Authors: Roseanne Dowell
Okay, he seemed friendly enough. At least he wasn’t barking or growling at her. Dare she move? She took a step forward. He sat down. “Come on, doggy, you have to leave, you don’t live here. Obviously, he belonged to someone.
“Hello.” A woman carrying a baby came up on the deck. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry. Zoey, get home.” A little girl and boy came running after her. Zoey ran to the kids.
“I gather Zoey belongs to you?” Callie walked toward the woman.
“Yes, I’m really sorry.
Mrs. Pennington, the woman who used to live here, always gave Zoey treats, and I’m afraid he’s not used to her being gone.”
“Obviously, Zoey knows how to open the door?”
“Yes, the lock was broke and if she didn’t keep the pipe in the track, he pushed it open. She loved Zoey. I really am sorry. I hope she didn’t scare you. She’s really harmless.”
Callie laughed. “I have to admit she did scare me. What kind of dog is she? I see shepherd, but I’ve never seen a shepherd that big”
“She’s part shepherd, part
Great Dane. I’m Stacy Henry, by the way. This little guy is Evan, and those little darlings are Caleb and Gigi, my three year old twins.” The twins clung to her legs, one on either side. Gigi peeked around and smiled at Callie
“Hi there,” Callie smiled at the child. “I’m Callie Johnson. I hate to sound rude
, and I’d really love to chat, but I have to get ready for work.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. Nice to meet you, though.”
“You, too. I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
Stacy
took Gigi’s hand. “Let’s go kids, come on Zoey, move it. Caleb, come on, buddy. Tell Ms Johnson goodbye.”
“Bye,” both kids said in unison.
Callie shook her head. Stacy sure had her hands full. She closed the patio door, found the pipe and stuck it in the track.
After a quick breakfast of a bagel, she hurried off to work
, and barely got in the car when her phone rang. She flipped it open. “Johnson,” she said.
“Where?” What a way to start the day. “Okay, I’m on my way.” Darn! Callie shook her head. Just when she thought she heard everything. Who in their right mind got drunk this early in the day?
Callie pulled into the parking lot of the fast food restaurant. Even from outside, she could hear the woman screaming and cussing. Lord, she hated drunks.
“Ma’am, calm down. Ma’am.” The woman flung her arms, and Callie ducked out of the way just in time to avoid getting smacked in the face.
“Can you believe they serve this crap?” the woman screamed.
“Okay, ma’am, just calm down. Let’s talk about this.” After a few explicit expletives, the woman appeared to run out of steam. At least temporarily.
“What’s your name?”
“Ginny, hiccup, Virginia Matthews.”
“Well, Ginny, you’ve created quite a disturbance here.”
Virginia
stood up. “Those @*$....”
“Calm down, no need to swear.” Whatever possessed these people to carry on so? Some people drank and got
comical, some mean, and some just went insane like Virginia. It never ceased to amaze her. “We’re going to have to take you for a little ride now, Ginny. Okay, just go with these two handsome gentlemen.”
“Gentlemen?”
Virginia spat and barely missed one of the officers. “They ain’t gentlemen, they’re cops.” She spat again.
Lord, she was losing patience fast. “Okay, Ginny, come with me then, all right?”
“Where are you taking me?”
“We’re just going for a little ride until you calm down.” Callie took
Virginia’s arm and managed to pull it behind her, then grabbed the other. Once she had the cuffs on Virginia, she turned toward the officers. “Go open the car door and make it quick.”
Callie led
Virginia outside and pushed her into the car before she had a chance to react. Probably going to be hell to pay once they got her to the station, unless she passed out on the way. Wishful thinking. More than likely she’d be kicking and screaming all the way to the station. Callie got back into her own car and followed. Not the best way to start out the day. If things kept up like this, she’d be lucky to get out of here by seven.
She went inside to write up her report.
“Uh, excuse me, Chief, can I have a minute.” Officer Peters tapped on the open door.
“Sure come in, Peters. How was
Virginia on the way to the station? Did she pass out, I hope?”
“Um, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. She finally passed out, but not before she puked all over my car.”
“Oh no, I’ll call and issue an order to clean out your car. Take it around to the bay.”
“Thank you,
chief.”
Peters left. Callie picked up the phone and issued an order for the car to be cleaned out. What possessed some people? She finished the report and not a moment too so
on. Her phone rang. “Johnson.” She sighed. It was going to be a long day. She hurried to her car.
Pickup truck swerving in and out of traffic and refused to pull over. What she didn’t need today was another drunk and a car chase. Callie turned onto Pleasant Ave
nue and radioed the Sergeant. “Give me your location. I’m headed North on Pleasant just past Bennington.”
“We’re not far behind you.”
“Good, I’ll set up a roadblock.” Callie turned her car to block the next intersection, got out, and waited.
Two minutes later the pickup truck came into view. The perp saw her and turned into a driveway. Peters pulled up behind him and blocked his exit. The driver turned his car onto the lawn and drove past her, got back onto the street and sped away.
“Damn four-wheel drive.” Callie jumped back in her car and called dispatch. “Red Ford pickup traveling North on Pleasant Avenue, probably headed for the Freeway. Peters and I are in pursuit. I want that freeway ramp blocked.”
With a little luck, they’d stop this guy before he caused an accident. Ah, good, they had the entrance ramp blocked, nowhere to go. She pulled up behind the pickup and Peters blocked his other side. They had him now. Callie jumped out of her car the same time Peters jumped out of his. She went to the driver’s side, while Officer Peters went to the passenger side.
“Put your hands where I can see them.”
The man put his hands on the steering wheel
. Callie pulled the door open, yanked him out of the car, and to the ground. Peters came around the car and put the cuffs on him. “Get him out of here,” Callie said.
