Chapter 3 #2
“Yeah, well, that was a long time ago.” Lauren tucked her blond hair behind her ear.
“The point is, this guy almost got away with it. The police grilled me for hours about where we were and what the man looked like. He didn’t use a face mask, like the guy who’d taken Ariel.
I was able to give a reasonable description with the help of a sketch artist. A week later, the FBI caught him as he was boarding a plane to Florida. ”
“I’m glad they caught him.” Grady’s heart twisted at how frightened she must have been. Not just during the kidnapping, but afterward. It would’ve been a harrowing experience that had to be difficult to recover from. “Is Cromwell still in jail?”
“I believe so.” She shrugged. “If not, he’s too old to be involved in this incident. He was thirty-five at the time, which makes him sixty now. The man we saw on video moved quickly enough that I anticipate he’s much younger than that.”
“Age alone doesn’t preclude someone staying in shape,” he pointed out. “And sixty isn’t that old. People that age are still running marathons. Some men use being in jail to get into shape. Cromwell could have done that too. We need to make sure he’s still in jail.”
“Maybe.” She sighed. “I can add his name to the list. My only reason for telling you the story was that I didn’t know Jerry prior to his taking me from school, and neither did my father. This was a case where he’d caught something about us on the news and decided to use me to get rich.”
He nodded. It would be far easier if she had made someone mad, like her ex-husband or someone else, but she had a point about the suspect being anyone who needed what they perceived as easy cash. “I haven’t had time to research the statistics on kidnapping to know what we’re dealing with.”
“The child abduction rate by a stranger is very low, less than two percent of all abductions.” She grimaced.
“However, that number is skewed a little higher when wealthy people are targeted. The good news is that most kidnappings for ransom have a high success rate of the child being recovered.” Her smile was strained.
“Like in my case. It’s the creepy pedophiles that are far more dangerous. ”
He reached for her hand. “I’m sorry you had to go through that.”
“Thanks. Although it could have been worse.” She tightened her hand on his.
“The charity event on Saturday night is to fight human trafficking, especially of women and children. I know it takes more than money, but I’ve funneled a lot of funds to various organizations who work on recovering those victims and supporting them afterward.
It’s another cause that’s near and dear to my heart. ”
He nodded slowly. His opinion of Lauren being a socialite who spent her days at the spa was changing by the second.
She might be rich, living in a fancy penthouse apartment, but she was doing her part in tackling the world’s problems. In her own way, which was more than most people did, he thought wryly. “That’s a very worthy cause.”
“Yes.” She gazed at their clasped hands for a moment, then pulled free and stood. “Well, I need to finish my list of suspects. You should get some sleep.”
He rose. “I’ll stay out here for a while. Your father isn’t expected to return home later tonight, is he?”
“No, he has business in New York through the weekend. Good night, Grady. Thanks again for being here.”
“Of course.” He found it odd that Lauren’s father would go on a business trip while knowing his granddaughter was targeted by a kidnapper. Then again, he didn’t know that much about the relationship between the three of them. “Lauren, what happened to your mother?”
“She passed away fifteen years ago from cancer.” She managed a smile. “Pancreatic cancer from smoking. Cancer research is another charity we support, even though in my mother’s case, her cancer was related to her lifestyle choices.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.” His own parents were retired and living in Arizona, far away from the harsh winters of Wyoming.
“Thank you. Good night.” She turned and headed for her room.
He stood for a moment in the living room that was larger than his house and thought about what she’d said. Stranger abductions were rare, but he knew they couldn’t afford to discount the possibility.
But if that was the case, it would take a miracle to find the person responsible without something more to go on.
He could only hope and pray that this kidnapper would slip up along the way, giving them the opportunity to find and arrest him.
* * *
Lauren racked her brain for names to add to the list of potential suspects. Her lack of sleep since Tuesday was getting to her. She’d watched the video of Ariel’s abduction so many times it replayed in her mind when she closed her eyes.
There was nothing remotely familiar about the masked man. Granted, he was only in the frame for a few seconds, but she was very much afraid the guy was a stranger to her and her family.
Yet the kidnapper would have had to see Lucy in person at some point.
Her daughter was too young to have social media, and Lauren did not post any personal photos of herself and Lucy online.
Obviously, Lauren’s picture was posted all over the society pages, along with the charity websites for those she sponsored.
But none of them included her daughter. That was one rule she didn’t bend for anyone.
That meant this guy had been somewhere close by.
Either here in the building where they lived or at the school.
She’d asked for and received a list of all the school employees, but none of them had a criminal record.
She’d asked the police to verify all the male school employees’ alibis, but so far, they’d come up with nothing remotely suspicious.
Her father had provided a list of building employees, too, but those were still being vetted. She figured the police had abandoned that search once they’d gotten this Jorge Dombach in custody. That thought had her quickly scanning the employee list for his name.
It wasn’t on either list. Based on the gunfire incident, she didn’t believe Jorge was the man they were looking for so she didn’t bother to add his name.
The names on her list blurred, and she pressed her fingertips to her eyes, trying to ward off a wave of exhaustion. She’d thought having Grady there would help her feel safe. Oh, she trusted Grady’s expertise, but she still couldn’t relax.
Just imagining Lucy going through the same experience she had was enough to make her blood run cold. She could not let this man get anywhere near her daughter.
Pushing away from her desk, Lauren changed into a pair of yoga pants and an oversized sweatshirt.
If she had her way, she’d wear comfortable clothes every day, but her father expected her to look professional at all times.
Rather funny now to think she’d worn an expensive pantsuit to meet Grady who had arrived in jeans and a black leather jacket.
