Willow Pond (34 page)

“He’s dead, that’s how I know. Somebody put a bullet in his black heart months ago.”

She went to pick up the telephone but Nancy put her hand out to stop her. She waited while Nancy went into the bedroom, returning moments later. She handed Virginia a photograph of a long-nosed, brown haired man.

“I think it might be my ex-husband, Geoffrey Pierce.”

They sat on the sofa and Virginia stared at the picture. She’d seen this man, this Geoffrey Pierce before, but couldn’t remember where. Suddenly it came to her. The poker game. The one where Rudy had lost big. He’d been the dealer. Didn’t say much, but she couldn’t forget those probing eyes.

“Was he involved in my nephew’s kidnapping?”

“I don’t think so. I don’t think he and Rudy even knew each other.”

Virginia stared at Nancy, trying to discern was what going on in the woman’s mind. Most of the time Virginia found it easy to read people, but not this time. Nancy was either shrewd or not too bright. She had the feeling it was the latter. No woman of average intelligence would get involved with not one, but three losers. Not only that, but the woman would soon find herself facing jail time for a crime she probably went along with just because she was told to.

“Do you know where he is?” asked Virginia.

“I have no idea,” said Nancy. “The last time I heard from him was almost four years ago and he was living in New Zealand. He’s Australian.”

“You think he has Todd? Where would he have taken him?”

Nancy hung her head and sniffed. “I didn’t want to lose him. Now I’ve lost him for good.”

“He was never yours to lose. Trust me. I intend to see to it you pay for what you’ve done.”

The phone rang and Nancy grabbed it.

“Mommy!”

“Andy?”

“Mommy! Help me!”

The line went dead.

Chapter Sixty-Two

It was drizzling when the cab pulled away from the curb. Laura gripped Erich’s sleeve tight, terrified by what the detective had said. Todd had been found, but Todd was missing again.

The police were holding Maggie Pierce, whose real name was Nancy Evans, at the South Kensington police station. She and Erich were told to get there as quickly as they could.

When they arrived, Erich held the door for her and they walked into the police station, where she found themselves in a crowded room. Erich took her arm, maneuvered them through the people and soon came face to face with Virginia. She stood by the detective’s desk, and when they approached he stood to greet them. Beside Virginia, with her back to them, stood a dark-haired woman in handcuffs.

Laura was still trying to cope with the anger she felt toward her aunt. After four days in London, they’d learned nothing new.

Virginia blinked at Laura, speechless, then looked away. At that moment, as if she’d sensed their presence, the woman beside Virginia turned and looked directly at Laura.

Laura’s eyes popped open. “You! You’re Nancy Evans, aren’t you? Where is he? What have you done with my son? Damn you! Where is he?”

The woman’s face was almost green with remorse. Her eyes pleaded with Laura, but this was something she could never forgive. Never.

“I swear, I don’t know,” Nancy said. “Please believe me. You’ve got to believe me.”

“I don’t have to believe anything,” Laura hissed. Her whole body was shaking by this point. Erich took hold of her shoulders and squeezed gently. “Where is he?” she demanded. “What’s happened to my son now?”

The detective stepped in, only slightly diffusing Laura’s rage. “Detective Joe McStravick,” he said, his Scottish accent strong. “O’Toole, get chairs for Mrs. Austin and Mr. Muller.”

“What’s happened to Todd?” Laura asked. She saw desolation in Virginia’s eyes. “He’s dead, isn’t he?”

“No,” said the detective, and told her what had happened, including the phone call, though he omitted Todd’s plea. “All we know is he’s been abducted again.”

Tears filled Laura’s eyes. She wanted to hit Nancy, wanted to slap her so hard she’d knock her over. She stepped toward her, but Erich held her back. “How?” she shouted. “How could you have kept my little boy from me all this time?”

Nancy hung her head.

The detective told them what had happened at 74 Onslow Gardens earlier, then showed them the note Nancy had found. Laura glanced from her aunt to Nancy Evans, waiting for one of them to say something, but they sat like two lumps. It was very unlike Virginia.

Laura shook her head at her aunt and spoke through clenched teeth, tears of rage spilling over. “How could you have done this to me, Virginia? How? I’ve always defended you to everyone, even Erich, but he was right about you, wasn’t he? Wasn’t he? Answer me, damn it!”

