“Jamie, where are you?”
Nothing.
Trying to remain calm, Kate switched on the overhead light. In the middle of her son’s bedroom, Kate turned in a full circle, hoping he’d climbed out of bed and was playing a hide-and-seek game with her. Her chest constricted so tightly that she could hardly breathe. The beating of her heart thundered against her skull, and her sweaty hands shook. He was nowhere.
Help, Lord.
She stared out into the hall. Jamie couldn’t open the door because the knob was too hard for him to turn—at least so far. Even if he had opened it, he wouldn’t have shut it.
What if he’d awakened crying and Rachel had taken Jamie to her room to calm him down? She’d done that a couple of times in the past when he was upset.
She rushed into the corridor and ran to Rachel’s bedroom and pounded on the door.
Rachel swung her door open, her hair messy, her eyes half-closed. “What’s wrong?”
“Is Jamie in your room?”
“No, why?”
“Jamie isn’t in his bed or room. Start at this end of the hall and check everywhere a small child could hide.” Kate would take the other end.
As she passed the steps with the gate across it, she held her breath as she looked down the staircase. He was starting to climb more so she needed to consider the option that he might have climbed over the gate. But there was no sign of Jamie on the stairs or at the bottom.
While Rachel called out her son’s name several times, Kate did likewise when she entered each room. With each step she took without finding her son, her heartbeat kicked up a notch.
When she met Rachel in the center of the hallway, Kate dragged air into her lungs. Panic began to set in, and she tried to remain as calm as she could but it was impossible. If she fell apart, she wouldn’t be able to help find her son.
“Kate, did you go upstairs to the attic?”
“No, why?”
Rachel gestured at the attic door nearby. “I didn’t either, but the door is ajar.”
Kate pivoted toward it and moved closer, noticing for the first time it hadn’t been shut all the way. It was always closed tightly and locked because of Jamie. Someone had been in her home.
Sweat beaded her upper lip and forehead. “Check downstairs just in case. I’m calling Chase.” She couldn’t deny it any longer. Someone had taken Jamie.
“You aren’t going up in the attic by yourself, are you?”
“I am, after I load my husband’s handgun. I don’t know how anyone could get into the attic without setting off the alarm. Check and make sure it’s working.”
Rachel hurried down the stairs, glanced at the security pad and said, “It’s still on.”
Kate went to the gun safe in her bedroom and retrieved the pistol, along with the ammo in the closet. James had made her take lessons on handling it. She hadn’t even wanted one in the house, but when he was traveling, he’d felt better if she had it nearby.
For the first time she loaded it with the purpose of using it if she had to. Then she grabbed her cell phone and called Chase as she headed for the attic.
When he answered, his voice sounded as though he’d been in a deep sleep.
With no time to waste, Kate launched into her spiel. “Jamie is gone. I can’t find him anywhere.”
“I’ll be there in ten minutes. I’ll call headquarters.”
“I’ll tell Rachel to let you in. I’m going up in the attic to check.”
“The attic? Why?”
“The door was slightly open. It never is.”
“Can you shut the door and lock it so it can’t be opened from the inside?”
“Yes.”
“Do that, then get downstairs. Do not go into the attic. I’m getting into my car. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” He hung up.
Kate approached the entrance to the attic. With her hands shaking, she carefully closed the door and secured it as Chase had instructed. That was when she realized, it should have already been locked. Panic was scrambling her thought processes.
Lord, please help me to remain calm. I can’t do this without You.
She backed away, ready to lift her gun if someone burst through the attic door. How did anyone get up there?
At the staircase, she threw one last glance down the hall then descended the steps so fast she nearly stumbled. She grabbed the banister and slowed her pace.
Not only was she thinking irrationally, but she was risking sending herself to the hospital with a broken bone.
She planted herself at the window that afforded her a good view of the porch and front door. The second she saw Chase’s car come to a screeching halt, she ran into the foyer and turned off the alarm then stood in the main entrance as he jogged to her house.
The sight of him calmed her frazzled nerves for a few seconds. Chase knew what to do. At least she wasn’t alone to handle the situation.
