Trumped Up Charges (4 page)

She appeared groggy, her eyes narrow slits beneath puffy lids. Her usually well-coiffed hair was damp and pressed against her head.

She saw Hadley and smiled. Then her gaze moved to Adam. The smile vanished.

“Whass see doin’ here?” Her words were slurred but clear enough that they all got the message that she wasn’t happy to see him.

Hadley breathed a sigh of relief. Neither drugs nor pain would keep Janice O’Sullivan from coming to the brawl ready to fight. She’d stave off the effects of the drugs and give them the names they needed. Detective Lane and the DPD could do the rest.

Lacy and Lila might be home in time for her to tuck them into bed tonight.

* * *

T
HE
LATE
-
AFTERNOON
SUN
was almost blinding as Hadley and Adam made their way across the hospital parking lot. Hadley slowed her pace to reach in her handbag for her sunglasses.

She put them on and adjusted the frame on the bridge of her nose. The glare diminished. Her desperation intensified. They’d spent an hour with her mother privately before the detective had joined them for a rehash of the same information. The illuminating moment that could change everything had never come.

Now, thanks to powerful medication, her mother was resting and in the hands of the private nurse they’d hired and the competent fourth-floor nursing team.

“I had such high hopes for Mother coming up with a name that would make sense of the abduction and lead us to the girls. Now it seems that’s just another dead end.”

“Don’t count it out yet. Lane said he’d follow up on the construction workers who’d been involved in her remodeling project.”

“He didn’t sound encouraged that construction workers were the best suspects we could come up with. Especially since the remodeling project has been finished for at least six months and Lacy and Lila had never been there when they were working.”

“Every lead is important,” Adam said. “Your mother may come up with more names when the meds wear off a bit.”

“She’ll definitely try,” Hadley said.

“I’m sure,” Adam said as they reached the truck. “I thought for a minute there she was going to jump out of that hospital bed, grab an AK-47 and storm every house in Dallas until she found the girls.”

“Too bad Lane’s team isn’t doing that.”

“I’m sure they’re throwing everything they have into this, Hadley. Missing children are top priority on every police force in America.”

He opened her door for her and then rounded the truck and slid behind the wheel.

Hadley had to admit that her mother had taken the news like the fighter she was. She’d ordered the nurse to get her clothes and dared anyone to try and stop her from leaving the hospital.

A failed attempt to sit up by herself had allowed Dr. Gates and Hadley to convince her that the best way she could help was to provide them with information. She’d tried and then become furious at herself when she couldn’t give them what they needed.

To the detective’s credit, he hadn’t harassed her mother. In fact he’d been almost too accommodating and a lot of his time had been wasted on idle chatter. At least it had seemed that way to Hadley.

“Did you find the detective’s interaction with Mother odd?” she asked as Adam backed from the parking spot.

“You mean the fact that he talked more about you and your relationship to your mother and to the girls than he did about people with access to the house?”

“Exactly.”

Hadley’s cell phone rang. Her pulse pounded—until she saw the caller ID. “A friend from high school who I haven’t heard from in years. Evidently the girls’ identities have been released.”

She let the phone ring without answering. Even if the phone hadn’t needed to stay free for the kidnapper’s call, she couldn’t bear to go through the details again. Her friends would understand.

Adam shifted out of Reverse and headed toward the exit. “I’m hoping he was just trying to put your mother at ease.”

“I guess. But the girls have been missing for hours now. We have to find them before dark. They’ve never spent the night away from me.”

Hadley could feel herself sliding to the edge of hysteria. She took a deep breath, determined to stay in control. Losing it wouldn’t help find the girls.

Adam turned to look at her. “Have you eaten anything today?”

“Not that I remember, but I’m not hungry. I doubt I could even swallow.”

“You have to keep up your strength. Collapsing won’t help anybody.”

“I know. I’ll try to eat something later. But if you’re hungry we can stop somewhere.”

