moved toward the squad car, intent on taking over from Ben.
Alice Rivers was child-size despite the pregnancy. Her face was pale as she shifted her weight grimly.
“I’m Shannon Riley. I’m here to help you.” Shannon said, casting Ben an icy glare and he backed away. Shannon shook Alice’s hand. “You’re trembling.”
“Wouldn’t you be?” Alice asked.
“Of course.”
“I’m Ben Richards, Mrs. Rivers. If there’s anything I can do, please let me know,” he said in a comforting tone of voice that surprised Shannon with its depth.
Alice nodded curtly to Ben and Jimmy Joe rather than touch their extended hands.
“You’ll be fine,” Shannon assured her.
Alice gave her a grateful look.
“Thank you for coming, Mrs. Rivers,” Jimmy Joe said. “I must warn you, Mrs. Rivers, this may not be your husband, but from the description you gave the New Orleans police—”
“You think it is,” she finished for him.
“Yes.”
Alice’s eyes went pleadingly to Shannon. “He didn’t tell me he was coming here. Adam doesn’t know anyone in Shreveport.”
“We think he knew the man in the hospital,” Ben said.
“What man?” she said, looking at the police officer once more.
“The man we found with your husband.”
“Who is he?”
“We were hoping you could tell us that,” Ben said.
Alice shook her head vehemently. “We don’t know anyone here.”
“I understand,” Ben replied calmly. “Perhaps we should get this over with.”
“Yes,” she answered, her eyes going back to Shannon.
Shannon put her arm protectively around Alice’s back.
“Everything’s going to be okay, Mrs. Rivers.” Shannon said.
“How can you say that? My husband is missing, for God’s sake. And the best I can do at this moment is pray it’s not him in there on a slab.”
Shannon saw the tears in the woman’s eyes and her heart went out to her. “Believe me, I do know what you’re going through,” she whispered. “It’s hell, but we’ll do it together. Just you and me. Okay?”
Their eyes met in that knowing glance women share when their hearts are open. Alice clutched Shannon’s sleeve. “Okay. Let’s do it.”
“Good girl.”
They went inside to ICU, where three men and one elderly woman were attached to high-tech monitoring equipment. Black screens with waving lines and tiny blinking lights indicated that the still bodies were alive.
Alice braced herself.
Shannon felt her own skin turn cold. “C’mon.”
Alice’s frantic eyes flitted from gurney to gurney. “This isn’t happening.”
Shannon’s arm tightened around Alice as if she were the one needing strength.
Alice lumbered awkwardly, her arms strapped over her abdomen clearly trying to hold herself together. Fear crept back into her eyes. “Adam isn’t here?”
“No,” Jimmy Joe said flatly. “We were hoping you could identify John Doe for us.”
Ben stood next to the last gurney in the area. “Do you know this man?”
Shannon watched Alice intently.
Alice stared at the mangled swollen face of the man who appeared more dead than alive. She gasped and turned ashen. “My God! Did they crush his face?” She put her hand over her mouth, holding back her nausea.
“They thought they killed him.”
“You mean, like they killed Adam?”
“Yes,” Jimmy Joe answered. “Unless this man killed your husband first. We simply don’t know.”
She gasped and clamped her hand over her mouth. “Did they torture them?”
“Alice…” Shannon’s voice was filled with concern.
“I’m okay.” She breathed in heavily, obviously anticipating the worst of all possible answers.
Jimmy Joe started to answer truthfully, but Ben interrupted. “No.”
The stark terror in Alice’s eyes faded. Shannon cast Ben a grateful look. He caught it and smiled back, then gave her a slight nod, letting her know he was there to help her make Alice feel at ease.
How chivalrous. He read the reports. He knows the truth, but he wants to protect her.
Shannon was surprised at the flood of relief that overcame her. She wasn’t used to relying on others for assistance of any kind. And certainly not a cop. She wondered why his aid suddenly meant something to her.
Shannon smiled back and Ben’s smile widened. She felt her heart flutter. It was a feeling she hadn’t experienced in so long, she instantly discounted it.
Jimmy Joe asked Alice, “Are you sure you’ve never seen him before?”
“I told you, we don’t know anyone in Shreveport. My husband and I have a fine circle of friends in New Orleans. My family has lived in New Orleans for two hundred years. We would never, ever associate with anyone so unseemly as this man. For any of this to have happened to Adam is beyond my comprehension. Frankly, it’s my belief Adam was kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” Shannon asked, surprised.
“Yes. That kind of thing is happening more and more these days. People of our class and wealth are more vulnerable than ever to danger. Always have been,” she said resolutely.
“I wasn’t aware of that,” Jimmy Joe said.
“I’m not surprised. You don’t honestly believe we involve the police every time one of us is threatened. We have the money to deal with these things.”
“Have you ever been kidnapped, Mrs. Rivers?” Ben asked curiously.
“No. But my sister was when I was ten. She was returned unharmed. My father has always believed in a great deal of security.”
“I see,” Ben said. “Did you receive a call demanding ransom for your husband, Mrs. Rivers?”
“No,” she replied sadly.
“Then
