Trumped Up Charges

Chapter Ten



“Funny, I don’t remember you calling for directions,” Adam said once they were all seated around the scarred oak table.

“I’ve had a tail on you ever since you showed up on the scene, Adam.”

“Glad to see you’re doing your job.”

“Just tell us about Quinton,” Hadley said. “Does he have my daughters?”

“If he does, they’re not with him.”

Hadley winced as if the detective had hit her. Adam watched as the optimism that she’d exhibited after seeing the video disappeared in a cloud of dread that showed in every line of her face.

“They must be with him,” Hadley insisted. “Where else would they be?”

“All I know is that they weren’t in the house where Quinton has admittedly been staying and there were no signs that they’d been there.”

Frustration burned in Hadley’s eyes. “Even Matilda thinks he’s the one who took Lacy and Lila.”

“Does anyone else live in the house?” Adam asked.

“Two other guys. One is the owner. He claims Quinton’s been hanging around there, but he’s never seen Quinton with a kid. The other inhabitant was too stoned to be much help. But the neighbors we questioned verified that various men and women came and went in that house, but they’d never seen or heard any kids around the place.”

“They could be lying,” Hadley said.

“They could be,” the detective agreed. “It’s not the kind of neighborhood you’d want to walk in after dark. The neighbor on one side was just released from prison last week. But we searched the house thoroughly. There was no sign that Lacy and Lila had ever been inside the house.”

“Does Quinton have an alibi for the night of the abduction?” Adam asked.

“He says he was in Fort Worth, spending the night with an old girlfriend. We’re checking that out.”

“Like she won’t lie for him.” Hadley clasped her hands together, nervously twisting her fingers. “Is Quinton in jail?”

“We hauled him in for questioning, but we don’t have evidence to hold him unless we find something concrete against him. He swears he’s innocent.”

“Ever met a guilty man who didn’t?” R.J. asked.

“A few,” Lane said.

“A damn few, I bet.” R.J. pushed back from the table.

“Quinton made a few accusations of his own,” Lane said.

“What kind of accusations?” Hadley asked.

“He claims you paid him a visit in Houston six months ago.”

“That’s a lie. I would never go see him. Why would I?”

“He says you had a job you wanted him to do for you.”

The detective had thrown out a line, fishing for information. Adam had a feeling that was what this visit was all about.

Adam propped his elbows on the table and leaned toward the detective. “Hadley’s going through enough without you taunting her with hearsay. If you have something she needs to hear, say it straight and get it over with.”

Lane’s mouth twisted into a scowl. He didn’t like anyone messing with his game.

“Hadley might want to hear what I have to say in private.”

She shook her head. “Anything you have to say to me, you can say in front of Adam and his father.”

“Then here it is in a nutshell. Quinton says you wanted him to get rid of your girls for you. Not kill them, mind you, just get rid of them.”

“That’s crazy,” R.J. said. “What does get rid of them even mean? Toss them out with the garbage?”

“According to Quinton, Hadley asked about selling them on the black market. She said she’d heard of childless couples who couldn’t adopt through regular channels who were willing to pay big bucks for twin girls. As cute, precocious and well-bred as Lacy and Lila were, she figured they’d bring a bundle.”

Hadley’s face reddened and the veins in her neck and forehead popped out like cords. Had she been able to reach Lane across the table, Adam figured she might have tried to choke him.

Adam was tempted to do it for her. He stood, towering over the sitting detective. “If your idea of good police work is to torment victims then you’re doing a hell of a job.”

“I thought Hadley would appreciate knowing what Quinton is saying about her.”

“It’s all lies,” Hadley said. “Cruel, evil lies. The man is despicable.”

“I’m not saying I believe him,” Lane said.

“But you are repeating his lies,” Adam said. “The next thing we know, we’ll be reading them in the newspaper.”

“I’m sorry that my visit upset you, Hadley. I wish I could have come with better news. But we’re doing everything we can to find your daughters. You can rest assured of that.”

“Then find them,” she said, still so angry she was shaking. “Keep a tail on Quinton the way you did on Adam and me.”

“Without question.”

“I have one more question before you go.” Adam stepped into the detective’s personal space. “Where is Quinton staying?”

“I can’t share that information. Play this smart, Adam. Don’t go looking for Quinton. You get in the way and I’ll have no choice but to have you arrested for interfering with the investigation.”

If he got arrested, so be it. Fred would carry on.

