Chapter 2 #2
“I’ll figure something out.” She waved that off. “The charade is not just for Nelson, but for other men who seem to think I might be interested. It’s a bit of a meat market out there.”
He could only imagine how men trailed after her. She was beautiful, rich, and likely seen as the hottest bachelorette in the city. “Okay, that’s fine.”
“As far as Lucy goes, I was granted full custody after the drunk-driving accident.” She shrugged. “The truth is that other than Nelson, I can’t think of anyone who would want to kidnap Lucy for ransom. Unless it’s some stranger, which will make him more difficult to find.”
“And you’re convinced ransom is the ultimate goal?”
Lauren frowned. “Yes, why else? Oh, you mean like sex trafficking?” She shook her head. “No reason to let Ariel go if that was the case. Besides, people who tend to kidnap kids for something like that look for easy targets. Not kids of wealthy parents.”
She had a point, so he nodded. “Okay, we’ll operate under the assumption someone wants to grab Lucy for money. Have the police fully vetted your house staff? Clara and whoever else you have helping you?”
“We have Clara, who has a key to get in and out of the penthouse. The rest of the staff, security guards like Trent, are hired by my father to keep the building secure. They’ve all worked here for years, hard to imagine any of them are involved.”
“Your father owns this building?” That surprised him.
He’d grossly underestimated the magnitude of Lauren’s wealth.
A building like this had to be worth a hundred million or more.
It was a staggering amount of money. No wonder she’d assumed the goal was ransom.
A kidnapper could ask for ten million without putting a dent in her father’s pocketbook.
“Yes. This building along with others.” She shifted on the sofa cushion to face him. “I have two charity events on Friday and Saturday. Lucy is upset that I won’t let her attend school until we catch this guy, but I think she needs to stick close to me where it’s safe.”
“Why not just cancel your charity events?” He didn’t understand why she would risk going out.
“You could stay here with Lucy. I’ll work as a liaison with the local police and/or the FBI to make sure they continue their investigation.
” The thought of doing that was far more appealing than showing up at her side for some silly dinner.
“February is Heart Month for St. Mary’s Children’s Hospital.
It’s important for me to raise money for them.
” She lifted her chin, eyeing him stubbornly.
“They were amazing when Lucy needed open heart surgery a year after she was born. I currently have pledges for over five million dollars to support families in need. I expect that by Friday that amount could be doubled. Canceling the event isn’t an option. I’m attending, no matter what.”
He stifled a sigh. Okay, maybe it was for a good cause. He still didn’t think it was worth the risk. “What about having someone else stay here to watch Lucy?”
“I’ve considered that.” Lauren bit her lower lip. “I think it’s best if Lucy comes with me. We need to stick together.”
Grady didn’t necessarily agree, but since he didn’t have a choice, he nodded in agreement.
Despite the luxurious surroundings, he grimly realized that keeping Lauren and Lucy safe would not be as easy as it sounded.
And he could only hope that he didn’t fail them again.
* * *
Lauren was far too aware of Grady sitting beside her. Why she found him attractive, she had no idea. Nelson had proven she had lousy taste in men, and she wasn’t going to go out with anyone who might be looking for easy money.
“You mentioned calling the police.” She glanced at her watch. “I think we should wait until after dinner. I’ll ask Lieutenant Olson to come here to meet with us.”
“That’s fine. In the meantime, I need you to think hard about who else might be holding a grudge against you.” Grady’s expression was grim. “It could be someone with a beef against your father since he’s the one with the money.”
“I have a trust fund, too, but you’re right in that my father is worth more than I am.
And of course, he would pay a ransom to get Lucy back.
” She glanced over when Clara entered the room.
“I’ll make a list for you after dinner.” She rose.
“Clara, this is my fiancé, Grady McFarland. Grady, I’d like you to meet Clara.
She’s been with us since before Lucy was born. ”
“Nice to meet you.” He rose and crossed the room to shake her hand. “Something smells good.”
“Nice to meet you too. Dinner is ready, Ms. Lauren.” Clara quickly turned to leave.
“I hope you like grilled swordfish,” she murmured, leading the way into the dining room. “If you have any food allergies or strong dislikes, you should probably let me know.”
“I’m not picky. Swordfish sounds great.” He grinned, then added, “Although I can see why Lucy wanted pepperoni pizza. I didn’t have swordfish until I was an adult.”
