Beyond Suspicion (9 page)

Fifteen

Shelby took a deep breath as Matt drove down the street. Being in the Jeep with air circulating was heaven compared to the bus. She glanced at Matt's arms as he turned the wheel. They were lightly tanned and the sun-bleached hair on his muscular forearms seemed to sparkle. She let her eyes travel to his neck and down his chest. His crewneck tee hugged enough to see how his pecks filled out a shirt nicely.

He glanced over catching her staring at him and smiled. “If you go over your whole story with me, maybe you'll remember something important.”

“I've been over and over it in my mind. I don't think there's anything I haven't told you.”

“Do you remember the first time you saw the van?”

Shelby leaned back against the headrest. How many times had she answered that question? Gone over the details in her mind.

“I heard that,” Matt said.

She turned to him. “Heard what?”

“That strangled sound you make. The first time I heard it in the park I thought you were choking.” He turned the wheel and shot around a slow driver. When he had pulled far enough ahead, he eased back on the speed.

“Matt, I'm sorry. But it's so frustrating! Don't you think I've gone over this a hundred and one times in my mind, with my attorney, with the police, with Roger and my mom? There isn't anything new.”

“I understand. I don't know what else to do to help.” Matt reached over and squeezed her arm a second then let go.

It was a small gesture for him, but it made her insides turn to mush. She could barely get the words out. “Being my friend is more than enough.”

“We're almost there,” Matt said. “I'm going around back. I'll wait in the Jeep while you climb in the window, then I'll go to the back door asking for you. If they don't know you left, your mom will knock on your door.”

Shelby didn't say anything until he was parked. “You don't have to come in. I'll be fine.”

Matt shook his head. “Nope, someone may have seen me drive up. I need to go in and offer my help.”

There was something not quite right about that, but there was no real reason to doubt his good intentions, so Shelby let it go. She closed the door without making a noise, then ran. She leaned the screen against the house and raised the window. Climbing in was a lot harder than climbing out. The sill was higher than she remembered. She had to hop up, lie with her belly on the windowsill, and pull herself through. Matt was probably laughing hysterically at the sight as she swung her legs up and down to give her the momentum she needed to move. Her hands hit the floor first. When she was on her feet she tried to pull the screen up. She couldn't put it back so she let it drop. Roger would think it just fell out. She closed the window. By the time she stopped rubbing her sore belly, her mother knocked quietly on her door.

“Shelby, Matt's here.”

“I'm coming, Mom.” Shelby changed her glasses then opened her door.

“Did you get a good rest?”

“Yes, I needed it.” On one hand she was relieved she hadn't been caught, on the other, she felt guilty for lying. “Are all the flyers out?”

“Yes, the volunteers are putting them out all over town. Matt came by to volunteer. He's such a nice boy.”

“Melissa! Come here right now!” Grammy yelled from the living room.

Shelby saw fear in her mother's face before they raced down the hall. Matt was standing off to the side. His eyes were wide and locked on the TV. The women in the house stood in a semicircle, stunned. Some had hands over their mouths.

“Come sit by me,” Grammy said, beckoning to her mother. “They're about to show it again.”

“Shhhh, everybody,” one of the women said.

Shelby stood next to Matt. Lola Banes was talking fast as they rolled a video. “There. Can you see in the background? That's the white van Shelby Palmer told everyone about and…okay…keep watching…THERE. See, right there? That woman is holding something in her arms as she runs for the van. Can we get a close-up of that? She's just as Shelby described with that long hair, sunglasses, and cap.”

Shelby couldn't believe it. They had the kidnapping on tape. She heard a sob and saw her mother cover her mouth with both hands. Grammy was holding her as she moaned and rocked back and forth.

Matt's arm went around her shoulders and pulled her close. Lola Banes had her usual panelists in little boxes up on the screen. One of them was filming from right outside the house. “Lola, where exactly did this tape come from?”

Lola's close-up moved to a wide view as she announced, “I've got the boy, Cody Vaughn, and his mother ready to explain everything. Can we go to her now?”

A woman and a little boy appeared on the screen. They were sitting on a couch. “Mrs. Vaughn, will you explain to our viewers how this video came about?”

Mrs. Vaughn touched her right ear. There was a second delay before she answered. “Yes, Cody was filming a soccer practice at the park that day. He had a new camera and was trying it out. We had no idea he had captured the kidnapping until he watched it last night. He started yelling for his dad and me.”

