Chapter 8 #2
“KP?” She frowned. “Kitchen, what?”
“Kitchen patrol. The army loves its acronyms.” He nodded at the dishtowel. “You can dry and put away.”
They worked together in silence for a few minutes, before Lauren asked, “Do you think Karla is one of the people involved in these attempts?”
He shrugged. “As Griff said, anything is possible. I served with some women, not many, but they were good soldiers.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “I really want to believe a woman wouldn’t kidnap someone’s daughter, but if she’s not a mother, she may not realize the agony she’s causing.”
“Or she doesn’t care because in her mind, the end justifies the means.” He tried to smile reassuringly. “Don’t dwell on this, Lauren. If she’s involved, the police will find the evidence they need and arrest her.”
“I hope you’re right about that.” She dried the plates and put them away. “They’ve escaped being caught so far.”
He hated to admit she was right. “With all the cameras in the city, I’m surprised they didn’t get something more from the initial abduction.”
“Me too.” She glanced over at Lucy. He noticed the little girl was wrapped in a blanket, her eyes drooping with fatigue. “Maybe by tomorrow this will be over.”
“I hope so.” If Karla and/or Eric Howington were involved, it shouldn’t be too difficult to track their movements over the past twenty-four hours.
And there was still Joe O’Neil, the former security guard of Savion Enterprises to consider.
They had more now than when they’d started, which was encouraging.
When he finished washing the dishes, Grady moved back to the kitchen table.
A few keystrokes later, he found the list of fraternity members from the few years Nelson had been there.
The list was longer than he anticipated, and he hoped Lauren would be able to identify someone who they could zero in on.
If not? He’d methodically start digging into each of the names, himself. Besides, it wasn’t as if he planned to get much sleep. A few military combat naps at the most was all he could afford.
Grady needed to stay alert and on guard until the kidnapper was caught and safely behind bars.
* * *
When the dishes were dry and put away, Lauren crossed over to join Grady. He glanced at her, then gestured to the screen. “Here’s the list. Can you point out Nelson’s friends? I figure they’re the logical place to start.”
She stifled a yawn and sat beside him. “I’ll do my best.” The list of fraternity members was long, as it spanned several years. She rubbed her eyes, then began to read.
“Here’s one, Archer Bloom.” She continued reading as Grady made a note of the name. The list was in alphabetical order, and she quickly passed her ex-husband’s name, searching her memory for more tidbits from their brief marriage. “Jack Henry is another.”
“You’re doing great,” Grady said.
She appreciated his attempt to sound positive.
The truth was that they had no idea if any of these former fraternity brothers of Nelson’s were involved.
After hearing how Eric Howington and Karla Dalton had visited her ex while his was in prison, something she was convinced these frat boys would never do, she felt certain Eric and Karla should be put higher on the suspect list. These frat brothers had probably all moved on with their lives and wanted nothing to do with a loser like Nelson.
She frowned when she passed Bobby Morton’s name.
The poor guy had paid the ultimate price of being Nelson’s friend.
Granted, Bobby had gotten in the car with her ex that fateful night, despite how they’d both been drinking.
Bobby could have chosen to walk or take a rideshare.
Shaking off the memories, she pushed on.
“Andrew Salzburg, Nelson called him Drew.” She continued down the list until she got to the end.
With a sigh, she sat back in the chair. “I’m sorry.
I only recall these three names. There could be others.
I just didn’t pay attention when Nelson talked about them. ”
“Hey, three names are better than none.” Grady smiled and tapped the screen. “I’ll start with these. Maybe something will pop.”
“I hope so.” She wanted to do her part in bringing this nightmare to an end. Then another wide yawn caught her off guard.
“Hey, I think it’s time you and Lucy get some sleep.” Grady rested a hand on her shoulder. “You look beat. Take the bedroom. I’ll stay out here.”
She wanted to point out that the arrangement hadn’t worked so well when he’d stayed in the living room of the penthouse apartment.
