Abduction (20 page)

Luckily the
food was ready, and she wasted no time paying for it and getting out quickly,
ignoring the sympathetic or curious glances she received along the way. Keeping
her head down, she weaved through the small crowd waiting in line at the door,
rushed back to her car, and drove straight home. When she pulled into the
driveway, she was surprised to discover Ted’s car was already gone.

She put the food on the table and searched the
house, but there was no note. Had the kidnappers called and demanded he come
right away? Had she taken too long and made Ted angry? Had she
messed
up—again?

She sank down
in the nearest kitchen chair. She hadn’t meant to fall apart. Now all she could
do was worry.
God, please don’t let the car break down. Don’t let the
kidnappers change their minds or lie to Ted. Please, just let them take the
money and give Jess back.

#

Zoe sat curled
in a chair, her knees tucked up against her chest, her arms wrapped around
them, her bare toes curled over the cushion. “I don’t want you to call him.”

Denise, pacing
the room from end to end, waved her arms with as much impatience as
frustration. “He’s your father. He needs to know what’s going on.”

“I don’t want
him here.”

Denise jammed
her fisted hands to her hips. “When are you going to forgive him? He’s been a
good father to you.”

“Have you
forgiven him?”

“I never
blamed him for Amy’s death, Zoe. It wasn’t his fault.”

“Yes, it was!”
Zoe’s feet slammed to the floor as she jerked to her feet. “Yes, it was his
fault. If he had been home where he was supposed to be, Amy wouldn’t have been
a target. She’d be here right now. Married with kids and happy.”

“You don’t
know that, Zoe. Life holds no guarantees. And there was no way we could have
known Amy was anyone’s target. Believe me, if your father had known, he would
have been there.”

Zoe shook her
head as she headed for the kitchen. “He was too wrapped up in that bimbo. You
remember? The woman he left you for. The one he left all of us for.”

“He made a
mistake.”

“And I don’t
see you rushing to take him back, Mom.” Zoe yanked open a cabinet door and
grabbed a glass. “He’s been trying to reconcile with you ever since Amy was
taken, and you’ve refused. So don’t tell me how I need to forgive him.”

Denise leaned
her shoulder against the door. “It wasn’t about Amy’s death, Zoe. It was about
trusting him in our marriage.”

“Right.” Zoe’s
sarcasm ripped through the kitchen as she filled her glass with soda. “He’s
been faithful to you for the past twenty years, and you still haven’t taken him
back.”

“Why are you
so angry at me, Zoe?”

“I’m not!” Zoe
stormed past her mother and, after setting down her soda on a side table,
flopped back down in her chair.

“Well, it sure
seems like it from here. Did you
want
me to take your father back? Is
that why you’re angry at me?” Denise pushed off the doorway and walked over to
stand in front of Zoe.

“No! I don’t
care whether you take him back or not.”

Denise folded
her arms. “Then what exactly is your problem all of a sudden?”

“Nothing!” Zoe went to stand up and Denise stepped
forward, neatly trapping Zoe. She gently pushed Zoe back down in the chair.

“You’re not
getting up until you tell me what’s going on inside that head of yours.”

“Nothing!”

“Don’t pull
that on me, young lady. I know you far too well. Now talk to me.”

Zoe glared at
her mother and then dropped her eyes. “Do you remember how upset you were when
Amy was taken?”

“Of course I
do. It’s not a moment I’m likely to forget.”

Zoe lifted her
face and stared at her mother with tears in her eyes. “Let me ask you
something, Mom. Would you have been just as distraught if it had been me instead
of Amy?”

#

Karen knew
she’d probably worn a hole in the living room carpet, but she didn’t care. Ted
had been gone for more than four hours and she hadn’t heard a word. Surely he’d
picked up Jess by now!

She lifted the corner of the drapes and peeked out
once again. Nothing much had changed in the last five minutes. The streetlamps
cast streaks of light throughout the neighborhood. Mr. Waltham was strolling
down the street with his poodle. The lights were still off across the street at
the Marshalls’, but that wasn’t unusual. They both worked late.