He embraced her. “Todd is coming and a couple of other police officers.” He moved into the entry hall, his arm along her shoulders. “Rachel, I’d appreciate it if you’d wait here for the others to arrive. Tell my partner we’ll be upstairs. I’m going to check out the attic.”
As Kate mounted the stairs with Chase beside her, she reached for his hand and clasped it. The physical and emotional connection between them fortified Kate with each step closer to the attic. “You think someone got in through the attic and took Jamie? How?”
“I don’t know. It’s three stories up. No windows. But if the door to it was open, something—or someone—caused it. The answer might be up there.” He pointed at the ceiling.
“Let’s go.” She pulled the key from her pocket.
After he unlocked the door, he peered back at her. “Stay here.”
“No.”
Both of his eyebrows hiked up.
“I’ll follow at a distance, but I’m going. This is my son, my house.” God is with me.
“Okay. Wait until I get to the top of the stairs and scan the area.”
Kate kept her gaze trained on Chase as he ascended. The musty, dusty air tickled her nose and caused her to sneeze. Her allergies were the reason she rarely went to the third story. But if it would help her find her son, she didn’t care. She’d camp out up there if it meant Jamie was all right and safe.
Chase waved her up the stairs. She hurried up them, sneezing again.
“When was the last time you were up here?” he asked as he moved away from the steps. Although two overhead lights illuminated the large open space, he withdrew a small but powerful flashlight and shined it in places between boxes and pieces of old furniture.
“Right after James died. He was the one who dealt with getting things in and out of the attic.” Another sneeze accompanied her words. “Now you see why.”
“Go back downstairs. I can check this out alone.”
“No, I’ll take the other side.” She focused on the task at hand and covered her nose with her cupped hand to stifle the sound of her overactive allergy to dust.
As she searched behind an old dresser, Chase said, “I think I know how someone might have gotten in.”
She spun around and spied him standing at the far end. Behind him was a louvered gable vent. “How?”
“This type of vent opens. It would be a tight fit, but a man could get in this way.” Chase put latex gloves on and pushed on a door that swung away from the house. “I’m checking the one at the other end. Then I’ll go outside and see what is below them. But this is a possible way into your attic, therefore your house.”
“I’m sure the door up to this floor was locked.”
“A lock can be picked.”
“And that door was never wired into the alarm system.”
“Nor your gable vents.”
She sneezed again.
“Go downstairs and let Todd know. I’ll be there shortly.”
When Kate returned to the second floor, Todd emerged from one of the spare bedrooms. “Chase found a way someone could have gotten inside the attic.” She told his partner about the gable vents.
Todd started for the attic door, but Chase came out into the hallway. “I’ll check the left side of the house. I need you to search the right, especially under the vent,” he instructed his partner. “Where are the other officers?”
“Going through the ground floor.” Todd headed toward the staircase.
“Post them at the front and back doors.” Chase stopped in front of Kate. “When was the last time you saw Jamie?”
“I always check on him before I go to bed. That was eleven.”
“Whoever came into your house did between eleven and two.”
“So you believe my son has been kidnapped?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.
Chase nodded.
“Why didn’t I hear anything?”
“The kidnapper was probably careful to make as little noise as possible. Your bedroom and Rachel’s are on the right side of the house. I think he used the left gable vent. It would be harder for you to hear anything going on outside and above you.”
But had she heard something? Was that why she woke up so suddenly?
Chase paused at the top of the steps. “Are you coming downstairs?”
She had to be strong for Jamie. Falling apart wouldn’t help her son. “No, I’ll be in Jamie’s room.”
“Don’t touch anything. The kidnapper probably wore gloves, but in case he didn’t, we’ll be taking latent prints.” He moved in her direction, as if he’d changed his mind about investigating outside.
She held up her palm. “I’m not going to mess up the crime scene. I…” Her throat closed around the words she’d wanted to say. She swallowed several times.
He took another step.
“I—I need to be alone. Please just find my son.” Tears flooded her eyes.
