Missing Read online

  “So you went after Bethany.”

  He swallowed hard. “I didn’t want to, but yeah.” Tears appeared for a brief moment before he ducked his head. When he looked back up, they were gone. “I wasn’t going to let anything happen to my son.”

  “Where’d you get the gun?” Daniel asked.

  “It was left at one of the drop sites with half the money for grabbing the girl.”

  Lacey felt her stomach swirl and thought she might be sick. Mason looked ready to leap over the table and throttle the guy.

  She admired his restraint.

  Her hands ached and she realized she’d tightened her fingers into fists so tight her knuckles were white.

  Making an effort to relax, she unfurled them and leaned toward the window.

  A knock on the door pulled Catelyn from the interrogation as she moved to answer it. Someone Lacey couldn’t see handed Catelyn a piece of paper. The detective looked at it and a smile of satisfaction crossed her face.

  Turning back to the lawyer and Howe, she slid the paper across the table and said, “We have your print on the car Kayla Mahoney died in. What’d you do, John, run her off the road?”

  “No!” he protested. “I was following behind them, yeah, but I didn’t do anything that would make them wreck. All of a sudden the driver swerved then crashed into a tree.”

  That part matched with Georgia’s story. So, it wasn’t Austin Howard at the site of the wreck. Mason wasn’t surprised.

  “So you showed up, the girls thought you were there to help and you tried to get Bethany to go with you. When she wouldn’t, you pulled the gun and ended up getting shot.”

  “Yeah.” He rubbed shaking fingers across his lips. “That about sums it up.”

  “Not quite.” Mason stood and slapped a hand on the table. “Did you leave that little gift in Bethany’s room last night?”

  Confusion flickered. “What are you talking about?”

  Mason and Catelyn exchanged a glance. “You weren’t anywhere near the Gibson household last night?”

  “No and I have witnesses to prove it.”

  Daniel slid the man a pen. “Write them down.”

  Howe looked at his lawyer who’d been surprisingly quiet through the whole confession. The man nodded and Howe started writing.

  When he was finished he set the pen down. “I don’t know what happened to the girl. I was supposed to leave her drugged and tied to a tree out in the woods just at the edge of the high school. Then I was to pick up my money at another location about thirty minutes away at a specific time. I was warned not to be late or the money would be gone.”

  “While you were picking up the money, this person would be picking up Bethany,” Mason stated in a low monotone. Howe nodded.

  Lacey shuddered at the visual image.

  Howe leaned back and sighed. “But it never happened. She got away from me.” With a grudging respect, Howe admitted, “She’s good at martial arts. I’m better, but she’s good.”

  “So you’ve been looking for her, chasing her, right?”

  This time a guilty flush appeared and he clamped his lips shut. His lawyer said, “Okay, that’s enough questions. We’re done here.”

  “Not quite.” Mason leaned in and narrowed his eyes. “Bethany’s out there all alone. She’s scared and probably exhausted from trying to stay one step ahead of you. Why isn’t she coming to us for help? Or at least finding the nearest cop?”

  Howe averted his gaze.

  Mason hit the table with a fist and everyone jumped.

  “Hey…” the lawyer started to protest.

  Mason ignored him and said softly, “You said you’d cooperate fully for a deal. If you have more information, you need to spill it.”

  Howe looked down at the table and swallowed, looked at his lawyer and sighed. “I used the girl’s mother to get her to cooperate. I had a couple of pictures of Bethany’s mom and showed them to her. I told her I was watching her mom. If she didn’t do what I said, her mother would get hurt.”

  Rage exploded inside Lacey and it was all she could do to keep from bolting into the room to throttle the man. Even though Georgia had basically said the same thing, hearing it come from this man’s mouth made her want to vomit.

  A muscle jumped in Mason’s jaw, but he held himself in control with admirable restraint. “I need the phone number of the person you were contacting.”

  Howe rattled it off and Mason glanced at Daniel who left the room.

