Chapter 7
Grady watched Lauren head into the living room to help Lucy find another show to watch.
Then he turned to stare blindly at the computer screen.
His heart raced as if he’d run a marathon from their brief but electric kiss.
Had he imagined the sizzling connection between them, or had Lauren felt it too?
He wasn’t even sure who had initiated the kiss.
All he knew for sure was that he would have loved nothing more than to kiss her again.
But that could not happen. He knew better than to get emotionally involved with a protectee under his care. Especially a single mother with a daughter. If he didn’t keep his head clear, he might fail in his mission to protect them. He absolutely needed to stay focused on the threat.
Not how much he was beginning to care for Lauren and her daughter.
He scrubbed his hands over his face, wondering if the lack of sleep was messing with his brain. Not that it mattered. He had a job to do and forced himself to get back to the task at hand, uncovering the source of the threat.
The more he heard about Lauren’s ex-husband, the more he loathed the man.
Not just because he’d married her for her money, but because of his decision to drive under the influence to the point he’d killed his best friend.
Yet Nelson was still in jail. It would not be easy to prove the man was manipulating someone into kidnapping his own daughter.
Not just one person, but two. Which seemed even more unlikely.
He needed to ask Griff to find out if anyone had visited Nelson Derringer in jail recently.
Like over the last three to four weeks. All visitors were logged into the system, so that might be a place to start.
The washer beeped, indicating the load of clothes were finished, so he crossed over to toss everything into the dryer, then returned to the kitchen.
He hated to keep bugging Griff, but he pulled out his phone to make another call.
“Hey, Grady.” If Griff was annoyed, he didn’t let on. “I’ve updated Agent David Braun on our conversation. He should be calling you shortly.”
“Thanks. I have another favor to ask. Will you please find out if Nelson Derringer has had visitors recently, say in the past few weeks? My theory is that Nelson could be orchestrating the kidnapping attempt from behind bars, promising a big payout once Lauren’s father hands over the ransom.”
“Great minds think alike,” Griff said. “I’ve requested that information from the correctional facility where he’s being held. I’m hoping to hear back soon.”
“Thanks.” He should have known Griff was on top of things.
“Anything else?” Griff asked.
“Not at the moment.” He tapped the mouse pad to bring the computer screen to life. “I would like to dig into both Bobby Morton and the former security guard, Joe O’Neil. I would have expected the FBI or local law enforcement to have already done that, but I can’t just sit here twiddling my thumbs.”
“I understand your frustration. Hopefully, you’ll learn more when Agent David Braun gets in touch with you.”
“Thanks, Griff. I appreciate your help.” Grady ended the call, then glanced over to where Lauren was still playing with the remote. He rose, secured the blanket around his waist, and crossed over. “Need help?”
“Yes, please.” She gratefully handed over the device. “I don’t know why this television seems more complicated than the one we have back home.”
“It’s a satellite service.” He flipped through the menu. “These cabins are too remote for wired cable plans.”
“At least it’s not just me being an idiot.” Lauren flashed a wry smile.
“Never. This service is a little different from the one we use in Wyoming too.” He managed to find another kid’s station, then handed the remote back. Before he could say anything else, his phone rang.
“Come with me into the kitchen.” He held up the phone. “This is FBI Agent David Braun.”
“Okay.” Lauren followed him back to the oak table.
Grady answered the call. “This is McFarland.”
“Grady McFarland? This is Special Agent David Braun from the Chicago office of the FBI.” The fed’s tone was curt. “I understand there have been new developments in the Ariel Turner abduction?”
Grady thought it was interesting the guy referred to the case as Ariel’s abduction, rather than the intended kidnapping of Lucy Chandler.
No wonder Lauren had gotten the impression these guys didn’t display a sense of urgency.
“Yes, I would like to put you on speaker so Lauren can participate in this discussion as well.” Without waiting for Braun to respond, he lowered the phone and put the call on speaker.
“Agent Braun, have you spoken with the Chicago PD? There was a shooting at Lauren Chandler’s apartment early this morning.
As we escaped from the penthouse apartment, a dark SUV tried to ram into us.
I managed to avoid the collision, but barely.
