Chapter 7 #2
Lauren didn’t say anything as he reached over to disconnect from the call. Then she abruptly buried her face in her hands. “I can’t believe they’re letting him out early.”
“I’m sorry.” He rested his hand on her shoulder. “The good news is that he’ll still be on parole. And that he’ll be monitored.”
She shook her head, sniffled, then finally looked up at him. “What if—”
“Don’t.” He shook his head. “There’s no point in going down that path.
A lot of things can happen over the next few weeks.
If we find out Nelson is part of this, he’ll face new charges.
He could get into a fight or something within the correctional facility too.
Even if he does get out, he could do something to break his parole, which would send him back behind bars.
Let’s just focus on uncovering the source of the danger. ”
She closed her eyes for a moment, then sighed. “You’re right. The current threat is more important than what might happen a few weeks from now.”
“Exactly.” He smiled reassuringly. “We’ll get through this.”
She glanced over to where Lucy was watching television. “This is going to sound terrible, but I hope Nelson is the one responsible. Nothing would make me happier than his being kept in jail for the rest of his life.”
“I understand.” He wished he could reassure her that she had nothing to worry about. But from what little he knew of Derringer, he wouldn’t put anything past the guy.
“What are you going to do now?” Lauren asked.
“I’ll keep poking around to see what if anything I can find online.” He wasn’t an expert at investigating cases, but he needed to keep busy. “You and Lucy should relax for a while. I know you didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Okay.” She hitched up her blanket and stood. “How much longer until the laundry is done?”
He glanced at his watch. “Roughly thirty minutes.”
She nodded and moved back into the living room to sit beside her daughter.
Grady had to pull his gaze away to focus on the computer.
Griff and Agent Braun were looking at Nelson Derringer, so he switched gears to dig into Joe O’Neil.
With the DOB Griff had provided, he was able to home in on the guy.
The former Savion security guard was a forty-two-year-old man who did not have military or law enforcement background.
Grady found a divorce on file, which was interesting.
The timing of the divorce made him think the guy had resorted to theft to deal with his legal bills.
Not a smart move since his arrest had only added to his money troubles.
Had O’Neil turned to kidnapping? Anything was possible, but he didn’t think the guy would be able to set up somewhere in a nearby building to shoot at him through the penthouse apartment window.
But O’Neil could have been the guy on the road who’d tried to ram into his car. Especially since Joe O’Neil likely knew Nelson Derringer as Lauren’s husband.
“Lauren?” He glanced at her over his shoulder. He winced when she opened her eyes, as if she may have been asleep. “Did you and Nelson live in the penthouse together?”
“Yes.” She yawned and rubbed her eyes. Then understanding what he was thinking dawned on her features.
“I’m sure Nelson and Joe knew each other, at least on sight.
” She wrinkled her nose. “Nelson wasn’t much for befriending the hired help.
He saw them as beneath him. I’m not sure Nelson would have even known Joe’s first name. ”
He nodded. “Okay, that helps.”
For the next half hour, he dug through Joe O’Neil’s social media without finding anything remotely useful. His thoughts kept going back to Lauren’s ex-husband and his upcoming release from jail. When the dryer was finished, he unloaded it and quickly handed Lauren and Lucy their clothing.
As he changed, he tried to imagine what Nelson would do when he got out of jail. And silently admitted he didn’t like the idea of being too far away from Lauren to support her when that happened.
Dangerous thoughts. He was there to protect her from a kidnapper, nothing more. Once this case was over, he’d go back to his home in Cody, Wyoming, until Rex Grayson assigned him to something else.
His path and Lauren’s would never cross again.
* * *
Deeply shaken by the thought of Nelson getting out of prison early, Lauren couldn’t concentrate. She had not anticipated that. She’d gone along in her life thinking she had two years before she had to worry about Nelson.
Lucy was still too young and impressionable.
What if Nelson filed a petition to see his daughter?