  To have it traced, Lacey supposed. Although she had a feeling it was going to be one of those prepaid phone deals that the police could never track down.

  Depression settled on her shoulders. Another dead end.

  Please, God, keep her safe. Lead us to her. Show us the way to find her. Let her know I’m looking and won’t give up until I have her back.

  “Oh—” Mason turned back “—one more question, if you don’t mind. How did you get Bethany’s cell phone number?”

  Howe startled. “What?”

  “Come on, don’t play stupid. We found someone who saw her answer a phone and then run from you. Described, by the way, right down to your limp. So you might as well finish the story.”

  Howe’s lawyer started to protest. Howe held up a hand. “It’s all right.” He flushed. “Yeah, I, um, got ahold of her again a couple of days ago. We struggled and my phone flew out of my pocket. She kind of snatched it as she was running away.” He flushed then his lips flattened. “She caught me off guard with a kick to my bad leg or she never would have gotten away from me.”

  Lacey felt a surge of pride for her resourceful daughter. Way to go, Bethany. Now use the thing to call me!

  “What’s the number?” Mason demanded.

  Howe gave it to him.

  Mason stood and strode from the room pulling his cell phone out as he walked. Lacey leaped from the chair and raced from the room. She knew he was going to call Bethany. She’d call herself if she thought Bethany would answer, but she doubted she would if she was trying to protect her.

  Rounding the corner, she almost ran into him.

  “Is she answering?”

  Hanging up, he shook his head. “She’s probably scared to. Probably thinks it’s Howe.”

  “I don’t guess you could leave her a message. She probably doesn’t know the password to check them.”

  “She doesn’t have a reason to check them even if she could.” He shook his head. “I’ll have the cell phone tracked. As long as she leaves the battery in, we’ll be able to find her. If not, we’ll have to find another way to locate her.”

  “But how?” she cried. “We don’t have anything else that connects—”

  She broke off as the captain came out of his office. He looked at Mason, then Catelyn and Daniel who’d come up the hall. Daniel spoke into his cell phone as the captain said, “We’ve got a tip that Bethany was seen at the homeless shelter.”

  Daniel’s attention snapped to the captain. “The homeless shelter? We’ve got a black-and-white near there, don’t we? Aren’t they supposed to be covering that area?”

  The captain nodded. “That’s who called it in. They didn’t approach her because they didn’t want to scare her. They’re waiting for us.”

  “All right.” Daniel looked at the captain, then Mason and Catelyn. “I’ve got another emergency to deal with. One of my other cases just caught a break. I really need to go take care of that.” Into the phone, he said, “I’ve got to go. I’ll call you later.”

  Catelyn nodded at Mason. “I’ll drive.”

  The threesome headed for the exit, Lacey in the lead. Mason grabbed her arm. “I suppose it’s futile to tell you to stay here.”

  Pulling out of his gentle grasp, she said, “You know it.”

  He gave a resigned sigh. “All right, but at least stay close by.”

  Relieved he didn’t argue, she said, “Glad to.”

  And she was. The more she was around Mason, the more she wanted to be.

  Climbi
ng into the car, she closed her eyes. Please, Jesus, let me find my daughter. Keep her safe. Keep us safe.

  When she opened her eyes, Mason was looking at her over his shoulder from the front passenger seat. “I’m praying, too.”

  She lifted a brow. “You are? I thought you and God weren’t on speaking terms.”

  “I wouldn’t say that. He was speaking to me, I just haven’t been listening much—until now.”

  “Does Bethany have anything to do with your change of heart?”

  He nodded. “Yeah. A lot.”

  The car turned and all conversations ceased as Catelyn spoke into her phone to let the other officers know they were there.

  “Where is she?” Lacey craned her neck, desperate to catch a glimpse of her daughter. All she saw were two men walking toward the door.

  A patrol car came up next to them. Catelyn rolled her window down and the officer said, “She’s been pacing back and forth in front of the pay phone. Finally, she just went around the back.”

  Lacey jumped out of the car.

