Chapter 27
Hudson’s stomach dropped as he watched the footage from the camera across the street. Layton was limp. Unconscious. Being carried by a middle-aged man almost like a rag doll. “She fainted!” the man holding her called out. Was someone else on the street? No one was in the camera’s line of vision, but the asshole touching her was clearly talking to someone. “She’ll be okay. I need to get her home so she can rest.”
Rage roared through him as he saw the guy plop Layton into the front seat. No one ran to stop him. He rounded the car to the driver’s side, climbed in, and drove off in a matter of seconds.
“Let’s get a plate,” Wyatt said. They zoomed in and were able to see a blurry image. An HPD officer watching the footage with them was already radioing in a BOLO. Tags. Make. Model. A description of Layton and the man kidnapping her.
Hudson’s blood boiled as they replayed the footage. He didn’t know who the asshole manhandling his girl was yet, but he wanted to end him right then and there. He’d knocked her out. Carried her in his arms. And kidnapped her, driving her away from the scene like it was just another day.
“How could nobody see this?” Austin asked in disbelief.
“Someone did,” Aaron pointed out. “He was talking to someone on camera.”
“We’ll go door-to-door,” another HPD officer said, radioing the others. There were police cars lining the street now, the entire area a crime scene. Hudson was so angry he could hardly think straight. Too much time was passing, and his girl was out there, alone. Scared. He wasn’t the praying sort, but at the moment, he prayed she was alive and unhurt. He’d never forgive himself if something happened to Layton.
Wyatt spoke quietly to a uniformed officer and then turned back toward them. “The vehicle was reported stolen this morning. We don’t have an ID on the driver who kidnapped Layton, because it’s not registered to him.”
“God damn it!” Hudson yelled.
“They’ll check the traffic cams to see if they can determine what direction they went. We know exactly what time he took her thanks to the surveillance footage.”
“That could take hours to check all the traffic feeds,” Hudson fumed. “That’s time we don’t have.”
“Why would he specifically want Layton?” Aaron asked. He eyed his teammates. “This sounds gruesome, but if he simply wanted to assault her, why move her to another location? She’s unconscious in the footage but otherwise appears unharmed. She’s fully clothed. It wasn’t a robbery because everything else was left here. He kidnapped her intentionally for some nefarious purpose.”
“Maybe he plans to keep her,” Wyatt said, his voice dark.
Hudson’s stomach dropped. If the kidnapper planned to hide her away, using Layton for his own sick purposes…Hudson hardly wanted to imagine what she’d be going through. How long it would take to find her. But who would specifically target Layton? The man had pulled up in the vehicle, gone inside the open house, and then returned only minutes later with her in his arms, unconscious. He’d had a plan and executed it quickly.
“The hang-ups,” Hudson suddenly said. “She was getting a lot of calls from a client back in D.C. He kept insisting she show him a property again. It almost seemed like borderline harassment. She even changed her work cell number.”
“You got a name?” Wyatt asked.
“No,” Hudson said, a sudden burst of adrenaline rushing through him. “But we could get the phone records. Maybe there’s even missed calls still listed on her cell. She has her new phone with her, which he destroyed, but I bet the old one is still at her house. Let’s see if we can track down this motherfucker.”
“How do we know it’s him?” Aaron asked. “I don’t want you to get your hopes up. What if some other prick went after her?”
“It’s him. Something was off about that entire situation. She wouldn’t have changed her number if the phone calls weren’t constant. She made it seem like not a big deal, but I should’ve known. There’s no reason for a former client to continuously call Layton. I should’ve done something.”
“It’s not your fault,” Wyatt countered.
“Maybe not, but it will be my fault if we don’t get to her in time. If we can ID the caller, we can run his name and see if his photo matches the man kidnapping Layton. Let’s roll.”
***
An hour later, they’d obtained the name of the man they believed to have Layton—Tony Harris, a recently fired federal contractor who lived and worked in Northern Virginia. His number had been easy to trace given he kept calling from his personal cell. Layton’s old phone had been right on her dresser, and it killed Hudson to be in her bedroom without her. The space was feminine and pretty, just like her. It even smelled like jasmine, and just the whiff of the floral scent had made his chest ache.
