Chemical Attraction, page 18
Rubbing Matt wasn’t a chore; she missed it. Massaging his leg, she felt his entire body relax. She smiled; she still held the power to manipulate his body.
“You’re making me drool on the carpet,” he mumbled.
“Good, slobber away.” She didn’t have to ask him twice to turn over.
He sighed as she rubbed his temples. “The guys would be so jealous,” he said.
“You tell them?”
“Hell no, I don’t want any images of you giving massages in their heads.”
“Okay, calm down. You’re ruining my hard work.” She kissed his forehead and continued massaging his arm. He dozed in and out.
When his cell phone rang, Matt abruptly sat up. Eva walked over to his dresser and passed it to him. He checked the Caller ID. “This better be important,” he growled.
“Chief, it’s Brayland. We found another body.”
“Where?”
“In an alley by the Village Inn, someone called it in around two this morning. Sheriff Benton wants you to join him in the morgue.”
Hanging up, he shook his head. “Am I ever going to get a Saturday for myself?”
“What now?” she asked, washing her hands in their bathroom.
“Another death,” he replied, putting on his jeans and t-shirt. “I’ll be home by noon.”
With his gun and badge clipped to his jeans, Matt walked into the morgue once again to see Sheriff Benton, Dr. Ellis, and his assistant Norman standing over a body. The sheriff waved him in as Dr. Ellis covered it.
“What happened this time?” he asked with a sigh.
“The guy’s name is Corey Wagner,” the sheriff said.
“Is this an animal attack?” he asked.
“Someone murdered this man by snapping his neck. He also has a fractured skull,” Dr. Ellis replied.
He stared at the bloody sheet. “Is this related to the animal attacks?”
“I don’t see how. Since it’s within city limits, it’s all yours,” the sheriff replied.
“How soon before I get the report, Dr. Ellis?”
“A couple of days. As you know, I’m a bit backed up.”
“You’ll add the tox screen, too?”
“I always do,” he replied. “Norman, store him until we get the others done.”
“Sheriff, I’d also like the tox report on Jack Adams,” Matt said.
“Why?”
“He was a friend of mine and I don’t think he’s responsible.”
“I’ll send you a copy of the full report. Okay with you, Sheriff?” Dr. Ellis asked.
“Uh, yeah, sure.”
As Matt walked back to his cruiser, his cell rang. Bobby told him that Simon Baker was last seen with the victim. He drove over and knocked on the Bakers’ front door.
“Mrs. Baker? Simon? It’s Chief Connor.” He heard a distant voice. He opened the door cautiously. “Simon? Mrs. Baker?”
“I’m in here,” Shirley yelled with a cough.
Checking each room, he followed the voice to a back bedroom and stood in the doorway. “I’m looking for Simon. Is he around?”
Sitting up in bed, she coughed again. “He has a night job at BennTech now.”
“What time does he usually get home?”
“Oh my, it’s eleven already,” she said, looking at the clock. “He should have been home by now. He comes through the door at eight.”
“So you haven’t seen him since last night?”
“I told him to treat himself to a slice of pizza before work. What’s going on?” she asked, clearing her throat.
“I really need to find him. There was an incident last night. The man killed was last seen with Simon.”
She started having a coughing fit and leaned over for the glass of water on her bedside table. “He would never hurt anyone,” she choked.
“I need to find out what happened.”
“I don’t know where he is, but he has gotten beaten up a few times,” she replied, sipping the water.
He leaned on the doorframe. “By whom?”
“He said he was clumsy at work, but I don’t believe it. Your wife knows. She’s seen him in her department.”
“Is it okay to ask her about it?” He knew Eva wouldn’t say anything without permission.
“Of course, find him before he gets hurt,” she said with tears in her eyes.
“If he shows up, you call only me.” He handed her a card with his cell number. “I don’t want him hurt either.”
Eva knew her husband would probably be late. She watched him leave too afraid to say anything. Her fears increased for her husband, her family, and their town. She sorted the laundry and threw in a load to wash. She pulled out frozen chicken breasts to thaw for a salad. She quickly dusted the living room and swept the kitchen floor. Stirring the chicken in the pan, she heard the screen door bang shut.
“Wow, I didn’t think you’d be home yet. Lunch isn’t ready.”
She peeked around the doorway into the mudroom. A hulking man with a black ski mask stood by the dryer off to the side. Startled, she quickly backed into the kitchen. Taking his time, he followed. She pushed a chair between them. He knocked it over. She grabbed the pan off the stove and threw it at him. Partially raw chicken hit him in the chest and scattered all over her clean floor.
“What do you want?” she yelled, moving around the table.
He shoved chairs out of his way. “I wanna have a little fun.”
She vaguely recognized the voice. He slipped on a piece of chicken, and she ran down the hall to her bedroom. She slammed the door and locked it. Running for the bathroom, she locked that one as well. Trapped, she looked around for a weapon. Hearing the bedroom door crash open, she grabbed her lipstick and wrote a note on the mirror.
Knowing he’d break down the bathroom door, she opened it and made a run for the bedroom window. He cut her off. Backed into the corner by her chair, she whipped her flashlight and then the lamp at his head. She missed. He laughed and walked closer. She panicked as she ran out of items to throw.