  “Lacey!” Mason voiced his disgust with her. “Get back here.”

  She paused and looked at him. “Come on.”

  No sooner had the words left her lips than a crack sounded and something struck the ground beside her. Then the building spewed brick and cement and she felt the sting of it bite into her neck and upper arm.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  In the time it took her to process the fact that someone was shooting at them, Mason snagged her hand and yanked her back into the car.

  Screams echoed around her.

  Hers intermingled with those of the people on the street.

  In a blur Lacey watched Catelyn snatch her gun from her holster while Mason did the same. He yelled, “Where’s it coming from?”

  “Over there!” Catelyn pointed and called for backup, while bystanders frantically ducked behind whatever cover they could find.

  Lacey felt her heart stutter as adrenaline pumped through her veins.

  Bethany!

  Where was she? Who was shooting at them? At her?

  Mason no longer held her down and she risked a peek through the window when she heard sirens. Backup had arrived.

  *

  Mason bit back the frustration and anger as best he could. Would they never catch a break?

  A dozen black-and-whites now covered the scene. If Bethany had been there, she was gone now. Catelyn had disappeared in the direction the bullets had come from. Mason ordered everyone to stay down. The scene hadn’t been cleared yet.

  Tears leaked from Lacey’s eyes, and he felt her despair. His heart beat with a love it hadn’t forgotten. The feeling shocked him and stirred him. With renewed hope, he realized that it might be possible to overcome the past. In one move, he pulled her to him and wiped her tears away. She sniffed and parted her lips to speak.

  Before she could, he noticed the blood around the edge of the neck of her tank top.

  “Are you all right?”

  “No. I’m not,” she whispered. “I won’t be all right until Bethany is back.”

  “You’re bleeding.” Making his way to the trunk of the car, Mason pulled out a first-aid kit. Opening a bandage, he pressed it to her neck. She winced, and he said, “Sorry. Debris from the building got you.”

  “I felt it but didn’t realize what it was.” She shot him a grim smile. “Seems like you’re patching me up quite a bit lately.”

  Through narrowed eyes, he regarded her. “Yeah, I don’t like it.”

  “I can’t say I’m real crazy about it myself.”

  Catelyn returned and, with a disgusted look, shook her head at Mason and Lacey. “Sorry. The shooter got away.”

  Lacey groaned.

  Mason bit back a growl of frustration.

  “Bethany?” he asked.

  “She’s gone, too,” Catelyn replied.

  Officers began reporting back that they’d found nothing. The scene was officially declared clear and a crime-scene unit arrived and began their job, while Catelyn began hers. Questioning those in the area.

  Lacey looked at Mason. “What now?”

  “We pray she calls. Come on, I’ll take you home.” He frowned. “Or to the hospital to get that checked.”

  “It’s just a couple of scratches, Mason, I’ll be fine.”

  Lacey’s cell phone rang and hope flashed across her face. Snatching it from the pocket of her shorts, she looked at the screen and bit her lip. Her shoulders drooped.

  It wasn’t Bethany.

  “Hello?”

  Mason listened in on her conversation and refused to feel guilty about it.

  “Yes, I know, Mr. Hill, I promise to get right on it. Bethany is still missing and—” She broke off then ended with, “Yes, sir. I will. Thank you.”

  Hanging up, she pulled in a deep breath.

  “Your boss giving you a hard time?”

  The smile she flashed him was forced. “Yes, but it doesn’t matter. There are other jobs out there. I only have one Bethany.”

  Mason let himself admire her tenacity. She was determined to find her daughter no matter what it took. Too bad she hadn’t put as much effort into telling him about Bethany as she was in finding the girl.

  The brief thought hit him and he grimaced. Don’t go there, Stone.

  Shoving down those emotions, he motioned to Catelyn that he was taking the car. She nodded. He knew she’d grab a ride back to the station with one of the officers.

  Mason helped Lacey into the passenger seat and then climbed behind the wheel.

  The strained, drawn look on her face worried him. Dark circles had formed beneath her eyes and she looked ready to drop.

