Ghosted, p.7
Ghosted, page 7
“Me?” Ronan asked.
Everly nodded. “I don’t know why. I smell earth.”
“What do you mean, earth?” Ronan asked, looking as confused as his daughter.
“Like last spring when we dug up the yard to plant my garden. It smelled like dirt and rotten leaves.”
“Maybe he’s underground,” Fitz said. “An old bomb shelter or a basement. An abandoned railway tunnel, or something.”
“I don’t know, Uncle Fitz. Everything in my head is a jumble, like when you dump a puzzle out of the box.” Everly angrily brushed back tears that had started to fall. “I’ll keep working, Woofie. I promise.”
Wolf climbed off Cope and hugged Everly. Aurora joined in. Soon after Ezra and Lizbet all had their arms wrapped around the little girl.
“I need to go check on dinner.” Ten angled his head toward the kitchen and the adults followed him.
“Is she going to be okay?” Cope asked, when they were out of the kids hearing.
“Yeah,” Ten said. “She’s angry and frustrated that she’s not seeing this in linear fashion. Like she said, it’s all jumbled and she’s not sure how to put the pieces together.”
“To keep with the puzzle analogy, I imagine it’s even harder for her when she doesn’t know what the picture is supposed to look like.” Ronan’s hands were fisted at his sides.
Cope could feel the frustration and anger building in Ronan. He and Jude were closer than brothers and it was killing him that there was nothing he could do at the moment to bring Jude home to his family.
“What do we know about this Jerry guy?” Fitz asked.
“His name is Jerry Dunkirk,” Cope said. A bolt of nausea hit him hard just saying the man’s name. “He and Jude had hooked up on several occasions before he met me and he didn’t like it when Jude didn’t want to see him again.”
“Was that the last time Jude saw him before last night?” Fitz asked gently.
“According to Jude, yes, and I have no reason to doubt him.” Cope might have been angry last night at the way Jerry had been hanging all over his husband, but he knew for a fact Jude would never cheat on him and wouldn’t lie about a past lover. He’d always been more open about his past exploits than Cope wanted him to be.
“Fuck me blue,” Ronan muttered. “According to Google, Jerry Dunkirk is a physician’s assistant at Salem Mercy hospital.”
“Salem Mercy?” Fitz’s eyebrows shot up. “Where the killer angel worked?”
Ronan nodded. “Yeah, and believe it or not, that’s not the worst part of the story.”
Shaken to his core, Cope was afraid to ask what Ronan thought was worse than this jackhole working in the place where Jude had nearly been killed two years ago. “What is it?”
“Jerry is Courtney Wilcox’s half-brother.”
Cope’s mouth dropped open. “He’s related to the woman we left our kids with the night of the policeman’s ball?” If this was a bad dream, Cope wanted to wake up now. How the hell was this possible? He’d never been a big believer in coincidences. “There’s no way this wasn’t a coordinated attack.”
“I was going to say the same thing.” Ronan got up from the table and paced around the kitchen. “Everly said there were two people involved in the kidnapping, Jerry and the person working his strings. Do we think it’s this babysitter?”
“I don’t know,” Fitz admitted, looking defeated. “But there might be a way to find out.” He angled his head toward the living room.
Wordlessly, Ronan nodded and walked into the living room. He returned seconds later with Everly holding his hand.
“I told you I didn’t know anything else about Jerry, Dad,” Everly said, her eyes glued to the floor.
“We need to ask you about someone else, honey.”
“Okay, who?” Everly’s eyes met Ronan. Cope could see dark circles under her eyes.
“Courtney, the babysitter from last night,” Ronan pressed a kiss to his daughter’s left temple.
Sighing, Everly climbed into the chair Ronan had vacated. “She was funny. We ate pizza and watched movies.”
Cope knew that wasn’t all Everly had to say about the babysitter. He took a deep breath and bided his time.
“I couldn’t read much about her. Just that she was happy about her classes and becoming a teacher.” Everly looked around the table. “I mean, like super happy. It was the only thought revolving around in her mind.”
“I don’t understand why that’s important,” Fitz said.
