The Black Sheep's Redemption (18 page)

TWENTY

C
harles was ready to punch something. “Where is she?”

His question met with silence.

Ryan’s phone rang and he answered it. Charles moved in so he could hear and Ryan complied by pressing the speaker phone button.

Owen’s voice came over the line. “Get this. Alan Gregor was indeed in Iraq, but his time line is off. His statement that he was a contractor was true, but he disappeared days before that IED exploded on the convoy. No one died, either. He was listed as AWOL. When they finally located him, they placed him in a mental institution. He just got out a few months ago.”

Charles felt the blood drain from his face.

Ryan said, “Send me Alan’s picture. I might need it.”

“Sure thing.”

“What else you got?”

“Nothing on Alan yet, but we released the information about that charm that was found at the crime scene where Olivia was killed.”

“And?”

“We’re hoping someone will recognize it and be able to tell us who it belongs to.”

“But nothing yet?”

“No. That piece of the puzzle is still missing.”

Missing along with someone he loved. The silent admission didn’t even surprise. Yes, he loved Demi. And she’d told him that she loved him, too.

At first, the words had rocked him, but even as he’d struggled to absorb what that meant, he knew without a doubt that he wanted a future with her.

And now she was missing. The fact that something may have happened to her sent terror shooting through him.

Charles did his best to calm his fears as he cut his eyes to Ryan. “We can worry about all that later. I have a bad feeling about the danger Demi is in and we need to find her now.”

Ryan said, “Be prepared to get down here, Owen. Something’s going on and I have a feeling things are going to get dicey.” He hung up and looked at Charles. “Let’s ask around, see if we can figure out who she left with.”

After questioning several people, they finally hit pay dirt when they approached the officer in charge of the scene and showed him Demi’s picture. “Have you seen this woman?” Charles asked.

“Yeah, she was here a little while ago.” The man’s name tag read R. Luther.

Excitement leaped inside Charles. “Did you see where she went?”

Officer Luther’s eyes squinted as he took another look at the picture Charles had on his phone. “Yeah, she got in a car with some guy. I remember because the guy looked like he might have been sick, was leaning on her pretty heavy. Think he said he was diabetic. I offered to get some medical help for him, but he said he had a kit in his car and would be fine. I was needed over here so I left them to it.”

Charles felt slightly better. “That sounds like Demi. If someone needed help, she’d be the first one to offer. But why would she get in his car? And why wouldn’t she call me and let me know what she was doing?” He looked at Ryan, his heart still troubled. “She would know I would be worried about her. This is really out of character for her.”

“Sorry, can’t help you with that,” Officer Luther said. He paused then rubbed his chin and said, “It was kind of weird, though.”

“What was?” Charles demanded.

The officer shrugged. “I turned back just for a second look to make sure he hadn’t passed out or anything and noticed she got in the passenger side then slid over to the driver’s seat.”

Ryan and Charles exchanged another look. Ryan said, “You’re right, that’s weird. I don’t like the sound of that.”

“I mean she could have been trying to help, get the kit, and he asked her to drive him to the hospital for all I know,” Luther said. “But I remember thinking it was kind of strange. Then my boss called and I got distracted.” He grimaced. “Sorry.”

Ryan shook his head. “The only reason I can think of for that kind of maneuver is if he was forcing her to go with him.”

Charles’s relief morphed back into worry. He looked at the officer. “Did you see a weapon?”

“No.” He frowned. “But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have one.”

“What kind of car was he driving?”

The officer rubbed his eyes then said, “I’m not sure. Some kind of sedan.” He sighed. “Look, I’m sorry, things were crazy over here and I had already talked to those two, my boss was calling…” He trailed off, glanced back where the car had been then said, “It was blue, I do remember that.”

Charles felt his heart skip a beat. Then had a wild idea. To Ryan, he said, “Show him the picture of Alan.”

With a raised brow, Ryan asked, “You think she could have left with him?”

“I don’t know. But I do know that he’s unhinged and he wants Demi. Can’t hurt to ask.”

Ryan complied. “Was this the guy she was with?”

Officer Luther nodded. “Yeah, that could be him. He had on a baseball cap, but yeah…it looks like him.” Then he frowned again as he pulled out a little notebook. He flipped a few pages then said, “But his name wasn’t Alan. He said his name was Christopher Holden.”

“I don’t like this,” Charles stated. “Something’s not right with this.”

“I agree.” Ryan nodded, his eyes troubled.

“We need to track them down. And fast.”

Ryan’s gaze rested on the corner of the bank’s building. “We’ve got all the footage of the shooting from the video cameras. Now we need to watch them again and see if we can get a plate off the car Demi got into.”

“Where was the car parked?” Ryan asked the officer.

Officer Luther pointed. “Over there in that lot across the street, somewhere around the middle. I watched them for a little while to make sure he didn’t collapse and need more help. But they made it to the car fine.”

Ryan nodded his thanks then said to Charles, “Let’s go watch that footage.” He snagged a uniformed officer. “Do you mind checking that parking lot for a camera?” He explained in detail the area he particularly wanted to know about.

Five minutes later, in the security office of the hotel, Charles stood behind his brother while Ryan scanned the footage, running it through to the appropriate time. And then he pointed. “There she is. Demi and someone exiting the building. But it’s from the back.”

“And now they’re out of range. They’re off the camera.” Ryan slapped his thigh in disgust.

Charles felt his fear blossom. How was he going to find Demi?

Prayers formed on his lips even as he kept his eyes on the next camera.

