Heartwood (27 page)

Molly’s glider.

My thoughts were already scattered and the foreign sight of Stacy in Molly’s spot further jarred me out of alignment. I hadn’t seen her since the wedding, yet here she was in Eva’s room. Eva was clutching Logan’s favorite bear. I remembered Logan tossing it on the floor multiple times before kicking me in the head the night before the wedding. The clarity of the memory slayed me.

Stacy had come into my fucking house and was holding my kid. I’d slept right through her walking through the front door. Some father I was.

“When did you get here?” I blurted.

Instinctually, I crossed to Eva and lifted her out of Stacy’s grasp. Eva startled, and let out several staccato breaths as she settled back against my chest. I saw my hand shaking when I reached for her, and realized how vulnerable the two of us were. No matter what the outcome, I had to keep it together for my baby girl. I no longer had the option of breaking down.

Stacy burst into tears. “I’m sorry, Joe. We tried to stay out of the way but I needed to come. I had to hold Eva. I just had to. I’m sorry. I’ll get Sanchez and we’ll go.”

I stood slack jawed, holding my sleeping daughter and watching one of my wife’s closest friends totally break down. I had no words of comfort for her. What was there for me to say?

It was the first time in the midst of this torment that I really understood that those around me were suffering too. I’d apathetically watched Mac break down and punch a dent into his truck the day before. It was after the first day of his biker search turned up nothing. Mason managed to stop him from hurting his hand or further damaging his truck, but I was too wrapped up in my own pain for any of the drama to seem relevant.

Granny hadn’t left the house. She claimed to have stayed for Eva, but I think she just wanted to be close to Molly and being at our house was the next best thing. She changed and rocked Eva when needed, but she spent most of her time in the kitchen arranging and rearranging the pantry and freezer as the casseroles kept rolling in.

Stacy explained that Tamryn had only left long enough to make arrangements for the girls and pack a bag. I knew this was coming. I was pretty sure I couldn’t get rid of her if I tried.

Seeing Stacy break down crystalized what I needed to do in my mind. When I’d lost Jessica and Jack, I couldn’t save them. I wasn’t going to let that happen with Molly. I would get her back. I would get them both back. And the first step in doing that was taking the help that was right in front of me.

I handed Eva back to her, and though Stacy seemed startled at first she quickly cuddled my little girl into her embrace. Starting to glide slowly back and forth again she gave me a reassuring look. I gave a short nod and glanced out the window. The security detail was still out front. When I looked out the back window, I saw Sanchez and Mac, who were both puffing on cigarettes. In all the time that I had known him, I had never seen Sanchez smoke.

Taking a deep breath, I walked out to the kitchen to get some coffee. As I picked up the pot, I heard my father’s voice echo in from the makeshift center of operations at our dining room table. He sounded upset.

“Mr. Jensen...” I heard one of the agents reply in a conciliatory tone.

“Cut the bullshit and give it to me straight.” My father snapped. There was a long pause, and I picked up my mug and took a long sip of piping hot coffee.

“It’s been forty-eight hours.” The other agent offered, and his no-nonsense tone set my teeth on edge. “No phone call. No luck on the APB. No lead. The odds of finding either one of them alive just dropped by 50%.”

“You have a lead.” Dad’s voice was glacial.

“I meant an actionable lead, sir.” The snark in the agent’s voice made my jaw tense.

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean? We know who took them.” I’d never heard my father drop the f bomb, so when he did, I nearly spilled coffee on myself.

“There’s been no demand for ransom, and the neighbor said the girl willingly left with him. She claims Mrs. Jensen was the one driving the car.”

“Frank...” The other agent seemed to be trying to shut Mr. No-Nonsense up.

“We can’t even really prove she was abducted.” Frank finished, and fuming, I sat down my coffee mug with a shaky hand.

“You could if you’d do your goddam jobs. You expect anyone to believe she went willingly? With a man who went to prison for stalking her? On the night she returned from her honeymoon.” My father spoke my thoughts through gritted teeth as if he was telepathic.

There was a pause and the ‘good cop’ responded. “We have to entertain all theories.”

“There were signs of a struggle all over the kitchen, you little prick. Her pepper spray, the fact that her phone and purse were left behind. What about the blood spatter in the kitchen?” My father could be intimidating when he was angry, and at that moment he sounded livid. “That
girl
you’re talking about is one hell of a mother. She would never have taken that baby anywhere without his car seat
willingly.
She certainly wouldn’t have abandoned her daughter.”

A heavy silence settled in the other room and then Frank responded.

“There are the things I know and the things I can prove. To be clear, sir, we are still looking. You asked for me to get down to brass tacks and that is what I am doing. If she went willingly, this is one hell of a mess. If she didn’t go willingly, then we may never find her.”

