Chapter 21

Saturday. Where Friday went Nate had no idea. What he did know is that he had two suspects in the kidnapping of five girls and the murder of two. One suspect was dead, his body being autopsied today. The other suspect was at large but at least he had a name. Todd Purcell. Kyle had positively identified the man. The man’s rap sheet was a mile long. Okay, not literally a mile but at least half. He had done time for armed robbery and attempted murder. He had gotten out on good behavior which basically meant the prisons were overcrowded and he hadn’t killed anybody in a while.
Nate flipped over the files in front of him. Five missing girls. Five dead mothers. The girls ranged in age from nine to thirteen. They were all young, Caucasian girls but nothing about them was similar. Different hair color, different heights, varying weights though not greatly but some of the girls were more mature and entering puberty, the others weren’t. Sexual predators usually had a preference especially about puberty. Some liked it, some didn’t.
And sexual predators were more cunning then this. They didn’t kill people and steal girls. This was unlike anything Nate had come across before. This was too professional. More then two men had to be involved. But who? Who would be willing to kill women in broad daylight and steal their daughters?
Only someone who knew he could get away with it.
The thought hit Nate like a ton of bricks. Who could get away with this? Organized crime came to mind. Professional drug runners. Hit men. Human traffickers. The girls could be used as drug mules. Or they could be used for their bodies. Selling their bodies would be more profitable but the publicity seemed so risky. What would be the payoff? What would be the reason?
Nothing was making any sense. Nate was more frustrated now then ever. So many lives were at stake. Any of the three missing girls still presumed alive could turn up dead at any moment. They could also take another girl. Who was to say they were done?
Nate looked at the list of people interviewed and noticed that Julia Lambert’s father hadn’t been interviewed. They had talked with all the families to see if there could be any connection. So far they had come up with nothing. The girls went to different schools. Lived in different cities. Their lives didn’t connect in any tangible ways. Forensic specialist had even dug into their accounting, their vacations, their pasts, their presents. No connections. But still, the interviews needed to be done. Maybe the fathers had noticed someone hanging around. Strange phone calls, strange e-mails, strange mail. Nothing was insignificant.
After printing out directions, Nate grabbed his jacket and headed to Clearwater to interview Collin Lambert, Julia’s father.
The drive was peaceful. There wasn’t a lot of traffic on 75 and Nate cruised north to the beach. The directions led him across the Tampa Bay Bridge and into Clearwater. While he didn’t care for the heat he loved the water and the beaches and Clearwater was one place where the sun hit the water just right and it looked like diamonds sparkling in the distance.
It brought back memories of times he had spent on the beach with Ashley in college. She was even more beautiful back then. Her hair was longer and blonder but just as straight. Nate wasn’t exactly sure what women did to get their hair that straight but he liked it. Now her hair was a bit more auburn and shoulder length but still straight and silky.
Ashley had retained her stick-thin figure despite her pregnancy. Not that Nate minded a woman’s curves. A woman looking like a woman was nice but Ashley had more of a model figure. Nate wasn’t sure if she ate. Except maybe salad and water. That was about all he could recall her eating.
Her eyes were large and round, unusually so or maybe it was that her nose and mouth were small. Her skin was porcelain. Almost perfect.
Nate smiled. Probably not. Nate just liked to think of her that way. The way she was before the frown. Before the wrinkled brown and down cast eyes. He liked the large smile. She had seen that smile when Ashley was with Michael. Was Nate in danger of losing her again?
Pulling off the highway Nate wound his way to a new home community and eventually to the Lambert’s home. A minivan sat in the driveway and children’s toys scattered the lawn. It was a larger two-story home and Nate could see a pool cage in the backyard. The Lambert’s appeared to have it all until some madman took it away.
Nate rang the doorbell, rocked on his heels and waited. He hadn’t called ahead so he had no idea if Collin would actually be home. When he heard the door unlatch he was grateful he hadn’t made a wrong choice.
A man with red eyes and disheveled brown hair answered the door. Nate could hear small children playing in the background. “Be quiet!” The man yelled and the noise ceased. Footsteps scrambled across the floor and up to the next one.
“Mr. Lambert?” Nate asked.
“Yea, what do you want?”
Nate withdrew his badge from his pocket and flipped open his credentials.
“I’ve already talked to the cops,” Collin said with a slight slur.
“Mr. Lambert, my name is Special Agent Nate Zimmerman. I’m with the FBI and I’d like to ask you a few questions about your wife. This is standard procedure; I just haven’t had a chance to get around to interviewing you because of some things that have happened this week. I apologize for the delay. Do you have a moment?”
“Yea, I guess, come on in.” Collin pulled back the door and allowed Nate to step inside. The smell hit him first. Like someone hadn’t taken out the trash in a while. It seemed odd since Julia had only been missing three days. Could a man have gone down hill so quickly? Newspapers and papers cluttered the floor and the floral print couch into the living room on Nate’s left. A small hallway led back to a breakfast table and beyond that Nate assumed was the kitchen. To his right should have been a dining room table but instead was a room full of baby toys. Nate didn’t remember that they had a small child.
“Thank you. It won’t take long.”
Collin nodded and pointed to the sofa. Nate moved the papers off the couch and on to the floor since there was no coffee table in sight. Collin didn’t sit, instead he began pacing the room.
“Mr. Lambert, was there anything unusual about your wife’s behavior in the last few weeks?”
“No, we were getting back together. We had been fighting and we were separated but we were getting back together. I still can’t believe this has happened…” Collin stopped and leaned his head against a wall. Nate waited as his shoulders shook with grief.
“Can I ask what you separated over?” Nate asked after a few minutes of silence.
“Julia. Julia’s our youngest. We have one other child together but Marie had two children from a previous marriage. One of them is twenty-four and she’s had two children. Both with different boyfriends. She left them with us all the time. I was tired of playing babysitter but Marie, Marie wouldn’t tell her no.”
This is what people separated over these days? Nate thought then said, “Mr. Lambert, do you know anyone who would want to hurt your wife?”
“No, I don’t. I told the other officers already. Marie worked for me as my secretary. I own my own cement company. Marie worked with our clients but these aren’t individuals, we do work for corporations. New office buildings, some new homes, things like that. Nothing criminal, nothing dangerous. No one hates us.”
“But you were working on getting back together?” Nate asked.
“That’s right.”
“When did this happen?”
“Only about a week ago. I loved her too much. I couldn’t let her go. I called her and told her I didn’t care about Nora’s kids. They could stay here if she wanted if Marie would come home. Marie said she’d talk to Nora and not keep the kids as much. It was working until well, you know, I got a call saying that Marie was dead and Julia was missing.”
“Mr. Lambert, does Julia know Daisy Brandt?”
“No.”
Nate listed the other missing girls and Collin confirmed that Julia didn’t know any of the other girls that were missing or their mothers.
“You have to find my baby. You have to find her alive, Agent Zimmerman. She can’t end up like those other girls. She just can’t.”
“I will do my best, Mr. Lambert. I am determined to find whoever did this and bring him in.” And Nate meant it too.
“Grandpa!” Little voices beckoned from up the stairs. “Can we come down now?”