R.J. hitched up his khaki trousers. “If you want to find the abductor, forget criminal records, false accusations and usual suspects. See who’s got the most to gain and is arrogant enough to think he can outsmart all of you.”

Not bad advice, Adam thought. R.J. might have a lot more on the ball than he’d given him credit for. His so-called father might be worth getting to know after all.

Adam would reserve judgment on that until things were back to normal around the Dry Gulch Ranch.

R.J. showed Lane to the door. Adam turned back to Hadley. “Lane is really starting to piss me off.”

“At least the police are questioning Quinton.”

“True, but I didn’t like his attitude when he slammed you with you those ludicrous accusations.”

“He could have been more sensitive, but I’m glad he told me about them. If Quinton is making up lies like that about me, he must be trying to transfer suspicion from himself.”

“That’s definitely possible.”

“I think it’s a lot more than possible. I’m convinced he’s behind the abduction. I just wish there was something we could do besides wait for him to call all the shots. I hate that he’s in charge of their fate.”

“We’re working to change that,” Adam assured her. “When the kidnapper calls, Fred will be ready for him.” It was Adam who wasn’t doing his part. And Lacy and Lila were his daughters, too.

His daughters. Daughters he’d never seen. Never rocked to sleep as babies. He’d never taken them to the park and pushed them in a swing. Never read them a bedtime story. Never told them he loved them.

He’d never even seen them. What if he never did?

“The military called me a hero,” he muttered. “They gave me medals to prove it. But what kind of man can’t rescue his own daughters from an incompetent kidnapper?”

He felt Hadley’s hand on his arm. He turned and she leaned into him, letting her head drop to his shoulder. A second later she was in his arms. He held on tight, knowing she wanted only his comfort.

The mother of his children. The woman who would always hold his heart in her hands. The woman he could never claim as his own as long as he was only half a man.

But, God, please let her have her daughters back. He’d gladly give his life for that.

* * *

SHE KICKED OUT of her shoes and stretched across the lumpy bed. “I saw Lacy and Lila’s mother today. She’s probably very pretty when her eyes aren’t red and swollen. She wasn’t wearing any makeup, either, not even lipstick.”

“You got close enough to see all of that?”

“I was standing just a few feet from her.”

“Did you have to get that close?”

“Don’t worry. I was standing in an empty room just down the hall from her mother’s hospital room. I only had the door open a crack. She couldn’t see me.”

“What the hell were you doing in the hospital? I never said for you to follow her around.”

“I didn’t follow her. I just waited outside her mother’s hospital room until she showed up.”

“I told you to locate Adam’s truck or Hadley’s car in the parking lot and then leave the package taped to the windshield. I even gave you the license plate numbers. Do you know how much trouble I went to to get those?”

“Do you know how many cars are parked in that lot? And they’re constantly coming and going. I couldn’t possibly check all of them.”

“I gave you simple orders. Find the vehicle. Tape the package in place and then hang around to make sure no one took it before they got back to the car. What part of that did you not understand?”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m stupid. I’m not stupid.”

“You don’t follow orders.”

“No, but I got the job done. Hadley has the video. That’s all that really matters.”

He picked up his empty beer bottle and hurled it across the room, missing her head by no more than a foot.

She jerked to a sitting position. “Don’t you dare throw things at me! I’ll walk out of here right now and tell the freakin’ police where to find you.”

“No, you won’t.”

“Try me. Or just keep throwing things against the wall and the people in the next room will call the cops and save me the trouble.”

“In this dump? No one staying here wants the cops sniffing around.”

“Yet you leave me and the girls alone in this scummy motel every night. You don’t even care if someone breaks in and rapes me.”

“Aw, baby, you know better than that.”

He walked over to the bed and dropped to the edge of the mattress. When she turned her back to him, he reached around her and grabbed one of her breasts, thumbing her nipple until it puckered against the front of her low-cut T-shirt.

“As long as you eventually found the right windshield and the video and phone are in Hadley’s hands, we’ll be fine.”

“It’s in her hands.” That part was true. “But I’m getting a really bad feeling about all of this.”

“You worry too much, Mary Nell. You want the money as badly as I do. You were with me all the way when we decided to do it.”

“That’s when I thought it would all be over in two days the way you promised.”

“It’s only been two days.”

“But we still have the girls and we don’t have the money.”

“I’m working on it. It’s not as easy as I thought. I have to make sure there’s no way the cops will take us into custody or shoot us when we go in to get five million or when we cross the border.”

