Sneaking Suspicions (The Tharon Trace Mysteries Book 1) (15 page)

CHAPTER 23

Dana huddled under the warm blankets and waited for Gretchen to return.  She hated that her poor wardrobe planning led to getting the chills and the useless rush to the hospital. All she could think about was getting back out to help Tom find the children.  She hoped he hadn’t left without her but she wouldn’t blame him if he had.

Simon rapped on the door and leaned against the door frame.  She gifted him with a nervous smile, given their last encounter, wondering if he’d just been caught up with concern for her safety.  “Hi.  Come in.”

He rolled a stool over to her side, and asked, “So where do we go from here?”

She smiled and batted her eyelashes at him.  “Well, as soon as Gretchen gets back, I’m going to find Tom and Max and we’re going to go back out and bring those children home.”

Simon leaned closer. “You know that’s not what I was asking.”

She pulled a hand from beneath the blanket and touched his face, traced the strong line of his rough jaw, looked deep into his blue eyes.  She’d longed for this connection with him, yet her drive to finish the search overrode all personal feelings.  “You know me.  Do you think I can indulge in my joy until I find those children?  Can you?”

He sighed as he took her hand and kissed her palm.  “No, I guess not.”

There was another knock on the door. They looked up to find Tom and Max filling the doorway.  Warmth coursed through her when Simon continued to hold her hand.

A wide grin plastered Max’s weathered face.

Tom dipped his head and glanced back at the exit.  “Simon, I just wanted to check on Dana and let you know Matt Harris is meeting me in a few minutes and we’re going to look for the children.”

Dana saw Gretchen returning. “Can you wait for me?  I really want to go back out with you.”

Gretchen pushed past Tom and dropped an armful of warm dry clothes on the bed.

Dana picked up Tom’s sweater and tossed it to him.  “Here, you’ll need this.  Now you men scoot out of here and let me get dressed.”

Simon stood up to leave but Dana grabbed his hand, “Simon, honey, I believe you’re holding onto my favorite fashion accessories.”  She batted her eyes at him.

He grinned from ear to ear and emptied his pockets of her guns, ammunition and badge.  “I’m beginning to see how things are going to be.”

She pulled him to her and kissed him tenderly.  “Any complaints?”

He devoured her with his eyes.  “Not a one.”

Gretchen shooed him out of the room. “Out, we have children to save.”

Simon left and Dana threw off the blankets and rubbed her hands together. “So what did you find?”

“We spread the word through the whole hospital and everyone wanted to help.  We have thermal underwear—the kind that die-hard runners wear, jeans, socks, running shoes, a down jacket, hat, scarf, gloves and hand warmers.”

Dana was in awe of all that was donated to her.  “I can’t tell you how grateful I am.”  She quickly pulled on the thermal underwear, followed by her tactical shirt.  She continued to layer her clothing.  When she finished tying the shoes, she stood up, “I owe you.  If there’s ever anything I can do for you, just name it.”

Gretchen smiled a crooked smile. “You bring those kids here when you find them.  We’ll be ready for them.  And one other thing, I want an invitation to the wedding.”

Dana checked her guns, slipped them into her holsters, and pocketed the magazines. “Oh, I don’t think we’re ready for that yet.”

Simon peeked around the corner.  “Are you ready?”

“Absolutely, Sheriff.”  Dana smiled as she clipped her badge on her belt.

Simon gave her a puzzled look. “Are we talking about the same thing?”

“I think so.”  She grinned at him. “We’re going out to find those kids, right?”

Simon smiled back. “Right.”  He bent and kissed her lightly and then slipped his arm around her waist as they walked to the waiting room.

Tom, Matt and Max huddled in the corner pouring over the map Matt had brought with him.  Tom drew a line along the track to the Memorial.  “I figure we’ll head back to the Korean War Veterans Memorial.  If the kids still aren’t there, we’ll back track until we find them.  We can take two teams and one can start at Hillegas Road and the other from Yellow River Road.”

Simon’s phone rang.  He listened for a moment. “Thanks for letting me know, Penni.  Are you going to keep listening?” After her response he said, “Let me know if you hear anything else.”

He disconnected.  “Penni has been monitoring the Fort Wayne police channels.  There’s been a report of a prowler with a gun near the Memorial.  Shots were fired.”

