Fractured Memories (Badge of Honor #1)

Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

It was his worst nightmare.

Noah had a stranglehold on his emotions, but barely. It seemed bizarre that less than half an hour ago, he and Felicity were declaring their feelings for each other. Now the family he’d started to envision was in danger. His little girl—his baby—had been kidnapped.

“I’m so sorry.” The volunteer teacher, a grandmother named Barbara Flanagan, twisted tissues in her wrinkled hands. Her gray hair was speckled with blood from a wound on her forehead, and a small lump was forming. Her skin was turning black and blue at an alarming rate. “One minute, Harper and I were entering the bathroom, and the next, I was on the floor.”

Imogene wrapped a set of paper towels around an ice pack and pressed it to Barbara’s head. “It’s not your fault.” She gave Noah a beseeching look that was filled with heartbreak. “No one blames you.”

“Of course not.” Noah caught Tucker’s eye. The detective had initially interviewed Mrs. Flanagan and was currently coordinating a more thorough search for Harper with Grady. “Get some paramedics in here.”

“No, I don’t want?—”

“Ma’am, you’ve been attacked and ice will make that knot on your forehead better, but it’s best to have a medical professional check you out.” He leaned forward. “Mrs. Flanagan, I need you to think back on the moments before the attack. Did you notice anyone in the hallway? Or did the person who attacked you say anything?”

Fresh tears swelled in her eyes. “No. I already told Officer Colburn everything I know.”

“I understand. It’s difficult to answer these questions repeatedly, but any detail can help.” Urgency crimped his insides, but Noah kept his tone calm. “Do me a favor. Close your eyes, ma’am.”

Her brow wrinkled slightly, but then she did as he asked. Noah leaned forward. “We’re going to walk through it one step at a time. You left the classroom with Harper. Were you holding her hand?”

“Yes. She was singing Mary Had A Little Lamb . Her smile was so infectious—” She pressed tissues to her mouth.

Noah took her other hand. “It’s okay. As you walked down the hall toward the bathroom, did you notice anything out of the ordinary?”

Barbara sucked in a breath. “No. I pushed the door open to the ladies' room and…” Her eyes snapped open. “There was something. A flash of color inside the classroom across from the restrooms. Someone was there. A wo man. I just got the barest glimpse of her before she disappeared around the doorjamb.”

A woman? It would make sense. No one remembered seeing either Daniel or his criminal friend Gene hanging around the church. Did they rope someone else into doing their dirty work? That could explain how someone slipped into and out of the daycare area without a problem. A strange man would’ve been noticed. A woman, on the other hand, wouldn’t have been seen as a potential threat.

Grady joined them. He had a pad and pen in his hand. “Can you describe the woman you saw?”

“No.” Her gaze drifted away as if she was reviewing the incident in her mind. “I just remember seeing the flash of a blue skirt. I never saw her face.” Barbara’s attention jumped back to Noah. “Does that help?”

Something was better than nothing. “It helps a lot.”

Paramedics appeared in the doorway. Grady waved them forward. They immediately got to work examining Barbara, and Noah cleared out of the way so they had more room. He hugged his aunt. “Stay with her. I’ll contact you the minute we know something more.”

Without a word, he and Grady slipped from the room. Noah headed for the electronics room at the end of the hall. Surveillance footage could help. “We’ve been looking for Daniel or Gene, but based on Mrs. Flanagan’s statement, the kidnapper was in the daycare before the camera feed was interrupted.” His stride lengthened. “Maybe Felicity has found something?—”

The door to the electronics room was open and the chair in front of the computer screen was empty. Noah slid to a stop, his stomach dropping to his feet when he noticed Felicity’s badge and cell phone sitting on the table. A note in her scrawled handwriting rested on the keyboard. “I’m sorry. Harper’s life depended on it. Look at the footage.”

Grady snatched the note from Noah’s hand. “What does this mean?”

“The kidnapper contacted her.” He slammed a fist down on the table. “Taking Harper was a way to force Felicity into a trap.”

