Deadly Image (11 page)

“Oh, I didn’t think about that.” A shiver slid over her. Could she really be a target too? The thought hadn’t crossed her mind, but it was a legitimate notion considering the kidnapping didn’t appear to be monetarily motivated. A chilling thought, but she would have gladly exchanged places with her daughter any day. She
wished
they’d have taken her instead of Anna. Lexi shifted her purse strap on her shoulder. “I’ll let my parents know I’m leaving, then meet you outside. I’m sure Mom will stay here just in case that ransom call comes in.”

Ten minutes later, they were buckled into Ace’s SUV since he’d insisted on driving – a man thing she supposed – and headed toward town.

“Is there anywhere in particular you want to look?”

“Not really. I’m sure every inch of Gator Bayou has been combed by now. I just need to look for her myself. Anything to try to find my baby.” Suddenly, Lexi gasped and paled.

“What’s wrong?” Ace slowed the vehicle down to turn left onto the main road leading into town.

“What about the bayous? What if the kidnapper...” Lexi choked hoarsely. “What if someone killed Anna and put her little body in the bayou? No one would ever find her then.”

Ace’s heart constricted at her anguish. The poor woman had been through so much in the last few days. Even though he didn’t have children of his own, he’d worked enough child abduction cases to know how grueling it was on the parents. And on him. He’d always tried to maintain a level of professionalism when working a case, but he wouldn’t be human if he didn’t empathize with the families. However, in this particular case he felt a little more than empathy. He just wasn’t quite sure what that
more
was.

“Lexi, you need to stay positive. We don’t have any reason to suspect Anna has been murdered or that she’s in the bayou.”

“That’s just it. We don’t know anything. She could be anywhere by now. She may not even still be in the country for all we know.” She gripped the purse in her lap with trembling hands. “I truly may never know what happened to my baby. I don’t think I can live with that. Not knowing.”

Ace pulled up to a traffic light and stopped. “I know it’s hard to believe right now, but we are doing everything we can to find her. They’ve been dragging the surrounding bayous for the last couple of days, but so far nothing has turned up. That’s good news. It means there’s a very good chance Anna is not in there. We’ll just have to keep looking and, hopefully, we’ll get a break in the case and find her.”

“I just don’t understand why this is happening to me. First Carl. Now Anna. Why is God doing this to me? What did I do that was so horrible to deserve this?”

Ace inhaled sharply. “Lexi, Anna’s kidnapping is not a punishment from God.” The traffic light turned green and he drove through, then pulled into the parking lot of Bernard’s Creole Café. He killed the engine and shifted in his seat to look at her. “God is not punishing you.”

“How can you be so sure? I mean He could have stopped it if He wanted to. He took Carl and now He’s taken Anna.”

“We don’t always know why bad things happen. And I certainly won’t presume to speak for God, but I do know that He loves you and He hasn’t forsaken you. Hold on to your faith and believe that no matter what happens God will see you through it.”

“That’s the problem. I don’t have the kind of faith you do. Or that Carl did. I never have had that kind of faith.” She laughed, but there was no humor in the sound. “I was a pastor’s wife, for Pete’s sake, but I just couldn’t believe as strongly as Carl did no matter how hard I tried.” She turned to him. “How do you do it? Have this unshakable faith? Especially with the job you do. Surely there are times when you have to wonder where God is in the midst of all the tragedy you deal with day after day.”

Something inside Ace clenched hard. “I haven’t always had faith. There was a dark time in my past before I gave my life to Jesus when I didn’t believe God could even exist.” An image of his younger brother covered in blood, lying dead in the street flashed in his mind. The painful memory strained his voice. “I didn’t grow up with a family who believed in God or went to church. I grew up in the Bronx, very poor with little hope of ever making it in the world.”

“You seem to have done well for yourself.” Lexi scrunched her brow. “I mean, you’re a special agent with the FBI, so you didn’t turn out too bad.”

Ace pulled a hand through his hair. “I paid a steep price to be where I am today.”

“What do you mean?”

“My father worked all the time at what most would consider a menial job to make ends meet, not that they ever really did. My mother decided one day we weren’t good enough for her, so she took off and never looked back. I was eight and my brother was six at the time.”

“I’m so sorry. That must have been really hard on you.”

The genuine concern in her voice touched his heart, but he didn’t deserve it. Not after what he’d done.

“It gets worse.” Ace shook his head. “When I was thirteen I got mixed up with the wrong crowd. A group of older boys in one of the Latino gangs. Looking back now, I realize it was because I just wanted to belong somewhere, but it was the worst mistake of my life. My so-called friends and I were involved in several crimes.” At her shocked gasp, he added ruefully, “Mostly petty theft or vandalism. But we made the mistake of spray painting the turf of a rival gang. When they came to retaliate a few days later they were packing heat. A quick drive-by left my brother José and two other members of my gang dead.”

“Oh, Ace! I’m so sorry! I can’t even imagine.”

“I’ve never forgiven myself for that. He was my little brother and I was supposed to protect him. Instead, I got him killed.”

Lexi touched his arm. The warmth from her fingers offered him comfort. “You were thirteen. Just a kid yourself. You couldn’t have known what was going to happen.”

