Tracks of Her Tears (8 page)

C
HAPTER TEN

Following the sound of a wailing toddler, Carly hurried into the tiny kitchen of the cabin. She reached for the baby on Seth’s hip. “Has she been crying long?”

“Mamamama,” the baby cried.

Seth handed her over. “No, but she’s definitely missing Amber Lynn.”

Carly patted the sobbing baby’s back, the little body stiff in her arms. “Thanks for holding her while I showered. I forgot how impossible it is to get anything done with a toddler in the house.”

They’d moved into the cabin the previous winter, and all their baby paraphernalia was in storage in the back of the barn.

“I’m sorry I have to go to work.” Seth rubbed the baby’s chubby arm.

Carly bounced to soothe the baby. “It’s fine. I understand.”

“I wish I could give the case to someone else.” Seth obviously hadn’t slept at all last night. His eyes were shadowed, the lines around them more pronounced. He raised his coffee to his lips and drained the cup.

“Seth, I know we pledged to put our family first, but there will be times when you have to do your job. I’m sure it will happen to me too. You have to catch whoever broke into my mother’s house, to keep us safe.” Carly lifted the hem of her sweater so he could see the handgun strapped in the holster behind her hip. “And as my mother demonstrated last night, we Taylor women can hold our own. I’m carrying my gun until you catch whoever broke in.”

But the gun didn’t make her feel as safe as she’d like. As she’d learned last night, protecting the children was a two-woman job. They should all be safe enough in the crowd this afternoon, but Carly’s nerves were still humming.

“Your mother was pretty spectacular,” Seth said, grinning.

“She was.”

He sobered. “I promised Brianna we’d take her to see Santa together, and I intend to make good on that. I’ll meet you at the firehouse around noon.”

“That’ll make Brianna very happy,” Carly said.

All the kids in town lined up to see Santa on Christmas Eve. It was a Solitude tradition that Seth and Carly had never missed with their daughter.

Carly cupped Seth’s jaw. “I love you.”

“Back atcha.” Seth wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her. His green eyes were filled with worry. “Is someone staying with your mom today? She shouldn’t be alone here right now.”

“Nell and a few other women from town will be here in an hour to help get the house sorted out. Debra is coming to finish the prep for Christmas brunch.” Because not even a break-in would keep Patsy from delivering all her children’s favorite holiday dishes. “Stevie is coming at noon to shuttle her to the hospital to visit Bruce.”

“How is he?”

“I texted with him an hour ago. He wants to come home, but the doctor is keeping him one more night. The nurse who connected me to his room said he was in a lot of pain.” Carly was sure every inch of her brother hurt this morning, especially his heart.

“Be careful.” Seth kissed her and left.

“Where did Daddy go?” Brianna stood in the doorway. Her hair hung in a knotted tangle to her shoulders.

“He had to go to work.” Carly smiled. “How about some French toast?”

The little girl nodded.

“Get dressed while I make breakfast,” Carly said. “And later we’ll go see Santa.”

Brianna brightened. “Is Daddy coming?”

Carly hesitated. Seth had said he’d be there, but who knew what would come up during his day? He was chasing a killer. “He’ll do his best.”

“But he promised.” Brianna’s voice rose to a whiny pitch that made Carly’s teeth ache. But she could hardly expect the best behavior from a child who’d gotten only half her usual amount of sleep. A nap for Brianna went on Carly’s mental schedule, right after the trip to see Santa.

Carly dragged the portable crib into the main room to use as a playpen. Her cabin was not babyproofed. It took her a ridiculous number of hours to feed, wash, and dress the two girls. By the time she had them ready, they were hungry again. Charlotte definitely did
not
like being confined, and her repeated cries for her mother cracked Carly’s heart. Lacking appropriate baby toys, she handed her a wooden spoon and a pot, then showed her how to play drum. An hour later her head felt like a gong and she regretted her choice of impromptu toddler entertainment.

Carly tucked both kids into winter coats and hats, then checked the supplies in the diaper bag.

“We’re going to be late, Mama.” Brianna propped her hands on her hips.

“No, honey. Santa will be at the firehouse all day.” Carly shrugged into her parka and tugged the hem over her gun. Between her heavy sweater and her down coat, the weapon was invisible.

Finally Carly loaded both kids into the Jeep. After tossing the diaper bag behind the seat with her purse, she drove into town.

“Did Daddy call?” Brianna asked.

“No, sweetheart.” Carly handed her phone over the seat to her daughter. “Why don’t you call him?”

“Daddy?” Excitement raised Brianna’s voice as she talked to Seth.