“No. Felicity wouldn’t submit to a kidnapper’s demand or go somewhere without backup. She’s smarter than that.”

Noah unlocked Felicity’s cell with her PIN code and an image popped on the screen. The last text message she’d received was a photo. His daughter—his precious little girl—lying on a carpet in a nondescript room with a knife to her throat. His heart stopped even as his knuckles turned white. Noah showed Grady the image. “Trust me, she did whatever the kidnapper told her to.”

An uncharacteristic swear flew from Grady’s mouth. Noah shared the sentiment. He thought nothing could be worse than having his child kidnapped, but seeing this image and knowing the woman he loved was now also in danger…

Please God. Please. Protect them. I can’t lose them both.

“Felicity said to look at the footage. What footage?” Grady moved the mouse for the computer. The monitor popped on, displaying an image from earlier in the day according to the time stamp. “What are we supposed to be looking for?”

“The cameras are still running. Let’s see how Felicity leaves.”

Grady quickly accessed the correct time frame. Felicity hurried out a side door and crossed the parking lot on determined strides to a rusted-out truck near the alley. She hopped inside. A moment later, she drove off.

Noah leaned on the desk. “Can you make out the license plate on that vehicle?”

“No, but I’d like to know how it got here.” Grady used the controls to work backward to earlier in the day. The footage rolled on at an increased speed.

“There.” Noah’s heart pumped overtime when he spotted the vehicle drive into the parking lot. Grady slowed the footage down. Both of them kept their gazes locked on the truck. A woman exited. She wore a blue skirt and blouse, her dark hair flowing around her shoulders. “Barbara said the woman in the classroom opposite the ladies' room wore a blue skirt. That has to be her. But she doesn’t look familiar… Wait a minute.”

Something about her was familiar. He ignored her hair color and body shape, focusing on her gait, which was harder to disguise. Noah blinked. “It’s Melanie Ferguson.”

Grady’s head whipped toward him. “What? Are you sure?”

“Roll it back.” He studied the woman as she exited the vehicle and walked toward the church. It was definitely Melanie. She was in disguise, but it was her. Noah’s hands balled into fists. “I’m sure. It’s her.”

“That doesn’t make sense. Why would Melanie kidnap your daughter?”

Noah’s mind raced, desperately trying to put all the pieces together. There was only one explanation that made any sense. “She’s the leader of Triple 6. Or at least associated in some way. A criminal organization like that would need to funnel money through legitimate means. What better way than to launder money using a family-owned bank?” He blew out a breath. “Felicity mentioned it to Jax yesterday, but we didn’t have any evidence linking Melanie with Triple 6 in order to obtain a warrant to look at the bank’s records.”

“How does Daniel tie in? And Gene?”

“They work for her.” Noah whipped out his cell phone and called Jax. The detective answered on the first ring. “I need to know about any property Melanie or her husband own. It could be under a corporation's name. We’re looking for something remote, but accessible.”

He didn’t ask for any explanation. “On it.”

“Hold on.” Grady paced the room. “If Melanie is behind Triple 6, she went to a lot of trouble to make herself look like a victim. She’s not the kind of person to up and disappear from her life. Not with her kind of money. So why would she have her lackeys shoot and kidnap her?” He paused midstep. “And why would Daniel leave a dead body in his house for the police to find?”

Noah caught on to what he was saying. “He wouldn’t. Melanie is cleaning house. She needs someone to blame. A fall guy.”

Grady fisted his hands. “We’ve been all over every property Daniel owns.”

“Maybe he doesn’t own it.” He lifted the phone back to his ear. “Scratch that, Jax. I need to know about any property Daniel’s ex-wife owns. Something she inherited or had while they were married. Again, it’ll be remote but accessible.”

Noah sent up a silent prayer as he fled the electronics room, heading for his vehicle. Grady was right on his heels. The sound of Jax’s keyboard clicking came over the line. “I’ve got something.”

Hope sprang in Noah’s heart even as his pace increased. “Send me the address.”