Mason gave up trying to convince Lacey to go home and get some rest. She was determined to see this through to the end and he didn’t blame her. If someone told him he had to stay behind, he would have fought just as hard as she. And because he knew she might pull another stupid stunt like the one where she showed up at John Howe’s house, he decided having her close by would be a good thing.
At least he could keep an eye on her.
According to the police officer assigned to him, John Howe would be delivered to an interrogation room in approximately two hours.
He looked at her. “Let’s go find a spot to wait.”
“All right.”
Mason led her down the hallway to the break room. “There’s coffee and crackers. Help yourself.”
She bit her lip. “Are you sure they won’t mind?”
He shot her a smile. “I’m sure.”
Lacey grabbed a bottle of water. Mason did the same. They settled on the futon in the corner. Mason studied her, his mind whirling with possibilities. She could have found herself in serious danger today, and, while she’d been upset, she hadn’t lost control. He had to hand it to her. When she was determined, she found a way to do what had to be done.
She said, “I know your dad got remarried a few years ago. That’s great. So…what are they going to say about all this?”
He shrugged, “I’ve already told them and they were shocked, of course. Once the idea sunk in, they were thrilled, then terrified for her safety. And sad they missed out on the first fifteen years of her life.
“Maggie, my dad’s wife, is a sweet lady. A total opposite of my mother.” He swallowed hard. “She doesn’t have any children of her own, so she kind of adopted Carol and me even though we were already grown when she and dad married. You’ll like her. And if she gets the chance, she’ll love Bethany like the grandchild she’s been begging for.”
Tears filled her eyes and she blinked as she looked away from him. “I’m sorry. I know I was selfish, but I was just so full of hurt and bitterness that I…” She sniffed and Mason felt his heart constrict. “And by the time I finally realized that God didn’t hate me, that not everyone in my life would betray me—” she held her hand palm up and gave a tiny shrug “—that was a little over three years ago and I was in my comfort zone. I didn’t want to make any changes.”
“So what changed your mind?”
“God,” she said as she swiped a tear. “Meaning?”
Another sigh slipped from her. “When I moved into that home for unwed mothers, I was a mess. Emotionally, spiritually, just a wreck.”
Guilt nearly smothered him. No eighteen-year-old girl should have gone through what she did. He should have been there for her. Regret pierced him. If only he’d listened…
Even if she and Daniel had done something, Mason should have been able to put aside his own hurt and at least hear her out.
But he hadn’t. His pride and hurt had flared to the point that he had been incapable of listening. And he couldn’t change that. He could only work with the present.
She brushed away a stray tear. “I had a wonderful Christian counselor, Marie Beckham, who came to the home three times a week to talk to the girls. She used to be a resident there herself, so she knew what we were feeling—knew how to talk to us. Knew how to listen. She helped me get my self-esteem back. And while God and I didn’t come to terms right away, Marie set me on the right path.”
He reached out and stroked her cheek. “I’m so glad.”
If only he could get the image of her and Daniel out of his mind. He needed to confront the man. Once and for all.
As soon as they found Bethany, he would.
Lacey took a deep breath. “Anyway, I started going to church—reluctantly, but I went, got a job, went to school at night, then had Bethany.”
“When did you decide to move home?”
“When Bethany insisted on meeting her father.” She ran a hand over her hair and looked away. “I wish I’d gotten up the nerve to talk to you before….”
“Yeah.”
He took a deep breath and dropped his gaze to his hands. His phone rang and he grabbed it from the clip on his belt. It was Joseph. “Hello.”
“Hey, they’re bringing our guy in now. He should be here in thirty minutes or so.”
Mason looked at Lacey.
“All right, we’ll be there shortly.”
He hung up and Lacey looked at him with a question in her eyes.
“We need to get down to the interrogation room and see what this guy has to say.”
Distaste crossed her face and he realized she was not looking forward to the confrontation. But she was determined to go through with it. Anything to find Bethany. Just another example of the kind of woman she was.
More doubts crowded him as they walked back down the hall. He had a feeling he’d made a terrible mistake sixteen years ago in refusing to move past his own hurt to listen to the girl he’d loved.
But that would have to wait. Pushing down his surging emotions, they entered the room and took a seat behind the two-way mirror.
Mason looked at Lacey who fidgeted with the strap of her purse. “Do you know how this works?”
She bit her lip. “Just from the TV version.”
“It’s not so different. They’ll bring Howe and his lawyer in, present them with any evidence we have and start asking questions.”
“She has to be okay, Mason.” Lacey whispered the words and he had to strain to hear her. “She’s been my whole life for fifteen years, the reason I got up in the mornings, the reason I didn’t give up and crawl into a hole and die.”
What could he say? He couldn’t bring himself to promise everything would work out. He’d seen too many times when it didn’t. More times than it did.
Scooting his chair closer to hers, he grasped her hand and held it. She shot him a grateful look, glanced over his shoulder, then gasped. “There he is.”
