Baby Love (Baby #2)(31)

I knew my mother well enough to know that kidnapping for ransom was not her game. She didn't possess the international savvy it would take to leave the country and keep a low profile for the rest of her life. She didn't roll that way. Preston was valuable to her but for some other reason; something less dramatic but equally lucrative without the risk. She had made a grave mistake in underestimating the love that Trey and I both had for our baby girl. That is because my mother did not understand the concept of love. She would soon experience the wrath that results when a loved one is put at risk. She had crossed a very dangerous line this time.



CHAPTER 11



Once at Gina's she was all over me, weeping and sobbing, telling me that she and Ian were there for me in any way that I needed them. I was worried she would make herself sick over this. There was no need. Preston would be back with me shortly. I was sure of that. I needed Gina's help for the moment as this window of opportunity presented itself only briefly.

"Gina," I said sternly, "You need to get it together. I need your help."

She looked at me through tear stained eyes, puzzled at my calm demeanor. The truth was I was not calm. I was nowhere near calm but I knew what I needed to do and I knew that I had to act quickly before Trey became aware of what I was doing.

"I need you to take me to the airport tonight. I booked a flight to Indianapolis that leaves at 10:17 p.m. I need some clothes. I may be a couple of days."

"What the f*ck are you talking about Tylar?" she all but screeched.

I motioned her to keep quiet so that I could explain.

"Listen Gina, I can tell right now that the local authorities are skeptical about Preston's disappearance. You should have heard the way they interrogated Trey at the hospital. Fuck this shit and their bureaucratic red tape. I know my mom is responsible for this. You are my best friend. I need your trust and your help. Do I have it?"

"Abso-f*cking-tutely!" she said without pause. "Let me get you some clothes and a duffel bag. Do you need money?"

"No, I'm good with my credit cards. It's not like I'm running away. You can tell Trey where I've gone once he gets here tomorrow. I know where Daniel is living. I need to get a jump on this just in case he is still in touch with my mother. He must have some information that could possibly help."

"Let's get going then," she said without hesitation.

Once I landed in Indianapolis, I had to take a shuttle to a little town outside West Lafayette, Indiana where Daniel was living. I had gotten the address when I called his parents home earlier, pretending to be Abby Dunsmire from the reunion committee planning the 5-year class reunion from our high school.

His mom had been more than willing to spill all available information on Daniel, candy-coating it a bit. She said he had left college to pursue a career in agriculture. Translation: he worked on a farm. She said that he had been involved on a major R & D project at one of the primary employers of large heavy equipment in West Lafayette. Translation: factory worker. She explained that this had led him to pursue agriculture as he felt he could contribute more to that particular line of work.

I had booked a night at a Marriott Hotel close by. I planned on getting up as early as possible and finding Daniel's rural address as I knew he must be a farm worker. He certainly would not have had the funds to buy his own farm, unless my mother had invested my trust money in it which I highly doubted. It was more likely that my mother had been sponging off of him for the length of time she had been there.

I found the farm easily with the GPS on my rental car. I arrived there just after dawn before he went out to do whatever it is farmers do at the break of dawn. The farmhouse was small and dumpy. A couple of mixed breed dogs came running out onto the graveled driveway as my car pulled up to the house.

I noticed my old blue Jeep Cherokee Laredo parked by the side of the barn next to the house. My heart quickened. What if Mom was here? That meant that Preston was here as well; or that I was totally off-base in my assertion that my mother had taken the baby. I had to know one way or another.

If the abductor was not my mom then I guess I would be starting from scratch on this. I couldn't be wrong. My baby's quick return depended on me being right about this!

I walked up the short dirt path to the door. There was no doorbell so I pounded on the storm door with my fist several times. I could hear someone moving about inside. The curtain on the door moved a smidgeon and I heard a mumbled curse. He had better open the damn door. I was not averse to kicking the glass in if need be. I heard the lock turn and the door opened.

Daniel was standing there in a pair of grey sweat pants and a dirty tee shirt. His hair was in dire need of a trim, and it appeared he didn't shave very often these days. I wasn't sure that he recognized me at first as his expression was simply impassive.

"Daniel? It's me. It's Tylar," I said hesitantly not sure if he was even awake enough to comprehend what I had said.

"I know who the f*ck you are. What is it you want?" he asked acidly.

(Where the hell did that come from? Shouldn't that be my line?)

"What I want is to know where my mother is," I commented just as acidly.

"More importantly, I want to know where the slut took my baby and what part you played in this so that I can make sure you are charged as an accessory."

He attempted to shut the door but my foot was planted firmly between it and the door jamb.