“Yes, baby, you can come play here.” The control Collin displayed was surprising. Gone were the tears. Instead Collin scooped up the two little girls that were now in front of them and kissed their hair. Apparently Collin wasn’t lying about accepting Marie’s grandchildren.
Collin turned towards Nate, “Is that all? I have to take care of Marie’s grandkids on my own now.” He shook his head, the tears threatening to return, “At one time this was a hardship, now it’s all I have left of her.”
“I understand. If I need anything else I’ll let you know. Thank you for your time.” Nate left the way he had come and returned to his vehicle. He was getting nowhere. There was no way these victims were chosen at random. There was too much detail. Whoever kidnapped these girls had to know where they were. With the exception of Kyle, all of the victims were alone with their mothers. The murders took place on side streets when no one was around but yet they occurred during the day. This took planning. Given Todd Purcell’s rap sheet he didn’t strike Nate as the kind of guy who could pull something like this off.
The return drive was just as beautiful as the trip to the Lambert’s house except now the sun was a little higher in the sky and the air just that much more humid. Nate didn’t mind, he could open his window and let the breeze blow him in the face but he didn’t. Instead he flipped open his cell phone and dialed Michael’s home number.
Nate cringed when Michael answered the phone. Fortunately, Michael was quick to turn the phone over to Ashley.
“How are you doing?” Nate asked.
“I’m okay. I slept in the guest bedroom. It was better then the hotel.” Ashley seemed like she was searching for words. Like Nate had caught her in the middle of something. Nate only hoped he hadn’t.
“Anything new? Any threats?”
“No, I’m fine. It does look like Kyle will be able to come home early next week. I’m more worried about him then me.”
“Seems like if someone wanted to kill him he’d already be dead,” Nate didn’t want to sound harsh but it was true. When the man, probably Todd Purcell, entered Kyle’s room yesterday he had every opportunity to kill him and he didn’t.
“I understand that Nate but now he did tell you what he’d been threatened not to. I’m afraid he’s not safe here. I’m afraid none of us are.”

Chapter 20

“That’s it, you’re going into protective custody,” Nate said and placed his hand on Ashley’s shoulder. Ashley shrugged him off.
“Kyle needs me, I’m staying here.” Ashley hadn’t missed Nate’s protective stance since the moment she walked in the room. She wasn’t angry about it but still, she wasn’t a child. She also hadn’t missed the look of jealousy that crossed his face when he found out she had been with Michael all afternoon. Not like she had a choice.
“Ashley, you’ve been threatened and attacked. Kyle’s been threatened. I have to make sure you’re safe.”
“She can stay with me.” Michael’s voice came out of nowhere. Ashley had forgotten he was even there.
“What?” Nate practically yelled. Only Ashley could detect the control he was using. “That’s not acceptable. I want her under 24 hour protection.”
“She can get that at my place. No one will look for her there.”
“Someone is warning her to stay away from Kyle. You’re one step removed from that. I can’t allow it.”
The testosterone level in Kyle’s room was becoming oppressive. Michael and Nate wanted to win the argument and seemed out for blood to do so. “Settle down, both of you,” Ashley interjected. “I’m sure you both have my best interest at heart but this isn’t for either of you to decide. Nate, can you give me protection at Michael’s house?” She looked at Nate and waited for him to nod. “Then I will be at his house for the weekend.”
Ashley wasn’t exactly sure why she chose Michael’s house except that it seemed a better option then whatever random hotel Nate might have for her. That and she had already been to Michael’s house. Even that little bit made her more comfortable.
“And after that?” Nate asked. Ashley’s shoulders slumped. She couldn’t even get past today mentally and he wanted her to look to Monday?
“Maybe then I’ll go home.” Surely Trish needed her.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Nate said.
“I agree,” Michael said.
“And why not? If I’m not here I can’t talk to Kyle and no one will try to hurt me.” And I could get away from both of you. Ashley didn’t say that out loud but deep down she knew that was the only reason she wanted to go home. The rest of her wanted to stay and find the girl’s killer. To be there to help their fathers. It had helped Ashley slightly to know that the man who had killed Donnie and Aidan was in prison. Surely these men would agree. Michael included.
“I need you here. I need you to talk to Kyle.”
“I will but hopefully after this weekend Kyle won’t need me anymore.” Ashley smiled at Kyle who had been quietly listening to the conversation. She had expected him to say something one way or another but he kept quiet. “Because, Kyle’s going to look at Mr. Nate’s picture and he’s going to help us catch the other man that’s out there. Aren’t you Kyle?”
“I don’t want to,” Kyle’s voice was low but no one missed what he said.
“Honey, I will be okay. No one will hurt me. Your daddy and Mr. Nate will protect me. Do you remember the man that came in your room earlier?”
Kyle nodded.
“Did he say anything else to you?”
“He said he would hurt Kayla if I told anyone about him.”
Great this man had threatened Ashley and Kayla. Now Ashley wasn’t sure if Kyle would talk. Ashley was in front of him encouraging him that she would be okay. But Kayla. No one could assure him about Kayla.
“But if we don’t know who he is then we can’t find Kayla. If Mr. Nate can protect me I know that he’ll protect Kayla as well. Can you trust me?”
Kyle nodded again and Ashley looked to Nate silently indicating him to pull out the picture he had of the other “bad guy”. Seeming to understand her message Nate pulled out another picture and held it up to Kyle. Ashley didn’t recognize the man who appeared clean cut and respectable despite the fact that Nate held a mug shot. The man was actually smiling at the camera and Ashley could see the top of his tie over the black board he held. The words “Todd Purcell” were written out in magnets. Todd’s brown hair was cut short and nicely styled and his green eyes didn’t display the evil that Ashley might have expected.
“Do you recognize this man?” Nate asked Kyle.
“Yes,” Kyle answered slowly. “That’s him. He shot my mom.” Tears streamed down Kyle’s face. Michael was quick to hug his son and wipe them away.
“Thank you Kyle, you’ve been a big help. I promise the officer at the door won’t let anyone in tonight. In fact, I’m going to ask two officers to stand there just so no one gets in again. Okay?” Nate smiled at Kyle and Ashley knew he meant what he said.
“Okay,” Kyle paused then asked, “And you’ll take care of Kayla? You won’t tell the bad man that I told you?”
“No, Kyle, we won’t. We’re going to find her and bring her home. You’ve been a big help.” Nate patted Kyle’s leg and then stepped into the hall. On his way out Ashley noticed him flipping open his cell phone. He was probably calling the lead in. Whoever this Todd Purcell was Nate wanted him found. Ashley could only pray that this was the right guy and there weren’t more of them out there.

“Get in there you little brat!” The man’s voice was loud as he threw Julia towards a bed. Well, not a bed but a mattress. There was nothing else in the room. No posters from American Idol. No pink telephones or stuffed animals. Just one gross mattress and blackness.
Julia landed with a hard thud. Not on the gross mattress but the hard floor. Her should immediately screamed in pain.
“Let me out of here! I want my mom! What did you do with her?” Julia screamed at the man before he could shut the door.
The door flew open and the man stomped back in. His boots making loud noises on the floor. “Shut up kid. Keep it up and I’ll kill you sooner rather then later.” The back of his hand connected with the side of her head and she landed back on the floor. This time on her bottom. That didn’t feel any better then her shoulder she decided.