Shelby remembered the boy out on the field taking pictures of his team as well as the softball game.

“So, why didn't you take it directly to the police?” Lola Banes asked.

“It seemed they had made up their minds that the daughter was guilty. We decided you would do the right thing with it.”

“Thank you,” Lola said. “Cody, how does it feel knowing you have made a video that's going all around the world right now?”

“Good.” He lowered his head in pleased shyness. His mom reached over and mussed his hair before they disappeared from view.

Lola Banes continued. “Before we aired the video we notified the FBI and the local police and sent them copies. We've also blown up stills of the woman holding the baby and the van. If any of you recognize her or the van, or have any information at all, please call the number on the bottom of the screen.”

Shelby raced over to her mom and they hugged. Her grandmother got up as they cried together. Shelby heard voices and felt movement around them. When they finally let go of each other Shelby got to her feet. Some of the volunteer women were dabbing their eyes. Mrs. Purdy hurried over to her. “I knew you were innocent.” She gave Shelby's upper arm a quick pat.

Shelby bit back a retort and smiled graciously. “Thank you.”

“Let's get back to work, everyone,” her mother said, standing and wiping her eyes. “I wonder if we can get photos of that woman and van to post on more flyers?”

Shelby glanced around. Matt had left.

“I'll call the local station,” Grammy said. “But first we need to get Pop on the phone and tell them to come home.”

Shelby went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Through the window she could see that Matt had driven off. Her hands shook as she filled the glass. Now that they all knew she had told the truth, she felt joyous. At the same time, that was Josh in the video. He was still missing. The kidnappers had three days to run unless the van she saw with Matt was the same one. She was sure it was, but if it wasn't, Josh could be anywhere. She decided to tell Roger and Pop that she'd possibly seen the van. She hoped they would understand why she waited to mention it.

Sixteen

There was a bittersweet celebration that evening. Luis Aguilar appeared on the local news channel at an emergency press conference. He didn't apologize for casting suspicion on Shelby. “We did investigate her story, but when a child goes missing, the family is always investigated. Miss Palmer's story was suspect since no one else observed the van. Luckily we now have video that supports her story.”

“If you've been investigating her story, you must have run across white vans,” a reporter said.

“Yes, there are several in this town alone. We are being very thorough.”

Shelby was curled in her recliner again. Pop and Grammy were on the couch with Roger and her mother. She had told them about seeing the van and Roger had informed Jeffrey Quick, who passed the news on to the detectives.

Luis Aguilar received another question. “Have you been keeping the family updated? What do they have to say about this?”

Roger snorted. “They haven't told us anything.” He turned to Shelby. “I'm so sorry that you had to go through this while worrying about Josh. It wasn't right what they did to you.”

The sincerity in his voice made her throat tighten. It was difficult to speak, so she just nodded her appreciation.

“The pain of losing Josh and seeing my granddaughter accused was almost too much. It makes me angry,” Pop said. “What's even worse is that the media jumped on it and acted like rumor was the truth.”

“That part is over,” her mother said. “Now we can concentrate on finding Josh.”

“That's right,” said Grammy. “And with this video out there, we should hear some good news very soon.” She rose and headed for the kitchen. “I'm going to start supper.”

Jeffrey Quick came over after a very late dinner. He seemed worn out. Night had fallen a couple of hours before. Grammy handed him a cup of coffee and he took a grateful sip.

“I spent all afternoon up until a few minutes ago at the police station asking questions and demanding answers. The police are now going into neighborhoods near the park and knocking on doors asking for any information about white vans or a new baby in the neighborhood. They are also checking out the grocery store and area where Shelby thought she spotted the van,” he told them. “The media still wants to interview the family. If you'd like, we can hold a press conference and let them ask questions. I don't see the harm now. It's up to you.”

Roger turned to Shelby. “What do you think?”

It wasn't something she wanted to do—“I'll do whatever it takes to find Josh.”

“It won't be pleasant,” Jeffrey Quick said. “But it's necessary to get the sympathy of the citizens back for all of you so they'll want to find the kidnappers.”

“When do you want to do it?” Her mother asked.

“How about tonight?”

Shelby gulped.

“Out front is the perfect place and I can guarantee that afterwards they'll clear out.”

