Those of the Margin: a Paranormal Suspense Thriller (Derek Cole Suspense Thriller Book 2) (16 page)

"I thought so," Derek said. "Find out anything else?"

"Sure did," John said. "When can you and Maggie meet me at the rectory? I have something that Ron wanted only you to see."

"Is it another notebook?" Derek asked as he remembered seeing Ron carry two notebooks with him when he walked out to the porch to meet with him.

"It is. How did you know that?"

"I'll tell you when I see you."

"See you in 30 minutes?" John asked.

"We'll be there."

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Maggie was going to arrive at the rectory much later than she, John, or Derek expected. Derek and she walked back to Derek's car, he drove her over to Perkins Cove, dropped her off at her car, and left to drive over to St. Mark's rectory. Maggie had every intention of joining Derek and John at the rectory, and would have been an enthusiastic participant in any conversations in which the newly formed "R&R Investigative Firm" would have been engaged. In fact, when she started her car, shifted into gear, and pulled out of her parking spot, Maggie had but one destination in mind: The rectory located behind St. Mark's Church.

But before she even reached the main road, her phone rang. It was the principal at Robby's school.

"Mrs. Bryant, I just wanted to make sure you were expecting your husband to pick up Robby early from school today. Robby seemed a bit too surprised to see his father show up today. Your husband said Robby has a doctor's appointment today?"

"Call the police," Maggie screamed. "Why did you let him take Robby?"

"Mrs. Bryant," the principal responded, "either parent has every right to sign their child out of school, I can't call the police since it was Robby's father, your husband who signed Robby out."

Maggie slammed on the breaks, having no idea where to go, who to call, or how to make sure her son was okay. Within seconds, her phone rang again. The caller ID told her it was her husband.

"Where is Robby?" she demanded.

"Calm down," Jack said. "He's fine. He's sleeping right now in the back seat. He told me he was up late last night listening to you talking with Father John and Derek Cole. What are you up to, Maggie?"

"Bring Robby home," she said. "If you..."

"If I what? You think I would hurt my own son?"

"Which son?" Maggie shot back, her voice teaming with anger, fear, and disgust.

"I have some advice for you, honey. You and your new friends should stop sticking your noses into other people's business. That's how people get hurt."

"What did you do to Ron?"

"Seriously, Maggie?" Jack said. "You seriously think that I would bash his head in with a baseball bat? For what reason? You have no idea what's going on."

"How did you know Ron was killed with a baseball bat?" Maggie said as terror washed over her. "Let me talk to Robby," she said after Jack didn't answer her question about the baseball bat.

"I told you," he said, his voice cutting through the cellular waves with perceived hatred. "He's asleep. All I am doing is keeping my son safe. You have no idea what you and your boyfriend are stirring up. Leave well enough alone, Maggie."

Maggie screamed at Jack, demanding that he bring Robby home and promising that if he did anything to hurt Robby, that she would make sure Jack would pay a horrible price. She screamed, but Jack heard nothing. The call ended after his last remarks.

#####

Derek had just taken his first sip of the coffee that John offered when his iPhone vibrated.

"Jack has Robby. I need you."

"Maggie, what do you mean 'Jack has Robby?'"

"He took him out of school. He just called me and told me that he is keeping Robby safe but won't bring him home to me."

"Call the police, then get over here, now!" Derek said.

"I have to go home and wait for Robby," Maggie said, her voice shaky with the intense crying that was quickly approaching.

"Maggie, no. Do not go to your house. That's what Jack thinks you'll do. Maggie, listen to me. I know it's impossibly hard, but you need to come over here with me and Father. We'll find Robby together and make sure that he isn't injured."

"He has my son," Maggie said as she lost the battle of holding back her tears. "He has Robby."

"Where are you? Pull your car over, and I'll come get you."

"He killed Ron," Maggie said between sobs. "He mentioned that Ron's head was bashed in with a baseball bat. How would he know a baseball bat was used unless he did it?"

"Maggie," Derek said as he slipped on his coat and was motioning to John to follow him out to his car, "tell me where you are. Father John and I will be there right away."

