Eyeshot (33 page)

“At least we know why she calls him Elvis,” Sam said.

Sonora looked up. “Why?”

“Didn't you read this one?” Sam scrolled back. “See? He gives her this sound thing to put on her program that says
Elvis has left the building
instead of beeping. Haven't you ever heard that one? We had it on our computer a while, but it starts to drive you crazy.”

Sonora looked over Sam's shoulder.

Elvis,

Mia and I got such a kick out of the Elvis thing you gave me for the computer. Believe it or not, Gage hated it. I had to take it right back off because it gave him a headache. I think he's just tense from this Drury thing. I bet when it's all over he'll think it's funny.

Sonora checked the date, saw the correspondence was early in the relationship.

“Sam, Caplan has that Elvis thing on the PowerBook in his office. How come he tells her to take it off her computer?”

“How come she keeps a file of mail that Caplan can get to with no problem at all?”

“And how come the mail said it hadn't been read, when we know it had?”

“To get the attention of whoever brought the program up.”

“Somebody looking for Collie. Like a homicide detective investigating her death or disappearance. Like a homicide investigator who has already talked to Dorrie Ainsley and been told that Caplan suspected her of having an on-line affair.”

“What are you saying, Sonora?”

“Try this theory, Sam. Caplan's first wife is murdered. Suspicious enough. The second one gets killed, he's going to be suspect number one. Unless another good possibility comes up. Like some on-line lover who turns out to be a nutcase.”

“Caplan's the on-line lover,” Sam said flatly. “Whole thing has been a setup from day one.”

“He's in a perfect position. He knows she needs a friend. He knows when she's upset. He knows exactly what makes her tick, so he can be the on-line lover of her dreams. He knows that when Gage the husband comes home grumpy and difficult, Gage the on-line lover can leave a little E-mail note to brighten her day.

“Look at the messages. All ego-boosts. You make me laugh. There's no one in the world like you. You're a quick wit, lady. Tell me what you use for bait when you're fishing. But not a lot about old Elvis himself, is there?”

Sam rubbed his chin. “There's no message about where they met. I looked. Can't find the actual setup.”

“That's no mistake,” Sonora said.

“So where is she?”

“She may not even be alive.”

Sam frowned. “Look for the railroad tracks, that's what Terry said.”

A loud thumping made them both sit up.

“Someone at the door?” Sonora asked.

Sam put a hand on his gun. “Let's go see.”

66

The door to Mia's room burst open as they made it to the top of the stairs.

“Collie?” Her face was bright, eyes big, and she ran down the hallway toward the front door.

“Hang on,” Sonora said.

Sam moved into the living room.

“Let's have Sam go to the door and you and me wait right here.”

Mia stopped in the hall. Her face was tight and thin, and she cocked her head listening. She took a breath.

“That's Granddaddy.”

“You sure?”

She nodded, straining forward.

“Go,” Sonora said.

As if she could have held her back.

“Where's my little granddaughter?” Grey's voice sounded cheerful, bombastic. Sonora rounded the corner in time to see the face did not match the voice, until Mia ran into the room. He swooped her up into his arms, and the lines of fatigue and worry eased back. He hugged her tight.

“
Granddaddy.
” She was crying.

“Wassa matter, chicklet? Granddaddy fix it, whatever it is.”

She lifted her head up off his shoulder. “We can't find Collie. She left and didn't come back, and she's not like that. Something's really wrong, you've got to believe me.”

“Well, heck, yeah, something's wrong. We know Collie wouldn't go off and leave you, chicklet. Unless she got lost trying to get back.”

Mia looked up. “You think she's lost?”

“Honey, I've got no earthly idea, and believe me, I'm worried. But it's not like we're going to sit around on our butts, little girl. We've got a plan. We've got two police detectives going to find her—these people are trained professionals and they know just what to do. And you and me are going down to Gramma's to wait. Because when Collie comes looking for you, that's the first place she'll check. Isn't it?”

Mia nodded.

“We got trouble, hon, but we're going to handle it. Now get your bag packed up, while we do some grown-up talk.”

