Nowhere to Turn (27 page)

“They were in the safe.”

“Trust me. We’ve gone through every item in that safe and there were no counterfeit plates in there.”

“Then I suppose you’d better find them. Kurt would have left some kind of clue so they would be found. He left me a letter, you probably have one too. You have twelve hours and then I start sending your son to you piece by bloody piece.”

The phone clicked off and she simply stared out the window barely controlling her need to scream.

Adam took the phone from her. She thought she heard him ask for David, then she shut her mind off to everything around her except for her prayers for her son.

“Let’s go to the office,” Adam told Summer. “We have the items from the bag. The key. Everything. The guy’s right. If Kurt wanted those plates hidden, yet found when necessary, he would have left some kind of clue. Instructions. Something.” He rubbed his eyes. “We need to go over that letter again.”

She shivered and he knew she wasn’t interested in seeing it again. Unfortunately she didn’t have a choice.

“You said the letter didn’t sound like Kurt.”

“No, not really. Other than the fact that he would arrange to have me killed so we could be ‘together forever.’ Unfortunately, I can see him saying that. Followed by his stupid ‘Gotcha.’” She shuddered. “It’s gotten so I absolutely hate that word.”

Summer drove with skill and speed and soon Adam found himself helping Dani out of the vehicle and into the office building.

Within minutes, they had the safe contents once again spread out on the conference room desk.

“I feel like we’re spinning our wheels,” Dani said.

“Give me the letter,” Adam said.

David passed it to him. Adam looked at Dani. “Okay. Come look over my shoulder and tell me what jumps out at you as being out of character for Kurt.”

Dani stepped behind him and again he was struck by his acute awareness of her as a woman. A very attractive woman. And a very scared mom.

She cleared her throat. “‘You know my job is dangerous, it’s never safe. I take risks everyday. Risks that ensure I’m making huge deposits in the bank for our future.’ Okay, that right there.”

“What?”

“That sentence about making huge deposits in the bank for our future. If he knew I’d be reading the letter, why talk about our future. He’s talking in the present tense. Should he say, ‘I was taking risks’? Or something? And the whole ‘making huge deposits in the bank’ thing. It just doesn’t sound like him.”

Adam nodded slowly. “Okay, that makes sense. What else?”

She swallowed. “‘They’re risks you’ll never know about. One day those risks might get me killed. I’m not planning on it, of course, but you never know. One other thing. You may think I’m not aware of Stuart’s obsession with you, but I am. Let me make myself clear, Dani. Only you hold the key to my heart.’ Everything else up to this point sounds normal.” She snorted. “Or abnormal, depending on how you look at it.”

“Definitely abnormal,” he agreed.

She took a deep breath and continued. “‘There’s no one else for me and there’s no one else for you. He will never have you. Once Stuart finally realizes that, he will understand that I will always win and he will always lose. I’ll see you soon, my darling. Kurt.’ The rest of it sounds exactly like him.”

“So let’s isolate those two sentences. What do we have?”

“‘I’m making huge deposits in the bank for our future,’” she said.

“And ‘Only you hold the key to my heart.’”

“Why would he put those sentences in there? He’d never say that.”

“And he knew that you would know that.”

“He expected me to find this letter long before I did, didn’t he?”

“Yes, I would think so.”

She tightened her lips. “I’m glad I didn’t.”

Adam looked back at the two sentences. “So what words stand out to you?”

“Huge, deposits, bank, future, key, heart.” She muttered each word. Then drew in a deep breath.

“What is it?”

“The bank that Kurt used. I think it was called Future America?”

Adam circled the word future. “So, we’re dealing with a bank?”

“Not just any bank. The bank of Future America.”

“Okay, I’m going to take a wild guess here and say that this key,” he picked it up and held it out to her, “is a key to a safe-deposit box at the bank of Future America.”

“But which one?”

“Whichever one is closest to your house.”

“No.” She shook her head slowly. “The one closest to his office.”

Adam nodded. “All right, let’s check that one out.”

“But it’s in Kurt’s name. They won’t let me in.”

David cleared his throat. “You’re assuming it’s in Kurt’s name. What if he put it in your name?”

“But wouldn’t I have to sign some papers? I think I’d remember.”

Adam nodded again. “Let’s just see what happens when we request to get into the box.” He looked at Dani. “I have all of your old identification that you would need.”

His phone rang and he answered it on the first ring. “Hi, Ralph.”

“We found your man.”

“Stuart?”

“Yes.”

“And?”

“He’s dead. Bullet got him right between the eyes.”

Hearing that Stuart was dead registered, but emotionally she felt numb. All she could think about was her son. Her heart ached with a fear she’d never felt before, but right now she had it under control. Being proactive, doing something to help get him back, helped tremendously. Earlier, waiting for the team to come up with a plan had nearly had her climbing the walls.

Adam retrieved her old identification documents and she dyed her hair back to her original color so it just looked like she’d gotten an extreme haircut. She ditched the glasses and dressed in khakis and a baby blue sweater Summer had unearthed from somewhere in her office.