“I can wait. I had breakfast.”

He pulled out of the parking lot and into a stream of cars. “So is it back to the house?”

The empty, silent house void of Lila’s laughter and Lacy’s high-pitched chatter. No footsteps running down the long hallway no matter how many times she cautioned them to walk.

No one there to call “Momma.”

“I don’t think I can face going back there yet.”

“Where would you like to go?”

“I don’t know, but I can’t just sit and do nothing while waiting on the kidnapper to call with a ransom request or the police to call with good news. The waiting is driving me insane.”

“We can backtrack where the cops have been, search the nearby parks, go house to house and ask if anyone saw or heard anything last night.”

“But that would only be reaching the same people who’ve already been questioned.”

“What about going on television?” Adam suggested. “You can personally plead for the kidnapper to let them go or for someone to come forward with information.”

“I like that.” Hope spiked her pulse as the idea took hold. “Dallas has a big heart.”

“It’s the fastest way to reach hundreds of thousands of people,” Adam agreed. “You can offer an award for information leading to the safe return of the girls. That might get a response from someone from the city’s criminal element who actually knows the kidnapper.”

“Or someone involved in the kidnapping,” Hadley said. “If we act now, I may be able to get on the evening news broadcast of every local TV channel.”

“At least you should be able to make the ten o’clock news.” Adam agreed.

“I’ll call Detective Lane right now and see if he can set it up.”

She grabbed her phone. Adam reached across the space between them and laid a hand on hers. “Just a suggestion, but if I were you, I think I’d bypass Lane with this and go directly to the local TV stations.”

“Do you think the detective would have a problem with my decision?”

“I think he has his own way of handling things and might object,” Adam said.

“If he has legitimate objections to my making a public plea, I’d like to hear them. I don’t want to take any unnecessary risks where the girls’ safety is concerned. I can’t afford a dangerous mistake.”

“I can’t tell you what to do with this, Hadley. It’s your daughters.”

But not hers alone. “I’d appreciate your honest opinion,” she said. “As a friend and as a male point of view.”

Before he had time to answer, her cell phone rang again. This time it was a close friend who she hated to ignore. She took the call and accepted the empathy. Another call buzzed in.

Detective Lane. She told her friend a quick goodbye and took the detective’s call. “Have you found Lacy and Lila?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

Her spirit plunged. “What about the construction workers involved in the remodeling project? Did you check them out?”

“We’re working on it, but at this point it doesn’t appear that any of them have a criminal record.”

Desperation forced her to ignore Adam’s words of caution. She had to do something, and Lane could probably make the arrangements quicker than she could on her own.

“I want to go on television and plead for the girls’ safe return,” she said.

There was a long, silent pause before the detective responded. “We can discuss that possibility.”

“I don’t need to discuss the possibility. My mind’s made up. The only question is will you help me arrange it or should I proceed on my own?”

“I’ll set it up, Hadley, but we need to talk first. Do you mind if I call you Hadley?”

“Please do, and I’m not questioning your expertise or your methods, Detective. But unless you can assure me that you have a credible lead in finding Lacy and Lila, I insist we go forward with the TV spots immediately. There is no time to waste and no reason to talk about it.”

“I agree, but we have a new development in the case.”

She held her breath, a wave of dread rushing through her. If this was bad news... “What’s the development?”

“Someone claiming to be the kidnapper has made contact.”

Chapter Four

Hadley’s heart was
pounding as Adam pulled into her mother’s driveway. At her frantic urging, Adam had broken the speed limit more than once on the way here.

Detective Lane had refused to give her any additional information on the phone except that there had been a ransom demand along with a promise by the kidnapper that Lacy and Lila were alive and well.

Alive
.

The word echoed in her heart. But the detective’s word choice continued to haunt her—someone
claiming
to be the kidnapper.

Please, God, let this be more than a claim.

