Chapter 13 #2
Or maybe, she realized, the goal wasn’t to kill her but to get the key back.
Yet that didn’t make sense either. The guy wearing scrubs hadn’t tried to grab her purse.
It would seem logical for him to do that if he’d suspected she had something of Clark’s.
The purse was the only thing she’d had with her this entire time.
Aside from the clothes on her back and her winter coat. Nothing else, just the purse.
Her house had been searched sometime after her crash. Was it possible Black Hat didn’t know what he was looking for? That he was searching for something other than a key?
“Bailey? Are you feeling sick again?” Trevor asked, his gaze full of concern.
“No, but I think this key is important.” She held it up for him. “I just remembered Clark asking for my keys.”
His gaze sharpened. “What brought that on?”
She was hurt by the doubt in his tone. “I have no idea why that memory came into my mind. I only recall being annoyed with Clark, but I don’t remember him clearly or why I was upset.
” The memory fragments were almost worse than having no memory.
It was like fitting pieces of a puzzle together without an image to work with.
“I’m glad you’re starting to remember.” Trevor patted her arm as Stan worked on their copy of the video. “I think we’ll stop at the Cody police station before we head to the ranch. Maybe they can figure out what that key opens.”
“Okay.” She didn’t want to argue, although she was feeling tired again. Sitting in a chair was similar to being on bed rest, wasn’t it?
She stifled a yawn and moved her chair back from the doorway to give Trevor and Archie room to leave. Deep down, she wondered why she’d remembered Trevor first over the man she’d married.
Likely because Trevor was her lifeline. He was here in the present, helping her. Supporting her. Caring for her.
Yet somehow, she had the distinct impression she wasn’t happily married.
Trevor took the USB drive Stan held out to him. “Both videos are on there,” Stan said.
“Thanks.” He dropped the thumb drive into his pocket. “I appreciate your cooperation.”
“I’ll need to report this up the chain myself.” Stan grimaced. “Never a good thing when someone pretends to work here while committing a crime. The only good news is that he didn’t have a hospital ID badge. I was worried he may have stolen one.”
Trevor hadn’t considered that possibility. He was torn between getting to the ranch as quickly as possible and speaking with the local law enforcement about the few clues they’d managed to unearth.
It made the most sense to visit the police station while they were here. It wasn’t far, and it was better for the local cops to have all the information they needed. But he’d also call Griff too. He needed all hands on deck.
Bailey’s preeclampsia diagnosis changed things. The near miss outside the lobby had shaken him. Not just because they guy had almost succeeded in kidnapping her, but the rough treatment could have hurt her baby.
It had been a risky plan attempting to snatch her in the daytime, yet also simple enough that it may have worked. If not for Archie’s growling, Trevor may not have noticed in time.
They needed answers and fast.
He wheeled Bailey through the hallway toward the emergency department. He was anxious to get out of there.
“I don’t think I was happily married.” Bailey’s statement seemed to come out of the blue.
He frowned, still pushing her forward. “What makes you say that?”
“I don’t know. My first memory of Clark was being annoyed.” She rubbed the injured fingers on her hand. “I just think if I had been happy, the memories would come easier.”
He wasn’t sure about that. The traumatic crash on the heels of telling him she thought she was being followed seemed like more than enough of a reason for her brain to have shut down.
But now that she’d said the words, he wondered if she was on to something.
Maybe her being angry with Clark had contributed to the amnesia.
“All we can do is hope your memory continues to return.” He reached the emergency department lobby, noticing more people had gathered there now. He scanned the faces but didn’t see anyone that fit the description of the man who’d tried to grab Bailey.
“I’ll walk from here,” Bailey said as he crossed the waiting room. “That way we can leave the wheelchair inside.”
“Okay.” The doctor had said she could be up to eat and use the bathroom. The distance from here to his rental SUV parked near the doorway wasn’t far. He pulled the key fob and hit the automatic start. The engine roared to life.