  Going full steam ahead on very little sleep wasn’t easy. He was used to it, but she wasn’t.

  “I want you to go home and rest.”

  She cut her eyes at him, but didn’t protest. That in itself told him how exhausted she really was.

  Ten minutes later, he pulled into her driveway. With a wave to the police cruiser assigned to watch her house, he walked her to the front door.

  Placing his hands on her shoulders, he turned her to face him. “Hang in there, Lacey. I think we’re getting close.”

  “How can you say that?” Doubt stared up at him.

  “Just a gut feeling. The incidents are escalating. We may be making someone nervous.”

  “Nervous enough to hurt Bethany?” she whispered.

  The quiet words cut a path of hurt through his heart and he pulled her close for a hug. “I sure hope not, but we can’t stop looking. Bethany’s counting on you to find her.”

  She gave a weary smile. “I know.”

  “Which means you can’t collapse when we finally locate her. Go to bed.”

  The light in Lacey’s eyes had dimmed to the point where it wouldn’t take much for it to be snuffed completely out. She had to regroup. Recharge her body and let her racing mind rest.

  He placed a kiss on her forehead and she blinked. “Good night, Mason.”

  “Night.”

  He watched her go and felt weariness creep through him. He’d grab a couple of hours of rest, just enough to keep him going physically, then he’d be back at it.

  *

  Lacey’s parents had gone out with some friends. That concerned her slightly as she was afraid the person who seemed to want to torment her would go after them. However, Lacey felt there would be safety in numbers and told her parents they needed the break.

  Plus Mason had asked a fellow off-duty marshal to keep an eye on them. Carly Masterson. Lacey smiled. The woman was getting married soon and yet she’d immediately agreed to help Mason out. That said a lot about his friends and what they thought of him.

  So her parents had gone.

  Which left her home alone with a police officer bodyguard outside the front of the house.

  Lacey grabbed some leftovers from her parents’ supper the night before and absently warmed them up. Three bites of spaghetti and she was n
auseous.

  Fatigue, worry and anger at the person doing this pressed in on her. What had she done to this person to incite such hate?

  All her life she’d played it safe, except for that one night with Mason when they’d ignored everything they’d been taught. One: don’t put yourself in a place where it would be easy to give in to temptation. And two: flee temptation when you’re hit with it.

  Then she’d had a baby to take care of and no one except herself to lean on.

  At least that’s what she told herself.

  Really, looking back, she saw where God placed people in her path all along her journey. The Christian counselor at the home, Mrs. Chisolm, who’d rented her one of her spare bedrooms, and then helped take care of Bethany after she was born.

  Lacey had walked in on the woman studying her Bible or praying on many occasions. At first it had made her uncomfortable, then she found it sweet that the woman told Bethany Bible stories. As a result, she watched her daughter flourish under the older woman’s love.

  The love Lacey’s mother should have been lavishing on Bethany.

  But her parents hadn’t mellowed the slightest until after Bethany’s sixth birthday and by then Lacey was well and truly disconnected from them, except for the occasional card she felt compelled to write.

  Until three years ago when she came to understand God’s love. Not the kind of God her father preached about every Sunday, the one who was sitting in judgment ready to strike the minute she did something wrong, but a God who loved her just as she was—mistakes and all.

  A God who forgave those mistakes and wanted to spend time with her. Actually wanted her to spend time with Him.

  It had taken her a long time to accept that, but when she finally did, it was like opening up a whole new world for her.

  She finally saw what she’d been missing.

  Unconditional love.

  The kind of love she tried to pour into Bethany.

  The kind of love she hoped her parents would learn. And it seemed that prayer had been answered.

  Being reconciled to her parents had had its ups and downs, but Lacey had decided to roll with the punches and accept the good times as they came. Sometimes her mother tried too hard and was overly solicitous. Most of the time it seemed as if her father just didn’t know what to say to her. It caused Lacey pain when he wouldn’t meet her eyes or would leave the room when she walked in.