Fear Familiar Bundle (170 page)

"Eugene has been arrested. Bobby Fornaro has been kidnapped." She took a breath as she saw the worry on his face. "Familiar found another page from Eugene's book, and we cracked the clue."

James eased into a chair. "I know I can follow this conversation. It's just going to be difficult."

"Ninety-eight. It's a highway. It was the same page number left by the car where Bobby was taken."

"Highway 98." He nodded. "It's possible."

"I'm positive. Now all we have to do is figure out where along the highway the children are being held."

At Jennifer's look of hope, James felt his heart contract. "Jennifer, it's a long highway. It goes through several states." To avoid the look of dismay on her face, he got up and left the room. In a moment he returned with two soft drinks and a map. "See." He spread the map across the table. "Highway 98 runs from Natchez, Mississippi to St. Petersburg, Florida." He spoke softly, but he knew the words were devastating.

"They could be anywhere." The elation she'd felt was completely gone. What was left was despair.

James lightly rubbed her shoulders. "We need more information. This is a good start, but it isn't enough to find them."

"What am I going to do?" She turned and looked up at him, her blue eyes filling with tears. "We have to find those children, James. We have to."

"We will." For Jennifer's sake, he forced his voice to sound solid and certain. But the disappearance of Bobby Fornaro had added another measure of grave doubt to an already bad situation. It wasn't that James suspected Eugene— he knew the writer was innocent. But the children were gone, and the chances that they would be returned, unharmed, grew slimmer and slimmer with each passing day. What kidnapper would continue to select children without demanding a ransom of some type? Unless…

"What time is Eugene's retirement announcement set for?"

"Tomorrow at three o'clock." Jennifer had gained control of her emotions. "Why?"

"Where?"

"The library."

"Perfect." James smiled for the first time in what seemed like days.

"What's perfect?"

"What if Eugene is right? What if the person taking these children is doing it because of professional jealousy. If Eugene retires, then maybe the children will be freed."

"What's perfect about the library?"

"It's the most significant place to do this. It'll lend credence to the announcement. And, we have Ms. Whipple to help us keep an eye on a few things."

The glint in James's eye was contagious. "What's going on in that clever little mind of yours?" Jennifer asked. Even Familiar was watching him with interest.

"Cameras."

"As in home video or still?"

"Video." James went to a small table and picked up a phone book. He handed it to Jennifer. "Here. Look up some places that rent video equipment. We want enough to set up cameras so that the library is covered from every angle at that retirement announcement."

"So we can study the tapes." Jennifer was right on track. "The person who wants Eugene to quit bad enough to steal children wouldn't dare miss the formal retirement announcement."

"Exactly!"

"And if we can come up with a suspect, then maybe we can find a connection to Highway 98."

James gathered her into his arms and kissed her. His desire for her was constant. Her body felt so right against his. He eased back from her and forced his mind to function. "Yes! We have to find the connection."

"Oh, God, James, I hope this works."

"So do I."

"Meow!" Familiar nudged the phone book toward Jennifer.

"I think he wants me to get busy."

James held her and kissed her again, lightly. "That cat may be right, but he's a real pain in the butt."

"Go." Jennifer pushed him toward the door.

"I'll finish up this story and then we'll go get the equipment and set it up. I'm sure Martha Whipple will help us."

Jennifer nodded, her fingers already walking through the Yellow Pages.

T
HE FOURTH CAMERA
was mounted and loaded with fresh tape. Martha Whipple showed James the closet where the library ladder was stored.

"You two are very thorough." She nodded at all of the equipment, and the control center that they'd located beneath the library desk. There were dark circles under her eyes and she rubbed beneath her glasses in an unconscious gesture of weariness. "So you think you'll be able to figure out who's behind all of this by looking at the tapes?"

"That's what we're hoping," James said as he closed the closet door and wiped his dirty hands on his jeans. Jennifer was taping cable to the floor, her face smudged with dirt and her lovely hair tied back with a kerchief.

"How is Eugene?" Martha Whipple took off her glasses and cleaned them on her blouse.

