“The airport.” She looked up at him with a kind of wonder on her face. “I remember.”
“I’m proud of you.” He touched her face, even while clenching his stomach. He’d hold her too hard, touch her too tightly, if he allowed the anger to percolate in him. Being close to her made everything else dissipate.
But it wasn’t long before reality crashed back in. Tate was here, and his wife was in danger. They needed to find her.
Toni frowned. “You don’t look so happy.”
“I just want to help find Savannah.” Jeff held out his hand. “Let’s get you off the floor.”
“No. Tell me what’s wrong first.”
She really wanted to do this right now? “Okay, I’ll tell you what’s wrong. He shoved you up against the wall and pushed you until you broke.” He could feel the vein in his temple bulge out like it did when he was stressed.
“Yeah.” She clasped his hand. “But it worked. He can save Savannah now.”
She stood, her body almost touching his. The urge to pull her the rest of the way to him so they could comfort each other was strong, but he resisted. Experiencing the relief they were all right when Tate’s wife was in serious danger wasn’t fair to the private investigator and what he was going through.
“Copy that. I’ll be there as soon as I can.” They both turned to Tate, who was pacing on the phone. “Thanks, Conroy.” He hung up, tension running through his body. “The police are headed there now to look for her. I’m going to meet them.”
“At the airport.” Jeff might sound inane, but he was still processing everything. And he was furious at what she and Tate had done.
But aside from the anger over Tate’s methods, and the fact it was Toni’s idea, his brain was working.
“What else do you want me to do?” Tate said.
Toni glanced between them. “There’s really an airport near here?”
“Almost an hour’s drive,” Jeff said. “That means if it’s not the local airport, then you’re out nearly two hours on a detour.”
Toni touched his arm. He didn’t know why or what her intention was.
“Why do you think the airport isn’t the airport?” Tate asked. “She said the airport and flying.” He shrugged. “What else would he be talking about, aside from some kind of shared psychedelic experience? And that gives us zero in terms of leads.”
“Maybe just be sure.” Before he drove all that way, wasn’t it worth being certain?
“Instead of being there when they find her?” Tate shook his head. “I’m not prepared to take that risk. I’m going.”
“Why would a guy who has spent his entire life in this town suddenly try to hide a kidnapped woman in a seriously public place like the airport?”
“Airports are pretty busy.” Toni agreed, frowning. “Why would he take her there?”
“Because he’s planning on leaving with her on a plane?”
“That might be exactly right, Tate,” Jeff said. “But there’s been nothing about a plane before—in any of this.”
“Maybe his family owns one. Or he booked it once he set his eye on Savannah.” Tate looked sick. “Who knows why he takes them to an airport?”
“Only—” Toni gave a gentle shrug and continued “—he did kill his father and the dad’s nurse, right? Doesn’t that mean he’s cleaning up so he can cut ties, maybe? This is it. He’s either not planning to outlive the situation, or he’s going to disappear.”
“Not with my wife.”
Jeff winced. “Honestly, I’d have thought Toni was his end goal. Why take Savannah?”
She said, “Maybe he will trade her for me. We can make a deal, and Tate can get his wife back.”
Jeff didn’t like that at all. Tate would agree with her plan, but Jeff had serious reservations. Even if she had no problem putting herself out like that. By her own admission, Toni had an issue going all-in to protect other people—even if it cost her in a serious way. She wasn’t worried about herself if someone else was in danger.
That meant it was up to Jeff to stand in for her. Be her protector if necessary.
Was that why God had brought them together, two years after their lives were torn apart? They’d barely known each other then. And yet, for both of them, things hadn’t really ever ended. Toni was the one who’d made the first move.
Jeff intended to prove to her that it hadn’t been a bad idea.
In fact, it had been the best idea he’d ever been on the receiving end of.
“The cops are already headed to the public airport.” Tate folded his arms.
“So, go. If she’s there, you’ll find her.”
Tate didn’t move. “What are you thinking?”
“The private airport.” Jeff hardly knew how to explain his instinct, and the fact everything in him rebelled at Tate’s theory and the idea of such a crowded place. “When I think airport, what comes to mind is—”
“Marlow Field.” He came over and squeezed the back of Jeff’s neck. “I never would have thought of that. It’s perfect. Abandoned. Isolated. He could literally do whatever he wanted there.”
Toni glanced between them. “What’s Marlow Field?”
Tate was already walking back to his backpack. “I’ll grab my laptop. I need to look up some things.”
Instead of answering Toni’s question, or asking Tate if he even had the WiFi password, Jeff said, “Are you going to redirect the police?”
If they were headed to the wrong place, they needed to turn around.
“Not yet.” Tate lifted the lid of the computer. “Let’s see if we can find a connection between this guy and Marlow Field. Because if you’re right, and I’m guessing you might be, we need proof to hand to the police.”
Jeff nodded. He still hadn’t let go of Toni’s hand so he led her to the table where Tate typed furiously. “There’s a tiny, abandoned airport to the west of town. In a valley. No one’s been there for years because, back in the eighties, there was an air show. It’s not something I remember personally, because I was maybe four years old and wasn’t in the audience. But a lot of people were there when a plane crashed into the crowd and killed fifty people.”
She covered her mouth with her hand.
