Touch & Go (Tessa Leoni, #2)(102)

A new sound. A snap, then a flicker of the lights as the hum died out, taking the overhead lights with it. Our cell went from overbright white to shades of gray, illuminated only by a sliver of window, while the common area went to immediate shadow, a stage suddenly devoid of spotlights.

“Powering down,” Justin murmured.

And I got it. What our captors were doing. Preparing to leave the prison. Preparing to end the game, make their getaway.

What was the time? I couldn’t figure it out based on the angle of the sun.

But it was coming. Three P.M.

The hour of reckoning.

I stopped pacing, climbed up to the top bunk and held my daughter’s hand.

After another moment, Justin joined us. We sat together, arm in arm, and waited for whatever was going to happen next.


TESSA WOKE UP AT FIVE THIRTY. Her room was still dark. She’d been asleep three, four hours tops and couldn’t figure out what had woken her. Then, she watched her door soundlessly open, Sophie’s pale form appearing.

Her daughter drifted into the room, moving so quietly Tessa wasn’t even sure she was awake. Sometimes Sophie sleepwalked. Sometimes, she also talked in her sleep. Or, more like sleep-screamed.

Now Sophie materialized at the edge of Tessa’s bed, her eyes round and alert in her face.

“Mommy?”

“Yes.”

“Did you find the family?”

“Not yet.” Tessa drew back her covers. Sophie climbed aboard.

“You checked the cold, dark places?”

“Some of them.”

“What about the mountains? Did you try all the cabins in the mountains?”

“Tomorrow…today, actually… I’m going to head north. We’ll check more.”

“Bring cookies.”

“Absolutely.”

Sophie tucking against her. “That girl needs you.”

Tessa, hesitating. Her daughter was identifying with the victim, and given how things might turn out… She should hedge her bets, better manage her daughter’s expectations. And yet, in a case like this, was such a thing even possible? She found herself saying: “Losing you was the worst thing that ever happened to me, Sophie. Returning home, discovering that you weren’t there. It hurt. Like someone had punched me in the stomach.”

“I didn’t want to go. They made me.”

“Of course. I knew you never would have willingly left me. I hope you know, I never would’ve willingly let you go.”

“I knew, Mommy. Just like I knew you were coming. And I knew you’d make them pay.”

Tessa, wrapping her arms around her daughter’s bony shoulders. “We were lucky, Sophie. It sounds funny, but we got each other back. That makes us lucky.”

“And Mrs. Ennis.”

“And Mrs. Ennis.”

“And Gertrude.”

Sophie’s doll. With the eye they had carefully sewn back on. “I want this family to be lucky, too, Sophie. I’m going to try very hard to help them. There’s a whole bunch of detectives, in fact, who are working hard to help them. But sometimes, it also takes a bit of luck.”

“Cold, dark places.”

“Got it.”

“Bring cookies.”

“Yep.”

“Carry your gun.”

“Yes.”

“Then, please come home. I miss you, Mommy. I miss you.”


WYATT DIDN’T SLEEP. He worked his phone, clearing messages, catching up with the rest of his department. His deputies had some news: a break-in at a methadone clinic in Littleton, sometime Saturday night. Could be related to their case, or then again, maybe not. Gas station attendant had called in about filling up a white van on Saturday morning. Driven by two tough guys. Made him nervous, he said. Figured they were running drugs, given the plain white van, the dead man stares. They’d headed north on 93, all he could offer. One had three tears tattooed under his left eye. Definitely, the dude had served time.

Fish and Game had found another van parked off road by Crawford Notch. Older model, painted dark blue. Abandoned when they found it, the back littered with empty beer cans and smelling strongly of marijuana. Sounded like it belonged to some people up to no good, but probably not trained professionals up to no good.

And so it went. A string of a dozen or so possible sightings or maybe leads, if only they knew what they were sighting or leading.

At 2:00 A.M., Wyatt gave up on calls, stared at their map instead. He fell asleep with his head upon it, dreaming of Xs and Os and Ashlyn Denbe telling him to hurry up, there wasn’t much time left.

Six A.M., he was up, showered and back in yesterday’s uniform. He met Kevin downstairs, both of them checking out, grabbing coffee, then heading for the Denbes’ town house. They arrived thirty minutes early and were still the last ones to arrive.

Special Agent Hawkes already had the Denbe family cell phone. Nicole already had the picture.

Nothing new to report. Agents were still working the financials, while a pair of uniformed officers now sat outside Anita Bennett’s house. Feds were in place at the insurance company headquarters in Chicago. Cellular company still awaiting final go-ahead for the 3:00 P.M. EST call.

They knew what they knew. They had what they had. It was what it was.

They headed north, reaching the county sheriff’s department by 11:00 A.M. By noon, the Denbes’ picture was on the wall, and they’d run through half a dozen ransom scripts. Nicole would handle the call, with the rest of them providing backup.