Chasing Second Chances (15 page)

Chapter Nineteen

It was strange, Kate thought as she looked at her phone for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few hours. Since she got out of bed, she had sent Bryan several messages and yet, he had not replied even once, nor had he picked up or returned any of her calls.

What was going on?

“You look worried,” Lloyd observed, sitting beside her on the couch and handing her a cup of coffee. “And not about the kids.”

She looked at him as she took the cup. “Perceptive as always.”

“I thought you said you and Bryan had talked everything out,” he said, ignoring the remark.

Yes, she had told him that last night, among the many other things she had told him in the long conversation they had shared until past midnight, long after the last slice of apple pie had been finished. After he had told her he was backing off, she no longer felt uncomfortable around him and so they had talked as friends, reminiscing the wonderful memories they had shared in the past without bringing up the painful ones, talking about life without each other, about things they had never talked about before.

Now, she felt more comfortable around him than she had ever been before, closer to him even, and so she did not hesitate to tell him what was on her mind.

“I thought so, too.”

“Then maybe he’s just busy,” Lloyd offered. “He’s a doctor, after all.”

Kate nodded. Right, he could just be busy with his patient. He had been called to an emergency, after all. Then again, he had never been too busy to send her even a single, short message before, to tell her that he was all right and that he loved her.

Well, maybe he’s just really busy this time.

“Maybe,” she said out loud.

“You don’t sound convinced.”

She frowned. “I’m beginning to think your perceptiveness isn’t such a good thing.”

He chuckled, then took a sip from his cup. “That means I’m right, doesn’t it?”

“Well…he’s never not returned my messages or calls before.”

“So what? Are you thinking that something happened to him?”

She shrugged, though she certainly hoped that wasn’t true.

“Or are you thinking he’s with another woman?”

She stopped bringing her cup to her lips halfway. “He wouldn’t do something like that.”

He gave a meaningful grin.

“What?” she demanded to know the meaning behind it.

“Your quick, defensive reaction to that one means you’re more troubled by that scenario.”

“Wow. You didn’t tell me you’ve studied psychology, too, since we divorced,” she said dryly.

He let that go. “Don’t worry, Kate.” He patted her on the shoulder. “If he makes the mistake of leaving you, I’m still here, you know.”

She gave him a puzzled look. “I thought you said you were taking yourself out of the picture.”

“I did,” he told her. “But the picture changes if Bryan’s no longer in it. Remember, I only said I was stepping back so you could be happy.”

She looked away, not knowing whether to be pleased or bothered by that remark. If Bryan left her, would she go back to Lloyd?

She shook her head. That question was absurd. Lloyd would never leave her, especially not now, not after what had happened yesterday.

“Bryan’s probably just busy,” she told him.

Lloyd chuckled. “Yeah, probably.”

She changed the topic, not wanting to dwell on the troubling thought that there was something wrong with Bryan, talking instead about the house, asking him whether or not a renovation would do it some good, and whether or not she should get a landscape artist to work on the backyard to make it look even more attractive, perhaps add a garden on the other end, across the newly installed playground.

They were still absorbed in that topic when the doorbell rang. Kate went to answer it.

“Lt. Paulson,” she greeted the police officer in surprise, not expecting him.

“Good morning, Mrs. Evans. May I come in?”

She nodded and opened the door wider to let him in, her surprise leaving her, turning into dread as she realized Lt. Paulson could very well be at her house to bring her some bad news about the children.

“Good morning, Mr. Marrick,” Lt. Paulson greeted Lloyd, as well, as he entered the living room. “It’s good that you’re here.” He turned to Kate. “I have something to tell you both.”

Kate took a seat beside Lloyd, her heart beginning to pound.

Lloyd placed a comforting hand on her thigh, then looked at the lieutenant. “Let’s cut down to the chase, shall we?”

“We found the place where the children were brought to, presumably after they were kidnapped,” Lt. Paulson informed. “It’s an old cottage in the woods.”

“You found the children?” Kate asked with eyes wide.

Lt. Paulson looked away. “Unfortunately, the kids were no longer there, but we do have proof that the children were there.” He placed a photo down on the coffee table. “This was the message we saw on one of the windows.”

