The Deputy's Duty. Terri Reed
Surprise washed over Meghan.
“She had that much cash on her?” Ryan voiced the question rising inside Meghan.
“Yeah. I could tell she was rich. Liked to look down her nose at others. I know the type.”
Christina had obviously been planning her escape to have so much cash at the ready.
“What did she want you to do?”
He shrugged. “To go with her to get the kid and make sure they got to the airport safely.”
“Do you know where they were planning to fly to?”
He shook his head. “Naw. She thought I was just a big dumb guy she could boss around. For five grand, I let her.”
“Which airline did you drop her off at?”
Jay shook his head. “Didn’t. She changed her mind.”
Ryan pinned him with a look. “Then where is Christina and the toddler now?”
He shrugged. “Don’t know.”
Meghan pressed her hands against the glass willing the man to talk.
“Where did you leave them?” Ryan’s tone echoed with irritation.
“She wanted to be dropped off at the mall.”
Meghan’s stomach sank.
“Mall? Where? Which one?” Ryan asked sharply. His gaze strayed to the mirrored wall and bounced away.
“The fancy one, near the expressway.”
“Did she talk to anyone?” Ryan pressed. “Was she meeting someone there?”
Jay shook his head. “I didn’t see anyone. But she could have been meeting someone. She made a call on her cell.”
Meghan’s pulse sped up. She strained forward.
“Did you hear a name?”
“Naw. She was talking real low. Couldn’t hear anything. She sat in the back like I was her chauffeur or something.”
“You didn’t hear anything to let you know where she was headed or what her plans were?” Doubt infused Ryan’s tone.
“Naw, man. That’s all I know.”
Ryan straightened and nodded to the chief who’d hung back without saying a word. The men exited the room.
Meghan met Ryan in the hall. Chief Danhoff headed away. “We have to get back to Revere. To the Northgate Shopping Center, it’s right off the Northeast Expressway.”
“Chief’s already making contact with Revere P.D.”
“Let’s go!” She turned toward the door.
Ryan snagged her elbow and held on. “We’re going to let the Revere P.D. handle this. You’ve done enough.”
She jerked her arm out of his grasp. “You can stay here. But I’m going to the mall.”
His frustrated growl sent a shiver down her back as she rushed for the front door.
“Hold up.” Ryan’s agitated voice halted her as she pushed open the glass doors. He limped as fast as he could toward her, each step bringing a wince of pain. Empathy rose. She knew what it was like to have to function while hurt. The abuse she’d suffered at the hands of her ex-husband had made some days nearly unbearable.
He reached her side. “Can we at least wait to see if the mall security can locate them? We don’t know whether or not she had another car already waiting to whisk them away.”
“But we have to do something!”
“You’re right. But us driving all over the place chasing our tails is not going to bring Georgina back. We need to be patient.”
“Easy for you to say,” she muttered.
He looked her in the eye. “No, actually, it’s not.”
She believed him. He was a man of action, used to being in control. He was a Fitzgerald, after all. He was probably accustomed to snapping his fingers and having the world jump to attention. Even as the uncharitable thought formed she dismissed it. Ryan may be many things but pompous wasn’t one of them.
Chief Danhoff halted beside Ryan. “Mall security has locked down the mall and the Revere P.D. is on the scene. We’ll know something shortly.”
“Good.” Ryan looked at Meghan expectantly.
Conflicted, she hesitated. She wanted to jump in the car and hightail it back to Revere, but if Christina and Georgina weren’t at the mall, then the trip would be wasted. Better to stay put and be ready to move when they were found. She acquiesced and released her hold on the door.
The seconds ticked by. Meghan tapped one foot in a rhythmic cadence. Ryan placed a hand on her arm. The light contact stilled her nerves in a way she’d never experienced before. The tapping stopped. It wasn’t an unpleasant sensation, yet it left her feeling vulnerable. She frowned and moved away from his touch. Instantly her nerves jumped to life. She paced the length of the entryway.
“Chief,” called the desk sergeant, holding up a phone. “It’s the Revere P.D.”
Anticipation grabbed hold of Meghan as she and Ryan followed Danhoff toward the phone. Danhoff took the call, listened for a moment then thanked the officer on the other end. His grim expression turned Meghan’s blood cold.
“The Revere police did a thorough search. Mrs. Hennessy and her daughter are nowhere to be found.”
Meghan fought back tears. She’d had Georgina in her arms. Anxiety fisted in her chest, creating a deep ache that nearly drove her to her knees. Her last remaining relative was in danger.
“What about security cameras?” Ryan asked.
Danhoff shook his head. “They have them entering through the south entrance of the mall and going inside one of the big department stores. They lost them in the women’s restroom. They never came out.”
“How can that be?” Meghan questioned, her voice rising with disbelief. “Someone had to have seen them.”
“Christina was prepared. She most likely had a disguise ready and changed her and Georgina’s appearance in the bathroom.” Ryan ran a hand through his short-cropped dark hair. “I can’t believe this.”
Meghan couldn’t, either. The trail had gone ice cold. Despair and fear clawed at her throat. Tears stung her eyes.
Now what?
* * *
Traffic on the way back to Fitzgerald Bay added to Meghan’s frustration. Not only had they lost Georgina, they had no idea where to look for her. Christina could have taken her anywhere.
Heart aching, Meghan sent up a silent prayer of protection for Georgina.
In the passenger seat Ryan shifted, again. From the moment they’d left the Portsmouth Police Department, he’d been restless and kept looking in the side-view mirror.
“What are you doing?” she finally asked after he turned in his seat with a groan, because of his hurt ribs, to stare out the back window for the umpteenth time.
“We have a tail,” he stated, facing forward again.
She frowned. “A tail? Like in being followed?”
“Yeah, exactly like.”
She glanced through the rearview mirror at the multitude of cars dotting the highway behind them. “There’s so much traffic. How can you tell?”
“There’s a silver van about five cars back. I saw it at the police station. It’s been keeping the same distance for the past ten miles.”