As he came closer, all she saw was a blur. Then she felt his strong arms encase her in a protective shield, and she clung to him for a few seconds while she willed her sorrow to the dark recesses of her mind. There was no time for this distress. It could immobilize her. Finally, she pushed away from him, swiped the wetness from her cheeks and turned to go into her son’s room.
She stood in the middle of it, not looking back to see if Chase was there. If she did, she’d come unglued. She needed to think rationally, like she did every day on the job. Assess the evidence. Dig into her past cases. Find this person who took Jamie and get her son back.
Lord, if I have to trade myself for Jamie, I will. I’ll do anything. Just keep him safe.
Did Jamie get to take his teddy bear he always held when he went to sleep?
In her frantic search of the room, she couldn’t remember if it was in his crib. She closed the space between her and her son’s bed. She peeked over the railing. Her gaze fell on Jamie’s favorite stuffed animal, Bobo. He would be totally alone. A dull ache grew in her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
No, the Lord is with him.
She picked up the bear and hugged it against her, tears spilling from her eyes. Through the watery sheen, she glimpsed a cell phone where the stuffed animal had been. She started to touch it and realized she didn’t have any gloves on.
What if the kidnapper accidentally lost his phone?
Instead, she took the edge of Jamie’s blanket and punched the button to turn it on. The screen lit up with a message to her. “If you want your son back, take this phone. Don’t tell anyone.” At the end was an icon of a tiny skull.
Kate heard footsteps coming toward the room and quickly used the blanket to stuff the phone into her sweatpants’ pocket.
Chase appeared in the entrance, took one look at her and crossed to her. “I’m going to do everything I can to find who did this. I have a crime scene team coming. They should be here soon.”
“What did you find outside?”
“Under the left side gable vent the ground has been disturbed. Your sprinkle system must have come on because I found a good tennis shoe print. Wide and about size eleven. I also discovered the ladder he used—it was behind the bushes. It looks new. We might be able to find out where it was bought.”
He was trying to give her hope. And that was one of the things she loved about him. Should she say anything to him about the phone? If the guy found out, he might disappear with Jamie or…
Kill him.
“We need to dig into your cases again, even go back to the beginning when you started as a judge in family court.” Chase slung his arm over her shoulders. “Let’s go downstairs and let the crime scene techs process this room and the attic. Rachel put on a pot of coffee. I could use some. How about you?”
“I don’t think I need coffee to stay awake. I couldn’t sleep if I wanted to.”
“I’m going to need you to help me with your past trials.”
Kate turned toward him. “What if Zed Hammer didn’t try to kidnap Jamie before? What if that attacker in the park is the same man who did this tonight?”
“There is a lot of evidence against Hammer. We might be looking at two people working together or separately. Hammer’s in jail right now, and that’s where he should stay until we figure out what’s going on.”
“We?”
“Yes, you and I. You know about your trials. I still have that list we made before Hammer was captured. Let’s go downstairs and take a look at it.”
“You go ahead. I’ll be downstairs in a few minutes. I’d like to change clothes. I might as well get dressed for the day.”
He cupped the side of her face, such concern in his eyes. “I can wait up here for you.”
The strong urge to cling to him and never let him go swamped her. She wanted to tell him about the phone, but the possible consequences of that action were too steep for her. She couldn’t risk her child. She needed to think. “I just need a little time to myself. I won’t be long.”
When Kate disappeared into her bedroom and shut the door, she collapsed against it and sank to the floor.
Lord, why? Not my baby.
She finally released the tears she’d been fighting to hold back. They flowed down her cheeks and wet her shirt. She was trying to be strong, but at the moment she felt anything but. She wanted her son back. If she had to risk herself, she would.
Finally, after she reined in her emotions, she slid the cell phone out of her pocket and called the number she’d been given on the screen. There was the click of the call connecting, then silence. Finally she said, “This is Kate Forster.”
“Are you alone?” a gruff, bass voice asked.
“Yes.”
“The police are at your house. You’re not alone.”
Kate sat up straight and scanned her bedroom as though the kidnapper was still in her house. “I’d already called them before I found the phone in Jamie’s bed. They don’t know anything about it.”
