Читать книгу Hideaway At Hawk's Landing - Rita Herron - Страница 15
ОглавлениеFrustration filled Brayden as he watched Lucas lock Mila Manchester in a holding cell.
He thought she was terrified and had been coerced. But what if her teary eyes and trembling hands were part of a well-orchestrated act?
Lessons learned in the past taunted him.
He’d been fooled once by a client’s lies. A pretty young woman who’d batted innocent-looking eyes at him and cried on his shoulder. A woman who’d used him to put her boyfriend away for a crime that she’d committed. He’d gotten her off, then realized that she was a manipulative user.
Thankfully, she’d tried her scam on another guy and been caught red-handed.
But he’d walked away feeling like a fool and had vowed never to fall for another pretty face again.
Still, the sight of the doctor’s forlorn expression as she sank onto that dingy narrow cot made his gut tighten.
He turned away and noticed the same frustration in Lucas’s scowl.
“Charlotte’s going to be angry,” Lucas said between gritted teeth.
Sympathy for Lucas swelled inside him. Charlotte had gone through hell because of the Shetland ring. She’d been injured, had lost her vision for some time and had been sick with worry about her students who’d been kidnapped. She had good reason to want DiSanti locked away.
The fact that she praised the doctor’s humanitarianism spoke volumes on Dr. Manchester’s behalf.
“What are you going to do?” he asked Lucas.
“Check out that lawyer,” Lucas said. “Maybe we can find something to charge him with and force Dr. Manchester’s hand.”
“I could talk to her coworkers,” Brayden offered.
Lucas shrugged. “You aren’t her lawyer, Brayden.”
Brayden walked beside Lucas until they reached the front door of the field office. “I know. But I might find out something to explain why Dr. Manchester performed surgery on that monster. It just doesn’t feel right.”
Lucas nodded. “I agree. I’ll get our analyst to pull up everything she can find on Polk as well as the doctor.”
“There has to be something DiSanti’s people used to force her to work for them,” Brayden said. “Maybe an indiscretion in the past.”
“Or maybe she met him when she was volunteering abroad,” Lucas suggested. “Seeing the vast needs and poverty in the underprivileged areas she visited may have driven her to accept money to fund her clinic.”
True. For Charlotte’s sake, he hoped not.
“You want me to drive Charlotte home?” Brayden asked.
Lucas shook his head. “I need to talk to her myself.”
He didn’t envy that conversation between his brother and Charlotte.
Meanwhile, he’d talk to Dexter. His PI skills could be helpful in finding information on the doctor’s clinic and her coworkers.
Talking to them might provide insight into what had driven Mila Manchester to break the law.
* * *
MILA DROPPED HER face into her hands, her body shaking with worry and fear. Where was Izzy now?
Was she safe? Was the nanny still with her? Or had the men taken Izzy somewhere else so the police couldn’t find her in case a neighbor reported a disturbance at the house?
She rose and paced the cell, her agitation mounting. The image of that man holding a gun to Roberta and Izzy taunted her. Izzy must be terrified.
She was only three. A tiny little pip-squeak of a girl with big dark eyes and an infectious laugh and an obsession with playing dress up. She loved dolls and pretending she was a princess with a tiara and poufy skirt.
But other times she liked to dig in the earth and play with worms and kick the soccer ball in the backyard.
Izzy had started a campaign to convince Santa to bring her a puppy for Christmas and had drawn pictures and cards of how she’d take care of the animal.
She liked strawberry ice cream with sprinkles and brownies and loved mac and cheese. She enjoyed making her own pizza and PB&J sandwiches. She snacked on carrots and cheese, and apples with peanut butter and wanted b-b’s, blueberries, for breakfast with her pancakes.
She hated tuna fish, turned her nose up at broccoli and stirred her green peas around on the plate to make it look like she’d eaten some when she hadn’t put a single pea in her mouth.
She was stubborn and loud and messy and got up way too early on the weekends, but Mila loved her with all her heart.
Another wave of fear washed over her.
Even if she did exactly what DiSanti’s men instructed her to do, how could she trust that they’d let her go and release Izzy and Roberta?
What if she did everything they demanded, but they killed her when they were finished?
What would happen to her daughter?
She heaved a breath, her lungs aching for air as panic seized her.
Would DiSanti keep her hostage or sell her into his sex slavery business when Izzy got older?