Mean Man as Julia had dubbed him left the room and shut the door behind him. Julia had wanted to say other things. Like “why did you kill Ugly Man?” and “what are you going to do with me?” but she decided not to. He would only hit her again and that wouldn’t help anything.
“It’s better to do what he says.” A small voice came from the corner. The room was completely dark so Julia had no idea there was somebody else there.
“Who’s there?” Julia asked.
“I’m Kayla,” came the reply. “Who are you?”
“Julia. You’ve been on the news. You’ve been gone a week, right?”
“Is that all?” Kayla asked.
Julia began to shake. This couldn’t be true. This couldn’t be happening to her. “What about Jessica?”
“Who?”
“She’s the other girl who has gone missing. The other two have been found.” Even before the words were out of her mouth Julia knew she shouldn’t have said them. If she remembered from the news Kayla was just nine. Julia was almost twelve. Much older and better able to take bad news. At least until now.
“Are they okay?” Julia didn’t miss the spark of hope in Kayla’s voice.
“No. The police found their bodies.”
Sobs erupted from the corner. “No, no, no.” They quickly stopped followed by sniffing and the sounds of someone wiping their nose. “What about Kyle?”
“Who?”
“My brother. He was with me in the car but I don’t think the bad men took him.”
“I don’t know. The news said he was shot but they haven’t said how he is. I think he might be alive though.” It was a lie. Julia had no idea but it seemed to make Kayla feel better. Julia changed the subject. “What about Jessica? Have you seen her?”
“I don’t know, maybe. I’ve been a few other girls but you’re the first one to be in here with me.”
“Where is here?” Julia didn’t even let her parents tell her what to do let alone some crazed man or men. She was going to get out of here if it killed her.
“I don’t know that either. Every night someone comes in and takes me. In the morning they put me back in here.”
Dread filled Julia and she didn’t want to ask but she did anyway, “What happens at night? How do you know its night? I can’t see anything?”
“You can tell,” was all Kayla said.
“But what happens?” Julia asked again.
“Bad men do bad things. You don’t want to know.”
But she did want to know. Now she would sit here for who knows how long waiting for some crazy man to take her somewhere and do God knows what with her. Was Kayla beaten? Did she not do what the bad men wanted? Maybe that was why they hurt her.
“What grade are you in?” Julia asked Kayla. Anything to talk about was better then sitting in the blackness waiting for evil. This was way worse then any horror movie Julia had ever watched at Angela Blackbury’s house.
“I’m in fourth.”
“I’m in sixth.” Julia was out of things to talk about. The only thing that ran through her mind was her mother screaming, the blood everywhere, the trunk ride, a dead man next to her. She was sure psychologists would say these were bad images for any eleven-year old to see.
“Did they kill your mom too?” Now it was Kayla’s turn to ask a question.
“I think so. There was a lot of blood. She was lying on the ground…” Julia bit back the tears. Kayla couldn’t see her break under pressure.
“My mom too. I miss her so much. She was the best mom.”
“What about your dad?”
“He was okay. He could be mean sometimes. I think my mom was mad at him.” The shakiness and tears were gone from Kayla’s voice.
“My parents fought sometimes too. I think they were getting along okay and were going to get back together. I was praying about that.”
“Do you pray?” Kayla asked.
“Sometimes. I go to this church youth group. It’s pretty cool. Angela says it’s not cool but I prayed real hard for my parents to get back together and they were working on it so I think God heard me then.”
“I pray in here all the time. My mom taught me how. We prayed every night for daddy and Kyle.”
“Then maybe we’ll do it together. Maybe that is how we’ll get out of this, Kayla. God has to hear us right?”

Chapter 19

Nate flipped his phone shut and stared down at Kyle. He was sleeping peacefully now but something had caused him great fear. Nate had come to the hospital hoping to find Ashley as well as ask Kyle some questions. When she wasn’t there Nate was immediately concerned. This is where she was supposed to be. Where she’d been all day. Granted it was late, almost midnight at this point but Ashley hadn’t said anything about leaving.
Nate didn’t like the idea of talking to Kyle without Ashley. He knew he wanted and needed answers but he didn’t want to traumatize the boy. He’d been through so much. Ashley had an amazing way with kids. It was a gift. Why God would choose to take her only son from her was still a mystery to which Nate had always wanted answers. Nate believed that God had a plan in everything. That His hand was always there. That nothing was outside of God’s plan. But this, could the death of a father and son have been in God’s plan?
Kyle stirred and Nate pulled the covers up to his chin. The lights on Kyle’s side of the room were off but where the second bed should be light filtered in from the wall. Nate reached up and turned the other light off. Now it was dark in the room with just the moonlight streaming in through the slats in the window blinds. Nate sat down in the green hospital chair at the end of Kyle’s bed.
“Where is Kayla, God? Where is she hidden? Please care for her tonight. Comfort her. Protect her. Keep her from the evil that is surrounding her.” The prayer ran through Nate’s head again and again. He had no idea what kind of evil they were really facing. Jonathan’s body had held a lot of clues. The trunk of his car certainly held traces of Julia Lambert. But where were the other girls?
When Nate had shown Kyle a picture of Jonathan the boy had wet the bed. His heart had begun to race so fast that three nurses had rushed the room, two of them giving Nate dirty looks, the other scolding him for disturbing their patient. Nate had apologized and stepped out to let them care for Kyle. Jonathan was definitely involved but with him dead it left more questions then answers. If Jonathan was the only one Kyle saw then he would get nowhere.
Nate did have a mug shot of Todd Purcell, Jonathan’s known associate, but he was afraid to show it Kyle. What if it scared him more? That was why Nate needed Ashley. That and the fact that something had happened to Kyle today. Not that the boy had said anything but Nate could just feel it. And then to have Ashley missing. Things weren’t adding up.
For what seemed like an eternity Nate waited for Ashley to return. She hadn’t told him where she was or Nate would have offered to go and pick her up. Instead she seemed to indicate that she already had transportation and would be there shortly. Maybe she had rented a vehicle.
Feelings for Ashley still surfaced every now and then. Nate had thought about her plenty over the last ten years. Had wanted to call her numerous times but just hadn’t found the courage. He didn’t know what to say to her. Didn’t know how to help her grieve. On top of that he didn’t want to appear to be taking advantage of her with her husband gone. Surely she knew how Nate felt about her. How much he cared and possibly loved her. With no husband, she was single again. But would she accept him? Maybe he was too scared of being rejected a second time.
Commotion from outside Kyle’s hospital room caught Nate’s attention. Two voices were talking two the security guard, a male and female. Nate recognized the woman’s voice as Ashley’s. Jumping out of his chair, he opened the door, nodded to the security guard and allowed Ashley to step inside. To Nate’s surprise Michael followed close behind her.
“What’s going on? What’s wrong with my son?” Michael’s voice filled the room absorbing all quiet.
Nate held up his hands. “Keep your voice down. Kyle is fine. At least right now.”
Michael pushed past Nate and threw back the curtain surrounding Kyle. When he saw Kyle slowly breathing he pulled the curtain back and turned back to Nate. “What’s the deal? You told Ashley that something was wrong.”
