The scene at the Big House was controlled chaos. Everybody seemed to want to talk at once, trying to add details about Tina’s disappearance. Only half-listening, Chance felt an emptiness inside. Part of him was missing, a part he’d never realized Tina had filled from the moment he’d met her. She brought a sense of lightness and joy to his life and without her, it suddenly seemed bleak and cold and empty.
A large hand clamped on his shoulder, squeezing gently. He looked up into his father’s face, which was a picture of determination mixed with concern. This man was his hero, his rock, the foundation of his life, and here he stood, loaning him his support without saying a word.
“I have to find her, Dad. She can’t have just disappeared. I know she wouldn’t have run off without a word.”
“Of course she didn’t, son. There’s a reason she disappeared, and we’ll figure it out and bring her home.”
Chance drew in a ragged deep breath, wanting with every fiber of his being to believe his father’s words. Unfortunately, the reality of the situation was they might not find Tina before something bad happened to her. The only consolation he had was the fact Destiny had confirmed Jared Webster was in California, at the hospital where he worked.
“Pipe down, everyone. I want to know what y’all remember, but one at a time. You,” his momma pointed to Beth, “grab a pencil and paper and take notes, so we keep track of the facts. “You,” she pointed toward Tessa, “get everybody something to drink. And you,” she stared at Maggie, “since you’ve kept a level head since we got here, you start talking. Clear, concise, and to the point. Give me the facts, hon.”
Maggie stared at Ms. Patti, and Chance almost chuckled at the look of a deer-caught-in-the-headlights expression. Level-headed, take no prisoners Maggie White looked like a guilty kid caught with her hand in the cookie jar when Ms. Patti turned on her momma bear voice. It didn’t take her long to get her composure back.
“Right. Tessa, Beth, and I brought Tina into town for lunch and shopping. We headed to Daisy’s Diner. We all had the same thing, chicken and dumplings, because that’s the Thursday special.”
His momma made a keep going motion with her hands, smiling thanks as Tessa passed her a glass of tea.
“We’d almost finished, and decided we’d start over at Golden Oldies shop. Tina hadn’t been there yet. She excused herself to go to the restroom.”
“Nobody went with her?” Chance posed the question, since he knew enough about the women he’d dated in the past to know they tended to go to the ladies’ room in packs. He’d never understood it.
Maggie shook her head. “No, she said she’d only be a second, and I didn’t have to go.” A flush colored her cheeks. “We waited a few minutes, but we were talking about something.” Chance didn’t miss the side eye she shot at Beth, who shook her head ever so slightly. If he hadn’t been watching her closely, he’d have missed it.
“What?” He barked out the question and Beth jumped. Guess he’d been a little louder than he’d intended.
“It’s nothing. It has nothing to do with Tina being missing.”
“Beth, please.”
“Okay, fine. We weren’t going to stay anything yet, but Maggie guessed.” She broke into a huge grin. “Brody and I are going to have a baby.”
Everyone started speaking at once, voices blending with one another in their excitement.
“Beth, that’s wonderful!”
“Oh, honey, that’s amazing news!”
With all the congratulations going on around them, with hugs and laughter, Chance watched his mother closely. Her eyes filled with unshed tears, and he watched her blink rapidly to keep them from falling. While she adored Jamie and loved her like she was one of their own, this baby would be the first Boudreau child born from one of her sons. One hand lay against her heart, and her eyes met his dad’s, whose eyes were filled with a shocked expression. Chance couldn’t remember ever seeing his dad rocked back on his heels—until now.
“Oh, Beth.”
“Ms. Patti, we were planning to tell you and Douglas this weekend. We had this whole celebration planned with a whole big announcement and everything. I didn’t mean to spring this on you like this. Brody and I didn’t want to say anything until we knew everything was okay with the baby.”
Beth walked straight into his momma’s open arms, and did this whole laughing and crying thing, and his mother placed a kiss against Beth’s cheek.
“Honey, I don’t care how you tell me, I’m simply over the moon with happiness and joy. My baby is having a baby. Jamie’s going to have a little brother or a little sister.”
“We haven’t told her, either. She’s been pestering us about having a baby, ever since one of the teachers at her school got pregnant.”
Douglas walked over, took Beth into his arms and leaned forward, whispering something in her shoulder that Chance couldn’t hear, though he could pretty much figure out. His father was a man with a big heart, and enough love to share with a whole passel of boys, not counting Nica, and he knew his dad would spoil this upcoming grandchild rotten.
Ms. Patti clapped her hands, grabbing everybody’s attention. “This is wonderful news, and we’ll celebrate later. Right now, we’ve got to get back to the subject at hand and get Tina back. Maggie?”
“Um, Tina went to the ladies’ room and we waited. After I guess ten minutes, Tessa went to check on her. She wasn’t there. I checked with Daisy to see if she’d seen her, and she hadn’t. The place isn’t that big, and one of us would have spotted her if she’d come out the front, so she must have gone out the back, though Daisy swears that door is locked during business hours, except when she goes on break.”
