Out Of Focus: An Adams Grove Novel Part 27

"Thank you." Kasey accepted the cup and took a long sip. "You're the best."

"I know. She tells me all the time." He smiled and tugged Riley to him. "What do I get for bringing you a regular c.o.ke?"

Riley raised her brow suggestively. "We'll discuss that when there isn't so much going on."

"Thanks for that," Kasey said, rolling her eyes. "What time is it?"

"Almost five," Von said.

"I slept hard." Kasey scrubbed her fingers through her hair and tugged her bangs into submission. "By the time we finish eating, it should be time for Billy Goodwin to show up."

Von arranged Chinese takeout containers on the table, along with two cups of egg drop soup. "I know you girls love that egg drop soup. Looks like snot to me, but anything that looks that gross has to be good for you."

"Thank you, sweetie," Riley said as she grabbed a container of soup and handed the other to Kasey. "You've put a real scrumptious light on it. I bet the Food Network will be hunting you down to write blurbs for them."

"I call 'em like I see 'em," Von said, looking innocent.

When the knock came at the door, they all stopped in mid-bite. Von wiped his hands on a napkin, strode to the door, and opened it.

"You must be Billy Goodwin."

The round-faced man extended his hand. "Yes, sir." His smile showed perfect teeth, and his blue eyes almost danced. "Hope you don't mind I came early."

"Not at all. Come on in. Thanks so much for coming to talk to us." Von gestured for Billy to come into the room. "This is my wife, Riley, and our dearest friend, Kasey. She's Jake's mom."

Billy walked over to Kasey. She stood and extended her hand, but he opened his big arms wide. "I bet you could use a hug instead."

"Thank you," Kasey said. "I've been looking for Jake since the end of August. I knew in my heart he was alive. I never gave up, but I can't believe we're finally getting close to finding him. Thanks to you, Mr. Goodwin."

"Billy," he said with a smile. "Call me Billy. Everybody does."

"Thank you, Billy," Kasey cried-tears of joy, fear, hope and frustration.

They all sat down at the table.

Von flipped to a clean page on his notepad. "Do you mind talking us through everything? I know you've already done all of this with the police. But it might help. If you don't mind."

"No problem. Are you kidding? Anything to help." Billy started from the beginning and told his story. It lined up with what Chief Phipps had already shared, but with a few questions from Von, they got some additional details.

"You say you saw him a few times?" Von tapped his pen on the pad.

"About once a week, I think. He looked familiar. But it wasn't until my daughter was tellin' me how it broke her heart when Cody Tuggle made that announcement at the end of his concert that it occurred to me where I'd seen him." Billy turned to Kasey. "I went to the concert here in Raleigh. Anyway, I remembered the bear. One time when they came in, I greeted them and offered them a cart, and the little guy was standing there hugging that bear." Billy laughed. He had a hearty laugh, the kind you can feel across a room.

"He was hanging on to that ragged bear for dear life. I asked him what his bear's name was. He buried his face in it and giggled. When I asked him how old he was, he showed me on his fingers. I guess he's three or four. Not sure."

Kasey laughed. "I know. He has trouble negotiating all those tiny fingers. He's four now."

Billy nodded. "Cute kid. I had a bear like that when I was young. I guess that's why I remembered him. Mine was named Brown Bear. It was a pitiful-lookin' thing, but my mom hung on to it for years. She probably still has it."

"He loves that bear," Kasey said, her voice quiet and steady. "Calls him Bubba Bear."

"Cute," Billy said. "He looked fine. I mean, I didn't think he looked dirty or mistreated or anything. Trust me, I see some bad stuff come through there sometimes. Nothing stood out as unusual."

Kasey dabbed her tears with a tissue. "Thank you."

Von continued taking notes. "And they were in every week?"

"Yeah. I can't be sure, but I think I saw them when I was working my afternoon s.h.i.+fts, so it would have been either Tuesdays or Thursdays. It's been about a week since I last saw them."

Kasey handed Billy the photo alb.u.m she'd brought along. "Do you mind taking a look at these other pictures to see if you still think it's him?"

Billy slid the alb.u.m in front of him. "Yeah. Yeah, that looks like him."

Kasey relaxed. Her lips quivered as she smiled.

Von stood. "I don't have any other questions. I know you have to get to work. Thanks for giving us your time, and more than that, thanks for going to the police with this information." Von shook his hand.

"I told the police chief I'd call him if I see them come in again," Billy said, then turned to Kasey. "I'll do everything I can to help."

Von handed him a card. "Here's my direct number. If you think of anything else, just give me a call."

Von walked Billy out to his car. When he came back, Kasey asked, "What do we do now?"

"Wait."

Kasey grunted. "I would hate your job. It has to be the worst job in the world. Is it always like this? Every time you get one answer it leads to two more questions."

"That's pretty much it, but when the puzzle comes together, it's worth it."

"Well, it's killing me," Kasey said. "I'm going to call Scott and fill him in."

Kasey dialed Scott, who answered on the first ring. She gave him the update and he gave her just the pep talk she needed. She was glad she'd called him. When she hung up the phone, Von called out to her: "Hey, Kasey. I'm going to take a ride. You want to go?"

Kasey jumped to her feet and appeared in the doorway. "Absolutely. Anything is better than sitting here."

"Where are we going to go in this little town?" asked Riley.

Von shrugged. "We'll just cruise around. Who knows, we might stumble onto another clue."

"In that case," Riley said, picking up her purse, "I'd like to go, too. If there's any chance in a million that it might help us bring home Jake faster, I'm in."

