The Girl Who Disappeared Twice (26 page)

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Day Seven

Early-morning sunlight was peeking through the trees when Ryan’s van pulled up the road to Sunny Gardens. Like Marc, he left a healthy distance between his car and the facility, parking in a dirt alcove amid a wooded area where his van could blend right in. Later, he’d make a more public appearance.

The good news was that construction workers began at dawn. So when Ryan trudged across the grounds in his dirt-stained jeans and white T-shirt, carrying a large toolbox, no one gave him a second look.

He went around back, as Marc had instructed, and, also as Marc had surmised, the delivery door was unlocked. It was daytime. Security measures were more lax. And deliveries were more plentiful.

He went straight down to his destination: the basement. It didn’t take him long to navigate the various wiring and network connections, or to locate the video distribution feed that led to the main nurses’ station.

He pulled out his staple gun and fired a staple directly into the jacketed wire. Ryan waited—one minute, then two. After five minutes had passed, he whipped out his cell phone and called the head nurse’s station.

“Yes?” she answered in a frazzled voice.

“Hey,” Ryan greeted her. “This is the security company. Are you having a problem with your closed-circuit TV?”

“How did you know? Our bank of monitors just became wavy and full of static. We can’t see much of anything.”

“The system monitors itself for trouble, and a message popped up in our office. You’re a medical facility, so you’re a priority customer. Would you like me to drive over now and take care of it?”

“Oh, God, yes.” The nurse sounded as if she were being thrown a lifeline. “Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem. Who should I ask for?”

“Jeri Koehler. That’s me. I’m the head nurse here.”

“Okay, Jeri, you hang tight,” Ryan said in a reassuring tone. “I’ll be there within the hour.”

He hung up, placed his tools in his toolbox and left the building, strolling across the grounds and walking out the main gate.

Reaching his van, he climbed into the back and settled down. He opened the brown bag that was waiting for him, and helped himself to the protein bar and coffee he’d bought himself for breakfast. While he was eating, he checked in with the office, let them know that phase one was complete.

A half hour later, he changed into a work shirt—making sure to leave the top few buttons undone—got out of the back of the van, opened the driver’s door and sat down behind the wheel.

He drove through the front gates and parked in the main parking lot. Checking in at the front desk was a snap.

To say that Head Nurse Koehler was happy to see him would be a gross understatement. She visibly released a breath of sheer relief when he walked over. A few of the other nurses poked Jeri, asking who the hot guy was, in low undertones that Ryan wasn’t supposed to hear. She answered in a no-nonsense voice that said he was here to fix their video system, and to save their flirtations for later. Then, she showed Ryan the problem and headed off to tend to a pressing medical situation.

Ryan unpacked a few things and dismantled the monitors, listening as the other nurses muttered under their breath about Nurse Koehler. He chuckled a few times, commiserating with them about uptight supervisors and turning on the charm that came so naturally to him and that he was careful to use to his advantage in situations such as this one.

He spent just enough time searching for the problem, before announcing that he needed to go down to the basement to locate the source of the weak signal. With a wink, he promised to be back ASAP.

Once downstairs, Ryan began to repair the cable he’d sabotaged an hour ago—but with modifications. He inserted a splitter, routing the second video line to his personally designed “black box”—a computer capable of streaming the closed-circuit video signal over the internet and directly to the Forensic Instincts office.

Task completed.

Ryan used his Android phone to remotely access the brownstone’s video server, checking to see if his handiwork had been successful.

A nod of self-congratulations. His black box was sending the video perfectly.

Job done. He was a genius.

Ryan packed up and headed upstairs and back to the nurses’ station.

“Hi, ladies,” he greeted the nurses, who were still hanging around, waiting for his return. “I made a repair, but unfortunately, it’s only temporary. I’ll need to order a part and come back in a few days to install it. In the meantime, the good news is, you’re back in business.”

“Thank you so much,” one of them said gratefully. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Glad to be of service.” Ryan gave her a broad smile, again cranking up the charm. “Now I’ll just need a few minutes to reassemble your monitors and clean up the mess I left you.”

“Take your time.”

Ryan did, taking as much time as he could, and chatting with the nurses as he worked.

“I noticed your gardens when I drove in,” he commented. “They’re pretty impressive. My mother would be jealous.”

“Yes, our patients love to sit out there and enjoy them,” a young, pretty, blonde nurse’s aide supplied.