Then again, they’d been safe here at the cabin.
The only near miss had been when they’d almost driven past a cop in their stolen car.
Grady’s altering the plates with black tape should provide another level of protection.
She hoped.
When Grady continued to look at her, she forced a nod. There was no point in fighting the inevitable. “Okay. But I think you should get some sleep too.”
“I will.” He nodded toward the bedrooms. “Make yourself comfortable.”
Glancing at Lucy, who was fighting to keep her eyes open long enough to finish the show, she nodded and rose. “Time for bed, Lucy.”
“Aw, Mom.” Her daughter’s protest was weak. “My show is almost over.”
“Let’s see.” She sat down on the sofa next to Lucy. Eyeing the show, she realized her daughter was right. It was nearly over. “Okay, looks like it will be ending in about five minutes or so.”
“Thanks, Mom.” Lucy snuggled beside her. And before the five-minute timeline was up, the little girl fell asleep.
She was about to ease away from Lucy when Grady came to the rescue. He crossed over, keeping his voice low. “I’ll carry her.”
“Thanks,” she whispered as he lifted Lucy from the sofa.
Much like in the middle of the night, he brought her blanket along with her.
Lauren struggled to her feet, hoping Lucy wouldn’t wake up.
Thankfully, Lucy didn’t stir as Grady carried her down the hall to the bedrooms. She moved ahead to pull the covers down on one of the twin beds. “Set her here.”
Grady did so, and for a moment, Lucy looked like she might wake up. Lauren pulled the covers up, and Lucy relaxed against the pillow.
“Thanks,” she whispered as Grady stepped back into the hallway.
“Anytime.” He glanced past her. “I promise nobody will get to her while I’m here.”
“I know.” She believed him. She stared up at him, wishing for something she couldn’t have before forcing herself to turn away. “Good night, Grady.”
“Good night.” His voice was low and husky, and it was all she could do not to throw herself into his arms.
After using the bathroom, she crawled into the second twin bed in Lucy’s room. She wanted to be close in case her daughter had another nightmare. Or if something else happened. And because of the latter possibility, she stretched out under the covers fully dressed.
For several minutes, she listened to Lucy’s even breathing, her thoughts whirling.
The possibilities were endless. Karla was either Nelson’s girlfriend or helping him in the scheme to kidnap Lucy.
Or maybe Eric Howington was the one who was shooting at them.
And what about Joe O’Neil, the fired security guard?
When she couldn’t take her racing thoughts for another second, she closed her eyes and focused on prayer. That worked because the next thing she knew, she abruptly awoke, blinking in the darkness.
A sound? Lucy? She lifted herself up on one elbow, glancing over at the twin bed along the wall. Lucy wasn’t crying or making any sound. Then what had woken her?
“Lauren?” Grady’s low whisper had her pushing the covers aside and rising to her feet. It was so dark here compared to the city. No lights from buildings or cars. She couldn’t see anything in the darkness. But then she noticed the breadth of Grady’s shoulders as he hovered in the doorway.
“Coming.” She tiptoed across the room. As they stepped back from the doorway, she tried to read his expression. “What’s wrong?”
“I saw a police car while I was walking the perimeter.” The way he said “walking the perimeter” made her think that was another military phrase. “I’m concerned they’re homing in on our stolen car.”
She sucked in a quick breath. “You changed the plate, though, right?”
“Yeah, but with only one letter and number different, it may not be enough.” He grimaced. “I think we should hit the road sooner than later.”
Hit the road? She swallowed a protest. The cabin was the first place she’d felt safe since leaving Chicago. She didn’t want to leave.
But she didn’t want Grady to be arrested for stealing a car either.
“I know it’s still early, but I don’t want to wait too long,” Grady said.
She was surprised to realize the time was five o’clock in the morning. She wondered how much sleep, if any, Grady had gotten. She’d awoken feeling better, until he’d mentioned the need to leave. “How is driving around in a stolen car any safer?”
