Confer, Lorelei - Deadly Revenge (BookStrand Publishing Romance) (21 page)

“Absolutely. Because chances are, if we find Tory’s kidnapper we’ll find the murderer who’s been terrorizing this town.”

* * * *

Dave left the police station perspiring, breathing rapidly, ready to hyperventilate. Anxious to find a clue, any kind of lead, he hurried over to the pharmacy to pick up the pictures before going to Anne’s.

“Anne, can I come in?” Dave asked when he arrived at her door without Tory.

“Sure, sure, come on in. Is something wrong?” Anne asked as she opened the door and ushered him in.

“Let’s have a seat.”

“Okay.” She sat down on the couch while Dave sat in her husband’s favorite chair.

“Tory left the cemetery but not with me. I’m not sure who she went with, but I don’t think it was a friend. Her purse and its contents were strewn about on the road a short distance from my truck. She also left her camera behind, and you know how she’s never without the darn thing.”

“Who did she leave with then?”

“I don’t know. Chief Carr and I were the last to leave and I thought she was waiting for me in my truck. Chief and I found her things and some different tire tracks we’re following up on now. He’s already put out a bulletin on her, so if anyone sees her they should call the police.”

“Let me call Sue and make sure she’s not there. They’re very close you know,” Anne said with a snarky smile.

Chapter 36

While Anne called Sue to tell her the news, Dave stepped outside to call his best friend and partner, Wyatt Bowman in Stoney Creek, Virginia.

“Dave, how are you?” Wyatt answered the phone.

“I’m in deep doo-doo and need your help, buddy. Remember Tory, the girl I told you about?”

“See how the mighty fall.” Wyatt chuckled.

“She’s been abducted and I need you and a team here pronto.”

“Hold up now, partner. I’m no longer on the force or I would drop what I’m doing to help you. Isabella is ready to have the baby any day now and I can’t be away.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize her time was so close. What about a team?”

“Listen, I’ll talk to Mullins and get a team up there ASAP. Everyone on any team is good, so you should have lots of help. It’s what they do for a living, just like we did.”

“Thanks, Wyatt. I knew I could count on you. Give Isabella my best and let me know when I can expect the guys.”

“Right, talk to you soon.”

Dave walked in the house. Anne was crying, almost hysterical.

“What’s happened?”

“Tory didn’t get a ride with Sue. Sue hasn’t seen her. It’s just sinking in. My baby girl’s gone.”

“She’s not gone for good if I have anything to say about it,” Dave told Anne as the doorbell rang.

He answered the door to a clean-cut guy with audio recording equipment. Dave wasn’t taking any chances.

“Can I see some ID?” Dave asked.

“Sure, I’m Bob Elkins, Detective on the Hickoryville Police Force.” He flashed Dave a badge and ID, but Dave took it from him and thoroughly looked at the information.

Then he called Chief Carr who verified the data. Once that was done, Dave ushered Bob into the house with the equipment and watched as he began attaching it to Anne’s phone so they could trace a call if one was to come in, and also to record any portion of a call. Dave looked outside and noticed he drove a plain minivan.
Good undercover.

* * * *

After the equipment was arranged and set up properly, Bob stepped outside for a smoke while Anne cried softly on the couch.

“Anne, come help me look at Tory’s photos.” Dave wanted to ease her pain as well as his own by keeping them both busy. “Maybe we can find something in them that would give us a clue.” He opened the package and spread the pictures out on the table. He saw images of himself at the town house the second time they met, beautiful landscapes, pictures of the azaleas out front, picturesque sunsets, parked cars along busy streets downtown, Ted’s pizza parlor, Wal-Mart, the pharmacy, practically every building and person in town. Lots of people pictures. Most of the people Dave had never met and didn’t know but Anne did and pointed them out to him as he made notes and attached them to the pictures.

“She loves the architecture of the buildings,” Anne said through trembling lips. “Look at this one, how she captured the likeness of Ted along with the street and his pizza shop.”

Dave studied the illustration of downtown Hickoryville and put them together as he’d seen them downtown. He needed Anne’s help with most of them. When he finished he had re-created downtown Hickoryville. It was truly amazing.

The front door opened and Sue and Brandon rushed in. Sue’s eyes were red, and she had dark streaks running down her face from her mascara. She immediately went to hug her mother.

“Mom, Dave will help us find her. Remember how resourceful and independent Tory is, too. She’s been on her own for a few years and can take care of herself,” Sue said through tearing eyes, wanting to be strong for her mother.

Brandon came to shake Dave’s hand and stood over the photo depiction of downtown.

Dave and Brandon continued to pore over the photographs, looking for anything that seemed out of place, out of the ordinary. Dave added a couple more pictures and took one away.

* * * *

While waiting for the team to arrive, Dave decided to go to Tory’s place and check for anything that would tell him she’d received a threat or anything else that could be revealed. He also needed a breath of fresh air. He needed to be doing something.

As he turned into the parking lot, it seemed so empty. Tory’s car parked all alone in its usual parking space. He used his key, opened the door, and entered her town house. It was so quiet and cold. He sat on the couch where he and Tory had sat together and snuggled and talked and talked the night away. They had talked about the future, the past, and the present.

