Jaime started filling the everyday glasses with ice water. “I don’t know why we even pretend to have meals. It’s not as if anyone is going to take more than a few bites. Even Blackie’s not eating.”
“We need food,” Lenora said, “especially Jaclyn. Pregnant women can’t do without proper nutrition.” And Lenora needed the routine of familiar activities that required no concentration. She could have prepared the soup and ham sandwiches they were having tonight in her sleep—if she were doing any sleeping.
She’d finally dozed off a couple hours ago only to be wakened by a nightmare starring the boys.
“Are we eating in the kitchen again?”
Lenora nodded. The kitchen had a warmth the dining room lacked except when the whole family crowded around the big oak table.
“How many place settings do we need?”
“One for everyone who’s not out searching for David and Derrick—except Jeremiah.” Fortunately Lenora’s father-in-law was still taking his meals upstairs, though he was feeing much better today.
Pulling him into this would add another layer of strain on all of them—especially Jeremiah. He’d made a miraculous recovery from his massive stroke over a year and a half ago, but she certainly didn’t want to risk another one.
“I thought Kali went back to her ranch,” Jaime said.
“She did, but only to check on her horses. She said she wouldn’t be long. And Jaclyn is watching Randy while Trish is horseback riding with Gina.”
“I’m glad,” Jaime said. “Gina really needed to get out of the house for a while. She had her own meltdown today when we got the news that the kidnapper didn’t show.”
“No one mentioned that to me.”
“Because you have enough on your own plate, Mom.” Jaime stopped to kiss Lenora’s cheek as she sashayed by her with silverware.
So they were protecting her the way she was trying to protect them. Sometimes terrible things like this tore families apart. This one seemed to be pulling them all together. If it did that for Becky and Nick, it would be a blessing. But nothing would feel like a blessing until the boys were safe.
“I think we should all be out searching,” Jaime said.
“I know you do. You’ve said that a dozen times over the last hour.”
“We always pull together when something bad happens in this family. I don’t see why it should be any different now.”
“Zach thinks the situation is better left in the hands of law authority. Too many cooks spoil the broth.”
“My nephews aren’t broth. And all my brothers are out there helping. And so is Shelly.”
“Shelly is ex-CIA. And she’s in Zach’s office in Colts Run Cross doing record checks at the moment. I’m sure you could go sit there and watch her.”
“No, thanks. Watching the show is not my game.”
And never had been. If Jaime was involved, she usually was the show. She had never been good at taking orders, and she had a way of claiming far too much attention from cops or any other men who happened to be around—even when she wasn’t trying.
Lenora ladled hot tomato soup into a blue pottery bowl. “Zach has serious doubts that the kidnapper is still in the same place that he made the calls from. He thinks he may be regrouping to make another attempt at claiming the ransom.”
“Well, if we don’t hear something positive soon, I’m driving up there even if I’m just in the way. I can’t stand sitting around here like a helpless female.”
A spoon slipped from Jaime’s hand and went clattering to the floor. She picked it up and tossed it into the sink. “I can’t stand the thought of David and Derrick spending one more night with that crazed monster.”
A loud thump behind her startled Lenora so badly she spilled soup from the ladle, bathing her fingers with the hot liquid.
“What the hell are David and Derrick doing with a crazed monster?”
Lenora turned just in time to see as well as hear Jeremiah’s banging of his cane. “I didn’t know you were coming down for dinner.”
“Don’t change the subject. What’s this about David and Derrick?”
Jaime handed Lenora a towel to wipe the soup from her fingers and took over with the ladling. “Might as well come clean with him, Mom. It is what it is.”
And put bluntly, it was a living nightmare. Lenora collapsed into one of the kitchen chairs. “There’s bad news,” she said. “Sit down, and I’ll tell you about it.”
“I can listen standing up.”
“Fine.” It never did any good to argue with Jeremiah. “David and Derrick were kidnapped from school on Monday.”
His wrinkles folded in on themselves, and his chin quivered. “Kidnapped?”
“Yes, while they were walking from the school to the church.”
His face turned the color of chalk as he sank into the chair kitty-corner from hers. “Who took them? What does he want?”