“Thank you, Maggie. Beth, Tessa, you have anything you can add to what Maggie told us?” Ms. Patti’s toe was tapping on the floor, something she always did when she was thinking, and Chance knew his momma’s brain was firing on all cylinders. Which was a good thing, because he personally wasn’t thinking clearly at all.
“This might sound stupid,” Tessa darted a glance at Chance, and he nodded. “When I checked out the restroom, I noticed the sink was dry, and there weren’t any used paper towels in the wastebasket. Most women who use the facilities wash their hands after, especially if they are eating. I don’t think Tina was ever in the restroom.”
All the women in the room nodded, looking like bobblehead dolls and Chance bit the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling. Tessa’s comments made an odd sort of sense. He agreed; he didn’t think Tina ever made it to the restroom.
Easing out of the living room so he didn’t interrupt his mother’s information gathering session, he pulled his cell phone out of his pocket, and he hit the speed dial for his brother. Rafe was at Daisy’s, trying to get a lead on Tina’s disappearance. Guilt ate at him, that insidious inner voice saying she’d never have gone missing if he’d been there. It didn’t matter that it didn’t make a lick of sense, because he couldn’t have gone to the restroom with her, and she’d still be missing, but who said that guilt was logical. He didn’t care what it took, how far he had to take things, he’d move heaven and earth to get her back.
“Hello.”
“Find out anything?”
“Geez, Chance, gimme a break. I’m working on it.” The strain in Rafe’s voice was the only thing that kept Chance from chewing out his brother. The pounding of blood in his head beat a rapid boom, boom, boom in his temples.
“Momma’s grilling the girls about what happened at Daisy’s. They all ate the same meal, so we can probably exclude tampering with Tina’s food.”
“Already found that out. Maggie picked up the tab, so they were getting ready to leave, according to Daisy.”
Chance paced across the kitchen, eight steps in one direction, turn, eight steps back. Pacing helped him think, at least that’s what he told himself. It had nothing to do with the anxiety gripping his gut, turning it into a convoluted pretzel.
“Tina got up to go to the ladies’ room. Went alone. According to Maggie, she was gone about ten minutes when Tessa went to check on her.”
“That’s my girl,” Rafe added.
Chance ignored the interruption. “She remarked on the fact the sink was dry and there wasn’t a used towel in the trash. Thought it might be significant, since apparently women always wash their hands.”
“Actually, that’s a good catch. Go on.”
“Another thing they noted was Tina didn’t leave through the front, obviously. When they asked Daisy about her going out the back, Daisy said that door is always locked, unless she’s on break.”
“Yeah, that’s what she told me, too. When I checked it, it was locked. We took prints, but since it’s a public restaurant, I’m not holding out a lot of hope of getting anything useful.”
“I checked with Destiny. Jared Webster’s still in California.”
He literally heard Rafe’s sigh of relief. “That’s good news, at least.”
“Doesn’t mean he didn’t hire somebody to take her.”
“He doesn’t know she’s in Texas though, does he? There’s no paper trail leading here. Unless…”
Chance’s stopped pacing, his body taut. “Unless what?”
“We know he tracked her to Portland, under the Tina Nelson name. Shiloh purchased the plane tickets bringing her here. Were her plane ticket and reservation going back under that name, do you know?”
“I got her ticket, paid with my credit card. I used Tina Nelson for the reservation.”
“Okay, so he might not have been able to track her through the airline. While it’s a possibility, we can’t confirm that he knows she’s in Texas, much less a small place like Shiloh Springs.” He heard Rafe pull the phone away while he talked to somebody, before he came back on. “The only other person who knows she’s in Texas is her boss.”
“Gertie promised she wouldn’t tell anybody where Tina was. When Jared started snooping around, he called Gertie and she refused to tell him anything. But let me give her a call, see if anything’s changed in Portland. I’ll let you know if she’s got any info.”
“Good. Gotta go.” Rafe disconnected and Chance scrolled through his phone, looking for Gertie’s number. Though he’d spoke with the older woman a couple of times, it had always been on Tina’s phone and—Tina’s phone!
He dialed the number quickly, listening to it ring and ring. When it dumped to voice mail, he left a message, knowing it was fruitless, but doing it anyway, and dialed Rafe back.
“Quick question, bro,” he said when Rafe picked up. “What about Tina’s phone? I just called and nobody answered, but could you track it? I can get a search warrant.”
“Already called Judge Willis’ office, and I’m waiting to hear back. It’s harder, because we don’t have evidence there’s been any foul play, even though you and I know she didn’t leave willingly. I have to wait for—”
“Forget it. I’ll have somebody else work on pinging the towers.”
“Chance, don’t be an idiot.”
“I—”
Rafe’s voice was barely above a whisper. “I already called you know who, and she’s already working on it.” Raising his voice, he added, “You know we have to do everything by the books. The warrant will come through and I’ll get the records we need.”
Chance had been around long enough to read between the lines. Somebody stood close by, and Rafe couldn’t afford to be working outside the letter of the law. While that was usually Chance’s modus operandi, all bets were off when it came to Tina and her safety.
“I understand. Thanks.”
“No problem. I’ll keep you posted if I find anything.”