Kate grabbed the photo, then covered her mouth as she let out a gasp, tears brimming in her eyes. “Lena.”

“The fingerprint left on the glass was a match to Lena’s so we’re sure she was the one who left the message,” Lt. Paulson added.

“What about Jack?” Kate asked. “Is there proof that he’s alive?”

Lt. Paulson placed another photo on the table, a photo of a small piece of cloth that had a red race car. “We found this piece of cloth caught on a low branch not far from the cottage.”

“That’s from Jack’s pajamas,” Kate confirmed. She looked at Lloyd. “They’re alive, Lloyd.”

“I told you they would be,” he said, squeezing her thigh. He turned to Lt. Paulson. “Do you know where they are now?”

Lt. Paulson shook his head. “Unfortunately, we do not know that yet, but we have found more evidence that might lead us to the identity of the kidnappers.”

“Kidnappers?” Kate grew puzzled. “There’s more than one?”

“We are now under the belief that there are at least two,” Lt. Paulson answered. “A male and a female.”

“You’re sure of this?” Lloyd asked.

“We found a bottle with lipstick near the cottage,” Lt. Paulson said.

“A male and a female,” Kate repeated. “A couple?”

“We do not know that yet,” Lt. Paulson replied. “But we are hoping we will find out who they are so they can lead us to the children.”

“Even if we find the kidnappers, there is no guarantee they will tell us where the children are, is there?” Lloyd challenged.

“That is true,” Lt. Paulson acceded. “But if we know who the kidnappers are, we can at least have more clues, many more clues that can lead us to where Lena and Jack are.”

Kate nodded, understanding. “Thank you for keeping us informed, Lt. Paulson.”

Having no more questions, she accompanied the police officer back to the door. Then, she returned to the living room to sit beside Lloyd, picking up the photo Lt. Paulson had left behind once more and pressing it to her heart.

“Don’t worry, darling. I’m coming for you,” she whispered.

“Lena’s a smart girl,” Lloyd said.

“Smart like you,” she told him.

“And a fighter like you,” he said. “I’m sure she’s all right.”

“I hope so, Lloyd.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “I hope so.”

He squeezed her hand back, tenderly looking into her eyes. Then, he placed his arm around her, holding her close. She surrendered into his embrace, relishing the warmth she found there, taking comfort in the fact that he was in this battle with her, drawing strength from him.

Everything will be all right.

She closed her eyes, snuggling into his shoulder, but quickly opened them when she heard a throat clearing. At once, she turned around, freeing herself from Lloyd’s arms, and when she saw Bryan standing there, she stood up.

“Bryan!” She ran to him excitedly, ready to wrap her arms around him. “I was so worried about you.”

Bryan gently pushed her away. “You seemed to be doing fine without me. In fact, I’d say that with Lloyd around, you didn’t miss me at all.”

“Of course, not,” she said, feeling hurt. “He was just comforting me.”

“Like he was comforting you in the bathroom before?” he asked angrily.

She frowned, not liking how the conversation was going or where it was heading. “Bryan, I…”

“What about the kiss? Was that him comforting you, too?” Bryan asked icily.

She froze. How did he find out about the kiss?

“It’s true, isn’t it? You shared a kiss with Lloyd.”

“How did you…?”

“It’s true, isn’t it?” he demanded. “Tell me. After all, you did say there weren’t going to be anymore secrets between us.”

She winced at his words, at the pain and hatred dripping from them, but managed to nod. “It’s true, and I was planning on telling you.”

Bryan shook his head. “You should have told me right after it happened.”

She could not say anything, then, knowing that he was right.

“It wasn’t Kate’s fault,” Lloyd finally spoke up. “I was the one who kissed her. And you’re right, I was trying to comfort her after…”

“But she kissed you back, didn’t she?” He looked at her even though the question was directed at Lloyd. “That’s why she felt guilty about it. That’s why she kept it a secret from me.”

“It was an accident,” she told him, tears brimming in her eyes once more. “I was so upset and…”

“And I wasn’t there,” Bryan finished the sentence for her. “So you fell into the arms of the man who was available at that moment and kissed him.”

