The Missing Twin, page 15
He quickly surveyed the two bedrooms and found them empty, the master bed unmade. But there was no blood or signs of a struggle upstairs.
He glanced around for a computer, hoping to glean information from it, but didn’t find one. He dug in the man’s dresser drawers searching for notes, a secret file, but came up empty, as well.
Suddenly a heart-wrenching sob echoed from downstairs, then another, and Caleb’s heart constricted.
Madelyn.
Forgetting all else but her, he stormed down the steps. When he saw her kneeling on the floor, her anguish seeped into his soul.
Dear God, had she found something? Evidence that Cissy was dead?
Fear clawed at him as he slowly approached her. He stooped down to her level, terrified what that photo might reveal. Gently he stroked her arms, then pulled her to him, rocking her back and forth and rubbing slow circles around her back while she sobbed.
Several tense minutes passed while she purged her emotions, but he waited until her crying subsided before he spoke.
“Madelyn, honey, I’m so sorry,” he said gruffly. “Talk to me. Tell me what’s wrong.”
Dragging in a cleansing breath, she lifted her face and showed him the photo. “It’s Cissy,” she whispered raggedly. “Not Sara. This is Cissy and it was taken recently.”
Which meant that her damn husband had not only known her daughter had survived, but he’d known where she was all along.
His gaze flew toward the blood on the floor. So where was the bastard now?
Madelyn suddenly raced over to the built-in bookcases, flung open the doors and began to search inside.
“What are you doing?” Caleb asked.
“Looking for more pictures, a scrapbook, an address. Something that will give us a clue as to where Cissy and her adopted mother live.” She heaved a breath. “Did you find anything upstairs?”
“No. No computer. Nothing about Cissy.”
Caleb’s phone jangled, so he connected the call.
“Caleb, it’s Gage. Have you made it to Andrews’s place?”
“Yeah. But he’s not here, and I found blood.” Caleb released a frustrated sigh, then lowered his voice. “Madelyn also found a photo of Cissy.”
“She’s alive?”
He angled his body away from Madelyn. “She was in the picture, and it looks as if it was taken recently.”
Gage emitted a long-winded sigh. “He deserves to rot for this.”
“I agree. Can you have the sheriff issue an APB for Andrews? And send word to the Tennessee authorities, too.”
“I’ll do it as soon as we hang up.”
“Is Sara all right?”
“Yes, but I’m here with Ben, and we’re on speakerphone. We may have a lead.”
“Thank God. We need one. Did Brianna find something on the adoptions or through DFAS?”
“No, but Ben accessed incoming police reports and there’s been a murder not too far from Bear’s Landing. Woman with her throat slashed.”
Caleb’s adrenaline kicked in. “Did she have a child?”
“Yes, a daughter. Police report said they identified the woman as Danielle Smith.”
“We were hunting for the Smiths.” Caleb clicked his teeth. “What about the child?”
“No sign of her at the house. But I figured you’d want to check it out.”
“Definitely.” Caleb reached in his pocket for a pen and a notepad, then scribbled down the address. “Now see if you can find out the Smiths’ real name. I think the woman’s brother may be responsible for her death.”
“I’m on it,” Ben said. “Let us know what you find at the Smith house.”
“Right.” Caleb disconnected the call. “Madelyn,” he said in a quiet tone.
She whirled around, then flung out her hands. “There’s nothing else here. No photo albums. No letters or signs of where she is.” She gestured toward the framed photo. “Why would he have that photo and nothing more?”
“I don’t know,” Caleb said honestly. “There’s a lot I don’t understand about your ex. Why he left you. How he could have abandoned his children.”
Hurt flickered in her eyes. “I can’t believe he knew where Cissy was all these years and let me believe she was dead.”
Caleb moved toward her, wanting to comfort her, yet they didn’t have time. He had a lead and they needed to act upon it. “He’ll pay. I promise, Madelyn.” He gently took her face and cupped it between his hands. “I know you’re hurting, but Gage phoned. There’s been a murder, a woman killed, not too far from here. We need to go.”
