The open door to Daniella’s room kept her from feeling as if she and Isaac being together might cause his siblings to question their innocent motives. That was ridiculous, of course. The man was merely comforting her after apologizing for his gaffe about the money. And she was accepting his demonstration of friendly concern by returning his hug.
Ha-ha, her mind countered. You may be able to fool everybody else, but don’t try to fool yourself.
She forced herself to loosen her grip and ease away from him in spite of the tender look in his eyes. Nevertheless, he released her without argument.
“Sorry,” Isaac said quietly.
“For what? You didn’t do anything wrong.”
He shrugged. “Okay, whatever you say.”
In the background a door slammed. Jacob’s voice echoed up the stairwell. “I’ve closed and locked everything and put all the cars in the barn.”
Isaac turned toward the door to answer, “Thanks.”
“No problem.”
He took another step away from her, leaving Daniella wishing they had remained closer. She was toying with the notion of actually saying so when she heard a familiar yip. Abby was hot on the trail of something, probably her human partner.
A smile lifted the corners of Daniella’s mouth while the canine’s exuberance lifted her spirits. “I think somebody is looking for you.”
“Undoubtedly.”
“Well...”
“Yeah, I’d better be going.”
Before he had a chance to step into the hallway and shut her door, Abby barreled past in a blur of brown and white, barking all the way.
Daniella moved to try to block the dog. She may as well have tried to halt a flooded river with a teaspoon. Abby weaved past her without slowing a bit and dived under the bed!
The roar Puddy answered with was punctuated by hissing and growling.
Moving nearly as fast as the beagle, Daniella lifted the hem of the spread to peer under.
Isaac did the same.
All she could see was a flurry of tooth and claw. The combatants rolled around and around, popping out the opposite side for a moment, then back under the bed.
“Get him!” Isaac yelled. “Before he kills her.”
“He’s just defending himself. You grab your dog.”
“I’m trying to!”
From behind them came laughter and shouts of encouragement. Jake and Becky were standing back and enjoying the melee.
Isaac didn’t take his eyes off the tussle but Daniella did look up. “Help us!”
“No way. You two are doing fine.” Jake guffawed.
“I’ve got her leg,” Isaac shouted. “Pull your cat off her.”
“How?”
“Grab him like his mama would, by the scruff of the neck.”
The solution seemed too simplistic but she was willing to try anything at this point. She closed her fist on the loose skin behind Puddy’s head and held tight while he struggled to reach the whining dog that Isaac was sliding in the opposite direction.
The cat’s growling continued after the separation. Daniella began to speak soothingly to him, almost in baby talk, and he quieted in her lap, although he kept glaring at the excited beagle.
“Is Abby all right?” she asked, afraid to hear that Puddy might have injured the valuable animal.
“Yes, thankfully.” Sitting on the bedroom floor, Isaac was scowling at both her and her pet. “How about your monster. Is he hurt?”
“I don’t think so. Puddy was just scared because Abby showed up so unexpectedly.”
“She’s right,” Becky offered from the doorway.
Isaac was scowling. “You would.”
“I agree,” Jake chimed in. “Abby’s fine with the barn cats. There’s no reason to believe she’d hurt this one.”
Rolling his eyes, Isaac cradled his dog and watched the enormous cat. Its fur was puffed out, making it look as large as its antagonist and twice as formidable.
Abby, on the other hand, had begun to pant and drool and try to wiggle loose.
“See? She wants to be friends,” Daniella said. “Put her down and see what happens.”
It was evident that Isaac didn’t want to follow anyone’s orders, particularly hers, yet he did finally lower the dog’s paws to the floor. Trembling with excitement, Abby strained against her collar and began acting like a sprinter, eager to break out of the blocks at a track meet before the starting gun fired.
Daniella offered her fingers for the beagle to sniff. “Since I was holding Puddy, this will give her an idea of what he is and calm her down.”
“I didn’t know you understood dogs so well.
“I get along with most animals,” Daniella assured him. “A neighbor’s dog was one of my best buddies when I was a kid. I wasn’t allowed to have a pet of my own so I’d sneak down the street to play with Buster.” Remembering more, she sobered. “I had a kitten once, when I was about seven. My dad told me it ran away and Mom suggested we not replace it. As an adult, I came to the conclusion that Dad was responsible for its disappearance.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“Yeah. Me, too.” She shook off her doldrums and smiled while scratching behind Abby’s ears. “I think you can let her loose now.”