Charlotte babbled in a singsong voice from the backseat. Grateful that the baby wasn’t crying, Carly turned down Main Street. Wreaths decorated streetlamps. Lights and garlands were strung across the road. The plate glass window of the Dairy Queen had been painted with images of Santa, his sleigh, and all nine reindeer. Carly spotted James walking down the sidewalk with Donald the pharmacist/realtor and Andrew, the potential buyer of the O’Rourke resort. James was working hard to make the sale of the O’Rourke property happen. Too many people were out of work in Solitude, and the business was sorely needed.

Carly cruised past the firehouse but didn’t see any parking spots.

“Mama, Daddy says he’s almost here,” Brianna said from the backseat. “Daddy, there’s the puppet show!” she squealed.

Charlotte clapped and emitted an ear-piercingly happy shriek in response.

The Rotary Club had put up the usual hot cocoa booth and puppet show to entertain the kids while they waited in line. Scanning the curb for parking spots, Carly turned down a side street. Everyone was here to see Santa today. She stopped at an intersection.

“Mama,” Brianna said. “Daddy wants to know where we are.”

With his official vehicle, Seth could park behind the firehouse.

“Tell him Third Street,” Carly said to her daughter’s reflection in the rearview mirror. She spotted an empty space at the curb and glided the car into it. She eased closer to the bumper of a minivan.

Something tapped on her window. Carly turned, and her heart stopped.

A man pointed a gun though her passenger window. “Get out of the car.”

No. No. No.
She couldn’t let anything happen to the children. Terrified, she froze.

“I said get out of the fucking car,” he screamed. From the tight distance, the muzzle of the gun looked huge.

Carly’s heart thudded against her sternum as she shifted into reverse. No matter what happened, she would
not
leave the children.

“Now!” He shifted his aim to point directly at Brianna.

C
HAPTER ELEVEN

S
eth overheard Carly and Brianna’s conversation as he parked his cruiser behind the firehouse. “I’ll meet you on Third Street.”

“Daddy!” Brianna screamed over the phone. “There’s a man pointing a gun at Mama. He’s getting in the car.”

The call went dead, and Seth’s pulse stuttered. This couldn’t be happening. Rage and fear surged through his veins.

Blaring his horn, Seth backed out of the spot and turned the vehicle around. As he accelerated toward Third Street, he used his radio to call for backup. Then he called Zane at the Solitude PD for help. “I think Carly was carjacked.”

Seth explained in a few sentences as he turned onto Third Street.

Damn it.
Where was she?

He put his phone on speaker and used his app to find Carly’s cell. “Zane, she’s headed north on Third Street. She just crossed Oak.”

Seth followed the blinking light on his phone’s display. At the edge of town she turned onto a narrow road that led to a park. After driving through a bend in the road, the dot stopped in a green area by the river. Seth slowed as he made the turn. Woods shielded his car from sight. The road ahead curved, and Carly’s Jeep hadn’t moved on the map. Had she stopped? Was she all right? He parked behind the trees and gave Zane his location.

Drawing his gun, he got out of the vehicle and approached. The Jeep was parked under a big pine. The car door opened and Carly got out. Lifting her hands in the air, she moved away from the vehicle.

A man got out of the passenger seat, his gun aimed at Carly.

Travis White.

Seth’s finger twitched. He wanted to shoot him, but Carly was between them.

Travis was holding Carly’s black purse in his free hand. He dumped the contents on the hood of the Jeep. Fishing though the pile, he shouted, “Where is it?”

“Where is what?” Carly asked.

“The fucking bag. I want Amber’s fucking bag.”

Seth could hear the baby crying through the closed doors of the Jeep. But at least the gun was away from the kids. Seth approached in a crouch. Hiding behind a tree, he waited. All he needed was a clear shot. Then Seth was taking him down. He eased closer, using the underbrush for cover, but it didn’t seem possible to circle around so he’d have an open line between him and Travis. Seth was out of underbrush. The rest of the area was open space.

How fast could he cover the ground between him and Travis? Not faster than a bullet. He’d risk his own life to save his wife in a heartbeat, but what if Travis shot Carly instead? Charging him wasn’t the right move.

“I don’t know,” Carly said. She stepped sideways, obviously trying to draw Travis away from the car. “Didn’t she have her purse with her?”

“Not her purse. The bag that she kept the baby stuff in. It’s black like this one,” Travis screamed as he pointed to Carly’s purse with his damaged hand. In the other he waved his gun, still aimed directly at Carly.

What to do? Seth scanned the surroundings. He needed to distract Travis.

Hoping to draw Travis’s focus away from Carly and the kids, Seth stepped out into the open. “Put down your gun, Travis. You can’t get away.”

“Fuck me.” Travis looked around Carly’s body to see Seth. “I’ll kill her.”

