Chapter Seventeen
SEDONA FOLLOWED SHERIFF Montgomery to the room where they took Maria. The closer they walked to the small waiting room, the more her nerves ramped up. Cam was depending on her. She couldn’t let him, or Julio, down.
Had the Collector captured Julio, or had her student escaped and hidden somewhere? If that were the case, where was he? How far could a five-year-old run?
David glanced at the officer at the door. “They’re with me.” He continued into the waiting room. “Maria, how are you holding up?”
“How do you think she’s holding up?” snapped a young male’s voice.
Sedona flinched. That was Julio’s brother, Eddie. His teenage attitude was out for all to see today. She walked into the room to see the sixteen-year-old with his arm around his mother’s shoulders, glaring at the sheriff.
“Hello, Eddie. I’m sorry to hear Julio is missing.”
“We’ll find him.” Eddie’s hate-filled gaze shifted back to David. “With or without the pigs’ help.”
“I’m glad you don’t have to depend only on you and your mom.” She sat on Maria’s other side and clasped her hand. “Have you heard anything from Julio?”
Maria stared. “Why would I hear anything from him if kidnappers took him?”
“Julio is very resourceful. Even though kidnappers might have taken him, I wouldn’t be surprised to learn he’d escaped and found help.”
Julio’s mother smiled. “You’re right. My son is clever. He wouldn’t give up no matter what he was told.”
“How is Emily doing?”
“She blames herself. She says if she hadn’t let Julio go back to the school for her backpack, none of this would have happened. He would be safe.” Maria sighed. “I can’t tell her she’s wrong.”
This was the opening she needed. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I understand why you might be uncomfortable talking to the police. However, Sheriff Montgomery and his deputies are determined to find Julio no matter how long it takes. To do that, they need your help.”
Eddie snorted. “They need to do their job instead of standing around the hospital, hoping Julio will take care of their problem for them. Tell them to skip the coffee and donut breaks, and they might make quicker progress in the case.”
“That’s unfair, Eddie. Have you ever seen the sheriff or his deputies sitting around and doing nothing while they’re on duty?”
The teen glowered at her for a moment before looking away. “No,” he muttered. “But I can’t be everywhere at once. I might have missed them wolfing down donuts and coffee.”
“First, if any of them wolfed down their coffee, you’d have heard about an emergency room for burns to their throat and mouth.
Second, I don’t know why you want to run down the law enforcement officers who are trying to find Julio, but I know firsthand that the sheriff and the deputies won’t rest until they find your brother.
Have a little faith in our law enforcement officers, Eddie.
If you really want to find your brother, give them your full cooperation. ”
The teen remained silent for a beat, then gave a slight nod.
Thank God. Now, if Cam would return before Eddie changed his mind, the Search and Rescue team might have more information, perhaps the starting point they needed so badly.
David crouched in front of Maria. “Do you need anything? A drink or a snack?”
She shook her head. “Nothing. I just couldn’t.”
“What about that herbal tea stuff you always drink? You said it helps you calm down. What about a cup of that?” Eddie asked.
“That’s a great idea,” Spencer said. “Herbal tea is well known for its healing properties. The cafeteria must have some available. I think a bag each of chamomile and mint would help both ladies.”
David reached into his pocket and scanned his phone screen. “I have to go. Cam might have a lead, so I’ll have one of my officers bring the ladies some herbal tea soon.”
“Never mind.” Eddie stood. “I’ll get it.”
“Thanks.” David clapped his shoulder. “I’ll be back in a few minutes. What Cam discovered could give us the start we need to find your brother.”
“We gotta do it fast, Sheriff.” He swallowed hard. “Julio’s just a little kid, not like me.”
David stilled. “No, he’s not like you. Do you know something that might help, Eddie?”
“I know nothing.” He scowled at David, once again a sullen teenager.
“You know what? I think you do. You’re sharp. You notice things.”
A careless shrug from Eddie. “Maybe.”
“So, what did you notice that seemed wrong?”
“Those dudes at the school who took Miss Hart.”
“What about them?”
“I’ve seen them before around the school.”
Sedona gasped. “When?”
“For the past two weeks.”
“What were they doing?”
“Just hanging around the elementary school, watching people.”
“Did you interact with them? Did they talk to you or threaten you?”
He shook his head. “They just stared at me. It was creepy, man.”
“Oh, Eddie,” Maria murmured. “Why didn’t you report it? You could have prevented them from taking Julio or Miss Hart.”
David held up his hand to stop Eddie from saying something he would regret.
The teenager was fired up and ready to blast anyone within reach.
