Chapter 12
Grady understood from Lauren’s relieved expression that she believed Curtis Handover was their shooter.
The guy did own a black SUV, so it made sense.
Yet oddly, he wasn’t convinced. He cleared his throat.
“Agent Braun, will you let us know when you find Curtis Handover to bring him in for questioning?”
“That’s the plan,” Braun agreed. “I’m sure one of the police officers will spot his vehicle and grab him for us.”
“Thank you,” Lauren said. “Lucy and I will be so happy when this nightmare is over.”
“Yes, thank you.” Grady reached over to end the call.
He was glad the feds planned to move fast on this new intel.
But why hadn’t the FBI found the connection between Curtis Handover and Bobby Morton sooner?
He thought it was interesting Randy had died of a drug overdose.
Addiction obviously ran in the family. But they should have known about Curtis, watching his movements shortly after Ariel’s abduction.
Yet it was odd that Curtis would be so clueless as to post threatening comments on social media before setting up a kidnapping attempt. Then again, nobody claimed criminals were smart. There were prisons full of criminals who’d gotten caught because of their actions.
“I’m so glad we came south to Lake Geneva.” Lauren sat back in her seat with a sigh. “It’s nice to be that much closer to home.”
In his mind, home wasn’t a penthouse apartment, but obviously, it was to Lauren and Lucy. He smiled reassuringly. “We’ll stick around here for a while until we hear back from Agent Braun.”
“That’s fine with me.” She glanced up as their server approached with their meals. “Perfect timing.”
Grady nodded and decided not to share his concerns. Lauren looked so happy he couldn’t bear to wipe the smile off her face. When their server topped off their coffee and left, he reached across the table for Lauren’s hand.
“I’d like to say grace.”
“Oh, are we praying again?” Lucy asked.
He nodded and took her hand too. “Yes. Remember what I said earlier?” He bowed his head. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are blessed to eat. We also ask that You continue to keep us safe in Your care. Amen.”
“Amen,” Lucy said.
“Amen,” Lauren echoed. Then she smiled. “Thanks to you, Grady, I’ve been praying a lot since this started. I’d like to find a church to attend once we get home.”
He nodded, humbled by her words. He was glad to have been a part of her faith journey.
He wasn’t so sure there were churches in the downtown area of Chicago, though.
That seemed price prohibitive considering the real estate market was sky high in urban cities.
“I can help you find something close by if you like.”
“That would be nice.” Lauren watched ruefully as Lucy dug into her chicken tenders. “I’m going to have a hard time convincing her to eat healthy once this is over.”
He grimaced, stung by a stab of guilt. “Sorry.”
She waved that off. “I know I probably went a little overboard because of Lucy’s surgery, but I was so scared.”
“I know.” He figured his double-decker cheeseburger was off-limits as well. “To be honest, I think it’s good that you encourage Lucy to eat healthy and expose her to different foods. More parents should do that.”
“Thank you.” She dug in to her chicken wrap.
Grady took a bite of his cheeseburger and was glad he’d ordered it. The burger was juicy and delicious. He felt like he’d burned thousands of calories since he’d been tasked to protect Lauren and her daughter.
For their sake, he hoped Curtis Handover was the kidnapper/shooter and that he’d be off the street soon. But that didn’t stop him from noticing every single black SUV that passed by the restaurant outside. None had tinted windows, so he tried not to overreact.
Lauren must have noticed, though, because she frowned. “I’m sure we’re safe here.”
He shrugged. “I plan to stay alert just in case.”
“Okay.” She smiled at Lucy who was clearly enjoying her chicken strips.
“I can’t wait to get back home. I need to reimburse the owner of the car and the crop-duster plane, not just for the items but for their time and the inconvenience we’ve caused.
I know they won’t be thrilled, but I hope that letting them know the only reason we took their things was to stay safe will take the sting out of our actions. ”
The owner of the car might still be upset, but he figured the farmer who owned the crop duster wouldn’t mind too much. It’s not as if he needed to use the plane in the winter. “I’m sure they’ll be happy with whatever you give them.”
“I hope so.” She turned and shook her head at Lucy. “No more blowing bubbles in your chocolate milk, you’re spilling on the table.”
“Aw, Mom.” Lucy had a chocolate milk mustache. “I’m just having fun.”
Grady was about to say something about how she should listen to her mother, but then he caught himself. He wasn’t Lucy’s father. He needed to stay out of it.