“How did you know?” Nate looked back and forth from Michael to Ashley. What was in their eyes? He couldn’t tell.
“We were together. Now, tell us what’s so important,” Ashley said and for the first time since walking in the room Ashley took her hands off her neck revealing a gauze bandage underneath. The bandage, once white, now had a reddish tint to it.
“What happened to you?” Nate moved towards Ashley, stopping in front of her he pushed her hair back behind her shoulder and looked down at her neck.
“I got a cut. What’s the matter?” Ashley tried to keep her voice low but she was having trouble controlling her emotions. Nate wondered what had happened to her today.
“We found Jonathan Gardner’s body today. He was shot. We believe Julia Lambert was with him and now she’s gone.” Nate directed his words towards Michael. He didn’t say “I told you so” out loud but he wanted to.
“You found another body?” Ashley asked.
“Yes, Jonathan’s.”
“I mean, other then that?”
“No, we believe that whoever shot Jonathan took the girl with him.”
“It’s more than one man,” Ashley said. “That would rule out a pedophile. They would never choose to share.”
“Even two men? Maybe they fought and one wanted the girls to himself?” This is why Nate needed Ashley. Even though she specialized in talking with children she was still a Forensic Psychologist. Her insights would be invaluable.
“Highly unlikely. Pedophiles may discuss things on line but no one is going to admit to stealing and killing girls. A partner is a possibility but considering that you found Jonathan’s body in plain sight with a gun shot wound it doesn’t sound like they had an argument. On top of that if they still have three girls alive there would be enough to go around.” At Michael’s gagging motion, Ashley added, “I’m sorry; I don’t mean to put it like that…”
“What does any of this have to do with Kyle?” Michael cut in on Ashley’s apology.
“I came here today to show Kyle a picture of Jonathan and see if he recognized him as the man that took Kayla. I also have another picture I want him to look at but I don’t want to show it to him without Ashley around.”
“This is why you call us down here?” Nate didn’t miss the irritation in Michael’s voice.
“I didn’t call you, Michael. I called Ashley because I need her help talking with Kyle.”
“I’m with Michael, Nate, you said something was wrong. Were you trying to scare me to get me here quicker?”
“No. It seems that the guard was distracted at some point today. Something happened in the elevator and the guard left his post. When he returned he found numerous nurses in Kyle’s room. It seems that Kyle had some kind of an episode.”
“Why didn’t they call me?” Michael demanded.
“The nurses got his heart rate under control. That wasn’t the problem. It seems that someone stopped in Kyle’s room. Whoever it was scared Kyle so badly he hasn’t spoken since. That’s why it’s so important that you’re here, Ashley. I was hoping you could talk to him.”
“Who came in here?” Michael demanded.
“I don’t know, that’s why I’m here,” Nate said.
“I think I do,” Ashley’s voice was barely above a whisper. Her hands went to her throat as she spoke as her eyes wouldn’t look above the wheels on the empty hospital bed.
“What do you mean?” Nate asked.
“Someone attacked me in the elevator today, Nate. Michael and I were leaving and someone stopped the elevator. He threatened me with a knife. Gave me a small cut and I hit my head as he left.”
“What? Why didn’t you call me?” Words built up in Nate’s mind but he coudn’t let them out. He looked from Ashley to Michael. Was he missing something between them?
“I’m sorry, I was out of it. I don’t remember what happened…” Now Ashley’s wandered over to Michael. Nate was missing something between them. How did Nate always get the wrong end of the stick? What was him that Ashley was always attracted to someone else around him? Ten years with no real boyfriend or husband, she comes to Florida and falls for someone else? How is that possible?
“Michael, do you remember anything?” Nate fought hard to keep emotion out of his voice, mostly anger.
“I didn’t see him, he had a ball cap over his face and he hid behind Ashley. When he dropped her I was more concerned with Ashley then about the person who did it.”
“You didn’t chase him?” The anger was harder to control then he thought. “Did you call the police? Notify hospital security?”
“I’m sorry I was more concerned with Ashley at the time.”
“But you didn’t think to have her checked out by a doctor? You were in a hospital and you didn’t call for help? What were you thinking?”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t. I took her home and she seemed okay. If something had gone wrong I would’ve called someone.”
“More wrong then being stabbed in the throat?” What was wrong with this man? Nate glanced at Ashley. She had slumped down on to the hospital bed and wouldn’t look at either man. Instead her gaze fell on the curtain that separated them from Kyle who was still sleeping on the other side despite the loud talk. Nate wasn’t surprised given the medication the boy had required to calm him down. He could only hope that he would wake up in time to identify another suspect. Despite the late hour on a Friday Nate was not done with work for the week, not by a long shot.
“I’m sorry; I thought I could take care of her. What if the man came back and tried to hurt her again? At least at my house I could protect her.”
“But what about your son? Didn’t you think of him?”
“I’m sorry; I didn’t think this was related at all. The man threatened Ashley to stay away from Kyle; I had no idea why he would have any reason to show up in Kyle’s room. It doesn’t make sense.” Michael appeared as agitated as he sounded. He was pacing in the tiny space and running his hands through his hair as though trying to convince himself he had made the right decision. Nate knew he had made the wrong decision. What was this man thinking?
“If the two cases are related he would have every reason to show up and see Kyle. At nine years old, Kyle doesn’t need to be threatened by a knife. Just an unfriendly face showing up in his room would be enough to keep him quiet.”
“But how would it be related?” Ashley’s voice had still not gone above a whisper.
“I have no answer for that right now. It seems highly unlikely but I can’t ignore any possibility. Maybe Jimmy has a connection. Maybe someone is just trying to mess with your mind. I have no answer for that.”
Stirring from the other side of the curtain caught Nate’s attention.
“Daddy?” The room went quiet at the sound of Kyle’s voice.
“Daddy’s here buddy, what’s up?” Michael pushed back the curtain and smiled down at Kyle. Kyle looked pale and there was no look of life in him. What had this boy been through?
“A bad man was here today…” Kyle wasn’t talking to his father, he was looking at Ashley. In response, Ashley slid off the empty bed and sat on Kyle’s. She held his hand and ran her fingers through his hair. Kyle’s color came back almost immediately and even gave Ashley a small smile. Ashley returned the gesture. Nate couldn’t help but think there was something between them.
The three of them would make a nice, happy family. The thought crossed Nate’s mind unbidden and he shoved it aside. The truth was if Donnie and Aidan were still alive Ashley’s family would look just like this with Nate on the outside. Maybe that was how it was always meant to be.
“Hey, Kyle, can you tell me who was in here today?” Ashley asked.
“A bad man.”
“Was it Jonathan?”
“No, that was one bad man.”
“There was more than one?”
Kyle looked out the window and then back at Ashley. “Two men took Ashley. The other man came in my room today.”
“What did he say?” Ashley asked as she stroked Kyle’s arm.
“He said if I talked to you again he would kill you.”

Chapter 18

Ashley’s head throbbed. Her neck ached. She reached up to touch her neck and found herself feeling gauze instead of an open wound. Ashley felt her head and tried to sit up. The world began swimming and she laid back. She tried to focus her eyes and found herself staring at a white ceiling with a ceiling fan and odd light fixture. Where was she?