“I figured as much.” Ryan carefully fitted one of the monitors in place. “Do they get to go out there a lot?”

“As much as they want. They’re finishing breakfast now. Those who want to go outdoors will be on their way soon.”

Not soon enough for me, Ryan thought silently.

He straightened up and turned, dragging his arm across his forehead and giving the women a rueful look. “I know how hard you ladies work. And I promise I’m not being sexist. But would one of you mind getting me some water? I left my bottle in the van, and that basement was really dusty. My throat is so dry I can barely swallow.”

“No problem.” The nurse’s aide scampered off, buying Ryan a little extra time.

He used it wisely, chatting up the nurses, telling them about his marathons and extreme sports adventures, and watching their eyes widen with awe. BASE jumping came in handy. You either impressed the hell out of someone, or convinced them that you were crazy.

Either way, it passed the time until the nurse’s aide returned with a large cup of ice water.

“Here you go,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thanks so much.” He began to drink, glancing at the monitor as he did.

The patients were being helped or wheeled outside, some to the patio and others to the gardens. Sweet.

Ryan made sure to drink his water slowly, taking a break here and there. Finally, he turned back to his work.

About eight or ten patients were being settled in each of the garden clusters. He scanned the monitors quickly. Not yet.

He continued reassembling.
Come on, come on,
he thought, glancing repeatedly at the screens. How many patients could there be going to the gardens? He couldn’t stand here forever, flirting with nurses, drinking water, and looking like a moron who couldn’t put a monitor back together. The minutes—and his opportunity—were slipping away.

There. Ryan’s gaze snapped to the screen. Linda Turner was just arriving, via wheelchair, at the eastern garden. She was talking animatedly with the nurse wheeling her out.

There was a red string tied around Linda’s finger.

“Well, that patient certainly looks happy,” Ryan noted aloud. “If all your patients start their days in that kind of mood, I just might check myself in.”

The nurse’s aide peered over his shoulder. “Oh, that’s Lorna Werner. She loves that spot, and insists on sitting there every day. She’s normally subdued. Today, she’s excited because she’s having a visitor this afternoon.” The aide pointed at the screen. “See the red string? That’s to remind her when her daughter is coming. She tells the entire place when that’s happening.”

Daughter?
Ryan’s mind was racing. So that’s what they were calling kidnapping accomplices these days. He had to admit it was a clever twist on the accomplice’s part. Preying on Linda’s need for a child would make her all the more open to manipulation.

He paused long enough to see exactly where the nurse was positioning Linda before she headed off to tend to the other patients. Then, he quickly finished his reassembly.

With one modification. He was careful to leave his tone generator inside the panel. It was the perfect excuse for him to make an immediate return visit.

He said goodbye to all the nurses, promised to be the technician who came back with the necessary part in a couple of days and headed out. He went straight to his van, climbed inside and shut the door. He whipped out his BlackBerry and called Casey.

“Hey, we’re at the edge of our seats,” she greeted him. “What’s going on?”

“You can now access Sunny Gardens’ closed-circuit video right there in our office,” he replied. “So feel free to take a look.” He proceeded to give Casey the necessary instructions. “Linda Turner is in the garden on the east side of the grounds,” he continued. “I want to plant Gecko right near there. Evidently, Linda is having a visitor later today. She’s wearing a red string around her finger to remind her.”

“Like the red string we found at her house.”

“Exactly. And guess who her visitor is? Her
daughter.
”

“Daughter?” Casey echoed, momentarily stunned. “Are you telling me that Linda’s accomplice is masquerading as her daughter?”

“Makes sense, doesn’t it? If this woman successfully posed as Linda’s grown daughter, she could get away with anything—admitting Linda to Sunny Gardens, managing her entire stay there—you name it.”

“Not just managing her stay. Managing Linda, too.” Casey was over her surprise and on to her analysis. “Manipulating her, getting and feeding her information, and using it all to her advantage. Remember, having a daughter is Linda’s greatest desire. She could view this person as Anna grown up, and Krissy as Anna when she was a little girl. There are so many potential psychological factors here, we could go on all day. But they’ll wait. What’s your plan?”

“Like I said, I want to plant Gecko in the garden where Linda sits. When her visitor arrives, Gecko can pick up their conversation, both audio and video. It’s well within his range to broadcast from there to my van. I’ll listen in and monitor the entire interaction. We’ll learn who this accomplice is. At that point, we’ll find a way to tip off Peg and the task force, so they can grab her. And we’ll find out where she’s keeping Krissy.”