The officer Ryan had sent to check on the camera in the parking lot came in, phone tucked against his ear. “I’ve got it. They’re in a blue Camry.” He looked at Charles as he bolted to his feet, ready for action when Ryan pointed to the video that was now being fed to the monitor he watched. He said, “It looks like he forced her into the car.”

“We’ve got to get her. Now,” Charles barked. “How are we going to find her?”

“I’ve already got a trace on her cell phone.” He looked at Charles. “You got her a good one. The GPS is on and we’re tracking them now. And I’ve got a helicopter on the way.”

Charles felt the tightness in his chest ease slightly. Demi was still in the hands of a madman, but at least they had a way to find her.

Ryan listened a few more seconds then frowned. “They’re stopped? Where?” He looked at Charles. “Dedham.”

Charles said, “You need to get the local police to the location.”

“On it,” Ryan said.

Charles paced, feeling like he should be doing something. Why would Alan take her to Dedham? Dedham was a small town, even smaller than Fitzgerald Bay.

Where strangers would stand out. Alan had to know that the authorities would put Demi’s picture on the news again once they realized she was missing.

“That’s not right,” he said. “That’s not them. He wouldn’t just drive thirty miles then stop.”

“Maybe he’s not done. Maybe he’s just stopped for gas or something.”

“No, it doesn’t make sense.”

“He’s not going to act or think like a rational human being. He’s unpredictable,” Owen agreed.

Charles gulped. “Which makes him all the more dangerous.”

“Exactly.”

Charles felt helpless. He paced, his limp more pronounced. The way it always got when he was under a lot of stress. Ignoring it, he ran a hand through his hair and then finally stopped, dropped his chin to his chest and sighed.
God, please be there for Demi. I don’t know what’s going on with her or where she is, but please keep her safe.

“How close are the local police?” Charles asked. He paced forward, then back in the small room.

Ryan relayed the question. “They’re there. They’ve tracked her cell phone to a car.” He paused as he listened. “But it’s a black Honda driven by a couple in their sixties.”

Charles’s head snapped up. “He knew we’d track her. Alan slipped her phone into another car.” Now the fear swamped him, threatening to suffocate him. “Why didn’t she get away from him before now?” he murmured. “Does he have her tied up?” The thought sickened him and he forced himself not to dwell on those kinds of thoughts.

“I’ve got the airport covered, the major bus lines, the train station. I’ve got a BOLO out on his Camry.” Ryan shook his head. “We’ll just have to see what comes in.”

“No.” Charles refused to accept the wait-and-see attitude. “This guy was in a mental hospital. He’s not thinking right—or straight.” Charles closed his eyes and pulled on every bit of psychology he’d ever studied. “He’ll want to go somewhere familiar, somewhere comfortable. If he’s been fixated on Demi, he’ll take her to a place that has meaning to him.”

“Where? His home?”

Charles nodded. “Yes, that’s the first place we need to look.”

“But where does he live?”

“He was her next-door neighbor,” Charles whispered. “Go to Demi’s address in Springfield and we’ll find Alan’s house.”

Ryan shook his head but didn’t disagree. He just said, “It’s a long shot.”

“I know it is. But it’s the only shot we’ve got right now.”

* * *

Demi squirmed in her seat, desperate for an opening. She had to get away from Alan or she wouldn’t live to see nightfall.

Unless she went along with him. Possibly. But it would take all her acting skills and she didn’t know if she could do it.

But she had to.

If she wanted to live.

She looked at him. “Where were we going to live after we were married?”

Alan’s gaze shot to her. “Keep your eyes on the road.”

Demi complied. He continued, “In my house, of course.” From the corner of her eye, she saw his jaw tightened. “Pretty soon you’ll forget all about that Charles guy and we’ll start a family and live like we were meant to live.”

Demi swallowed hard. He was delusional. Did he really think it was possible to do that? She looked at him again then quickly back in front of her. “I don’t know, Alan. It’s pretty hard to just pick up with someone you don’t even remember.”

His hand reached out to stroke her cheek and she forced herself not to cringe from him. Instead, she swallowed the sudden nausea and concentrated on driving. “Where do I go now?”

She didn’t want to let on that she’d regained her memory. There was no telling how that would affect him. Her cheek throbbed a steady beat, a reminder that she was in the company of a vicious man.

“Just keep going on this road. I’ll give you plenty of notice where to turn.”

“Okay.” Her easy agreement seemed to calm him and Demi drew in a steadying breath. As long as she was driving, she was alive.

Where was Charles? She glanced in the rearview mirror as though she expected to see him behind her. Cars passed her on the left and she had a white Chevy behind, but none of them were the red truck she longed to see. Then again, if he realized what had happened to her, he might be riding with someone else.

Her heart-sent prayers to the one she knew could deliver her from this situation.
Please, Lord, let Charles find me. Provide a way for me to escape. I love Charles, Lord, and believe You sent me to him and his family for a reason. Please, please, deliver me from this man.

She drove and prayed and Alan fell silent. She knew where she was going. He was taking her to her home. Only she knew it wouldn’t be to her parents’ house.

It would be to his.

But hope swelled. Charles knew where she lived. He would be looking for her. Maybe when Charles arrived, she could signal him somehow. Let him know she was next door. Her mind clicked with everything she could try. Devising plan after plan, she discarded one after the other.

After another forty-five minutes of silence, Alan perked up. “Get off at this exit then make a left at the stop sign.”

She did. They were about ten minutes from their destination. She checked the rearview mirror again. Still no sign of Charles—or anyone else—looking for her.

Her knotted stomach twisted into a solid ball of fear.

“Slow down. Turn here.”

A helicopter thumped overhead and Demi felt a leap in her pulse. Could it be searching for her? Alan tensed and stuck his head out the window to stare at the chopper.