The Ransom (21 page)

The room was charged with tension. Zara’s breath came fast. At last, the AG lifted his head and nodded, his face ravaged with pain and devastation.

It was nothing compared to the look of horror and disbelief that flooded Zara’s features. Lane’s gut clenched at the shock and desolation on her face. She crumpled into the nearest chair. He resisted the urge to go to her. This had nothing to do with him. He was in the middle of a kidnapping investigation. He had a terrified little girl to find. He stepped forward and took charge of the room.

“None of this is getting us anywhere. Mrs Dowton, we have until midnight to find Olivia Munro. It’s now going on for ten. We have a little over two hours. Can you provide us with anything of relevance that might actually help us find this little girl—before it’s too late?”

Despite Zara’s outburst and the quiet sobbing that came from her direction, once again, Allison offered a nonchalant wave. “Look, let me call Draco and get this sorted out.” She pulled out her cell phone. “I’m sure he’ll hand the Munro child over and we can all put this nasty little incident behind us.”

Anger ignited inside him, beyond anything he’d ever experienced. He clenched his fists and glared at her.

“We’ve already questioned him. He denied knowing anything about it.”

“Oh, phooey, that’s just nonsense,” she replied, waving a deprecating hand in Lane’s direction. “Of course he knows about it.” She scrolled through her contacts, a slight frown marring the smooth skin of her forehead. Lane breathed through gritted teeth, his jaw clenched.

“Ah, here it is.” She smiled triumphantly. “Now, let’s see if he’s going to answer.”

* * *

Ellie twisted her hands in her lap and stared for the umpteenth time at the clock on the wall of the living room. The television blared tunelessly in the background. She was grateful for the noise that filled the otherwise silent room. Clayton sat close beside her on the couch.

The boys had gone to sleep hours ago, oblivious to their parents’ distress. It was well after ten. Less than two hours until the deadline. They’d gotten together all the available cash they could find. Clayton’s brothers and parents had all contributed. All up, they had a little over one hundred thousand dollars. She just hoped the Attorney General had been able to find the difference.

Lane had called Clayton a little earlier and explained the progress they’d made. Ellie hoped desperately that Lane was calling to tell them they’d found Olivia. The disappointment was crushing when she realized that wasn’t the reason for his call.

The conversation had been brief: They were doing all that they could; they had a few leads; they were hoping the deadline would be extended.

All the normal platitudes she’d heard and offered a hundred times over to anxious family members during her years as a federal police officer. She now had a real appreciation for how completely ineffectual reassurances were.

Clayton had ended the phone call and relayed the gist of Lane’s message. Her heart broke at the pain and despair and anger in his eyes. She went to him and put her arms around his waist, not knowing whether he would accept her offer of comfort; relieved and teary when he did. They held each other and tried not to think about the nightmare that had taken over their lives. Clayton shuddered against her.

“I’m sorry, Ellie. Christ, I’m so sorry. I’ve been such a prick,” he whispered against her hair, his voice hoarse with pain and regret. “These past few months and all the tension between you and Olivia… I don’t know how to fix it. I want to, but I don’t know how.”

She looked up at him. “It’s been tough on everyone, Olivia included. I understand she misses her mom. I understand her need to lash out. She’s angry that her mom isn’t here for her. She’s taking that anger out on me.

“And I get that, I really do and I’m trying hard to put up with it because I know where it’s coming from, but her mom’s never coming back. We both know that. There’s no point in pretending otherwise. We need to work together, you and I, to help her to see that, to accept it and move on with her life.” Ellie drew in a deep breath and did her best to calm down.

“You’re right,” Clay said, his voice low. “And I’m sorry for letting her obsession with Lisa go on so long. It hasn’t helped anyone, least of all, you. You’re her mother, the best one she could hope for. The best one
any
kid could hope for. I pray that one day she realizes it.”