She sighed, knowing he was probably right. But she didn’t care. She wanted Lucy to experience a variety of healthy foods. “She had open heart surgery as a baby.”
The smile faded from his eyes. “I can only imagine how difficult that was for you.”
“Hence the healthy diet.” In the dining room, she took the seat next to her daughter, indicating Grady should sit across from them. “My father is out of town on business for the week, or he’d have joined us.”
“Okay.” Grady held her gaze for a moment, then folded his hands in his lap and bowed his head.
It took a moment for her to realize he was praying.
She hastily looked away, wondering if he was putting on a show for her benefit.
Then she realized there was no reason for him to do that.
Despite their pretend engagement, once this kidnapper was caught, they wouldn’t see each other again.
She didn’t know anyone who prayed before meals. She’d spent a lot of time in the hospital chapel while Lucy had been a baby undergoing surgery, but this was different.
Clara interrupted the moment by bringing in a tray of food. Along with the grilled swordfish, there was roasted asparagus and parmesan-crusted red potatoes. After setting the various platters on the table, Clara stepped back. “Would you like anything else, Ms. Lauren?”
“No, but thanks, Clara. Everything looks delicious.” The adults had water, while Lucy had a glass of milk. She glanced at Grady, wondering if he wanted something else. “We have soft drinks if you prefer.” She didn’t serve alcohol at meals.
“I’m fine with water. And yes, this looks amazing.” Grady smiled at Clara in a way that made the older woman blush. “Thanks.”
“I wanna go to school tomorrow,” Lucy said once they’d started eating. “I miss my friends. Especially Ariel.”
“Maybe next week.” Lauren kept the timeline vague. “Mrs. Poole sent your assignments home, so you can work on those tomorrow.”
Lucy’s lower lip trembled. “That’s not the same. I wanna go to school.”
She glanced at Grady, who had dug in to his meal with relish.
His comment about pepperoni pizza aside, he appeared to be enjoying the swordfish.
He surprised her by sending Lucy a stern look.
“You need to listen to your mother. She’s only keeping you home from school because she’s worried about you. ”
Lucy bent her head and picked at her food. “I don’t care. I’d run so fast the bad guy couldn’t get me.”
Swallowing a sigh, she gave Grady a nod of gratitude for his support. One minute Lucy was scared of the masked man, the next she made comments like that. “You can video chat with Ellie after dinner.”
Lucy stabbed a piece of fish and ate it. “Okay, but that’s not the same as going to school either.”
Tomorrow was Thursday, and the kidnapping of Ariel Turner had been on Tuesday. Keeping Lucy home wasn’t unreasonable, but logic didn’t mean much to a kid. “Grady, tell us what it’s like to live in Wyoming,” she said, anxious to change the subject. “We’ve never been there.”
“It’s cold, like it is here. We have a lot of snow too.
Ours comes in from the mountains; yours is impacted by Lake Michigan.
But we don’t have big skyscrapers like this.
” Grady gestured to their surroundings. “Our tallest building is a hotel that’s three stories high.
The windows overlooking Lake Michigan are nice, but we have a view of snowcapped mountains and forests outside our windows. They’re pretty impressive.”
“I’m sure they’re beautiful.” She’d skied down the mountains of Switzerland but hadn’t visited Wyoming. Strangely, she felt bad about that. Maybe she should make a point of taking Lucy to visit more of the states that made up their home.
“I own a small house in Cody,” Grady went on.
“I’ve considered selling since I don’t spend a lot of time there, but it’s nice to have a home base.
” A wry grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
“My friends, the Sullivans, have been using it in my absence. They’ve kindly fixed the damage they’d inadvertently caused. ”
“Damage?” Imagining wild parties, she shook her head. “That’s rude.”
“Oh, they didn’t damage the place on purpose. Only because they happened to be in danger and kept getting found.” He glanced at Lucy, then hastily added, “They’re fine now, though. No injuries or other problems.”
“I see.” Except she really didn’t. It seemed strange that his friends would borrow his house while knowing they were in danger.
She couldn’t imagine doing something like that here.
She’d heard rumors of lack of lawlessness while living in the Wild West, but she had assumed they were grossly exaggerated.
Apparently not.
She’d thought Grady’s military experience would come in handy. Maybe his life in Wyoming had contributed to his confidence too.
When they’d finished eating, she told Lucy to take her dishes into the kitchen before she made her video call. Lucy sighed dramatically but did as she was told.
Grady rose to stack his plate too. “Oh, you don’t need to do that,” she said.