She fed Jeremiah the details as succinctly and as calmly as she could, but there was no way to paint the picture that it didn’t come out in shades of gray and black.
Jeremiah stopped her after practically every sentence with questions, but he was taking this much better than she’d expected. In fact, after the initial shock wore off, his face took on the defiant hardness he was famous for.
Once he’d exhausted her supply of information, he hammered his cane against the floor again. He hadn’t been using the cane much of late, but apparently the flu had weakened him to the point he felt he needed it.
Odd, but tonight the sharp pounding Lenora used to dread seemed entirely appropriate. Welcome, even. A replacement for the scream of frustration she’d wanted to give all afternoon.
Jeremiah hammered again, the echo of it reverberating off the walls of the kitchen as the back door slammed indicating at least part of the family had returned.
“That kidnapper is messing with the wrong dadburned family this time. He’s swallowed himself a bitter pill there’ll be no recovering from.”
Lenora put a hand over his thin, heavily veined one. “I pray you’re right.”
“Of course I’m right. All the Collingsworth men are out there with their hackles up looking for him. Becky and Nick, too. The devil and Tom Walker couldn’t stop them from getting David and Derrick back.”
Jaime walked over and put her arms around Jeremiah’s neck. “I like the way you think, Grandpa.”
Trish joined them in the kitchen, balancing her young son on one hip. Gina, Jaclyn and Kali were a few steps behind her. They all stopped and stared at Jeremiah as if waiting for the proverbial second shoe to drop.
“Grandpa was just telling us how big a mistake the kidnapper made in going against the Collingsworths,” Jaime announced.
“And I’m not talking just the adults,” Jeremiah added. “I’d be willing to bet David and Derrick have given the man fits, too. Those boys have spunk. It’s in their genes. No one should ever underestimate a Collingsworth.”
Gina started the applause and the others joined in with the spontaneous approval of Jeremiah’s much needed reassurance of faith in the family.
Lenora was thankful for it. As usual, Jeremiah was right. They would find the abductor, and he would pay. And in a perfect world they would get the boys back safely.
In this world that just might take the miracle she’d been praying for all along.
* * *
IT TOOK AN HOUR to reach the area where the car they believed to be the kidnapper’s had been wrecked. The car was registered to Jake Hawkins, purchased for twelve hundred dollars on time from a sleazy used-car lot the week after he got out of prison. It smelled of whiskey and marijuana and mold.
The CSI team was still on the scene, working in the misty rain and gusty wind, searching for evidence to link the car to David and Derrick. They’d shown Becky the shoes, and she’d verified they belonged to her sons or at least were perfect matches for the ones they’d been wearing when they’d left for school on Monday.
After that, both she and Nick were forced to watch the process from her car. They couldn’t see much, but it was as close as the detective in charge would let them get. It was clear he didn’t see any reason for their hanging around.
Becky was losing patience, and her stress-and-fatigue-laced headache was not making things any easier. As far as she was concerned, a lot of people were standing around doing very little instead of searching for her sons. She’d complained about that every time anyone got close enough to listen. They all assured her they were doing their jobs.
But ever since they’d arrived, she’d had a feeling, almost a premonition, that the boys were nearby. She knew how saying it aloud would sound, so she’d kept it to herself, but she felt it. Their presence seemed almost as tangible as Nick’s, who was sitting next to her.
Finally Zach pulled up and parked next to them. He got out of his truck and slid into the backseat of her car. “Rotten weather.”
“Damn the weather. Is anyone looking for David and Derrick?” she demanded.
Zach took off his wet hat and set it on the seat beside him. “Half of Texas now that we’ve alerted them.”
“I don’t see any sign of that.”
“It’s difficult to see past your nose in this weather, but a half-dozen deputies and your other three brothers are all combing the area and have been for the last few hours. They’re checking every house, cabin and mobile home they can find.
“And the state highway patrol is setting up a roadblock on the highway to stop and search all vehicles leaving this area.”
“The kidnapper’s car is wrapped around a tree. What good does it do to check vehicles?” She wasn’t even trying to fight her frustration now.
Zach leaned forward and massaged her shoulders. “Take it easy, sis. Getting riled at the cops isn’t going to help. The kidnapper is either still holed up in the area or he’s already cleared out. If he’s here, we’ll find him. If he’s left the area, we have to depend on law enforcement agencies around the state to track him down.”
