Chapter 12
Angela shook her head at the chaos. And yet it was organized chaos. Both men were talking to different people, and everybody was tracking Joshua. She pulled her feet onto the chair and wrapped her arms around her knees. Laying her head against the blanket, she tried to stay silent. Inside her chest, her heart seized to the point it was hard to get a breath out.
Her beautiful boy. Joshua. Drugged and in the trunk of a car. Why? Where were they taking him? What the hell had Greg done? Was Joshua of so little importance that he was literally a pawn to further control Angela? Or was Greg trying to fulfill his threat—that she’d never get a chance to see him again?
Just the thought had her body shaking. She rocked back and forth on the chair. She wouldn’t let her gaze leave the two men. They were barking out orders and answering questions in the same static-type tone.
And she understood she was privy to something special. What was a panic mode for her was a work mode for them. They were in control. They were determined. And they were so focused. On her son. On saving her little boy who they didn’t even know.
She clenched her arms tighter around her, her knees pulled up as close as she could into the tightest ball she could make.
And she waited. And waited.
Finally Corey got off the phone. “The police have the car tracked. They’re trying to surround it. I had to get off the phone so the detective could deal with it. Let’s hope they bring the car to a stop fast.”
He turned to look at Warrick who responded. “Levi’s on the phone. He has live satellite. They’re tracking the vehicle as well. They’ll see when the police come up on him.”
And then suddenly it went quiet. Corey put down his phone, kneeled in front of her and wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s just stay positive.”
She stared at him, but she didn’t know what to say. Everything in her world was frozen, waiting for word. Had they gotten Joshua, and was he alive? That Greg could have poisoned Joshua was never far from her mind. Just the thought of Greg trying to kill Joshua was too much to contemplate.
Warrick gave a shout.
Corey bounced back up.
She couldn’t breathe.
Warrick said, “They have the vehicle surrounded.”
Corey’s phone rang. “It’s the detective,” he said. “What’s up? Did you find him?”
“We have the vehicle. We’re trying to open the trunk right now.”
“Who was driving?”
“Not the husband. But I might have seen the driver in some of the photos.”
“Take a picture and send it to me,” Corey snapped. “Chances are it’s somebody Angela will recognize.” He turned to look at her. Seeing the gray tinge to her face, he gave her shoulder a squeeze.
She took a deep gasping breath.
“We’re waiting. They’re trying to open the trunk.”
She shook her head and cried, “How can it be hard to open?”
“They’ve got it open.” The detective’s voice came through the speakerphone loud and clear. “There is a bundle of blankets in the trunk.”
In the background they heard a shout.
“They’ve got the boy.”
Angela stared at the phone and screamed, “Is he alive? Is Joshua alive?”
In the background she could hear many voices and chaos.
“We’re checking.” Then the detective spoke, his voice low, “We have a pulse, and an ambulance is on the way. He’s alive. We don’t know what condition he’s in. But, I repeat, he’s alive.”
Angela burst into tears, her body shattering as the shock ran through her.
Corey wrapped her up tight again.
She was barely cognizant of the phone conversation still going on. She heard him ask what hospital.
And he said he’d have her there in no time.
When he put down the phone, he tilted her head back. “You need to pull it together. He’ll be at the hospital in about fifteen minutes. I want you with him. We will have you to the hospital in twenty minutes. Go get dressed. Make sure you have your purse and anything you might need in case you’re staying overnight.”
She looked at him, swallowed, wiped away the tears and ran upstairs. Her hands shook so badly she didn’t think she could get dressed by herself. She quickly donned the same clothes she had worn earlier. She hadn’t unpacked, and that was a good thing. She quickly threw her nightclothes into the bag and went back downstairs. She stepped into the kitchen. “I’m ready.
Corey turned to look at her and smiled. “I have a photo I want you to look at.” He motioned her to the laptop. Warrick turned it so she could see. “This is the driver. Do you know who that is?”
She stared at the photo, the color leaving her face. “That’s Reginald. That’s the man who lost his little boy. And the one who saved Elizabeth.”
“Well, Reginald’s being held by the police under the suspicion of kidnapping.”
She raised her gaze to the others. “Oh, my God. Is Greg making it look like Reginald is the one who did this? Then Greg’ll get off scot-free.”
“Except for the fact your boy said it was his daddy who threw him into the trunk, correct?”
She nodded. “Yes.” She took the phone from her purse and held it out to Warrick. “Any way to get a copy of that phone call?”
He frowned. “I’m not sure.” Then he stopped; an odd look came into his eyes. “I’ll consider it. We need to tell the police about it too. They can get the cell phone company to give them a lot of that information. But I don’t believe they record the calls.”
“What we need is for Joshua to wake up and to tell us himself,” Corey said. “That will put a wrench in Greg’s plan.”
