Eye of the Abductor (35 page)

She entered the room. “I have nothing to offer them. If I lie,
they'll know.” A sob escaped from deep inside her. “I don’t think I’ll ever see
Nathan again. Not alive.”

Brance gathered her in his arms and held her close, letting her
cry on his shoulder. “You’ve got to stay strong and positive. Let’s get you
back to bed. You’ll be able to think more clearly once you’ve rested.”

“I’ll wait here,” his father said.

“I’ll be down when I get her settled.”

Upstairs, Brance pulled back the comforter and waited for Allison
to climb into bed before pulling it over her. She exhaled a quaky breath.
“Don’t forget to place the cradle by our bed.”

“I won't, and this time I want you to stay in bed,” he said like
a father scolding a child. Brance leaned and kissed her forehead. “I’ll be
right back.”

Allison nodded and closed her eyes, hoping sleep would rescue her
from the situation at hand. Rescue her from her fears and doubts and the
longing for her child’s safe return. Rescue her from heartache and pain.

She thought about the night of Rob's botched drug bust and what
had followed. Nothing remained of that life. No desk with a secret compartment.
No tool chest. No place where Rob could've left any information. Everything
they’d owned was gone.

In the outer hall, Brance bumped the cradle against the wall and
expelled a slight curse.

Nathan’s cradle!

She sat up in bed, her heart pounding.

The cradle. Rob knew I’d never let anything happen to it.

She leapt from bed and rushed into the hallway.

“What are you doing out of bed?”

“Brance, the cradle!”

“Yeah, I’m bringing it as fast as I can.”

“We need to search it. Turn it over.”

Brance struggled to flip the awkward piece of walnut over. He ran
his hand over the old wood. “I don’t see where anything could be hidden.”

Allison’s heart sank to her stomach. “Rob knew I planned to ship
it to my father’s house in Kansas.”

Brance set it upright. Then he removed the mattress and padding.

“My aunt made the new cover for the mattress before Nathan was
born. Rip it open.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m positive. Do it!”

Brance turned toward his dad who was walking up the stairs. “Dad,
let me borrow your pocket knife.”

Mr. Stone reached in his pocket, then handed it over.
"What's going on?"

“A treasure hunt.” Brance cut along the seam of the cloth and
pulled out the foam padding.

“It has to be there,” Allison said.

“There isn’t anything here but padding,” Brance said.

Then Allison noticed the board that rested beneath the mattress.
“That’s not the original wood. Rip it out.”

“I might damage the cradle.”

“My son’s life is worth a lot more."

“Right.” He used the pocketknife to wedge between the board and
the cradle’s frame. His father reached down and grabbed the thin plywood board.
Beneath it was the original bottom of the cradle and a manila envelope.

“Oh, Brance!
Open it.” Allison closed her eyes and prayed that it contained the information
that would save her son.

Chapter Twenty

“No, you open it.” Brance offered her the envelope.

Allison’s hands trembled as she ripped it open. She walked inside
the bedroom and turned it upside down, letting its contents fall out on the
bed.

A small navy blue book with Bank of the Cayman’s engraved in gold
on the front along with other papers toppled out onto the bed.

“Rob had planned a new identity for himself. Michael Edwards.”
She opened the book and saw the balance listed. “Four point nine million. Looks
like he used some of it, but for what?”

“Probably for his fake passport and other documents under the
name of Michael Edwards. Maybe even a house somewhere. I’m sure he paid someone
to do the leg work on this.” Brance offered a playful scowl. “Unlike you who
did it the old fashioned way, Laura Marsh.”

Her cheeks heated. Brance had known about her new identity she'd
kept in her car, yet he’d never said anything.

“When did you find out?”

“A week or so before Christmas.”

“You knew, yet you still didn't believe I kidnapped Nathan. You
trusted me that much?”

“You have a good thing going with me. I didn’t think you’d blow
it to become a fugitive.”

She smiled. “Not in a million.”

His father thumbed through the items. He stood statue-like with
an expression of shock.

“Dad, what is it?”

“There's a letter here, naming the person calling the shots.”

Allison wondered if he'd seen Dillon's name.

“Collin Reed, right?” Brance asked.

His father frowned. “Lt. Larry Bishop.”

