“Of course I can. I’m not a novice, Melina. I should have had my guard up.” Her mother sighed as if she realized now was not the time for berating herself. “What can I do?”
Melina’s next words were for her mother’s benefit. “Bonnie has a soft spot for Elena. She won’t hurt her.”
“It’s been ten minutes. She could be on her way out of the city or state right now.”
“I don’t think so, Mom. Bonnie came to Nashville for a reason.”
“What reason?”
“Money.”
“I don’t have any money.”
“Someone she knows does.”
“Is she going to sell that sweet little girl?” her mother asked.
“I’m not inclined to think so.”
“What do I do?”
“Did you call the police?”
“Yes. They just pulled up. Your father is talking to them. We need an Amber Alert.”
“Yes, you do, and the officer will take care of it. Stay close to the phone. Does Elena know your phone number?”
“I wrote it on the inside of her shoe and showed her how to call me.”
“You did the same with me when I was that age.”
“Kids need to know how to save themselves.”
“Good. Let’s hope Elena gets a chance to call. In the meantime, I’ll start a search of my own. Call me if you hear anything.”
“You, too.”
Melina ended the call and relayed to Ramsey what her mother had just said while checking for Andy’s email. “Andy said that my half brother had a juvenile record. He did six months in a minimum security facility and was released. He wasn’t arrested again.”
“Does he have a mug shot?” He came around the back of her desk and looked over her shoulder.
“Seems so.” She clicked on the attachment.
The image that came up featured a young man who had a long narrow face. Like her, he had olive skin, dark hair and eyes. His expression was sullen and his gaze downcast.
“Do you recognize him?”
His face was familiar. She knew this guy. But he was very different now. She leaned into the picture, drawn by a deepening sense of familiarity. And then the puzzle pieces slid together in one of those rare, exhilarating moments.
He was older now and heavier, but she knew exactly who he was.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Friday, August 28, 10:00 a.m.
Bonnie arrived at the motel with Elena in tow. She jammed the key card in the lock and twisted the handle. The room smelled like cleaner and air freshener that did not quite conceal the cigarette smoke in the nonsmoking room.
“Can I eat my ice cream now?” Elena asked.
“You sure can, kiddo.” Bonnie opened the convenience store bag and pulled out the small container of rocky road ice cream. “Do you have to pee?”
“Yeah.”
“Go on then. You know the drill.” This kid had a bladder the size of a walnut, and she had learned early on to make sure she hit the head before they went anywhere.
She opened the ice cream carton and fished a plastic spoon out of the bag. The toilet flushed. “Don’t forget to wash your hands.”
The tap turned on and she heard the splash of water. Elena came out of the bathroom drying her hands on her shirt.
“That’s my girl,” Bonnie said. “Hop up on the bed while I turn on a cartoon.”
Elena scrambled up on the bed. Bonnie handed her the ice cream and spoon. The girl took a bite.
“I got your favorite,” Bonnie said.
“It’s good.” The girl took a second bite. “Can I see Mrs. Shepard again?”
Bonnie pointed the remote at the television, clicked it on, and scanned the channels until she found SpongeBob SquarePants. “You sure can.”
“I don’t like SpongeBob,” Elena said. “I want to see Frozen.”
Bonnie pulled off the kid’s shoes. She set them at the end of the bed. Next, she reached for the drugstore bag and dug out the bottle of liquid sedatives. She loaded up a spoon and smiled as she approached the girl. “One big bite of medicine. Mrs. Shepard told me you needed it.”
“But I’m not sick.”
“This is to make sure you don’t get sick. Open wide.”
The girl accepted the medicine and winced at the bitter taste.
“Quick, take a bite of ice cream.” She nodded. “There’s a good girl.”
The kid would be sound asleep within ten minutes and would be out for hours. She’d given her adult strength. “Eat your ice cream and I’ll look for Frozen.”
Elena scooted under the covers and settled the carton on her lap. “I like the chocolate best.”
“I know. That’s why I bought this brand. Now go on and eat.”
“Aren’t you hungry?”
“I might have some in a bit. You first.”