“Oh, God, you think it’s Cissy’s adopted mother?”
“It’s possible.” He coaxed her toward the door. “Police said her name is Danielle Smith.”
“Did they find a child?”
He shook his head. “No. The woman had a little girl, but she wasn’t at the house.”
Still there might be evidence confirming that this Smith woman had adopted Cissy. And some lead as to where the killer had taken her.
FEAR AND SHOCK SETTLED over Madelyn but she forced her mind to turn itself off. The horrible scenarios bombarding her were too painful to bear.
Caleb raced around the mountain, cutting through side roads and speeding around curves. The short drive felt like hours.
Ten minutes. Tim had lived ten damn minutes from their daughter and never told her. He’d watched Cissy grow up.
Had he shared birthdays with her and this woman? Had she called him Daddy?
And what had they told Cissy about her? Did Cissy think she had given her away?
She balled her hands into fists in her lap as they turned up a drive and climbed a hill which leveled off to an acre at the top offering a majestic view of the mountain. Two police cars were parked in front of the house, an ambulance and a black sedan beside them.
A white two-story house sat on the edge of the ridge, but to the left Madelyn spotted a greenhouse.
Her breath quickened. The sunflower greenhouse Sara had seen through Cissy. “This is it, Caleb. This is where Cissy has been living.”
Caleb reached for his door handle. “Wait here. I’ll talk to the sheriff.”
“No way.” Madelyn leaped from the Jeep and jogged up the hill to the house, but Caleb caught up with her.
“Remember, Madelyn, this woman has been murdered. The police are going to be suspicious of everyone until they catch the killer, so watch what you say.”
Madelyn froze and stared at him, her lungs tightening. “You mean they’ll think I killed her?”
“You have motive,” he said in a low voice. “But thankfully, I can alibi you. Still, be careful.”
Madelyn nodded, swallowing back a protest, then walked with Caleb to the front door. The uniformed officer guarding the entrance narrowed his eyes at them. “Deputy Holbrook,” the man said. “Who are you and what are you doing here?”
Caleb flashed his ID. “I’m an investigator with GAI in Sanctuary, North Carolina, and we’re looking into a missing child case,” he explained. “Sheriff Gray is aware of our investigation and notified us there was a murder here. We believe the victim may be related to our case.”
“Did you know the victim?” Deputy Holbrook asked.
“Not personally,” Caleb said. “We think she may have adopted Mrs. Andrews’s daughter.”
The deputy spoke into his mike. “Sheriff, there’s a couple here demanding to speak to you.”
Voices from the back indicated the police, crime scene techs and probably a medical examiner were consulting, then footsteps sounded and a short, stocky man with wavy, brown hair appeared.
“Sheriff Dwight Haynes,” the man said, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“Caleb Walker from GAI in Sanctuary, North Carolina, and this is Madelyn Andrews.”
“What are you doing in Tennessee?”
Caleb explained about Cissy’s disappearance. “I’m sure you’re aware that a doctor at Sanctuary Hospital was arrested for kidnapping and arranging illegal adoptions?”
Sheriff Haynes nodded. “Yeah, I heard about the case.”
“Mrs. Andrews was told that her baby died at birth,” Caleb continued. “But recently we’ve uncovered evidence indicating she’s alive, and we think your victim adopted her. She also might have been an accomplice in the baby’s kidnapping.”
The sheriff narrowed his eyes. “What led you to believe that?”
Caleb explained about Nadine Cotter’s and Howard Zimmerman’s deaths, the connection between phone calls, then the link with Madelyn’s ex-husband.
Madelyn stood on tiptoe, struggling to see past the deputy and sheriff to the inside of the foyer. She wanted pictures, proof, anything to confirm that Cissy had actually lived in this house. She was starved to know what her life had been like, if she had friends, if she was…loved.
“Interesting story,” the sheriff said. “We’ll let you know what we find here.”
Caleb refused to be dismissed so easily. “The victim’s name was Danielle Smith, correct?”’
Sheriff Haynes nodded.
“Smith was the name of one of the adopted couples on the list we’re investigating.”