Suddenly the
phone rang, jarring her to drop the drapes and spin around. She lunged for the
phone.

“Hello?”

“Mrs.
Matthews?”

“Yes?”

“This is
Detective Casto again. Have you heard from your husband yet?”

“No, I’m
sorry, I haven’t.”

“He promised
to come in and answer some questions for us right after work. This doesn’t look
good for him, Mrs. Matthews.”

“No! You don’t
understand! It’s not like that! He’s not trying to avoid you. I swear. As soon
as he gets in, I’ll have him call you. He’s just out right now on an important
errand.”

“What kind of
errand is more important than cooperating in the investigation into your
daughter’s disappearance?”

Karen bit her
lip, wanting to tell him everything but too frightened to. “I. . .I can’t say.
Really, I can’t. But I promise to have him call you.”

She slammed
down the phone before he dug out of her that Ted had gone to meet the
kidnappers. She couldn’t risk Jess’s life. Or Ted’s. She had to keep silent.

She began to pace again.
Oh, Ted. Where are
you? And where’s Jess?

chapter
18

Friday, April 21

K
aren
stared at the clock. Seven-twenty. The sun was a thin shaft of light trying to
penetrate the thick curtains drawn tight over the windows.

It had been a
long night. Still dressed in the same clothes she’d been wearing the night
before, Karen lay atop the navy blue comforter, curled in a fetal position. She
hadn’t closed her eyes all night.

Where were
Ted and Jess?

Swinging her
feet to the floor, she forced herself to get up. Anything could have happened.
The car could have broken down, leaving them stranded. The kidnappers could
have been very, very late. Ted might have taken Jess to the hospital.

No. He would
have called.

She drew open
the drapes; blinking at the bright light that instantly flooded the room. He
shouldn’t have been gone this long.
Oh, Ted, where are you?

The phone
rang, jolting her from her thoughts. She rushed to grab for it. “Ted?”

“No, Mrs.
Matthews. This is Detective Casto again. I was hoping to talk to your husband.”

“He’s not here, Detective.” She swallowed hard.
“He didn’t come
home last night.”

#

Zoe pulled the door closed and fumbled with her
car keys as she hurried down the sidewalk. Her mother—who had insisted on
staying the night with Zoe after they’d cried together, clung together, and
talked until the wee hours of the morning—was
asleep in Zoe’s
guestroom. Zoe wanted
to run down to the market and get some of those lemon Danish treats her mother
loved.

Halfway down
the sidewalk, Zoe passed the old park bench Frank had brought her. She intended
to refinish it one of these days, but in the meantime, it added a warm touch to
the front yard, even with its badly chipped paint.

She stopped
and stared at what was lying on the bench. Then she reached into her purse and
pulled out her cell phone.

“Could you
find Detective Johnson for me?” She looked over her shoulder uneasily.
Was
he watching her?

“Yes. It’s Zoe
Shefford. The killer just left a doll in my front yard. I believe it belongs to
one of the missing girls.”

#

“JJ, are you
listening to me?”

JJ turned
around. “What?”

Matt placed
both hands on JJ’s desk and leaned forward. “I just talked to Karen Matthews
again. She swears her husband went out on some very important errand last night
and hasn’t returned.”

“And pigs fly with green wings,” JJ muttered
darkly. “Put out an
APB.”

“You’re charging him with the kid’s disappearance?”
Matt asked
with a trace of concern.

“It would get
us twenty-four hours to hold and question him if he doesn’t lawyer up. Right
now, it looks like he’s on the run, and I don’t want him getting too far. If
we’re wrong and he’s at the hospital with a dying friend, then we’ll drop the
charges and cut him loose, but I want him found.”

JJ glanced up
at the clock and frowned. Almost eight-thirty. He was supposed to brief Harris
at ten. As if he had time for another meeting.

Gerry swung
the door open, his face flushed with excitement. “Tripp from Homicide called.
They found a car half submerged in the river out behind the Grove Shopping
Center. There’s blood but no sign of a body.”

“And this is
important to me how?”