“You sure as hell won’t do this alone,” Casey stated emphatically. “Marc and I are driving up there. And we’re bringing Hero with us. Since this
daughter
isn’t showing up until afternoon, we have more than enough time to get there and join you for the show.”

“I expected as much.” Ryan was already gathering up what he needed. “Okay, I’m going to set Gecko up now. I’ll put him in sleep mode to save power. I left one of my tools behind to justify a return trip across the grounds. I’ll make a quick stop in the garden. After I’m done, I’m pulling the van out of the main parking lot and holing up in the wooded alcove diagonally across the street from the facility. Meet me there, and you can hop on in, and take in the performance with me.”

CHAPTER THIRTY

Krissy. You need me here.

I’m so sorry I have to leave you alone.

It’s just for a little while. Today’s just an exception. It’s an emergency.

I’m worried. I’ve seen things on the news. Maybe they’re true. Maybe they’re not. I have to find out. But if they are, then photographs are being shown around. To doctors. Drugstores. They haven’t reached here.

But have they reached Sunny Gardens? Have they put the pieces together? I have to know. If they’re figuring things out, we’ll have to go.

We’ll find somewhere safe.

No one will find us. I won’t let them.

You belong with me.

Nothing and no one will take you away.

The construction crew was in full swing when Ryan climbed out of the van. He was still wearing his company work shirt, and he was carrying a toolbox. Gecko was tucked safely at the bottom of that box.

With all that was going on—cranes lifting building supplies, backhoes traveling back and forth across the construction site, and dozens of workmen, hammering, drilling and calling out to each other—Ryan was pretty sure he wouldn’t be noticed even without a disguise. But he wasn’t taking any chances. Looking like a harried serviceman, he stalked over to the requisite garden and squatted down, opening his toolbox and removing various tools.

Linda Turner was sitting ten feet away from him. It took all his control not to look her in the eye and demand to know where Krissy was. But that would destroy their entire plan and kill any chance of pulling things off without being found out and arrested. Not to mention that he had no idea if Linda was coherent enough to even know where Krissy was.

So he kept up the charade.

“Ma’am,” he greeted her when she turned her head his way.

“Hello.” She gazed at him with a vague expression in her eyes, and without the slightest hint of wondering who he was or what he was doing there.

“I won’t disturb you,” he provided, nonetheless. “I’ve got a few wires to check out here. Then I’ll be out of your way.”

“My daughter will be here later,” she replied, as if she either knew Ryan or thought she should. “It’s so noisy here, it’s hard for us to talk. That’s why she comes in the afternoon, when all those builders are going away. I hope you’ll be finished by then.”

“No problem. I’ll be long gone.”

Ryan squatted down, making sure his back was facing the main building and his side was blocking Linda’s view. Then, he began rummaging through his toolbox, flinging tools to the ground in increased agitation. To any onlooker, it would seem as if he were trying to fix something but to no avail.

Amid his flurry of activity, he pulled out the top tray of his toolbox with one hand and grabbed Gecko with the other. Quickly, he turned the little critter on, and placed him just inside the raised, circular bed of shrubs surrounding the garden.

With a few muttered curses, he tossed his tools back into the box, snapped the clasp, rose and turned to Linda.

“I can’t find the tool I need. So I’ll be heading back to the main building. Enjoy your visit with your daughter.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “Thank you.”

With that, Ryan strode back to the building, a look of sheer irritation on his face.

He marched inside and straight to the head nurse’s station.

Jeri Koehler was back at her post.

“Hello.” She looked puzzled. “I thought you’d left.”

“I did. I was halfway down the drive when I realized I’d left my tone generator somewhere in here. Would it be a big problem if I looked for it?”

“Of course not.” Nurse Koehler made a wide sweep with her arm. “I’d just ask that you not interfere with our work.”

Ryan flashed her a smile. “Without my tone generator, I’m screwed.” He walked over to the panel of video monitors, pretending to search for about five minutes. Then, he looked under the panel, reached up and retrieved the missing tool.

“Here we go.” He looked and sounded utterly relieved. “You’re a gem. I can’t thank you enough.” He popped the tool into his toolbox. “I’ll get out of your hair now. See you in a few days when I have the part I need.”