A tear streaked down her cheek. “It’s not like that. I…”

A phone rang, disrupting the tense atmosphere. At first, Kate just stood there, sobbing, not making a move to answer it, but after four rings, she went to pick it up.

“Kate Evans,” she spoke as she held the phone near her ear, not making any effort to hide the disappointment in her voice.

“I know,” the muffled voice on the other end of the line spoke.

At the unfamiliar voice, Kate became suddenly wary, alert, and she quickly dried her tears as she switched the phone to her other ear. “Who is this?”

There was a pause during which Kate held her breath before the voice spoke again. “I’m the one who has your children, Kate.”

Chapter Twenty

For a moment, Kate could not speak, unable to believe what she had just heard. Then, she took a breath, gathering her courage. “You…you have my children?”

“That’s what I said.”

She felt a wave of relief wash over her, though she quickly tried to curb it, remembering how she had hoped so much the last time only to end up being devastated. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth? That you’re not just playing a prank on me like the others?”

There was a pause and just when she feared that the stranger on the other end of the line had hung up, he spoke. “The Velveteen Rabbit. That’s Lena’s favorite story, isn’t it?”

She was unable to suppress a gasp.

“And Jack, he likes Jell-O but only the red one,” the stranger added. “And he wants a glow-in-the-dark race track for Christmas, and his…”

“I believe you,” she interrupted him, no longer wanting to hear anymore, pressing her hand against her chest as she felt her heart begin to race.

“Good. Now, as long as you do as I say, they will be safe.”

At the words, she felt her relief vanish, fear creeping in. This man had her children and he could do anything he wanted to them. Anything.

“Who are you?”

“That doesn’t matter, does it?”

His arrogance annoyed her, but she knew she had to rein in her temper and tread carefully. He was right, after all. All that mattered was that he had her precious children. “Why did you take my children? What do you want?”

There was another pause. “Two million dollars, one million for each of them.”

She swallowed. “I don’t have that much money. I can only pay as much as three hundred thousand for both of them.”

The stranger laughed. “Is that only the price you’re willing to pay for your children? You disappoint me, Kate.”

Kate’s grip tightened around her phone. “Fine. Two million dollars. I’ll rob a bank if I have to.”

Another chuckle. “That’s more like it, Kate, but as much as I would have loved to see you rob a bank, you don’t have to. I’m sure your husband has all that money, I mean your ex-husband.”

She glanced at Lloyd, who was standing beside the couch, seemingly listening intently. He reached out his hand, asking for the phone, but Kate held on to it, turning away.

“If you had known we had the money all along, why did you wait so long to contact us? Why only now?”

“I had to make arrangements, plus there was a little problem I had to take care of.”

She tensed, understanding what he meant. Bravely, she asked, “Why did you have to kill Charlene?”

“You don’t have to know that, Kate,” the stranger answered. “All you need to know is that I’m serious, and if you don’t meet my demands, the children will meet the same fate as Charlene.”

She paled. “Please…don’t hurt them. I’ll give you what you want, just don’t hurt them.”

“I need the two million by tomorrow night, nine o’ clock. There’s an abandoned warehouse on Jerusalem Avenue.”

“Jerusalem Avenue?” she asked as she ran to the kitchen counter where the notepad and pen were.

“Jerusalem Avenue in Hicksville. That’s in Nassau County. It’s the only warehouse on that street so you won’t miss it.”

“Nassau County,” she muttered as she scribbled.

“You know the drill. Don’t bring any cops or pull anything fishy or I’ll dump your children into the Atlantic and you’ll never hear from me or them ever again,” he threatened.

She nodded. “I won’t.”

“Come alone or with your ex-husband, but no cops. Bring all of the money and be on time. I hate waiting.”

The line went dead.

For a while, she just stood there, frozen, one hand holding the phone and the other still wrapped around the pen. Then, slowly, she set both down, turning to Bryan and Lloyd.

“That was the kidnapper,” she informed them, her voice still shaky. She looked at Lloyd. “They want you and me to bring them two million dollars by tomorrow night.”

Lloyd said nothing, also seemingly glued in place as he became lost in thought.

Bryan, on the other hand, began to walk away.

