Final Strike, page 17
“Mom!” Cody came into the room. “When are we leaving?”
“I can take you, buddy.” Ben looked at Julie and whispered, “If it would be easier.”
“No.” Cody planted himself in front of Julie. The fear in his eyes was new. It might not be overpowering, but the trauma from the past few days was there, inside him. “You have to take me.”
“Okay.” Julie nodded and smiled, feeling like a bobblehead. “Let me put on some clothes and I’ll make you breakfast.”
“Grandma’s making eggs.” Cody ran to the door and turned around. “You’ll take me to school, right?”
“I’ll be down in a few minutes.” Julie nodded. Again. “Are you sure you’re okay going to school today?”
Cody didn’t say anything for a few seconds. He truly seemed to be thinking about the question. “Yep. You get me to school.” He didn’t ask. It was more like a statement of fact. That she was trusted to get him there without issue.
“I can.”
“Good.” The kid’s smile lit up the room before he disappeared.
Julie sighed. “Well, so much for no trauma.”
“It’s not as bad as it could be.”
“That kid is still my hero.” She swung her legs off the bed. “I have to get dressed, and somehow figure out how to drop him off at school without having a breakdown.”
“Want some company?”
“Thank goodness, yes. I didn’t want to presume, but I can use all the help I can get.” She stopped at the doorway. “Wait. Aren’t you going into work?”
“You heard Allison. Garret’s supposed to shoot us.”
“True, but there’s no way she’s going to be able to handle everything today. She’s probably still passed out.”
“I texted her. She’s miserable, but awake.” He leaned in and dropped a kiss to her cheek. Her skin was soft, and the way she melted with the touch warmed his body all over. “I’m all yours today.”
She grabbed his hand and led him out of Cody’s room, straight to hers. They both got dressed. Cool and calm. They could do this. They could do this together. And no matter what, he’d be there to help her with whatever she needed.
Chapter Twenty
Julie took the pages Ben handed her. The three of them—her, Ben and Adam—had been poring over the file Adam got from Detective Barrows for hours. Agent Laramie wasn’t into sharing—probably an FBI thing. Since Barrows had started the investigation, he had accumulated quite a bit of paperwork. Despite Cody only being gone for a few days, they had more information than one person could get through in a week.
She looked at the current file. Cody’s mother seemed distraught. Subject paced and fidgeted. “I suppose there are worse things to be thought of than distraught.” Julie sipped her coffee. She was close to needing a refill.
“They document the family just in case it’s a hoax,” Adam said.
Ben said the words Julie was thinking. “A kidnapping hoax? What kind of crazy person would do that? Why?”
Adam shook his head. “Attention.”
“That sounds terrible.” Understatement of the century. Julie couldn’t even imagine pretending her child was kidnapped. How would that even work. And why?
“There’s a lot of terrible people out there,” Adam said, as if they were talking about crappy fast food and not putting a child through hell. “What time do you have to pick up Cody?”
“I’m not picking him up.” Julie tried to keep her voice even—like it was no big deal that she wasn’t going to be the first to see him walk out that door. “We’ve decided to get everything back on schedule so Cody doesn’t think things are different. Your mother’s picking him up.”
“Are you okay with that?” Adam looked up.
“I have to be.” She couldn’t let Cody see her sweat. He had to get back to normal. “I need him to not be afraid.”
“But you’re afraid.” Adam didn’t ask, just said it as a fact. Which it was.
“That’s unavoidable. But I can try to keep it from Cody. Try to give him a normal life—until it gets back to normal. For real.”
“Were you ever normal?” Ben didn’t smile. He looked so serious…except for the sparkle in his eye.
Jerk. “Hey!” She punched his arm.
Ben laughed. “What? Honest question.”
She knew what he was doing. Still a jerk, even if the mood seemed somehow lighter. Which was impressive given what they were sifting through.
“Okay, I’ve never been normal.” Julie laughed and finished her coffee. If she was going to go at this box again after Cody went to bed, she was going to need a lot more caffeine. “We should probably put this away before Cody gets home.”