“It was terrible, and as far as they could tell, it was the result of sabotage by one of the employees. Some guy with a grudge. The airport was private, and after that, no one wanted to be there. It went out of business immediately. Even locals with their own planes just needing a place to land wanted nothing to do with it.”
“I’m surprised Zander didn’t buy it.”
“No one did,” Tate said. “It’s still under the parent company of the original owner. Andrew Marks.”
Toni’s knees gave out, but she caught herself before she fell. “Any relation to Lenny Marks?”
“His father.”
Jeff gripped the back of a chair. “So Lenny would’ve grown up hanging around there. He’d know all about the accident, not to mention that his father still owned the land the defunct airport sits on at the time of his death.”
“But it didn’t come up in our search of Lenny’s financials, because his dad only died yesterday. His will hasn’t come into effect yet. Andrew still owed money on the whole place.” Tate said, “Certainly would’ve caused a stain.”
“You mentioned the father being injured.”
Jeff didn’t know what she was getting at but nodded. Lenny’s father had a nurse who came in every day to help him. But now they were both dead—killed by the man behind Savannah’s kidnapping. It really was Lenny Marks.
“Andrew was injured in the accident, paralyzed from the waist down. It’s all here in the newspaper article.” Tate’s brows lifted. “I think you’re really onto something, Jeff. And I’d never have even thought of it.”
“I hope I’m right, but maybe I’m not.” Jeff shrugged. “Is Marlow Field even a thing anymore?”
“It could be for Lenny.” Toni still grasped the back of the chair. “If he grew up under the shadow of that failing business and the accident that destroyed his father’s use of his legs.”
Jeff, of all people, knew having a disabling injury didn’t have to destroy your quality of life. He’d been trained to adapt and overcome. This was just another hurdle in the journey.
He asked Tate, “Do you know where it is?”
“I’ve seen the sign on the highway. Up the mountain from there, and then down into the valley.”
“He’ll see us coming.”
Both of them turned to him. Jeff said, “Because obviously we’re all going. If the cops are headed to the airport, then you’ll need backup. Right?”
“Are you sure?” Tate glanced around. “You’re supposed to be hiding out in this secret bunker, right?”
Toni’s lips twitched. Jeff studied her face, gauging how she felt even though she was the one who’d suggested trading herself for the kidnapped woman. “I’m game if you are.”
Jeff said, “That scares me. But if you’re going, then I’ll be there too.”
“Because I need to be taken care of?”
“You might not need it, but I get to do it anyway. Same as you’ll be taking care of me. Right?”
“You bet your bacon I will.”
Jeff’s lips twitched. “Don’t threaten the bacon.”
“You guys are weird.” They both turned to Tate. He said, “But thanks. I wasn’t sure about coming here first, before going off the map to find Savannah. I’m glad I did.”
Jeff nodded.
“Let’s go.” Toni stood. “Which one of you knows where Zander keeps his supplies?”
Tate’s face stretched into a smile. “Time to gear up.”
Twenty minutes later, they found the sign on the side of the road leading up to Marlow Field. Jeff followed Tate in a car out of Zander’s warehouse. Tate had borrowed an automatic weapon. Toni and Jeff took a pistol each, given they both had one functioning hand, and they all pulled on bulletproof vests. Jeff had tugged on a ball cap, backwards, because that was what he’d always done on missions. There was a familiarity to it that settled in his soul.
He could still be useful.
Tate pulled off the highway. Jeff followed suit right behind, Toni in the passenger seat.
“Thanks for being here.” Her voice was low, she sounded almost nervous. “I know you were mad after what we did.”
When he realized she didn’t plan to say more than that, he said, “I shouldn’t have been surprised, I guess. Seems like that was pure ‘Toni.’” Not only were they not at the place in their relationship where he could’ve shut that down because he objected, he wasn’t sure, if given the chance, he’d do it any differently. She was right that it did work. “Just because I didn’t like it doesn’t mean it wasn’t what got us an answer.”
Tate pulled off the road and headed for the airport. They’d checked Google maps before leaving and had also looked at the satellite view of the still standing buildings. That meant Jeff might be onto something.
He didn’t think Lenny was going to kill Savannah. Maybe torment her a little to buy some time while he waited for them to figured out where he was, and then he planned to end Toni’s life.
At least, that’s what Jeff figured.
“Let’s just concentrate on finding this guy.”
“Good idea.” Toni held the pistol in her lap.
“After that, we can take some time. Figure out what’s next.”
There was plenty to talk about, given what she’d remembered about her mother. She probably wanted confirmation her cousin was safe, wherever she’d been placed. Toni would want to talk with her brother.
But none of that ended the serious threat against them from General Wambuso.
Despite what Zander had promised, Jeff had to accept that they might not ever be completely safe. But still, no matter what the future brought, he wanted Toni with him. All her crazy, jump-in-with-both-feet tendencies, and her heart as big as Texas. Jeff’s barren life needed the light she brought with her. Otherwise, he wasn’t sure he would survive.
Tate pulled off before the top of the ridge. They all got out and crawled to the edge to look over at what remained of the airport below.
“Whoa.”
A plane lay on its side in huge pieces in the center of the buildings. The runway strip ran south to north on the right of it. Everything had been left almost as it was the day the crash happened. As though emergency services had pulled everyone out and simply walked away.
“Gotcha.” Tate lowered his binoculars. “His truck is parked beside that white building. He’s here.”