Chapter Fifty-one
Wes and Jacob waited for Detective Jackson to return to his desk from the captain’s office. Wes stared at his phone, praying for Angel. He was glad he’d activated the mute button, so he could keep the connection without Eddie being aware of conversations.
Jacob asked, “What’s the plan? How are they going to find her?”
“Angel was clever enough to call, so her phone can be used to trace her location. It used to be only the FBI had access to tracking technology, but now quite a number of police departments can also track cell phones in case of emergencies, like a kidnapping. Right now they are working to nail down her location, and I’m pretty sure the SWAT team has been called in.”
Jacob frowned. “SWAT? You think he has a weapon on him?”
Wes hesitated because he wasn’t sure how much Jacob knew, but Angel was his niece. “Look, you know about the fire at Southern Soul Café.”
“Yeah.”
“There was a body in there with a gunshot wound to the head.”
“Are you serious? Who was it? Are you telling me that Eddie killed someone?” Jacob got up from the chair and paced. “I knew it. I knew it. All this time, I knew that man was no good.”
Wes noticed Jacob’s tightened fists. “Okay, calm down. If we can’t keep it together, they won’t let us go with them to find her.” Wes wasn’t actually sure if they would or would not, but he hoped his buddy Darnell could pull some strings. Wes had to be there to help them find Angel. He said, “You know I talked to some of the members of Southern Soul, Pete and Buddy. They seemed to not care too much for Eddie, either. Neither did my pops. Do you know why Nick was the one that always seemed to be in Eddie’s corner?”
Jacob shook his head. “Wes, that’s the million-dollar question. I don’t know why my dad was such a fan of Eddie’s. Don’t get me wrong. I remember admiring him when I was a kid. I think I was twelve when he joined the group. He was different, younger, and he could play the drums. I wanted to play the drums just watching him. But I don’t know.... He had a way of being manipulative when he wanted something. He just turned on the charm, but there was something else about him that just never sat right with me.”
Jacob sat down. “My dad had this one-track mind. When he made up his mind about something, it was hard to convince him that he could be wrong. I remember I was accused of being jealous. Nick was my dad. He was on the road a lot, and I wanted his time. Eddie would come by with his problems, and Dad would stop and listen. You know, later I learned he bailed him out of jail.”
Jacob threw up his hands. “This dude was arrested and put in jail. If that wasn’t the handwriting on the wall, I don’t know what it was. None of the guys in Southern Soul were perfect, but they all were God-fearing men who had families.”
Wes nodded, agreeing with Jacob’s rants. To bring Eddie into a group that had already been in existence for quite some time, and especially with his age difference, did seem a bit odd. He asked Jacob, “What was Eddie arrested for?”
“Assault and battery, I believe,” Jacob answered. “Eddie claimed the guy he used to work for had called him a racial slur, so he hit him. The man called the cops, and Eddie was arrested. I believe the guy dropped the charges, because nothing happened, or at least I didn’t hear anything more.”
Wes looked up and saw Darnell walk out of the captain’s office. He was wearing a bulletproof vest. He walked over.
“Okay, SWAT has been called, and the signal from Angel’s phone has her up near the Lake Wylie area,” he told them. “There are cabins out there. Do you, by any chance, know if Eddie has property up there?”
Jacob stood. “No, he doesn’t have property, but before he became the drummer with Southern Soul, he worked at a place with cabins. In fact, he worked there for a while even after he joined Southern Soul.”
“You remember the name of the place?” Darnell asked.
Jacob looked at Wes and then focused back on Darnell. “I was just telling Wes about the time my dad bailed Eddie out of jail. He had been arrested for assaulting the owner of a cabin resort. I don’t remember what the place was called. Misty Pine, maybe. I remember the name of the place had the word pine included.”
“Okay, okay. That might help us narrow down the search. Do you remember what year Eddie was arrested?” Darnell asked.
Jacob blew out a breath. “I don’t know. This was probably early eighties. It was right before I graduated from UNC Chapel Hill.”
Wes asked Darnell, “Eddie’s fingerprints should be in the system, right?”
“Yes,” Darnell answered. “After hearing Jacob’s story here, I’m curious to know a little bit more about Eddie’s background. I’ve been looking into leads on him since the fire on Sunday. Eddie kind of doesn’t have anything on him prior to Southern Soul. I think I’m going have his fingerprints run in the AFIS database. I will get someone on it. Right now, Angel’s safety is our focus. It appears they stopped at some location and haven’t moved, unless her battery died.”
Wes followed behind Darnell as he headed toward the door. “You are going to let me go with you, right?”
Darnell turned and looked at Wes, then at Jacob.
Jacob shook his head. “I’m fine. I need to get back to my mother. The nurse was nice enough to come in on her day off. Fredricka doesn’t know what’s going on, but I have a feeling this will be on the news.” Jacob looked at Wes.
Wes nodded. “I know Serena is on this. She’s going up in the WYNN helicopter, but I’m not interested in going to get the story. I want to be there for Angel.”
Darnell said, “Wes, you can’t be trying to play hero. We have trained professionals who will handle Eddie.”
“I know that, man. Angel is going to need a friendly face when you find her. She’s probably totally freaked out.”
Darnell sighed and looked over at the captain’s office. “Fine. We’ll get you a vest, and you are not to get in anyone’s way. Understood?”
“You got it!” Wes said.
A few minutes later, Darnell sped down the highway with Wes in the passenger seat. Wes still held tight to his phone, praying that they would reach Angel in time. After what seemed liked forever, Wes could see flashing lights ahead, along with the SWAT truck. He could see several officers standing in a group, dressed in gear.
Wes sat up and pointed. “Oh, man, there’s Angel’s car.” He reached for the door handle while the car was still moving.
“Okay. Stay cool, man.” Darnell pulled the car over, and both of them got out. Wes kept up with Darnell’s long strides. From what he could see, no one was in Angel’s car. He looked over into the woods. Eddie must have taken Angel into the woods.
Wes watched as the SWAT officers suddenly took off into the woods.
He asked Darnell, “How are they going to find her in there? Does she still have her phone on her?”
Darnell had been talking to a technician who had been examining Angel’s car. He shook his head. “No, she left her phone in the car, which was probably a good thing. She wouldn’t have wanted Eddie to know she had kept it on. The team has mapped out the place and is spreading out now. It looks like this road leads up to the back of Pine Meadows. Some of these cabins haven’t been open to the public in a while. This is probably the place where Eddie worked at earlier in his life, and he probably knows the area well.”
Wes felt fear surge through his body as helplessness set in. Angel would need more than just the SWAT team. He prayed, Lord, please protect Angel. Send your angels to surround her and protect her from evil.