shifted his weight but before he could reply, Jeff snapped, “Forensics. I want to look in the car. And review the reports, and talk to Lindsey about—”
Nick closed the mini-laptop and moved toward Jeff. “Now slow down. I get the picture. I don’t want to take any chances on the concussion. I’ve said you can leave, but only if there’s someone who can check on you tonight and in the morning.”
Jeff grabbed the opening. “I live over my parents’ garage.”
“Your dad is Alan Gage, right?”
Jeff nodded. “Stepdad.”
“Whatever. If Alan will agree to check in on you, I’ll have you out of here in an hour.” Nick nodded once, then turned and pushed through the door of Jeff’s E.R. room.
Ray stepped up in his place, speaking before Jeff could get a word out. “No. Absolutely not.”
“Ray—”
“No.” The sheriff crossed his arms over his chest. “First, you were on duty, but you were also a victim. I’ll have to think twice about your level of involvement. Second, Troy and his tow truck are at the scene. He’s going to haul the GTO to the garage, and we’ll go over it tomorrow. No one’s going to touch it.”
“His garage isn’t secure enough for a kidnap—”
“It’ll be fine. Troy’s Rottweilers won’t let anyone touch it.”
“But—”
Ray put up a palm. “Jeff, quit pushing. You keep this up, and I’ll ask Nick to keep you overnight. Be satisfied that they’re dismissing you and that Lindsey’s not hurt any worse than she is.”
Jeff let out a long breath as the door opened behind Ray. “No thanks to me.”
Ray stepped closer. “You did nothing wrong. No one could have thrown off two attacks like that.”
“That boy raised a lot of red flags. I should have paid attention.”
“Stop that!” A small hand waved at him, and Lindsey limped into the room, a crutch under one arm. “You did everything you could.”
Jeff’s eyes widened at the sight of her. “Everything but stop him.”
Ray scowled. “Both of you hush. Lindsey, what are you doing out of bed?”
Lindsey forced a small smile made crooked by her swollen jaw. A sharp feeling spiked right into Jeff’s chest. “I refuse.”
Both men stared at her. “What?” Jeff asked.
Lindsey looked at him. “It’s our rallying cry. The Presley sisters.” She glanced at Ray. “You can ask June about it. She wrote it. Made us memorize it. We’d say it to each other when things with our dad turned horrible. ‘I refuse to give up, give in, give over. I refuse to be defeated. He won’t win.’ After a while, we’d just look at each other and say ‘I refuse.’”
She turned back to Jeff. “I know what the second guy did, what he threatened. To both of us. Yeah, he nearly scared me to death. But I refuse. And Ray’s right. I’m fine.”
“You don’t look fine.”
Ray muttered, “Oh, boy,” as Lindsey’s blue eyes widened.
She pushed a loose strand of blond hair behind her ear and stood a little taller. “I beg your pardon.”
Jeff felt the heat rising in his cheeks again. “That’s not what I meant! You look great. Always. But you’re hurt. I mean—the bandages—”
Lindsey nodded. “And the cuts and bruises.”
“Yeah...”
“And the limp. I twisted my ankle. Not bad. Just a mild sprain.”
“Yes...”
“They’ll heal. I really will be all right.”
Jeff shook his head. “Lindsey, that’s not all—”
“And the guy who did it is in a coma.”
“But he didn’t do it alone.”
A rigid silence hung in the air a few moments, then Ray spoke quietly. “So let’s go over it again.”
Jeff sat up straighter, wincing a bit from the pain of his bruised ribs. Ray took more notes as Jeff repeated his version of the night’s events. “I can’t get this out of my mind. The first guy was a kid. Not more than twenty, if that. And really strung out on something. Meth. Coke. Something.”
Lindsey nodded again, watching Jeff closely. “He was sweating like a pig. Muttering. Totally stressed out.”
“And that car.” He looked at Ray. “You know what a classic GTO in prime condition is worth?
“About fifty grand, last time I checked.”
“So would it be your first choice for a kidnapping? Why not a van or an SUV? Something more practical. Nondescript. Cheap.”
“You think it was stolen or that it belonged to the second guy?”
Jeff shrugged. “I don’t know. But I do think the second guy was in charge. The kid was a mess, but the second guy...he was cold, unfeeling. The kid used the stun gun on me because he had to. The older guy did it because he wanted to.”
“Turn, three miles.”
Both men looked at Lindsey. “What?” asked Jeff.
She watched him closely, curiosity lighting her eyes. “That’s what the kid kept repeating. ‘Turn, three miles.’ And...” She took a deep breath. “He didn’t know where he was going.”
Ray and Jeff exchanged looks. “How do you know?” asked Ray.
“He had directions written down on paper. Kept checking them, talking to himself. That’s how I knew he was about to turn left. How I knew when to try something. And that paper is what the other guy stole out of the car.”
Ray focused on Jeff again. “Well, Deputy Gage, looks like you have a lot of work to do on this one.”
Jeff stared at his boss. “You’re letting me take the lead on this?”
“Watching you two, I’m not sure I could stop you. Both of your minds are already clicking through the steps. But you do everything by the book. Document everything. No shortcuts that could undermine our case in court. Understood?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Now, I’ll get you and Lindsey home, and keep the guard on her tonight. I’ll bring her back to the station in the morning. Meet us there first thing, and we’ll get her statement and get the investigation up and running.”
“I have to open for breakfast at five-thirty.”
Jeff
