Suspicions (9 page)

He smiled down at her, picked her up and
carried her into their bedroom. As they crossed the threshold she
couldn't help noticing the boxes stacked in the corner and felt a
little swirl of a doubt whisper through her head.

Day 4 – Thursday

Stacey awoke to the gentle sound of raindrops
falling on the roof. Pushing herself out of bed, she smiled at the
sight of her husband still curled up under the covers. But the
smile was cut off as her gaze rested on the boxes in her room.

Anger burned her throat as she thought about
Patricia coming into her bedroom. How dare she? Stacey thought.
She's been in the office before and I know she must have seen the
products in there. What was she trying to pull?

Looking at the sleeping form of her husband
she wondered if he was even aware of Patricia's manipulations. She
didn't think so. He would never do anything to hurt her.

After getting ready she went through her
usual morning routine of helping everyone else prepare for the day.
By the time Jason had left the rain had stopped and the sun had
begun to break through the clouds.

While walking back from the elementary
school, Stacey decided to stop over at Amanda's house. She felt
terrible about not going over the day before, but she had been in
such turmoil over what Robby had told her about the car that she
just couldn't face Amanda.

Today, however, she felt much better. After
having a day to think about it she felt more confident about her
husband's innocence and even felt disloyal for having doubts the
previous day.

Walking to Amanda's house with a light step,
she had to push her way through the reporters before she could
reach the porch. She noticed Amanda's prized flowerbed had been
trampled by the reporters, anxious to talk to anyone who neared the
Stone's house. They watched over Stacey's head as Amanda answered
the door. Several flashbulbs went off to capture Amanda at her
worst moment.

A heavy weight come down on Stacey’s
shoulders when she saw her friend’s appearance. Her hair looked
like it hadn’t been washed, her face was pale, and her clothes were
wrinkled. But upon seeing Stacey her face brightened. That only
made Stacey feel worse about staying away the day before.

As she walked into the house she noticed the
closed-in smell of a house in mourning. A different person was
sitting in Amanda's kitchen. Amanda explained that the FBI would be
around for a while.

“Where's Mark?” Stacey asked.

“He's down at the police department. He said
he wants to be there if there's any word, but I think he just
doesn't want to be here with me.”

“Have there been any new developments?”
Stacey asked.

“Besides the fact your son saw Kyle's
kidnapping?”

Stacey looked away then back again. “I wish
we had known about that sooner. I guess he thought I'd be angry at
him for sneaking out, so he was afraid to tell me what he had
seen.”

“Oh,” Amanda said dully.

Stacey felt her heart skip a beat. “Have they
found out anything more about that car?”

Amanda was dejected. “No, but they're still
looking.”

Stacey's heart pounded as she made an abrupt
decision. “You know, Amanda, Jason used to have a car that might
have looked kind of like that.”

Amanda's head whipped up. “What?! Did you
tell the police about this?”

“No,” Stacey said, shaking her head as she
wondered if mentioning the possible connection was a mistake.
However, conscience-stricken about not revealing this important
piece of information earlier, she realized she didn’t have a
choice. Besides, she tried to convince herself, Jason has nothing
to do with Kyle’s kidnapping so there’s nothing to be afraid
of.

“Why not?” Amanda wanted to know. “Are you
hiding something, Stacey?”

“What? Of course not. What would I be
hiding?”

Amanda's eyes narrowed. “I don't know. You
tell me.”

Stacey let out a short burst of air. “Look.
I’m not hiding anything. Jason sold that car a long time ago.” She
paused. “In fact, why don’t you go and tell the FBI agent in your
kitchen about it.”

Without another word, Amanda walked into her
kitchen. Stacey remained in the living room, wondering what she had
just done. Maybe I want to know the truth, she told herself.
Determination flowed through her as she said over and over to
herself like a mantra: I know he's not involved. I know it.

The agent came into the living room, Amanda
close behind him. “Hello, Mrs. Hunter,” he said. “What's this about
your husband once owning a car like the one your son
described?”

“That's right,” Stacey said, feeling more
sure of herself. “He sold it about four years ago. I don't know who
bought it though.”