Everyone in the living room spoke softly, the atmosphere subdued and a little somber. Walking to the ottoman, he sat beside his momma and laid his head on her shoulder. She tilted hers until it rested against his.
“Tell me we’re going to find her.”
“We’re going to find her, son. I promise, we’ll find her.”
Tina’s head pounded, and the inside of her mouth felt like she’d been sucking on a dirty sock. She slid her tongue over the teeth, trying to obliterate the awful taste, her brain foggy. Everything felt fuzzy and disjointed, her memories unclear and muddled, like she’d been out on an all-night bender. Except she hadn’t done anything like that in years, since she’d been in college.
Squeezing her eyes tight, she fought the wave of nausea threatening to spew the contents of her stomach, the awful taste of bile rising in the back of her throat. Once the urge passed, she opened her eyes to near darkness. Slight light permeated the edges of her vision, and she realized a blindfold obscured her vision. Hardpacked ground lay beneath her body, adding to the beginnings of panic.
Flashes of being at Daisy’s Diner came flooding back. She’d headed to the restroom, edging past a man standing in the hall talking on his cell phone. A sharp prick to the side of her neck and then nothing.
She froze at the sound of a door opening, terror shooting through her. Where was she? The footsteps moved closer, and she held herself still, barely allowing herself to breathe. When a foot jostled against her, she stayed still, trying to keep her muscles loose. Playing possum, hoping they’d think she was unconscious.
“She still out. What do you want me to do?”
When she didn’t hear any answering voice, Tina figured he must be on a cell phone. A moment of silence stretched into two, before she heard any sound other than the man’s breathing. She also had no clue how much time had passed since she’d been unconscious. Oh yeah, and no idea where she was. Things were rapidly accelerating from bad to worse by the second.
“I understand. We’ll be here when you arrive.”
Since there was no further conversation, she guessed he’d hung up. The footsteps resumed in a measured pattern, and if she didn’t know any better, she’d think the dude was pacing. Nothing about any of this made any sense. Afraid to move in case her mysterious friend caught her, she let her muscles relax even further.
“You might as well sit up. I know you’re awake.”
Crud. Guess she’d somehow given herself away. Her tongue slid between her dry lips, and she realized she wasn’t gagged. Pulling in a deep breath, she scooted on her backside, struggling to pull herself into an upright position. A hand shoved under her elbow, helping her sit straight.
“What’s happening?”
She heard a snort. “Lady, you’ve pissed somebody off. Paid me a buttload of money to snatch you and hang onto you until they get here.”
“Who?” Gah, she hated that she couldn’t see his face.
“Don’t know. Don’t care. I do the job. I get my money. They get you.” She could almost hear the nonchalant shrug accompanying his words.
“I have money,” she lied through her teeth. “You can let me go and I’ll give you everything I’ve got, I swear.”
“Sorry, lady. If I reneged on a contract, I’d never get another job. My reputation wouldn’t be worth a thing. Besides, you’re lucky I took the job and not my competition. You are a commodity, and as such I’ll treat you with kid gloves. You won’t come to any harm—at least not while you’re in my care. Trust me, you wouldn’t fare so well in different circumstances.”
Most of the fuzziness in her head had dissipated, though there was still a bit of a floating feeling, but she’d deal. She couldn’t help wondering what he’d dosed her with. The pinch in her neck made her conclude injection, probably ketamine, since it had gotten increasingly popular and readily available on the streets. She wracked her brain trying to remember the side effects and symptoms of ketamine, swallowing when she thought about possible low blood pressure, stomach cramping, and other nasty stuff, including impaired breathing issues that could end in ceased respirations. Yikes!
“Can you at least take off this blindfold? I’m feeling really dizzy, and I’m afraid I’m gonna pass out again.”
“Sorry, lady, but I can’t do that. We’re both safer if you don’t see my face.”
“Oh, I hadn’t thought about that.”
Her body jerked when she felt solid arms slide beneath her and lift her from the hard floor. Within seconds, she was carefully moved into a seated position against what felt like a wall. Leaning against it, she pulled in a shaky breath and felt her stomach roil, protesting the sudden action.
“How long was I out?”
“Couple of hours. You’re a little bit of a lady, so I didn’t give you that much.” The sound of a match strike, followed by the scent of tobacco immediately had her stomach protesting the scent, and she gagged.
“Please put that out, unless you want me losing my lunch.” Her stomach clenched, cramping sharply, and she leaned forward, pulling her knees up, wishing her hands weren’t secured behind her back. Moving her wrists, she made a guess her abductor used zip ties, since she didn’t feel metal, which would have indicated handcuffs. Her ankles were secured together too, making running an impossible choice, even if she’d been able to get away from her kidnapper.
“People are going to look for me. You’ll get caught.”
“I’ll be long gone before anybody even gets close, sweetheart. As soon as the funds are transferred into my account, I hand you over, and I’m out of the country. I’m sorry. You seem like a nice woman, but business is business.”
“Well, I hate to tell you this, but your business ethics suck rocks. I promise when I get out of this—and I will—I’m going to make sure you regret ever messing with me.”
Only silence greeted her words. Leaning her head back against the wall, she closed her eyes and waited, praying that Chance would find her before it was too late.