Laughing, he picked her up off the floor with his arm around her waist. She kicked and tried all the self-defense moves Matt had taught her. She used her foot to swing back and hit him in the shin. He threw her on the bed. She scrambled toward the headboard out of his reach. Laughter left him as he yanked on the comforter. Grabbing her ankle, he slid her closer.
“You can’t get away from me.”
As she tried to remember his voice, he punched her in the jaw, knocking her out.
Leaving Simon’s house, Matt drove to BennTech. He dialed the station to leave a message for Brayland about the autopsy and his meeting with Mrs. Baker. The parking lot half full of cars told him he wasn’t the only one working on a Saturday.
“Hi Chief, what can I do for you?” June asked from her security desk.
“I need to find out if a certain employee worked last night.”
“I can access that. What’s the name?” she asked, sitting behind the computer.
“Simon Baker, he’s on the third shift,” he replied, leaning on the counter. “How’s your son? I remember his fascination with my siren on Career Day at the elementary school.”
“He likes all the loud toys. Okay, here it is. No, he didn’t scan in.”
He handed her his card. “Call me if he shows up?”
“Sure. Hey, I met your wife the other day and her brother.” She smiled. “Rumor is he and Dr. Pierce moved in together.”
He chuckled. “I heard that, too. Thanks for the help.” He walked back to his cruiser in the circular drive. As he buckled his seatbelt, his cell rang again. Resisting the temptation to throw it out the window, he answered.
“Dad, come home now. Mom’s missing.”
“What do you mean?”
David’s voice quaked. “Someone took her. There’s a note.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” He flew. Until he knew more, he left his siren and lights off, so not to draw attention. Keeping his panic down, he pulled into the driveway. David stood in the garage next to Eva’s car holding a piece of paper with the grilling tongs. Matt took the tongs and set them on the trunk of his wife’s car. “Start from the beginning.”
“I dropped Kim off after we visited the boys at the hospital and then I came home. Dad, I didn’t touch a thing, only the screen door. It’s a mess in there. I yelled for her, found that on the kitchen table, and then called you.”
He looked closer at the note. On a white sheet of computer paper, someone wrote I have your wife. Do as I say or I will hurt and kill her. I will call with my demands. DO NOT INVOLVE ANYONE!
“Shit,” he said. His heart rose into his throat.
“Dad, what are we going to do? We can’t tell anyone, can we?”
“First, let’s look for clues, and then we’ll figure out how to get your mom back.” He carefully walked into the mudroom. “David, go to my cruiser. In the trunk is a large black suitcase. Set it on the hood of your mom’s car in the garage and I’ll be right back.”
In the doorway, he looked around the kitchen. He bent over to feel the still warm frying pan overturned on the floor. Damn it, he should have been on time. Stepping around partially cooked chunks of chicken, he walked slowly down the hallway. He noticed the huge boot print on the door. In their bedroom, the comforter was off the bed and the lamp, radio, and other stuff were scattered across the floor. He carefully moved into the bathroom.
“That’s my girl.”
On the mirror in lipstick, she wrote six foot, white male, mask, gloves, red-t, jeans, know voice. He backtracked to the garage and told David about the message. He opened the suitcase and pulled out his equipment.
“Okay, since your mom knows the voice, we can’t trust anyone.”
“Why didn’t she say who it was?” he asked, biting his nail.
“Maybe she couldn’t place it right then. So, what do we know?” He kept David focused, which helped him in the process.
“We have a description, sort of, and the voice is an acquaintance or someone she’s met.”
“Good, so until we know what he wants, we stay put, and quiet.” He willed his heart to slow down.
“That’s all?”
“While we wait, let’s process the scene.”
With a deep sigh, he thought about the SOB that had his wife. Could he be blackmailed and give in to the demands? He doubted that this was for money. This had to do with Joe’s case. He’d call him after he heard from her abductor.
He and David worked together. They took pictures and actually had a good boot print from the bedroom door. They did everything by the book. It took them all afternoon and well into the evening. It kept them busy until the knock on the front door. He approached cautiously. David stood off to the side. Through the curtain, they saw Sheriff Benton standing with files in his hand. Matt cracked the door slightly.
“Why the house call?” he asked.
The sheriff tried to peer in. “I wanted to drop off these reports.”
“Thanks,” he replied, taking them through the crack.
“What’s going on, Matt? You seem distracted.”
“You know the stress of our jobs,” he said as the house phone rang. “I gotta get that, Jim. Thanks for the files.” He quickly closed the door. In the living room, he reached for the house phone while David grabbed the one in the bedroom.
“I will enjoy killing her if you don’t stop investigating,” a muffled voice replied.
“Investigating what?” he asked.
“Everything,” the voice said, laughing.
“Let me talk to her,” Matt insisted.
“No, don’t tell anyone or I’ll make her cry like a rabbit in a dog’s jaw,” the voice said before hanging up.
He stood stunned. David came out of the bedroom shocked as well. “Dad, I know—,” he started as the sheriff knocked again.
“Quiet, David.” He opened the door. “What?”