Brance’s face paled with shock. “Larry?”

Okay, she'd been wrong about Dillon. She was actually glad he
hadn't been involved.

“I’m afraid so. We’ve been friends all these years, and I never
suspected him of being involved in anything shady." His gaze dropped back
to the letter." Seems Judge Mason was involved as well.”

"He's the judge who oversaw my trial." Allison took the
letter and skimmed over it. “Seems Lt. Bishop threatened to have us all killed,
including Rob’s parents if he ratted him out. Lt. Bishop also gave the order
for Rob to kill Johnny Jenkins because the kid had overheard their
conversation.”

“Which meant the death penalty. Rob had a good reason to keep
quiet. Larry must’ve deliberately screwed up the investigation and changed the facts
to make it appear Jenkins had been caught up in Escobar’s gunfire.” Brance
placed a hand on his dad’s arm. “More than likely, Larry’s the one behind
Nathan’s abduction.”

His father nodded. “But he’s not acting alone. Someone’s in this
with him.”

“Trey Marshall would be my guess,” Brance said.

“What about Randy?” Allison asked.

“I don’t think so," Brance stated. "At the most, he’s
guilty of running his big mouth.”

“Lt. Bishop must’ve recognized me that day in front of Brance’s
apartment.” Allison wrapped her arms around herself, fighting the chills edging
up her spine. “Then he probably enlisted Trey Marshall’s help. Under pressure
from Trey, Jill became involved.”

“Do you think Marshall was involved in the original operation
with Rob Wilson?” his dad asked.

“Maybe, but he’d have been a rookie like Jenkins.”

"Escobar told me his men weren’t responsible for the
officer's death. He hasn't wanted the money, just the men who murdered his
nephew," Allison said.

Brance read the letter and smiled. “You didn’t read the last
paragraph closely.”

She shrugged. “No. Why?”

“It clears you of any wrong doing.”

She snatched the letter and read it. The news should’ve made her
happy, but instead, it depressed her more. Wasn’t it just like fate to give her
this now, now that she might not ever see her son alive?

“We should turn this over to the FBI." Allison gathered the
items from the bed.

“No. Not yet,” Brance said.

“Why not?" his dad asked.

“I’m afraid they’ll go after Larry, Trey, and the judge and cause
them to panic. If Dillon and Colby will work with us, we can tail them. If I
had to bet which one was in charge of Nathan’s care, I’d put my money on Trey
Marshall.”

“What if you’re wrong?” Allison asked.

“And what if I’m right?”

She thought about the precious time the FBI had already wasted
pursuing her instead of hunting down the real abductors.

“Go ahead with the exchange,” his dad suggested. "I'll call
your brothers."

***

Brance had a car full of groceries to unload. When he heard a
truck pull in his driveway, he turned and looked. Dillon stepped out. Crazy,
but he was glad to see him. “Make yourself useful and grab a few bags.”

“Sure thing. So, you do the shopping, huh?”

“Yeah, I don't mind. Allison won’t leave the house. She’s afraid
she’ll miss the abductors’ call.”

Dillon looped the plastic bags over his arms and followed Brance
through the garage into the kitchen and set them on the counter. “I owe you an
apology.”

"Not me." He put the refrigerated items away. “My
wife.”

“Later, now I’m here to square things with you. I’ve been a
shithead to you most of our lives. I’ve been doing some soul-searching lately,
and I don’t like who I am.”

“Don’t beat yourself up over it. I guess you sensed the raw
emotions and feelings Dad had for me.”

“Nah, it had more to do with Mom. She couldn’t do enough for you.
She did things with you that she didn’t do for us. Like when just the two of
you went to the zoo.”

Brance paused with a carton of eggs in his hands. “You forget the
reason we went.”

Dillon gave him a questioning stare. “Why?”

“Dad had three tickets to a Tiger's game and took Colby and you.
When I found out, I was upset, so Mom suggested we go to the zoo.”

“Yeah, I’d forgotten about that.”

“While Mom might’ve favored me, you had Dad’s approval. I busted
my ass through school trying to make him proud of me, but I never could reach your
status.”

“The other day, Dad had the pictures out looking at them. I think
that’s when it hit us both. We miss you. You're the comedian of the family. We
missed your clowning around and stupid jokes. Can we call a truce?”