Mason turned to see John Howe and his lawyer enter the interrogation room. Howe walked with a pronounced limp—more so than when Mason had chased him and lost him—but he was walking under his own steam. Catelyn and Daniel brought up the rear.
Mason squeezed her fingers. “I’m going down there. I’ll be back when we’re done.”
“They’ll let you in?”
“Oh yeah, they’ll let me in.”
* * *
Lacey wasn’t too sure, but didn’t protest. She watched him leave, and a few minutes later he was allowed access to the room.
Catelyn didn’t look surprised to see him. Daniel looked irritated, but didn’t say anything.
After introductions and the lawyer’s warning to his client not to answer until directed, they got started.
Daniel asked, “Why did you run when we showed up at your house?”
“Because I knew why you were there.”
Lacey rocked back. He was admitting it? She admired the fact that Mason was able to keep a straight face. He jumped in.
“So where’s Bethany?”
“Look,” Howe sighed, “I’m cooperating with you because my lawyer convinced me it was in my best interest to cut a deal, but I tell you I don’t know where the girl is. She got away from me.”
Hope exploded through Lacey.
“Why did you try to take her in the first place?”
“I got a phone call from someone. That person asked if I wanted to make a lot of money.” He squirmed. “I got debts to pay so I agreed.”
“To kidnapping?” Catelyn asked.
“Well, not at first.” He cleared his throat. “I didn’t realize that’s what I was agreeing to. I was just supposed to watch this girl and report back what she was doing, her daily routine, her relationship with her mother. I was the new guy at the karate school and I suppose this person knew Bethany went there. It was just supposed to be watching her, following her. You know—” he shrugged “—like surveillance stuff.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.” He flushed. “I needed the money too much to worry about it.”
“Who did you report to?”
“Same answer. I never met this person. Just picked up my money from a different drop spot each time over a period of a month. Then, um, this person said they wanted me to grab the girl. I said no way. Then—” he blinked “—I got a letter with some pictures of my ex-wife and little boy. It said if I didn’t follow through with everything they would disappear.”
“So you went after Bethany.”
He swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to, but yeah.” Tears appeared for a brief moment before he ducked his head. When he looked back up, they were gone. “I wasn’t going to let anything happen to my son.”
“Where’d you get the gun?” Daniel asked.
“It was left at one of the drop sites with half the money for grabbing the girl.”
Lacey felt her stomach swirl and thought she might be sick. Mason looked ready to leap over the table and throttle the guy.
She admired his restraint.
Her hands ached and she realized she’d tightened her fingers into fists so tight her knuckles were white.
Making an effort to relax, she unfurled them and leaned toward the window.
A knock on the door pulled Catelyn from the interrogation as she moved to answer it. Someone Lacey couldn’t see handed Catelyn a piece of paper. The detective looked at it and a smile of satisfaction crossed her face.
Turning back to the lawyer and Howe, she slid the paper across the table and said, “We have your print on the car Kayla Mahoney died in. What’d you do, John, run her off the road?”
“No!” he protested. “I was following behind them, yeah, but I didn’t do anything that would make them wreck. All of a sudden the driver swerved then crashed into a tree.”
That part matched with Georgia’s story. So, it wasn’t Austin Howard at the site of the wreck. Mason wasn’t surprised.
“So you showed up, the girls thought you were there to help and you tried to get Bethany to go with you. When she wouldn’t, you pulled the gun and ended up getting shot.”
“Yeah.” He rubbed shaking fingers across his lips. “That about sums it up.”
“Not quite.” Mason stood and slapped a hand on the table. “Did you leave that little gift in Bethany’s room last night?”
Confusion flickered. “What are you talking about?”
Mason and Catelyn exchanged a glance. “You weren’t anywhere near the Gibson household last night?”
“No and I have witnesses to prove it.”
Daniel slid the man a pen. “Write them down.”
Howe looked at his lawyer who’d been surprisingly quiet through the whole confession. The man nodded and Howe started writing.
When he was finished he set the pen down. “I don’t know what happened to the girl. I was supposed to leave her drugged and tied to a tree out in the woods just at the edge of the high school. Then I was to pick up my money at another location about thirty minutes away at a specific time. I was warned not to be late or the money would be gone.”
“While you were picking up the money, this person would be picking up Bethany,” Mason stated in a low monotone. Howe nodded.
Lacey shuddered at the visual image.
Howe leaned back and sighed. “But it never happened. She got away from me.” With a grudging respect, Howe admitted, “She’s good at martial arts. I’m better, but she’s good.”
“So you’ve been looking for her, chasing her, right?”
This time a guilty flush appeared and he clamped his lips shut. His lawyer said, “Okay, that’s enough questions. We’re done here.”
“Not quite.” Mason leaned in and narrowed his eyes. “Bethany’s out there all alone. She’s scared and probably exhausted from trying to stay one step ahead of you. Why isn’t she coming to us for help? Or at least finding the nearest cop?”
Howe averted his gaze.