The thought made her so sick inside that she sank onto that thin mattress, then dropped her head down between her knees to keep from passing out.
* * *
BRAYDEN TRIED TO stay out of the way as Lucas explained the situation to his wife.
Charlotte burst into tears. “You can’t do this, Lucas,” Charlotte cried.
Lucas rubbed his wife’s arms. “Brayden offered to represent her, but this other lawyer showed up, and she deferred to him.”
“There has to be an explanation,” Charlotte said.
“If there is, we’ll get to the bottom of it.” Lucas wrapped his arms around Charlotte and hugged her, the bond between them so strong it made Brayden envious. When they pulled apart, he stroked her arms. “I’ll check out this lawyer tonight and see what I can find on him.”
He glanced at Brayden as if he needed backup, and Brayden fought a chuckle. Nothing scared Lucas more than failing his wife.
“Hang in there, Charlotte. I’m going to look into Dr. Manchester’s coworkers and see if they know what’s going on,” Brayden said.
She still looked worried, but she nodded and thanked him.
Brayden said good-night to them then hurried out to his SUV. As soon as he got inside, he phoned Dexter and explained the situation.
“I’ll see what I can dig up on her and her staff,” Dexter said.
“Let’s examine her financials,” Brayden said. “If DiSanti paid her, the money should show up somewhere.”
“I’m on it,” Dexter agreed.
“We need all the information we can gather before Dr. Manchester bonds out,” Brayden said. “DiSanti has long-reaching tentacles across the world. If Polk takes her out of the country, we may never see her again.”
* * *
MILA FINALLY LAY back on the cot. She doubted she could sleep, but she was so exhausted from the grueling hours of surgery and from worrying about her daughter that she practically collapsed.
She closed her eyes and said a prayer that Izzy and Roberta were all right. Roberta loved Izzy and would protect her if she could.
The fact that she might not be able to frightened her the most.
Polk said Izzy was all right. For now.
She had to do whatever they said. She’d give her life to save Izzy.
Carina’s young face flashed in her mind. Izzy looked a little like Carina. She just hoped DiSanti didn’t see himself in Izzy’s eyes.
She hadn’t heard from Carina since the night she’d fled in terror. Not that she expected to. But she couldn’t help but wonder if the girl was still in school, if she’d found friends or a family where she fit in.
She’d suffered so much abuse at such a young age. That kind of trauma affected most people for life. Add to that trauma the fact that she’d given birth to a baby alone, a baby born from a rape. And then she’d given that child away.
A certain amount of guilt might plague her for that decision, although she had no reason to feel guilty. She’d made the most unselfish choice she could make—she’d put her baby’s future before her own.
Had Carina been able to overcome the emotional trauma and focus on making a future for herself?
Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, she finally fell into a deep sleep, a sleep filled with nightmares that made her wrestle with the hard pillow on the cot.
She and Izzy were at the beach. The warm sunshine played off her daughter’s dark hair as she raced along the edge of the water. Mila chased after her, laughing as Izzy darted back and forth to dodge the waves. She loved the water and the sand and the creatures they found on the beach.
They watched a baby crab disappear into his home underground, then used plastic sand toys to dig and create a castle complete with a moat. Izzy laughed as she spilled water from the bucket all over her feet, then squealed when Mila picked her up and swung her around.
She dropped her onto the middle of a whale-shaped float, and Izzy laughed in delight as she bounced on a wave.
The next minute, Izzy was screaming in terror. The sun and ocean had disappeared, and a big man was hauling her daughter from their house. Izzy kicked and cried, but the man clamped his hand over her mouth, then tossed her in the back of a van.
Tires squealed and the van screeched away.
A gunshot sounded and Roberta ran after the van. Then Roberta was gone, and the van lurched to a stop at a dark, rotting shed somewhere in the desert. It had to be a million degrees during the day.
And frigid at night.
Desperate to find her daughter, Mila combed the desert, walking miles and miles until she fell face-first into the scorching sand. A storm surfaced, and sand swirled and swirled around her in a blur. She couldn’t see anything, not even her own hand in front of her.
Another scream. Izzy. She was lost out there in the sandstorm.
Izzy screamed again, and Mila pushed herself to her hands and knees and crawled forward.
What was that man doing to her daughter?
She had to get to her, to save her...
She was walking again, then running, her feet miring down into the sand...
