Say Bye to Mommy, page 1
part #2 of Highland Springs Series
SAY BYE TO MOMMY
A Highland Springs suspense novel, book 2
By Cynthia Hickey
Copyright © 2018 Written by: Cynthia Hickey
Published by: Winged Publications
Cover Design: Cynthia Hickey
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
No part of this book may be copied or distributed without the author’s consent.
CHAPTER ONE
Ah. She spotted the perfect target. A little girl in a blue dress, the ruffles along the hem torn. Her socks sagging. Dirt marred the chubby legs. Mama browsed the women’s clothes, leaving the little one standing in the back of the shopping cart.
The Child Saver as she liked to call herself, quietly stepped up to the cart and pushed it around the corner.
“Say bye to Mommy.”
She grinned and continued to the door. It didn’t take long for the mother to start shouting her daughter’s name.
“So, you’re Lacey. I think we should call you Lauren to avoid confusion, don’t you?” She made her way halfway through the parking lot before the store alert sounded.
The Child Saver quickly stashed the little girl in the back of her van and drove away. When the little girl started crying, The Child Saver turned up the radio. Classical music always tamed them. Not as well as a leather strap, but that was at home.
Thirty minutes later, she turned “Lauren” over to Betty to clean up and post her picture on the website, then The Child Saver headed to her job. Not the one making her money, but the one that made her respectable.
She laughed. Right under the good sheriff’s nose and no one suspected a thing. The field was ripe for harvest in the mountains. Plenty of poor children in need of a better home. She’d take what she could, then move on.
Sharlene Camenetti watched the local news, her sheriff badge showing signs of wear and tear after a hard-fought second election. She sagged against the edge of her desk. It had been a hard year, emotionally. After Lars Townsend, her half-brother, aka The Silencer, she’d lived day-to-day with more questions than purpose. Thankfully, not much happened in Highland Springs other than graffiti and domestic disputes.
Everis Hayes, an agent with the Arkansas Bureau of Investigations, had gone dark almost as soon as he’d left her. She shouldn’t be surprised. There had been no promises made between the two of them. Still, the ache in her heart refused to go away and it had nothing to do with too much coffee.
“Hey, boss, we got a hysterical mom outside.” Deputy Mark Mayfield stuck his head in her office.
“Send her in.”
“She refuses. Says she needs to stay out in the open.”
Shar frowned, then shrugged. She’d heard weirder things. Clicking off the television, she followed Mayfield.
A young woman dressed in faded leggings and an oversized tee shirt stood under a tree, her eyes darting up and down the street. As Shar and Mayfield approached, she whirled. “You have to help me.” Mascara tracks ran down her cheeks. “Someone stole my baby.”
Shar glanced at Mayfield. “Come inside and tell us everything.”
“No. What if she’s looking for me? Lacey is smart. She’s only five, but she’ll know to come here.” She covered her face with her hands and collapsed.
Mayfield rushed forward to catch her before she fell and lowered her to the sidewalk. “Sheriff?”
“We’ll do the interview out here.” Shar sat next to the woman. “What’s your name?”
“Lynn Tales. We were shopping at Lucky’s, and I was checking the price on a tee shirt, just for a second, when I turned around and the cart was gone. I yelled Lacey’s name, then ran for the customer service desk. They locked down the store, but it was too late. She wasn’t there.”
“Could she have wandered off?”
“No. I heard someone, a woman, tell her to say bye to Mommy. I thought they were talking about someone else.” Her sobs increased.
“Do you have a photo of your daughter?” Shar peeled the woman’s hands from her face and peered into her eyes. “I need you to focus, Ms. Tales. I’ll do everything in my power to find your daughter, but I need your help.” There were few things worse than a missing child. Shar couldn’t imagine the woman’s pain.
“I have a few in my backpack.” She pulled an army-green pack toward her. She dug out a picture of a pretty little blue-eyed, blond child in a My Little Pony sweatshirt.
“What was she wearing when she disappeared?” Shar took the photo and handed it to Mayfield.
“A blue ruffled dress.” The woman clutched Shar’s hands. “Please get her back.”
“I’ll do everything in my power. What’s your address?”
The woman paled. “I’m, uh, in between places right now.”
“You’re homeless?”
She nodded and ducked her head. “We’ve been living under the overpass for two weeks after my boyfriend kicked us out.”
“We’ll need his name and address.” Hopefully, they’d find the little girl scared, but safe, with the ex.
“Roger Holden.” She rattled off the address of an apartment complex. “She isn’t there, though. I already checked.”
“We’ll still question him.” Shar stood and helped the woman to her feet. “Deputy Mayfield will bring you a doughnut and a cup of coffee. Can we get you anything else?”
“I can stay here?” Hope flickered in her eyes.
“For now.” Shar patted her on the shoulder and hurried to her jeep. While she walked, she radioed Pinson. “You’re with me. Come on.”
“Now?”
“Yes, now.” Shar opened the driver’s door as Pinson jogged out the door of the building and to the passenger side. She threw Pinson a weak smile, and gestured toward Mayfield. “Sound the Amber alert.” She sped from the parking lot.