“We’re in over our heads. Please, let’s just drop the girls somewhere in town. No one will ever connect us with the abduction.”

“We can’t give up now. We’ll never have a chance to be this rich again.”

“I know but I keep thinking what if someone did this to us? What if Lila and Lacy were our kids and someone stole them from us?”

“Stop bitching.” He yelled a few curses.

Lacy woke up and padded over from her pallet in the back corner of the room.

“See what you did. You woke her up. And don’t use that language in front of her.”

“I want my mommy,” Lacy said. “I want to go home.”

“I know you do, sweetheart. And you are going home soon. I promise.”

“You keep playing momma. I’m out of here.” The door slammed shut behind him.

She went over, locked it and then pulled Lacy into her lap. “Do you want another story?”

“Yes. The princess story.”

The princess who met her handsome prince, became unbelievably rich and lived happily ever after in a kingdom where they could entertain royally and dress in finery every day.

“Once upon a time...”

* * *

“HOW MUCH FEED per horse?” Adam asked as he made the rounds to each stall with the bucket of R.J.’s special feed mix.

“Two scoops, except for Hummer there on the end. He gets two and a third scoops.”

“No wonder he’s so big.”

“The other way around,” R.J. said. “He gets more feed because he is so big. I saw him in a show up in Nashville last summer and he was so magnificent I had to have him. I paid more than he’s worth, but I like his style and his arrogance. Reminds of myself in my younger days.”

“Does he give a good ride?”

“You know it. He’s sensitive to every pull on the reins, but there are times he has a mind of his own. He likes nothing better than to gallop at full speed until he’s panting for breath. Then he’ll stop and look around as if to ask how I managed to stay in the saddle.”

“I’d like to take him out one day and let him show me his stuff.”

“I hope you will, Adam. When this is over, I hope you’ll think about moving to the ranch. It would be a great place to ease back into civilian life. Lots of freedom. Not a lot of rules. Hard work, but I suppose you’re used to that.”

“There’s no coddling in the marines.” Adam gave one of the horses a good nose scratching as he tried to compare the man he was with to the one his mother referred to as trouble. So much trouble that she hadn’t wanted him to have any part in Adam’s life.

Evidently R.J. had mellowed significantly in his old age. That, or the brain tumor and knowing he didn’t have much longer on earth had changed him.

Adam stopped to admire the big black horse. “What’s his name?”

“Samson.”

“It suits him. Have you always been interested in horses?”

“Interested? Yeah. But the passion’s come since I got too old to pursue my first loves.”

“Whiskey, women and gambling?”

R.J. tossed a pitchfork of fresh hay into one of the stalls. “My reputation always surpassed my exploits, but those were what kept me in trouble and causing trouble most of my life. Not that I’m proud of it, but I can’t run from the truth.”

“Then you don’t gamble, drink and chase skirts anymore?”

“I drink a bit. You know that. You’ve seen me. I still go over to Shreveport on occasion and hit the casinos and I play poker with the other old farts around here once a month.”

“And the ladies?”

R.J. chuckled. “I still notice ’em. I’m not dead yet. But the years take their toll on the old libido, Adam. I could chase, but I’d be like a puppy chasing a bobcat. If I caught one, I sure as shootin’ couldn’t handle it.”

It wasn’t only age that could affect the libido, but that was not a topic Adam cared to express with strangers. And his father was still a stranger, though he was sticking by Adam now the way you’d expect a father to do.

“It’s none of my business,” R.J. said. “You can tell me so if you’ve got a mind to, but what is the deal between you and Hadley?”

R.J. had just given him the perfect segue way to the truth. He considered coming clean, but at this point telling R.J. he was Lacy and Lila’s grandfather would only complicate matters. It would be better dealt with when the girls were safe.

“We were engaged once. It didn’t work out.”

“Was that before or after you were injured in that enemy ambush?”

Adam froze and for a second he just stared at R.J. “How did you know about that?”

“Meghan Lambert is nothing if not thorough. She says you came close to dying, that it was a miracle that you lived and even more a miracle that you ever walked again.”

He’d managed to keep the severity of his injuries even from his own mother. “What else did Meghan tell you?”

“That after you’d escaped the attack unharmed, you got shot when you went back into the fray and rescued two of your buddies from certain death. That you spent two years in rehab pushing yourself to the limits day after day, amazing all your doctors with your recovery.

“That you’ve spent the last year working at that same hospital where you did your rehab helping other wounded warriors push toward recovery.”