“It’s not, but I have already spoken to my boss. Rex is going to have a rental car waiting for us in Madison.”
“Okay.” She decided there was no point in arguing. He’d obviously waited to wake her until he had a solid plan. “Do you want me to wake Lucy now, then?”
“Yeah, but first I have a question.” His gaze held hers. “Did you know Bobby Morton has a first cousin by the name of Randy Morton?”
Her jaw dropped. “No. I had no idea.”
“You didn’t meet him? Even at the funeral?” Grady pressed.
“No, I never met him.” Her cheeks flushed. “I, uh, didn’t attend the funeral. I mean, I would have paid my respects to the Morton family for their loss, but I wasn’t so sure Bobby’s parents wanted to see me. Not after my soon-to-be ex-husband had recklessly killed their son.”
“Okay, that makes sense. But if you ask me, I think Randy Morton also deserves to be investigated. Maybe his way of seeking revenge on your ex is to kidnap your daughter.”
She nodded slowly. “If I had known Bobby had a cousin . . .” Then she abruptly stopped herself. “Wait a minute, why didn’t Lieutenant Olson or Detective Kramer mention him? Surely they knew Bobby had a cousin with the same name.”
“That’s a good question.” Grady scowled. “Maybe they’ve already cleared him as a suspect, I’m not sure. But they should have mentioned him.”
Once again, she was concerned the local police didn’t have the expertise to investigate this. And what about the FBI? Agent Braun should have known Bobby had a cousin. Yet nobody had mentioned him as a possible suspect.
“I don’t like this, Grady. It feels like they’re all hiding something from me.” She shivered in the darkness. The warmth of the fire had faded, leaving a distinct chill in the air. “Either that, or they’re all grossly incompetent.”
“Let’s give them the benefit of the doubt,” Grady said.
“I understand and share your concerns. I’m not happy about learning this information on my own either.
Once we’re safe, we’ll follow up with FBI Agent David Braun again.
” He offered a wan smile. “You may have to make good on your threat to go up the chain of command.”
“I have no problem with that.” She would do whatever was necessary to protect her daughter. She glanced back at the bedroom, then sighed. “You really want to leave now while it’s dark? We could wait until Lucy wakes up.”
“I think the sooner we get away from this cabin rental, the better.” He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, giving her a brief hug. “Get your coat and Lucy’s too. Once she’s ready, I’ll carry Lucy to the car.”
“Okay.” She decided not to question his judgment. She headed into the main living space and pulled on her long coat. Then she grabbed Lucy’s shoes, tucking them in a grocery bag. She headed back to the bedroom with Lucy’s coat and boots.
“Noo,” Lucy whined when she shook her daughter awake. “Leave me alone.”
“Come on, Lucy. We’re going to drive to a new city.” She managed to thrust one of her daughter’s arms into the coat. “Please, Lucy. We need to go.”
“No! Leave me alone!” Her daughter kicked her feet, making it impossible for her to slip on the boots.
“Lucy, stop it. We need to go right now.” Grady’s deep voice did the trick. Lucy stopped fighting, looking up at him with a frown.
“Why?” Lucy asked the question but didn’t resist when Lauren put her other arm in the coat sleeve and zipped it up. Then she slid both boots onto her daughter’s feet.
“Because it’s not safe to stay here.” Grady scooped Lucy into his arms and strode through the cabin. Lauren didn’t see the computer on the table. Presumably, Grady already had it out in the car, as the vehicle was running and ready to go.
It didn’t take long to reach the highway. They were headed southwest when she spotted twin headlights growing brighter as a car approached. Moments later, she saw the light bar across the top and grabbed Grady’s arm. “It’s a cop!”
“I see it.” Grady’s muscle tightened beneath her fingertips. When the light bar flashed on, red and blue lights swirling, she gasped, overwhelmed by a sense of dread.
This was it. They were heading to jail. She closed her eyes and prayed for God to protect them.