“Can you get me the vehicle identification
number?”

“I don't know if we have any records on that
car still,” Stacey said, a feeling of foreboding washing over
her.

He frowned. “That's okay. We can find out
easily enough.” He turned to Amanda. “I'll call this in and see
what we can turn up. This just might be the break we need.” Then he
went back into the kitchen.

A short time later the FBI agent came back
into the room. Stacey was surprised when he approached her instead
of Amanda.

“Mrs. Hunter?”

“Yes?”

“What cars do you currently own?”

She told him the make and model of their two
vehicles.

The agent seemed to study the slip of paper
in his hand before looking at Stacey. “Do you know where we can
find your husband?”

Stacey felt the blood drain from her face.
“He . . . he’s at work. Why?”

A grim look on his face, he turned to Amanda.
“It seems there’s a Toyota Celica still registered to Jason
Hunter.”

“What?!” Both women said in unison.

“Where does your husband work, Mrs.
Hunter?”

Barely able to speak, Stacey gave him the
name of the car dealership where Jason was a salesman.

“Thank you,” he said, before walking
away.

“There must be some kind of mistake,” Stacey
whispered.

Amanda had tears in her eyes. “All I want is
my boy back.”

“What are you saying?”

“If Jason is somehow involved, I know he
wouldn’t do anything to hurt Kyle.”

“What? Amanda, Jason is not involved. I would
know.”

“But you didn’t know about Robby witnessing
the abduction,” Amanda pointed out.

“That’s different. He was just afraid to tell
me.” Stacey paused. “You’ll see. They’ll talk to Jason and he’ll
set them straight.” But what if he doesn’t set them straight?
Stacey thought frantically. What if they find out we don’t have
very much money and we’re behind on some bills? They might see that
as a possible motive. And if they check with Jason’s employer,
they’ll know he was running an errand at the time of the
abduction.

I need to call and warn him, she thought.
“Can I use your phone, Amanda?”

“What for?” Amanda asked, obviously
suspicious.

Stacey bit her lip. “I need to call my
husband.” When Amanda hesitated Stacey said, “Nevermind. I’ll just
call him from home.”

Amanda’s face relaxed. “It’s fine. Of course
you can use my phone.”

Stacey hurried into the kitchen and dialed
Jason’s cell number. She had to try several times before he finally
answered.

“Jason,” she started. “Where have you been?
I’ve been trying to reach you.”

“I was in the bathroom,” he laughed. “What’s
going on?”

“Well, I’m not quite sure how to say -”

“Hang on,” Jason interrupted.

Stacey felt her heart racing as she waited
for Jason to come back on the line.

“I’ve got to go,” Jason said quickly. “I’ll
call you later.”

“Wait!” Stacey said, but he had already hung
up. Slowly Stacey set the phone back in its cradle and stared at
the wall. They’re already there to arrest him and it’s all my
fault.

Sudden panic gripped her mind and in a moment
of stunning clarity she knew what she had to do. She had to find
out who the real kidnapper was. And in the process maybe she would
find Kyle.

Going back into the living room, Stacey tried
to smile reassuringly as Amanda asked if she’d spoken with
Jason.

“He was busy.”

“Oh.” Amanda paused. “Don’t worry, I’m sure
he has nothing to do with this.”

Stacey nodded, hiding her shock and
uncertainty.

“I’m sure Jason has a reasonable
explanation,” Amanda continued.

Stacey nodded and forced her mind to
concentrate on what Amanda was saying. Then she thought about the
police questioning the media people the day the ransom note had
been received. “Did the police ever find a witness who saw the
ransom note delivered?”

Amanda shook her head. “No. They’re guessing
it was put in our mailbox sometime during the night.” She glanced
at Stacey. “They think it’s someone nearby.”

Biting her lip to keep from crying, Stacey
swallowed over the lump forming in her throat. “Have you heard
anything more?”

She let out a sigh. “No, and Mark's been
pushing hard for me to liquidate my assets so we can pay.” She let
out a mirthless laugh. “Doesn't he realize I'm doing it as fast as
I can?”