“You’re going to give me something—and when you do, if I see one cop around, you’ll never see your son again.”
She didn’t want to think about that option. “What’s the ransom?” If she had to sell everything she had, she would to raise the money.
He chuckled. “Really pretty easy and cheap. I want to know where Janice Holifield and her two sons are—plus a hundred thousand dollars.”
The money wouldn’t be a problem, but Janice Holifield? The name sounded so familiar, but she couldn’t place why at the moment. How could she supply the location of this woman and children even if she remembered where they lived? “Why do you want that address?”
“None of your business. I’ll give you twelve hours to come up with the address and money. If I don’t hear from you, you’ll never see Jamie again.”
Before she could say another word, he disconnected the call.
Had Janice Holifield been tied up in a case in her courtroom? That had to be it. Usually those involved a family member, often the spouse. Was that who she’d talked to? Janice’s ex-husband?
She glanced at her watch. She had to call him before three o’clock this afternoon.
After shoving herself to her feet, she hurried to her closet and snatched the first outfit she saw and dressed. She had to find out about Janice Holifield. The woman was probably part of one of her older trials. A faint image of a brown-haired woman came to mind. Was that Janice or someone else?
When she entered the kitchen, the scent of coffee infused the air and drove back any thoughts of sleep. Not that she would be able to rest until Jamie was returned to her.
Chase sat at her table with a big mug next to a stack of physical files she kept on her cases with personal notes and impressions. Rachel drank her coffee, staring into space, a stunned look on her face.
Kate filled her cup and moved to them. “Rachel, try to get some rest. There isn’t anything you can do right now.”
“But…” The nanny lifted her head, her eyes glittering with tears. “I want to help find Jamie.”
“Later. We’ll need breakfast and more coffee in a couple of hours. Lie down and rest until then. I have to be the one who goes through each of the cases that came before my court.”
After Rachel left, Chase glanced up. “There are a lot of cases here. How should we do this?”
Kate sat. “I’ll start from the beginning. You can go from the most recent one and back. Look for any cases where the man was portrayed as violent or dangerous. At least we know it wasn’t Zed Hammer tonight. That’s one case.”
“Out of hundreds. But there’s still a chance Hammer has an accomplice. Time is important. I asked Todd to help after the crime scene is processed. If we had a name or something specific to search we could use your computer at work with its database.”
Tell him. Then she remembered her conversation with the kidnapper. Jamie’s life was at stake. Surely she could find that name in her physical files.
“Hopefully as I look through the files, I’ll remember incidents that might raise suspicions.” Kate snagged the stack of files from eight years before when she first became a family court judge.
She delved into the first case then the next one. An hour later and another cup of coffee, she’d completed half of the trials from the year she’d begun. She stood and stretched then walked to the stove to refill her mug. Even knowing a name connected to her kidnapper, she wasn’t going as fast as she thought she would. It was hard to contain her frustration.
“Find anything?” Chase asked as he joined her and topped off his drink.
Tell him. Put your trust totally in the Lord to protect Jamie. You have less than eleven hours to find this Janice Holifield.
“Nothing.”
“Not even one case we should delve into deeper?”
She shook her head then hastened back to the kitchen table. She couldn’t shake the image of a bomb ticking down that would explode at three o’clock.
By the time Rachel made breakfast at six, Kate had almost completed her second year as a judge. Panic seeded itself in her heart and grew.
Trust in God.
As she ate her omelet and nibbled on a piece of toast, she finished that stack and moved on to the third year. At a few minutes after seven, she looked up and locked gazes with Chase.
Tell him.
Eight hours left and not a mention of a Janice Holifield in her files. And yet the name taunted her. Maybe she missed the reference in her rush?
“What’s wrong?” Chase asked, his eyes darkening.
I can’t do this alone.
She reached into her pocket and withdrew the cell phone from the kidnapper. “We need to search for Janice Holifield.”
* * *
As Kate explained what happened hours ago and that the kidnapper knew she’d contacted the police, Chase, with latex gloves on, held the cell phone that Kate had slid across to him. He stared at the kidnapper’s message to her. He should be upset at her for holding back information, but how could he when he looked at the fear in her expression or heard the catch in her voice?
