Kidnapping cold case, p.9
Kidnapping Cold Case, page 9
“Amen,” she echoed. She picked up a slice of pizza and took a bite. “Not bad.”
“What? The prayer or the pizza?” He seemed to be in a lighthearted mood. Maybe getting a few hours’ sleep had been healing for him, too.
“Both. All I need is some coffee.”
“Coming right up.” He jumped to his feet and made a fresh cup for her. When he returned, she gratefully accepted it.
“Thanks.” When he sat beside her again, she said, “I think we need to set me up in a place where the assailant can find me.”
Cash choked as his coffee went down the wrong pipe. “What?” he said between hacking coughs. “No way!”
“Do you need the Heimlich?” she asked with an arched brow.
“No!” He coughed again. “But we’re not setting you up as bait, Jacy. No way, no how.”
She’d had a feeling he wouldn’t like her idea. “Just hear me out, Cash.”
“No. Not happening.” He shook his head and drank from his water bottle to soothe his throat. “We’ll find this guy using old-fashioned detective work. Too many things could go wrong with trying to set a trap for him.”
She groaned and ate another bite of cold pizza. “It’s not as if things haven’t already gone wrong, Cash. He seems to know our every move.”
“Look, Jacy, I understand your frustration. I really do.” He turned in his seat and took both of her hands in his, giving her an imploring stare. “But I need you to work with me here. If we can find a way to unlock your memories, we’ll be able to mobilize every police force from Madison all the way to Appleton to find him.”
“I’ve tried that,” she protested. “It’s time to take more drastic action.”
“Not setting you up as bait,” he said firmly. “Let’s finish up here, and see if we can’t get the desk clerk to call a taxi. We’ll rent a different car then head over to speak with George Voight.”
She did not have one iota of hope that George would remember anything significant from ten years ago, but they did need a vehicle to get around. She decided to drop the subject of setting herself up to draw out the assailant.
For now.
When they’d finished polishing off the remains of their pizza, she headed over to her room to gather her things. After tucking her portfolio and her sketch pad into her bag, she returned to Cash’s room.
“I’ll take that for you.” He reached for her bag. “Let’s walk over to chat with the lobby clerk.”
She stayed back as Cash checked out of their rooms and requested a taxi. Within ten minutes, they were back on the road, heading to the closest rental car agency.
“What about the other SUV?” she asked in a hushed tone.
“I’ll pay to have it towed back to Appleton.” She winced, anticipating the cost, but he simply shrugged. “Better that, than to be caught by the assailant again.”
By the time they navigated the morning traffic and secured a replacement vehicle, it was nine thirty. When Cash entered the address for George Voight’s assisted-living complex, she wanted to groan when she noticed it was located on the other side of the city.
“I don’t know how you stand this traffic,” she muttered. “I’ll take Appleton over this mess any day.”
“I’m used to it.” He wedged his way between two cars, earning a honk from an irritated driver. “It’s not as bad as Chicago.”
“That’s true. I was only there for the six-month forensic artist training course and remember being glad I didn’t have a car at the time. It was a fun place to visit, but I had no desire to live there.”
Thirty minutes later, Cash finally pulled into the parking lot of George’s building. She and Cash walked inside and found his apartment number. When Cash leaned on the buzzer, there was no response for a long moment.
“Who is this?” a cranky voice finally answered.
“Detective Rawson with the Madison PD,” Cash answered. “I’m sorry to bother you, Mr. Voight, but I’d like to ask you a few questions.”
“Harrumph.” For a moment, Jacy thought he would tell them to get lost, but the elderly man unlocked the door so they could head upstairs.
They took the elevator since the Voight apartment was on the eighth floor. Cash strode down the hall and lightly knocked on the man’s door.
“It’s Detective Rawson,” Cash repeated. “I’m here with Jacy Urban.”
The door opened, revealing a tall, thin man with stooped shoulders and tuffs of gray hair around his ears. “Who?” he demanded, eyeing her with suspicion.
“This is Jacy Urban. She was abducted ten years ago, but managed to escape.”
George glowered but stepped back. “Come in, then,” he said grudgingly.
“Thank you.” Cash took her arm, drawing her forward. The apartment was about the same size as hers, although the kitchen seemed smaller.
“What’s this about?” George demanded once they were all seated in the living room.
“Ten years ago, you lived with your wife in a house on Corbin Lane,” Cash said. “Located a few blocks from the high school.”
“Yeah.” George nodded. “I remember. That was before Martha passed away.” He glanced around the room. “My kids thought I would be better off here.”
“It’s a very nice apartment,” Jacy said quickly.
“They offer three meals a day, so that’s nice.” George shrugged. “I was never much of a cook.”
“Did you ever speak to Detective Jane Ash about a missing girl?” Cash asked. “I believe your wife may have spoken to her.”
George looked thoughtful for a moment then nodded. “Yes, I remember now. A girl went missing, but was found. The police came to ask about what we saw.”
Cash darted a quick look at Jacy. “But you didn’t speak directly with Detective Ash, did you?”