“I already got a bag.” She pointed to the backpack that was still in the hallway.

“
That
little piddly thing? Honey, your gramma's down in London cooking like there's no tomorrow, you going to have to stay a while just to eat it all up. Now go get some more clothes and those scary things you like to read. Bring all your favorite stuff. Be a female and don't pack light, 'cause I got that big Chrysler and room is the one thing we do have.” He set her down. “Go on, baby doll. The sooner you get packed, the sooner we can hit the road.”

Mia seemed lighter, somehow, when she ran down the hall, and Sonora looked at Grey, thinking that she wouldn't mind having him for a grandfather herself.

Grey waited till she was out of earshot. Took a breath. “What you know?” he said, voice going tight and flat.

Sam gave him a half-smile, and rubbed his chin. “I think the question, Mr. Ainsley, is what do you know?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean that your wife called us forty-five minutes ago, and here you are. It's a three-hour drive at seventy. Even that Chrysler didn't get you up here in forty-five minutes.”

“You got me there. If you don't mind, I'm going to sit down on my son-in-law's damn off-limits couch.” He sat, groaned. “There. Okay, here's what I know.

“Collie called Dorrie a couple days after that canoe thing. She was all worked up. You hear what happened?”

Sonora sat in the leather wing chair, and Sam sat next to her on the footstool. “We know,” Sonora said.

“Scared her. Scared her a lot. Dorrie and I don't know exactly what Collie is up to, but we trust that girl, and we love her like our own. Here's what she told Dorrie. That if things got really worrisome, and if she got scared enough, she might take Mia someplace where they could be safe. And she said did she have our permission to do that? She said she wouldn't do something like that unless she really had to, but if she did, and we agreed, she promised that she'd keep us in touch so we wouldn't worry. And she said it would be very temporary and very desperate. She said we better not know any details, because we needed to stay neutral. She said Gage might well get Mia back, if only for a while, and he shouldn't suspect we were all in it together. Otherwise he'd keep Mia away from us, like he did that time before.”

Sam tapped his ankle. “When did Gage call?”

“You mean when he cried on the phone and said Collie was cheating on him with some kind of computer boyfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“Last night. Put me and Dorrie on edge. We talked about it, decided I would come down here, get a hotel room, and just stay close. I'd been on the road an hour when Mia called London. I called Dorrie from a rest stop, and she told me what was up. And I want to say right here and now, me and Dorrie didn't believe a word Gage said about Collie cheating on him. And what's more, if it is true, then more power to her. I know that boy, he's just trying to turn us against her.”

Sonora looked at Sam. “I'm afraid it's a lot more serious than that.”

67

“Railroad tracks and the river.” Grey looked up. “You think he's taking her down to London?”

“I don't know.” Sonora looked at Sam. “Could have been the Clinch River, but he knows the Laurel Lake area. It's not the cabin, but it might be somewhere nearby. Familiar territory.”

“Let's call Dorrie and—”

“Think, Mr. Ainsley. You don't want your wife walking into this.”

“We'll call the sheriff.”

“We'll call Smallwood,” Sonora said.

Sam looked at her.

Grey looked in the hallway. Saw Mia. “Come on in, chicklet, I need to ask you a question.”

She stood in front of him, hands at her sides.

“Your daddy ever take you train watching anywhere, maybe walking along the railroad tracks?”

She shifted her weight to one foot. “He likes to go for long walks in the woods, when we go to the lake, but he walks too far, and I don't like to go. He walks for a long time. Collie says it makes him feel better.”

“But you don't know where he goes?”

“Only Vernon knows.”

“Why does Vernon know?” Sam asked.

“'Cause Vernon follows him everywhere, even when he's not supposed to. Sometimes Vernon makes Daddy mad.”

Sonora looked up. “Are there any railroad tracks near your cabin, Mr. Ainsley?”

He frowned. “There's some tracks and a siding a couple miles out.”

Sam looked at Sonora. “Terry said to look for railroad tracks and river mud.”

“We got both,” Ainsley said.