She spotted the detective on the covered porch, standing in the stalking shadows cast by a pair of aged oak trees. She jumped from the truck as it rolled to a stop and raced to hear the rest of the story.

The detective was not smiling when he greeted her. She paused a few feet away as her gaze zeroed in on a FedEx envelope the detective held in his right hand along with a small plastic bag. When she looked closer she recognized the bag’s contents.

A pink ribbon with a row of intricate hearts that she’d last seen tied around Lacy’s ponytail.

She took a deep breath. “That’s Lacy’s ribbon. Where did you get it?”

“It came in the envelope with the message.”

She gulped in air and relief. “Then the man isn’t just claiming to be the kidnapper. He has my girls.”

“You’re sure about the ribbon.”

“It looks exactly the same.”

Only Hadley was certain Lacy’s hair had not been in a ponytail when she’d gone to bed last night. The loose red curls had been spread about her pillow when Hadley tucked her in and kissed her good-night as well as when she’d checked on them just after one.

Now that she thought about it, Lacy’s hair hadn’t been in a ponytail when they’d taken her mother to the hospital. Lacy must have taken the ribbon out when she and Lila were playing dress-up with their grandmother’s old hats, shawls and shoes just after lunch yesterday.

The kidnapper must have taken it from the dresser for this very purpose. “May I see the message?”

“Yes, but I think we should go inside and sit down first,” the detective said.

“How much is the ransom demand?” she asked.

“Worry about that later,” Adam said. “First, we should hear the detective out.”

As if she had a choice. She fumbled in her purse for the house key before she remembered that Adam had locked up. He opened the door, and she led the way to the small formal living room where the detective had questioned her that morning.

Adam waited until she sat down and then dropped beside her on the sofa.

Adam Dalton, the man who had once thrilled her with his smile and made her blood run hot with his kisses. Adam, who had captured her heart so completely only to shatter it when it suited his purpose.

Letting him back into her life was likely the worst choice she could make for so many reasons. But this wasn’t about her or protecting her heart or hiding her secrets.

Nothing mattered now except Lacy and Lila and bringing them safely home again.

Detective Lane took the chair directly across from Hadley and then took his time pulling a sheet of paper from the FedEx envelope. “This is only a copy,” he said. “The actual note is considered evidence and is being checked for fingerprints and DNA residue.”

The note was written in the type of scribbled print a first grader might produce. Hadley read it quickly before taking a deep breath and reading it a second time, this time out loud.

“Your daughters are safe and being well taken care of. If you want them to stay that way, do exactly as you’re told from this point on. You have two days to get the ransom together. I want five million dollars delivered in unmarked twenty-dollar bills. Believe me, I will know if they’re marked and you’ll never see the twins again. Stay tuned for further instructions. Lacy and Lila send their love.”

“Bastard.” Adam followed that outburst with a string of muttered curses. He took the note and read it for himself before returning it to the detective. “Is that the envelope the note came in?”

“No, like the note, the original packaging has been taken as evidence. But the envelope was delivered at 5:32 this evening.”

Hadley checked her watch. Just over an hour ago. “Was it delivered to the police station?”

“No. It was delivered here and addressed to you. The officer we had watching the house signed for it.”

“I don’t recall you mentioning this morning that officers were staking out the O’Sullivan home,” Adam said.

“It’s routine in a case like this.” Lane reached across the coffee table and handed the plastic-encased ribbon to Hadley. “I need you to officially identify this without taking it out of the bag.”

“It’s Lacy’s hair ribbon,” Hadley said again. “But she wasn’t wearing it when I tucked her into bed.”

“When was the last time you saw the ribbon?”

“Yesterday afternoon, before we left for the hospital.”

“You’re sure?”

“Yes. I put her hair in a ponytail after lunch, but she must have taken it down when she and Lila were playing dress-up.”

“So the ribbon might have been taken at any time yesterday afternoon?”