Nancy spoke first. “Your aunt had nothing to do with your son’s kidnapping. You’ve got to believe me.”

“Then explain to me why she kept the truth from me.”

Erich patted Laura’s hand, bringing her back to the present. “We need to hear what Detective McStravick has to say, sweetheart. I know how upset you are, but we need to listen to him.”

The detective cleared his throat and handed a piece of paper to Erich. “I think you should look at this before we go any further.”

It was a picture of Geoffrey Pierce, and both he and Laura had the same reaction. Geoffrey Pierce was unquestionably the portrait artist they’d met at Washington Square Park a few weeks before. The one who had insisted on painting their portrait. Laura remembered thinking he was odd, but never could have imagined he’d have any connection to Todd’s kidnapping. Suddenly she and Erich had the same thought. Rachel! What if he—

“Detective McStravick, I need to make an immediate overseas call to Detective Ben Wilson at the East Hampton police station,” Erich said.

Laura leaned against him for reassurance. “It can’t wait.”

“I’ll get the detective for you straight away,” McStravick replied with a nod.

Erich reported to Ben Wilson that Todd had been kidnapped again. He told him they had no idea where he was and both he and Laura felt Rachel might be in danger. He asked for twenty-four hour a day protection for her. Wilson agreed and asked to be kept informed of developments. Erich gave the phone to Detective McStravick, and the two policemen exchanged a few words. When McStravick hung up, he stared pointedly at Nancy.

“What’s going on?” Erich asked, catching the look.

“Geoffrey Pierce is my ex-husband.” Nancy explained.

McStravick cleared his throat again. “I think it’s time we looked at some mugshots.” Another officer brought an enormous book to the detective’s desk and placed it on front of them. “This could take days. Mr. Muller, I suggest you take Mrs. Austin home. Miss Kingsley, you may leave if you want, though we will want to talk to you again later.”

“No,” Virginia said. “I don’t want to leave. I know Laura doesn’t either. But she and I need to talk. Is there some place where we can have some privacy?”

***

The women and Erich followed Sergeant O’Toole down a steep flight of cement steps then through a long corridor, until they found themselves standing in a long, narrow room. It was where, the sergeant told them, prisoners had once come to exercise. Giving them a nod, he left them alone.

In reality, the three people left in the room would have preferred anything to being left alone together. Virginia had wanted to speak with Laura alone, but Laura had insisted Erich be there. She told Virginia that Erich was the only person she could trust.

Laura faced her aunt, trying to contain her rage. She was angry and hurt and didn’t know what she might do if she gave in to the need to strike someone. “You know I don’t believe Nancy Evans, or whatever her name is. I think you were either involved in Todd’s kidnapping, or you knew something and didn’t want to tell me. Whatever the truth, I can never trust you again.”

Virginia leaned against the wall and sighed. “If it makes you feel better to hate me, then that’s what you must do, though if I were you I wouldn’t waste energy on me. I’d save it all for Todd.”

A mouse scooted up the wall and they all recoiled.

Laura shuddered. “I’m leaving if I see another one of those,” she said. “Couldn’t they have found a better place for us to talk?”

Erich lit a cigarette and blew the smoke straight up to the ceiling. “It took half the police force to keep the press from following us. They did the best they could.”

“You should have stayed there with them,” Virginia said, glaring at him. “I wanted to talk to Laura alone. But wherever she goes you go, right?”

“I understand that you don’t want me around. That way you can fill her head with more lies. Come on, Virginia. Why don’t you tell her the truth for a change?”

Virginia took a step toward Laura, but Laura backed away. “I always thought you loved me,” Laura said, shaking her head. “I thought you loved Todd, too. I know Todd loved his auntie. You know, before this I would have trusted you with his life. I thought you were kind and loving, despite your chosen lifestyle. Now I see that lifestyle is who you really are.”

Virginia turned her back to Laura and Laura heard a sound she’d never heard before. Her aunt was sobbing. Virginia’s shoulders shook and she kept crying, but Laura didn’t make a move toward her. She wanted to believe her aunt’s tears were genuine, not a ploy for sympathy, but that wasn’t easy to do.

