Page 160 of Noel Secrets

She drove to the bank then carried the suitcase inside. She didn’t have to go to the teller. She’d converted her inheritance to cash not long after receiving it and housed it in a safety deposit box. It was the only way she’d been able to ensure that Brentcouldn’t figure out how to hack into her account and steal the money from her.

Tears ran down her cheeks as she stuffed the cash from her safety deposit box into the suitcase. If only she’d let him have this money, it would be long gone, and David would be safe. Holding onto it had placed her life and David’s in danger.

She cleared out the box then closed it and zipped the suitcase. The cash was heavy but the luggage had wheels, making transporting it easier. She hefted it into the backseat of her rental then climbed behind the wheel and waited for further instructions.

She couldn’t do this alone. She needed Clay, no matter what the kidnapper stated. She needed him to help her rescue her son. She reached for her phone to call him then remembered she’d trashed it. Would they know if she used the burner phone? She didn’t have time to contemplate it. The car door opened and a man slid into the passenger’s seat. He pointed a gun at her. She’d never seen him before but realized he could have been the man who’d bumped into her at the store.

“Where’s my son?”

“Drive,” he commanded. “Head out of town.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’m taking you to your son.” He leaned over the seat and unzipped the bag. His eyes widened at the sight of the money then a smile played on his lips. He turned back to her and his face hardened. “I said drive!”

She quickly started the engine and did as he instructed but her mind was whirling. If he was here, where was David? “Please, I just want to know if my son is safe.”

“He’s fine.” As she turned onto the highway, he took out his phone and placed a call. “We’re on our way,” he said then nodded at the caller’s response before ending the call. “Head toward Silver Lake.”

She gripped the steering wheel and did as instructed. They hadn’t taken David far from the camp. She longed to call Clay and let him know what was happening, but that wasn’t possible. She didn’t know what was going to happen once they reached David and this unknown partner of the man sitting beside her. It couldn’t be good.

He wasn’t even bothering to hide his face from her, and she’d already faced multiple death threats. If they were answering her uncle’s call to eliminate her, it didn’t matter that he was in jail. They had plenty of money in the suitcase to make killing her and David worth their while.

Clay and Cooper finished the paperwork needed to make certain Grant Rushton and everyone who answered his ad spent all the time in prison they could get. After a meeting with the local prosecutor, they also had a conference call with the US Attorney’s Office, who promised to bring federal charges if, for some reason, the state charges didn’t stick.

Clay was glad to hear it. Cooper’s evidence could be confusing, but he was able to clearly draw a line from Rushton to the ads he’d placed online and the money he’d paid multiple people to target Darby. The case against Rushton was solid, and Clay doubted he would be able to buy his way out of this kind of trouble.

They’d just finished up with the US Attorney video conference when Chief Dean entered their conference room. He held a slip of paper in his hand, his face grim.

“This just came over the wire,” he told them both. “A missing child alert from Silver Lake Campground.”

All the blood drained from Clay as he waited for Dean to finish.

“It’s Darby’s son.”

Clay fell back into his chair, devastated at this new information.

“What happened?” Cooper asked him.

“I called the sheriff over there. The kids were outside playing, and when they went back inside, they noticed David was missing. They’ve initiated a search of the campground.”

Clay picked up his phone. “I need to call Darby and tell her. She’s out shopping.” He tried her cell phone but the call rang continuously before switching over to voicemail. “She’s not answering.” He pressed the key to call again, but she still didn’t pick up.

A string of what-ifs flooded his mind but Cooper remained the voice of reason.

“It’s the holidays and the store is probably loud. Maybe she can’t hear the phone.”

Sure, that made sense. But why didn’t it settle his fears?

“I can have an officer go and find her,” Dean suggested.

“Yeah, maybe.” He tried the phone again. At some point, she would have to realize it was ringing.

The ringing stopped and someone answered.

The wave of relief nearly doubled him over. “Darby, where are you? Why didn’t you answer?”

Only it wasn’t Darby who responded. “Sorry, man, but this phone was in the trashcan. I heard it ringing and picked it up.”