She tried to remember what had happened but had trouble. Did she get admitted to the hospital? Feeling underneath her, she realized she wasn’t in a hospital bed. Instead she was lying on a couch. A leather couch at that.
“Oh hey, you’re awake.” A male voice floated into her ears from behind her.
Ashley tried to sit up but everything began to spin again. The voice now had an arm and that arm was on her shoulder pushing her back. Her immediate urge was to resist but realizing she was too exhausted to fight, she lay back on the couch.
“Don’t try to sit up. You hit your head when you fell in the elevator.” Now she recognized the voice as belonging to Michael. It helped that his face had finally come in to view. His blue eyes held clear concern and his dark, black hair was smoothed back from his face as though plastered back with water or sweat. Had it been like that before? She didn’t remember it.
“What happened?” Ashley asked as she carefully pushed herself to a sitting position. By moving up very slowly she had been able to avoid another vertigo experience.
“Do you remember anything?” Michael asked.
“I remember a man in the elevator. He had a knife. He cut me.” Ashley grabbed at her neck again and pain shot through her. She had certainly touched a sore spot.
“He hurt you pretty bad…”
“Did you take me to the ER?”
“No, I figured I could take care of you here.” Michael flashed a large white smile which she was sure was supposed to make her feel better. Somehow it wasn’t working.
“Where is here?” Ashley’s heart began to pound even though she couldn’t explain why.
“This is my house. The cut didn’t look too deep and you were only out for a bit so I brought you home to fix you up.”
A bit? Then why didn’t she remember anything until now?
“Did you call the police?”
“No, I think you just need some rest. Maybe you can talk to Nate later,” Michael said and without waiting for a reply he disappeared back to wherever he had come from. Ashley’s head swirled again and she laid flat on the couch. Slowly, she turned on to her side and faced the coffee table. It was a large upholstered ottoman similar in style to the couch she was on but instead of chocolate brown like the couch it was a cream color. On top of the ottoman sat a tray with handles and vases. Flowers were arranged neatly in the vase. Ashley figured this was how Gina had left the house.
Michael reappeared in front of Ashley and this time he had a cup of tea in his hand. Gently he helped her sit up and then handed her the tea. She cupped her hand around the mug and breathed in the warmth and smell of cinnamon. Michael nudged back the tray on the ottoman and sat down across from Ashley. He looked at her intently and Ashley could feel the concern. He laid his hands on her knees and she felt shudders run up her legs and into her spine. The warmth on her knees was rivaling what came out of the mug.
“I’m concerned about you,” Michael said.
“I have no idea why.” Ashley sighed. She knew why but didn’t want to vocalize it or face it. Ten years ago Jimmy Livingston was put in prison for the murder of Donnie and Aidan. Ashley had hoped that that would be the end of him. But she knew that it wasn’t. Deep down she knew that there was more to it then an angry lover. Why wouldn’t he have just killed Ashley? Why take it out on Aidan?
“You know why.” Michael massaged her knee while Ashley started into her tea. Michael nudged Ashley’s chin up to meet his eyes. Reluctantly she looked up into Michael’s deep blue eyes. What she saw there gave her hope to cling to. Hope that she may possibly get out of this mess alive. But then a small turn of her neck brought more pain and she wasn’t so sure.
“I shouldn’t have come. I shouldn’t be here. I need to get back to Maryland.” Ashley frantically patted around her with her one free hand for her purse. She couldn’t turn her head for fear of pain but she had the need to flee. Michael was getting too close.
Michael grabbed her wandering arm and held it while removing the mug from her other hand. He brought her arms together in front of her. She tried to resist but he held firm, stroking her forearms as he did. “Ashley, you need to be here. What you’re doing is helping. Kyle seems to like you. I kind of like you.”
Ashley felt herself blush and averted her eyes. If Michael could see his eyes he would’ve seen that she liked him too. But what was she thinking? The man’s wife had just been murdered.
As if reading her mind, Michael added, “Look, you probably think this is odd and forward since I just lost Gina. But the truth is we weren’t much of a couple for a long time.”
“Because of the affair?”
A strange look crossed Michael’s face and then was gone. He nodded. “Right, I told you earlier. Yes, partly because of that but, well, Gina was getting into this religious stuff and I didn’t want to go along. She would get angry at me. We would fight about it.” Michael squeezed her hands again and then let go. “I’m not trying to be forward. This is a strange time but I like having you here. You get along with Kyle. When we find Kayla you’ll get along with her too…”
“We may not find Kayla alive…”
“No! We will find her. There is no other option. They promised…” Michael clamped his mouth shut but Ashley didn’t miss the slip.
“They promised what?”
“The police promised they would bring her back alive. They have to.”
His answer sounded plausible but something about his actions made Ashley wonder if that’s what he really meant.
“At least stay for dinner. You’re too weak to go back to the hospital and talk with Kyle and after your attack I’d hate for you to be alone.”
“Don’t you need to be somewhere else?” Ashley asked. Surely the district attorney had something better to do, somewhere better to be. Like asking for warrants to suspects homes. Suspects who attack women in elevators.
“For tonight, I’ll make time for you. And if you need a place to stay, please stay here tonight. Tomorrow is Saturday. You shouldn’t have to work but if you want to talk to Kyle then I’ll take you over to him.” Michael smiled and flashed his perfect teeth. “You stay here on the couch for a few minutes, I’ll get dinner on the table and then help you get there.”
Ashley only nodded her response. She didn’t trust herself to speak. Wasn’t sure how she felt. Michael took that as an affirmative and left Ashley on the couch once again to return to the kitchen which Ashley assumed to be behind her since in front of her was a beige wall which she could see continued down a hallway into what looked like a bed room.
Ashley maneuvered herself closer to the ottoman and picked up her mug of tea again. She sipped the now warm liquid and let it slide down her throat soothing away her fears. A strange sound filled the air. It took a moment before it registered to Ashley that it was her cell phone.
“Michael, where did you put my purse?” Ashley called. No answer. The phone kept ringing. Ashley sighed. “Michael?”
When no reply came Ashley knew she would have to get the phone herself. She took another swallow of her tea as though she were drinking in her strength. She pushed herself to stand and only fell back once from dizziness. The ringing had stopped but Ashley knew she needed to find the phone. It could be Nate with information. Or Trish wondering when she was coming back.
Ashley looked around the couch but found no purse. The sound hadn’t been that far away. Where would Michael leave her purse? Ashley looked behind her and found the kitchen as she expected. It was a large kitchen with light maple cabinets and an expansive island. All the appliances appeared to be new and professional grade. Gina Fleming must have been a good cook. A lighter beige covered the kitchen walls which appeared to be a similar color to the granite countertops. All the decorating looked professional. Why not? Michael probably had the money.
She made her way to the kitchen and searched the countertops. Where was Michael? She thought he said he was going to be making dinner. The faint sound of the phone ringing hit her ears again. The sound came from further down the hall then the kitchen. She made her way down the darker beige hallway; Ashley was sensing a theme. Opening doors as she went she found the laundry room and then the garage. Obviously she was heading the wrong way. But where was the phone?