When she walked into the conference room to announce she was ready, she found the team around the table, heads bent, hands clasped. Adam glanced up and motioned for her to join them. She walked over and took his hand and joined her heart to his as he prayed aloud. “Lord, we ask you to protect Simon. He appears to be a sick kid, God, and needs your healing hand. Let us get him back safe.” Dani felt tears slip down her cheeks as she listened and prayed right along with him.

After each person petitioned God for safety, protection, wisdom, and supernatural protection for Simon, they ended the prayer with a unanimous “Amen.”

Dani wouldn’t say she felt peace when they were done, but she felt stronger, ready to face whatever was coming and deal with it head-on. She was ready to get her son back and didn’t care what she had to do to accomplish that. Having God in her corner brought comfort.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes, please.”

“I’m going to be right with you every step of the way.”

“Do you think they’ll be watching?”

“I have no way of knowing. Probably. We’ve left your cell phone on. Whoever it was that called has your number, and if he’s FBI, he’ll be tracking it.”

She pulled in a deep breath. “Good.”

Adam narrowed his eyes at her. “Good? Why? You’re not thinking of doing anything stupid, are you?”

“Of course not. I just want my son.”

“We tried to trace the number that called you, but it was encrypted, no way to track it.”

She nodded. “I’m not surprised.”

“Your phone, however, is traceable.”

“You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

He gave her a slight smile. “Yes.”

“With the intention of being able to track me if you needed to or were you planning on setting some kind of trap?”

“No trap. I just wanted to be able to keep up with you should the need arise.”

They climbed into the SUV and Adam took the wheel. Isaac and David followed behind. Adam drove to the bank and pulled into the parking lot.

Dani shoved open the passenger door and waited for Adam to come around. He looked her in the eye. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“I can do anything if it means getting Simon back.”

“He could have been bluffing. He might be waiting for you in the bank. Keep your eyes open.”

“I will.”

“All right then.” He took her hand and helped her from the vehicle. She made a beeline for the glass doors. Adam kept pace with her, covering her from behind. “I think you’re safe for the moment.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because whoever wants those plates doesn’t want you dead.”

“But as soon as I give them what they want, they’ll no longer have a use for me, will they?”

“True.”

“And Simon? Would they kill a child?” She coughed on the knot that formed in her throat.

“I don’t know, Dani.”

“They would, wouldn’t they?”

“Right now, Simon’s still alive. Let’s figure out how to keep him that way.”

“Yes. Let’s do that.”

She took a deep breath and stepped inside the warmth of the bank, praying the cold pit of terror wouldn’t take over and render her incapable of saving her son.

Joe lowered the binoculars. “They’re in the bank. Text Dani the message.”

Butterfly sat beside him. Simon lay on the backseat. The kid was so weak with whatever virus he had, Joe hadn’t bothered to tie him up. And gagging him would only cause him to asphyxiate on his own vomit. He just hoped the kid didn’t puke in the car. That would really put him in a bad mood.

Butterfly took his phone and texted Dani.

We’re watching u. We have Simon. Get out of the bank alone. Any dumb moves and your kid dies.

Joe held the gun against Simon’s temple and Butterfly snapped the picture while the kid trembled, eyes wide, face pale.

Once Butterfly had hit Send, Joe lowered the gun.

Butterfly opened the door. “I’ve got something to do. I’ll meet you at the warehouse.”

“Where are you going? I might need help with the kid.”

Butterfly glanced in the backseat. “I think you can handle it.” She slammed the door and walked across the street to the Sassafrass Boutique. A known place to acquire high-quality drugs. Joe gritted his teeth. He’d thought she’d kicked that habit.

He sighed and settled in for the wait.

Dani glanced at her phone when it vibrated. The text message notification zipped across her screen. She’d look at it in a minute. Right now, Adam was leading her to an official-looking bank representative.

The woman looked up and smiled. “How may I help you?”

Adam took the lead and she checked her phone. She held back her cry with effort. Adam was saying, “We’re here to retrieve the contents of a safe-deposit box.”

“Certainly. I’m Heather Gillespie and I’m happy to help you. May I have your ID and key?”

With a shaky hand, Dani handed over the items. Mrs. Gillespie scanned the picture and looked Dani over twice. “That’s a pretty drastic change.”

Dani gave a self-conscious laugh. “I know. It was a spur-of-the moment thing. I’m letting it grow back out.”

Mrs. Gillespie clicked a few strokes on the computer keyboard. “Glad to have you back in, Mrs. Harding.” She stood. “Follow me.”

Dani gaped at Adam. “I’ve never been here,” she whispered.

“Kurt was FBI, Dani, he could do a lot of things. Getting a safe-deposit box in your name probably wasn’t real hard.” He glanced at the woman walking at a jaunty pace just ahead of them.
“Getting a fake ID and someone to impersonate you wouldn’t be any big deal.”

“I can’t believe Kurt. This is just insane.”

“Sounds like Kurt might have just had a little insane in him.”

Her mind on the message, Dani gave an absent nod and stopped when Mrs. Gillespie pulled open a large steel door. She stared at the screen of her phone, the text message sending her heart into overdrive.

“You all right?” Adam asked.

“Yes, just hoping they’ll call.” It wasn’t a lie. She desperately wanted to see her son safe.

“Right this way.” Mrs. Gillespie led them to box number 421 and inserted her key. She motioned to Dani. “Mrs. Harding?”