38

 

Michael came out of the bathroom and plopped on the bed. Red rimmed his eyes and his slackened features looked chilled, hopeless. “What happened to Ryan?”

“We’re not sure. His body was found in a cabin in Idaho. And your son wasn’t with him.”

“Idaho? What was he doing there?”

“Isn’t that where you live?”

“No, I live here. Well, in Moose.”

Enrique exchanged glances with Jamie. “A log cabin?”

He nodded.

“Does Andrew have a fire truck?”

He nodded. His eyes glistened. “I don’t understand.”

“Why don’t you explain what happened yesterday?” Enrique was frowning.

“Ryan showed up in the middle of the night. Told me he borrowed a friend’s plane. He was pretty sure our location had been compromised and that it was time to move on. I couldn’t just leave. I had obligations to take care of, so he and Andrew went to a motel to wait while I took care of things. That’s the last time I saw them.” His words were choked, but he took a deep breath and continued. “I went to the motel like we planned, but they weren’t there. I spent the night driving between my house and the motel looking for them. Ryan wasn’t answering his phone. By morning, I was frantic. I didn’t know what to do or where to go. When my neighbor called about you I showed up to see what you knew.”

“I told you that I was at a different cabin. Two different places.”

“You were with Ryan.” Michael’s head whipped towards her. “Did you see Andrew?”

“I only saw Ryan.”

“Why did you kill Ryan?”

“I did not kill him. He kidnapped me and drugged me.” Her tone was firm. “I woke up in a ditch with no idea where I was or what happened to Ryan.”

“Where’s my son?” His sorrowful wail was chilling.

Her heart broke again.

Michael Zinkleman was telling the truth. No one could fake that depth of grief.

 

****

 

Jamie jerked her head, motioning for them to go to Enrique’s room for a private conference again.

Michael still sobbed, his grief hardly bearable.

“Look, Enrique. I think he’s right. Whoever kidnapped Andrew wants their money. That means sooner or later they’ll contact Michael. We have to make him accessible to them. It’s the best way to find Andrew.”

“My boss knows we have him in custody. It was the only way to get the Amber Alert in place. I can’t just tell him we suddenly don’t have him.”

“We can’t take him to jail. It’s too dangerous for Andrew.”

“I can’t do that. You’ve got to trust the FBI. They want to find Andrew as much as you do.”

“I doubt that very much.”

“I don’t have a choice, Jamie.”

“We always have a choice.” She glared at him. “I thought you’d changed, but you still…never mind.” She walked away from him, not wanting him to see her tears.

“Zinkleman has his cell phone on him, so the kidnappers have a way to contact him.”

She sat on the bed, her heart breaking for all of them. But this would be the last time Enrique Rodriquez broke it. Never again would she trust him. He still didn’t understand people were more important than rules and procedures. He wasn’t the man she’d thought—he wasn’t the man for her.

Enrique called his boss for instructions. After hanging up, he put a hand on her shoulder. “Jamie, trust me. This is the best way to find Andrew. We’ll have a whole nation looking for him in a matter of hours. I’m sorry. Really I am. I don’t want this to come between us.”

“There is no us.”

“Yes, there is. You can’t deny our feelings.” His arms went around her and pulled her close. “You found Michael, and we’ll find Andrew soon. I’m not abandoning him or you.”

“Not if you take Michael into custody. I’m not saying we’ll set him free, but he can’t be stuck in jail.”

“I don’t have an option, Jamie. Why can’t you see that?”

Before she could disagree, his lips moved towards hers. Jamie stepped out of Enrique’s arms. “You won’t change your mind?”

“I have to take Zinkleman to the police station. The kidnap team is en route. We’re putting a trace on his phone and if the kidnappers call, we’ll be ready. This is the best way.”

“So you say. I’m leaving.”

“Aren’t you going to the station?”

She shook her head. “You don’t need me there. You can handle it without me.”

His hand touched her shoulder. “Jamie, don’t do this. We can work this out. Our jobs don’t have to interfere with us.”

“It already has. You do what you have to do and I’ll do what I have to do.”

 

****

 

Jamie drove out of Jackson Hole, her heart in shreds. The time she’d spent with Enrique had shown her she still loved him, but they were just too different. It would never work out for them.

Wiping away tears, she focused on the majestic view of the Tetons. The first time she’d laid eyes on the Rockies Jamie fell in love with them. The sheer magnitude of them inspired awe. So stark, so rugged, as they showed the power of the Lord. God never seemed closer to her than when she saw the snowcapped peaks.

Jamie decided nowhere was her destination. After her drive, she would go back to the motel, pick up her things, fly back to Ohio to see Zink, and then home. She was done with undercover work. Not only was it too dangerous for a mother, but she’d lost her mojo. She just wasn’t good at it anymore.

In the distance, eagles were flying with the Tetons as the backdrop. The eagles reminded her of Ryan. He’d wanted to be an eagle, but felt like no one would let him fly.

Sadness filled her, but then she thought about their last few exchanges. He’d made his peace with God. He was free now. He didn’t have to worry about other people accepting or not accepting him. Another tear trickled out.

She stared at the eagle in the sky.

An airplane flew up above.

The airplane.

Ryan’s airplane.

Thoughts steamrolled in. What if they hadn’t followed her, but had followed Ryan? He’d said he borrowed a friend’s plane. What kind of people had planes? Drug dealers. The same kind of people who would want their money laundered.

Maybe Ryan hadn’t been as convincing with his friends as he and Michael had thought. Maybe they’d been monitoring him and his movements all along—just waiting for Ryan to lead them to Michael. Maybe there was something in the plane that could lead her to the kidnappers.

Pulling off the road, she hit some buttons on her GPS and was glad to see she was headed in the right direction for the airport.