The Rescuer (37 page)

He rubbed her arm. "Did you know your abductor?"

She didn't answer him.

Stephen turned her face toward him and brushed his hand along her cheek. "You can trust me with whatever that answer is."

"I trust you. I just don't want to talk about it."

Someone she knew. It must be someone she knew.

And if he pushed, he'd be adding to the pressure she felt. "We'l talk later, then. I may be gone a good part of this morning. I'l be going up

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soon with the police helicopter to comb the area for others who need help. Jack is part of that area search team and he needs another paramedic out there. If you get done here, would you head out to your parents and I'l meet you there later?"

"Yes. I'l stop by with Mom and take care of your animals if you like."

"I'd appreciate that. Maybe I'l just say a Eirief hi to Kate from the doorway Labor is hard to watch."

Meghan laughed and got to her feet. "Its hard to endure too. Come on; I'l hold your hand."

Because her smile had returned, Stephen took her up on the offer. They went back into the clinic and walked through to a comfortable room at the back.

Dave was sitting by Kate's side, feeding her ice chips.

Both looked like they had been through a battle.

Uncertain about this, wishing he hadn't asked, Stephen walked over to Kate. He gently touched her sweaty hand. "Hi."

She opened her eyes enough to smile at him. "I'm having a baby, not dying. This is just tiring work."

Dave fed her more ice. "We have a baby who has decided to take her time in coming."

Kate groaned as another contraction hit.

Meghan slipped her hand in his and Stephen squeezed it, appreciating the comfort.

Ashley timed the latest contraction. "Why don't you go find your dad, Meg? I think this little one is final y ready to make an appearance."

"About time," Kate panted.

Dave wiped her forehead. "Tomorrow you'l be saying it wasn't so bad."

"Then I'd be lying."

Dave laughed and kissed her forehead.

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The police helicopter landed east of the bank and Stephen hurried toward it. Jack shoved open the door for him. "We've got to rush it-they've only got fuel for another forty minutes before they have to divert to the airport, and there's a lot of territory to cover."

Stephen clipped on the seat restraints. "I'm good."

The pilot lifted off.

Jack handed over a map. "We've been searching the tornado path west along the highway and it's a wide swath. They think a couple secondary twisters in the storm front added to the damage. Teams of searchers are fanning out along the roads to check damaged structures, but some of the remote homes can only be reached by air."

"How many injunes so far?"

"Twelve, nothing serious. We're transporting to the nearest ground team if it's not life threatening."

Stephen found a place to store the extra gloves he'd brought. "Where's Tom working?"

"South of here, at a col apsed silo. Two teams are trying to reach a trapped man."

"Did Tom have anything to pass on regarding last night?"

"Tom spotted a car leaving the area where the ring was left, but he lost it right about here in this cloverleaf of roads. I'm betting the guy headed toward the river. But that road, at that time

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of night-he was driving across the path of the twister.

He would have been hit with the brunt of this storm front."

"Do we know anything about the make and model of the car?"

"Tom saw enough to place it as a late model tan Toyota."

"Keep your eyes peeled for it just in case we get lucky and the guy had a flat tire or drove himself into a ditch."

The odds they would find the car eight hours later were slim, but Stephen couldn't stand the idea of Meghan's abductor getting away.

"Wil do." Jack dug out a second pair of binoculars and handed them over.

The helicopter passed over the path of the tornado.

The ground had been stripped down to the dirt, and a long trail of debris adorned the path. Stephen started searching the area for signs of anyone needing help.

"Jack, down there!" Stephen slapped his brothers shoulder and pointed to the country road to their east.

From the air the vehicle was a shiny reflection in the sun against the water. It rested upside down on the banks of an overflowing stream, shoved there during the night by a powerful flow of water. "It's not tagged."

Searchers had been leaving bright fluorescent stickers on structures and vehicles they checked to mark them as cleared. Stephen was pretty sure even at these angles that the vehicle had tan paint.

"Let's check it out."