Tom and Matt didn’t wait for instructions.  They ran out to the parking lot to Matt Harris’s vintage Charger.  Dana caught up with them and climbed into the back seat.

“Let’s go get those kids.”  She and Tom nodded to each other.  She turned to Matt. “Do you have a gun with you?”

Matt glanced in the rear view mirror at her. “Yes.  I’ve got a .22 in the trunk.”

Dana sat back. “Good.”

Simon floored his SUV and still had trouble keeping up with Matt.  He used his flashing lights, keeping the siren off, and imagined the cars they passed thought he was in pursuit.

He saw the sedan fishtail when it turned onto O’Day and tried to suppress the niggling worry for Dana’s safety.  She was a good cop.  He knew he couldn’t protect her or change her assignments, or the way she did her job.  It was one of the things he loved about her.  He smiled, thinking of the wild ride their life together was going to be.

Max sat next to him and saw his smile. “It’s about time you woke up to see what you had right before your eyes.”

Simon rubbed the stubble on his chin.  “I guess I have been a bit self-absorbed.”

Max said softly, “Sure, who wouldn’t be after what you lost.  Doesn’t mean you have to give up a happy future because you lost a happy past.  Dana’s a good woman and a good cop.  She’s not the same kind of woman as Nora, but she’ll make you just as happy if you let her.”

Simon scratched his head, “I know.  I just hope I can make her as happy as she deserves to be.  Do think Penni will be too bent out of shape if I have her rework the schedules starting next Saturday so Dana and I can go on our honeymoon?”

Max barked out an amused laugh. “Man when you fall, you fall hard!  No, I don’t think Penni will mind the inconvenience one bit.  What’s the hurry?  Are you afraid she’ll change her mind?”

Simon grinned wide. “No.  I just want to spend the rest of my life with her and I don’t want to waste another minute.”

CHAPTER 24

When Dana got out of the car, Officer Brandt sidled up to her before she even had the door closed.  He stood far inside her comfort zone.  “Deputy Donovan, when I heard about the shooting, I wondered if you might be involved.  I thought I’d see if you needed anything.”

Dana still hadn’t forgiven him for his earlier slight.  “I need to find three missing children.  Have you seen them?”

Brandt stepped back. “Well, no.”

Dana wasn’t ready to let him off the hook, even though she was anxious to catch up with Tom and Matt who were rounding the corner of the building with their flashlights.  “Officer Brandt, aren’t you outside your jurisdiction out here?”

Brandt took another step back.  “Well, I—you see—”

Dana hurried away from him. “Look Brandt, I’ve got a job to do.  Why don’t you see if there’s a crime scene you can guard.”  She glanced back at him as she hurried to catch up with Tom and Matt.  Brandt was looking at her backside with his head tilted to the side, his mouth hanging open.

Simon observed the exchange between Dana and Brandt.  The younger man’s leering expression stirred a level of ire that Simon struggled to contain. “Officer, is there a reason you’re staring at my deputy’s backside?”

Brandt snapped to attention. “No, sir.  I mean,” he grinned and hitched up one shoulder, “I enjoy a good view.”

Simon frowned and leaned down until he was inches from Brandt’s face. “In my county, that could be easily construed as sexual harassment.”

Brandt’s eyes popped open wide.  “I think I need to check in with my supervisor.”  He hustled into his cruiser and drove away.

***

Dana caught up with Tom and Matt on the other side of the road.  Simon joined them before they plunged into the dried undergrowth.

“Did you find any tracks?” Simon hoped they’d found justification for searching in the neighboring county.

Tom scowled at the ground as he swept it with the beam of his flashlight.  “The kids and cowboy boots entered the woods.  Only cowboy boots came out.”
Again.

Max joined them at the edge of the road.  “The Allen county deputies answered the shots fired call and saw the door broken at the Memorial.  It looks like the kids made it here and Burt found them.”

Simon put a hand on Tom’s arm. “Maybe you and Matt should wait here and let Dana and I look for the children.”

Tom still studied the foot prints.  “I know what you’re thinking, but I know my daughter and she and the boys have been tough and resourceful to get this far.  I know my daughter is alive.  I’m going to find her.”  He plunged into the woods following Tharon’s footprints.