Tears filled Ellie’s eyes. “Thank you,” she whispered. “You don’t know how much that means to me. It’s been so awful feeling like you’re no longer on my side. For so long, I’ve felt like it was the two of you against me. I always knew there would be challenges, but I never imagined in my wildest dreams it would divide us. I’ve felt so lonely, so abandoned these past few months—”

Her voice cracked with emotion and she gasped on a sob, unable to go on. Clayton reached for her and pulled her head down to his shoulder. Relinquishing the vice-like grip she’d held on her emotions for too long, she cried and cried and cried.

“
Shh
, sweetheart, please don’t cry. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should have tried harder. I should have sought help. I should have taken Olivia to see a counselor when she asked for that damn picture, not just had it enlarged.”

Ellie raised her head and stared at him, tears still running down her cheeks. “I wish you’d have talked to me about it, first. You can’t imagine what a shock it was to walk into her room and find it. I-I couldn’t believe you’d done it and especially not before talking to me about it first.” She swallowed and tried to temper the hurt and accusation in her voice. “We agreed we’d be equal in this parenting thing, remember? All of a sudden, it felt like you’d reneged. I-I didn’t know what to do. You undermined my confidence; you made me second guess myself. You made me feel inadequate, like my opinion—at least in regard to Olivia—no longer mattered.”

Clayton stared at her, desolate. Tears sparkled in his eyes and he shook his head wordlessly back and forth.

“I’m so sorry, Ellie. I never meant to hurt you like that. I didn’t know what to do—I sure as hell didn’t want to tell Olivia the truth—that her mother had committed suicide. She’s too young to deal with the reality of how Lisa died. I don’t know that she’ll ever be ready.”

“She’ll find out the truth eventually. She knows how to Google, just like the rest of us. It’s only a matter of time before she gets curious and there’ll be any number of old news reports for her to discover.”

Clayton nodded somberly. “You’re right. Christ, I know you’re right. I need to tell her. Just…not yet. Not until—”

His voice hitched and he swiped at the tears in his eyes. Ellie knew exactly what he was thinking. She was thinking it, too.

What if it was too late?
What if Olivia was dead? What if she never got the chance to mature, to discover the truth about her mother, to realize how much she was loved?
What if they never found her?

Fresh tears filled Ellie’s eyes and together, they cried quietly on the couch. She was relieved that the tension between them had been resolved, but the dread in her belly every time she thought of Olivia weighed heavier and heavier with each hour that passed.

The sound of the phone ringing again jarred Ellie’s thoughts. Clayton tensed beside her. Her heart leaped. Blood ceased pumping and then her pulse took off at a gallop.
Was it Lane?
Had they found her?

No, it was the house phone that was ringing. Lane had called on the cell.

As the implications of the house phone ringing so late in the evening began to set in, Ellie’s heart clenched in fear. Despite the fact the Attorney General’s daughter appeared to be the target, the technicians were still monitoring the line. Until it was clear who was involved and why, they’d stayed in place in her kitchen. Yesterday, they’d run through the procedure over and over again, of what they were to do if a call came in. They made sure she had it down pat.

At the time, she’d barely paid attention, unable to focus on anything but getting Olivia back. Now she wished she’d listened better. Clayton stirred and pulled away. His eyes were dark with emotion and backlit with hope. A phone call was good. A phone call might mean their daughter was still alive.

The phone continued to ring. All at once, it catapulted them into action. Almost as one, they leaped off the couch and rushed over to where the phone stood in its dock on the other side of the room.

Ellie stared down at it, willing it to be good news. She lifted her gaze to Clayton’s and he gave her the tiniest of nods. With a shaking hand, she picked up the handset.

“H-hello?”

“Who’s this?”

Ellie frowned at the unfamiliar, heavily accented voice and her heart went into overdrive. She prayed the technicians in the kitchen were still awake.

“Th-this is Ellie Munro. Who am I speaking to?”

“Never fuckin’ mind who I am. What you need to know is that the game’s changed and I’m now in charge. I have your girl. She says her name’s Olivia. If you do as I say, she’ll stay safe.”