They ate in silence for a few minutes. When they finished, Lauren and Lucy made another stop in the restroom. He paid the tab, then glanced outside just as another black SUV rolled down the street. The angle of the sun was such that he couldn’t tell if the windows were tinted.
He strode quickly to the window to get a better look at the license plate. His pulse kicked up when he recognized the Illinois plate, but he only caught the first three letters, which were APW. He pulled out his phone and called Agent Braun. Once again, the call went straight to his voice mail.
Did the fed ever answer his phone? Irritated, Grady left a terse message. “It’s McFarland. I need to know the license plate of Curtis Handover’s SUV. Call me back.”
Maybe he was overreacting, but he decided they shouldn’t head outside anytime soon.
At least, not until he knew what they were looking for.
Feeling restless, he moved toward a rack of brochures that listed various tourist activities taking place in the area.
There was one for a magic show at a nearby theater.
Something like that would keep Lucy preoccupied for a while. He noticed there was an afternoon matinee session in about an hour, along with one in the evening. He pocketed the brochure and turned as Lauren and Lucy emerged from the restrooms.
His phone rang before he could tell them about the magic show. Seeing Agent Braun’s number on the screen, he quickly answered. “Braun? Do you have the plate number?”
“I do, it’s EFY1008.” There was a brief pause, then Braun asked, “Why are you asking?”
It wasn’t a match to the car he’d seen, but Grady wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad one.
What if Curtis Handover wasn’t their guy and the SUV outside did belong to the gunmen?
His paranoia was getting difficult to control, but he did his best to tamp it down.
“I want to watch for it. Unless you have him in custody already?”
“Not yet.” Now Agent Braun sounded testy. “It’s barely a half hour since we last talked, McFarland. Tell Ms. Chandler there’s no need to start making calls to her political friends. We’re expanding our reach to find him.”
“Have you tried the tollway?” Grady asked. “We know for sure he crossed the state line into Wisconsin.”
“Yes, we’re working on that. I have our tech guy searching for the vehicle now.” Braun’s tone softened. “Trust me, we’ll find him.”
He didn’t bother to point out that he didn’t trust anyone except his boss and the Sullivan family.
“Okay, thanks.” He lowered the phone and quickly filled Lauren in on the license plate information, without mentioning the black SUV he’d noticed just moments earlier.
“We have a little time, how about we check out this magic show?”
“A magic show? Really? Oh, Mom, can we?” Lucy jumped up and down with excitement. “Please?”
“Sure.” Lauren took the brochure he offered and scanned the information. “Looks like fun.”
He crossed to the hostess stand and asked how far the theater was from the restaurant. Since it was only four blocks away, he thought it was best to walk.
There was no sign of the SUV when they headed outside a few minutes later. It didn’t take them long to get to the theater. He purchased three tickets, then hustled Lucy and Lauren inside.
Much like the brief reprieve they’d gotten while making the snowman, it was clear Lucy appreciated the ability to do something fun.
At least for an hour, the worries of the shooter, the frantic escape from the farm, and the threat of kidnapping faded away.
In Grady’s opinion, the illusionist show was decent, although there were a few times Grady easily figured out the trick.
He kept his thoughts to himself, knowing there was no reason to spoil the magic for Lucy.
“That was so fun,” Lucy gushed, when it was over. “Can we see the show again tonight?”
“No, Lucy.” Lauren spoke in her no-nonsense mom tone. “We’re going to head home very soon.”
Grady wanted to argue, but at that moment, his phone rang. Seeing Agent Braun’s number on the screen, he showed it to Lauren, then answered. “Agent Braun, this is McFarland. What’s going on?”
“We have him,” Agent Braun got straight to the point. “We have Curtis Handover in custody.”
“I’m glad you found him,” he said out loud for Lauren’s benefit. The relief in her blue eyes was unmistakable. “Is he talking?”
“No, unfortunately, he’s lawyered up. If you ask me, that just means he’s guilty,” Braun said with glee. “He asked for his lawyer the moment the state patrol pulled him over.”
Grady wanted to ask more, to understand the timeline, but heard voices in the background.
“I have to go, McFarland, I’ll let you know how it goes.” With that, Braun ended the call.
“They have him? It’s really over?” Lauren asked.
“They have him in custody, but he’s not talking.” He didn’t want to go into more detail with Lucy standing there listening. “Maybe we should stay here tonight, rather than heading back to the city.”