The helicopter pilot nodded and banked them toward the stream. Stephen reached for a couple fluorescent tags. As soon as the helicopter touched ground, Jack shoved open the door. Stephen undipped his restraints and fol owed his brother. They jogged toward the crash.

"The car isn't stable," Jack warned, seeing the water rock it.

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"Help me down over there. I can get near enough to check if it's empty." Stephen pul ed on his gloves. It was a tan Toyota. He wanted to check this vehicle for more reasons than just an injured driver. Jack tested how secure the tree was at the top of the incline and nodded, then got a good hold and offered Stephen a hand to help ease his way down.

Stephen scrambled not to topple into the water as his feet hit the stream bank. "This water is freezing." He picked his way downstream to reach the car and knelt to peer through the broken-out side window. "It's empty!"

"He probably abandoned the vehicle before the worst of the storm came through."

"Maybe. The river water did a number on the inside-there's nothing in the car not fastened down." He tried to reach in and open the glove box but it was jammed.

Stephen pushed himself away from the car, disappointed. If this was the car Meghan had been in, there was nothing here to help him. He slapped the fluorescent tags on so they could be seen from the air.

Stephen elected to pass the car and go up the bank farther downstream. He saw the case as he reached for a low-lying tree limb. Open, wedged against the tree roots, the velvet was destroyed by the wrater. It was the case he'd held last night, found in the piano bench. He reached for it.

The hinge had broken and the top of the case had cracked. Beyond water and mud it was empty. He searched the stream bank and nothing caught his attention. If the jewelry was anywhere here to be found, it would take a miracle to find it.

"This is the car." Stephen held up the box. "This is the jewelry box."

"There isn't going to be much forensic evidence worth finding. The river ran through the car for the night." Jack leaned down to help him out of the ravine. "Stay and search?" Jack asked. "The guy may be around here."

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"If a dnver's injured out here, we'l have better luck spotting him from the air," Stephen said. "Cal Tom so he can mark the car and have it hauled in for evidence.

Maybe they can trace the license plate. I bet the guy had another vehicle waiting and this car was abandoned here. There'd be no need to take an empty box along when he could stuff the jewels in his pocket."

"At least it's a solid lead."**

Stephen had the feeling that it was the last clue they would get. The guy was gone.

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Stephen cradled his two-and-a-half-week-old niece against his chest and walked around the hotel banquet room, lul ing Hol y back to sleep. Jennifer had asked that he be happy, settled, and at peace with life. He couldn't get more content than this. Hol y was perfection. Dark hair like Kate's, perfect eyelashes, cute fingers. Her skin was so incredibly soft.

He was an uncle.

Cole and Rachel's wedding this afternoon had been perfect in its simplicity and Jack and Cassie's tomorrow would be a daylong party. Tonight Kate, Dave, and their new daughter were stealing the show.

"Stephen, come over here."

He turned. Kate patted the open spot on the couch beside her. "I think Hol y already has you wrapped around her little finger. I've never seen you so relaxed."

"Your daughter might have something to do with it." He smiled at Meghan seated beside Kate. She had a lot more to do with it. "Want to hold Hol y, Meg?"

"Please."

He careful y transferred the sleeping infant and then sat on the couch beside Meghan. He stretched out his arm and rested it along the back of the couch and around her shoulders. He idly twirled a lock of Meghan's hair around his finger. "Jack wants to go shoot a few baskets tonight to run off some nerves. Do you 340

think you'l be okay here with Blackie for an hour? I'd better go along to keep him out of trouble." The dog lifted his head at the sound of his name, and Stephen reached down to rub his ears. Blackie was stil showing the aftereffects of having lost Meghan. He did not let her leave a room without going after her. "I'l be fine here; you don't have to hurry back." He smiled at her. "You just want to tug more^stories out of Kate."

Stephen leaned over and kissed her. "I'l be back in an hour."

Stephen slapped the basketbal away from Jack, took off for the basket, and made a layup. "That's sixteen."

Jack chased down the bal . "Lucky grab." Jack tossed him the bal and Stephen tossed it back, putting it in play. This was the way they had formed their friendship decades ago, doing friendly battle over a basketbal court.