"Not so good." James didn't know Martha Whipple well, but she was a friend of Eugene's, and he felt he owed her the truth. "He's worried about those kids. This retirement is something he insists on. He says he can't write he's so worried, so he might as well quit."

"I never thought Eugene Legander would stop writing." Her eyes dropped to the floor to hide her emotions. "You know he's been doing it since he was virtually an infant." She pinched the bridge of her nose.

James laughed at the mental picture of an infant Eugene pecking away at his typewriter, but his laughter contained an element of sadness. He was worried about the writer. More worried than he'd ever let on to Jennifer.

"We're hoping to talk Eugene into returning to work as soon as the children are home and this settles down some."

"Yes, that would be the smartest course." Martha Whipple looked at the black cat who sat on her counter. "I've enjoyed the company of the two of you, but I'll be glad to see that cat go. Cats and books don't mix."

"Familiar is very intelligent," Jennifer quickly declared. "He hasn't bothered a thing. He's very careful, and far too clever for a cat."

"And he belongs outside." Martha pointed her red pen at him. "He looks like he's thinking up something terrible."

Jennifer had been biding her time, waiting for the best moment to broach a ticklish subject. "Ms. Whipple, how was it that you didn't tell us that Bobby Fornaro was a redhead?"

Martha Whipple steepled her hands together as if she intended to pray. "I've asked myself that question a million times. I know Bobby. Good Lord, he's one of the biggest torments on the face of the earth. But he's a dear child, and I can't believe I overlooked him." A tear slipped from beneath her glasses and traced down her cheek. "He hasn't been to story hour in the last few months. There was an illness in his family or something. They've been out of town." She looked up and slowly brushed her tears away. "I hold myself completely responsible for his disappearance. I have been heartsick since he was taken, and I know you could have saved him if I'd only been a little more intelligent, a little more thorough."

"Martha." Jennifer went to her and put an arm around her shoulders. "It isn't your fault."

"I should have gone back over several lists. I don't know what I was thinking." She sniffed and held back the tears. "I love those children, and now one is missing because I didn't think!"

"What we have to concentrate on is finding them," James said gently. "And that's exactly what we're doing."

"Those poor little babies. I feel like the shepherd who lost a lamb. You know the song. There were ninety and nine." Her voice broke. "Now, because of me, Bobby is missing."

Before the words were completely out of her mouth, Familiar jumped across the counter and slapped several times at the keyboard of Martha's library computer.

"What is that black devil doing?" Martha started forward, her face still blotched and upset, only to run into James's outstretched hand.

"Wait," James said quickly. When Martha started forward again, James caught her arm and held her. "Give him a minute, Ms. Whipple. If Familiar could talk, or write, he'd be in high cotton."

"If cats could talk, there'd be even more jawboning and complaining going on." Martha Whipple gave the cat an evil look as she pushed her glasses up on her nose.

"I think I know the reason Martha Whipple and Eugene never got to be better friends," Jennifer whispered to James. "If she doesn't like cats, then Eugene has no use for her."

James nodded, but his attention was on the black feline. "What's he doing?"

"I don't know."

"It's the checkout file," Martha said. A tiny smile touched her lips. "I believe he's calling up…Crush Bonbon! Why didn't I think of that!"

All three humans hovered over the screen, and Martha Whipple's quick fingers assisted Familiar as they pulled up the list of books Crush had checked out for the past several months.

"Look at that." Jennifer pointed to the screen. "A book on writing children's stories!"

"You don't think Crush wants to be a writer, do you?" Martha was amazed. "Is that why he's always dogging Eugene's books. Just plain, old-fashioned jealousy. Well, I'll be."

"And there's a book on building a bomb shelter," James said. "Checked out only four months ago. It's been years since anyone seriously built a bomb shelter."

Jennifer touched his arm, her eyes wide. "Except for what Mimi said on the phone. She said she was afraid because it was so dark
in here.
You don't suppose…" She left the sentence unfinished as she saw Martha Whipple's expectant look.

"Did you hear from Mimi?" Martha asked. "Tell me!"