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I thought I would easily find the trial with Janice Holifield and take care of getting Jamie back by myself. I can’t lose Jamie, and the kidnapper said that if I told anyone, I’d never see my son again.”
He reached across the table and covered her hand. “I know Jamie’s special. I’m not going to let you lose him. Yes, it would have been better to know when you found the phone, but I’ll get Todd in here to see what he can find out about this Janice Holifield while we look for that name in your files together. I’ve done two years and you nearly three. We only have three more to go, and now I can go faster. Then once we find her, we can set up something ahead to trap the kidnapper.”
“How can you guarantee he won’t hurt Jamie?”
“I can’t, but I’ve worked on kidnappings before and I have a good success rate. Will you be able to get the money?”
“Yes, now that the bank is open. I don’t know what the rules are for withdrawing that much cash, but I know the bank’s president. He’ll find a way.”
“Good. I’m sending the other police officers away. Todd can work from the station.” Chase stood and moved around to her, pulling her to her feet and gathering her against him. “You have a strong faith. Lean on it right now. Believe the Lord will bring Jamie back to you unhurt by the end of today.” He couldn’t tell her that he was disappointed she hadn’t believed in him enough to know he would never endanger Jamie. Right now her child’s safety was the only thing they should focus on.
“You’re right, and I’m trying. When it’s something so important to me, it’s hard to turn it over totally to the Lord.”
“Sometimes that’s all we can do. That day of the ambush I’d wanted to live and return home. But we all wanted that, and I was the only one who got it. I still don’t understand why I survived and no one else did.” He felt such a weight on his shoulders. He didn’t feel worthy to live when all his buddies didn’t.
“God has plans for you.” She rose up on tiptoes and kissed him on his cheek. “Let’s get back to work.”
“Agreed.” As he sat, his cheek tingled where her lips had touched it.
After he explained everything to Todd, Chase began skimming the records for Janice Holifield or any Holifield. He went quickly back through the ones he’d already done, just in case he’d missed something.
When Kate paused and reread the same page twice, Chase asked, “Have you found Janice?”
She looked up and nodded.
He rose and rounded the end of the table to peer over her shoulder at the file. “Do you remember this trial?”
“Yeah, now. I should have before. Janice’s husband, Don, abused his wife and kids. At the divorce hearing, the wife finally had the strength to testify against her husband with the help from a counselor she’d met at the Riverside Women’s Shelter. Medical records and neighbors’ testimony backed up what Janice said. Don’s parental rights were denied. The wife received the bulk of their possessions, and later Don Holifield was convicted in criminal court for the abuse to his wife and children and sent to prison. I didn’t realize he was out.”
“Did he threaten you?”
She thought for a long moment. “Not exactly. He didn’t say anything. He sat silently through the trial. When I gave my verdict, all he did was stare at me with cold eyes. Never a word, though.”
“Maybe we can track his whereabouts. Narrow down where he might be.” He pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling Todd to see what he’s discovered about any Janice Holifield here in town.” When his partner answered, Chase asked, “What do you have?”
“Janice Holifield isn’t here in Cimarron City. She moved four years ago and didn’t leave any forwarding address.”
“Check with her neighbors. Maybe one of them knows where she went. Also the Riverside Women’s Shelter where she stayed until her husband was prosecuted.” Men who abused women and children should stay in jail much longer than Janice’s husband did, and when Chase caught up with this guy, he’d make sure Don did go away for longer.
“I’ll let you know if I have any leads by two-thirty.”
“Remember, all of this has to be done quietly. Don Holifield can’t get wind of this.” By the time Chase finished his conversation with his partner, Kate had taken her seat again. Chase sat next to her, one hand on the back of her chair. “Why does he think you can find her address?”