Sam nodded. “Our CSU guys are coming to pick a few things up. Any chance you could stay, and let these guys in?”

“Sure. You two headed to London?”

Sam nodded.

“See you down there if we don't pass you on the road.”

Sam shook his head. “You'll never catch us.”

68

Sam used the blue cop light to get them out of the city. It helped a little. Sonora was on the cell phone, running up the bill.

“I said
Smallwood.
He working or what?”

Sam looked over at her. “Put your seat belt on, Sonora. You call Crick?”

“Yeah, he's taking care of it. Drive as fast as you can and not kill anybody, those are his direct orders. Use the light and the state cops will leave us alone.”

“Man, I been waiting for something like this for years.”

Sonora went back to the phone. “Tell him it's Sonora Blair and it's urgent, with a capital urge.”

Sam glanced at her. “A capital urge?”

“There's a crisis here, quit picking. Watch that truck, no, dammit.”

“You better sit back and close your eyes. They've got an hour and a half head start. He's not going to keep her around for chitchat.”

“Yeah, but he had downtown traffic around three or so, and you know that's a bitch. Plus he's traveling with a pregnant woman. Unless he's already killed her, they'll be making a pit stop every twenty minutes. Particularly if she's scared.”

“Yeah, but I'm still traveling with you, and you make a pit stop every twenty minutes too.”

“Not this trip. This trip I'll hold it.”

“Hello? Sonora?”

“That you, Smallwood?”

“You sound like you're in a well.”

“Cell phone. I need—”

“Listen, Sonora, I'm sorry I didn't call, I was going to try and get in touch with you tonight. I just got bogged down at work and—”

“Smallwood, this is not about that. Forget that.”

Sam looked at her. “Forget what?”

“Shut up and drive.” Sonora gritted her teeth. “Smallwood, we got a problem here, with the Caplan thing, and I'm going to need your help. Number one, we're on our way to London, and it's an emergency situation. We've got the lights flashing, but it wouldn't hurt to let the Tennessee state cops know who we are and that we're okay. We're cleared through Ohio and Kentucky. Crick's working on Tennessee, but if you can help us out any, feel free.”

“Sure, Sonora, but I'm right here. You in that big of a hurry, why not send either me or one of the locals?”

“Funny you should ask. I can't go into details, but Collie Caplan's disappeared and we think she's with Gage Caplan.”

“Doesn't she live with him?”

“Either come up to speed, or just trust me on this, okay? We think they're headed for London, and that he's got some kind of little hidey-hole down around near the cabin that his in-laws have on the lake. Someplace near railroad tracks.”

“What's their last name? The in-laws?”

“Dorrie and Grey Ainsley.” She gave him the address. Glanced at Sam. “There's a kid that lives near there, his name is Vernon something or other—”

“Vernon Masterson,” Sam said.

“Vernon Masterson. He may know where the place is. He tags along after Gage quite a lot.”

“Sonora, I hate to be negative, but you really think Caplan's going to let a kid find his hidey-hole?”

“Well, gee, Smallwood, this happens to be all I've got. Plus you clearly don't have much to do with children. Kids are sneaky, Smallwood. They find things out whether you like it or not.”

Sam looked at her. “Forget what?”

69

It was 9:15 and heavy dusk when Sam and Sonora pulled into the gravel drive that led to the Ainsleys' vacation cabin on the lake. Smallwood's squad car was there, as was a dark green minivan that Sonora didn't recognize.

It was cool, here by the lake. Sonora got out of the Taurus, heard boat engines on the water, and crickets in the grass. Someone had left an orange inner tube on the picnic table. The shed door was open.

The front door swung open as Sam and Sonora made it up on the deck. Dorrie Ainsley stood under the porch light, moths circling.

“There you are. Come on in.”

“Dibs on the bathroom,” Sonora told Sam.

“Don't say hello or nothing,” Smallwood quipped.

“She'll be back, in a minute,” Sam said. “She just set a record, for her.”

Sonora heard the front door open while she was in the bathroom, voices and people moving around. She dried her hands on a towel and hurried out.