To her delight, once the dog was free, she merely stood there, sizing up her new enemy. Puddy did the same. His tail was so puffy it resembled a stiff brush.
This was the way animals met in the wild. If one felt cornered, it was natural for that one to fight. Since they were both free to advance or retreat, she believed they’d find neutral ground and call a truce.
Sure enough. Puddy made the first move, practically tiptoeing closer. One step. Two. Abby’s tail began to wag and she lowered her chest to the floor, paws spread wide in a play pose, pink tongue lolling.
The cat lifted a paw and touched the dog’s muzzle, then danced sideways on the tips of his toes, the end of his bushy tail beginning to twitch the way it did when Daniella dangled a toy on a string.
She held up a hand and smiled at Isaac. “Hang on. It’s going to be fine.”
Abby yelped.
“I think you’re right. That’s a play bark.”
Puddy leaped, bounced off the middle of the beagle’s back as if it was a trampoline, and ended up on the bedspread.
“There. See?” Daniella said. “Now we can quit worrying about them. All is forgiven.”
“Apparently.” Isaac got to his feet and called his dog to heel. “I think it’s time we put an end to these fun and games and all went to bed. It’s late and it’s been a long day.”
Daniella walked him to the door, where they joined Becky and Jacob. “I still need a safe to store my money. Any suggestions?”
“I can drive you back to the bank tomorrow if you like.” Becky eyed her youngest brother. “Unless Isaac wants to take you.”
“I’d be glad to—right after I go interview the boy from All Our Kids foster home who witnessed the shooting at Jeffries’s place.”
“I thought that had been done several times,” Jake said. “What else can you hope to learn?”
“I’m not sure. I’ve had a couple of new ideas and I’d like to ask the boy some questions myself. It may not amount to anything.” He looked toward Daniella. “How about riding along with me? I’m sure I can get my captain’s permission. You’ll have to be blindfolded for the final few miles of the approach but it won’t last long.”
Smiling, she agreed. “I think I can stand doing that. Could we go to the bank first? I hate to carry all this loose cash around.”
“No problem. We’ll escort Becky to work in Arlington, visit your bank, then head to the safe house where the children are staying.”
“Will that take you too far out of your way?” Daniella asked.
Becky caused subdued laughter when she piped up with, “Honey, I suspect my brother would go to the moon for you if you asked him to. Just take his offer of a ride and say thank you.”
The grin splitting her face grew so broad her cheeks ached. Aiming it at Isaac, she repeated, “Thank you.”
* * *
Isaac had decided it would be best to handle his upcoming visit to the children’s home the way he had the recent one to the congressman. He’d drop in the following morning, unannounced, and trust that Cassie Danvers would be able to arrange for him to question Tommy.
He used the time trailing Becky to Arlington to mull over the details of his upcoming mission, not dreaming that his tension showed until Daniella spoke up. “Okay. Your sister is safe at her office and you’re still frowning. Are you nervous about carrying all this money? You are armed, you know.”
“It’s not that. I’m thinking about the little boy I plan to interview.”
“I can help if you’d like. I’m pretty good with kids. Most of the ones I treated in ER were either hurt or traumatized or both. They settled down fast if I kept my tone soft. They had to stop fussing in order to hear what I was saying to them.”
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to let you go in with me, as long as you don’t interrupt. If I need your help I’ll ask for it. Okay?”
“Okay. Now suppose you tell me more about why you’re wound so tight this morning.”
He didn’t nod but he did exhale as if he’d been holding his breath. “It’s complicated.”
“I’m listening.”
“Cassie Danvers, housemother of All Our Kids foster home, is my captain’s significant other.”
“His girlfriend, you mean?”
“More than that. They’re engaged. She’s bound to tell him what Tommy and I talk about, especially since I plan to bring up the congressman’s name.”
“Why would that bother anybody?”
“Because McCord was mentored by Harland Jeffries years ago when he was a resident at the same home—and afterward, too. No matter how I handle the meeting with Tommy, it’s liable to ruffle feathers. I’m already in the doghouse for pressing Jeffries about the bomb that went off near the monument.”
“Their inconvenient friendship can’t be helped, can it?”
Isaac huffed. “No.”
“Then you have to proceed.”
