knows how long those girls have before somethin’ happens to them—that’s if they’re even still alive.”
I handed him the copied page. He glanced at it and then dialed. Once it started ringing, he put the call on speaker. The phone rang four times, then it clicked, and the line was quiet. A few seconds later, the call disconnected.
“It sounded like someone answered the call and hung it up,” I said.
“Then let’s try it again, so he’ll know we’re serious.”
This time it rang twice, and the same thing happened. Cade dialed a third time. It rang once and the line was silent, but the phone stayed connected.
“Hello” Cade said. “Is anyone there?”
“Who’s this?”
The voice on the other end was a man’s. It was raspy, like a life-long chain smoker who was now paying the price.
“I’m calling to inquire about your services,” Cade said.
“You’re lying.”
“I’m not. I have a proposition for you.”
“Cut the shit—who are you and how’d you get my number?”
“Who are you?” Cade said.
There was no response.
“I’m interested in two little girls,” Cade said. “Blond hair, ages four and eight. Can you accommodate me?”
The man remained quiet.
“Just tell me when, and where, and how much,” Cade said.
I wanted to grab the phone and scream into it, let the guy on the other end know how I felt about how he made his living. Remaining quiet required an amount of patience I lacked, but I didn’t have a choice—I couldn’t compromise the children.
“You still there?” Cade said. “Are you considering my offer?”
The phone disconnected, and the next several times Cade called back, it just kept on ringing.
“He’s shut his phone off,” I said. “Probably tossing it right now.”
“Maybe.”
Cade made a call to the department, asking someone to run the number for him. He was put on hold, and a few minutes later, the person returned to the line. They said something, and he asked them to look into it. Then he ended the call.”
“Anything?” I said.
“I got a name.”
“What is it?”
“Jack Sparrow.”
“As in Captain Jack Sparrow?” I said.
“I’m guessin’ so. And I’ll bet there’s no way to link it back to an actual person.”
I looked at him. “Try the number one more time.”
He called one last time. “Now I’m getting an out-of-service message.”
“Thought so,” I said.
CHAPTER 36
If the man on the other end of the line did have Olivia and Savannah, and they were alive, I wasn’t sure they’d stay that way for long. He was in the business of pickup and delivery, not parenting. He’d already proven he had no problem killing old ladies and adults, and he may have spared the children for now, but for how long?
Several hours had passed without me hearing from Cade. I thought about trying his number, but I wasn’t sure what happened after he’d dropped me off and went to the station. With the feds in town, I had no way of knowing how everything would play out.
I remembered the business card Cade’s father had given me and decided I’d try him instead. I took it out of my wallet and made the call, but the phone was answered by a woman.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I believe I have the wrong number.”
“Who are you trying to reach?”
Her voice was low and quiet, making it difficult for me to understand what she was saying.
“Detective McCoy,” I said.
“This is his phone. Who’s calling?”
“Sloane Monroe.”
“You’re my son’s friend,” she said, “aren’t you?”
“I am.”
“It seems I’m always out running errands when you stop by.”
“I was looking for Cade. I thought your husband might know if he is still at the station or not.”
“He’s here,” she said. “Would you like to speak with him?”
“Are you all at home?”
There was a pause and then she said, “No, dear. We’re at the hospital.”
Over the next several minutes I had an inner debate with myself, trying to decide whether it would be appropriate for me to show up at the hospital offering my support. I’d gotten to know Cade and his father to a degree, but it was a small one, and I wasn’t family. Maybe he hadn’t contacted me because, right now, he didn’t want me around.
Still, we’d become friends over the past several days, and I never did very well sitting idly by while a friend was in need. I picked my jacket off the edge of the sofa and walked out the door.
The first person I saw when I entered the hospital was Shelby, Cade’s daughter. She took one look at me and her face turned fifty shades