If I’d been in a car with less horsepower, the maneuver might have worked. ”
“I have a voice message from a Lieutenant Olson,” Braun admitted. “Your friend Griff got to me first, so I thought it best to go straight to the source.”
Lauren looked skeptical. Grady shrugged, having no idea if Braun was being forthright about his relationship with the local cops or not.
“Great, thanks for calling. Prior to the penthouse shooting, my Jeep was targeted by gunfire while I was driving Ms. Chandler and her daughter home. That was between five fifteen and five thirty last evening. Whoever these guys are, they’re escalating in their attempt to get to Lucy. ”
There was a brief silence on the other end of the line. Finally, Braun said, “That does seem to be the case. I know Ms. Chandler believed her daughter was the intended target all along, but we didn’t have proof.”
“You do now,” Lauren said, speaking up for the first time. “Why else would the kidnappers let Ariel go? This is about me and Lucy. Ariel was an innocent victim, taken by mistake, which is why the kidnappers released her.”
“I understand,” Braun said. “Tell me again about that shooting incident.”
Grady explained how the penthouse window was shattered with a bullet and how there was a dark SUV waiting for them as they escaped via the underground parking garage. “There has to be at least two people involved. The shooter and the driver of the SUV.”
“I concur,” Braun agreed. “From what you’re describing, there wasn’t enough time to get from an adjacent building where the shooter must have been to take the shot, all the way down to street level to attempt to drive into you.”
“We’d like to know if you have any leads,” Grady said. “Detective Kramer mentioned a former Savion security guard by the name of Joe O’Neil who was fired nine months ago for theft. He did a brief stint in jail but has been released.”
“Joe O’Neil? Do you have a DOB to go with that?” Braun asked.
Annoyed that he was the one providing the federal agent information, Grady reined in his temper and recited the information.
“Also, did you look into Lauren’s ex-husband, Nelson Derringer?
There was a prenup, which limited his ability to get financial support after the divorce.
That gives him a pretty good reason to go after Lauren and her daughter. ”
“We did look at him, but based on this new information, we’ll dig a little deeper.” Computer keys clicked in the background. “Hmm. This is interesting. It looks like Derringer is scheduled to be released in two months.”
“Two months?” Lauren paled. “That can’t be right. He still has two years left on his sentence.”
“Yeah, but our prisons are overcrowded, and he’s likely viewed as a lesser threat to the general public.
From what I’m seeing here, Derringer will be released on parole in two months, possibly less,” Braun explained.
“He’ll have to submit to monthly drug and alcohol screenings and wear an ankle monitor so law enforcement can track his movements. ”
Grady reached over to squeeze Lauren’s hand reassuringly, then addressed the phone.
“That news only adds credence to our theory that he’s somehow pulling strings from inside the joint.
Derringer will be back on the street without any means of financial support.
Could be he plans to cash in on the ransom. ”
“I agree.” He was glad Braun seemed to take their concern seriously. “We’ll look at any connections between Derringer and this O’Neil guy.”
“Thank you.” Lauren’s tone was subdued. He could tell she was already imagining what Nelson might do once he was out of jail.
Would he decide to go after Lauren for joint custody of Lucy?
He prayed that would not be the case. “Oh, you should be aware that Nelson might be able to support himself,” Lauren said.
“He was a stockbroker when I met him. I imagine he can try to get back into the game once he’s released. ”
A stockbroker? Grady hadn’t known that. He filed the information away for future reference. “I doubt any firm will hire him with a criminal record.”
“He could open up his own business,” Braun said.
“Yeah, but I’m not sure very many people will be eager to hand over their hard-earned cash to a former convict.” Grady sure wouldn’t.
“Nelson’s former frat buddies might,” Lauren said.
She had a point. Some guys tended to stick together. He and his military teammates had done that, despite the horrors of war.
“Where are you now?” Braun asked. “I don’t recognize this phone number.”
“We’re safe,” Grady quickly answered, without giving Lauren a chance to reveal their location. “You can reach us at this number for the time being. If that changes, we’ll let you know.”
There was another long pause as the fed digested that bit of information. Then Braun said, “Okay, I appreciate the updated information.”
Grady would have preferred the information flow to have been the other way around, but there was nothing he could do about that now. “Thanks, Agent Braun. We’ll be in touch.”