Ellie’s phone buzzed in her pocket. It was Collin. Finally.
“Sorry, I’ve been waiting for Collin to call me back. I need a ride to look for Dad, and Collin has been MIA.” As soon as she said it, Ellie knew she shouldn’t have. Steve didn’t like Collin, didn’t think he was good enough for her, and this description of his behavior didn’t exactly put him in a positive light. “I’ll be right back.”
She nearly dropped the shiny phone as she tried to hit the Talk button and pressed the phone to her ear.
“Hey! There you are. I was worried about you. Everything okay at home?” She tried to speak in generalities, almost through the door where the police officer in the hall was sitting.
Ellie was dying to tell Collin the truth about his brother, but finding her father was more important.
“I have your dad,” a deep, gravelly voice responded—a voice that was definitely not Collin. All the muscles in Ellie’s back and shoulders tightened, and she held the phone tighter.
“Caleb?” she asked as soon as she was far enough away from listening ears, lowering her voice just in case.
“I have your dad,” he said simply, his voice strained and wobbly. “He’s okay,” he rushed to interject, “but I need you to come see me.”
“Put Collin on.” Ellie tried to rid herself of the idea of her father hurt or alone and scared.
“He’s not here. He’s coming to find you. I told him everything. He’s gonna take you to me and Chief Brown.”
“I don’t like this idea, Caleb.” The fury was building, and it took all of Ellie’s nearly depleted reserves of strength to keep from losing it and screaming through the phone. She took a deep breath and tried to sound cool and measured. “My father is a sick man. He needs medicine and proper care. You can’t just pluck him up off the streets and think he’s going to be okay.”
“You need to stop talking. We are running out of time. Your father is safe. You have nothing to worry about, I promise you. Whatever you’ve been told about me is a lie. Meet Collin at the hospital entrance. He will drive you to my location. I’ll explain more then.”
“Why do I need to come to you? Why don’t you come to me? I’m at the hospital. Turn yourself in and get some real treatment and you can explain everything.” Ellie was now pacing the small hall that connected Amelia’s ICU room to the main hallway. Still aware of the officer outside and Steve inside, Ellie worked hard to keep her voice down as much as possible, but it was getting increasingly difficult to not scream into the phone.
“Are you with Amelia?” Caleb asked, ignoring Ellie’s suggestions.
“Yes, I’m with Amelia,” she responded, trying to soften her tone since she knew that Amelia was Caleb’s weak spot and maybe the only way to get him to come to safety. “She’s in bad shape. You should come see her. She might die, Caleb.”
There was a long pause and then a deep breath on the other end.
“Is Steve there?” Caleb asked, this time sounding less concerned and more anxious.
Ellie could see into Amelia’s room. She focused in on Steve, who was curled over his wife’s limp hand. Every thirty seconds or so he would lift it to his lips and place a light kiss on the back of it.
“Yeah, and he told me what happened. It’s okay, Caleb. You didn’t hurt anyone. We’ll all testify and help you, I promise. You’ll be safe.”
Caleb coughed out a rueful laugh on the other end of the phone.
“Yeah, I’m sure he told you everything. Did he tell you about all the secrets he keeps in his safe? Probably not. Don’t trust that man, Ellie, and don’t leave him alone with Amelia.” Then, before she could ask for clarification, he said, “Collin will be there soon. If you care about your family at all, you’ll go with him.” And then he hung up.
“Caleb,” Ellie tested, whispering into the receiver. “Caleb.” But he was gone. She was tempted to call Collin’s number back but had a sinking feeling that it would be a waste of time. Instead, she put the phone in her pocket and stood up straight. She took another look at Steve, finding Caleb’s warnings disturbing enough to try to understand. But this time Steve wasn’t pouring care and love onto his injured wife. This time he was watching Ellie. She acknowledged his attention with a tip of her shoulder. He gave her a little smirk that brought her back to all the times they played board games on a Sunday night and he’d come up with an awesome plan to win the whole game in just two or three moves. For half a moment she considered telling him about the call and the invitation to meet Caleb, but that smirk . . . that tiny quirk of his mouth to one side . . . made her pause.
She wouldn’t tell him. Not yet. Not until she heard what Collin and Caleb had to say and she knew her father was safe.
“Ellie, so good to see you.” Steve’s mom, Shelly, stood behind her, holding a cup of steaming coffee in each hand. Despite driving through the night from Tennessee, she looked flawless, as always, dressed in a flowing silk blouse and perfectly fitted gray slacks, and she smelled of some kind of imported perfume. Ellie was relieved to see another familiar and comforting face.
“Hey, Shelly.” Ellie gave Steve’s mom a half hug and tried to sound chipper, but she knew it came out wrong. The smell of hot coffee made Ellie’s stomach growl, and she quickly backed away to keep from being tempted by the idea of food. She didn’t have time to eat even though she was running on empty. She chased away the question of how long she could go on like this before she’d break down.
“This is so scary, isn’t it?” Shelly said. Ellie nodded somberly and glanced back at her sister again.
“Hey, could you do me a favor?” Ellie touched Shelly’s shoulder and spoke quickly, sure she was anxious to get the coffee inside the hospital room before it went cold. “Could you tell Steve I have to go find my dad? He knows what I’m talking about.”
“Sure, hon.” Shelly’s Southern accent gave a softness to her response that mellowed the confusion that was clear on her face, even through the thick coat of flawless makeup.
Ellie took two steps away from the hospital room before turning back and adding, “And, Shelly, can you stay with Amelia for me until I get back?”
“Of course, darlin.’ I’ll never leave her side,” Shelly answered, emphatic in her response. Ellie’s knees buckled slightly with relief.
“Thank you.” She turned, glad she was wearing sneakers, and walked as fast as she could to the elevator. Okay, she’d do it. She’d go with Collin, she’d talk to Caleb, she’d get her dad back.
And if Caleb wouldn’t come to the police, she would bring the police to Caleb.
CHAPTER 30
AMELIA