“If you’d just let us look around,” Madelyn cut in. “Maybe there are pictures of this woman and my daughter that will prove our theory.”
“If you lost her when she was born, how would you even know what she looked like?” Haynes asked.
“She was an identical twin,” Madelyn said, irritated. “Please, I think she may be in danger. I need to know if she was here.”
“This is a crime scene,” the sheriff said. “I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you inside.”
“Listen to me,” Madelyn said, desperation tingeing her voice. “My other daughter Sara has a connection with her sister. She saw this woman being murdered.”
“You’re telling me that your child witnessed Ms. Smith’s murder?” Sheriff Haynes asked sharply. “If so, where is she? We need to question her.”
Perspiration beaded on Madelyn’s neck. “She wasn’t here at the time. I told you they have a connection, a psychic, twin connection,” Madelyn said, then quickly realized by the skeptical expression on his face that he didn’t believe her.
Instead he gave her a dismissive look, then addressed Caleb. “Mr. Walker, I suggest you take your client and leave. I’m investigating a murder, and I don’t have time for these games.” With that curt statement, he turned around and walked away.
“He has to let us in,” Madelyn said, ready to plow her way through.
But Caleb pulled her back from the doorway. She pushed at him, but he gently grabbed her hands and urged her down the stairs. “We’ll come back when they’re gone, Madelyn. Then we’ll search the inside. I promise.”
Still Madelyn’s heart ached and panic clawed at her as he escorted her to the Jeep. If Sara was right and the killer had put Cissy in the trunk of his car, there was no telling where he was now or what he intended to do with her.
Every second counted.
SARA PLUNGED HER PAINTBRUSH into the brown paint. Ruby was painting a beautiful sunset in red and yellow and orange.
But Sara’s vision blurred, and suddenly she saw Cissy crying.
“Sara, I don’t like it here.”
“Where are you, Cissy?”
“I don’t know. It’s dark,” she whispered.
Sara gripped the paintbrush tighter. “Tell me, so I can find you.”
“He dragged me from the trunk into this old cabin,” Cissy whispered. “But I can’t move ’cause he tied me in the closet.” She sniffled. “But I saw an old well house outside.”
Sara’s hand began to move, drawing a picture of the old wooden house. She closed her eyes for a minute, then she was in Cissy’s mind. She saw the house, the dirty floor, the woods, the old well house.
There were long buildings on the hill beside the house, too. Long and narrow. Three of them. And they smelled like…poop.
Her hand shook as she opened her eyes and began to give them shape on the canvas.
Ruby walked over and looked at her painting. “That’s good, Sara. Those must be chicken houses.”
Sara added a wooden sign with a rooster etched on it. “It’s where the mean man has my sister.” She turned and ran to the kitchen. “Miss Leah, Miss Leah.”
Leah stooped down and patted her shoulder. “What is it, honey?”
“I gots to call Mommy and Mr. Firewalker and tell them where Cissy is.”
Chapter Sixteen
Caleb drove to the small diner in town and ordered a late lunch, hoping the crime unit would finish with the house by the time they were done. Although truthfully it might take hours before they finished processing the place.
He scarfed down two burgers, but Madelyn barely touched her turkey sandwich. Her gaunt face disturbed him. “You should try to eat something to keep up your strength.”
“I can’t think about food.” She traced a drop of water from her tea glass then glanced out the window at the snow that had started to fall. “Just look at the weather. It’s getting colder, and the weatherman is predicting a blizzard.”
Caleb covered her hand with his, searching for words to console her, but his cell phone buzzed. He checked the caller ID. Gage’s home phone.
He quickly punched Connect. “Caleb speaking.”
“Caleb, it’s Leah. Sara needs to speak to her mother.”
“Is everything okay?”
Madelyn tensed across from him, and he squeezed her hand.
“Yes, but she saw Cissy again and she needs to tell you where she is.”
A sliver of alarm ran up Caleb’s spine. “Put her on the phone.”
A second later, Sara’s tiny voice echoed over the line. “Mr. Firewalker?”
“Yes, Sara. Miss Leah said that you know where Cissy is.”