Everyone waited for her to say something. It would be rough because she knew they'd all want to talk to her. This time she would be right up front instead of hiding behind her parents. Parents? That was the first time she had thought of Roger and her mom as her parents.

“Okay,” she said. “Let's get Josh home.”

Jeffrey Quick made the arrangements with the reporters. He gave them time to set up lights and sound equipment. When it was time to go outside, he took the family aside. “Just be natural, if you don't like a question just look at me. Don't get upset if I interrupt and answer for you.”

Shelby was shaking as she walked between Roger and her mother, holding their hands. Grammy and Pop stayed inside at Jeffrey Quick's insistence. “I want the attention solely on them. It will help if they appear as a united, grieving family wanting desperately to get their son and brother back safely.”

Questions flew fast. Shelby had barely answered one before another came at her. It was hard to concentrate with the lights shining in her face. Finally Roger stepped forward and told them that was enough. “We would just like to add that we appreciate how things appeared on the surface. It's just sad that everyone jumped to the wrong conclusions and hurt my daughter very much. But that's over. Our son is a victim of a kidnapping.” His voice caught as his lips trembled. He cleared his throat. Shelby took his hand and squeezed. It seemed to give him the strength to speak. “Please help us find him.”

Shelby's mother moved up next to him and held onto his arm. “I want to beg the kidnappers to bring him someplace safe—a church, a hospital, a fire department—and drop him off. We love him so much. Please, please give him back.”

Jeffrey Quick whispered in Roger's ear. The three of them went back to the house together.

Shelby pulled aside a corner of the drapes. Mr. Quick had been right. The news vans were packing up and clearing out. “They're leaving.”

Roger joined her at the window. “Good.”

“I'm about to drop,” Shelby said. “I think I'll turn in early.”

Her grandparents said good night and drove to their motel. Shelby went to her room, closed her curtains, and stretched across the bed in the dark. There just wasn't any energy left to even put on her pajamas. She felt numb. The light from the moon behind the curtains was bright. Enough filtered through allowing her eyes to adjust and able to pick out objects in the room. She listened as Roger and her mom locked up for the night. After that everything became silent.

She should be happy, but the situation with Josh was clouded with feelings of betrayal by her friends, distrust of the police, and confusion about Matt. She pulled her cell out of her pocket to make sure no one had called or left a message. Sometimes when things were busy she missed the vibration of the phone. Sure enough, nothing. The battery was low so she got up to plug it in for a charge.

Would Mrs. Cosgrove let Valerie talk to her now? Shelby wondered if they were discussing her on the Internet. She slid off the bed, turned on the desk lamp, and waited for the computer to boot up.

There was an e-mail from her dad.

Just got back in the States from Canada a few hours ago. Read all the messages and got frantic. I called my folks and they told me about the video. We thought about going to see you, but decided against that since you've been cleared. None of us want to be in the way. I'm so sorry about Josh and what you've been going through. If you need to talk, just call. I promise I'll answer. I won't fly back to Whispering Springs unless you say so. I can't afford a motel. How's your mom and Roger?

I love you, Shel-Shel,

Daddy

Shelby read it three times. It was hard facing reality, but she learned a lot from what he'd said. She hit reply.

Don't worry, Daddy. I'm just fine. Kind of went nuts at first but I'm okay now. I'll keep you posted on the investigation. Mom and Roger are doing the best they can. It's hard having a child kidnapped and the other child accused. Roger did a good job being a dad. Pop and Grammy are here. Roger's parents will be here tomorrow. Their plane was delayed in Florida. The house will be full. When Josh comes home, I may join you just to get away for a while. I'll keep you posted. Tell Nana and Gramps just to say prayers for all of us. That will be more than enough.

Love,

Shelby

She sent a quick email to her father's parents to tell them she was fine, just in case they changed their minds. It had been over three years since she had seen them, and this wasn't the right time to get together again. They were closer to Aunt Betty's kids anyway, since they all lived in the same town.

She checked her deleted file folder. It was full of junk and early hate mail. Nothing from Valerie or Rachel. She emptied the folder and exited. Shelby let her hand rest on the mouse. Maybe it was time to check her JustChillin'. She chewed lightly on her bottom lip. She couldn't take any more hate. She crawled into bed wondering what she'd do if somehow they still thought she was involved.