She shook her head. “No, he’ll just toss it off as being the delusions of a child.”
“We will see. Right now, I’m taking you to the hospital. Then I’ll head to the police station. I want to have a talk with Reginald.”
She turned to look at him. “The police won’t let you talk to him.”
He smiled. “That’s okay. If we play this right, Reginald will turn on his boss, and we won’t have to worry about it anymore. And, if not, Reginald will pay for his part in all this.”
Her gaze flipped to Warrick. “Are you both coming now?”
Both men nodded. Warrick lifted his computer bag and stuffed his papers and laptop inside. “We stay together.”
“And what about at the hospital?”
Corey turned to look at her. “Are you thinking Greg might try something there?”
“I don’t know what I’m thinking. I just want to make sure Joshua is safe. Not just for now but forever.”
Corey drove Angela’s car with her in the passenger seat. Warrick took Corey’s truck, following behind, watching for tails.
The trip to the hospital took way too long. She struggled with fear and panic. She kept reminding herself over and over again, He’ll be fine. He’ll be fine. They got to him in time.
Corey grasped her hand. “It’ll be okay.”
She nodded. “I know. I just can’t believe you found him so fast.”
“Cell phones are a really great technology. Particularly if they’re on. If Joshua had shut off that phone, it wouldn’t be anywhere near so easy.”
She nodded. “He’s a smart little boy.” Inside, she was absolutely twisted over the concept of him calling out for help, tied up inside blankets, crying out for her, knowing he had been thrown into the trunk of a car. What he must have thought? “What an absolutely horrible thing to have done to my little boy,” she cried. “Why would Greg be such an asshole?”
“And that’ll be one of the things Greg tells the judge—that Reginald wouldn’t have done something like that normally. And that, being distraught after losing his own boy, he was stealing Joshua for his own purposes. And it’s the prosecutor’s job to convince the judge that Reginald did this under Greg’s urging.”
“Greg can say whatever the hell he wants, but it’s not the truth. Joshua knows what the truth is.”
“Sure. It gives you wonderful leverage for the judge to give you full custody of your son.”
“But nobody’ll believe me. Greg’s already tried to make it look like I’m unstable.”
“Except for one thing …”
She turned to look at him. “What are you talking about?”
“You put that call on Speakerphone, and now you have two very good witnesses.”
She stared at him in shock and then in understanding. “That’s right. You and Warrick heard Joshua too.”
Corey nodded. “And our witness testimony will carry a decent impact. Don’t you worry. We won’t let Greg get to Joshua without a fight.”
She sat back and relaxed a bit. “Thank God you were there.”
“Yes, thank God we were there. And thank God your little boy called you.”
She couldn’t stop shaking. When he finally pulled into the hospital parking lot, she was out of her car in a split second.
Corey rounded the car to get to her side. “Leave your bags here and just grab your purse. Let’s see what the deal is first.”
She nodded. When he reached out for her hand, instinctively she grabbed his.
He smiled and tucked her close. “This is a good visit. Put a smile on your face.”
She shook her head. “No, this isn’t a good visit. This is a great visit.”
As they got to the front reception area, Corey identified who they were and asked where Joshua was.
The woman took down their names, pointed to the emergency area and said, “He’s down there, but he is surrounded by police.”
Corey nodded, but Angela was already racing toward the uniformed officers. “Have you got Joshua? Is he here?”
Several policemen stepped forward, but she could see her son in a tiny cubiclelike room behind them. Instead of a door it had a curtain, which was drawn open. “Joshua!” She squeezed past the officers to the bed.
A doctor stood beside him. He looked at her and barked, “Don’t touch him.”
She came to a skittering stop and stared. “What’s wrong with him?”
“He’s been drugged, and he’s having a reaction to the drug they used. We’re flushing his system and running a drug panel on his blood, but I think he was given a sedative, maybe an adult formulation instead of something for a child of his weight. But he’ll have to stay right here, so we can keep an eye on him. I don’t want you in the way.”
“I won’t get in the way. But he’s my son. I need to know he’s okay.”
“He’s okay. As long as he stays where he is. This won’t be a fast process.”
She glanced around the small area, but there was no chair. She scrunched herself against the far corner, as much out of the way as she could possibly make herself, so they wouldn’t make her leave.
She waited and watched. As she glanced around, she saw Corey talking to the police standing in front of the open doorway. Finally he turned his attention to her and the doctor. He then slipped over, wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up close. Against her ear he said, “Reginald is being held at the station. Warrick’s gone to talk to the arresting officers.”
She pulled her head back and looked up at him. “I thought you were going too.”
He shook his head. “No, I’m staying here with you.”
Tears came to her eyes, and it was beyond her to stop the flow. She dropped her head against his shoulder and just cuddled in close. “You’re a good man, Corey.”