“You don’t want to do that, Travis. You’re in enough trouble already. If you kill anybody, you’ll never see the outside world again. You’ll spend the rest of your life in prison.” If Seth took three steps to his right, he’d have a shot. He eased over.

“Stop!” Travis screamed, his gaze darting back and forth between Carly and Seth. “Don’t move. I swear I’ll kill those kids if you take one more step.” His hand moved, arcing toward the vehicle.

Seth saw the scene in slow motion. Sickness rose in his gut as the barrel of the gun swung toward the children. Desperate for a clean shot, he lunged sideways. He landed on one knee and steadied his aim on Travis.

Carly drew her handgun from under her coat and fired. The shot echoed in the cold woods. Travis dropped the gun and crumpled, one hand pressed to his thigh. Seth raced past his wife and took Travis to the ground. Relief swept through him as he handcuffed Travis and rolled him to his back.

“Are you okay?” Seth called to Carly.

“Yes,” she said in a shaky voice as she moved toward the Jeep. Seth could hear her consoling the children as she crawled into the backseat. “It’s all right. You’re safe.”

Thanks to her.
Pride welled up inside Seth. His wife was one of a kind.

Zane pulled up and got out of his police vehicle. He brought the first aid kit from his trunk and applied pressure to the bullet wound on Travis’s leg. “Paramedics are on the way.”

“What the hell is the matter with you, Travis?” Seth asked.

“Ow! This hurts,” Travis whined. “I can’t believe she shot me.”

Seth had no sympathy. “You pointed a gun at the children, and you’re surprised she shot you?”

“I wouldn’t have actually shot them,” Travis said.

Dumb. Ass.

“You’re lucky she didn’t castrate you.” Seth shook his head, his rage cooling as his brain and body processed the end of the threat. Travis was even luckier that Seth hadn’t shot him. He spent many more hours at the range than his wife. “Why did you kill Amber Lynn?”

“Whoa.” Travis’s eyes widened. “I didn’t kill anybody.”

“What the hell is going on, Travis?” Seth still wanted to beat the snot out of this sniveling coward who had threatened his family.

Fear crossed his face. “He’s gonna kill me. You guys got to promise me you won’t let him kill me.”

“Who?” Seth asked. “We can’t protect you if we don’t know who’s after you.”

Travis looked around and lowered his voice. “Bob Fletcher.”

Seth knew Bob was dirty. “Why is Bob going to kill you?”

Sirens announced the paramedics’ arrival. Seth stepped back to let them in. “If you want protection, you’d better talk fast.”

“I was out back at Fletcher’s the other night taking a piss on the way to my car when I saw Bob carrying a girl out the back door. She was either dead or unconscious. Couldn’t tell which. Bob dumped her in the back of his SUV. Thinking he’d pay me to keep quiet, I recorded it on my phone. I need money. My new job doesn’t pay much.”

“So you tried to blackmail Bob?” Seth asked.

“Well, first I backed up the video on a flash drive in case Bob searched me. I wanted to hide it good, so I put it in Amber’s purse. At least I thought it was her purse.” Travis swallowed. “Then I went to Bob that night and told him he had to pay me five thousand dollars or I was taking the video to the cops.” He looked pained. “Except instead of paying me, he beat the hell out of me.” Travis lifted his hand with the broken finger. “He used a hammer on my hand and made me tell him where I hid the flash drive.”

Seth knew the answer before he had the question out. “What night was this?”

“Tuesday,” Travis said.

The night Amber Lynn had been killed. Bob must have followed Amber Lynn and Bruce from the bar. Did he ram their van with his vehicle, then snatch Amber?

“Later that night Bob calls,” Travis continued. “He said the flash drive wasn’t in Amber Lynn’s purse and I’d better get it or he was going to use that hammer on the rest of me.”

“Did Bob say he killed Amber Lynn?” Seth asked.

Travis shook his head. “Not exactly. But he said she didn’t have the flash drive and it wasn’t in her purse or at her apartment. I figured . . .” His voice trailed off and he looked away.

“So you got her killed,” Seth said. Amber Lynn had died because of Travis’s sheer stupidity. Bob must have followed the van, run it off the road, and taken her. The passenger side of the vehicle hadn’t been as heavily damaged. She could have climbed out of the vehicle to go for help.

“Yeah.” Travis almost looked guilty, but his gaze turned thoughtful. “It took me a while to figure out what happened. When I was at her apartment, I must have put the flash drive in the diaper bag instead of the purse. They were both black and sitting next to each other on the floor. I guess I wasn’t paying close enough attention.”

“Did you break into our house, Travis?”

He nodded. “I was looking for the diaper bag or I thought maybe someone took the drive out and hid it somewhere else. But I didn’t find it.”

