Chapter 2 #3
“Fifteen? Omigod. I’m sorry. I should have listened to you. I just figured you believed everyone was bad because of the business you’re in.” Ivy turned to Kendra. “He’s a bounty hunter.”
“So am I,” Kendra said.
Ivy’s jaw dropped. Then she smiled. “You’re perfect for each other.”
He didn’t know about that, but he thought maybe Ivy was finally beginning to listen to reason.
He was glad she was still alive, and she hadn’t been hurt worse.
He noticed a deputy sheriff was sitting outside the door to Ivy’s room.
She would need protection while her kidnapper was on the loose until Grayson could return Ivy home.
Their dad and Marcus could take care of her then.
“Did you get my phone for me?” Ivy asked.
“The deputy sheriff has it. He was trying to figure out who Big Bear was.”
“He should have called himself the Big Bad Human. When can I get out of here?” Ivy asked.
The doctor returned with the nurse. “I’ve decided to cast the arm.
It will only be in a cast for three weeks.
The hairline fracture should be healed by then.
You can leave the clinic after we’re finished.
But you’ll need someone to protect you until you return home, unless they catch the guy who kidnapped you. ”
The doctor began layering soft stockinette and padding, then covered it with moistened plaster strips, molding them to Ivy’s arm. Then she trimmed the edges.
“Okay, that will take between twenty and thirty minutes to dry, and then you can go.” The doctor left the room.
“What are you going to do, Grayson?” Ivy asked.
“Go after the guy. I don’t want him coming after you or any other gullible girl. Even if he doesn’t go after you again, he could very well keep this up by luring other girls to meet up with him. And very likely you’re not the only one he has been in contact with before this.”
“Gullible.” Ivy scowled at him.
“What would you call it? Na?ve?” He paced across the room, wanting to get out of there and go after the guy, wondering if anyone had any information on him. Then he got a call from Rowland. “Hey, any word?” He put it on speakerphone so Kendra could listen in on it.
“His name is Jeb Younger. He has been in prison for kidnapping young girls. He should have gotten life without parole, but because they escaped, they keep letting him out after a few years in jail. Typical justice system. There’s no such thing as rehabilitating someone like him.”
“Is he local?”
“Now. He’s from Boston. Ivy was right about his accent.
He hasn’t been in jail in Montana yet, but when we catch him, he can serve time here.
He has been jailed in Massachusetts three times, once in Wisconsin.
He got off on charges in Minnesota. Evidence was illegally obtained.
He was acquitted in North Dakota; the jury said the prosecution couldn’t prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The guy is a real conman,” Rowland said.
“I’m surprised he ended up in jail four times for the same crime and wasn’t able to manipulate the trials back then. ”
“Hell.”
“The other thing is, he was a Marine, dishonorably discharged for fighting with other Marines. He’s a hunter, other than just for young women. He has lived off the land when he was on the run; he’s good at hiding in the terrain,” Rowland said.
“Not with us looking for his sorry ass.”
“Exactly. I’m sending you a picture of him.”
Grayson examined the photo and swore under his breath. “He skipped out on his bond, and we’ve been looking for the bastard ever since.”
“What was he arrested for?” Kendra asked.
“Attempting to steal a thousand dollars of camping equipment at a department store. His wife, Mimi Younger, put up his bail. Maybe he planned to take that gear on the run. But he used a different name.” Now Grayson had twice as much reason to take the guy into custody.
“His name isn’t Jeb Younger, at least on the paperwork we have on him. ”
“An alias. Gotcha,” Kendra said.
“He used others for some of his other criminal arrests. But his real name is Jeb Younger,” Rowland said.
“Okay, well, I’m taking Ivy back home to Whitefish.
” Despite wanting to go after the kidnapper and bail skipper, Grayson needed his sister back home so that Dad and Marcus could watch over her.
His home in Whitefish was only a little over an hour away from Kalispell, and it wouldn’t take long for him to grab some clothes, return to Kalispell, and search for the guy. “Then I’ll return.”
“You don’t need to. We’ve got this,” Rowland said.
“If I can help, I’ll do anything I can. I’m retired from the Army, Special Forces, just like my brother and Dad. They’ll take care of Ivy. Marcus and Dad can assist in doing searches for him. But since we have him on our list of bail jumpers, I’ll be after him for that reason also.”
“So can I,” Kendra said.
“Okay, you can arrest him as a bounty hunter. Even if you hadn’t been a bounty hunter, you could have arrested him as a civilian. You can detain him and bring him in, or we’ll come and get him,” Rowland said. “But hopefully, we’ll catch him before that can happen."