“Easy for you to say.” He thumbed his cell phone until he’d retrieved a file of photos. “These casual pictures are what I plan to show the boy, instead of mug shots, to see if he reacts.”
“And if he does?”
“Then I’ll report it to my captain and take the flak, even if it costs me my job.”
“Aren’t you the guy who keeps telling me it’s not my fault that my father was a terrible person?” She ignored his deepening scowl and continued. “Well, think about it. If McCord is one of the good guys and his buddy Jeffries is the problem, don’t you think the captain will thank you for exposing a crime, no matter who’s guilty?”
“It still won’t be a picnic.”
Daniella chuckled. “Who ever said that doing the right thing was easy? Certainly not me. So, tell me more about this children’s home we’re going to.”
As Isaac began to fill her in on the details surrounding the attack on Cassie and the kids she cared for, he was aware that some of his apprehension was easing. It was as if Daniella’s presence and empathy had infused his thoughts and helped bring peace about the difficult task he was about to undertake.
Yes, he sometimes got similar results when his team met to discuss their work, but this was different. Stronger. More defined.
He glanced over at her as he pulled up to the guarded gate that protected the safe house where the children were temporarily located. A conclusion had suddenly formed. Daniella was in the process of not only accepting a part of his job, she was getting enthusiastic about it!
It was a small, first step, Isaac realized, grateful as well as awed. Nevertheless, it was a beginning for her. For them. If she could clearly see how much it meant to him to save lives and clear the streets of criminals, perhaps she’d one day be able to tolerate the dangerous things he was called upon to do for the sake of others.
Like these innocent children, he added silently before turning his thoughts to prayer.
“Help me find the truth,” Isaac whispered, circling the SUV to hold the door for his passenger. The moment his gaze lit on her face and she smiled at him, he added, “About everything.”
It wasn’t God’s failure to hear his pleas that concerned him. It was knowing that his idea of the right answer and the Lord’s actual reply might not be anywhere near the same.
Trusting Him no matter what was the hardest part.
* * *
“Aren’t we taking Abby in with us?” Daniella asked, pausing before starting up the walkway to the front door.
“Not this time. There are some strange guard dogs here, helping patrol, and I don’t want to risk a dogfight.”
“Makes sense.” She saw the front door open and two women step out. One was petite, with long reddish hair. The other was not only older, she seemed about to jump out of her skin.
Isaac took Daniella’s arm and nodded to the women. “Cassie, this is a friend of mine. Daniella, meet Cassie Danvers, the foster mom I told you about, and Virginia Johnson, her helper and cook.”
The redhead offered her hand. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Same here.” Daniella didn’t even try to shake hands with the other woman for fear she’d bolt in fear. “I’ve worked with children before in my job as a nurse. Isaac let me come with him in case I could be of assistance.”
“Nobody here is sick,” Cassie insisted. Her brow knit as she focused back on Isaac. “I take it this isn’t a social call?”
“I thought maybe I could have another word with Tommy.”
“Don’t you think he’s been through enough?”
“Yes. I also think he knows more than he’s told us. Like you, I want to see justice done. You and these kids can’t go on living in an armed camp forever, and we don’t dare let you go back to your real home until everything is solved.”
It was clear to Daniella that Cassie was unsure so she stepped forward, reached for her hand again and clasped it gently. “Why don’t we all go inside and discuss this?”
The housemother agreed. “All right.” She gestured toward the door, where several small faces with wide eyes peeked out at her before quickly disappearing.
Daniella took special pains to smile without focusing on a particular child as she walked into the comfortable living room. There was a long sofa covered with a wrinkled throw, three small side chairs and one larger scuffed-leather one filled with what looked like hundreds of small stuffed animals.
When Cassie treated her like a valued guest and began introducing the children who were present, Daniella crouched to greet each one personally. A little waif named Rachel was the tiniest and immediately stole her heart.
“And over here is Tommy,” Cassie continued, pointing to the chair with the pile of toys. “Trust me. He’s bound to be under there somewhere.”
A reedy, muffled voice insisted, “Uh-uh.”
Smiling broadly and trying not to laugh, Daniella said, “Well, what do you know. Those animals talk!” as she perched on the matching ottoman. “My kitty talks to me sometimes, but I have trouble understanding what he says.”
The pile stirred.