Pinson had lightened up a bit since being assigned to her office, but Shar didn’t need anyone to tell her he still resented working for a woman, despite having gone on a few dates with her sister, Candy.
“Where are we going?” He asked, clicking his seatbelt into place.
“To question a man about a missing child.”
Pinson jerked his head. “Isolated incident?”
She cut him a sideways glance. “Yes, why?”
“Missouri has had a rash of children under five go missing.” He shrugged. “It could be related.”
“It could.” But Shar wasn’t about to create a panic by linking Lacey’s disappearance with those children. Not unless she had absolute proof.
It seemed the sheriff’s department was at the Springs Apartment more than any other location outside the office. Shar pulled in front of the leasing office. They might as well rent an apartment and take up residence.
Holden lived on the far end, second story. “Stay alert,” Shar told the deputy. “We aren’t liked very much in this complex.”
“I wouldn’t think so.” He motioned to a drunk slumped under a bush. “Drugs, drinking, and prostitution would be my guess.”
“They stick to themselves, mostly, but I’m out here at least twice a month for some man beating on his girl.” She kept her hand close to her weapon and knocked on Holden’s door. “Sheriff.”
The door swung open. “What did that piece of crap say I did now?” A disheveled young man in dire need of a shower glared at them.
“Roger Holden?”
“Yeah.”
“We’re here to ask you some questions about Lacey Tales. May we come in?” Shar pushed past him.
“Hey. Whatever.” He shrugged and closed the door behind them. “I kicked Lori and her brat out earlier this month. Except for her crying at my door an hour or so ago, I ain’t seen either one of them.”
“So, you are aware the child is missing?” Shar raised her eyebrows.
“Lori told me.” His eyes widened. “You mean that wasn’t a ploy to get me to take her back?”
“Unfortunately, no.”
He plopped onto a torn armchair. “Wow. I liked that little girl.”
“Well enough to kick them to the streets,” Pinson muttered.
“Lori started…uh, selling tricks to pay the rent. I can’t have that here. I’m doing my best to keep clean. My probation officer shows up all the time. If he found out I was living with a prostitute, he’d send me back to jail.”
“What were you incarcerated for?”
“Dealing.” He sighed and rubbed his hands against the faded brown whiskers on his cheeks. “What can I do to help?”
“Ask around. Keep your eyes open.” Shar handed him a business card. “Call us if you find out anything.” She pivoted on her heel and exited the apartment.
“Do you think he knows anything?” Pinson asked, once they were out of earshot of the apartment.
“No.” Even though Shar retained her “sheriff” mask of impassiveness on her face as they made their way to the jeep, she kept her wits about her and her eyes open. If not, she wouldn’t have seen the three-year-old boy slip through a child-sized hole in the pool gate.
Shar tried the gate to find it locked. “Don’t go close to the water, sweetie.” She glanced at the sharp spikes on the top of the fence. With a tired groan, she grabbed ahold, launching herself over. The loud tear of material alerted her to the fact she’d ripped her only clean pair of uniform pants. “Get a key to let us out,” she told Pinson.
The child glanced back and fell in.
Shar reached down, grabbed the little boy by the hair and pulled him to the surface. “I got you.” Anchoring her hands under his arms, she pulled him out of the pool and stared into his face. “You’re alright. Where’s Mommy?”
He glanced upward.
“Of course, she is.” Shar held tight to his hand. “Let’s go give her a piece of my mind, shall we?”
The moment a harried leasing manager unlocked the pool gate, Shar headed for the child’s apartment. “Get the fence fixed now,” she told the manager, “or I’m arresting you for child neglect.”
Shar hefted the child to her hip and marched to his apartment. The door hung open. A woman sprawled on the sofa. “Is that your mommy?”
“Mommy.” The boy squirmed to be let down.
An empty whiskey bottle sat on the scarred coffee table. An untied silk robe showed the woman wore nothing else.
Shar lifted her radio from her belt and called child protective services. She closed the apartment door and grabbed a grocery bag from the floor. “Show me your room, buddy.”
He thundered to the one and only bedroom. “Teddy.” The child snatched a tattered teddy bear and clutched it to his chest.
Shar pulled articles of little boy clothing, some pull-ups, and a threadbare blanket. “Let’s go, Brian. Is that your name?” She pointed to a plaque with the name.
“Yep.” He nodded so hard his curls bounced.
Shar took his hand and headed for the door.
“What’s happening?” The mother sat up on the sofa.
“Is this your son?”
She blinked bleary eyes. “Yeah.”
“Child Protective Services are on their way. Brian is coming with me. Have a good day.” Shar opened the door. “Your little boy was seconds away from drowning. Good thing I happened along, huh?” She stepped out and slammed the door against the woman’s protests.
“Fierce.” Pinson grinned.
“Some people don’t deserve children.” She hoisted the child in the backseat of her jeep, hooked the seatbelt tightly around him, and vowed to buy a car seat to keep handy. The last thing she needed was for CPS to come knocking on her door.