“You’re right. Meghan Lambert is extremely thorough.”

“You broke up with Hadley when you realized you might not make it, didn’t you?”

“Meghan didn’t tell you that.”

“No. I figured that one out for myself after seeing you two together. Too bad. Hadley seems like a terrific woman. I know she’s hurting like crazy now.”

“And it’s getting harder for her every second that the kidnapper doesn’t make contact,” Adam said. “So let’s just keep the info on my injuries between us.”

“It’s your life.”

“And right now all I want to do is help Hadley get Lacy and Lila back. We passed the forty-eight-hour mark at some point during the night. I’m not sure how much longer she can hold up.”

“Hopefully today will be the day when everything turns around. Fred Casey sure seems to have a handle on his end of the broomstick.”

“One of the top in the country.”

They finished feeding the horses and took the trek back to the house. A black, late-model Porsche approached as they reached the back steps. Adam didn’t recognize the vehicle or the driver.

“Mighty early for company,” Adam said.

“Those are the neighbors I was telling you about, Durk and Meghan Lambert. Actually they live in the city, but the family ranch, the Bent Pine, is only a couple of miles from here. I asked them to stop by.”

“I suppose you have a good reason that doesn’t include revealing my past to Hadley.”

“Like I said, that’s your business. Meghan would never step out of bounds. But Durk is the top dog at Lambert Oil and you know how good a detective Meghan is.”

“They sound like great neighbors, but I’m not in the mood for making new friends. I can assure you that Hadley isn’t, either.”

“She might be when she hears what Durk and Meghan bring to the table. The Lamberts just brought a helicopter for ranch use and Lambert Oil has a couple of corporate jets. They might just come in handy if Fred still plans to lure the abductor into making a move that you control.”

“Then let’s invite them in.”

Within five minutes the six of them were sitting around the kitchen table. Fred had been invited to the meeting. If the Lamberts did offer use of their helicopter and/or corporate jets, Fred would be the one deciding if and how they would use them.

Durk was definitely not what Adam had expected from a high-powered oil man. He was straightforward and down to earth. And Meghan proved to be exactly what Hadley needed, a female who wasn’t connected with the investigation but was knowledgeable and sensitive.

“I know you’re devastated, Hadley. I’ve followed the case as closely as I can, and it seems to grow more convoluted by the hour. That’s why Durk and I called R.J. and offered to help in any way we could.”

“I appreciate that, but I’m not sure what you can do that isn’t already being done.”

“I can investigate anyone you think could possibly be a suspect,” Meghan said. “I don’t follow the rules the cops do, and I have friends in high places—right up to the top of the FBI feeding chain.”

“I don’t know who I’d suggest you investigate. It seems to me that Detective Shelton Lane is covering all the bases.”

“What about Alana and Sam Bastion? From what I’ve read, the police seem to be ignoring them.”

“I can’t believe either of them is involved in this. Not Alana for sure,” Hadley said. “She’s a sweetheart. She babysat the girls a few times.”

“What about Sam?”

“From everything I know about him, he’s a good kid. Mother hires him to help out at the house when she has a task requiring brawn. Nothing has ever come up missing when either of Matilda’s children is around.”

“Still, it might be good to see what I can find out about them,” Meghan said. “If I find anything alarming I’ll tell you and turn it over to Detective Lane,” Meghan said.

“Yes, you will,” Durk agreed. “I considered having that put in the marriage vows. Meghan will not put herself into danger.”

“I did tend to do that in the past,” she admitted. “But not anymore. I have more than myself to keep safe.” She rubbed a baby bump by way of explanation.

“Then I accept your help,” Hadley said.

“R.J. said something about a helicopter and corporate jets,” Adam said.

“They’re absolutely on the table if you need them,” Durk said. “I can supply a pilot, fuel and whatever else you need to get those babies home safely. If you need cash to use as bait, I can help with that as well.”

“Why?” Adam asked. “Why stick your neck out when you don’t even know us?”

“It’s the cowboy way,” Durk said.

“But you’re a businessman.”

“My job is CEO of the family oil business. My love is the ranch. That makes me a cowboy.”

“Fair enough.”

“What are you planning to do now that you’re out of the service and back in the States, Adam?”

“I’m not sure.”

“If you’re looking for a job, drop by the office one day. I’ll hook you up with personnel and we can see what they can come up with that fits your interests and expertise. No pressure, of course.”

“I guess giving out jobs is more of the cowboy way.”

