a manager.”
“I’ll be there soon,” a voice replied. From where Chase stood, he couldn’t see the woman. She appeared to be making burgers.
He tugged Wyn aside so the next person in line could place their order. As busy as this place was, he doubted anyone would have noticed a man with an unusually quiet young boy buying food.
Wyn gnawed on her lower lip. “I wonder if we should ask the drive-through clerk? If the restaurant was crowded, he may not have brought Eli inside.”
He wasn’t sure how to respond. The minutes ticked by slowly until a round woman with her dark hair pulled into a tight bun came toward them. “I’m the manager,” she said. “What’s wrong with your food?”
“Oh, nothing. Sorry about that.” Wyn managed a smile. “My name is Wynona, and my four-and-a-half-year-old son was taken last night without my permission. The man who has him may have come by to buy food for him earlier today.”
Rose frowned. “As you can see, we’re pretty busy.” She gestured toward the hustle and bustle of the restaurant workers. “I’ve been here since we opened this morning. I can’t say that anything unusual about our customers comes to mind.”
“I understand and appreciate that. Would you be so kind as to ask your other employees if they noticed anything unusual?” Wyn asked. “I know I’m asking a lot, but I’m running out of options.”
Rose stared at Wynona for a long minute. “I don’t think that will help. Unless the child was screaming in terror, I doubt anyone would notice.”
Wyn’s shoulders slumped. Chase gestured to the drive-through window. “Maybe just check with the drive-through staff? We don’t know that he actually came inside, but maybe one of them noticed something?”
“Please,” Wyn added. “I haven’t seen my son in eighteen hours, and I’m terrified something bad has happened to him.”
Rose sighed heavily. “I am a mother too. For you, I’ll ask. Wait here.” She turned and made her way back through the kitchen area.
Chase put his arm around Wyn’s waist. “If this doesn’t work, we can try other restaurants in the area. Maybe that napkin traveled farther than we realize.”
She leaned against him for a moment. “I know. But we may be on the wrong track. The napkin could have been stuck on that bush since last night. Or maybe the napkin was in the car for a while. It could be they haven’t stopped recently for a meal at all.”
He hated to admit she was right. Then he noticed the manager, Rose, was hovering near the woman working the drive-through window. After a few minutes, the two women spoke briefly. Then the manager turned to look at them.
Another few minutes passed, then the manager took the headset from the drive-through worker’s hands and put it in place. Rose began to take orders as the other worker snaked her way through the restaurant to meet with them.
“My name is Mary. I understand you’re looking for a man with a little boy who might not be his own?” she asked warily.
“Yes, my son is about four and a half. Did you see something unusual?” Wyn asked.
“Maybe.” The worker hesitated. “A man came through about an hour and a half ago; he had a little boy in the back seat. I noticed because the child wasn’t in a booster seat as he should have been at that age.”
Chase’s pulse kicked into high gear. He glanced at Wynona who had removed her gloves and was swiping at her phone.
“Did the little boy look like this?” Wynona turned the screen toward her. “He would have been wearing a dark-blue coat?”
Mary nodded slowly. “Yes, actually, that does look like him.” She frowned. “I must say the boy didn’t look scared or upset. If not for the fact that he wasn’t in a booster seat, I wouldn’t have noticed anything amiss. He didn’t say a word the whole time.”
The first sighting of Eli and his kidnapper! Chase couldn’t believe their hunch had paid off. He reached for his phone. It was time to call Griff and get the FBI here right away.
Eli’s kidnapper had been there less than thirty minutes ago. They couldn’t have gone far. And maybe, just maybe Mary could help them find him.