Groping the wall she made her way back to the kitchen. Her throat hurt and her head hurt. Things were swimming and she felt very alone. What had happened to Michael? Her heart began to pound. Had he come back for her? Had she been followed to Michael’s home? Did something happen to Michael?
“Michael?” Ashley knew she sounded desperate but it didn’t matter. Surely something had happened to him. He was making dinner. Then he was gone. Where was the phone?
The ringing had stopped again. Maybe the call wasn’t that important.
Ashley passed the kitchen and found herself back in the family room. She stopped at the leather couch to catch her breath. Was that movement behind her?
She stood still. Not daring to move. Not daring to breathe. He had found her. She was sure of it. Whoever “he” was. Did he have a knife again? Did he bring a gun this time? Where was Michael? Where was Nate? Didn’t he know she needed him? They’d had a connection once. Could they have one again?
A hand touched her back.
Ashley screamed.
“Are you okay?” It was Michael’s voice. She turned to face him and without thinking threw her arms around him and held on. “Are you okay?” He repeated his question as he patted her back.
“My phone. My phone was ringing and you weren’t here. I called you but you didn’t answer. I couldn’t find the phone. I thought something happened to you.” The words all ran together and were probably being muffled by Michael’s shirt. She looked up at him, ignoring the pain in her neck, to see if he caught any of it.
“Your phone? Oh, in your purse. I’m sorry; I set your purse in the guest bedroom. Sit back down and I’ll get it for you.”
Ashley did as Michael suggested and waited for him to return. This time he wasn’t gone long and reappeared with her red handbag in tow. Unzipping it she found her phone on top next to her car keys. Flipping open her phone she saw she had one missed call. She hit the send button and her phone automatically dialed the number.
“Zimmerman.”
“Nate, is that you?”
“Ashley! Where have you been? I tried calling you and got no answer. I was worried.”
“I’m sorry, something came up. What’s up?”
“I’m here with Kyle. You need to get back here right away.”
“Is everything okay?”
“No, Ashley, nothing is okay.”

Chapter 17

Nate stared at the clock. Was the whole day almost over? What had he even accomplished? Nothing. His search for Jonathan Gardner had turned up nothing. The press conference had gone as planned. Nate had been unable to stop it and Michael Fleming had not changed his mind no matter the strength of Nate’s arguments. A fact that was getting under Nate’s skin. That man had been in the legal field for at least ten years. He knew what it took to track down a suspect.
They had been unable to find Jonathan at his prior location and had been informed that the owners at the address they had had lived there for eleven years and they did not know a Jonathan Gardner and no, he had never lived with them. Nate wasn’t surprised that Jonathan would list a false address. What surprised him was the fact that he had used his real name to rent the house where they found Emma. Did he fail to cover his tracks that poorly? Was someone setting them all up and Jonathan wasn’t involved at all?
But Kyle had said the name Jonathan and it couldn’t be a coincidence.
“Any luck?” Eric asked Nate as Eric sat down at his desk. He had been in the restroom for a long time. Nate checked the clock. No, it had only been a few minutes, it just felt like a long time. How is it that some days feel like they fly by in a second and others drag on forever?
“Nothing. Where could this guy have gone?”
“Did you check Goodyear again?”
“Yes, they still haven’t heard from him. Short of searching the place myself with a search warrant I don’t think we stand a chance of finding anything about him there. No one seems to care one way or another,” Nate said.
“Five girls missing and no one there cares to help? How did we get so callous?”
“I don’t know but we have a conference in two minutes and we have nothing to share. We’re no closer to finding these girls alive then we were at the last meeting four days ago.”
Eric nodded and they headed to the conference room preparing to be eaten alive by Commander Walter Herndon. As Nate and Eric entered the conference room they noted that Herndon was already there along with their lieutenant, Annabeth Porter and two other officers Nate knew, Cole Easton and Jack Williams. Cole was a young officer, directly out of the police academy. He was a few inches higher than Nate’s six foot frame and his body looked as though he worked out three times a day. The girls would be all over him in dispatch. Jack Williams was much older in comparison which is why the two were paired as partners. Jack had a wife and at least three children that Nate knew of but if he remembered correctly they were trying for more. Jack and his family attended Nate’s church.
Randy Greenwood and Jin Yu-na entered a few minutes later and Commander Herndon drew everyone’s attention to the situation board that had been set up in the corner of the room. Nate looked at the board and was saddened to see so many pictures of such young girls taped up. Below Daisy and Emma were crime scene photos. Below the other three girls was the word “missing” and pictures of their immediate family. While it did appear that they had a serial kidnapper or killer on the loose no person could be ruled out as knowing something. It was Nate’s job to rule each of them out.
“Do we have anything new?” Commander Herndon’s eyes bore into Nate’s skull. Nate already felt the weight of the case and this wasn’t making it any better.
“We have an APB out on Jonathan Gardner but so far no one has seen or heard from him in days. He’s like a ghost since we found Emma’s body at his house. It’s possible he’s dumping these girls on his way out of town but it doesn’t explain why he would take another girl. I truly believe there are more people involved…”
“Do you have evidence of this?” Lieutenant Porter interrupted. Her cropped black hair swished as she wagged her finger at Nate. Her glasses slid further down her nose. Nate knew the Lieutenant’s detective skills were second to none but her fashion sense left much to be desired.
“Not yet…”
“We might,” now it was Randy Greenwood speaking. Last Nate had seen him was at Jonathan Gardner’s house the day before. They hadn’t spoken since.
“Let’s hear it,” Marybeth said.
“Jin and I did a background check on Jonathan and came up with some known associates. With a little legwork today we came up with another name, Todd Purcell. Todd was in prison with Jonathan for a few months and they got to know each other. Jonathan was released before Todd because Jonathan’s conviction was minor but the two kept in touch. Even visited Todd a few times. Todd was released about three months ago which is just before all of this started happening.” A smug look crossed Randy’s dark face. Where had that information come from? Nate shot a look to Eric that read, “how come you didn’t come up with that?” Eric just shrugged his response. Mr. Researcher comes up dry. Nate found that hard to believe. Randy probably paid off an informant for that piece of information. No way had Eric missed that in his computer search.
“Do we know anything about this Todd Purcell?” Marybeth again.
“He’s been in more trouble than Jonathan. Most recently he was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon. A young woman claimed he was trying to kill her for her money. He claims it was a misunderstanding but the police arrested him and found a 9mm on him. The jury saw it the woman’s way and he spent eight years in lock-up. Now he’s out on parole and I think he’s back to his old ways. This time he’s bringing Jonathan in on it,” Randy said.
“Is there any record in either of their pasts about child abuse or child pornography or any crime related to children?” Nate asked. While Jonathan and Todd together seemed like more likely suspects than Jonathan alone, Nate still wasn’t convinced this was all of it. He was missing something. He felt like the answer was right in front of him but he couldn’t see it. It was Ashley’s feeling that Kyle knew more than what he was saying.
“Todd has an older record of peeping in girl’s windows and harassing young girls,” Jin inserted himself into the conversation.
“How young?” Nate asked.
“Mostly teenagers but these girls aren’t far from that and they’d be easier to transport and manipulate,” Jin replied.