Daniella sat very still. “It goes like this, ‘Mrrrow’ or ‘meorrrr,’ or sometimes he hisses, but that’s only when he’s scared.”
“I never get scared,” came from the pile of animals.
“Good for you, Mr. Monkey.” She picked up the closest toy and looked into its shiny black button eyes. “Or was that you, Mr. Bear?”
When the child buried under the pile of animals didn’t reply, Cassie offered, “His name is Bearie.”
“Good to know. My name is Daniella, Bearie.”
A head of tousled, sandy-brown hair appeared amid the toys and one blue eye peeked out.
She made her reaction melodramatic, clutching the bear to her and gasping. “Oh, my.” Grinning, she asked, “Are you Tommy?”
She could sense his painful shyness, see it in the way he immediately eased lower in the chair, letting only the top of his head and eyebrows show. No wonder the poor little guy was so reticent, she thought sadly. If he had witnessed the actual shooting at the congressman’s estate, as Isaac believed, he’d have trouble trusting any adults. Add to that the family upheaval that had landed him in foster care in the first place, and she could easily see why he’d prefer the company of harmless stuffed toys.
Daniella held up the bear again. “I’d love to meet your friends, Bearie. Will you please introduce me?”
To her delight and surprise, Tommy’s faint, childlike voice proceeded to name each stuffed animal while she held it up. She listened intently, hoping he wasn’t going to ask her to repeat many of them.
“Wow, you have a really good memory, Bear. Or was that Mr. Monkey? Tell you what. Will one of you ask Tommy if he’d like to play a game with us?”
The boy’s head eased out above the pile of fur, felt and stuffing, sending some of the toys sliding.
Daniella caught the closest ones. “Careful. We don’t want anybody to get hurt like that poor man did who got shot. You remember seeing him, don’t you, Bearie?”
The boy shook his head and averted his gaze. She’d almost lost him by going too fast. One quick glance at Isaac reassured her, so she proceeded, taking pains to guess incorrectly and thereby build up the child’s confidence.
“Let me see how well I can remember something. This is Bearie in this hand, right? And Mr. Monkey over here?”
Tommy gave her a look that indicated she was not only wrong, she wasn’t too bright. Again he shook his head.
“Okay. My mistake. Now it’s your turn.” She took care to present a few animal toys and let the child answer for them before returning to their primary reason for visiting the home.
“Good job. I think this is too easy for all you animals. How about trying something harder?”
The spark of interest in the boy’s eyes convinced her she was going to succeed this time.
Daniella lowered her voice and cupped a hand around her mouth so he had to lean closer to hear. “I know how smart you all are. You can tell good guys, like me and Officer Black over there, from bad men, can’t you?”
“Uh-huh.” Tommy was barely whispering.
“Good for you. How about the man with the white hair you saw that night when David’s blue mitten got lost in the woods?”
Tommy retreated and drew some of the toys to his chest, where he hugged them close. “I don’t wanna play.”
“But how are we going to tell you won if you stop playing? Just once more, okay?” Instead of pausing to give the child time to think over his reply, she plunged ahead, holding out a hand toward Isaac and asking for his smartphone. By concentrating on its screen and hiding it from the boy, she was able to distract him again.
“Uh-uh, no peeking. I haven’t found the pictures I want yet.”
The first time she held up the phone for him to see, it displayed a picture of Abby.
Tommy pointed at Isaac with one of the tentacles on a green octopus. “His dog. She likes me.”
“I’m sure she does.” Daniella continued to work the phone, hoping she’d be able to access the file Isaac had shown her on their drive over.
“Here we go.” She held up the phone with one of the pictures of a toddler Isaac had told her was named Juan.
“I know him!” In the background, Rachel clapped her hands.
“That’s Juan Gomez.” Cassie explained. “He used to live here.”
“Right.” Daniella offered Tommy a high five which he almost accepted.
Carefully paging through the photos, she found one of a smiling younger man standing beside Harland Jeffries. The only other time she’d seen an image of his son, Michael, had been in the postmortem pictures, but she wasn’t about to show those to a child. If she showed this one to Tommy, there was a good chance he’d shut down again, but at least they’d know he’d seen Michael, perhaps even on the night he was shot to death.
Before turning the phone toward the boy, she held it up so Isaac could view the photo and got his silent okay.