He leaned over, putting his elbows on his knees and his hands to his face, covering his eyes. He had to get a grip on himself. He didn’t come here to mourn her loss but to look for clues. He got off the couch and started an in-depth visual of the entire downstairs. Then he went upstairs to their—uh, her room and then the second bedroom. He rummaged through her desk. The only thing he found was another envelope of pictures. He looked through them quickly. There were many duplicate pictures of the same girl alone and with Tory. He decided to take the photos to Anne’s and try to get them identified.

Chapter 37

Two hours later Dave, Anne, Sue, and Brandon sipped fresh coffee and gathered around the table. They all looked at Dave for answers since Tory had been with him, adding guilt on top of his anxiety and loss. There had not been a ransom phone call.

When the doorbell rang Dave answered it to find members of his old team, Sam McClellan, Tim Rose, and Ron Dixon. Sam had worked undercover and had been injured in a sting. It was good to see him back on the team. Dave gave Sam a generous hug as he slapped Tim and Ron on their backs. They were ready to go.

“Wow, guys, you really made good time. Did you get lost on the way from the airport?” Dave asked as they all patted each other on the back.

“No, not at all. It was a straight shot. Why?” Sam asked.

“Just wondering. Let’s get to work. This is what we have so far…”

Dave reiterated the happenings and showed the guys the photos. Sam stood away from the crowded table, sipping his coffee and listening intently.

“So she was dragged into a car and the car drove off, right?” Sam asked.

“Yes,” Dave answered.

“Are there any visuals from the cemetery of the parked cars there?” Sam asked while moving toward the table.

“No, just the usual cars,” Dave said as he ran his fingers through his hair. The hair on his neck bristled. “But you know, now that I think about it, Tory got run off the road on her way into town the first day she arrived.” He pointed to a black car with tinted windows in one of the pictures. “The car looked just like this!”

Everyone crowded around the table to look for more replicas of the car. And they found them. The car appeared in almost all the photos. It was wherever Tory was. Tory probably didn’t realize it, but she was being followed. Stalked.

“We find the car, we’ll find Tory!” Dave said excitedly but confident. He stood erect, taller, his hands on his hips. “We need a plan.”

He walked to the couch and sat with his elbows on his knees, his hands together in front of him. He lowered his head.
I have to come up with a plan.

Chapter 38

Dave gathered all the local and state officers as well as the team at Anne’s house. He explained about the black car and how they put together all of Tory’s photos and laid out a replica of the town. It also showed the same vehicle on every picture. It looked identical to the vehicle that ran her off the road. “I think she was being stalked, because everywhere she went this other car went, too.”

Dave called Chief Carr.

“Can you come over? I have a plan in mind, but I’m going to need your help.”

* * * *

After Dave made the introductions, he said, “We need aerial support. Do you have a helicopter?” He directed his question to Chief Carr.

“No, but I know where we can get one. The county has one, but we don’t have anyone to fly it.”

Dave looked at Sam. “Is your license still in effect?”

“Sure is and glad to do it,” Sam answered.

Chief Carr got on the phone.

“This is Chief Carr from Hickoryville Police Department here with federal detectives. We need to request the county helicopter to search for a young woman who was recently abducted. The Feds have a licensed pilot of their own and I know you’re supposed to fly so many hours a month on the chopper,” Chief Carr said into the phone.

“Then this is a good thing, isn’t it? And I’ll take care of all the requisition forms, don’t worry about it.” Chief Carr spoke into the phone as he gave Dave a thumbs-up for the chopper.

“Okay, if that’s the soonest you can have it ready, we’ll take it then. See you in about two hours. Thanks!”

Chief Carr told everyone the county helicopter had to be used so many hours in the month, and so far it hadn’t been used at all so they were more than welcome to it as long as they supplied the licensed operator.

Dave looked at the sun on the horizon. They would be running out of daylight in about four hours. He hoped they would find Tory by then.

* * * *

Dave revealed the plan. Sam and Chief Carr would take aerial support while everyone else would be on the roads searching until they found the car. Brandon and Sue both volunteered themselves and their vehicles.

“Thank you both very much. I’ll take you up on the vehicles, but, Brandon and Sue, I think you should stay here to help your mother and Bob in case the kidnappers call offering a ransom.”

“You’re right, Dave. Good idea!” Brandon said as he settled on the couch for a long night.

Dave reached for his weapon he had retrieved from his glove box in the truck and realized he still had the envelope of photos from Tory’s place. He took them out of his inner jacket pocket and opened the packet. He handed them to Sue and Anne and asked, “Do either of you know who this young woman is in these photos and why she would be with Tory? I found them in Tory’s desk at her place. They’re mostly people, but I can’t identify any of them so if you can, write their names on the back. Maybe we’ll find something in common with them.”

“Wait a minute, Dave,” Sue said after looking quickly through the pictures. “Most of these photos are of Laura Petersen, the librarian. They were good friends in high school. They must have run into each other and Tory took all these pictures.”

“Let’s get a team over to her place and see what we can come up with. Maybe, just maybe, Tory got a ride there after the funeral. Trooper Pulitz, you take care of that while we secure the helicopter. We’ll meet back here at dusk,” Dave explained.

* * * *

When Chief and Sam arrived at the county heliport, they were quick about checking everything out and getting off the ground. They only had a few hours of daylight left. Chief Carr knew the area well and guided Sam to locations in search of the black car. Dave and the team traveled all the back roads looking everywhere for the car, even downtown, in backyards and open garage doors, but to no avail. Darkness crowded them from searching any further, and they ended at dark for the night.