“Bryan!” she called after him, grabbing his arm at the same time that he reached for the door knob.

“I’m no longer needed here,” he spoke solemnly.

“Oh, but you are,” she told him. “I need you more than anything, more than ever.”

“You have Lloyd,” he reminded her. “As far as I know, a woman only needs one man.”

Again, she winced at his words, but refused to let him go. “I’m sorry, Bryan. I’m so sorry. I should never have kissed him, no matter how upset or afraid I was. It was wrong, I know.”

He said nothing, his silence hurting her as much as his words.

“Please forgive me,” she pleaded. “And please believe me when I say you’re the one I love, you’re the one I want to be with. There’s nothing between Lloyd and me anymore. He just happened to have been there.”

Still, he kept silent.

“Please, Bryan, don’t leave.”

He looked at her, studying her without speaking. Then, he reached for her hand, taking it off his arm. “I’m sorry, Kate, but right now, I just can’t find a reason to stay.”

With those words, he turned and left, walking out the door and seemingly out of her life, each step he took bringing him further and further out of her reach. She collapsed on her knees on the floor, tears streaking down her cheeks and falling on her lap, feeling suddenly empty and alone.

Bryan was gone.

She knelt there crying, at a loss about what she should do. Then, Lloyd knelt in front of her, handing her a box of tissue.

She looked up at him, grateful for his concern, then pulled out one sheet to blow her nose.

“I know you’re hurting right now, Kate,” Lloyd said. “But I need you to focus. We have to go get your children back.”

At the thought of Jack and Lena alive somewhere, waiting for her, Kate felt herself beginning to calm down. She stopped crying, dried her tears and sat on the couch.

“What are we going to do, Lloyd?”

“We’re going to go to New York, of course.”

“Without telling Agent Wilkins or Lt. Paulson about the call?”

“If we tell them, they’ll want to get involved. The kidnapper wouldn’t like that, would he?”

Don’t bring any cops or pull anything fishy or I’ll dump your children into the Atlantic and you’ll never hear from me or them ever again.
“No,” Kate agreed. “He wouldn’t.”

“Besides, I have the money. All I have to do is give it to them and everything will be over.”

“But what if they don’t give us back the children even after we give them the money?”

“I’ll make sure we get the children back,” he promised her. “Trust me, Kate. We’ll get them back.”

She nodded, finding no other option but to trust him. He was all she had now, and as much as that pained her, she was grateful that at least, she was not alone.

Later on, she would find a way to get Bryan back, which she knew she simply had to, but for now, she would focus on getting her children back with Lloyd’s help and do everything she could to make that happen.

With newfound determination, she stood up and went upstairs to pack her bag. It was time to leave town.

* * * *

“They’ve left town,” Nick informed Agent Wilkins, pouting. “One of my men said the BMW left yesterday morning and hasn’t returned since. There’s also no one in the house.”

“Ms. Evans isn’t there?”

Nick shook his head. “According to my men, only Mr. Marrick was seen leaving the house but Ms. Evans must have been in that car, too, because I had the house checked and she isn’t there. I’ve tried to call her, too, but she isn’t answering.”

“There’s only one reason they left without letting us know,” Agent Wilkins said. “They must have received a call from the kidnappers.”

“I’ll try to get a copy of that last conversation,” Nick said. “And also get in touch with Dr. Knowles to see if he knows where they’ve gone.”

“You do that,” Agent Wilkins said. “But remember, our priority is finding the children, and we have to hurry. Now, not only the children are in danger. Ms. Evans and Mr. Marrick may be, too.”

Nick nodded. A part of him was frustrated that Kate had left without telling him, but a part of him understood why she did that, especially knowing what the protocol was. If she had told him, he would have tried to stop her and Kate would not have wanted that. She wouldn’t let anything stop her from seeing her children now.

He sighed, scratching his forehead before heading over to his desk, knowing he had a lot to do.

Agent Wilkins was right. The children had to be found, and soon. There was no guarantee, after all, that Kate would get her children back by paying the sum the kidnapper wanted. On the other hand, if they were able to find the children, then Kate wouldn’t have to give away any money, and the kidnapper would be caught.

It was the only way they could win.

He picked up the phone and began to dial.