“How much time do we have?”
“About ten minutes.” She stacked papers in a pile at the side of the table as the front doorbell dinged.
“Are you expecting anyone?” Ben checked his watch.
Julie didn’t bother. Loraine should be home soon, but it was a little too early and she wouldn’t ring her own doorbell. The only reason Julie could think of was something had happened to Cody.
“I got it.” Julie jumped up, ignoring the look of terror in Ben’s eyes. She needed to be there first.
She reached the door and twisted the knob. The door opened. No uniform. Not a cop. Her breath whooshed out.
Her father’s girlfriend, Bettina stood on the front porch. Loraine’s front porch. In front of Julie. Bettina’s white cashmere coat was wrapped tight around her body, with a matching white silk scarf wrapped around her neck. Her dyed-blonde hair was pulled taut in a bun on her head. Maybe she’d be less bitchy if her hair wasn’t pulled so tight. That couldn’t be good for the scalp.
“Good afternoon, Miss Connolly. Proper protocol dictates a greeting.” Even though Bettina was shorter than Julie, she still managed to peer down her nose at her. It must be a gift.
Julie’s voice materialized. “Hello?”
“That sounded like a question, but it was a statement.”
“It was. What are you doing here?” That was a question.
“It’s pleasure to see you, too,” Bettina said. “Nice house. Albeit too far from the city.” She sniffed the air, nose scrunched. “Is that cows?”
There was a working farm over a mile away from the house. On hot days in middle of July, you could catch the scent of cow pies. But on a cold day in the middle of the spring, not so much. Unless, of course, you were Bettina Wilcox.
She had the nose of a bloodhound and the disposition of one of those spoiled little yappy fluffy dogs. Too bad she didn’t have cute floppy ears and a lolling tongue. Then maybe it wouldn’t be an absolute nightmare dealing with her.
“Have you completely forgotten your manners? Are you going to let me in?” Bettina tried to look through the doorway, but Julie blocked the way.
Julie wasn’t buying any of this. “Can’t forget what you never had.” As far as her father was concerned, she’d never had manners. Might as well own it.
“Regardless, may I come in. I’m in a bit of hurry and we need to talk.”
“About?” Julie didn’t bother moving. She wasn’t excited about continuing whatever this was.
Bettina glared. Just glared. But it was obvious she wasn’t going to leave until they talked. Might as well get it over with.
Julie stepped to the side. “Please come in.”
Bettina nodded and walked in the door. No. She didn’t walk. She sashayed. She was too classy to walk like the plebes. “Hello, Detective Byrnes.”
“Ms. Wilcox.” Adam walked over with an outstretched hand. Ever the gentleman.
“Benjamin Mooring.”
“Ms. Wilcox.” Ben shook her hand. Another gentleman. And they said chivalry was dead. Oh wait, it was only Bettina’s cold heart that was dead.
Bettina turned to Julie. “I need to speak with you.”
“Okay.” This was ridiculously formal, even for Bettina. “Please sit.” Julie was going to sit. They should all sit. She took one end of the couch.
“Thank you.” Bettina descended slowly onto the opposite end of the couch, unwrapping her silk scarf and draping it across the coffee table. “We need to talk alone.”
Fantastic. Adam dumped the paperwork on the coffee table into the box and closed the lid. “I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Ben looked at Julie, silently asking if he should leave the room. She nodded and he picked up her coffee cup. “I’ll be right in the kitchen, getting you that refill.” He said it as a threat, but Bettina was too busy unbuttoning her coat to notice.
Both men disappeared, leaving her alone with Bettina. Maybe this was a mistake.
Bettina settle back against the cushions. “I heard that you found Cody.”
“I did.” She didn’t want to get into this with Bettina. Or anyone for that matter. She didn’t need to hear how bad a mother she was. She’d heard that enough in her own mind.