"It was probably a prank," Jennifer backtracked as fast as she could. She'd have to learn to keep her mouth shut or get herself, James, and Eugene in even more trouble than they were in already.

"Well, it seems you've got the culprit. The question is where has Crush put those children? And what does he intend to do with them? Are you going to have him arrested?"

James held up a hand. "Whoa, Ms. Whipple. Everything we have is circumstantial. We don't really have any solid proof. I know Crush looks guilty. In more ways than one. But we can't prove a thing. The worst possible set of events would be to accuse Crush before we know where the children are being held. What would happen if he was arrested and then refused to tell us where they are? The children could starve."

"Or worse," Jennifer added direly. She held a purring Familiar in her arms. She kissed the top of his head as she held him.

"Well, what are you going to do?" Martha asked matter-of-factly.

Jennifer looked at James. They were going back to Crush's— this time to explore the grounds for a bomb shelter. But they couldn't tell Martha Whipple that. They couldn't tell anyone.

"What are you going to do about this retirement announcement if Eugene is still in jail?" Martha asked, readjusting her glasses.

"He'll be out. Grand Street Press sent a lawyer down from New York," Jennifer said. "Eugene will be out in plenty of time to make the announcement. That was a guarantee from the publisher himself."

Martha nodded. "This is a pity, all of this ruckus. Do you think it'll have a serious impact on Eugene's writing?"

Jennifer considered the question seriously for the first time. "I don't know. I really don't know. He says he can't write now because he's so worried about the children. And the kidnapping of Bobby will only make matters worse. But permanent effects— I certainly hope not."

James put his arm around Jennifer. "Most writers recover from this type of trauma. Crush has gone a long way toward making Eugene feel responsible, even though he knows logically that he isn't. That's the devastating part. Someone like Eugene is so concerned for others that he assumes the burden of their welfare, even when it's completely out of his control. He may never recover from this."

"Well, I have to do some record-keeping before I get out of here today." Martha waved a hand around the library. "Make yourselves at home. I'll be in the back office if you need me."

"We have to be going," James said as he looked over the equipment again. "We're set here, so there shouldn't be a problem. We'll see you tomorrow, at three."

"You're a lucky woman, Jennifer, to have a man like James to help you." Martha beamed up at James.

"James and Familiar," Jennifer said, cradling the black cat in her arms. "I don't know which one is smarter, or more attractive."

"Posh!" Martha threw her hands up in the air and walked off to the sound of James's laughter.

"Now she knows you're a very weird woman." He took Jennifer's elbow. "Let's get out of here."

"I need to go down to the police station. When Eugene is released I want to minimize the publicity."

James gave her a sidelong look. "We both need to go downtown." His grin was suddenly wide. "Think permits. As in, building permits. It's a long shot, but there has to be a record of any construction in Crush's neighborhood. It's part of the historic district, and they have to approve even the tiniest change. I'd also like to check the police docket for the past few months. That's something we haven't done, and it would be interesting to see what type of activity has been reported in Crush's neighborhood. I can't help but think those children are somewhere close by. He has to feed them. And check on them."

"Let's hope they're being fed," Jennifer said darkly. "I wish we could connect Anna Green, or Chief Bixley or Crush Bonbon with some property on Highway 98. That would tie things together."

James nodded his head. "I don't know, but we're getting closer and closer to some answers."

James steered her down the steps, his hand moving seductively at the base of her spine. Jennifer's body awakened to his touch, remembering the details of the night they'd spent together. She cast a look at him from the corner of her eye and saw that he, too, had been affected by the casual encounter. She smiled, a secret, sexy smile that made him stop to look at her a long moment before he spoke.

"I miss your dire threats. Please tell me that you're planning on taking me home tonight and making me beg for mercy?"

At the accuracy of his line of thought Jennifer felt the heat climb her face. "I was thinking no such thing." She met his gaze and knew he read the truth. Her blue eyes sparkled. "But I believe a little begging would be good for you. You're far too sure of yourself. And I'm just the woman who could make you beg."