“Or taken when the girls were kidnapped.” Adam shifted and sat straighter, meeting the detective’s questioning stare head-on.

“Possibly,” Lane agreed.

“How about just saying what you have to say, Detective, instead of playing games?” Adam said.

“The ransom note was dropped off at a downtown FedEx location at five minutes past nine last night,” Lane said. “12:00 a.m. is the last pickup from that station for next-day delivery in the Dallas/Fort Worth area.”

“That can’t be right,” Hadley said. “The girls were here and asleep at eleven after one. I checked on them myself.”

“Maybe the clock you checked has the wrong time,” Adam said.

“I don’t think so,” Hadley said. “But there’s a quick way to find out.” She bolted to the bedroom with Adam and the detective at her heels.

The clock was to the minute with her watch. “I don’t see how this could be,” she said. “If the FedEx timing is accurate, it means the ribbon had to be taken and the ransom note written before the girls were abducted.”

“Looks that way,” Lane agreed.

Hadley wrapped her fingers around the bedpost. “There must be some mistake.”

“Who mailed the note?” Adam asked.

“John Doe from a nonexistent address. The charges were paid with cash.”

“So impossible to track,” Adam said as they walked back to the small, formal living area. “That figures.”

“But we do know the man will get in touch with us again,” Hadley said. “He won’t walk away from the chance to pick up five million dollars.”

Five million dollars she didn’t have and had little chance of coming up with on her own. Her mother lived well, but Hadley was almost certain she couldn’t get her hands on that much money—not even if she sold the house. And selling the house would take far too much time.

“Is there some organization that lends money in abduction situations like this?” she asked.

“We’ll deal with the ransom later,” Lane said. “For now, let’s concentrate on what we know. Someone had access to the house both before and at the time of the abduction. Apparently they come and go at will. That significantly narrows down our suspects.”

He put up his hand and counted off on his fingers. “Your mother. You. Am I missing anyone?”

“Matilda,” Hadley said, knowing exactly whom he was referring to.

Lane crossed an ankle over the opposite knee. “Do you know that she has a younger brother with a criminal record?”

“Quinton.”

“So you do know him?”

“I know his first name and that he exists. I didn’t know he had a criminal record.”

“His last name is Larson,” Lane said. “Exactly what do you know about him?”

“Not much. He’s a quite a bit younger than Matilda.”

“Have you ever met him?”

“I have. Years ago, Mother occasionally hired him when she needed something done that was too strenuous for Matilda. I think he may have been living with Matilda’s family at the time. Her husband was still alive then.”

“What kind of tasks did he do for your mother?”

“Whatever she needed done that didn’t require a professional. Moving heavy furniture, washing windows, cleaning out the garage. But he hasn’t worked here in years, actually not since my fourteenth birthday when my mother ordered him off the property. I’m twenty-nine now.”

“But you no longer live in the area, so you can’t be sure she hasn’t hired him for similar tasks lately?”

“I seriously doubt that. Mother is very generous, but she is not one to forgive and forget. Besides, she hires Matilda’s son, Sam, to help out now. Mother likes him a lot. Says he’s polite and dependable.

“And she hires Matilda’s daughter when she entertains. I’ve even used Alana to babysit on a few occasions. The girls love her.”

Adam shifted so that he faced her. “What did Quinton do to upset her?”

It had been a long time ago. Hadley had put the experience behind her and moved on years ago. Yet the disturbing memories came flooding back now.

“Quinton and I were in the kitchen. He was on a stepstool, taking down Mother’s crystal serving trays. When I started making a sandwich, he asked me to make him one, too. I said sure. While I worked on that, he came over and started teasing me about my birthday. He said I was old enough to have some real fun now. Probably not his exact words, but that was the gist of the taunting.”

“How old was Quinton at the time?” Lane asked.

“I’m not sure. Around eighteen, I think. He’d been expelled from high school for the year. I never knew why.”