“We don’t know that, Mrs. Ramirez. Let’s find him first, then we’ll figure out the rest.” He looked at Spencer.
“Everyone stays here until I return. If anyone slips past the officer at the door, stop them. Understood?”
Spencer’s eyebrows rose. “Yes, sir.”
The sheriff gave a slight nod and left the waiting room.
“I don’t know about you, Maria, but I can really use that cup of tea.” Sedona squeezed her hand. “I’d feel better if you stayed here, Eddie. Spencer can use help to protect us. Are you much of a tea drinker, Maria?”
Sedona sent one of the other Montgomery brothers a message, asking for two herbal teas. While they waited for an officer to deliver their drinks, she did her best to keep Maria’s mind off her missing son.
Ten minutes later, Levi Montgomery walked into the waiting room with a carrier filled with drinks in his hands.
“Gather around, folks. Never let it be said that the Sheriff’s Department doesn’t know how to treat its people and citizens right.
” He freed one cup and handed it to Maria. “For you, Maria. Special order.”
After freeing anther cup, he handed that one to Sedona.
“This tea is special ordered as well. David contacted Cam for suggestions since there were a million choices. Those were his words, not mine. Anyway, Cam seemed to know which one you’d want.
That was a relief to the sheriff, let me tell you.
” Levi motioned to the cup. “At least take one sip so I can report back what you thought of it.”
“That’s a good idea. He pays attention to detail, though, so I’m sure it will be fine.”
“Try it, please.” Levi waited.
Knowing the Montgomery brothers as well as she did, she knew he would wait all day if necessary. The brothers took stubborn to a new level. Sedona sipped the drink.
Her eyes widened. “Oh, wow. This is wonderful.”
He beamed. “Good. According to Cam, it’s a blend of mint and cocoa.”
“It’s perfect.”
“He’ll be glad to hear that.” Levi freed another cup and handed it to Spencer. “You look like a guy who can handle the strongest coffee on the planet. Am I right?”
The medic chuckled. “You’ve got it, my friend.”
Levi held out his hand. “Levi Montgomery, deputy sheriff, Morgan County.”
“Spencer Alford.”
“How are you connected to Cam?”
“Teammate. I’m a medic.”
“Good to meet you, Spencer.” Levi freed the last cup, handed it to a surprised Eddie, and tossed the carrier into the trash. “Do you need a quick break, Spencer? I can stay long enough for that.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
After Spencer left, Levi focused on Sedona. “My wife is concerned about you. Are you okay?”
“Not really, but you can’t do anything about it.”
“Except to catch a potential kidnapper.”
“You’re already working on that. In a way, I feel sorry for the kidnappers. They don’t know the skills of the people tracking them. They won’t stay hidden long.”
Levi gave a slight nod. “Cam left word for you to call him if you need him.”
She frowned. “He needs to focus on finding Julio, not worry about me.”
“He’s good at compartmentalizing.”
Which meant what, exactly? That Cam could follow a kidnapper’s trail and still be concerned about her safety? Must be nice. She couldn’t compartmentalize that well when the stakes were high, and the victim was part of her inner circle of friends, even if he was five years old.
“Have you remembered anything more from your kidnapping?”
“I haven’t thought about it. The men who took me from the school were all captured and arrested.”
“You should think about it. Looks like your kidnapping incident isn’t completely over, so any piece of information might be the clue that breaks open this case and shines a spotlight on the person behind it all.
I know they drugged you, Sedona. But anything will help if your memory starts to return. ”
“What little I remembered, we told David.”
“Good. He passed along information to us as he learned it. If you remember more, call David and tell him. He’s the clearinghouse for information among the deputies.”
“Got it.”
He reached down and squeezed her shoulder gently. “I’ll be around if you need me. We all will.” He nodded at Maria. “We’ll find him, ma’am. Everyone is working double shifts until Julio is back home.”
Sedona noted that Levi didn’t promise Maria they would bring her son home safe and sound. The harsh reality was that Cam and his teammates might not fulfill Maria’s deepest longing. Instead of giving the desperate mother false hope, Levi gave her something more valuable. Truth.
Spencer returned. “Thanks.”
“Yep. Later.” And Levi was gone.
“Wish we knew what was taking them so long to find Julio.” Eddie glowered at the cop in front of the door. “He’s just a little kid.”
“They’re working hard, Eddie, and they’re good at the job. Cam and the others won’t leave your brother in the hands of kidnappers or alone on the streets.”
He stared at her. “Are you saying he might have run away?”
“They’re considering that option as well.”