He was relieved that he’d remembered exactly where her old cell was. That had saved them some time. As soon as they’d powered it up, they could easily see which number had been calling her the most. Hudson couldn’t get into her voicemail, but it didn’t matter. The texts were there. The missed calls. He knew in his gut that Tony Harris was their man.
“She showed him a home in Virginia several times,” Hudson told his teammates, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “Another realtor could’ve helped him once she moved to Hawaii if he wanted to buy the place. He had no good reason to keep calling her.”
“Maybe he was stalking Layton,” Austin said in a low voice. “According to the background check, he’s single. This guy flew all the way to Oahu and tracked her down. That’s some kind of desperate.”
Hudson stilled, his blood pressure spiking. “Well, it’s easy enough for anyone to do. Her name and photograph are on her website. She probably told her clients where she was moving. Hell, Callie took a video of her the other day and posted it online. He found her. Kidnapped her,” he said, his voice low and deadly. “The question is, why? What’s his end game?”
The men exchanged looks. There was no good answer. Did he think she had money and was going to demand a ransom? Did he have some sick obsession with her? There were a number of twisted reasons he could’ve taken her, and it made Hudson sick to even consider them.
“We need to figure out where he took her,” Aaron said. “She didn’t willingly go with him, but from all accounts, he went straight from the airport to her open house. Does he have a hotel room somewhere? Even if we started calling hotels, he could’ve made the reservation under an alias.”
Hudson’s gaze hardened. “No. There’d be too many people around. She’d scream or fight. Cry out for help. He’s not going to take her to a hotel.”
Wyatt eyed the time, his gaze sharp “Where would he want to take her? They were already alone in that house, but it stands to reason he assumed the owners would return or that someone would come looking for Layton there.”
“Which we did,” Hudson growled. “And it was too damn late.”
“Not too late,” Wyatt countered. “We’ll find her, but we all know the first several hours are crucial. They’re likely still on the island. Tony Harris moved her to a second location, but it might not be long before he moves her again. Let’s consider all possibilities.”
Emersyn came into the kitchen where the men had gathered, looking pale. She pressed up against Aaron, who immediately pulled her into his embrace. “Any updates?” she asked.
Hudson filled her in on the little they knew.
“He had to take her somewhere. Can’t the police track the plates on the vehicle?” Her voice shook as she clung more tightly to Aaron. “There are so many secluded little parks and beaches here. What if nobody saw them?”
Hudson thought that over, shaking his head. “This guy just got here. He stole a car. I don’t think he’s in his right mind to go off the beaten path.”
“I don’t know,” Aaron argued. “It’s easy enough to pull up Google Maps.”
“But how would he know which areas are secluded? The beaches in Waikiki are jam-packed with locals and tourists alike.” Hudson began pacing the kitchen, feeling worked up. “Where’s Caroline?” he suddenly asked, glancing over at Emersyn.
“Asleep. I told her Layton was still working,” Emersyn said helplessly, tears filling her eyes.
Hudson nodded in relief. It was best that the little girl knew nothing about what was happening. “Do you think Layton had her work things with her? Like maybe brochures for other homes? The open house had a pile of papers scattered on the floor, but I know she has materials for other properties. If he discovered a vacant house that she has access to….”
“Oh my God,” Emersyn said, her voice grave. “I know where they are.”
“What?” Hudson’s voice was sharp. Deadly.
“That secluded home on the other side of the island—the one where I looked up the name of the potential homebuyer. He liked the property because it was private, and she did have brochures for it. If Tony Harris needed somewhere to take her, he didn’t need to look further than Layton’s own listings.”
“Holy shit,” Wyatt said, his eyes widening. “That makes sense. She could’ve had brochures in her purse or vehicle. All Harris had to do was glance through them and pick where to go.”
Hudson felt his stomach churning again, but this time it was in anticipation. They had a lead. It might not be much, but at the moment, it was all they had to go on. “Do you know the address?” he asked urgently.
“No. It’s online though. Pull up Layton’s website.”
Hudson swiped the screen on his phone, scrolling through her home listings. “Harris wouldn’t even have needed her brochures. If he looked up Layton to find out where she’d be today, he had his choice of vacant homes to take her. They’re all listed right here. That fucker could’ve been plotting this for weeks.”
Hudson’s hands landed on his pockets, knowing they were empty. “I need to swing by my house. Gear up. And then we’re getting back my girl.”