“Is teasing as far as it went?” Adam asked.

“No. When I started to leave, he grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the kitchen. He started touching my breasts. I told him to stop. He just laughed.”

Lane took a pen and pad from his shirt pocket. “Where was your mother and Matilda when this happened?”

“Outside, hanging party decorations. I was about to yell for them when Quinton reached under by skirt. I picked up the handiest weapon I saw and hit him over the head with it. It turned out to be Mother’s favorite and most expensive vase. She’d set it out to use for a centerpiece that night.”

“Guess that got Quinton’s attention,” Lane said.

“It got everyone’s attention. The vase hit the floor and broke into a thousand shards. Quinton started yelling and cursing at the top of his lungs, and he was bleeding. I figured I’d be in big trouble.”

“Surely you weren’t,” Adam said. “He got what he deserved.”

“Exactly what Mother said when I told her what had happened. She exploded. So did Matilda, but all the ire was directed at Quinton. Mother ordered him out of the house. I never saw him again.”

“Evidently, you didn’t hit him hard enough,” Lane said. “He didn’t change his ways.”

“What kind of crimes has he been charged with?” Adam asked.

“Cashing bad checks, burglary, but mostly domestic abuse. Guy has a mean temper and no respect for women. Practically killed one of his live-ins when he cracked her skull with a frying pan for swiping some of his crack cocaine.”

“Sounds like a real sweetheart,” Adam said.

Hadley’s blood ran cold at the thought of her girls being in his hands. “Surely he’s in jail.”

“You’d think,” Lane agreed. “But no. The girlfriend decided to forgive him and dropped charges. He has done some jail time for other infractions, but thanks to a lenient judge, he’s out on parole at the moment.”

Adam stood and started to pace. “Have you questioned him?”

“We will, as soon as we locate him.”

“Isn’t staying in the area a condition of his parole?” Adam asked.

“Career criminals who keep getting off with light sentences don’t tend to take parole too seriously. But we’ll find him.”

“Did Matilda tell you about Quinton?” Hadley asked.

“No, and neither did your mother, or you, for that matter.”

“I haven’t seen him in fifteen years. His name didn’t come to mind.”

Hadley’s mind drifted from the conversation to the chances that Matilda might know how to find her brother. If she did, would she tell the detective or would she consider family loyalty more important? The former, Hadley decided, especially if there was even a chance he had Lacy and Lila.

She tuned back to the current conversation when she saw Adam bristle and heard the change in his tone.

“I don’t like where this is going, Detective.”

“You don’t get to call the shots, Adam.”

“That’s why Hadley should get an attorney.”

“Why is it I need an attorney?”

“The good detective just insinuated you might be more than the victim.”

She shouldn’t have let her mind wander for even a second. “What are you talking about?”

“I was merely stating the facts,” the detective said.

“Save your breath,” Adam said. “The fact is that Hadley had nothing to do with the abduction.”

“I didn’t say that she did. I only remarked that being a single mother of two children can get very difficult. The stress has been known to push some mothers over the edge.”

Hadley stared at the detective as his words sank in. “Are you actually suggesting that I might be involved in Lacy and Lila’s disappearance?”

“I’m just saying it’s been known to happen.”

She jumped up, her hands flying to her hips. “No, what you’re suggesting is that I got rid of my daughters to make life easier on myself. I know monsters have done that before, but I’m not a monster. I may be insane with worry, but I’m not insane.”

“I’m glad to hear that.” Lane’s expression didn’t back that up. Nor did he look convinced.

Her anger raged. “Are you even looking for my daughters or are you and your fellow cops just sitting around trying to think of ways to trap me into admitting guilt?”

“You’re way off base and you know it.”

“Do I?” Her insides churned so violently, she grew dizzy. “Get out, Detective.”

“I’m going,” Lane said. “I’ll come back when we have something new or when you calm down enough to talk rationally. In the meantime, don’t leave the area.”