Tommy was on his knees on the chair seat, eagerly waiting for his next test. Daniella hated to trick him but if his information cleared up the murder and freed the others in the home to return to a normal life, as Isaac hoped, it would be justified. At least she prayed it would.
Slowly pivoting, she prepared for the worst, deciding at the last minute to cover half the photo with her hand, leaving only Michael visible.
Tommy’s jaw dropped. His blue eyes widened. Tears began to glisten.
Her heart broke for the frightened child. In order to reach out to him, to comfort him, Daniella had to use the hand that had masked off part of the picture.
When she did, Tommy screamed and pointed. “That’s—that’s the bad man with the gun!”
He burst from the pile of toys and ran straight to Cassie. She lifted his small, wiry body into her arms in spite of her diminutive size.
Daniella swallowed past the lump in her throat and stood to face Isaac, still displaying the same photo.
“He wasn’t pointing to Michael Jeffries,” she said with conviction. “The man he saw holding the gun was the congressman!”
* * *
Before they left the children’s home, Isaac took Cassie aside and begged her to let him be the one to break the news to Gavin.
Cassie shook her head. “It will be easier for him to accept coming from me. Besides, we can’t be certain Tommy is right about who was holding a gun.”
Isaac gritted his teeth. He didn’t want to believe the worst, either, yet couldn’t help wondering. If only they could come up with a plausible motive for Michael’s murder maybe the clues would start to make more sense.
“Okay, how about agreeing to give me three hours?” Isaac asked Cassie. “I should be able to get my men in place by then and find a judge willing to issue a search warrant for Jeffries’s estate and office.”
“Harland Jeffries founded All Our Kids foster home. He hired me. He mentored Gavin when he was an angry teenager about to go wrong. He saved him from a life on the streets and led him to the right side of the law.” She took a shaky breath. “Michael was his only son. How can you even suggest he did such a horrible thing?”
Isaac was trying to come up with a valid rebuttal when Daniella stepped forward and grasped Cassie’s hand. Both women were trembling so badly he couldn’t tell which was worse.
“My own father killed my mother right in front of my eyes,” Daniella told Cassie, obviously speaking softly to keep from further upsetting the children. “The reason I’m with Isaac now is because my dad got out of prison and came after me. It’s not unthinkable that some men might kill if they thought it was necessary for self-preservation. Maybe Harland fired by accident. Maybe he did it on purpose. Only God knows for sure.”
By this time Cassie was weeping. So was Daniella. Isaac yearned to go to her and enfold her in a comforting embrace. Instead, he waited for the drama to play out.
“I’ll give you two hours,” Cassie finally said. “After that, I’m calling Gavin and telling him everything that happened here today.”
“Fair enough.” Isaac was satisfied that that was the best he could expect.
A small hand tugged at the leg of Daniella’s jeans. She swiped at her cheeks and sniffled, then smiled down, surprised to see who wanted her attention. “What is it, Tommy?”
“A picture. We were swimmin’.”
“I can see that. There’s you, and Rachel and...” Her gasp caught Isaac’s immediate notice. She was pointing at the framed photo of a group of small children in a wading pool. “Who’s this?”
Tommy grew solemn. “That’s Juan. I wish he’d come back. He likes my animals.”
Straightening, Daniella showed the picture to Cassie, then to Isaac. “Do you see a faint birthmark on this boy’s shoulder or am I imagining things?”
“He had a good-size mark on his back, near the shoulder,” Cassie said. “It was kind of hard to see against his darker skin but it was there, all right.”
“Café au lait,” Daniella murmured. She stared at the other woman. “Was Michael Jeffries his father?”
Cassie shook her head emphatically.
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because, Michael wrote an article for the Washington Post promoting adoption, and confessed he couldn’t have kids of his own.”
Isaac cupped Daniella’s elbow to turn and guide her toward the exit. He didn’t want to waste one second of his two-hour window, so he exerted gentle pressure. “We really do have to go. I’ll bring you back later if you want and you ladies can have a good cry together.”
They were seated in the SUV before Daniella responded with words. She blotted her damp cheeks first, then said, “We don’t choose to cry, Isaac. Our female brains make more of the natural chemicals that cause us to weep than men’s brains do.”
“I’ve seen guys lose it,” he countered.
“Yes, but it usually takes a lot more to bring a man to tears than it does to affect a woman the same way. It’s not a weakness, it’s the way God made us.”