He wrapped his arms tightly around her and said, “I am. But you’re also a good mom.”
She smiled and finally let herself relax.
*
Joshua lay on the small bed, sleeping soundly, an IV in his arm. Nurses kept a close eye on him. A steady stream of traffic was had in this emergency cubical. The whole time Corey stood in the corner with Angela in his arms.
What he had said had been correct. It was the truth for anyone who wanted to see it. Angela was a good mom. She’d do anything to give little Joshua what he needed, and he was a valiant little soldier. That he had called his mom before succumbing to the drug and had left the phone on … It had probably been an accident that he’d left the call open, but it had been what they needed to get to him fast.
Corey wanted to pound Reginald into the ground for his part in this but knew he’d never get close enough.
Maybe Reginald was happy to spend a few years in jail. When he came out, there’d probably be a nice little thank-you package from Greg waiting for him. If he got out. Jail wasn’t kind to anyone.
Warrick had sent Reginald’s mug shot to Corey in confirmation. Reginald looked a bit on the older side compared to the single photo they had seen him in earlier—the partying crowd with the man shooting another dead. The last few years had probably aged him. Nothing like losing a child to make one realize just how short life really was. So only the threat of a murder rap could probably convince Reginald to kidnap Corey. But why would Greg do this to Joshua, to his own son? Still the police would potentially solve that mystery as well.
Finally the doctor checked Joshua again, looked at the two of them, still in an embrace, and said, “He’s stable for the moment. You’re welcome to stay.” The doctor turned to his nurse and said, “I want to be informed as soon as there’s any change.” He tilted his head at Corey and Angela and rushed away.
The nurse smiled and said, “I can get you some chairs.”
Angela nodded and whispered, “Thank you.” Before the nurse left, she asked, “May I touch him?”
“Gently, and just on his hands only. You may kiss his cheek, but please do not move him or pick him up. I’ll be back in a minute.” The nurse disappeared through the curtains.
Corey dropped his arms from around Angela and approached the bedside. The little boy had a shock of brown curls—slightly long so the curls crossed his forehead. But he had such a baby face, big cheeks, big forehead and long lashes. He slept peacefully and didn’t look to be in pain. He watched as Angela picked up Joshua’s hand.
She didn’t lift it very high, just enough that she could slip her hand underneath. Corey watched the tears once again come into her eyes. She leaned down and placed her cheek against Joshua’s for a long moment. It was such a precious moment that Corey felt his heart break. She’d been through a lot.
Finally she kissed his cheek and whispered, “Mommy’s here. Mommy’s here, and you’ll be just fine.”
The nurse came back in with a pair of chairs. She gave one to Corey, who moved it to where Angela stood. “Sit down.”
She sat but didn’t let go of Joshua’s hand. Corey grabbed the second chair and sat on the other side of the bed. At least this way he could watch everything going on around him.
“Do you need to talk to the police?” Angela asked.
“The detective’s not here. He’s at the scene where they picked up Joshua—or maybe in his office by now. I spoke to the officer on duty here when I arrived, but I haven’t talked to anyone else.”
She nodded. “I feel like we should check in with Warrick, see if he’s found out anything.”
Corey pulled out his phone and sent Warrick a text. “He’ll get back to us when he can,” he said quietly. He looked at the little boy. “There doesn’t appear to be other injuries. The doctor did check him over, and there were no breaks he could find.”
She sniffled and beamed. “Thank heavens. I’ll feel better when he wakes up.”
That might not happen as fast as she wanted it to. But, now that the little boy was safe in the hospital, his father would have a fit. For whatever reason, he’d wanted Joshua taken away. Corey sent texts to Mason and Levi. Even though it was the middle of the night, people were waiting to find out something. He told them Joshua had reacted badly to the drugs his father had given him, but he was getting treatment in the hospital. He hadn’t woken up yet but had stabilized. The responses were almost instant. Like him, everybody was concerned.
He studied Joshua’s face for any resemblances to Angela. But it was hard. She was a blonde; the little boy had brown curls. Maybe he had her nose. But what Corey really needed was to see the boy awake, see his eyes and see that smile. Angela’s smile was unique. A little off center, a little to the left. It was very endearing. At least he’d always thought so.
He stayed and waited with her. He figured they’d be here most of the night. After shifting her chair a little closer, Angela curled up into a ball and closed her eyes and lay her head on the hospital bed. He didn’t feel he could do that. He was tired, but no way he would leave either of them unprotected. He wasn’t sure if Joshua was meant to die tonight, but Corey wouldn’t give anybody a second chance. Angela and Joshua had both become very special to Corey in a very short time. He stared down at the little boy he hadn’t even met.
How would Joshua react to his father’s actions? And was he ready for his mom to have a friend?
He wasn’t even sure Angela was ready for that yet.
He just knew inside that he was.