Becky pressed her fingers into her temples, where the throbbing ache was building to an explosive crescendo. “It’s not enough.”
Nick reached over and put a hand on her thigh. “You need to get some rest before you bite someone’s head off.”
“He’s right,” Zach said. “You can only go so long without sleep. Why don’t the two of you drive into Huntsville and get a room? That way you can be nearby and still get some rest.”
“In other words, you’re telling me to do nothing.” She started to get out of the car but was hit with a wave of vertigo. She was sick, exhausted and now dizzy. Maybe getting some rest did make sense.
“What about you, Zach?” Nick asked. “What are you doing the rest of the night?”
“I’ll be out here a few more hours, checking for any houses or cabins we’ve missed. We’re working from a grid. The major areas have been covered, but there are a few seldom used back roads we haven’t hit yet.”
“I’d like to join you. I’ll need to drive Becky into town first. I don’t want her driving these dark roads alone when she’s as tired as she is tonight, but I can meet you after that.”
“Are you sure that’s what you want to do?”
“Positive.”
“Then why don’t I get one of the CSI guys to drive Becky into Huntsville and make sure she gets checked into a room. They’ll be through out here shortly.”
“There’s no need for that. I can go wizz you two,” she said.
“Would you listen to yourself?” Zach exclaimed. “You’re so tired you can’t talk straight. You’ve been living on raw nerves and strong coffee for almost thirty hours. I’m not trying to get rid of you, but if you don’t get some rest, you’ll end up in the hospital.”
“Okay, but I don’t like leaving.”
“I’ll go arrange for a ride for you.” Zach opened the door and scooted out of the car without waiting for a response.
Nick took her hand in his and squeezed gently. “I’ll go with you if you need me.”
“You need your rest more than me, Nick. You’re the one who’s injured. You already should be in a hospital.”
“When the boys are safe.”
She knew it was useless to argue about this. “I’ll be fine alone,” she said. “You do what you need to do.”
Zach returned a few moments later, the arrangements apparently made. “They’re saving you a room at Whistler’s Bed and Breakfast Inn. Steve Jordon will drop you off, and he says it’s the most comfortable accommodations in this part of Texas.”
Zach gave her a hug. So did Nick. And then he kissed her. A quick kiss, but it was the first time their lips had touched in months. She’d almost forgotten the taste of him. Sweet. Salty. Nick.
“I’ll join you in the room in a few hours,” he said. “Get some sleep.”
“I’ll try.”
She closed her eyes and imagined the boys walking out of the woods and strolling toward the car. And then it was the four of them—Becky, Nick, David and Derrick running hand in hand through a soft summer rain.
* * *
ZACH GUNNED HIS ENGINE, spitting gravel as he drove away from the mobile home where the inhabitants had told them about a recent break-in. The single wide was set in a clearing at the end of a ribbon of dirt and mud that looked more like a pig trail than a road, but this area was full of those.
Most led to deserted cabins, many built years ago before some river Zach had never heard of dried up. At least that was the word from the local sheriff, a giant of a Texan with arms like a gorilla’s and thighs as big around as Zach’s waist. His disposition was all snarl and growl, and Zach suspected that his bite was just as bad.
Nick reached for his seat belt as Zach’s truck rocked and rolled through a couple of mud holes big enough to drown a large dog. “Do you think it’s possible that the kidnapper was the one who broke into those folk’s mobile home Monday evening?”
“It’s possible, but it’s hard to believe a man who’d put as much thought into how he wanted the ransom paid and how he’d planned his escape would risk alerting the cops of his whereabouts for ice cream and sodas.”
“But then ice cream, sodas and spaghetti do sound like David and Derrick,” Nick said.
“That’s why I told him we’d like to check the house for fingerprints. I think we can get a team on that first thing in the morning.”
“I’d like to think it was the boys and that somehow they’d escaped the kidnapper and were on the run. But if that were the case, why would he have called this morning and set up the meeting at the Conroe airport?”
Zach turned on the defroster. “Maybe he thought he could pull it off even without the boys?”
“And then changed his mind?”