Back at her car, she called for a tow truck. Phew, she blew a strand of hair out of her face and called in the plate number on the car. By time she got back to the station, a report came over the wire that the guy from the pickup was wanted for larceny in Akron. Good,
let them have him. One less problem for her to deal with. She sat down at her desk and wrote her report. Hopefully the rest of the day would be quiet.
***
Callie smoothed her dress, ran a comb through her hair and pressed her lips to smooth her lipstick. Butterflies flitted in her stomach. She couldn’t remember when she’d been so nervous. Silly. But a teenager on her first date couldn’t be more jittery. Thank God, Berry was coming along. Nothing like a kid to ease the tension.
The doorbell rang, and she hurried to answer it. William stood there smiling, a bouquet of tulips in his hand. Tulips,
her absolute favorite flower, how did he know? “Hi, come in.” Callie looked to both sides of him. “Where’s Berry?”
He ran his finger along the collar of his shirt. “Uh, she decided to stay home with my dad.”
Shoot, this changed things. She wasn’t prepared to be alone with William. That was downright ridiculous. Good grief, she was almost thirty, a grown woman. Why did she feel so self-conscious? She talked to men all day and not always about work. Heck, she discussed her personal life with Peters all the time. What was wrong with her?
“Uh, are we going inside?”
“Huh? Oh sorry, please, come in.” Callie moved aside to let him in. Heat burned her face. What an idiot. She’d never been so tongue-tied in her life. It wasn’t like she hadn’t talked to him before. In fact their phone conversations had been easy and relaxed. She hurried to put the tulips in a vase, then grabbed her purse and a light jacket. “So where are we going?”
“I thought we’d try that new place that just opened up, Steppe’s. I heard they have excellent steak. You do like steak, don’t you?”
“Love it.” Callie opened the door and waited until he walked out, then fixed the lock and closed it.
“How’s your father doing?”
“He’s good. He just needs to watch what he eats. Sometimes, he ignores it and gets a taste for something and overdoes it. And sometimes, like the other day, he forgets to eat or he’s just not hungry.”
“Is he on medication?” Callie relaxed in the seat.
“Yeah, but that doesn’t give him carte blanche to eat whatever he wants.”
“I can’t imagine not being able to eat what I want.”
“He can have small amounts of just about everything if he’s careful. The main thing is to eat three balanced meals and three snacks every day. And by snacks I don’t mean chips or pretzels. He has to steer clear of those. Although pretzels aren’t too bad.”
“It must be difficult to monitor a diet like that. I mean, we’re a society of fast foods and junk food. I’d be in big trouble if I had to watch what I ate. I barely manage two meals a day. I couldn’t imagine remembering to snack, too.”
“Yeah and that’s the problem. While my mom was alive, she made sure he ate right. But she passed away two years ago, and it’s been an uphill battle ever since.”
“So what happened to Berry’s parents?” Callie had been curious about it since they first met, but never felt comfortable enough to ask until now.
“Joe and Linda were killed in a car crash. Linda was an orphan and Mom and Dad took custody of Berry.”
“I’m sorry. It must be very difficult for your dad. I mean a six year old can’t be easy to raise.” How tragic life was sometimes. “How old was
Berry when that happened?”
“She was only a year old. She doesn’t remember her parents. We keep pictures around, but that’s not the same.”
William pulled into the restaurant parking lot. Callie tried to think of something to change the subject. Unfortunately, her phone rang.
“Sorry, I have to take this.” Hopefully, this wasn’t going to end her date. Awkward as it felt right now, she didn’t want to end it. “Johnson,”
Peters’ voice came over the line. “Kidnapping.”
Damn it. Why now?
“I’m on my way.”
William backed out of the parking space before she even said anything. “Where to?”
“I need my car. It could turn out to be a long night.”
“Is there anything the department can handle without you?”
She smiled. Could they handle things without her? “They do, but we’re shorthanded right now, and I’m on call.”
Chapter
6
Callie no more than
arrived on the scene and walked in the door when a woman screamed.
“This is your fault, David!” She raised her fist at
the man standing next to her. “You’re the one who wanted to leave her with a sitter. She’ll be fine, you promised.” She gulped back tears. “But she’s not fine. She’s gone.” She swiped at tears rolling down her cheeks. Anger turned her face ugly.
“Excuse me,” Callie said. “I’m Chief Johnson. I need to ask you some questions.”
The woman looked at Callie as if she was from outer space.
“Please, sit down.” She led the woman to the couch, hoping her soft voice would calm her, and
motioned for Peters to take the husband in the other room. The woman sat down, sobbing softly. Callie’s heart went out to her.
“Please, Mrs.
Hammond, sit down.”
She shook her head and sat down. “It’s Sylvia.”
“Okay, Sylvia. I need to ask you some questions.”
“Deep down, I know it’s not David’s fault,” Sylvia said. “We both interviewed Sophia. She came from a reputable agency, and I agreed, even looked forward to an evening out.” Sylvia let out a loud sob. “If anything happens to Emma, I’ll never forgive myself.”
“When did you learn of the kidnapping?”
Sylvia picked up the note and handed it to
Callie.
Give us One Hundred Thousand Dollars If you want your Dautter If You Call The Cops She Mite Be Hurt
. Letters cut from newspapers and magazines blared at Callie from the page. Who ever took Emma wasn’t educated. Unless they wanted to make it look that way.
“I didn’t want to call the police. David insisted. He said it’s Emma’s only chance. You can’t imagine how I felt when he picked up the phone and called you. He’s going to get our baby killed. The note says no police.”
The poor thing swayed and turned gray. Callie worried she’d pass out, but she recovered quickly.