“No. But, I was old enough to know better. I knew the gang wars were dangerous. Kids were killed all the time from stupid vendettas. I wasn’t actually a member of the gang, but I was close to becoming one.” Ace shuddered a breath. “After José died, my dad and I drifted farther and farther apart. He never came out and said it, but I’m sure he blamed me for José’s death. I was miserable, lost and had nobody to turn to. I probably would have ended up in a gang again if it wasn’t for Lieutenant Ortega. He knew of my involvement with the East Side Scorpions, but thankfully I’d never been caught or charged with a crime, so my record was clean. Otherwise, I’d never have qualified for the FBI. A few months after the shooting, he jerked me from the path of self-destruction and became my mentor. I guess he saw some good in me somehow.”

“I’m sure he did,” Lexi agreed. “You are a good man, Ace. Anyone can see that.”

Ace’s heart skipped a beat at her sincere declaration. “I appreciate that, though I’m not sure I agree with it sometimes.” A wry grin played at the corners of his mouth. “Lieutenant Ortega let me come to the police station with him and help with some of the cases he was working on. He also took me to church. For the first time I was able to accept what had happened to José and realize that I controlled my future. Not my heritage. Not the poverty I grew up in. Just me. I could do something good with my life if I chose to. I worked hard, managed to get a scholarship – though I’m sure Lieutenant Ortega had something to do with that – went to college and became an FBI agent. I chose law enforcement with the hope of somehow making up for José’s death. Getting the criminals off the street means one less chance another kid might end up like my brother. It’s my way of honoring his memory.”

“I think that is a fine way to honor your brother.” Lexi offered him a smile. “I’m sure your father must be very proud.”

Ace shrugged. “We talk sometimes, but our relationship is still a bit strained. Probably always will be. All I can do is pray about it and pray that my dad will find Jesus someday too.” He shook his head. “Of course, I was stubborn. I didn’t truly accept Jesus into my life until a few years ago.”

“You seem to have your life together now.”

Ace took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I couldn’t do any of it without God by my side. If you want to strengthen your faith, Lexi, you have to get to know and depend on God on a personal level. Read your Bible. That’s what I do. Anytime my faith falters, I consult God’s word. I read and reread his promises until I know in my heart He’s with me. Find a good church – like Faith Community – and rebuild your relationship with your Heavenly Father with people who share your faith. It’s the only way you’ll ever find real peace in this hardened world. I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. But Jesus is. Let Him help you.”

“I guess I’ve just always felt like I’ve fallen short in the faith department. Carl was always so strong with his and I never could match it.”

“It’s not a competition, Lexi. Faith is a very personal issue. It’s between you and God. You don’t need to compare yourself to others. Just place your trust in Jesus and everything else will fall into place. No one’s keeping score, and we all fall short. That’s why Jesus died on the cross. To cover our sins and our shortcomings. Give Him what little faith you do have and let Him show you what He can do.”

Lexi nodded. “I suppose that’s true. I’ve always thought I had to be as strong or as good as Carl.”

“No, you don’t. Pray about it and let God show you what he wants from you.” Ace opened the door. “Let’s grab some coffee, then start searching for Anna.”

“I could use a strong cup of caffeine right now.”

“Me too.” Ace grinned. Though Anna’s disappearance was still foremost in both their minds, Ace was grateful he’d had a chance to share his testimony with Lexi. He knew she was a believer, but obviously the pain and tragedy she’d suffered the past year had driven her away from God. He hoped he could help her find her way back to Him. Especially if the case took a turn for the worse and the news about Anna wasn’t good. Lexi would need all the faith and strength she could get to put the pieces of her life back together.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Night fell and the search for Anna had proven as fruitless as Ace had expected, but it had given Lexi a chance to feel like she was doing
something
to find her daughter. He understood that.

They’d been to several places, but nothing had turned up. Not that he’d really thought it would. The volunteer search team had probably already covered the areas as well. Lexi had stopped at the Post Office to make copies of the flyers she’d made earlier, and they spent a good portion of the day posting them around town.

“It’s almost time for the vigil. Do you need to go home first or would you rather just go from here?” Ace pulled the SUV out of the gravel drive. They’d just searched Gator Bayou Park and the immediate surrounding wooded area, but found nothing. Unfortunately, the park was nearly three thousand acres with various bayous that eventually emptied into the Atchafalaya River. They’d barely made a dent in the forest with their foot search. It was worse than looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack.

“We can go from here. No need to go all the way back home.” Lexi reached in her purse for her cell phone. “Let me call Mom and Dad and tell them to meet us there.”

A few minutes later Ace pulled into the parking lot of Faith Community Church. Several church members were already gathered in a small group holding unlit candles.

“You okay?” Ace noted Lexi’s pale face when the interior light came on as he opened the door.

“I forgot that a vigil involved candles.”

“I’m not following you.”

A flush climbed her face bringing some color back to her features. “I–I’m a pyrophobe.”

“You’re afraid of fire?”

She bobbed her head up and down. “All my life. I even have regular nightmares about being in a burning building. Been having them ever since I can remember.”

Wow. He hadn’t seen that one coming. “A candle is just a small flame. Nothing to be concerned about.” He really didn’t have a clue what to say to her about this.

“A flame is a flame. It’s still fire. It still burns.” Lexi bit her lip. “It doesn’t matter how big it is.”

“That’s one way of looking at it.” Again. What could he say to that logic?
Think, Valdez. Think.
Then, “I’ll tell you what. We’ll share a candle. You can hold the bottom. Not even close to the flame.”

“You’d do that?” Lexi swallowed hard.

“Absolutely. And if you feel anxious you can let go at any time. No one will be the wiser.”