“Most people’s minds jump from thing to thing. Right now, Dad is thinking how hungry he is and he’s praying for Uncle Jude’s dumb ass and he’s wondering what the Patriots will do without Tom Brady.”
“Okay, that’s enough of that.” Ronan blushed, obviously ashamed that he’d been caught out by his daughter.
“That’s what I’m trying to explain to Uncle Fitz. It’s not normal to be that focused on one thing. Even when we’re angry or sad, our minds still hop from topic to topic.”
“You think Courtney was purposely keeping school on her mind so that you wouldn’t be able to read what was really going on behind the scenes?” Ten asked.
“Yeah, but that’s not all. There’s one more thing I need to tell you.” Everly sat up straighter. Her eyes looked misty. “Courtney took pictures of us that night.”
“Pictures?” Ronan half-roared. “What kind of pictures?”
Cope knew exactly what Ronan was thinking. Inappropriate pics, the kind that land you in prison and on a sexual offender registry. Jesus, this nightmare just kept getting worse.
“Pics of all five of us on our sleeping bags in front of the television. They were fun sleepover pics like I make Daddy take when everyone stays at our house.”
“You guys take pics like that at our house too,” Fitzgibbon said. “I always send them to Jude and Ronan after all the kids go home. Did anyone get pictures from that night?”
The adults at the table shook their heads no.
“I’m so sorry, Dad.” Everly turned around to face Ronan. “I should have told you sooner, but I forgot with Uncle Jude being gone.”
Ronan wrapped his arms around his six-year-old. “It’s okay, honey. No one’s mad. Is there anything you can tell me about Courtney now? Where she is or what she’s doing?”
“She’s at the library. A big one. Not the one went go to for story time. There’s a lot of people her age around.”
“The library at Salem State.” Cope was out of his seat.
“Can you see anything around her, like tables or desks or couches?” Ronan asked.
“She’s sitting at a table near big windows and she’s eating chips.” Everly smiled up at Ronan who’d started to laugh. “Does that help?”
“It sure does.” Ronan smacked a kiss to Everly’s cheek. “There’s only one section of the library that allows food and it’s near the floor to ceiling windows at the back of the building, which looks out over the quad. Thank you, honey!”
“Welcome.” Everly hopped off his lap and ran back into the living room.
“Go,” Ten said. “I’ll be here with the kids. Stay in touch. Got it?”
“Got it.” Ronan agreed. “Call if Jude comes back or if Everly sees anything else.”
Ten nodded. “Don’t you dare go easy on that bitch. We welcomed her into our lives and all she did was hurt us.”
Ronan grinned at his husband. “Have I told you lately that you’re the best husband ever?”
“Not lately, but I already knew that.” Ten waggled his eyebrows. “Go get her.”
Cope followed Ronan and Fitzgibbon into the living room where they were putting on their heavy winter coats and boots.
“Bring Daddy home,” Wolf said from the sofa.
“Dada. Home!” Lizbet echoed.
“I’ll do my best.” Cope shrugged into his coat and walked out the front door. Seeing the sad looks on his kids’ faces was devastating. What would happen to their little family if he couldn’t find Jude? Both kids had already lost so much. Cope couldn’t bear the thought of them losing Jude too.
“Hold on, Jude. I’m coming,” Cope vowed.
12
Jude
Jude woke to the sound of the outer door squealing as the kidnapper opened it. His head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. He could barely remember who he was or how he got here, never mind how long he’d been out cold. Whatever drug had been slipped into his food had been much stronger than what had been in his drink at the ball. He sat up and watched as the kidnapper, dressed again in all in black, entered the room.
“Someone’s finally awake,” the modulated voice said. “That was quite a trip to Neverland. Wasn’t sure you’d wake up. Had to guess on the dosage.”
“Cut the shit, asshole. Tell me who you are and why I’m here. You’re gonna kill me anyway, I might as well know the reason why.” Jude felt like he had nothing to lose at this point in the game. He was muzzy-headed, heartsick, and starting to feel a bit hopeless. He had no doubt that Ronan, Fitz and the rest of the Salem Police Department were out searching for him. Unfortunately, there weren’t a lot of clues to help them find him. Even Jude had no idea where he was. He could be in fucking Canada for all he knew. It was only seven hours or so to the border. In that time he could have also been taken to upstate New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, hell, maybe even as far south as Delaware if the traffic was light.