“I can see that,” Nate scratched his chin and tapped his foot. Energy to get to work was surging through him despite the late hour. “But it’s a huge stretch from peeping tom to murdering women and stealing their daughters.”
“Maybe not as big as you think. It’s also possible there are things in both their histories we don’t know enough about,” Randy said. His eyes once again bore into Nate as if challenging him to continue with the disagreement.
“I agree with Randy,” Marybeth said. “Let’s dig deeper into Todd and Jonathan’s background. Let’s find them both and when we do I have a lot of questions for them. This case is a very big deal. I have higher-ups breathing down my neck constantly.” She pointed to Commander Herndon who was sitting to her left at the table. “I want this case solved. I don’t want any more girls missing or any more dead bodies turning up on my watch, young or otherwise.”
With that the subject was closed and Marybeth turned her attention to Jack and Cole who were working on every other case the department had so that the rest of the agents could focus exclusively on the missing girls. While Nate knew the enormity of his case he would rather focus on just the one then take care of all the other departments’ daily work.
The meeting ended and Nate had no idea where to begin. They had scoured two crime scenes to come up with very little forensic evidence. All Nate knew for sure was that the same vehicle was involved in both crimes. There was a possibility of getting some DNA from Daisy’s body but that was still a few weeks away. Even with a rush DNA took time. And time was something they didn’t have.
How can a house have no fingerprints? No usable ones anyway. Everything they found matched either Jonathan Gardner or Emma Sykes. No prints of Daisy’s anywhere. Had she been in the house? Was she killed before she got there?
Nate sat down in his chair in front of his desk and rested his forehead on his palms. This case was now almost eight weeks old. No sign of the girls in weeks and now two bodies this week and two other girls missing. What was going on? Nate had heard of guys accelerating but this didn’t make sense. Why hold a girl for a while then kill her?
A prayer ran through Nate’s mind. He’d neglected to seek God in any of the previous weeks. He hadn’t been to church in at least two Sundays. Sure he had been busy but that was just his excuse. Truth was he wanted to solve this case himself. He wanted to impress Ashley. Now he had nothing left so he began to pray. “Just anything, Lord. We need something. These girls need to be found.”
As if in immediate answer to his prayer, Nate’s phone rang and he picked it up without looking, “Zimmerman.”
“Nate, you’re not going to believe this but we have another body,” Nate’s heart sunk as he listened to Jane Brumagim words on the other end of the line. Another girl?
“Who?” Nate groaned.
“It’s not what you think. It’s not a girl. Some joggers found a male with one gun shot wound to the head. We think it might be Jonathan Gardner.”
“How?”
“Matches his description. We also found some things in his trunk. Looks like our killer may have taken a little girl from him though. We found some hairs and scratches in the trunk. Whoever she was, she’s still alive.”
“What color are the hairs?” Nate made a mental run through of the girls. Kayla had dark brown hair like her brother and her father. Jessica had light brown hair and Julia had blond hair. Nate was thankful for the difference.
“They are blonde. We think its Julia.”
“Could mean she’s still alive.”
“There’s a very good possibility that Jonathan was transferring her to somebody. Must’ve been a misunderstanding or something,” Jane said.
“Or his name was too much all over the news,” Nate said. Anger shot through him. He knew Michael’s press conference was a bad idea. Now whatever lead Nate had could be gone. “Anything else?”
“We do have footprints. We’ll have the techs take a mold.”
“Sounds like you’ve got a great start. Eric and I will be there shortly.” Nate stood and grabbed his suit jacket which always hung at the ready on Nate’s chair. Despite the heat it was standard issue for detectives to wear sports jackets or a suit. Always look professional. Nate tried.
Nate relayed the information to Eric and the two of them headed for Nate’s cruiser. Nate couldn’t help but smile all the way to the scene. Even though they had found Jonathan Gardner in the least ideal way, Nate felt like they had made a breath through in the case. And for that he thanked God. Should’ve prayed sooner.

Chapter 16

“Oh! You beat me again!” It had been six hours since Ashley had called Nate with the new information. Since then she had heard that Kyle’s dad had put on a news conference looking for a Jonathan Gardner. His face had been all over the TV at the nurse’s station. Ashley had been out to check ever hour or so. She didn’t want the TV disturbing Kyle but she wanted to find out about the case. It’s possible that with the information she had gained from Kyle she might not be needed any more. If Jonathan was the guy this could all be over. All she could pray was that they could find him, get the answers they needed and find the other girls alive.
As dinner approached, Michael made an appearance and Kyle’s relaxed demeanor disappeared. “Hey bud, how’s your day been?”
“Okay. Me and Miss Ashley have been playing cards. Do you want to play?” Kyle smiled at his father. But Ashley wondered if it was forced. Michael returned the smile easy enough and Ashley could see the fatherly love in his eyes. When he turned those eyes on Ashley she felt herself blush.
“I think I can join you for a few hands.” Michael pulled up a free chair and pulled it on the opposite side of Kyle’s bed. Even though Kyle did not have a private room he was alone in his room at his father’s request. It had made Nate happier as well; it was easier to control the visitors when Kyle didn’t have a roommate.
“How was your day?” Ashley asked.
“It was good. We had a press conference and we might have a lead on the man that took Kayla. The police are after him.”
“Are they going to get him?” Kyle asked.
“I think so, buddy.” Michael ruffled Kyle’s hair and smiled. It had been a week since his wife’s murder. He already seemed relaxed and if she read him right he was already flirting with her.
“How are you doing, Michael?” Ashley asked.
“I’m exhausted. I wish Gina were here to give direction. She was so good at that.”
“I miss mom,” Kyle said. “Do you miss her daddy?”
“I miss her a lot,” Michael said
“Even though you fought all the time?” Kyle asked and then waited for an answer but Michael said nothing. Ashley couldn’t decipher whether or not Kyle’s was an innocent question about parental banter or if he had witnessed something more severe.
“Kyle, your mom and I had our differences but I still loved her and I’ll always miss her…”
“Who was she?” The question came out of nowhere that at first Ashley didn’t believe it was Kyle that had asked it.
“Who was who?” Michael was attempting to act shocked but Ashley could tell there was a lot of truth to what Kyle asked.
“You know who! The woman you talk to all the time.” Kyle was yelling now and his monitors began buzzing and alarming. Two nurses rushed in to check.
“I think you both need to leave and let the patient rest,” one of the nurses said looking down her glasses at both Michael and Ashley. Michael began to argue but was cut off when the nurse glared at him again.
Ashley and Michael obeyed the nurse’s request and stepped outside of the room. Ashley leaned against the wall and looked up at Michael. She felt she should’ve bit her tongue but she just couldn’t, “What are you doing? Every time you enter the room Kyle gets upset. What is really going on?” She held her breath as she waited for his answer.
“Ashley, the truth is that Gina and I were having trouble. She, we weren’t getting along.”
“Were you seeing someone else?” Ashley had heard lots of things in her life and wasn’t surprised at much but her heart hurt all the worse for Kyle the more she knew about his father.
“For a brief time but I broke it off. We weren’t seeing each other anymore. Gina and I were trying to make amends.”
“Did Gina know about the affair?”
“Does it matter?”
“Michael, this may be relevant to the case…”
“No way, Kayla was taken by a psycho pedophile.”