Dana called over her shoulder as she ran, “I’ll go with Tom and Matt.  Why don’t you and Max drive the roads bordering this area and see if you can find Burt Payne?  I’ll keep in touch and you do the same.”

Simon nodded his head and bit his tongue to keep from saying something trite like
be careful
or
stay safe
.  He reluctantly returned to his SUV with Max.

Tom trailed the footprints to where the children hid in the bushes then turned west following their path along the tracks.  He squatted next to the footprints, dabbed his finger to the ground and examined it under the flashlight.

Dana recognized the now familiar tension in his shoulders. “What is it, Tom?”

He stood and wiped his hands on his handkerchief.  He put a hand on Matt’s shoulder.  “One of the children is bleeding.  I’m sorry, Matt, it’s Helm.”

Matt’s voice was thick with emotion.  “Are you sure?”

“It doesn’t look like a lot of blood, but it is Helm.”  Tom resumed tracking, this time running along the railroad tracks.  Every fifty yards or so, he’d stop to make sure he hadn’t lost their trail.  The sky began to lighten behind them and soon burned with vibrant shades of orange and gold.

Matt’s face was hard and grim.  He kept pace with Tom and carried the .22 in his hands, as one accustomed to running with a gun.

Dana struggled to keep pace with them.  She wondered at their stamina as the light from their flashlights shrank in the distance ahead of her.  What kind of background gave farmers and store owners such military-like skills and bearing?  She tucked away a mental note to find out when this was all over.

The fickle clouds had wavered between snow and freezing rain all night.  At last they made a final decision: snow.  Dark, thick clouds poured across the sky dimming the sunrise.  Large, heavy, wet snowflakes dropped thickly, shrouding the ground in a blanket of white.  Thinking it far better than the freezing rain, Dana tugged the zipper of the down jacket as high up to her throat as it would go and silently sought a blessing on all those who donated the warm clothing to her.

With the stark, white backdrop she easily saw Tom and Matt ahead of her, frantically scanning the ground.  She didn’t need to be a skilled tracker or even to catch up with them to know what had happened.  In the thick carpet of new snow they’d lost the trail.

CHAPTER 25

Deep in the center of the woodlot Tharon cradled Helm’s head in her lap as he drifted in and out of consciousness.  Kaid helped her make a bed of sorts from leaves covered by the poncho.  Once they positioned Helm on it Tharon covered him with an emergency blanket.

Kaid took over cleaning and dressing Helm’s wound while Tharon held the small flashlight and tried to keep Helm still.  With the strips of fabric from Helm’s knees Kaid used one to press on the wound and tied the other around it.

Kaid finished dressing the wound and took the flashlight from Tharon.  “I think I’ve got the bleeding stopped.”  He played the flashlight beam across Helm’s features.  “He looks weak.”

Tharon gripped one of Helm’s hands and felt his face with her other hand.  “Kaid, we have to build a fire.  I don’t think Helm will make it till morning if we don’t.  Maybe none of us will.  It’s awfully cold.”

“What about Burt?” Kaid looked around fearing he might even now be watching them.  “He might see the flames and come after us.”

She considered the danger Burt posed, yet couldn’t bear to see Helm suffering.  She remembered Helm holding her and helping her to be strong all day—from helping her breathe in the dark to holding her hand most of the day.  There was only one answer for her.  “We can vote.  I vote to build a fire to help Helm.”

Through clenched and chattering teeth Helm managed to say, “No.  Not safe.”

Kaid only had to hear the weakness in Helm’s voice to know Tharon was right.  “We build a fire.  We live together or we die together.  But we don’t sit down and freeze tonight.  Not after everything else we’ve done today.”

She squeezed Helm’s hand. “All for one and one for all.  Just like the three musketeers.”

She fit an emergency blanket over Helm and listened to Kaid stumbling around the woods breaking twigs and gathering sticks.  Her eyes began to make out his form as he moved about even without the flashlight.  Dawn must be coming soon.

Her teeth chattered and she felt the damp cold seep into her, but she wasn’t worried about her own safety or comfort.  Helm’s shallow breathing frightened her as much as anything that had frightened her all day.  His skin felt cold and clammy to the touch.  She gripped his hand, “Helm, can you hear me?  If you can hear me, squeeze my hand.”