“And He never makes mistakes, right?”
“Right. Seeing a woman’s tears has a tendency to also alter a normal male’s brain chemistry and make him more sympathetic.”
“Humph.”
What he wanted to do was counter her claim with a macho comment that would disprove that hypothesis. He could not. Truth to tell, his own emotions had been affected by seeing the women so upset, particularly Daniella. He had brought her to the foster home and allowed her to become involved in his work again. He should have known better.
There was no question that he could control his emotions. After all, he’d already seen plenty of suffering and there was undoubtedly more waiting in his future. What he could not deny, however, was the tugging at his heart and the boulder that sat in the pit of his stomach every time he saw joy leave Daniella’s face.
She might never know the entire truth, but he did. There was not a shadow of a doubt.
Her pain was his. It always would be.
* * *
Instead of relying on the earwig, Isaac picked up the mic, identified his unit and told the dispatcher to switch to another channel while Daniella sat in the passenger seat and listened.
“I have a credible witness to the shooting at the Jeffries estate and a probable motive for Rosa Gomez’s murder, too, when we get time to look into it,” he reported. “I’ll need a search warrant for Harland Jeffries’s property and a task force assembled ASAP.” He paused. “One more thing. This is vital. Do your notifications by cell or in person. Do not let Captain McCord find out what we’re doing if you can possibly help it.”
The voice on the radio said, “That’s against protocol.”
“I know. I left an urgent message for General Meyer, and I’ll brief her as soon as she calls me back. If anybody gives you trouble, tell them to check with her and mention my name.”
Daniella could tell he was really torn by having to act behind McCord’s back. “Maybe it would be best to tell the captain before Cassie’s two hours are up,” she suggested when he was finished on the radio. “He has a right to know everything, even if the suspect is an old friend of his, and that way you can express your conclusions so he’ll be more likely to understand.”
“No. I don’t want to take a chance on being stopped until we’ve searched the congressman’s house and grounds.”
“What are you hoping to find? Surely he wouldn’t have kept clues around if he did shoot his son.”
“Probably not. I suppose the shooter could just as easily have been Erin Eagleton, like most people thought. Tommy didn’t say he saw Harland actually pull the trigger.”
“The trick is going to be convincing him to speak up and comment more on that night without putting any notions into his head. Kids can be very impressionable.”
“That’s what I figured. By the way, thanks for your help. I never thought of making my interrogation into a game the way you did.”
“You’re welcome.” The compliment warmed her to the core and brought a slight smile. “I don’t want the poor kid to be scarred for life because of seeing something awful, but I do wish he hadn’t run away before the actual shooting.”
“Yeah, if that’s what he really did.”
Driving back to DC, they approached the hospital where Daniella had worked and she felt a pang of nostalgia. No matter how trying her job had been at times, she’d enjoyed doing it. She was about to comment along those lines when Isaac’s cell phone sounded.
“Maybe that’s your big boss returning your call.”
“I hope so.”
She saw his face change when he looked at the ID on the small screen. “Becky? What’s wrong?”
Daniella didn’t have to hear the answer to know it was something dire. Isaac clenched his jaw muscle. His eyes narrowed. He pulled to the shoulder of the road just before they reached the beltway and handed his phone to her.
“Becky?” she said, wishing they were together so she could read her friend’s face as well as she was reading Isaac’s. When the connection stayed quiet, she pleaded, “Talk to me. Please?”
The sound of shuffling in the background was all that was coming through. Then she heard what had to be a slap, a gasp and a thud, followed by a shaky “Daniella?”
Clearly there was something terribly wrong. Cradling the small cell phone, she motioned to Isaac to shut off the SUV’s engine so she could hear every nuance.
When Becky did start to speak, it was rapid-fire and barely understandable. “Kidnapped. Don’t come after me. I’m...”
Again there was the smacking sound of flesh against flesh and then a scream. “No!”
The evil-sounding cackle that followed made Daniella physically ill. She held out the phone and stared at it rather than keeping it pressed to her ear. One look at Isaac told her he already knew who had taken his sister.
Becky was with someone even worse than Harland Jeffries was suspected of being.
She’d been abducted by Terence Fagan!
* * *
Isaac reclaimed his phone. “Where’s my sister, you useless...?”
“Now, now, is that any way to talk in front of a lady?”