Then Izzy was in front of her, her little body unmoving, the sand covering her as it raged through the air. She dug with her hands, determined to reach her, but the sand was burying her like quicksand...
Mila jerked awake, shaking and crying, her heart sinking as Izzy disappeared into the ground.
* * *
BRAYDEN LOVED THE RANCH, but he and his brothers needed privacy now they were older and busy. Still, his mother had kept rooms for them to use when they visited. Recently, Harrison and Lucas had both built houses on Hawk’s Landing for them and their wives.
Brayden and Dex also had offices in Austin. Brayden had rented an apartment above his law office, and Dex found a cabin on the edge of town that he could work out of, as well.
Brayden drove to Dexter’s, knowing he couldn’t go home and sleep right away, not when Mila Manchester’s sad eyes haunted him.
Dexter greeted him with a cold beer. His brother had a state-of-the-art computer system and was a whiz at finding information on the web. Sometimes he sensed Dex didn’t follow the rules; then again, that was the reason he’d formed his own PI agency instead of studying law.
If he crossed the line, Brayden didn’t want to know about it. So far, Lucas and Harrison hadn’t asked questions either. As sheriff, Harrison had called on Dex for help a few times. He was pretty sure Lucas had, too, but Lucas only shared information on a need-to-know basis.
Dex pressed a few keys and a photo of the doctor appeared along with articles on her services for the needy.
“Look at this,” Dexter said. “Judging from the awards and press Mila’s received, she’s everything Charlotte claims. She practically runs her own clinic and offers services pro bono for families and children in need across the country. Hell, across the world.”
Brayden’s gaze skated over the dozens of articles featuring Mila’s mother, Andrea Manchester, and had to agree.
“She’s following in her mother’s footsteps.” Dexter accessed a photo of Mila’s mother receiving an award for her Doctors Without Borders work, just a month before she died in a shooting in Syria. She’d operated on a child born with a cleft lip and cleft palate.
“I suppose it’s possible Mila became overwhelmed with the vast needs for her services and the cost, and accepted money to fund her efforts,” Dexter said. “But my preliminary search into her financials didn’t reveal anything suspicious. No large deposits, no offshore accounts.” He gestured toward another computer screen showing the doctor’s personal account then her business one. “There is an account for donations that has around a hundred grand, but it’ll take me time to sort through the ins and outs of the accounting to see if all the donations are legit.”
Brayden scrubbed a hand through his hair. Money could be one motive. But if she’d been coerced, there had to be a more personal reason. “How about family? Does she have parents, a sister or brother, anyone DiSanti might threaten to persuade her to do his dirty work?”
“Wait, this is interesting,” Dexter said.
Brayden shifted, hoping his brother had found something he could use to convince Mila to talk to him. “What?”
“Mila was adopted, although both of her adopted parents have passed,” Dexter said.
Brayden’s brows shot up. “Any information on her birth mother or father?”
Dexter shook his head. “Apparently she was abandoned as a baby. No father listed anywhere. Dr. Andrea Manchester was working at the hospital where Mila was brought in by paramedics. She and her husband adopted Mila.”
No wonder she’d wanted to follow in her mother’s footsteps. “Anything on her coworkers?” Brayden asked.
Dexter shrugged. “The head nurse is a single mother named Rhoda Zimmerman. She has a ten-year-old son and lives close to the clinic.” He pressed the print button and the printer spit out a page of names and addresses. “Other employees include a receptionist, another nurse and a PA.”
Brayden checked his watch. “It’s too late tonight to talk to any of them. But first thing in the morning, I’ll get on it.”
“It’ll go faster if we divide the list,” Dexter said.
“Thanks. I’ll take the head nurse and receptionist.”
“I’ll talk to the others,” Dexter offered.
Brayden noticed a file on the desk, one that was labeled Hawk. His gaze shot to his brother, then he gestured to the folder. “What’s that about?”
A wary look flashed across Dexter’s chiseled face. “A file on Chrissy.”
“You were looking for her all these years?”
Dex nodded. “Glad that’s settled.”
Unfortunately, she was dead and had been since the day she’d gone missing.
“Guess I can put it away now.” His brother swept the folder off the desk and jammed it in the drawer.
Something about how quickly he removed it made Brayden suspicious. He could usually read his brother like a book. But not tonight.
Was Dexter keeping something from him?