“I forgot to give you this one.” With another brown folder in his hand, Benton stared at him. “What the hell is going on?” He pushed his way through the door and saw the equipment and the mess. “Where’s Eva?” he demanded.
“Someone’s grabbed her,” Matt said, rubbing the back of his head.
“When?”
“This afternoon.”
“Dad, I need to talk to you.”
“David, let me talk to your father.” Benton glared. “What have you found?”
Matt filled him in on the what but not the why. Biting his hangnails, David paced.
“Give me your evidence. You do nothing, but sit and wait. I’ll get my boys on it.”
“I’ve got to do something,” he replied.
Benton gathered the evidence. “No interference.”
After the sheriff left, he sat quietly and rubbed his neck. He had no choice. Feeling helpless, he tried to think.
“Dad, why didn’t you tell Sheriff Benton the truth?”
“I don’t trust him.”
“Dad, this has to do with Uncle Joe’s case, right?”
“I think so, but for now we sit tight.” He paced the room.
David walked into his room and grabbed his cell. He had immediately recognized the line in the message about a rabbit in a dog’s jaw. He had only heard Brad Murphy, Kim’s ex-boyfriend, use that line. Brad says it all the time. He thought Brad Murphy or his dad had something to do with this. What’s their connection to Uncle Joe’s case? He didn’t understand any of it. He would hold off on telling his dad anything until he could prove Brad Murphy had a part in taking her. What if something happened to his mom? He’d been so mean to her lately. He needed to find her.
He opened his window and slipped out. Although it was only eight in the evening, the dark clouds made dusk come earlier than usual. He walked the six blocks to Mrs. Folkert’s house. After knocking on the door, he asked if his uncle was there.
“No dear, he and Madeline went away for the weekend.”
“May I use your phonebook?”
“Of course, come in. Is everything all right?” she asked as they walked into the kitchen.
“I just forgot the number of a friend is all,” he replied, fighting his fears. He flipped through her Allenton County phone book and jotted Brad Murphy’s number and address down.
“David, do you want to tell me what this is about? Maybe I can help.”
“No ma’am, but thank you.”
He dialed his uncle’s cell as he walked toward the riverfront. His reception sucked in certain places, mostly because of the surrounding hills. The best area was by the water. “Uncle Joe, it’s David. Someone kidnapped Mom.”
“What? David, repeat that. I can’t hear you.” Joe’s voice broke up.
“Dad needs your help. I think I know who it is, but I want to make sure first.”
He looked at his phone. How’d he lose reception by the water? Redialing his uncle’s number, he got his voicemail. He hoped he came home soon.
“David, wait,” Joe said. “Damn it, my battery’s dead.” He pulled into a gas station along Dickerson Road in Battle Creek.
“What’d he say?” Madeline asked.
“David said something about Eva being kidnapped.”
“Oh my God, here.” She reached into her purse for her cell.
He dialed Matt’s number. “Where’s David? What’s happened?”
“Did he call you?”
“Yeah, but my phone cut out. Eva was kidnapped?” Joe sat up straighter while Madeline tried to understand a one-sided conversation.
“The note said he’d call with his demands. When he did, he wanted me to stop our investigation. The sheriff’s got me just sitting here.”
“God damn it. Where’s David? He said he knew something about the caller.”
“Just a second,” Matt replied. “Shit, now he’s gone. What did he tell you?”
“He said he thought he knew who it was. Then my phone died.” He fisted the steering wheel.
“I could use some help. I don’t even know if she’s alive,” Matt whispered.
“We’ll be there in thirty minutes. We’ll find her. She’s smart and tough,” he replied.
“What did he say?” Madeline asked, taking the cell.
He headed for the interstate. “David’s missing, too. That little shit had better not try anything on his own. Eva will kill me.” He exceeded the speed limit toward Allenton.
Madeline looked out her window. “I can’t believe they took Eva to keep Matt quiet. This is my fault.”
He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “This is bigger than we thought.” This was what had kept him awake at night.
They had traveled around Michigan with stops in Flint, Lansing, Howell, Jackson, and Battle Creek. Madeline wrote down all the addresses as they went. The drops were short with only enough time for a quick bathroom break and snack. There were still more boxes in the truck, but they had plenty of information.
David turned off his cell. His uncle would probably be calling his dad and his dad would be extremely mad that he left. As he walked toward Brad’s house on River Street, he caught a glimpse of Brad riding his bike a side street over. He couldn’t let that lead get away, so he jogged after him.
Brad rode south on Elm while David stayed a few blocks back. He continued downhill toward the boardwalk where he had just been. His legs ached, but he ran to keep him in sight. Brad took the alley. David stopped to catch his breath. Feeling tears in his eyes from the burning in his legs, he scanned the area. He spotted the bike near the playground by the Hartford Auditorium.
Brad stood with his backpack at the lower level door. Even though the outside lights by the entrance were off, he saw Brad’s dad reach out his arm and grab the bag. His mom’s note on the mirror said that the man was six-foot tall with a red t-shirt and jeans, like Brad’s father. Brad quickly left on his bike. Before calling his dad, he’d check to see if his mom was there.