It took a moment for him to process her words; he gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

“That’s it.  Keep holding my hand and don’t let go.  Don’t you dare let go of me, Helm Harris.”

Kaid finished arranging the wood like a teepee. “I’ve got the matches and the fire is ready but I couldn’t find any dry tinder.”

Tharon was quiet a moment.  There was only one thing she could think of to use.  She pulled out the knife, opened the larger blade and pulled down on her braids.  After cutting them at chin length, she closed the knife.  With tears running down her cheeks, she handed the braids to Kaid. “Use these, they should catch quickly.”

Kaid’s mouth dropped open as he watched her, then turned his back to start the fire.

She crawled under the blanket and snuggled next to Helm to keep him warm and bury her head in his shoulder.

He touched her cheek and felt her hair. “I can’t believe you did that for me.”

She found his hand and held it tight. “
I
never stopped being
your
friend.”  She didn’t mean to say it with accusation.  Against her will and reason, the hurt in her heart was still raw.

He whispered, “I’m so sorry.  Your mom thought we were too old to spend time with you.  In my heart, I never stopped caring for you.”

She heard the effort it took for him to speak and touched his lips. “Try to rest.”  She held him close and couldn’t help but ask what had been gnawing at her heart for months.  “Was it because I’m just a little kid to you?”

He barked a short laugh that turned to a sputtering cough.  When he was able to catch his breath he wheezed, “Never.  I know you’ll grow up eventually.” He gave her a playful squeeze.  With sincerity he said, “The rest of us need to catch up to you.  It takes someone very special to come up with something like Operation Secret Santa all on their own.”

She heard Kaid strike the match.  “I never wanted anyone else to know.  It’s supposed to be a secret.”

His breathing wheezed as he spoke, his breath felt warm against her forehead. “I was picking apples with my parents the first time you talked your dad into letting you climb the trees.  That Christmas when you went shopping with your dad, I was in the store.  I followed you and heard you tell your dad what you were doing.  That was when I started to like you.  That was when I knew I wanted to be your friend.”

Tharon felt warmth course through her.  “You might have known about the apples, but you couldn’t know about the gifts when everyone was mean to me because I wore my work boots to school.  That was when I started feeling like you were my friends.”

He was quiet for so long she thought he’d fallen asleep.  When he spoke he whispered in her ear. “I like you more than as a friend.  You’re the first and last girl I ever want to kiss.  If I don’t make it—I just wanted you to know.”

Kaid whooped. “I did it!  We have fire!”  Within minutes he had a blaze going that he kept feeding.  When his pile of gathered wood was about exhausted he said, “I’m going to get some more wood.”

Helm drifted off to sleep.  His face felt warmer but his breathing remained shallow.

Snow drifted down on them as the sky lightened and the bright glowing skyline filtered through the trees.  Tharon studied the trees and saw one she thought she could climb.  By the time Kaid returned with an armload of wood, the sun was up enough to take a good look at Helm.

“I think the bleeding has stopped.  That’s good,” she said.

Snow drifted through the trees, sticking and blanketing the ground.  Kaid built the fire back up. “Yeah, but he can’t walk and we can’t stay here.  What can we do?”

She nodded to the tree with low hanging branches, “I could climb up and see if there is anyplace close by where you can go get help.  And I can check to see if Burt is around.”

Kaid frowned.  He took off his hat and scratched his head.  “Okay.  I’ll give you a boost.”

She tucked the blanket around Helm and touched his cheek.  As she and Kaid walked to the tree she said, “You have to leave us if Burt shows up.  One of us has to tell someone about what we heard.”  She looked up at the tree at the edge of the woods.

Kaid took her by the shoulders and bent to look in her eyes.  Daylight bathed her features.  “There is no way I’ll leave you and Helm.  If only one of us is to survive it has to be you.”

She smiled and touched his face. “One of us has to live.  You know I’m right.  And you know I’ll never leave Helm.”

He clenched his jaw. “All of us have to live.  I won’t leave you.”  He let go of her and interlaced his fingers to boost her up.  “We’ll talk about it after you take a look around.”