“No, I’d only hire you if you were a fit for the position and for the company. But we hire a lot of veterans. They have good work ethics and a strong sense of loyalty. And we all owe you a debt of thanks.”

“In that case, I appreciate the offer, but the only thing I can concentrate on now is rescuing Lacy and Lila.”

“I understand completely.” Durk turned his attention to Fred and described the aircraft. “If you can use any of that, just let me know.”

“I’m thinking that the helicopter or perhaps the small jet might be useful.”

Durk pulled two business cards from his pocket. “This is my brother Tague’s number. He’s at the ranch all day today. He can fix you up with the helicopter. And this is my card. Call me if you need either of the corporate jets. I’ve already checked. They’re both available and reserved for your use.”

“How much notice will you need?”

“I’ll give Tague a call now and tell him to get a pilot on standby for the helicopter. Or for that matter, Tague can fly it for you. So I’d say the helicopter could be ready by the time you drive to the ranch to board it. I’ll need an hour’s notice on the jet.”

“Sounds good,” Fred said.

They said their goodbyes and R.J. and Adam stood on the porch as Durk and Meghan drove away.

“Thanks for asking them to stop by,” Adam said. “If you’d asked first, I would have probably said no. But I’d have never expected them to be so willing to do whatever it takes to find two kidnapped girls they don’t even know.”

“And the rest of the Lamberts are just as friendly and accommodating. Considering the life I’ve lived, it’s amazing they have anything to do with me.”

“Were you that bad?”

“I did a lot more hell-raising than I did volunteering my help. And as you know, I wasn’t much of a father. That’s why it’s asking a lot to expect you or any of your half siblings to give me the time of day, much less move onto the ranch.”

“You sweetened the pot with the money and the ranch.”

“Money doesn’t make up for letting people down. I can’t undo any of what I’ve done, but I’d do a better job of being a dad if I had to do it over again. That’s all I’m saying.”

“That’s saying a lot.”

“Well, I lied. It’s not all I’m saying. I’ve made lots of mistakes in my day, son. I’ve learned things the hard way, so trust my advice. Don’t you let Hadley get away from you, boy. If you do, you’ll be a bigger fool than I ever was.”

Advice Adam would give the world if he could heed.

But he couldn’t. Still, R.J.’s advice lingered in his mind as he walked outside and made a call to his mother. He wouldn’t talk to her about R.J., but he did need to fill her in on what was going on.

He wondered if she suspected that he was still in love with Hadley when she’d called and insisted he offer his assistance. She’d always had a sixth sense about knowing what what was on his mind and in his heart.

R.J. might be new at being a Dad, but Jerri had been his mother all his life.

* * *

SMOKE FROM FRYING tortillas filled the Mexican restaurant. Quinton waved it away with his napkin and took a bite of the spicy egg, cheese and bean taco. This was his favorite breakfast dive, but today he was too agitated to even flirt with the owner’s pretty young daughter who was back to refill his coffee cup.

Matilda had the means, motive and opportunity to kidnap those girls. She also had the motive to try and pin it on him—if she was guilty. But as hard as he’d tried to believe that she was the abductor, the edges of the puzzle always came out lopsided.

Matilda was loyal to the core. That’s why she’d put up with so much from him over the years. She was also loyal to Janice O’Sullivan. It had almost killed her to con Janice out of five thousand dollars to bail him out of trouble.

The only reason Matilda had gone through with the scheme was to protect Alana from him. She would have never done it for herself.

So if she was willing and even eager to pin this on him, she must be protecting someone. But who?

“Hadley O’Sullivan?” He had no use for that bitch, but it was hard to imagine she’d gotten rid of her own kids. She’d definitely never called him and asked him to do it for her.

But the detective’s eyes had lit up at that accusation. It was obvious he already suspected she had something to do with the kidnapping. It wouldn’t take much to nudge him into arresting Hadley. But Matilda wouldn’t pin the murder on him to protect Hadley.

So who took the girls? Adam Dalton?

Maybe. Tough former marine chasing hot mother of twins under the age of three. He might prefer to have Hadley all to himself. But the man had to know that if Hadley found out he’d gotten rid of her kids she’d never have anything to do with him.

So...

The owner’s daughter came around again, this time with extra salsa. The girl was working her tip. Her mother probably didn’t pay her near enough.

And all of a sudden the truth hit Quinton. He knew exactly who’d kidnapped those girls. All he had to do was find the hideaway and he was in the game with four aces and a wild card up his sleeve.