Page 7 of Chasing a Kidnapper

“You have no reason to be ashamed, and you need to get checked out at the hospital,” Trisha told her. Kidney damage in a woman her age could be serious.

“I’m fine,” Laurel muttered, still holding the frozen peas against her eye.

“Please, Laurel. For me.” She crossed over to kneel beside the woman she loved like a surrogate mother. She and her sister, Raina, had lost their parents when they were seventeen and nineteen respectively. Laurel had been wonderfully supportive throughout her pregnancy and postdelivery. “I don’t think you should mess around with possible kidney damage.”

“Trisha is right,” West added, his brow furrowed with concern. “Being examined by the doc is the smart thing to do.”

The older woman reluctantly nodded. “Okay. But what about Gabriel? You need someone to watch him tomorrow, too, don’t you?”

“I’ll worry about that later,” Trisha assured her. Glancing around her tossed home, she grimaced. “I’ll have to get the locks changed ASAP.”

“I noticed the back door wasn’t damaged, but there are scratches around the lock.” West also scanned the room, taking in the mess. “The perp may have used a lock pick to get in.”

That made more sense than him having a house key. “I wish I understood why he was looking for a key.” She explained to West what Laurel had told her. Then lifted a hand when he opened his mouth to ask more questions. “No, I don’t have any idea who he is. Or why he’s in here looking for a key.” She scowled. “At least I know I’m not losing my mind.”

“What do you mean?” West looked perplexed.

“I woke up in the middle of the night and walked into the kitchen. I thought I smelled cigarette smoke.” She wished now she’d have taken her instincts seriously. “There was no sign anyone had been in here, no forced entry and Gabriel was still sleeping, so I shrugged it off as my overactive imagination.” Easy to do, since she and the rest of the department were still in shock over losing Kenyon.

“He was definitely a smoker,” Laurel added. “I smelled the cigarette smoke on him, too.”

“Good to know,” she murmured.

“Unfortunately, that doesn’t help narrow the pool of suspects.” West glanced at her, then added, “You and your son can’t stay here tonight. Not if this guy was able to pick the lock to gain access to the home.”

She hated to admit he was right. But just then the night shift officers arrived, along with an ambulance. She stepped back to give the EMTs room to care for Laurel. She could tell the older woman was in pain, while putting on a brave front.

Gabriel fell asleep on her shoulder, but she was reluctant to put him back in his crib. What if the intruder had hurt her baby? It was too painful to contemplate what might have transpired here if West hadn’t pulled up to her house when he had.

God had been watching over her, Gabriel and Laurel tonight. West, too, although she’d noticed he hadn’t attended church in months.

Deep down, she’d always admired West Cole. His drop-dead good looks aside, he was a nice guy and a great detective. She remembered how upset he’d been when he’d lost his yellow Lab K-9 partner, Willa, shortly before Kenyon had been killed.

She was glad he had Peanut as a partner now. They made a great team.

“Your pulse and blood pressure are really high,” the EMT said to Laurel.

“I was attacked, of course they’re high,” Laurel groused. “Just get me to the hospital. The only thing I’m concerned about is my kidney.”

The two EMTs exchanged a look and shrugged. Minutes later, they had Laurel packed on a gurney and were wheeling her through the living room to the front door.

She and West filled in the officers on what had gone down. The second adrenaline rush was fading, leaving her feeling shaky and weak. And wondering if this night would ever end.

First the shooting along the highway and now this.

“Let’s get you out of here,” West said, coming up to stand beside her.

“Yeah. I guess I’ll take Gabriel to a hotel.” Going to her sister’s home, where she had custody of Kenyon’s twin three-year-old boys wasn’t an option. Laurel’s place was out, too, as it was right next door and the intruder would likely look for her there. She glanced toward the bedrooms. “I just need a few minutes to pack a few things for us.”

“Of course.” He glanced at Gabriel, and for a moment she wondered if he would offer to hold her son, but then he stuck his hands in the front pockets of his worn denim jeans and took a step back. “No rush. Take your time.”

She held his gaze for a moment, then turned away. Seeing Gabriel’s car seat, she snagged it with one hand, set it on the table and carefully placed her sleeping son into the seat. She strapped him in, then went down the hall to the two bedrooms.

She quickly changed out of her police uniform, donning a dark blue sweater paired with comfy jeans. She pulled the pins from her hair, shaking out the long tresses, then packed an overnight bag. Moving into Gabriel’s room, she took note of the few things that were out of place. Her room hadn’t been touched, but it was clear the intruder had begun searching her son’s room.

For a key. To what? A locker? A storage unit? A mailbox? There were several possibilities to consider.

After packing a large diaper bag, she picked up the portable crib, then headed into the kitchen. She could feel West’s gaze boring into her back as she packed formula, bottles, dry cereal and baby food into a box.

---