“No, but I didn’t see anyone getting kidnapped.” George’s eyes came to rest on her. “You were the girl that night?”
“Yes, I was,” Jacy said. “And we have reason to believe other girls went missing over the next few months, and more recently, too, because of the same guy.”
“That’s not right. What is this world coming to?” George shook his head. “I wish I could help you, but I didn’t see anyone. Although I remember seeing you, young lady. You stopped right in front of the house then turned back to talk to someone behind you.”
A chill snaked down Jacy’s spine. “I did?”
“Yep.” George gave a firm nod. “You turned and headed back that way. I didn’t see who you were talking to, though.”
Jacy stared at him in shocked surprise. She didn’t remember stopping in front of his house and turning to talk to someone behind her.
Did this mean she’d known the person who’d abducted her? Why couldn’t she remember?
* * *
A surge of anticipation hit hard. Cash could barely keep himself from jumping up with excitement. George Voight had provided good information. Yeah, sure, he’d rather have a description that Jacy could work with, but he would take what he could get.
Especially since he could tell by Jacy’s expression that she didn’t remember anything about talking to someone on the sidewalk behind her that fateful night.
“Do you remember anything else?” Cash asked.
“Nah.” George waved a hand. “I’m not even sure why I happened to look out the window that night. I didn’t pay attention to the kids walking by, unless they were making a bunch of noise.”
“So, after Jacy turned to walk back a few steps, you didn’t hear anything? A scream? A cry for help?”
“Nothing,” George grumbled. “I would have told someone if I’d heard a scream.”
“I’m sure you would have,” Jacy murmured, still looking shell-shocked. “Thanks for taking the time to talk to us.”
“I wish I could be more help.” George pushed himself to his feet. Cash and Jacy followed him to the door. “Sorry about what happened.”
“I’m fine,” Jacy assured him.
“Thanks again for your time,” Cash added. He shook George’s hand then left the apartment.
Jacy was silent as they rode the elevator down to the main level.
“I guess it’s good we came,” she finally said. “Apparently, I must have recognized the assailant.”
“That’s one theory, but it could also be that a stranger called out for help.” He glanced at her. “You’re the type of person who would not have hesitated to offer assistance.”
“Maybe,” she breathed. “We need to find someone to hypnotize me. Or we need to set a trap for this guy. I don’t think I can take another day of driving around and waiting for him to make another attempt to hurt you and grab me.”
“He doesn’t know where we are.” He was getting irritated with her determination to set herself up as bait. He struggled to keep his voice even. “I would ask that you trust me, Jacy. Please? I won’t let this guy hurt you.”
She whirled and stabbed him in the chest with her index finger. “I don’t want him to hurt you, either, got it?”
His annoyance vanished and he fought a smile at her fierce tone. “Got it.”
She threw up her hands. “Why does it feel like I’m talking to a rock?”
“I hear you, Jacy.” He opened the passenger door for her. “We’ll see if we can find a place for hypnosis, and maybe I will get my hands on your high school yearbook. Those are two good places to start.”
She sighed and slid into the seat. “We need another place to stay, too.”
“Yeah, I know.” He was running low on finances, but didn’t want to mention that to Jacy. This was his plan, not hers. He didn’t expect her to fund it. His place wasn’t too far, and he felt certain it was safe enough to stop by to replenish his resources.
Safe enough to spend the night? Maybe. This assailant had found them by going back to the original scene of the crime. Cash honestly didn’t think the perp knew him by name.
Although the guy might assume he’s a cop, based on the way he’d returned fire.
He pulled away from the assisted-living complex, merging into traffic and then glancing at Jacy. “Would you be okay stopping at my place for a few things?”
She shrugged. “Sure. If you think it’s safe, I’m all for it.”
“Great.” He gestured to the GPS in the dashboard. “See if you can find a place to do hypnosis.”
She stared at it for a moment before reaching up to type with her index finger. “This seems odd, like we’re going to end up with someone who does this out of their basement or garage.”
“Okay, we can wait until we get to my place. I’ll call the psychologist who works with the department. Maybe she’ll have an idea.”
Jacy groaned. “Pretty sure that same psychologist referred me to Melanie Bush ten years ago.”
“You remember the name of the hypnotist?” He was surprised. “Why didn’t you mention that? We can try her again.”
“I think we should try someone else.” Jacy spread her hands. “Nothing against Melanie, but it didn’t work. My mind was too blocked. I never went under, despite how long she sat there talking, telling me to relax and take deep breaths.”
“Okay, you’re right. Starting over with someone new might be a good idea.”
“I’ll try my best to make it work,” Jacy said in a low voice. “I really don’t want to fail in this.”
“No pressure, Jacy. Just do your best.” He was concerned that the more emphasis she placed on this tactic and her ability, the more she’d subconsciously resist.
Not on purpose, of course. He was no expert, but the mind wasn’t always logical.
He found it surprising that hypnosis hadn’t worked, though. He’d think a young girl would be more susceptible to being hypnotized, but not in Jacy’s case.