“Where did you get the dirt bike?”

“I stole it,” Travis admitted.

Seth’s blood chilled. Debra had taken the kids to her house. If she hadn’t, gun-waving Travis would have shown up when she was alone in the house with four kids.

Stevie arrived, then another Solitude cop, and a single county deputy who happened to be driving through town.

Leaving Travis in Zane’s charge, Seth ran to the Jeep. Carly was sitting on the ground with both kids in her arms. Seth lifted Brianna and held her close.

He kissed her head. “Are you all right?”

Brianna nodded, sniffling. “I just wanted to see Santa.”

“I know, sweetie. I know.” Seth hugged her close. “You were a brave girl today.”

“I don’t want to be brave anymore, Daddy.” Brianna curled against him.

“I don’t blame you, baby. Not one bit.” He set her back down on Carly’s lap. “I have to go catch one more bad guy, okay?”

“You get him, Daddy.” Brianna rested her head on Carly’s shoulder. “Then I won’t have to be scared anymore.”

Seth would stop Bob no matter what he had to do.

The ambulance arrived and Travis was loaded in. Seth asked the deputy to follow the ambulance and stay at the hospital with Travis. Then Seth took the diaper bag from Carly’s Jeep and searched it. In an interior zippered compartment, he found a silver flash drive.

Bingo.

Seth went to his police vehicle and popped the USB drive into his laptop. Zane joined him at the open car door. They watched the screen. Taken at night without much light, the ninety-second video was grainy. Bob Fletcher carried a body out the back door of the bar. As he turned, Seth could see the body was female and slim. Long hair hung down past Bob’s hip. He loaded her into the rear of his SUV, tossed a blanket over her body, and closed the hatch. Brushing his palms, Bob got into the driver’s seat and drove away.

“Any local girls reported missing in the past couple of days?” Seth asked.

Zane shook his head. “No.”

“We need to get Bob Fletcher.”

“Let’s go.” Zane started toward his car.

Leaving Stevie with Carly and the kids, Seth and Zane headed for Bob’s house. He lived in a one-story bungalow with a driveway that ran alongside the house to a detached garage. They pulled up to the curb two houses away. Paint peeled on the shutters, but the shrubs had been neatly trimmed before winter. Zane went around to the back of the property to guard the rear exit while Seth crossed the wide front porch.

Stepping to the side, Seth banged on the door. “Bob, open up. This is the police. We need to talk to you.”

No one answered, but he heard a creak, as if someone was walking on loose floorboards.

Seth listened. Another creak sounded from the side of the house. Drawing his gun, Seth peered around the corner of the house. Old wood groaned as a window slowly lifted. Bob slithered out the window.

Seth raised his weapon. “Freeze.”

Bob tumbled to the ground and rolled to his belly. He pushed a foot under himself and launched his body toward his garage. Not wanting to open fire in a residential neighborhood if it wasn’t absolutely necessary, Seth ran after him. Bob was in much better shape than Travis, but Seth caught him in a flying tackle. They went to the ground in a pile. Seth landed on top, but before he had a good grip, Bob flipped onto his back. His hand went to his pocket. Seth saw the blade a split second before it arced toward his face. He blocked the strike, forearm to forearm. Pain zinged through his arm as their bones connected.

Bob’s other hand shot out to grab Seth’s neck, but he had no leverage lying on the ground. Seth smacked the hand out of the way and delivered a left jab to Bob’s face. Then Seth turned the hand with the knife, twisting Bob’s wrist until his fingers opened. The knife fell to the ground.

Zane came running from the back of the house, his gun drawn and pointed at Bob. Together they rolled him onto his face and cuffed his hands behind his back.

Seth hauled him to his feet. “Bob Fletcher, you are under arrest on suspicion of kidnapping, to start.”

“I’m not talking without my lawyer,” Bob said.

“In case you don’t know the rest . . .” Seth pushed him toward his cruiser and began reading Bob his Miranda rights.

Later that night Seth joined Zane in his office at the Solitude PD.

Crime didn’t take a break for the holidays. If anything, criminals were celebrating by committing extra assaults and burglarizing houses in the hopes of finding holiday gifts. With no space available at the county facility, Bob was spending the night in the Solitude holding cell.

Zane grabbed a plate of cookies from behind his desk and offered it to Seth. “Somebody sent these in.”

“He’s guilty.” Seth bit into a gingerbread reindeer. His stomach rumbled, and he realized he hadn’t eaten all day.

“As sin,” Zane agreed. “Innocent people don’t sweat that much.”

“He’s jittery too,” Seth said. “And I have no trouble believing he’s violent enough to choke a woman to death. He took a hammer to Travis’s hand.”