"So are you ready to get married tomorrow?"

"Past ready." Jack cut around him and tried to dunk the bal . "I was pleased to see Meghan came with you."

"You'l forgive me if my attention as best man tomorrow is not entirely on my duties."

The gym door opened. Marcus walked in but not dressed to play bal ; he was stil in a suit from the party.

"Hey, guys. Stephen, I need you a minute."

Stephen offered his hand to Jack. "Cal it a draw?"

"Deal." Jack headed over to the bench where Cassie sat watching the game.

Stephen jogged over to Marcus. "What's happening?"

"Maybe a few answers." Marcus offered a file he held.

"Kate wants to know if you happen to recognize these.

They were couriered over tonight."

Stephen took the file. He was looking at a photo of the jewelry that had nearly cost him Meghan's life. The emerald earrings

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in particular were bril iant. His gaze shot up to hold Marcus's.

"You recognize them?"

Stephen closed the file and handed it to Marcus.

"Those are the pieces we found in the piano bench, that Meghan was carrying the night she was snatched."

"Someone tried to resel them in St. Louis."

"Who was it?"

"The recovered car was rented to Jonathan Peters, and the description of the guy in St. Louis fits him."

"The pianist?" Stephen said.

"Yes. He's using his credit cards, but we haven't been able to put our hands on him yet."

"Meghan is going to be horrified."

Marcus gave a smal smile. "Nice standing up for your lady. You know she already knows it was him."

"She'l never testify against him."

"That's pretty obvious." Marcus tucked the file under his arm.

Meghan was trying so hard to keep it quiet rather than say it had been a friend. "Does she have to know the stones were recovered?"

"For now the photos become part of the file. If we catch Jonathan, then we'l see what kind of case can be made."

Stephen relaxed. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Marcus nodded to Jack. "Letting him win as a wedding present?"

Stephen looked over at his brother. "Now would I do that?"

Marcus laughed and strol ed toward Cassie. "I think I'l stick around and watch the end of this game."

Stephen stopped by his hotel room to clean up and retrieve a package from his suitcase before returning to the gathering. Kate

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looked to be asleep. Stephen paused by the couch to look down at her and then over at Dave sitting in the chair just watching his wife sleep. He shared a smile with him. Stephen looked around for Hol y. Meghan had her, strol ing back and forth in front of the windows as she rocked the infant. Stephen moved to join them, whistling softly.

Her head came up and she gave a half turrftoward him.

"You look very comfortable."

She smiled as she rested her head against Hol y. "I am. How was the game?"

"I let Jack win, but don't tel him that." He hesitated, but knew it was only a matter of time before the police apprehended Jonathan. "They found the jewelry, Meg.

They know it was Jonathan."

Her sudden tension woke Hol y and Stephen rested a hand on Meghan's shoulder to ease the reaction.

"They picked him up?"

"Not yet, but they likely wil soon."

Meghan sighed and rocked Hol y to calm the infant.

"He threatened to use the jewels he did have to point the mob boss toward you as the thief. I've known Jonathan a long time. He was desperate, and I couldn't figure what he might do. And I didn't want to be the one to turn him in for kidnapping. He was a friend, even if he'd forgotten that fact. I wish I had been able to talk him into giving himself up."

"Don't, honey You can't protect him from the results of his own choices."

"Wil I have to testify against him?"

He stroked her shoulder with his thumb. "If you do, I'l be there with you. At least this ends it. The theft ring was Neil and Craig and Jonathan. It's final y over."

"Yes." Meghan smiled slightly. "I'm glad. I want my peaceful life back."

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"So do I, as long as I get to be part of your peaceful future." He touched his niece's little hand. "I have something for you, but you'l have to trade me Hol y."

"That's going to have to be something pretty special."

"Hmm, it is."

She careful y handed him the infant and Stephen settled his niece against his chest. "I'm in love with this little lady." He tucked the blanket snugly around the child. "Months ago, I had Neil make me something."

"I remember the receipt in the register. He just noted it was a customized piece."