Bettina reached out and laid her hand on Julie’s. “I’m so happy that he’s safe.” The words were kind. The face matched. It was almost like she was speaking the truth. Like Bettina had been concerned for Cody and Julie. It was disconcerting seeing Bettina as a human. “I was so afraid when I heard he’d gone missing.”
“Me too.” Julie felt those words to her core. Afraid was just the tip. Terrified. Destroyed. Not something she ever wanted to relive.
“How did you survive not knowing where he was?”
“It was hard.” Talking about it was reliving it. She was not about to go into more detail. Not now. Or ever. Time for a subject change. “What are you doing here?” Not that she wanted to talk about that, either.
Bettina never wanted anything good.
“Straight to the point.” Bettina shifted in her seat. She seemed uncomfortable. She was never uncomfortable. She was always ice. “I wanted to apologize for that stipulation in your father’s will.”
“Stipulation?”
“The payout.” Bettina shook her head. “No mother would ever walk away from their child. Not a good mother. And you are a good mother.”
The woman had never said anything remotely nice about Julie. Ever. This was—nice—no, weird, but in a nice way.
“He only had the best of intentions for Cody,” Bettina said.
His intentions were cruel. “My father never wanted what was best for Cody. He only cared about himself.”
A flash of anger crossed Bettina’s face before her lips turned up in a fake smile. “We will agree to disagree. Either way, Cody is a gifted boy. He needs to be mentally stimulated and challenged.”
The words from the letter pulsed in Julie’s head. Extricate yourself from his life. Bettina will raise him…
“I only want what’s best for the boy. I’ll pay for him to go to a private school in New York. I have a friend on the board who said they can get him in in the middle of the term. They have a room available, and you can see him on weekends and breaks.”
Weekends and breaks?
“I see you have concerns.” Bettina pulled an envelope from her pocket. “This details the programs they offer and the security requirements. There are three diplomatic families and a few celebrities whose children attend the school. They need high-level security.”
When Julie wouldn’t take the envelope, Bettina laid it on the coffee table. “I know this is hard, but it’s for the best. The school can ensure his safety.”
Because Julie couldn’t. She couldn’t keep him safe.
“You need to go.” Ben’s angry voice preceded him as he appeared from the kitchen, steaming coffee cup in his hand.
“I’ll do no such thing.” Bettina glared at him. “This has nothing to do with you, Mr. Mooring.”
“It does if you’re questioning Julie’s ability to care for her son.”
“I’m not questioning her abilities.” Bettina eyes widened at the implication. “I just thought it might be difficult to send him back to that school after what happened. This school might give her peace of mind.”
“Just go.” Ben slammed the mug onto the table and coffee splattered the white silk scarf.
“How could you?” Bettina snatched up her scarf, eyeing the stain like a poisonous snake.
Julie stared at Ben—that was completely unnecessary, she had everything under control. He was either ignoring her or his glare-dar was on the fritz. Julie stood, and reached for the scarf. “I’m so sorry. Let me take that and see if I can remove the stain.” She really did feel bad. Bettina might be horrible, but she’d come in good faith. And Ben was being a jerk.
Bettina shook her head and held the scarf closer. “I don’t want you to ruin it. The kitchen is through here, correct? I need vinegar.”
“Adam’s in there. He can help you.”
“Fine.” Bettina disappeared through the doorway to the kitchen.
“Why did you do that?” Julie whispered to Ben, furious.
“I didn’t spill it on purpose.” Ben ran a hand through his hair. “She just drives me so crazy. The way she talks to you…”
Julie sighed, anger evaporating. Bettina drove her nuts, too, and okay, the way Bettina always talked to her was awful. She wrapped her arms around Ben and rested her head on his chest. “Thank you.”
“Thank you?”
She pulled him closer. His heart thumped in her ear. “It’s nice to have someone in my corner.”
“I always want to be in your corner.” His warm breath slid along her temple and the words warmed her to her toes.
Noise came from the kitchen and Cody ran through the opening to the living room, a typhoon of noise and action. “Hi, Mom.” He dropped his bag, ran to Julie and grabbed her around the waist. She’d barely had time to step back from Ben. She was in heaven. Sandwiched between her two boys.