They piled into the SUV, and Von cruised the streets. It was a small town, with a typical main street and a grid of numbered and named streets. Several of the storefronts on Main Street were empty. The economy was tough on these small towns and family-owned shops.

They drove through neighborhoods, not really sure what they were looking for. After they'd driven every street in the grid around the town's center, Von headed back toward the interstate. Traffic got heavier as they neared the strip mall. Von turned into the parking lot of the small shopping center.

"What are we doing?" Riley asked.

"Surveillance," Von said. "There's a pizza joint, an ice cream store, and a grocery store. All places someone with a kid might go." He pulled his money from the front pocket of his jeans and peeled off a twenty. "Why don't y'all get us some milkshakes?"

Riley snagged the cash from his hands. "You don't have to ask me twice. Chocolate for you, right?"

"You know it." He pushed his seat back from the steering wheel and got comfortable.

Riley and Kasey came back with the milkshakes.

When Kasey got into the back seat, she leaned forward and said to Von, "Okay. This might not be the worst job in the world. I could get used to sitting around drinking milkshakes for a living."

They watched for a while. Not long after the lights in the parking lot came on, Von's cell phone rang.

Seven-thirty.

"Yeah, Von here."

Kasey and Riley strained to listen.

Von nodded. "Yeah. Okay...When?...Right." Von tucked the phone between his cheek and neck and turned the key in the engine. "What color?...Thanks. We're on our way." He let the phone drop from his chin to his lap as he threw one arm over the back of the pa.s.senger seat and whirled the SUV out of the parking spot.

"What?" Kasey and Riley asked in unison.

Von sped back out to the main road.

"What's going on?" Riley fumbled for her seat belt, steadying herself by grabbing for the dash as Von squealed around the next corner.

"She just left the Walmart." Von's jaw tensed, his attention laser-focused on the road.

"Who?" asked Riley.

Kasey reached over the seat and grabbed Riley's arm. "With Jake? The woman and Jake." She slapped the seat like a jockey urging a racehorse. "Go!"

Von got to the main highway and turned right.

"Where are you going?" Kasey yelled. "Walmart is the other way."

Von weaved in and out of traffic. "Keep your eyes open for a black Nissan sedan."

Chapter Twenty-Seven.

Von navigated through three traffic lights on green and hit the accelerator to catch up to the cars ahead of them on an open stretch of road.

"Be careful, honey," Riley said.

They came up behind the first vehicle. A white Volkswagen. Von maneuvered around it and floored the accelerator to catch up to the next cars: two SUVs, and the last a battered blue pickup truck. The road ahead was dark. No taillights in sight. Von smacked the steering wheel and swerved to the side of the road. "d.a.m.n."

"What the h.e.l.l was that all about?" Riley hung on to the door and console. "Why are we stopping?"

Von squealed tires back onto the road in the other direction, then slowed to the speed limit.

"When Billy Goodwin came back from his break, he saw the woman leaving Walmart with Jake. He got the car description and a partial plate number." Von's lips pulled into a tight line. "I thought we might catch up to them. He said they went left out of the parking lot."

"Could we have beaten her to the light?" Kasey asked.

"Possibly. I'm still looking. Keep your eyes peeled."

Kasey leaned against the window. Her breath fogged the gla.s.s as she focused on each pa.s.sing car.

"He called the police. They should be at the Walmart by now. We'll go see what they've got."

When Von pulled into the Walmart parking lot, four police cruisers were already there, blue lights still flas.h.i.+ng. Billy Goodwin stood out front. Von, Kasey and Riley bailed out of the truck and headed toward the crowd. Billy walked over to meet Von. He looked upset.

"I'm sorry. When I came off break, there she was. She'd just checked out-pus.h.i.+ng her cart out the automatic doors. I dialed the police and then ran to the lot. I saw her get in the car, but by the time I got close, she was driving off. I'm so sorry." Billy looked defeated. "So close."

Chief Phipps strode over and patted Billy Goodwin on his shoulder. "It's okay. It's not your fault. You did the right thing." The chief turned his attention to Von and Kasey. "He did get us a partial tag and the make of the car. We're working that now."

"That's good, right?" Kasey rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to chase away the chill.

"Yes." The police chief nodded. "I've also got two men upstairs reviewing the security tapes. They've closed that register. We're trying to match the sequence at the register and tape. With any luck she used a debit or credit card."

"Please. Please. Please." Kasey paced back and forth, clenching her jaw to stifle the sob in her throat.

Riley put her arms around Kasey while the officer updated Von. "I've already called to get a warrant for the information off the card, if she used one."

"Good. We don't want to waste any time." Von crossed his arms. "Did she see Billy running toward her?"

"I don't think so. Sounds like he was a few steps behind her. She didn't seem to be spooked, from what I gather from the other cas.h.i.+ers. I talked to the employee working the lot collecting carts. He seemed clueless as to what was going on, if that's any indicator."

"That's good."

The police chief nodded.

A young officer walked up to Chief Phipps. "Bingo, sir."

Kasey tensed. Riley hugged her close.

"She used a credit card. Here's her name." He handed the chief the information.

"Libby Braddock." Chief Phipps's gaze settled on Kasey. "Ring any bells?"

Kasey and Riley shook their heads. "Never heard of her," Kasey said.

"Stay right here." Chief Phipps stepped away. He called in to Dispatch on his radio and spoke to someone else on his cell phone.

Kasey squatted to stop the dizziness that consumed her and to steady her breathing.