“Janice wrote me at the courthouse three times, although I couldn’t correspond with her because it’s unethical. Maybe Don found out or Janice told him she was writing to me to make it seem she had a personal relationship with me. She took her maiden name Baker and changed her first name to Trish. She was putting her life back together. The last letter I got from her was right after she married a man who was great to her children and her. He was a minister and was moving to a new church. She didn’t want any reminders of her past life so she told me that would be her last letter. I don’t know her married name nor where she went. There was so much hope in that message that I immediately felt that Trish—I mean Janice—found what she’d been searching for. I don’t always find out a woman is able to put her life back together.”
“Do you remember the old address? Someone in that town could know where she went. Maybe we could find a reference online to a local pastor marrying and moving to another church.”
“And do what with the information? You can’t think that I would tell her ex-husband where she and her children live.” Kate scrambled from her seat and stood a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest. “I want my son back, but there has to be another way without putting an innocent family at risk. Even if it tears me apart to think that Jamie is in the hands of a maniac who abused his own children.” Her legs buckled, and she sank toward the floor.
Chase leaped forward and grabbed her before she hit the tiles. His arms enveloped her, and he supported her against him. “I’ll find a way. I don’t want him to know where his family is, either. They’ve been terrorized enough, but I want to be able to warn them if I have to.”
“Her old address was in my notes on the trial. 5793 Highland Park in Lexington.”
“Which state?”
She mumbled the name against his shirt.
“You need to lie down.”
“I can’t sleep.”
“I understand, but you need to rest as much as you can while Todd and I come up with a plan for the exchange.” Chase led her into the den where he sat her on the couch. “I won’t be far away. If he calls early, I’ll get the phone to you.”
Chase walked to the exit and looked back. As Kate stretched out on the couch, all he wanted to do was go back and hold her, try to take her pain away. A missing child had to be a parent’s worst nightmare.
* * *
Hands clamped around her steering wheel shortly after four that afternoon, Kate followed the last set of instructions the kidnapper had phoned her. Chase was in her trunk with a listening device connected to a microphone in the car so he could pick up what she was saying.
“I’m a block away from Lynn Lane and Buffalo,” she said as loud as she could without moving her lips. She had no idea how the kidnapper knew exactly where she was, but in case he had eyes on her, she didn’t want it to be apparent that she was letting anyone know where she was going.
This area of Cimarron City had quite a few older structures, some deserted. Which one was the man in? Or would he send her somewhere else? She’d spent the last hour traveling from one obscure part of town to another.
The phone rang again. She punched the accept button.
“Park behind the redbrick building next to the abandoned warehouse in the back. Then get out and walk south toward the field. Hurry. You have a minute to get to the back of the parking lot where the field is. Bring the money. No cell phone.”
She turned off the engine, quickly leaned over so no one could see her talk and grabbed the duffel bag with the one thousand one-hundred-dollar bills. “I have a minute to get to the field. I have to leave my cell phone.”
Then she clambered out of her car and jogged toward the high weeds and grass behind the warehouse. Was the kidnapper hiding in there? Did he have Jamie with him?
The sound of a motorcycle in the pasture coming toward her slowed her step. The wall of green parted as a tall, thin man in a black biker helmet raced toward her. She froze.
He skidded to an abrupt stop and thrust a black helmet into her chest. “Give me the money and put this on.”
She did as she was told. The last thing she saw before slipping the helmet on was him dumping the money into a compartment on his bike.
He gripped her hand and yanked her toward him. “Get on. We’re leaving.”
“Where’s Jamie?” She couldn’t see anything. The shield over her face was totally darkened as if he’d painted it black.
“Not here.”
She wanted to scream, “I know. Where?” But she kept those thoughts to herself.
She didn’t want to put her arms around him, so she grasped the sides of the seat the best she could. He revved the engine, and the motorcycle jumped forward. Kate jerked back and nearly flew off the bike. She dug her fingernails into the leather and hung on.
“Brace yourself,” the kidnapper said through the intercom system in the helmets.
The next thing she heard and felt was the blast of a nearby explosion. What had blown up, and why? Her answer came a moment later, punctuated with the kidnapper’s cackles. “You didn’t need that car.” The sound of his voice reverberated through her.
The meaning of what he said ping-ponged through her mind. Chase had been in the trunk.
He’s dead!