"He has Robby."

#####

Derek and John found Maggie, sitting in her parked car, sobbing into her hands. Derek opened the door, startling her, reached across her body, switched the ignition off, and removed her keys. John squeezed his way behind Derek and put his arm around Maggie.

"Come with me, Maggie," he said. "We'll find Robby and get him back home with you where he belongs."

The compassion she was being shown, coupled with the utter feeling of helplessness, was almost too much for her to handle. As she tried to stand to get out of her car, Maggie's legs gave way. She would have fallen to the ground if not for the swift reaction of Derek. He pulled her to her feet, cradled her in his arms, and practically carried her to his waiting car.

"Did you call the police?" Derek asked once all three were seated in his car.

"They can't do anything," she said. "Since Robby is his son, the police don't consider this a kidnapping."

"Did you say anything to them about Ron's murder?" John asked from the back seat of Derek's rented sedan.

"No," Maggie said, sighing deeply as she tried to collect herself. "I was more focused on trying to convince them to do something about my son being kidnapped."

"Did the police say that they would do anything about Robby?" Derek asked.

"They told me that they would put a bulletin out to their officers to keep an eye out for Jack's truck."

"I know you don't want to hear this, Maggie, but finding Robby is up to us."

"I know," she said.

"If Jack did kill Ron, he's probably feeling desperate since you basically accused him of it. As you know, desperate men do desperate things. I need you to steel yourself and call up all the strength that I know you have. I'm going to ask you to do things that you won't agree with and probably won't understand. Trust me. We will get your son back, but we have to be smart, calculated, and patient. You good?"

Maggie stiffened her spine, wiped away the tears from her cheeks, pulled her face into a grimaced smile and replied, "Where do we start?"

"Father," Derek began immediately, "I need you to take Maggie's keys, get in her car, and follow me to her house. I want you to stop about a quarter of mile away from her house and wait until I call you and tell you to drive the rest of the way. Understood?"

John took the keys from Derek and was soon sitting in Maggie's car. He pulled out and followed Derek towards Maggie's house. When he felt he was getting close, John pulled off to the side of the road and waited for Derek's call.

"What does Jack's truck look like?" Derek asked Maggie who had moved to the backseat and was crouching down per Derek's instructions.

"It's a 2011 Ford F150. Dark blue, four doors, and has a chrome tool box in the bed."

"Good. Now keep your head down."

Derek drove past Maggie's house a few miles faster than what the posted speed limit signs commanded. Seeing no sign of Jack's truck or anything that gave him concern, he pulled over to the side of the road and called John.

"Okay, drive up to Maggie's house, pull into the driveway, but don't shut the car off or get out of the car till I pull in behind you. Okay?"

"I'm two minutes away."

John pulled the car into the driveway, kept the car running, and the door shut. He felt a sense of intense nervousness as he waited for what seemed like 20 minutes until Derek pulled into the driveway behind him.

John shut off the car, pocketed the keys, then made his way to Derek's backseat.

As soon as John was seated, Derek put his car into reverse, pulled out of the driveway and drove his car a few hundred yards down the road before pulling off to the side of the road.

"Wait here," he said as he climbed out of his car. "Father, I need you to get into the front seat. If you see Jack's truck drive by, drive the car to the nearest gas station and wait until I call you. Understood?"

"What are you going to do?" Maggie asked.

"Just want to set up a few things around your house. Shouldn't take me more than 15 minutes. Remember, if you see Jack's truck, calmly pull the car onto the road and drive to the nearest gas station. And Maggie, keep out of sight."

True to his word, Derek was back at the car 15 minutes after he left. John returned to the passenger's side as Derek, after reminding Maggie to stay hidden, pulled the car onto the road and headed towards St. Mark's. After ten minutes, Derek told Maggie it was safe for her to sit upright.

"What did you set up at my house?" she asked.

"Just a few tricks I've learned over the years to tell if someone makes entry to a structure."

"Did you look inside? Was Robby there?"