“I understand.” My dad’s voice could have frozen a lake solid. “What I am saying, and you better listen to this pretty God damn carefully, is that you’d best put every resource you have into finding my daughter-in-law and my grandchild. If it comes down to expense, I will foot the bill. So take my word for it that she did not leave of her own free will. Is that clear?”

“Crystal, sir.” Frank said. I heard footsteps and my father entered the kitchen. Seeing me he blanched and glanced nervously over his shoulder.

“Son...I didn’t realize that you were in here. Did you...” I nodded.

“I heard. And I agree that if we keep doing what we’re doing now the odds of finding them are very slim. I’m not ready to accept defeat. Have you had any luck on the...other options you mentioned?”

He glanced over his shoulder to make sure the Feds were out of earshot. Motioning to me, he led me to the far side of the room by the sink.

“I have a team assembled nearby. They’re using every option available to search for her and the boy. I figured it was best to keep you here working with the authorities.”

“No.” He looked up in surprise at the steel in my voice. “This is not going to happen without me. Give me an hour to get things settled here and we can head over.”

“All right, son.” He nodded. “Whatever you think is best.”

It was the only time in my life that my dad had ever acquiesced to my will. Had the situation not been so dire I would have been shocked. Leaving him in the kitchen, I went outside to talk to Mac.

“Mac.”

“Joe!” He practically jumped to his feet, brushing off the back of his jeans. “Any word?”

I shook my head. “No, nothing yet. I need a favor.”

Mac’s eyebrows shot up. “Name it.”

“I need you to stay here and keep an eye on the house.”

He narrowed his eyes. “You aren’t planning on doing something stupid are you?”

I gave him a solemn nod. “Yes, I am. But not in the way you think. My dad has some private contractors working on this. People that aren’t as restricted by the law.”

Mac looked like he had expected almost anything else to come out of my mouth.

“Black ops crap?” I nodded and he looked impressed. “I mean, I knew your old man was in the thick of things but I didn’t expect Deep Throat/Watergate—”

“We don’t have a lot of time.” I interrupted. “Can you do it?”

Pulling me into a quick embrace, Mac clapped me hard on the back.

“You don’t even need to ask. I got this. You bring my little sister home.” I had just started back inside when he stopped me. “And Joe? When you find that son of a bitch...give me a call. We can take care of this as a family.”

The intensely inclusive way he said it left me emotional. I thought of the little blonde baby inside the house and steeled myself. Nodding to him, I went inside to find Stacy. I found her in the living room with Tamryn and a new arrival.

Dr. Greene.

The two of them jumped to their feet like naughty teenagers who’d been caught making out. It was pretty obvious that they had been talking about me.

“Joe” Tamryn began. “I called Dr. Greene. I hope you don’t mind. I thought the two of you could talk.”

I shook the doc’s hand eagerly. I was glad to see him.

“Hey, Doc.”

“I just heard, Joe. Would you like to go into the other room and talk?”

“No.” I replied, neutrally. Tamryn’s face sank into deep lines of disappointment while the doc simply nodded and shrugged.

“Well, I’m here for a while. Or if you feel like talking later you can call me. I would be happy to stop back by.” I nodded at him and turned to Tamryn.

“I need you to watch Eva.” Shock warred with concern on her face as she searched my eyes for some explanation for this request.

“Why? Are you going to get some sleep?”

“No. Dad has something in the works.” Lowering my voice I glanced at the doorway leading to the dining room and motioned for her to move away with me. Dr. Greene tagged along but I figure hell, doctor patient confidentiality. “He has some of his people trying to find Molly. I’m going to find her, but I need to know that you’re here with Eva. I have to know that she’s safe.”

Tears welled in Tamryn’s eyes and she grabbed me by both arms.

“You think he can find them?” She thought about what she had just said and nodded. “What the hell am I saying? Of course he can. Just...promise me that you will be careful, Jojo.”

“I will.” It was all lies, but what else could I say? She was my sister, but I was going to war. I would have cut my own hand off to have them home safe. This barbaric bastard had once tried to drown my wife for wanting to soak in a bubble bath after a long day at work. He was psychotic and I was going to do whatever it took to stop him from hurting my family. No matter the cost. But if I went down, he was going with me.

Dr. Greene waited for Tamryn to leave the room in search of Eva and then stepped up next to me.

“Joe...”

“What?” I snapped the word out and he recoiled at the anger in my voice.

“Well, that makes me feel better. At least I know you’re exercising control over your emotions. I was afraid you might be completely suppressing them.”

“No, doc. I feel like shit. Deeply. Strike that. Shit has a complete leg up on how I feel right now. But there is no way in hell I’m going to sit around and wait for someone to find Molly for me. And with all due respect, I don’t have time to analyze any of this. You can either get the fuck out of my way or you can try to stop me. Which is it going to be?”

To his credit the doc didn’t shrink back from me one bit as my voice dropped to a dangerous growl. Instead, he raised a mollifying hand toward me.

“Neither, Joe. I’d like to come along.”