Ellie’s legs weakened. She reached out for Clayton and was relieved when he offered her his support. She leaned heavily against him and clutched the phone tightly to her ear.

“Sh-she’s alive?” Her voice cracked. She swallowed against the emotion that threatened to choke her.

“For now. Follow my instructions or you’ll never fuckin’ see her again.”

“Wh-where is she?”

“Never you fuckin’ mind. All you have to know is that I want two hundred thousand dollars. Pay the money and she’s all yours.”

Ellie gasped. “Two hundred thousand dollars? We don’t have that sort of money.”

“Don’t fuckin’ lie to me. Draco asked for a million. Two hundred K is small fuckin’ change. Find it, or the girl dies.”

Panic tightened in Ellie’s chest. She thought of the money they’d already scraped together and knew there was nothing more. She only prayed Brittany’s father would come through, like he’d promised. “Okay, okay. Please, don’t hurt her. We’ll get the money. I promise. Just don’t hurt her. Please.”

“Like I said, do as I say and you can have her back. It’s easy.”

“H-how do we contact you? Wh-where do we leave the money?”

“There’s an old Caltex gas station on the corner of Bluestone Drive and Kippax Avenue in Milperra. Leave the money in a bag in the men’s toilets at six in the morning.”

“
Tomorrow morning?
You have to be kidding? I can’t find two hundred thousand dollars in that time. The banks aren’t even open until nine.”

Ellie heard a muffled curse on the other end of the line and then the man spoke to her again.

“All right, I’ll give you until Tuesday morning. Be there with the money at six or your kid dies. And come alone. I know the kid’s father is a cop. Keep your mouth shut and keep him away. Any fuckin’ cops and you’ll never see the girl again.”

From the corner of her eye, Ellie saw one of the technicians come into the room and give her a thumbs-up. Relief flooded her.
They’d traced the call.

Clayton tapped her shoulder and she looked up at him. He mouthed some words. She nodded and spoke again.

“H-how do I know my daughter’s still alive? I-I’ll need some proof of life.”

“Hang on.”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Ellie’s fingers dug into the handpiece. Clayton’s face was tense. The wait seemed interminable.

“Mom, it’s me!”

Ellie gasped and dragged in mouthfuls of air. “Olivia! Honey! Oh, God, I’m so glad to hear your voice. I—”

“She’s gone.” The unfamiliar voice cut in. Ellie tried to still her racing heart so she could hear over the blood that pounded in her head.

“If you harm one hair on her head, I’ll—”

A harsh bark of laughter grated against her ear. “I don’t fuckin’ think so.” The voice turned even more menacing. “Listen, and listen well. Bring the money and the girl goes free. Try any tricks and the next time you’ll lay eyes on her she’ll be in a fuckin’ pine box.”

Ellie gasped. The line went dead.

Clayton grabbed hold of her arms. “Who was it? What did they say? Where the hell is she?”

Shaking her head, Ellie gasped and choked and sobbed. All the years of police training hadn’t prepared her for this.

“Give her a minute. She’s going into shock.” The technician that had entered the room earlier nudged Clayton out of the way and helped Ellie to lie down, cushioning her head on the arm of the couch.

Clayton looked like he wanted to say more, but closed his mouth and came to sit beside her, taking her hand in his.

“It’s all right,” the technician murmured. “We got it.”

Relief flooded Clayton’s face. “You got it?”

The technician nodded. “We got it.”

“Thank Christ.” Clayton pulled Ellie into his arms and hugged her hard against him. A moment later, he gently released her and tugged out his phone.

“I need to call Lane.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

Sunday, January 28, 10:41 p.m.

Lane stared at Allison Dowton where she sat in one of the armchairs that stood opposite her husband’s desk. Her foot swung back and forth in its bright yellow sandal, as if she didn’t have a care in the world. He couldn’t believe she was prepared to sit blithely by and wait for Draco to call her. The man was a career criminal, a drug supplier, dealer and worse. She seemed so certain he’d be quick to return her call and that Draco would be just as eager to hand over Olivia Munro.