Madelyn’s eyes widened, and she gestured for him to hand her the phone, but he held up a finger silently asking her to wait.
“She’s in an old cabin, but he tied her in the closet.” Tears laced Sara’s voice.
Damn. He forced himself not to react so as not to frighten Madelyn.
“Can you tell me more about the cabin?”
“There’s a well house outside.” Sara sniffled loudly. “And three chicken houses that smell like poop and a wood sign.”
“That’s good, Sara,” Caleb said. “Anything else?”
“The sign has a picture of a rooster on it.”
He frowned. Maybe it was an old chicken farm. Probably an abandoned one.
“Anything else, honey?”
Sara’s shaky breath echoed back. “No. Does that help, Mr. Firewalker? Can you find Cissy now?”
“That is a huge help,” Caleb assured her. “If you think of anything more, ask Miss Leah to call back.”
“’Kay.”
“Let me speak to her,” Madelyn insisted.
“Sara, I’m going to have your mommy call back on her phone. I need to use mine to call my friends so we can track down those chicken houses.”
He said goodbye, then looked up at Madelyn. “Sara described an old house with a well and chicken houses. Maybe Ben can search maps of the area and we can pinpoint a location.”
He tossed some cash on the table to pay the bill, punching Ben’s number as he strode toward the door. Madelyn hurried after him, dialing Sara.
“I’ll start searching now,” Ben said after Caleb had caught him up-to-date.
Caleb opened the door and let Madelyn go through, then they rushed through the snow to his Jeep. “Thanks. We’re going back to the Smith woman’s house to see if we can get inside this time. Maybe we’ll find a lead there.”
The snow began to thicken as he cranked the Jeep and drove from the diner, the wind howling. Madelyn was talking to Sara in a low voice, praising her for her help.
Unease settled in his gut. With the blizzard threatening and visibility poor, tracking anyone through the mountains was going to be nearly impossible.
But there was a little girl out there missing, a terrified little girl tied in a dark closet somewhere who needed him.
And nothing was going to stop him from finding her.
MADELYN STARED AT THE snowstorm outside as the Jeep ate the miles to the Smith house, her heart thundering. What if this madman left Cissy out there in this cold?
No, she couldn’t think like that. They’d come this far. They were going to find her.
Thankfully, the police and crime units had dispersed by the time they reached the house. She assumed the woman’s body had been transported to the morgue for an autopsy.
“Where was Danielle Smith’s husband?”
Caleb shrugged. “Good question. Maybe we’ll find that answer as well as a clue to the killer’s identity inside.”
Caleb removed latex gloves again and shoved a pair in Madelyn’s hands. “We’re not supposed to be here, so wear these.”
Nerves knotted her stomach as she stared at the yellow crime scene tape and signs warning them not to enter. Caleb motioned for her to follow him around back, and he found a window that wasn’t locked. He climbed through it, then rushed and opened the back door for her.
Bile flooded her throat when she spotted the dark crimson stain on the white tile floor. There were also blood splatters on the sink and wall, the smell nauseating.
“Don’t think about it,” Caleb said matter-of-factly. “We need to hurry, Madelyn. Just look for notes, addresses, something that might tie the Smith woman to the adoptions.”
But Madelyn barely heard him. Her gaze was fixed to the refrigerator where a crude child’s drawing hung by a magnet. A drawing of twin blonde girls holding hands dancing in the midst of a sea of sunflowers.
A strangled sob caught in her throat, and she raced over and snatched it. “God, Caleb, look. This is just like Sara’s drawing.”
Caleb’s eyes widened, the realization that Cissy had lived here, that her connection with Sara was real, was undeniable.
Spurred by the sketch, Madelyn’s adrenaline kicked in. She needed more, to see pictures of her lost child. To see what she’d been doing, what her life was like.
To see if Tim had been part of it.
Caleb began searching the kitchen desk and she took the drawers, racing from one to the other, hastily pushing through bills and grocery lists and random items. She found other drawings Cissy had made, some depicting herself alone, at the park, some with a woman who must have been Danielle Smith.