"Took a quick peak. Nothing important to see except that I noticed you didn't do the breakfast dishes, yet."

"Thanks for noticing."

The three sat in silence for the 10-minute ride to St. Mark's. Maggie spent the time fighting off tears and constantly checking that her phone had a strong signal. John sat in quiet reflection, dividing his thoughts between the mystery of Phillip, the murder of Ron White, and his intense worry for Robby. Derek forced himself to keep focused on resolving the most pressing concern: getting Robby back safely.

He knew that if Jack was responsible for Ron's death, it was likely that he would use Robby as a shield, placing him in a position for both emotional and physical pain. He also feared that if Jack began to think that authorities were closing in on him, that he could snap under the pressure and do something to himself or to Robby from which Maggie would never recover.

When they arrived at the rectory, John invited Derek and Maggie to make themselves comfortable in his private den.
 

"I just need to check my voice messages and emails. Feel free to help yourself to whatever you need in the kitchen or in that little cupboard there in the corner. And if you do help yourself to the contents contained in that cupboard, know that I prefer my martinis very dry."

When Derek and Maggie were alone, and after Derek poured Maggie a strong vodka and cranberry, he sat next to her on the couch. The moment he placed his arm around her shoulders was the same moment that the coming storm of emotion burst open. Maggie cried the restricted tears of her past 15 years. As he held her trembling body, Derek listened as Maggie spoke about everything that she had denied or ignored about her husband.

She spoke of how painful it was when she learned of his unfaithfulness and how Jack's response to her suggestive accusations, scared her.

"He never hit me, but I saw something in his eyes that day. Like he turned into a monster. Then, as soon as it started, it was over, and he was back to his normal self."

"Maggie," Jack said, "I know this is hard to do, but I need you to not jump to any conclusions yet. Yes, Jack may have some psychological disorder and, yes, he may have killed his father and quite possibly Ron White as well, but we don't know anything for sure yet. And we don't know why he took Robby from school or what he thinks having him will do for him."

"Can you speak to the police and get them to do something?" she pleaded.

"I don't think that would be a good idea at this point. If Jack is responsible for Ron's murder, and if the police make it public that they are searching for him, there's no telling what could happen."

"I'm afraid it's too late for that." John had walked into the room without Maggie or Derek noticing. He walked over to the small TV positioned in the corner of the den, turned it on, and using the remote control, changed the channel to the local news station.

"Again, if you're just joining us," the straight-faced anchorman said, "State Police are looking for a local resident named 'Jack Bryant,' who police say is a person of interest in the Ron White murder. Captain Ted Olasnksi of the Maine State Police would not confirm the story that Jack Bryant had removed his son from school early today, according to some eye witnesses at the school Jack Bryant's son attends. In other news...."

"Maggie,' Derek said after John turned the TV off, "we need to get you to the police station. Right now."

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

There were too many questions left hanging in the air for Derek. What started off as a case accepted out of a sense of obligation had morphed into a bizarre blend of murder, paranormal encounters, and kidnapping, mixed together with his unwanted but undeniable feelings for Maggie. Derek, for the first time in his freelance career, didn't know what to do.

After John brought Maggie to the nearest State Police Troop headquarters, Derek returned to his hotel room. As he sat on his bed, holding the notebook that Ron White wanted only Derek to see, Derek began tracing the scar on his cheek while desperately seeking divine assistance.

"Lucy," he said, "I don't know if you can hear me, and I don't know if you can help me, but if you could put a word into the big guy's ear, I would really appreciate it."

Derek had no sooner reopened his eyes before his iPhone vibrated.

"Ralph," Derek said, "you may just be an answer to my prayer."

"Now I must say that I have never heard that before, but before I take it as a compliment, I should ask what you were praying for. If you tell me that you was praying to talk to a moron, then I won't feel at all complimented."

"For help, Ralph," Derek said. "I was praying for help."

"Based on what I am hearing from my channels of intel, you need more help than you are probably aware of."

"I take it you heard that Jack Bryant is wanted for the murder of Ron White, and that he kidnapped his son?"