“You always were a demanding fucker, weren’t you, Jude?” the voice asked.
“Yup!” Jude agreed, feeling his spirits buoy. Finally, after all this time he had his first clue. Obviously the kidnapper was someone he knew. Which, considering his former himbo days, and his time working with several law enforcement agencies and law firms, the person who abducted him could be almost anyone. What he needed to do was narrow the field and try to dial in on who this particular fucker was. “The only way to get what you want is to reach out and grab it.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” the kidnapper agreed. “Only some of us grabbed for the biggest prize.”
“What prize?” Jude asked. “Fucking look at me. I’m half-drugged and trapped in a cage, like a lion at the zoo. All I want to do is see my family and eat a fucking meal that won’t make me feel like I’ve been knocked into next week.”
“You don’t consider your family a big prize? That husband of yours? Those two adorable kiddos. All your friends who are more like brothers. I consider that a pretty big fucking prize.”
Jude pulled the picture of the kids out from under his pillow. He wanted to cry just looking at Lizbet and Wolf’s little faces. He’d give anything to see them again, but tears and losing his temper wasn’t going to help make that happen. Jude needed to wise up and stay on his toes. Anything this asshole said could be a possible clue. “My family is the only thing that matters to me in this world. I could give two fucks about everything else. All I want to do is go home. Whatever it is you want, it’s yours, just let me out of here. The sooner you tell me how much money you want, the sooner I can put the wheels in motion to get it to you.”
“What if I said I wanted a million dollars?”
“Done,” Jude said, without a second’s hesitation.
“Must be nice to have friends who’d slap down that kind of money for you,” the kidnapper sneered. The sarcasm was obvious, even with the voice modulator.
Obviously, whoever this deranged person was, they didn’t have a family, or at least not one they were in close contact with. Jude thought back to the people who’d been in his life since his move to Salem. Aside from Cope and the detectives, Jude had been in contact with cops, parents of Wolf’s classmates, and neighbors, which brought him back to the photograph of the kids the kidnapper had left earlier. “Courtney took this picture.” It wasn’t a question, for Jude, it was a statement of fact.
“Took you long enough to figure it out.” The voice laughed, chilling Jude to the bone.
“I could have taken out your kids and your nieces and nephew at any time. You let my sister into your home willingly. No break-in required.” The chuckled. “Not only did you pay her to be there, but you and your numbskull friends tipped her over three hundred dollars.”
Jude thought back to what he knew about Courtney. He didn’t recall her ever mentioning a brother or a family at all. She said she was a student studying early childhood education at Salem State and to Jude, had seemed intently focused on her degree. Other families in the neighborhood had used her to babysit their kids. So far as he knew, there were no troubling incidents. Truman and Carson wouldn’t have recommended her if she wasn’t trustworthy. “This was a set up from the start.”
“Very good, Jude. The plan has been in motion for months. Do you have any idea how hard it was to get your neighbors to trust Courtney? How long it took to move that chess piece onto the board?”
“You couldn’t have known Carson and Truman’s kids would get sick. They cancelled on us last minute. Jesus Christ, did you poison those kids to make them throw up?” Jude would never forgive himself if Stephanie, Brian, or Baby Bertha were injured because of him.
“I’m not a total monster, Jude, despite what you may think.”
“Despite what I may think? I think I’m locked in a fucking cage on the whim of a crazed lunatic who’s too chicken to show his damn face. If this is all happening because of something I did in the past, then spill it! Enough fucking around. Who are you?” Jude demanded.
The kidnapper stepped forward. He or she was dressed in black from head to toe. Shoes, gloves, pants, hoodie and a balaclava pulled up their face, ending just below the eyes, which were shadowed. He was several inches taller than his abductor, putting them around 5’8” or so. With that height, it could be a man or a woman. Jude had no idea who this person could be.