A seed of a thought took hold in Stacey's
brain. Mark. What was his story anyway? First he wouldn't tell
where he was when Kyle was abducted, and now he's pushing Amanda to
pay the kidnapper off. Could he be involved? Not Jason, but Mark?
She knew she might be grasping at straws, but she had to start
somewhere.

I wonder what I could find if I did some
poking around? Stacey thought in desperation. If I could find
something linking Mark to Kyle's abduction, suspicion would be
removed from Jason and maybe we would even find Kyle. Her heart
lightened at the thought.

She looked at Amanda as she began formulating
a plan. “Have you been sleeping at all?”

“Not really.”

“I was just thinking,” Stacey said. “If you
want to lie down for a while, I could stay here and wake you if
there's any news.”

Amanda hesitated, mulling it over. “I am a
little tired. Maybe I can lie down for a few minutes.”

“Come on,” Stacey said. “I’ll walk you to
your room.”

Once Amanda was tucked comfortably into bed,
Stacey walked back down the stairs, glancing into the kitchen.
Agent Morrison was talking on his cell phone.

Stacey wondered what was happening with
Jason. Had they arrested him? Was he now trying to call her and ask
her to find an attorney to represent him? The thought pushed her
down the hall toward Mark’s office where she went in and shut the
door as quietly as she could.

It looked exactly as she remembered it from
the other day when she'd helped Amanda make fliers. Not a thing was
out of place. In the corner stood a wooden file cabinet. Stacey
walked over to it and pulled on the first drawer. It didn't move.
She pulled again and still nothing.

Looking around, she tried to figure out where
Mark might keep his key. Her eyes scanned the room, stopping on the
desk drawers. Moving over to the desk, she slowly pulled open the
first drawer. It made a scraping sound and she froze in place,
listening for the sound of footsteps outside the door.

When there were none, she carefully searched
the drawer. She was careful to put things back as she had found
them, knowing Mark was meticulous enough to notice if anything was
moved. Not finding the key in that drawer, she moved on to the
others. There were no keys in any of them.

Fresh panic filled her mind until she
remembered seeing a crystal bowl on top of Amanda and Mark’s
dresser that held some change, and more importantly, a set of small
keys. That’s got to be where he keeps them, she thought.

The door to the master bedroom was ajar.
Snoring softly, Amanda was lying on the bed with her back toward
the door. Unfortunately, the dresser would be in her line of vision
if she woke up.

Stacey stopped while she decided what to do.
Then she calmly walked into the room and paused at the foot of the
bed. When she got to the dresser, she turned toward Amanda's
sleeping figure and glanced over her shoulder at the dresser. Yes!
She thought in relief. There are some keys on the dresser.

Stacey jerked her head around when she heard
Amanda stirring.

Amanda's eyes slowly opened. “Oh. Stacey.
What are you doing here?”

She thought quickly. “I was just coming in to
check on you. Do you need water or anything?”

“No, I'm fine. But thank you,” she said,
yawning.

Stacey had no choice but to leave the room. I
was so close, she thought.

Standing in the hall, she tried to figure out
what to do next. She didn't have to wait long. She heard Amanda get
out of bed and walk over to the bathroom. When she heard the
bathroom door close, Stacey dashed in, grabbed the keys and shoved
them into her jeans pocket. No sooner had she pulled her hand back
out of her pocket then Amanda came out of the bathroom.

“Oh! Stacey, you're still here. You don't
have to stay if you don't want to.”

“I don't mind, really. I cleared my schedule
today.”

“Well, if you don't have anything else you
need to do then I don't mind you staying.”

“You should sleep longer, Amanda,” Stacey
said, trying to show concern.

Amanda was not convinced. “Actually, I don't
really feel like sleeping.”

“Don’t you think you’d feel better if you
showered and put on some fresh clothes?” Stacey asked.

“Maybe you're right. A shower might be just
what I need.” Amanda turned toward the bathroom, then pivoted back
to Stacey. “To tell you the truth though, I don't want to be in the
shower if the phone rings.”

Stacey nodded in understanding. “What if I go
downstairs and wait by the phone there? Then if it rings I can come
up and get you.” Stacey smiled her encouragement.