CHAPTER TWO
The Child Saver watched the group of day care children traipse past her on the sidewalk, holding onto a knotted rope like obedient puppies. She had a buyer for a dark-haired little boy. Little Lacey had fetched a pretty penny and would soon be at her new home in California. Now, who to choose…
She stepped forward as a little boy let go of the rope, but halted when the childcare worker turned. She smiled at The Child Saver, then transferred her attention to the child.
“Don’t let go, Brian. I’ve told you before.” She glanced back up. “There are usually two of us, but my partner is out with the flu. It’s our weekly visit to the library for story time. Could you help?”
“Of course.” It couldn’t be more perfect. The Child Saver grasped the end of the rope and followed along. So many beautiful children, but only one or two needed saving if the state of their clothing was any indication.
“No, no, Brian. Keep a hold.” She covered his chubby hand with hers over the rope when he let go for the third time.
“Poor thing is a foster child and has no idea of what we’re doing,” the worker said. “But, he’ll learn. He’s a bright little boy.”
Just what The Child Saver needed. She grinned and put a bounce in her step. She’d call her helper, Amy, the first chance she had a free moment. The boy needed taking, and The Child Saver had to go to work.
“I still say if neither one of us is getting married any time soon, we should adopt.” Candy crossed her ankles and propped her feet on the porch railing. “We’re running out of time to be parents.”
Shar couldn’t deny that she’d thought of it. “My job keeps me too busy. Besides, I have this big fur baby right here.” She scratched Goliath behind the ear.
“Mine doesn’t, and a dog isn’t the same.” She took a sip of her wine. “I’m seriously considering it, Shar. I’ll be thirty-nine soon, and I want to be a mother.”
Shar smiled, thinking of Brian. Dark curls and eyes just like Everis. No. She wouldn’t think of Everis, but if she were to adopt, she would want Brian. Maybe she would. Then her child and Candy’s would grow up together. She lifted her wineglass. “Let’s do this.” They clinked glass and laughed.
Locusts hummed from the woods surrounding the house. A slight breeze blew strands of Shar’s hair around her face, some sticking to the lip gloss on her lips. The sun was setting over the horizon, illuminating the car parked at the end of the driveway and the man, who was striding toward them with a long-legged gait she recognized. Goliath stood and wagged his tail.
“That man gets better looking every time I see him.” Candy stood. “I’ll leave you alone to shout at him or shoot him. Whichever you prefer.”
Everis, hair a little longer, the shadow of a beard gracing his strong chin, stopped at the bottom of the steps. “Hello, Shar.”
She had to clear her throat before she said, “Everis. It’s been a while.”
“May I sit?” He motioned toward the chair Candy had vacated.
She nodded and resumed her seat, using the wineglass to her lips as an opportunity to gain her composure. “What brings you back?”
“I volunteered.” His teeth flashed.
She refused to be swayed by his charm. “Oh? Follow another killer to our town?”
“Not a killer, per se.” He reached for her hand, persisting when she pulled away. “Please, I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been undercover in South America, and couldn’t risk exposure.”
She took a deep, shuddering breath. “I know. I’m sorry I’m acting like a spoiled housewife.”
“Glad to know you missed me.”
She smiled. “Who are you here for?”
“You.”
“Work-wise, smarty pants.” A warm flush filled her.
“I’m looking for someone kidnapping and selling children. Have you heard of the disappearances in Missouri over last year?”
“Of course.”
“We think the child that disappeared here may be connected.”
“Why do you think that?”
He straightened and propped his feet on the railing. “Someone saw Lacey Tales’ picture on the news. Even with her hair dyed dark, the woman recognized her. Turns out it’s the neighbor of the couple who paid big bucks for a little girl of their own.”
“Good news.”
He nodded. “They described the woman who sold the child as a Hispanic woman of small stature and limited English.”
Shar finished her wine. “Want a glass?”
“Beer?”
“Sure thing. I’ll be right back.” Shar moved to the kitchen. Was the woman who sold Lacey working alone or was she the gopher of the adoption scheme? She snagged a beer from the fridge and poured herself another glass of wine before returning to Everis. “Did the couple visit a sketch artist?”
“Yeah, but I’m not holding out much hope. The sketch is very generic.” He pulled a folded piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to Shar. “Look familiar?”
She studied the petite features of a woman with dark hair piled on top of her head, dark eyes, a large nose, and thin lips. “Could be almost any middle-aged woman. We haven’t had another child disappear, Everis. Maybe the ring isn’t operating out of Highland Springs.”
“What’s your poverty rate?”
“Less than half.” She tilted her head. “Are you telling me they only take low-income children?”
“That’s what it seems like, and the Ozarks are full of them.” He leaned forward, letting his hands dangle between his knees. “I’m here to work the case with you.”
Her mask slipped into place. Not that Everis blamed her. Maybe he should have risked finding a way to let her know he hadn’t forgotten about her. But, his going undercover had resulted in bringing down a drug ring operating out of Texarkana. “Are you opposed to working with me?”
“Why should I be?” She stood and moved to the railing, staring out across the lawn. “I’m for finding justice, same as you.”
He followed and wrapped his arms around her. “I really did miss you.”