Mason hit the table with a fist and everyone jumped.
“Hey…” the lawyer started to protest.
Mason ignored him and said softly, “You said you’d cooperate fully for a deal. If you have more information, you need to spill it.”
Howe looked down at the table and swallowed, looked at his lawyer and sighed. “I used the girl’s mother to get her to cooperate. I had a couple of pictures of Bethany’s mom and showed them to her. I told her I was watching her mom. If she didn’t do what I said, her mother would get hurt.”
Rage exploded inside Lacey and it was all she could do to keep from bolting into the room to throttle the man. Even though Georgia had basically said the same thing, hearing it come from this man’s mouth made her want to vomit.
A muscle jumped in Mason’s jaw, but he held himself in control with admirable restraint. “I need the phone number of the person you were contacting.”
Howe rattled it off and Mason glanced at Daniel who left the room.
To have it traced, Lacey supposed. Although she had a feeling it was going to be one of those prepaid phone deals that the police could never track down.
Depression settled on her shoulders. Another dead end.
Please, God, keep her safe. Lead us to her. Show us the way to find her. Let her know I’m looking and won’t give up until I have her back.
“Oh—” Mason turned back “—one more question, if you don’t mind. How did you get Bethany’s cell phone number?”
Howe startled. “What?”
“Come on, don’t play stupid. We found someone who saw her answer a phone and then run from you. Described, by the way, right down to your limp. So you might as well finish the story.”
Howe’s lawyer started to protest. Howe held up a hand. “It’s all right.” He flushed. “Yeah, I, um, got ahold of her again a couple of days ago. We struggled and my phone flew out of my pocket. She kind of snatched it as she was running away.” He flushed then his lips flattened. “She caught me off guard with a kick to my bad leg or she never would have gotten away from me.”
Lacey felt a surge of pride for her resourceful daughter. Way to go, Bethany. Now use the thing to call me!
“What’s the number?” Mason demanded.
Howe gave it to him.
Mason stood and strode from the room pulling his cell phone out as he walked. Lacey leaped from the chair and raced from the room. She knew he was going to call Bethany. She’d call herself if she thought Bethany would answer, but she doubted she would if she was trying to protect her.
Rounding the corner, she almost ran into him.
“Is she answering?”
Hanging up, he shook his head. “She’s probably scared to. Probably thinks it’s Howe.”
“I don’t guess you could leave her a message. She probably doesn’t know the password to check them.”
“She doesn’t have a reason to check them even if she could.” He shook his head. “I’ll have the cell phone tracked. As long as she leaves the battery in, we’ll be able to find her. If not, we’ll have to find another way to locate her.”
“But how?” she cried. “We don’t have anything else that connects—”
She broke off as the captain came out of his office. He looked at Mason, then Catelyn and Daniel who’d come up the hall. Daniel spoke into his cell phone as the captain said, “We’ve got a tip that Bethany was seen at the homeless shelter.”
Daniel’s attention snapped to the captain. “The homeless shelter? We’ve got a black-and-white near there, don’t we? Aren’t they supposed to be covering that area?”
The captain nodded. “That’s who called it in. They didn’t approach her because they didn’t want to scare her. They’re waiting for us.”
“All right.” Daniel looked at the captain, then Mason and Catelyn. “I’ve got another emergency to deal with. One of my other cases just caught a break. I really need to go take care of that.” Into the phone, he said, “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”
Catelyn nodded at Mason. “I’ll drive.”
The threesome headed for the exit, Lacey in the lead. Mason grabbed her arm. “I suppose it’s futile to tell you to stay here.”
Pulling out of his gentle grasp, she said, “You know it.”
He gave a resigned sigh. “All right, but at least stay close by.”
Relieved he didn’t argue, she said, “Glad to.”
And she was. The more she was around Mason, the more she wanted to be.
Climbing into the car, she closed her eyes. Please, Jesus, let me find my daughter. Keep her safe. Keep us safe.
When she opened her eyes, Mason was looking at her over his shoulder from the front passenger seat. “I’m praying, too.”
She lifted a brow. “You are? I thought you and God weren’t on speaking terms.”
“I wouldn’t say that. He was speaking to me, I just haven’t been listening much—until now.”
“Does Bethany have anything to do with your change of heart?”
He nodded. “Yeah. A lot.”
The car turned and all conversations ceased as Catelyn spoke into her phone to let the other officers know they were there.
“Where is she?” Lacey craned her neck, desperate to catch a glimpse of her daughter. All she saw were two men walking toward the door.
A patrol car came up next to them. Catelyn rolled her window down and the officer said, “She’s been pacing back and forth in front of the pay phone. Finally, she just went around the back.”
Lacey jumped out of the car.
“Lacey!” Mason voiced his disgust with her. “Get back here.”
She paused and looked at him. “Come on.”
No sooner had the words left her lips than a crack sounded and something struck the ground beside her. Then the building spewed brick and cement and she felt the sting of it bite into her neck and upper arm.