He kept a sharp eye out for trouble as he escorted her to the SUV. He opened the rear hatch for Archie, who bounded inside. He would need to give the dog time to get busy outside but thought that could wait until they reached the Cody police station.
Less than a minute later, they were back on the road. There were more vehicles and people out and about as the overcast sky gave room to a glimpse of the sun. He’d missed his chance to get Bailey to the ranch early enough to avoid traffic. Now it would be harder to spot a tail.
The police station wasn’t far. The car had barely warmed up when he pulled into the small parking lot. He put the car in gear and turned to Bailey. “You feel up to walking inside?”
“I’m not an invalid.” Her tone was more exhausted than annoyed. “I can walk a few steps.”
He nodded. “Wait for me.” He let Archie out, then ran around to her side of the car. “I’m sure this won’t take long.”
“I’m hoping they’ll have more officers on the road looking for the black GMC truck.” She looped her purse over her shoulder. “Maybe they’ll even have an idea about the key.”
“Yeah.” Trevor was feeling better about his decision to come there. Between the video, the key, and the more detailed description of the truck, he felt they were finally closing in on this guy.
And he sensed the bad guy was beginning to feel the pressure too.
He opened the door to the police station for Bailey. There were a couple of hard plastic chairs off to the side of the small lobby area. He gestured toward them. “Sit for a minute. I’m not even sure Howell is in yet.”
She didn’t argue. Archie stayed by his side. Since he knew they weren’t in danger there, he didn’t ask his K9 to guard.
“Trevor Sullivan here to see Sergeant Tom Howell,” he said to the receptionist. Digging in his pocket, he held up the USB drive. “There’s been another attempt against Bailey Adams, and I have video evidence I’d like to share with him.”
“One moment please.” She made the call, speaking low so that he couldn’t hear. She looked surprised as she lowered the phone. “Sergeant Howell is available. Do you know where his office is?”
“Yep. Thanks.” He turned to see Bailey making her way toward him. He slid his arm around her waist. “You’ll let me know if you start feeling bad.”
“Yes.” She leaned against him. “I won’t risk my baby.”
He knew she wouldn’t and was glad her tumble onto the snowbank hadn’t hurt. The way she’d looked up and remembered him had warmed his heart. But he also knew he couldn’t express his growing feelings for her until all her repressed memories had returned.
And if they didn’t? He shied away from that thought.
“You’re becoming a real pain in the behind,” Howell groused when they entered. “I haven’t gotten a good night’s sleep since this started.”
“Join the club. The attempts are escalating, so there’s no time to waste sleeping.
” He stepped aside so Bailey could sit in the chair.
Then he placed the USB drive on Howell’s desk.
“This is video of the attempted abduction of Bailey from the hospital lobby. There’s also video of a black GMC truck going past the emergency department with what I believe is a fake temporary license plate. ”
“Oh yeah?” Despite his earlier words, Tom looked interested. “Let’s take a look.”
“Make yourself a copy,” Trevor said. “I need that USB for Griff.”
“Yeah, okay.” Howell uploaded the video. After a few seconds, he whistled between his teeth. “Can’t believe he was brazen enough to take her out through the front door.”
“To a black GMC truck.” Trevor waved a hand. “Keep watching.”
Howell’s expression darkened as the second video rolled across the screen. “I heard the BOLO go out about the truck with temporary plates.” He held Trevor’s gaze. “Why do you think it’s fake?”
“No two-digit county designation.” He shrugged. “Would think even a legit temporary plate would have one.”
“So you think someone from New Jersey obtained this truck and is using the temporary tag to avoid being traced.” Tom sighed. “That’s a reasonable assumption.”
“I thought so. Oh, and we have a key that we’d like your thoughts on.” Trevor turned to Bailey. She pulled the key chain out and handed it to him. “We noticed this key doesn’t match the one that’s obviously for the house and car. Any idea what it might open?”
“Too small for a padlock.” Tom turned the key over in his hand, examining it from all angles. “I haven’t seen a key like this before, but I can ask around. See if it looks familiar to any of the officers.”