Slowly, the kidnapper pulled off their gloves. Jude noticed the hands were large, white, and wore no jewelry. Definitely a man’s hand. Next, the hood was pushed back, showing what looked like short, dirty blonde hair. Stepping closer to the cage, the kidnapper grinned, Jude could see the curve of their lips beneath the face covering. “Moment of truth.” They held up the voice modulator and pressed a button before putting it back into the kangaroo pouch of the sweatshirt.
“Moment of truth,” Jude agreed. His palms were sweating while his heart pounded out a crazy beat. What happened next would change his entire life.
Pulling the balaclava over their head, the kidnapper revealed themself.
“Jerry Dunkirk.” What the actual fuck was going on here? Jude felt like he’d been gut punched. “I don’t understand.”
“Obviously. Do you have any idea what it was like being with you?” Jerry asked, his voice cold and emotionless.
Jude shook his head. He had no idea and truth be told, didn’t want to hear Jerry Dunkirk run it down for him. All he wanted to know was why this was happening.
“You were my dream come to life. My first and only true love.” Jerry said, his voice barely above a whisper. “My mother hated me because her plan to trap my father into marrying her didn’t work. After he gave us the boot, Mom moved to New Hampshire, married a dentist, and had a second family.”
“Courtney?” Jude asked.
“Yes and another brother named Philip.”
“That’s why you Courtney have different last names?” It was a minor detail, but Jude was curious, nonetheless.
“Dunkirk was my mother’s maiden name. She gave it to me since my father wouldn’t claim me as his son. Wilcox is my step-father’s last name. Mom took that name when she married my step-dad.”
Jude took a deep breath. “I don’t understand. You put a plan into action where your sister infiltrates my suburban neighborhood and you kidnap me because I didn’t want a relationship with you?” He was gobsmacked. “We stopped seeing each other eight years ago.”
“And every single one of those days cut like a knife. I sat and watched from the shadows as you took home man after man after man. A different one each night. You didn’t return my calls and blocked my number. You didn’t want to see me again. You used me and threw me away, as if I meant nothing to you.”
“Because you didn’t,” Jude snapped. “You’re just another fucker who can’t take no for an answer. No means no. I’d seen you in the club several times before I’d approached you. I wasn’t the only one going home with a different man each night or disappearing into the men’s room with some rando to relieve the bulge you’d put in his pants. After we stopped seeing each other, you could have had anyone. You still could. Men were all over you last night. You had your pick.”
“I didn’t want anyone. I wanted you!” Jerry shouted.
Jude though back over the last eight years of his life. He’d fucked his share of men in the eighteen months or so between his nights with Jerry and when he met Cope. He’d changed careers, adopted Wolf, married Cope, bought a house, and brought Lizbet home. They’d been the best years of his life, but in that time, instead of moving on, Jerry stewed and plotted revenge. “Why me?” It was the only question Jude could think to ask.
Jerry laughed. “You always thought you were the center of the universe, Jude. So narrowminded that you couldn’t see the forest for the trees. It seems nothing has changed. You’re missing the bigger picture.”
Jude stared at Jerry, truly not knowing what to say. What big picture was there? Did it have to do with Cope or the kids? “Leave my family out of this. I hurt you. Hurt me in return, not my kids.”
“I couldn’t give two fucks about your family, Jude. Used to be you didn’t want to be tied down. Didn’t want kids, responsibilities, a ball and chain. I always thought we’d hook up again at some point, but then you stopped coming to the club. I didn’t a little detective work of my own and found out all about Cope and his psychic friends network. Even had a reading by that curly haired guy. He told me that he saw a chasm opening up before me, but that there was time to reverse course to keep myself from being swallowed alive.”
There was no doubt Jerry had met with Tennyson. Had Ten recognized him at the police ball? Not that it mattered now, Jude was imprisoned in some fucking basement, courtesy of his raging libido and his high opinion of himself. He should have known that his sleeping around would come back to haunt him someday, but he never could have imagined this scenario. Jerry spent the last eight years crying in his Cheerios and plotting revenge on Jude. “What happens now?”