With a friendly wave, Ryan made his exit.

Ruse complete. Time for Gecko to do his job.

Ryan climbed behind the wheel of the van and drove out of the parking lot. He steered diagonally across the street, returned to the alcove behind the trees and maneuvered the van into it. With Marc’s eagle eye, he and Casey would find him when they drove up, no problem.

Scrambling into the back of the van, Ryan fired up his laptop and Gecko came to life. Ryan carefully repositioned him, focusing his camera and microphone directly on Linda. If she sat either a little to the left or right this afternoon, he’d readjust the little critter accordingly. But, for now, the video and audio were perfect.

He put Gecko into sleep mode to conserve power for later, when it was needed.

Then, he called Casey and asked her to detour through the nearest Mickey D’s and pick up a couple of Big Macs and fries. He never ate junk food. But he’d been up since before dawn. And all this activity had made the power bar and coffee he’d downed earlier a distant memory. And, hey, a guy had to eat. So it was time to break a few rules. They weren’t the first ones he’d broken today.

The SOS call to Casey done, he sat back and waited.

Krissy heard her leave.

As always, she wriggled off the bed and searched the room, wishing with all her might that the woman had forgotten her laptop or her cell phone. Krissy knew how to use both. Her mommy had showed her. She even had a very simple cell phone with big numbers on it that she brought to school. Mommy had programmed it with emergency phone numbers. She knew which button was which. And she knew her own phone number. She could call it, even with somebody else’s cell phone.

But whenever the woman left Krissy alone, she always made sure to take everything with her. This time was the same. There was nothing down here. Nothing Krissy could use to call for help.

She scrambled up the long flight of steps and tried the door, pulling and pulling on the handle with every ounce of strength she possessed. But the door wouldn’t budge.

Huge tears filled Krissy’s eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

At the beginning, she’d known her mommy would come for her, no matter how many times the woman told her she wouldn’t. The woman said that her mommy had moved on without her, that her job kept her much too busy to be with Krissy. And she’d told her over and over again that she was her mommy, and that she’d love her forever.

Krissy hadn’t believed her. But lots of days had gone by. And there was still no sign of her mommy.

Could she really have wanted to send Krissy away? Was even Ashley too busy to play with her? She knew her daddy was.

What if they’d stopped looking?

No. No.
No!

She ran down the steps, jumped on the bed and grabbed Oreo, clutching him with all her might.

Then she soaked him with her tears.

Marc eased his foot off the accelerator, pulling slowly up to the spot where Ryan’s van was parked. He and Casey had taken Marc’s Subaru Outback because it was black and would blend in better with the wooded area. Casey’s red Mazda Miata would stand out like a sore thumb.

The sounds of construction pounded through the air. It was midafternoon. Clearly, the crew was making as much progress as they could before quitting time. By three o’clock, they’d be jumping out of their machinery, packing up their tools and taking off for home.

As Marc and Casey exited the car, Hero’s leash wrapped around Casey’s hand, the large diesel engine of a construction crane roared to life. The noise was deafening. Hero made a braying sound.

“Not now, boy,” Casey told him. “I know the noise hurts your ears. Let’s get into Ryan’s van.”

They hurried over, and Marc pounded on the back of the van. “It’s us,” he yelled over the tumult.

Ryan opened the double doors. “Come on in.”

Hero needed no second invitation. He sniffed the air once, scanned the woods and then sprang into the van and away from construction hell. Casey released his leash to give him the freedom he needed, and followed suit, with Marc right behind her. By the time Marc slammed the doors and plunked down next to Casey, Hero was sprawled out on Ryan’s sweatshirt, panting and waiting for some water. He got it ASAP, from the Hero “supplies” Ryan had started keeping in the van.

“Big Macs and fries?” Marc couldn’t help ribbing him. “That’s more fat and calories than a full day at the gym could burn. And you skipped this morning’s workout. Careful. Lose your six-pack and you’ll lose your women.”

“It’s a one-shot deal,” Ryan retorted, taking the McDonald’s bag from Casey. “And I’ve seen you scarf down two or three chili dogs when you’re desperate enough. So cram it.”

“Cut it out, you two,” Casey said impatiently. “We’re not here to discuss your high-protein diets. Linda’s guest isn’t here yet, is she?”