“I’m just thinking aloud,” Zach admitted. “The most likely scenario is that he was hiding out in one of these old cabins until he wrecked his car. He probably intended to steal a vehicle and close the deal this morning.”
“But something stopped him.”
“And if we knew what that something was, we’d have a handle on things and a hell of a lot better chance of finding all three of them.”
The rain was more of a deluge now, and Zach was starting to seriously feel the crunch of a long day. Fortunately they had almost covered every inch of their grid—or rather unfortunately since they hadn’t located the kidnapper.
Zach came across another road, this one in even worse shape than the one they were currently on. He was pretty sure it hadn’t made the grid. He turned down it anyway, though he half expected it to ramble around a few curves and then dead-end into an overgrown patch of mud, grass and brush.
He hit a spot where the water from the rains completely covered the road, and he had to creep through it. Lightning cut a jagged path through the dark clouds followed by rumbling thunder. The weather might be about to get a lot worse.
Nick put his head next to the side window. “Did you see that?”
“The lightning?”
“No, but when it lit the landscape, I saw a house—or what’s left of one off to the right.”
“How far off the road?”
“I couldn’t tell. I just got a glimpse.”
Zach slowed to a stop and yanked the gear into Reverse. He backed up until he was in about the same spot they’d been in when the lightning struck. Grabbing his rain gear and a high-beam flashlight from the backseat, he opened the door. He was half out of the truck before he decided to grab a second gun from beneath his seat.
Nick did the same, and as soon as the ponchos were over their heads, they tramped through the slosh, their boots sucked into the muddy goop with every step.
Nick found the cabin again with the beam from his flashlight. Rundown. Leaning. But there was a vehicle parked in front of it.
Zach’s adrenaline level spiked. “Looks like someone might be around.”
“If they are, they’re either already in bed or sitting in the dark. Unless the storm knocked out the electricity.”
Zach’s hand rode the butt of his pistol as they approached.
“A Jeep Cherokee,” Nick said once they were close enough to get a good look at the vehicle. “Isn’t that what Hermann Grazier’s wife said he was driving?”
“Exactly.”
“Maybe Hermann and his brother-in-law found this old cabin and took refuge from the storm.”
“Except that they should have been out of here long before the worst of the storm started. And this vehicle’s obviously been parked here since before the rain made a lake of the driveway.”
“Makes sense.”
“That’s why I make the big bucks.” The comment was more habit than joke. Nothing about this situation was a laughing matter. If the hunters were inside, Zach was pretty damn sure they hadn’t ended up here willingly.
He doubted they were. But Jake Hawkins just might be. Which meant the boys might be inside, as well.
“Take this,” he said, passing the extra gun to Nick. “I know you know how to use it. I’ve seen you on the driving range at Jack’s Bluff. Keep your eyes peeled, and use the car for cover in case someone inside heard us approach.”
Nick took the gun. “You think this could be it, don’t you?”
“Yes, if by ‘it’ you mean that this could be where Jake Hawkins has been hanging out.”
“I’d give anything to walk though that door and find David and Derrick alive and well.”
“I know, but don’t count on it. The place looks empty. And about the gun, I guess I don’t have to tell you not to shoot unless it’s a matter of life and death—then make sure you’re not the dead one.”
“Got it.
The hood of the Cherokee was up and rain was pouring into the car’s guts. Zach failed to come up with a rational explanation for that.
“Work your way around to where you can see the back of the cabin just in case someone tries to escape that way. And stay protected.”
Nick followed the order without question, staying low and near the tree line. Zach sprayed the front of the house with light, eventually letting the beam pinpoint the entrance. Gun poised for action, he walked up and knuckle-rapped the door.
“Police. Open the door and keep your hands in view.”
Of course there was no response. That would have been way too easy.
He knocked and yelled the order again, sure that this time he’d shouted over the wind and rain. Still nothing. Mentally and physically geared for an ambush, he tried the knob and the door swung open.
He flicked on the light, keeping his back to the wall and his trigger finger ready. There was no movement, but chaos painted a vivid picture that left no doubt in his mind that his nephews had been in this cabin with the kidnapper. They weren’t here now—unless…
A shadow moved outside the open front door. He was not the only one around.