He could see that. There was no hesitation in her decisive movements, no doubt. She was a woman on a mission, and she wasn't going to lose her target. For the first time, he really saw her as she was now: a well-trained, fearless and determined FBI agent.
"Where is he going?" he questioned, as Mark made another unexpected turn.
"Probably someplace deserted, empty. The kidnapper likes abandoned buildings."
"Has there ever been a ransom demand before?"
"No, but this case has been different in several ways. I just wish I knew Chicago better. It's changed since I was last here."
"Somewhat and yet not that much," he said, one destination coming to mind as they headed toward the outskirts of the city. "He could be heading to the Damen Silos," he said referring to the abandoned and once majestic fifteen-story grain silos. The silos had been abandoned in the seventies, but they had been a target for graffiti artists, homeless encampments, and other criminal activities over the years. "You said he likes abandoned buildings, and those have certainly been a favorite criminal destination for decades. Although, I thought they had shut them down, locked them off awhile back."
"We had a team check the silos the first night, but the kidnapper could have moved Hayley, or he just chose that location for the ransom drop, and Hayley is nowhere nearby. I need to call this in to the team. Can you grab my phone out of my bag?"
As he opened her bag, he saw a 9 mm Glock, and his gut tightened—another reminder of how Bree had changed her life. His hand slid past the gun to grab her phone. He handed it to her and set her bag on the console between them.
She punched in a button and said, "Tracy? Yes, I want to talk about the photos, but not right now. Why? Because I'm in pursuit of Mark Jansen. I think he's meeting the kidnapper."
Bree paused, and he could hear a torrent of conversation coming from the other end of the line.
"I will call you as soon as I know for sure where he's going," she said. "I'm guessing he might be going to silos, but I'll have to let you know."
Nathan heard more loud comments on the line, then Bree disconnected the call and tossed the phone into her open bag.
"Tracy didn't sound happy," he said.
"Tracy is never happy with me, but I don't care. This could be the break we're looking for. I don't have time for office politics. I don't have time to make someone feel better. It doesn't matter who finds Hayley; we just need to save her life. And I can do this job as well, if not better, than any of the agents in Chicago."
He smiled, and Bree gave him a sharp look.
"What?" she demanded.
"I like your confidence, that's all. You are a different person now."
"I'm proud of that."
"Me, too."
She cleared her throat. "So, you said you found out something at the house. What was it?"
"Oh, right. Lindsay told me Hayley was adopted."
"She just volunteered that?"
"Not exactly. She was rambling on about letting down Hayley's birth mother. She said she was supposed to protect Hayley and give her a better life. She didn't realize what she'd said until I asked her about it. Then she admitted it."
"Well, okay, but that's not really new information."
"I'm getting to the new information," he said dryly. Bree had never had a lot of patience when she was ready to act. "Lindsay mentioned that Hayley is probably missing her favorite toy, a small bunny, that she always had with her, except Tuesday night, because it was stolen from Lindsay's SUV a few weeks ago."
"Wait. There was a car breakin? That wasn't in the file."
"Mark said they reported it to the police several weeks ago. There were other cars on the block broken into that night that had more valuables taken. He said the police didn't seem to think they could do much about it."
"They usually can't," she murmured. "But the fact that Hayley lost her favorite bunny…"
"Do you think it's tied to the kidnapping? That means the abduction was planned weeks in advance."
"Every abduction by the White Rose Kidnapper has been meticulously planned out. I definitely think it could be connected. Hayley was lured out of her school by someone who didn't cause her to panic or scream or struggle. She either knew him, or he used something she loved to entice her, to make her trust him. I'm thinking it's this special bunny that he took out of her mom's car."
"That makes sense." He braced himself again as Bree pressed her foot down on the gas pedal and they took another turn at full speed. He didn't know if Mark had any idea he was being followed, but he was certainly driving fast, running red lights to get to where he was going.
As the silos came into view, his blood began racing as fast as the car. "What are we going to do when we get there?"
"I'm not sure."
"Really? You're not sure? You don't have a plan?"
"I'm making it up as I go along."
"I've seen how great that worked for you in the past."
"This isn’t the past, and you're going to have to trust me, Nathan. I have better instincts now. They don't usually let me down."
It was the second time she'd said that to him since they'd gotten into the car, and he realized she needed to hear the words. "I trust you, Bree."
She gave him a hard look, then nodded and turned her focus back to the road.
*
As Bree neared the silos, she eased back on the gas, not wanting Mark to catch sight of them. It was possible he might recognize Nathan's truck, although he seemed more intent on getting to his destination than looking over his shoulder.
But even if Mark wasn't looking for a tail, whoever he was meeting with would be. She didn't want them to get spooked.
She didn't know if Hayley would be at the drop; she didn't think so, but she couldn't discount the possibility that the kidnapper would swap Hayley for ransom. It didn't seem likely based on her work experience and also on the fact that the kidnapper was looking for more than money. Why else would he be threatening her, sending her through the painful places of her past and sending her baby photos?
The ransom call just didn't make sense, unless she was off base on where Mark was going, and what he was doing, but she couldn’t get the sight of that large backpack out of her head.
"Looks like he's heading toward the south entrance," Nathan said, breaking into her thoughts.
She took out her phone and connected with Tracy once more. "He's about to enter through the south entrance of the silos," she said. "We're not far behind him. Come in quiet. We don't know if Hayley is there."
"Wait for us to get there," Tracy said.
She didn't reply. She might wait, or she might not. She was going to play this out in whatever way was necessary to ensure a good outcome.
She slowed down even more, staying a good distance behind as Mark drove through a broken-down fence a quarter of a mile away. She pulled off on to a side road and hid the truck behind a dumpster at the back end of a warehouse and turned off the engine.
Grabbing the gun out of her bag, she looked at Nathan. "I'm going to check things out. Stay here."
"I don't think so," he said, immediately following her out of the truck. "That agent told you to wait."
"Nathan, I don't want anything to happen to you."
"And I don't want anything to happen to you. So, we're sticking together. If you're going, I'm going."
She didn't have time to argue with him. And if she didn't let him come, he'd just wait ten seconds and follow her anyway. "All right, but stay close behind me, and don't make any moves."
"Got it."
They crept along a brick wall, and then scooted between two pillars just before the entrance that Mark had turned in to. A few feet later, Mark's car came into view. It was in an open area surrounded and hidden by the towering silos.
Mark got out of the car and looked around, then glanced down at the phone in his hand.
"He's waiting for a call," Nathan murmured.
Bree nodded as they stayed out of sight.