She washed her face, ignoring the dark circles under her eyes. Maybe Grady had a point about canceling her charity events. Not the event itself, but making up an excuse as to why she couldn’t attend.
It was a decision she didn’t have to make now, so she turned and flipped the lights off on her way to bed. She’d barely crawled under the covers when she heard Lucy crying.
In a heartbeat, she was up and inside her daughter’s room. “Shh, Lucy. It’s okay. You’re safe.”
Her daughter lifted her tearstained face to look at her, then threw herself into her arms. “The masked man tried to get me,” she sobbed.
“It’s just a dream. He’s not here. Grady is guarding us, remember?” She pressed a kiss to Lucy’s temple. “You’re safe, sweetie. I’m here and so is Grady.”
Lucy’s crying turned into a few hiccups. Then the little girl swiped at her face. “I don’t want to have bad dreams.”
“I know you don’t.” Lauren continued holding Lucy close, wishing there was a way to spare her daughter from having nightmares.
A noise in the hallway caught her attention, and she looked over to see Grady hovering in the doorway.
His thick brown hair was tousled, but she didn’t think he’d been sleeping any more than she had.
He arched a brow, silently asking if everything was okay. She was touched by his concern. Granted, he was being paid to be there, but he seemed to care about Lucy. One thing was clear, he wasn’t overly impressed with her wealth.
She smiled wearily and bobbed her head to let him know they were fine. He nodded and stepped back from the doorway to leave them alone. She had to squelch the urge to call him back.
Grady was a nice man. Different from what she’d expected, which was a good thing. She knew he would have rushed in to comfort Lucy if she hadn’t gotten there first.
She wondered briefly why he was still single, then forced herself to concentrate on Lucy.
Grady’s lack of female companionship wasn’t any of her business.
The only reason she’d even asked about it was because she’d hoped to use the fake engagement ruse to her advantage.
Obviously, their pretend engagement would only hold off the annoying men determined to pursue her for a short while.
Once the kidnapper was caught, she and Grady would end their relationship.
She could probably use her broken heart as an excuse to continue avoiding unwanted advances for a few weeks after that.
Maybe. At least for those who had half a brain.
Why didn’t these men understand their attempt to pursue her was so exhausting? She had tried being polite, but many of them didn’t know how to take no for an answer. Now she didn’t bother to be nice, but even her rude and abrupt comments didn’t seem to deter them.
Could one of them be involved in the kidnapping attempt? A chill snaked down her spine at the thought. Maybe one of the men who were more persistent had arranged the kidnapping so he could heroically swoop in to save the child.
No, that was something out of a movie. Real life didn’t work that way. She told herself to stop letting her imagination run wild. She couldn’t believe any man who wanted to date her, with the goal of marrying her, would stoop that low.
This was the work of a stranger looking for easy cash or someone else who thought she owed them.
Nelson would fit the bill perfectly, except for his being in jail.
He could have arranged for someone else to do the dirty work, but how would her ex get access to the ransom demand?
The more she considered that angle, the more that didn’t play out for her either.
She was driving herself crazy imagining different scenarios. She gave herself a mental shake and continued to rock back and forth with her daughter cradled in her arms. When the little girl finally relaxed, she eased her down onto the bed and pulled up the covers.
“Stay with me,” Lucy said sleepily.
“I will, sweetie. Go to sleep now.” She stretched out beside her, listening as Lucy’s breaths deepened. Lauren closed her eyes and tried to do the same. They were safe, now that Grady was nearby, watching over them. For the first time in what seemed like eons, rather than days, she relaxed.
She must have fallen asleep because something caused her to wake up. Pushing up on one elbow, she blinked in the darkness, looking down to make sure Lucy was still sleeping. Had she heard something? Or was it nothing more than her imagination?
Listening intently, she forced herself to relax. Maybe she’d heard Grady moving around. She’d left the door to Lucy’s room open. She rolled away from Lucy to slip out of the bed. Her daughter hadn’t moved, so she tiptoed past her to head to the door.
A loud crack followed by shattering glass startled her. She froze, trying to assimilate what she’d heard. It almost sounded like the gunfire that had shattered the back window of Grady’s Jeep.
Then Grady was suddenly there. “Get your shoes and your coats while I grab Lucy.” Without waiting for her to respond, he brushed past her to pick Lucy up from the bed, bringing her blanket along with the little girl. “We need to get out of here.”
“What happened?”
“Hurry!” he snapped, carrying Lucy out of the room.
She darted into her bedroom to slide her feet into running shoes. Her heart thundered against her sternum as she followed Grady out to the living room. The cold wind blowing through the shattered window made her gasp in horror.
Someone had shot at the apartment!
“Move it,” Grady said. “We can’t stay here.”
She gave a jerky nod, then grabbed her coat and Lucy’s, belatedly realizing Grady was already wearing his.
“Do you have keys for the Porsche?” He had opened the door leading to the elevator vestibule and was staring out into the hallway.
“What’s going on?” Lucy asked, her voice thick with sleep.
“Nothing to worry about, we’re just going for a ride.” Grady stepped forward and pushed the button to summon the elevator.
Lauren had to detour into the kitchen to grab the keys to the car. By the time she joined Grady, the elevator had arrived. She quickly entered the elevator, then used the keycard so the elevator would go all the way down to the parking garage.
“You need to take Lucy.” He pushed the little girl into her arms, then pulled his gun from its holster, positioning himself in front of the doors. “I need my hands free in case . . .” He didn’t finish, likely because Lucy was listening.
But she knew what he meant. He wanted his hands free in case there was another gunman waiting for them in the parking garage.