“How do you know that?”
“I did a press conference this morning to that effect. Everyone knows that this Jonathan guy is guilty. It’s just some creep who likes little girls.”
“What if it’s not? What if Kayla’s case isn’t related and Gina died because of your mistakes?” Ashley had no idea why she asked him that. Maybe frustration at his narrow sightedness. Even Nate wasn’t ready to put all his money on Jonathan working alone yet Michael was so ready to throw all the guilt and blame on this one man. Would he not take responsibility for anything? He had obviously caused Kyle pain yet he wouldn’t admit to that either. While part of Ashley wanted to reach out to the man who had lost his wife and who should understand her pain her head warned her not to. Fortunately, Ashley never followed her heart.
“You’re right. Maybe he has a partner but if we find him we can find that out and then we can find Kayla.”
“You’ve got to tell Nate about your problems with Gina. You have no idea what kind of pattern he or anybody else is going after. What if he’s attacking girls whose parents are having problems so someone can point the finger at the husband? Every detail is important Michael. Just because you’re the DA doesn’t mean you get away with not telling the truth.”
“Okay, I’m sorry. Wow! Do you do this to all your patients? No wonder kids talk to you; you don’t give them any other choice.” Michael softened his comment with a laugh and Ashley saw why she had been attracted to him.
“I’m good at talking and usually I’m good at listening. I don’t mean to badger you but I can tell that Kyle is hurting. You’re the only family he has left. He needs you to be as open and honest with him as you can.”
Michael smiled and shook is head. Leaning against the wall next to her he gently rubbed his hand against her arm. A shiver ran up her spine but not the bad one that she had expected. No, this was a more excited shiver. One that wanted her to move closer to him.
“You’re right. I’m trying to be his father but I’ve gone into DA mode. Find out who did it, find the facts, prosecute and put the person in jail. It’s what I know.”
“But right now, your son needs you.” Ashley wanted to add “It’s not all about you!” but she didn’t. Her head and her heart were once again at war. What was the attraction to this man? What was the drawback? She couldn’t decide.
“Do you need to talk to him anymore tonight?”
“No, I think he’s had enough. We’ve been talking all day.” Ashley smiled at the thought of their conversation most of which revolved around Kayla and school. Ashley wanted to ask more about the case but when she watched Kyle laughing she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. This was so unlike her. She was known for getting the truth from a child quickly. Was one parent abusive? Was mommy mean? Who would you rather live with? Questions asked and answered without a second thought. But yet, something was different with Kyle. Maybe he just reminded her too much of Aidan.
“Has he told you anything?” Michael asked.
“Nothing new. He remembers the incident for the most part now which we’ve relayed to Nate but I want to talk to him about things before that. See if he remembers anything.”
“Is that important? I mean is it related?”
“Nate seems to think so.”
“But why him? You’re not talking to any other siblings.”
“Not right now. Michael, Kyle is special. This happened to him and he survived. I think he knows something but I don’t know what yet. I’d like to keep talking to him.”
“Don’t you need my permission?” Ashley searched Michael’s face for anger but the question was more of a resigned sigh. Like “does he have to go through this?” not “I don’t want you doing this.” Once again Ashley found herself being drawn to him.
“Not really. You’ve given me permission to talk with him already. If you want me to stop I can but we can probably get a judge’s order and make him talk to me which would just make matters worse.”
“I understand. I think it’s good for him. Gives him someone to talk to and if he does know something then maybe we can learn more.”
“I think so. I think he knows something but he’s not saying what yet.”
Michael didn’t respond except to nod. It seemed pointless to argue. Michael believed that Jonathan was guilty and nothing else. He wouldn’t understand the need to keep talking to Kyle. Not really, anyway. But Ashley knew different. She had been threatened. Threatened to back off from Kyle. That only made her more suspicious especially after his account of the events only led them to Jonathan Gardner. Was it Jonathan Gardner threatening her? If so, how did he find out about Jimmy? It didn’t make sense.
“Are you going to stay for a while or head back to the hotel?” Michael asked.
“I think I’m going to head back to the hotel.” Ashley’s body hurt. Every part of her ached for a bed to crawl into and sleep for hours. Being November, the sun was already gone at just 6 in the evening. Ashley’s energy had gone with it.
“Can I give you a ride?”
“I can call a taxi. I’ll be fine.” Ashley lied. She knew Nate would not approve of her going out on her own, not with a killer on the loose especially one that might have threatened her very life.
“No, I insist. I’ll just tell Kyle that I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’m sure the nurses are through with him by now.”
Ashley nodded and walked towards the elevators. She surveyed the hospital floor while waiting for Michael to return. So many rooms full of little people in need of constant care. She recalled the hospital where Aidan had spent his last moments and her arms ached to hold him again. He hadn’t been lucky enough to make it into an actual room instead he had died in the emergency room unable to resuscitate his tiny body.
She heard footsteps approaching and looked up to see Michael coming towards her, “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine. They’re going to feed him dinner while I’m gone. I promised him I’d be right back,” Michael said and hit the down elevator button. Ashley stood with her hands in her pockets while she waited rocking back and forth from her stiletto heels to her toes. The doors opened, Michael and Ashley stepped in.
As they waited for the doors to close Ashley noticed a man race up to the elevator. “Hold please.”
“Sure,” Michael said and pushed back the closing doors.
The man stepped into the elevator. Ashley noticed his blue scrubs including surgical hat and assumed him to be a doctor or a nurse. Her first inkling that something wasn’t right was when the man moved behind her and she noticed that he was still wearing a surgical mask covering his face. While doctor’s often wore them in situations outside of a patient’s room she had never recalled one that wore them in the elevator.
Ashley’s heart began to race and she wants the numbers tick away very slowly. They were only on the fourth floor but the first floor felt miles away. As the number changed to the second floor the man reached out and smashed the stop button.
Without warning he had a knife to Ashley’s neck. He pulled her with him to the corner of the elevator and waved the knife at Michael and then pressed it back into Ashley’s neck. She felt the trickle of blood dripping down her neck.
“I warned you!” Her attacker yelled. “I warned you to stay away from him and yet here you are.”
“Please. Please don’t do this,” Ashley said but even while she said it she wasn’t sure why she did. Did she believe it? Did she even care if she lived or died? After all, she would be with Donnie and Aidan again. She didn’t have much to live for again. But then, as quickly as that thought came it was replaced by Kyle’s face, by Nate’s face, by Michael’s and the desire to live took its place again.
“I told you to leave it alone. Why didn’t you listen?” The man’s hand shook at her neck and she felt another sting and more blood falling down her neck.
Training took over. Ashley didn’t plead for her life. She purposefully slowed her breathing down. She would only get out of this if everyone remained calm. She glanced at Michael who appeared pasted to the elevator wall, his face almost the same color of paste.
Ashley’s mind whirled with the right line to say but nothing came out of her mouth. Trained to talk and yet she wasn’t talking.
“This is your last chance. Talk to Kyle again and I will kill you.” The man cut deeper into Ashley’s neck before pulling her to the elevator doors where he pushed the button to continue the elevator’s descent. When the doors opened he made his quick escape.
Ashley dropped to the floor and her world went black.