“Do you really think paging through my old yearbook will help?” Jacy’s question brought him back to the present. “I don’t think substitute teachers are listed there.”
“I think we need to try. But I’m open to other ideas. Except for the one where you try to lure the assailant by yourself. That’s not up for discussion.”
“Like I want to put myself in harm’s way?” Jacy sounded exasperated. “It just seems like that’s the quickest way to find this guy. And I don’t understand why you won’t even consider it as a possible plan.”
He ground his teeth together but didn’t answer. For one thing, he cared about Jacy too much to use her like that. Besides, the police didn’t use civilians to draw out bad guys.
But they did sometimes use other cops as decoys.
“I’ll talk to my boss, see if we can’t find a female cop who fits the assailant’s preferred target.”
She sighed. “Okay, but that might take time. Easier for me to take on the role.”
Since that wasn’t an option, he didn’t bother to respond. They drove the rest of the way to his small house in silence. Property was expensive in Madison, but he’d found a fixer-upper four years ago and had been slowly renovating the place.
There was still some work to do but, overall, it looked much better than when he’d bought it. He pulled into the driveway, sweeping his eyes around the area to make sure there was nothing amiss.
The place looked exactly the way he’d left it forty-eight hours ago. He stepped from the driver’s side and went around to unlock the front door.
Jacy was behind him when he pushed the door open and walked inside. He narrowed his eyes, abruptly stopped and pulled his weapon.
“Stay back!” He spoke in a hushed whisper, gripping his service weapon tightly.
“What’s wrong?” Jacy gripped the back of his leather jacket.
The interior of his house looked fine, but he was keenly aware that his personal things had been moved around, slightly out of place. Someone had been there.
Cash hesitated, torn between keeping Jacy with him, and sending her back to the car. In the end, he whispered, “Stick close.”
“Okay,” she whispered.
He eased through the living area to the kitchen. After clearing that space, he turned to head down the hall to the bedrooms.
The hair on the back of his neck lifted in alarm when he saw the door to his room was closed. Normally, he left it open.
His gut jangled in warning. He quickly turned, pulling Jacy along with him to leave the house just as gunfire erupted from the bedroom.
Two bullets blasted through the door, whizzing past and missing them by inches!
NINE
The loud retort of gunfire reverberated through the house as Cash dragged her outside.
“Get in the car!”
She was already wrenching open the passenger’s-side door. Cash didn’t waste a second in sliding behind the wheel. He started the car, threw the gear in Reverse and shot out of the driveway into the street.
Jacy turned in her seat to check behind them. A tall figure wearing all black and a face mask ran out into the road, still holding a gun.
“He’s going to shoot again!” The sound of two more rounds of gunfire punctuated her shout.
Amazingly, the bullets didn’t hit their vehicle. Cash careened around a corner then punched the gas to shoot down the street.
Moments later, they were taking an on-ramp to the interstate. Jacy swallowed hard, her heart still hammering in her chest. “Where are we going?”
“I don’t know.” Cash’s expression could have been carved in granite. “Another motel far from here, that’s for sure. I never anticipated he’d be at my place, waiting for us.”
“I don’t blame you.” She drew in a calming breath. “If not for your quick actions in getting us out of there, this would have ended much differently.”
“We shouldn’t have been there in the first place. It burns to know I underestimated this guy.” Cash thumped his hand on the steering wheel. “I can’t believe he was hiding in the bedroom. That he knows my name, found my house and knows that I’m protecting you.”
The realization was sobering.
“I need to call this in,” Cash said, speaking more to himself, she thought, than to her.
“I’ll call.” She pulled out her disposable phone and frowned. “Do I dial 9-1-1?”
“I’m sure my neighbors have already reported the gunfire,” Cash said. “Call this number, then hand me your phone.”
She did as he instructed, giving him the phone.
“Lieutenant Timmons? This is Rawson. An assailant was hiding in my house and began shooting at us. We managed to get away, but I want the place combed for evidence. I don’t know how long he was hiding in my bedroom, but it’s possible he left DNA behind, along with several shell casings.”
Jacy couldn’t hear the other side of the conversation. After a long moment, Cash continued, “Yes, Jacy Urban has been targeted by several attacks over the past two days. We have reason to believe this most recent gunfire is related to the attack ten years ago, and possibly to the missing girls.” Another pause before Cash added, “Yes, sir. We’ll give our statements once we’re in a safe location.” He handed her the phone. “Thanks.”
“Is your boss upset?” She remembered Cash telling her he had come to Appleton despite his boss’s opinion that he was on a wild-goose chase.
“Not anymore.” The corner of Cash’s mouth kicked up in a wry smile. “He actually said I was right to head up to talk to you.”
“So he’ll assign officers to keep us safe?”
The hint of a smile vanished. “No. To be honest, I’d rather we stay on our own.”
“You don’t think this guy is a cop, do you?”
“No, it’s not that.” Cash shook his head. “I trust my boss, but this guy knows my name, where I live. I can’t risk the idea that he might glean some information from the police department. He could have a police scanner or some other way of getting intel. I’m not going to underestimate him again.”