“What do you want?”
“A simple trade,” Fagan said. “My woman for yours.”
“No trade. We don’t negotiate with kidnappers.”
“In that case, say goodbye to your sister.”
“Wait.” He eyed Daniella, looking for a sign of approval as he said, “How about a ransom? Your daughter has a lot of money stashed away.”
She was nodding rapidly, clearly in agreement, and leaned closer to Isaac to put her ear next to his and eavesdrop on the conversation.
Fagan chuckled. “It’s a tad too late for that. I’m afraid this conversation is over. If you won’t trade my daughter for your sister, she’s of no use to me anymore.”
Shouting “Wait” into the phone, Daniella tried to wrest it from Isaac. He held fast so she resorted to yelling. “I’ll come. I’ll take her place. I promise I will. Just don’t hurt her.”
“No, she won’t,” Isaac insisted, pulling away and stepping out of the car to distance himself from her interference. Pacing, he continued to argue with Fagan, hoping the man would listen to reason or at least be tempted by the big payday Daniella could provide.
“I figure it must be close to half a million,” Isaac told him. “I can get it and deliver it to you. Just tell me where and when.”
“I thought you didn’t negotiate.”
“Officially, we don’t.”
“But my having your sister makes a difference?”
“Yes.” It galled him to admit weakness, yet he had no choice. The only way to rescue Becky was to stall her kidnapper until he could set a trap for him, probably at the site of the exchange. As long as Fagan kept him busy on the phone he couldn’t arrange a thing. Not a thing.
Isaac motioned for Daniella to join him and once again shared the phone with her.
She clapped a hand over her opposite ear. “What? I can’t hear you.”
“Where’s the cop?”
“He’s right here. We both are.”
Isaac affirmed her claim, making a rolling motion with one hand to indicate she should keep talking and stall. Then he slipped back into the SUV to radio headquarters and inform them of the kidnapping. He was taking a chance by trying to trick a wily criminal like Fagan. Daniella’s wits were going to have to keep them both out of hot water.
He laid down the mic when he saw her motioning wildly for him to return to her.
“Noise is bad here. Say again?” Isaac asked. His heart fell when he heard Fagan’s demand.
“Look, I can’t get home that fast. We were headed back to DC. We’re clear on the opposite side of the beltway right now and traffic is almost at a standstill.”
“Excuses? You don’t want your sister back, do you?”
“Of course I do.” The phone cackled as if it had a mind of its own, and the hair on the back of Isaac’s neck prickled.
“I’ll give you one hour to get back to your farm,” Fagan told Isaac. “Any longer than that and your sister dies.” Another laugh grated. “And when you call your brother to tip him off, make sure he understands that I’ll be ready to put a bullet in her the second I think something’s wrong, so he’d better behave himself.”
“Why rendezvous at the farm?” Isaac asked. “Why didn’t you just blow up the house with the last bomb and get it over with?” Dead silence on the other end of the line was confusing.
Finally, Fagan spoke. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but I didn’t have time to place explosives at your house when I was there. I was too busy shooting at my ungrateful kid. Almost got her, too. And you and your buddies and those ugly mutts.”
Before Isaac could question him further, Fagan added, “Look at your watch and get moving. The hour starts now.”
Grabbing Daniella’s arm and half dragging her with him, he raced for the car. “Hurry. We only have an hour to get home and I have a lot of preparations to make in the meantime.”
“Do you want me to drive?”
“Only if you’ve had a defensive driving course.”
She climbed in the passenger side and slammed her door, then reached for the buckle ends of the seat belt. “Can we make it?”
He flicked on the lights and siren and eased away from the curb. Most of the passing cars gave him the right-of-way as soon as they could find a place to pull over—which wasn’t easy.
In the clear, Isaac floored the accelerator. They’d get home in under an hour. They had to.
The only thing he didn’t like was keeping Daniella with him. If he could think of any safe place to drop her, or imagined for one second that she’d stay out of trouble on her own, he’d gladly leave her standing at the curb and speed off.
One glance at her determined expression and the way she was clenching her fists told him they must stay together. Leaving her to her own devices, the way she had been when she’d driven her car into the path of rifle bullets, was out of the question. He didn’t know how he was going to control her once she saw her father and Becky. He simply knew he had to try.
And keep trying.
Until there were no more chances left.