Sure, she could fight him in court, but if he claimed to be a reformed man, determined to be a loving father, she wasn’t sure she’d win.
Some judges were compelled to allow biological parents to see their child.
And it wasn’t as if Nelson had ever been abusive toward her. He was just a jerk, plain and simple.
Her chest squeezed painfully at the thought of handing her daughter over to a virtual stranger. What if Nelson had changed for the worse? What if he did something to hurt their daughter?
“Mom? Is something wrong? Why are you crying?” Lucy’s question pierced her thoughts.
She quickly swiped at her eyes. “Nothing is wrong, sweetie. I’m just tired. How do you like your show?”
“It’s good.” Lucy leaned against her as if sensing her mother’s sadness. “Grady will keep us safe.”
“Yes, he will.” She forced herself to sound upbeat and reassuring. The last thing Lucy needed was to live in fear. And her daughter was right about the fact that they were safe here at the cabin with Grady.
“What time can we eat dinner?” Lucy asked. “We’re having Captain Jack’s, right?”
“Yes. We’ll eat soon, okay?” She wrapped her arm around Lucy, hugging her close.
She’d figure out how to handle Nelson later.
As Grady pointed out, there were other factors that could prevent Nelson from being released.
A part of her wanted to pray that Nelson would get into a fight or do something else bad enough that they’d cancel his release.
Yet somehow, she didn’t think God would appreciate that approach.
Better that she pray for Nelson to find peace and to move on with his life, leaving her and Lucy alone.
Pushing up from the sofa, she headed into the kitchen. The frozen pizza wouldn’t take that long to cook, so she would wait until five thirty to throw it in the oven. She dropped into the chair beside Grady. “Will you help me with something?”
“Of course.” Grady instantly turned away from the computer to face her. “What do you need?”
She flushed. “I need you to help me pray. I don’t want Nelson to be harmed in any way, but I can’t stand the thought of his fighting for joint custody of Lucy.
” She glanced over to make sure her daughter couldn’t hear.
“She doesn’t even know him. He’s a complete stranger to her.
I can’t just let him have her every other weekend or whatever arrangement the judge allows. I just can’t.”
“Lauren, don’t torture yourself like this.” Grady took both of her hands in his. “Nelson isn’t even out of jail yet.”
“I know that.” She bit back a flash of anger. “But hiding my head in the sand isn’t going to help either. He’s getting out sooner or later. I need to be prepared.”
“Okay, you’re right. Let’s pray.” He bowed his head, continuing to hold both of her hands in his.
She drew in a deep calming breath and let it out slowly.
It took Grady a moment before he cleared his throat and began.
“Dear Lord Jesus, we ask You to please protect Lauren and Lucy from danger. We also humbly ask that You lead Nelson down a path to a more fulfilling life. Please show him that the best way to move on is to avoid disrupting his daughter’s life in a negative way. We ask this in Jesus’s name. Amen.”
“Amen.” She tightened her grip on Grady’s hands. “That was perfect. Thank you.”
“Anytime.” He searched her gaze for a moment. “I believe in the power of prayer. I hope you continue to lean on your faith to get through this.”
“I’m trying.” She offered a lopsided smile. “I’m not used to praying like you are.”
“Hey, I’m no expert either.” He grinned. “The Sullivans taught me everything I know about faith and prayer.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Are these the same friends who damaged your house?”
“Yep. There are nine siblings altogether, and they have a search and rescue ranch with highly trained K9s. I went to school with Joel and Justin Sullivan. They’re twins. We lost touch for a while when I was in the army but reconnected after I got out.”
“Nine siblings?” Her eyes widened in shock. “I can’t imagine their poor mother, giving birth to nine babies.”
“I hear you. They lost their parents over six years ago now, and every single one of them is married. All within the past year or so,” he added wryly. “Kinda amazing when you think about it.”
She was still trying to imagine giving birth nine times. “Well, I’m glad you have friends like them.”
He looked like he was about to say something but changed his mind. He released her hands and stood. “Do you want me to throw the pizzas into the oven?”