Elena dug into the soft ice cream and took a big bite. “It tastes funny.”
“That’s just the last of the medicine. Eat another bite and it’ll go away.” She flipped to the channel that had movies for rent. Frozen was not an option, but Hotel Transylvania 3 was available. Close enough as far as she was concerned.
Elena yawned as the movie’s opening scene appeared to string music and a late-nineteenth-century train rumbling through Romania. “Look, the monsters are in disguise like we do sometimes,” Bonnie said.
“I want Frooozen.” She dragged out the word as if it were too heavy to pronounce.
Bonnie sat on the edge of the bed. “Take a couple more bites of the ice cream, sweetie.”
She listened and counted the bites. One. Two.
When she did not hear movement, she turned to see the girl had fallen asleep. The ice cream was still in her lap and the empty spoon clutched in her tiny fist.
Bonnie carefully removed the spoon and then replaced the top on the ice cream. She dumped both back in the plastic shopping bag before settling the girl in the center of the bed. Gently, she tucked the blanket up to her chin. “No need to worry, honey. I’m going to get Sonny, and then we’ll start our new life together.”
“My half brother’s alias is Sam Jenkins,” Melina said. “He works at the Mission.” She stared at his picture. “We’ve worked side by side. We share the same sense of humor, and he’s been a good friend.” But she had never known the man behind the smile.
Ramsey kept his gaze on the road as he moved quickly in and out of traffic while the GPS directed him toward East Nashville. “I know he’s a volunteer. What else can you tell me about him?”
She cleared her throat, trying to focus her thoughts. “His big thing is music, even after retiring from the road. He helped establish the Mission’s soap-manufacturing business. He can solve any problem.”
“Do you know where he traveled when he was a roadie?”
“All over the world.” He had shared pictures of his former life with both Sarah and her, and they had been bedazzled by his who’s who list of musical clients. “I can’t remember the exact cities.”
“Do you know where he lives?”
“No.” She had never questioned Sam’s motives once. “Sarah will know.”
Ten minutes later, Ramsey pulled up in front of the Mission, and the two went inside, where the reverend and a half dozen women were mixing up herbs into some kind of concoction. The room smelled of lemon and sage.
The chance of finding Bonnie anywhere near the Shepards’ house was slim to none. What they had to do now was figure out where Bonnie had gone with Elena, and the only other person Bonnie knew in Nashville was Sonny. “Sarah,” Melina said.
The reverend, who was wearing a white apron and had pulled back her red hair in a tight ponytail, excused herself and approached them. She removed latex gloves and guided them back to her office. “Have you found the man who attacked the girls?”
“Not yet.” Melina heard the impatience sharpening her tone. “We’re working on it. I’m here about Sam. Have you seen him lately?”
“Yeah, he was in early but had to leave suddenly. Said there was something going on at home. Is something wrong?”
“Can you tell me where he lives?” Melina asked.
“Why Sam? There is no way he’s the guy you’re looking for,” Sarah insisted. “He was at the Mission the night of your attack.”
“We want to question him about something else,” Melina said. “He might be connected to another case we’re working. Once we’ve sorted out his involvement, I’ll explain it all to you, but for now I need his address. I need to talk to him.”
“Sure.” Sarah clicked several keys on her computer. “He doesn’t live far from here.” She rattled off the address and phone number.
Melina typed both into her phone. “That’s not far from where Bonnie crashed her car,” Melina said to Ramsey.
“Who’s Bonnie?” Sarah asked.
“It’s part of that long story I’m going to owe you,” Melina said as she was already turning to follow Ramsey.
Ramsey received the call from Andy as he and Melina were en route to Sonny’s house. Melina’s body was rigid with tension, and he suspected she was struggling to hold her focus. “Andy, what do you have?”
“I’ve been in contact with the forensic team working at the Mecum property,” she said. “They’ve excavated three bodies.”
He switched the call to speaker so Melina could hear, hoping a shift to Mecum might distract her a moment from Sam and Elena. “Three bodies?”
Melina looked at him, her gaze sharpening.