“Why not?” Brance said, truly meaning it. “I’ve already forgiven
you for stealing Carla.”

Dillon wrapped his huge arms around him and hugged. Despite all
that had transpired between them, Brance loved his older brother.

“After I apologize to Allison, let’s talk about how we can get Nathan
back.”

***

Dillon pondered over the conversation he’d had with Brance the
previous day. He loved him as much as he did Colby. Years of jealousy and
rivalry had blinded him.

While he fed the dog on the patio, Carla stared at him through
the kitchen window. She quickly turned away when he smiled at her.

Another thing he’d discovered was that he loved Carla. He’d
suffered some confusion this past year and had done some things he wasn’t proud
of. He wasn’t sure how he’d make it up to her or whether she’d forgive him, but
he would try.

When he returned inside, she stood at the stove, stirring a pot
of stew. “Dinner will be ready soon. Tell the kids to wash their hands.”

“We need to talk.”

“Dillon, there’s nothing to say. I won’t stay in a relationship
where my husband is screwing around and clearly doesn’t love me.”

“I’m not seeing her anymore. I swear on the lives of our
children, I won't slip up again. And Carla, I do love you.”

She laughed sarcastically. “Since when?”

“I’ve done some thinking lately. I was wrong about Brance. And
I’d convinced myself the only reason I was interested in you was because he
loved you. But that’s not true. I loved you then, and I still love you. Please,
Carla. Give me another chance. Let me make it up to you.”

Fear and doubt reflected in her eyes. He’d done this to her
-c
hanged her into a doubtful, insecure
woman. He crossed the room and pulled her into his arms. “Carla, I’m sorry I
was unfaithful. I promise I’ll never hurt you again.”

He’d expected her to pull back from him, but she didn’t. Instead
she wrapped her arms around him and sobbed. “I love you, Dillon. Though I
forgive you, it will take a while to trust you again. And mister, before you
can come back to my bed, a doctor has to give you a clean bill of health.”

“Am I staying?”

“Let’s just say you’re on probation. Two strikes and you're out.”

He kissed her deeply, all the while thinking how much she meant
to him. How sorry he was for hurting her.

***

Jill stared at Nathan as he played with a toy truck. Unsure of
whether they’d keep the kid alive, she wished she hadn’t agreed to any of this.

Unlike Larry, Trey wasn't a killer. She planned to talk to Trey
again, reemphasizing that Nathan couldn’t be harmed. Though she’d helped him
ransack Allison’s apartment and gave him information the night he attacked her,
Jill hadn’t intended to get in this deep.

Trey and Larry hadn’t taken into consideration that Allison might
be blamed for the abduction. It had put a kink in their plan, but now that
Allison was home, they planned to move ahead.

“Nathan, do you want me to read you another story?”

He shook his head, then pursed his lips into a pout. “I want my
memaw.”

“What about your mother? She misses you too.”

“Does not. Memaw said she doesn’t love me.”

“Not true, scout. You might as well know the truth.”

He glanced up with uncertainty.

“Your dad was a bad cop. And he sent your mom to jail when she
hadn’t done anything wrong so your memaw could steal you.”

The kid placed his hands over his ears and chanted some
unrecognizable words. Jill forced his hands down. “Your mother wanted you. She
loves you. And you're all she’s lived for.”

As soon as his hands flew back over his ears, the chanting
started again. If Allison ever managed to get custody of him, she’d have her
work cut out for her. The kid hated her.

***

Allison hesitantly answered the ringing phone. “Hello.”

“Do you have what we want?”

“Yes. I have it.”

“Good. If you do everything I say, you’ll get your son back. If
not, he dies. Am I clear?”

Allison closed her eyes. “Yes.”

“Tell the FBI to turn off their monitoring devices, or I’ll kill
the kid now. I know they’re listening and tracing this call.”

She glanced at the agents, and they quickly switched off the
equipment. “It’s off. No one is listening but me.”

“I want you to go to the Wolfchase Mall carousel at two O’clock
Saturday. Wait by the exit gate. Have the information in a large manila
envelope and carry it in your right hand. Once I have it, you can have your
son. You’ll find Nathan on the ride.”