“I can do it.” She gestured to the computer. “Have you found anything interesting?”
“Not really.” He grimaced. “I’ve been combing through O’Neil’s social media. There’s nothing to suggest he’s friends or acquaintances with Nelson.”
“They wouldn’t be friends.” She knew there was no way Nelson would allow his frat buddies to see him befriending a lowly security guard. Former security guard. “Maybe we should look at Nelson’s other friends from the fraternity. Maybe one of them is helping him with these attempts against us.”
“Maybe. Do you know what frat he was a part of?” Grady sat and turned the computer toward her. “If you can find the right one, I can ask Griff to get us a list of names.”
She frowned, leaning forward. “I think it was the Delta Sigma Chi fraternity.” She typed the information into the search bar, adding Chicago Loyola University to narrow the field.
The picture of a frat house bloomed on the screen.
She tapped it with an index finger. “Yes, it’s this one.
Nelson has a picture of him and his buddies standing outside the building. ”
“That’s a good place to start.” He bookmarked the page. “Can you remember any of their names?”
“Other than Bobby Morton?” She thought back to her short marriage.
Nelson had mentioned them, but she hadn’t paid much attention at the time.
She remembered thinking Nelson was spending too much time talking about the glory days of his past, rather than being focused on the present.
Especially his new wife. “I’m sorry. Nothing comes to mind. ”
“That’s okay.” Grady shrugged. “When Griff calls, I’ll get the list. Maybe seeing a name written down will spark a memory.”
“Okay.” She glanced at her watch and stood. “I’ll throw the pizzas into the oven. It’s early, but I know Lucy is hungry.”
“I am too,” he teased. “Thanks.”
It took her a few minutes to figure out how to work the oven.
It wasn’t that she was clueless, it was just that she was accustomed to the newer appliances they had.
This oven looked as if it were thirty years old or more.
Not that she was complaining. She was grateful to be in the isolated and rustic cabin with Lucy.
And Grady.
While the oven preheated, she read the directions on the back of the frozen pizza box. Feeling Grady’s gaze on her, she flushed and quickly unwrapped them. They looked a little like cardboard to her, but Lucy loved them, which was all that mattered.
When Grady’s phone rang, she whirled to face him.
“It’s Griff,” he said, before answering the call.
“Put it on speaker,” she whispered, crossing over to join him. Lucy was still enthralled with her movie, which was a good thing.
“Hey, Griff, I’m putting you on speaker so Lauren can hear this.” Grady lowered the phone to the table. “We spoke to Agent David Braun. He seems to be on board with continuing the investigation.”
“That’s good. I’m not sure why he was taking such a laid-back approach anyway.”
She arched a brow and shrugged. Grady nodded. “We aren’t sure either. When we told him about the gunfire incidents, though, he changed his tune. Did you find anything new?”
“Yeah, that’s why I’m calling. I have two names for you. Both of these people visited Nelson Derringer at the correctional institute over the past six weeks. Other than his lawyer, who was only there once from what I can see.”
“Two names?” Lauren’s heart filled with hope. “Who are they?”
“A woman by the name of Karla Dalton and a man by the name of Eric Howington. Do either of those names ring a bell?”
“No, they don’t.” She frowned, then asked, “I’m surprised a woman visited him.”
“Actually, she visits on a weekly basis,” Griff said. “I’m wondering if they’re romantically involved in some way.”
Romantically involved? She stared at Grady. “I hope they are. Maybe that’s an indication he’s moved on.”
“Or he’s charmed this Karla into helping him,” Grady said, deflating her balloon of hope. “Have you run their backgrounds?”
“Yes, neither of them has a criminal background. That doesn’t rule them out as being involved, though,” Griff hastily added. “I think they bear looking into.”
Lauren sat back in her chair, her mind whirling. Was it possible Karla and Eric were working together in this kidnapping plan? If so, she hoped they were found and arrested very soon.
Before Nelson was released from jail.