He hesitated. “I’d rather not leave it here. Maybe you can take a picture of it?”
“That works.” Tom set the key on his desk and used his cell phone to take a picture. Then he handed the key back. “You’ve made some ground on this case.”
“I wish it was more.” He handed the keys back to Bailey. “We really need your officers to find that truck.”
“We’re not sitting around eating donuts.” Tom’s tone was sharp. “Both officers on duty last night did their best to search for it between calls.”
“I know. I ran into Heath Anderson at the hospital, and he followed up with Jeff Riley who was out searching for the truck.” He swallowed his frustration. “I understand your resources are limited.”
“I’ve requested overtime for my officers.” Tom tapped the computer screen. “I think when the chief sees this, he’ll gladly approve my request.”
“Good.” He glanced at Bailey, who looked relieved to know more officers would soon be out on the street. “If you need us, we can be reached at the ranch.”
Tom arched a brow. “Surprised you’re leaving town.”
“Bailey needs to rest.” He didn’t see a reason to go into detail about her diagnosis. “We have ten dogs and a puppy that will alert us to trouble.”
“Yeah, okay. I get that.” Tom hit a few keys on his computer, clearly making a copy of the video from the USB drive.
Then the printer whirled as he printed a copy of the picture of the key.
When those things were finished, Tom rose to his feet and handed the USB drive back.
“I’m going to get this picture out to the team ASAP.
Between this key and the additional information on the black truck, I’m sure we’ll have this guy in custody by the end of the day. ”
“Thank you, Sergeant Howell.” It was the first time Bailey had spoken since entering the office. “We appreciate your quick response.”
Tom’s gaze softened. “That’s our job. Yours is to stay safe.” He clapped Trevor on the shoulder, easing past him with the photo in hand. “The Sullivans are more than capable of keeping an eye on you.”
“I know.” She pushed up from the seat, but Trevor put a hand on her shoulder.
“Why don’t you stay here for a few minutes? I need to take Archie outside to get busy. He hasn’t been out since eating breakfast.”
She nodded and settled back down. “Okay. I’ll wait here.”
Trevor turned away. “Come, Archie.” He led the dog out through the cubicles, noticing Tom veered off to join a group of uniformed officers gathering in what he assumed was the staff breakroom. Satisfied he’d done what he could to get things rolling, Trevor led Archie outside.
“Get busy, Arch.” The red lab sniffed the parking lot with interest but didn’t take long to get down to business.
He crossed to the SUV to dig a plastic baggie from the backpack. He quickly cleaned up after his K9, thinking about the ride home.
There was a detour he could take to avoid the main highway, but that would add thirty minutes to the already forty-plus minute drive. Not to mention, he wasn’t sure that the lesser traveled Route 3 had been plowed since the recent snowfall.
No, it was probably better to head straight south.
“Come on, Archie,” he called to his K9. The dog bounded toward him, tail wagging. Normally, he’d have taken the time to play with Archie a bit, but that would have to wait until they got to the ranch.
He headed back inside. The receptionist was on the phone, so he waited a minute for her to wave him through.
When he reached Tom Howell’s office, though, there was no sign of Bailey.
He frowned, wondering if she needed to use the bathroom.
He turned to ask Tom when he saw the guy speaking to his team.
The video was up on a screen, and he had already distributed copies of the key picture to the five officers standing there.
“Hey, have you seen Bailey?” he asked.
Tom frowned. “She’s not in my office?”
“No.” A niggle of unease snaked down his back. “Where are your restrooms?”
“Right here.” Tom indicated the two restrooms located right next to the break room. Both doors were open. There was no sign of Bailey.
His pulse spiked into triple digits. “She can’t have gotten far. Is there a back exit?”
“Yeah, this way.” Tom rushed through the cubicles to a rear door. The sergeant quickly pushed through it in time for Trevor to see the red glow of taillights in the distance.
Trevor stared in horror, two things hitting him with the force of a cannon ball to the chest. First, someone within the police department was involved. And second, the black-hat guy had Bailey.