“The car is
registered to Ted Matthews.”

JJ jerked to
his feet. “Where is Ted Matthews?”

“They aren’t
sure, but it sure looks like he’s dead.”

JJ grabbed his
jacket, checked his gun, and headed for the door. “Let’s go, Matt. I knew there
was something about those two that didn’t feel right. You drive.”

Marsha came
running up just as JJ reached the top of the stairs. Breathlessly, she handed
him a phone message. “Zoe Shefford just received another message from the
killer.”

JJ stared at
the slip of paper then folded it and slipped it into his pocket. “Tell Gerry to
get over there and hold the fort. I’ll follow as quick as I can.”

Marsha nodded.
“Yes, sir.”

#

JJ barely
waited for Matt to bring the car to a stop behind the shopping center before he
opened the door and climbed out. The entire area behind the shopping center had
been marked off in yellow crime tape. At least six uniformed officers were
walking around, making sure no one crossed the line. A small crowd had gathered
to watch the action.

JJ flashed his
badge, ducked under the tape, and headed over to the tow truck. It was pulling
a recent model-year silver BMW out of the water. The doors gaped open. The open
trunk lid bounced as the car hung by a chain. Muddy river water gushed out from
the interior and underneath.

As soon as all
four tires rested solidly on the ground, Vivian Amato took over, leaning into
the car and gathering evidence.

JJ walked
around the car slowly, looking for collision damage. There was none. He was
leaning down, examining the rear undercarriage when Matt returned.

“A couple of
teenagers saw the rear of the car just under the water and called it in.
There’s no trace of Mr. Matthews, but search and rescue said he could have been
swept away by the current.”

Nothing
suspicious under the car. “Any skid marks on the road? Any indication that the
brakes went out and he ran off the road? Maybe lost control and ended up in the
river?”

Matt shook his
head. “No skid marks, so I don’t think he lost control. As for the brakes,
can’t say until someone gets under there to check.”

“What do you
have?” JJ asked Vivian as she backed out of the car, tucking a swab into a
plastic bag.

“Blood on the
seat and steering wheel. Luggage in the trunk. Appears he was going on a trip.
Just didn’t make it. Keys are still in the ignition. Offhand, I’d say he knew
the killer—if indeed this was a homicide. No signs of a struggle.”

Vivian pulled off one of her latex gloves and
brushed a lock of dark hair back from her face, a light sheen of sweat on her
coffee-
toned complexion. “One of the
officers called Mrs. Matthews. She said he was out on some errand.”

JJ walked
around the car, his eyes narrowed, his mind racing. “Did he tell her about the
car?”

Vivian shook
her head. “I don’t think so. I think he just asked to speak to Mr. Matthews.
Check with Tripp. He’s the one who made the call.”

JJ nodded.
“I’ll do that. Thanks, Viv. And I’d like the results as soon as you can get them
to me.”

“No prob, JJ.”

JJ walked over
to Matt, who was standing near the bright yellow tape talking to another
officer. “Where’s Tripp?”

“I think he
and Walker went over to the Matthews’ house to talk to the wife.”

JJ touched
Matt on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

They arrived
at the Matthews’ house eighteen minutes later and were met at the door by a
tall, thin uniformed officer with a military-style haircut. He jerked his head
back toward the kitchen. “If you’re looking for Tripp, he’s back there. We
found the knife and bloody clothes. Looks like the wife decided to get rid of
her husband. Too bad she didn’t think to get rid of the evidence.”

Suddenly JJ
heard Karen Matthews’ voice, shrill enough to rake across his nerves. “I did
NOT
kill my husband! Do they only send imbeciles to this house?”

JJ smiled. That woman had really missed her
calling. She was Hollywood all the way. She did outrage better than anyone he’d
ever seen.

He walked into
the kitchen to find Karen Matthews sitting at the table, gardening gloves in
front of her, eyes flashing with annoyance. No. That was pure rage. Rage strong
enough to kill.

Tripp nodded
at JJ. “Johnson! I guess you heard.”

JJ nodded. “I just came from the crime scene.
What did you find?”