“Nope.” Ryan shook his head. “The patients just finished lunch. Linda will be on her way out to the garden within the hour. Her
daughter
should be showing up soon after. Apparently, they try to avoid the construction chaos. And, since the crew breaks up between three and four o’clock, I’m expecting our accomplice around then.”

Marc arched a brow. “You found all this out from the nurses you charmed at the front desk?”

“Some of it, yes. The rest, I found out from Linda herself.”

“You
spoke
to her?”

“Yup.” Ryan munched on a Big Mac while he spoke. “She was right there when I planted Gecko. She’s pretty out of it. And the only thing on her mind was seeing her daughter and getting us workmen out of the way in time for her visit.”

Hero was eyeing Ryan’s burger and smacking his lips.

Casey gave him a chew toy to distract him and thoughtfully scratched his ears. “If she’s that out of touch with the world around her, it means her accomplice is actively running the show—just as we suspected. And she’s keeping Krissy around for a reason. I’m just not sure what it is.”

“Unless Linda has cash reserves we don’t know about,” Marc proposed. “If that’s the case, it would be a sweet deal for this woman. All she has to do is feed and house a five-year-old in some secret location, probably bring Linda some photos here and there, and, at the same time, masquerade as her older daughter. Maybe she got Linda to give her power of attorney, in which case, she can do whatever she wants with Linda’s assets.”

“I did a pretty thorough job of checking out Linda Turner’s bank records—both her real and assumed names,” Ryan replied. “Nothing impressive there. But that doesn’t account for jewelry, antiques or anything else of value she might have. So, yeah, Marc, your theory is definitely possible.” With that, he switched Gecko out of sleep mode and into active mode. “We’re about to find out.”

Ten minutes ticked by.

Abruptly, Casey peered over Ryan’s shoulder at the laptop monitor. “Here she comes.”

A nurse was wheeling Linda Turner over to her usual spot, chatting pleasantly with her as they went. She settled her patient comfortably, promising “Lorna” that she’d send her daughter over the instant she arrived. Then, she turned and retraced her steps back to the main building.

Linda gazed peacefully around, and began to murmur the names of the various flowers surrounding her. Some she got right, some were so far-off that she might as well be speaking a foreign language. But she was happy and very excited.

Casey’s cell phone rang. She frowned, staring down at it. The caller ID said “Private.”

“I’d better see who this is,” she said reluctantly. “If it’s Peg, and I ignore her again, I’ll be in deep shit.” She put the phone to her ear. “Casey Woods.”

“It’s me,” Patrick said without preamble. “Just a heads-up. Peg is pissed as hell that you’re nowhere to be found, since she knows very well what that means. Meanwhile, she put the pieces together. She spoke to the woman in human resources who interviewed Claudia Mitchell. She explained the urgency of the situation and Sunny Gardens is willing to cooperate without a warrant, and with only Peg’s promise to keep the information they share with her in the strictest of confidence. So it looks like your time is up.”

“Dammit.” Casey dragged a hand through her hair. “Is the task force on their way to Sunny Gardens?”

“Not yet. Getting the information is one thing. Questioning the suspect is another. The North Castle cops are going for a warrant. The FBI is going to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. But between Krissy Willis’s kidnapping and Claudia Mitchell’s murder, I doubt they’ll have trouble getting what they need. Not with time being of the essence. So whatever you’re doing, do it fast.”

“Thank you, Patrick.” Casey was truly grateful for his cooperation. “I owe you one.”

“You owe me more than that,” he retorted. “Peg asked me where you were. I told her you were pursuing a lead, but that you’d refused to give me the details.”

“That’s true.”

“Yeah, but I left out a hell of a lot.”

“You won’t be sorry. We’re a few steps ahead of the task force—and closer to finding Krissy Willis.”

“That better be true. Oh, and by the way, your boyfriend is ripping mad. I wouldn’t count on a candlelight dinner anytime soon.”

Casey winced. She knew exactly how pissed Hutch must be. And she wasn’t looking forward to the confrontation.

“No surprise,” she told Patrick. “But I appreciate the heads-up. I’ll be sure to polish up my suit of armor for the firing squad. In the meantime, I have to go now. Thanks again.”

She disconnected the call, her gaze glued to the computer screen as she waited for the telltale moment.

Abruptly, the video feed from Gecko began to stutter. On its heels, the audio started to break up. Like an attack dog, Ryan leaped into action, promptly checking the wireless connection.