“House rules.” He winked and carried his dishes into the kitchen. Flustered, she followed. Grady didn’t act like most men she knew. Maybe it was his western upbringing.
When the table was cleared, she watched as Clara pulled on her coat. “Did you need anything else, Ms. Lauren?”
“No, thanks, Clara. Have a good evening.”
After seeing Clara to the door, she pulled out her phone to call Lieutenant Olson. He answered on the first ring. “Ms. Chandler? Is everything okay?”
“Not exactly. I, uh, need to report another incident that involves me and my good friend. I’d like you and Detective Kramer to come here to take a report.
” She’d planned to introduce Grady as her fiancé, but now she realized that was more difficult than she’d anticipated.
She hadn’t been seeing anyone when she’d met with Lieutenant Olson and Detective Kramer the day before.
Lying didn’t come easily to her, but she pressed forward.
“His name is Grady McFarland. He’s in town from Cody, Wyoming. ”
“I didn’t realize you had a friend visiting from out of town,” Lieutenant Olson said. “We need to make sure he’s not involved.”
“He’s not. But you can speak with him about that yourself.” She hoped the police would take her statement about being engaged at face value. She’d call the chief of police if necessary but decided to hold off for now.
“Barry Kramer and I will be there in twenty minutes,” Lieutenant Olson said. “And trust me, I will run your friend through the system.”
She barely refrained from rolling her eyes. If he wanted to spin his wheels, that was fine with her. “Thanks. We’ll see you soon.” She closed her eyes for a moment and then tossed her phone onto the table. “This is getting complicated.”
Grady arched a brow. “You’re the one who wanted to be engaged. We can stick with the we’re just friends angle if that’s easier.”
“No, this is better. Especially for the two charity events.” She forced a smile. Maybe it was selfish, but she was glad to have Grady attending the dinners with her as her fiancé. That should keep the jackals at bay, at least for a while. “I’ll arrange for a tux to be delivered.”
He shrugged but didn’t argue. “It’s more important that I pick out a ring.”
“Oh, well.” She flushed. “Don’t worry about that.”
“We’ll say it’s being sized for now.” Grady arched a brow. “But without a ring, nobody will take this seriously.”
Her head started to ache, mostly from the lack of sleep. She hated to admit he was right. “I’ll get a ring. In the meantime, I’ll show you to your room. I, uh, don’t know if you have much in the way of luggage.”
“Just a carry-on in my Jeep. I’ll grab it later.” He stood. “Show me where you and Lucy will be too.”
“Of course.” She led the way down the hall to the bedrooms. The master suite was on the other side of the penthouse apartment, where her father stayed when he was in town.
“This is my room, and it’s next to Lucy’s.
” She pointed to the door hanging ajar. Her daughter was already chatting with Ellie.
“This is the guest room. Sorry to say the view isn’t as nice.
” She didn’t know why she was apologizing. Grady wasn’t there for the view.
“It’s great, thanks.” He tucked his thumbs into the front pockets of his jeans. “I’ll need one of your keycards.”
“Of course.” She ducked into her room to grab it. “Here you go.”
The intercom buzzed from the living room. She crossed over to answer.
“Detective Kramer is here.” The lobby attendant informed her.
“Please send him up, thanks.” She turned to Grady. “He must have been close by.”
Grady frowned and stood beside her. When she moved forward to answer the door, he held her arm and stepped forward to use the peephole. Then he opened the door. “Detective, I’m Grady McFarland.”
“Nice to meet you.” Detective Kramer turned to face her. “I was surprised to hear you wanted to talk to us, because it just so happens I planned to talk to you too. We have a man in custody by the name of Jorge Dombach. We think he’s the kidnapper.”
“Really?” Her jaw dropped in surprise. “The name doesn’t sound familiar.”
“When did you arrest him?” Grady asked.
Detective Kramer frowned at him. “Who are you again?”
“Grady McFarland, a longtime friend and new fiancé of Lauren’s.” Grady didn’t flinch. “I really need to know when you arrested this guy.”
“At four thirty this afternoon,” Detective Kramer said. “I would have been here sooner, but we’ve been trying to get him to cooperate. Unfortunately, he’s not saying much.”
Grady shook his head in disgust. Lauren understood why he was annoyed. Clearly, Jorge Dombach, whoever he might be, wasn’t the kidnapper.
And she was beginning to doubt the Chicago PD was capable of finding the man who was.