“You have a hockey game,” Loraine called out as she followed him from the back of the house. “Go get your gear.”
“Okay.” Cody let go of Julie and bounced toward the side hallway.
“Only hockey gear!”
“I know, Grandma,” Cody said as he disappeared, Loraine right behind him.
Julie leaned back into Ben. She was bursting—bursting with love. Cody was a force of nature. And she loved nature. There was something about everyone being safe that made her heart swell.
Somebody knocked on the front door.
Julie wanted to sigh. She was trying to enjoy a happy little hug with Ben, enjoy the calm after the storm, but the world was conspiring against her. “I’ll get it.”
“It’s popular around here today.”
“Yeah.” Julie opened the door.
A woman in a fitted black suit and a collared white shirt stood outside, blonde hair pulled severely back from her face. “I’m Bettina Wilcox’s driver. She told me to remind her when it was time for her appointment.”
“She’s dealing with a scarf issue.” Julie opened the door. “Come on in. She might be a few minutes.”
“I can wait in the car.”
Driving for Bettina probably meant the driver wasn’t allowed to be seen or heard. The rich got weird about stuff like that. Not the rich—Bettina.
“Please, come on in and wait for her inside.”
“I don’t want to impose.” The driver shifted uneasily. “If you can just tell her I knocked.”
“Are you sure?” Julie opened the door wide.
“Mommy Bridgette?” Cody said behind her, and Julie’s heart stopped.
Mommy. Bridgette. The woman that took her son.
Part of Julie refused to believe it. But the guilt and panic on the woman’s face made it pretty clear she knew she’d been caught.
“My scarf is ruined,” Bettina announced. “Mr. Mooring, I do hope you will be reimbursing me.”
Cody said, “You called on the phone.”
Julie turned, reluctant to let Bridgette out of her sight.
“Excuse me?” Bettina glanced between Cody and the doorway. “I don’t know what you are referring to.”
“Who is that woman?” Julie asked Bettina, nodding to the driver frozen on the porch.
“She’s my driver.”
“Bridgette?”
“I don’t know her name,” Bettina snarled. “She’s the help.”
Bridgette turned on her heel and ran.
“Stop her!” Julie yelled as she bolted out the door after the woman.
Chapter Twenty-One
Ben lapped Julie once they hit the path. “Adam!”
He needed a cop. He had no idea what to do with a perp once they were in custody. No idea what to do, period.
Bridgette reached the car and opened the passenger door. When she faced Ben, the gun in her hand glinted in the afternoon sun. “Step back.”
Ben raised his hands just as Adam came up behind him.
“You don’t want to do this,” Adam said in his calm cop voice, hands at his sides. “You didn’t cause bodily harm or request a ransom. It’s not a class X felony. But if you shoot me, you are guaranteed to die in prison. It’s not worth it.”
“Shut up.” Bridgette slammed the passenger door. “Stay back.”
Adam stayed where he was. “No one’s moving.”
“What am I supposed to do?” The gun bobbed in Bridgette’s hand.
“Turn yourself in and it’ll all work out.” Adam’s voice stayed steady.
Nothing on Ben was steady at the moment.
“It won’t.” Bridgette aimed the gun at Adam.
Ben wanted to pounce on the woman. She’d kidnapped Cody. She’d made Julie cry and scared everyone they loved. He wanted answers, but he wanted that gun pointed away from Adam. “Wait. Wait. Let’s talk about it. Why did you take Cody?”
“It wasn’t my idea.” The gun snapped toward Ben.
Shit. He raised his hands higher.
“Whose idea was it?” Adam inched closer once her attention moved to Ben.
“That bitch.” Bridgette swiveled back and forth like a caged animal. “Stay back,” she snapped, pointing the business end of the gun at Adam.
Ben needed Adam to keep Julie and Cody safe. Adam knew what he was doing. Adam could draw the gun at his hip. Ben just needed to make sure Adam was around to ensure this whole thing ended safely.