“If I tell you I wasn’t involved, you won’t believe me,” said Virginia, “so I need to prove it to you, and that will take time.”

They heard rapid footsteps slapping down the stone corridor toward them. Sergeant O’Toole was out of breath when he stepped into the room.

“Detective McStravick sent me to get you. Something important.”

Within two hours they were on a plane headed back to New York. A meek Nancy Evans, still in handcuffs, was seated with Detective McStravick. She had decided not to fight extradition and to plead guilty to a charge of accessory to kidnapping. Her sentence would be left up to the judge and could be as much as ten years or as little as eighteen months.

Laura and Erich sat across from them, still stunned. When they’d returned to his office, McStravick had told them Australian Geoffrey Pierce was actually an American, and the son of Herb and Gladys Pierce. Herb and Gladys were the owners of the farmhouse where Todd had been held when he’d been kidnapped the first time.

Laura took a sip of water. “Wine would be better than this.” She looked at Erich, who had been jotting things down on his notepad since they boarded the plane. “Or maybe straight scotch.” She frowned at Erich’s notes. “Did Wilson ever question the Pierces? He never said anything about them that I can recall. How could the police have overlooked the fact that the Pierce’s son had a record in two countries going back almost fifteen years?”

“That’s what I intend to find out,” said Erich. “I don’t remember Wilson ever mentioning the Pierces either, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t speak to them. He never wanted to tell me anything. He’s got a lot to answer for, otherwise he’ll make more trouble for himself than he can handle.”

“He bungled the case from the start and now look.” Laura turned and glanced at Virginia, who was sitting alone in the last row of seats with her head in her hands. “Do you know Geoffrey Pierce, Virginia?” she asked.

Virginia shook her head, but didn’t look up.

Chapter Sixty-Three

Virginia had been unable to stop thinking about the confrontation she would have with Ben Wilson in a few hours. From the very beginning he had wanted to pin Todd’s kidnapping on her. She would never forgive him for that. She would never forgive him for locking her in jail for no reason, either. She might have been just as angry with Erich Muller as she was with Wilson, except she realized how much Erich loved Laura. Everything he’d done had been with her best interests in mind.

Virginia had thought about seeking retribution against Wilson, but decided that would be overkill. It would be enough to see him proven incompetent. The most important thing now, as it had been all along, was finding Todd.

The plane landed a few minutes after three in the afternoon, and Phillip was waiting for them in a long, white Rolls Royce. No one would ever accuse the man of not knowing how to live in style. When Virginia realized she, Laura, Erich and Phillip would all be sitting in the back seat together, she almost offered to sit in front, then realized that might make things even more awkward. They all climbed into the car and sat in silence while they headed to the second precinct on Greenwich Street, the same place Wilson had interrogated her after Todd’s kidnapping. Two police cars followed, sirens wailing. One contained Detective McStravick and Nancy Evans, who would be arraigned the next day.

Virginia’s hope for an uneventful trip was dashed the moment Phillip opened his mouth.

“The more I think about it,” he said, glaring out the window, “the more convinced I am that Todd was kidnapped by an irate fan. Maybe a woman who fantasized about being with me. Has anyone checked into Nancy Evans’ background?”

Erich stared at Phillip and started to laugh, loud enough that Phillip glanced suspiciously at him. “Yes. Sorry to disappoint you, but they didn’t find a single photograph of you in her apartment. I thought you were a horse’s ass the first time I met you, Austin, and I still do. I know Laura’s said this to you before, but I think it’s time you realized the world doesn’t revolve around you.”

Laura nodded. “Erich has never seen Todd, you know. Except in pictures. And yet he’s shown more concern for his welfare than you have. I think you’re upset because you haven’t gotten the chance to play the hero and bring your son home yourself. That would be your greatest role yet, wouldn’t it?”

“Don’t try to make a fool of me, Laura,” Phillip said, sounding slightly hurt. “You and I discussed the possibility of some crazed fan kidnapping Todd, and you agreed it was a possibility. But obviously now that you and your lover are playing detective, you no longer take my opinions seriously.”

Laura sighed and shook her head sadly at Phillip. “I know deep down you care about Todd, but you don’t always show it.”