Forgotten Son Page 7

“So what’s the verdict?” he asked, not able to put it off any longer. He had to know.

  “Dr. Stiles said the surgery went fine. He was able to repair everything, but you’re not going to be able to use your arm for a while.”

  “Like hell.” He raised himself up from the bed and the room swayed. He lay back. Oh, he hated this. He knew he wasn’t going to be a nice person to be around for the next while. He’d never been weak and he didn’t like the feeling. Nor did he welcome it. “I need to see Tom and Bill.”

  “They’re waiting to talk to you. I’ll go get them.”

  Eli took a long breath, trying to deal with this situation. He’d gotten Buford, he kept telling himself. That was worth a little pain, discomfort and helplessness.

  Tuck came back. “Bill’s taking a call, then they’ll be in.”

  “When can I get out of here?”

  “The doctor will check you this afternoon and if everything looks good, he’ll take you off these machines. In the morning he’ll check your arm, and if it still looks good, he said you can go home.”

  “Good.”

  “But you have to recuperate, take it easy and not use your arm.”

  “Not until I’m finished with this case,” Eli said, his eyes narrowed.

  “Talking is about all you’ll be able to do,” Tuck pointed out. “So tomorrow after they release you, I’ll take you out to the ranch and you can recuperate there.”

  “I’m not living with you. I’m used to living alone and I like it that way.”

  “You just said you didn’t want to be alone.”

  “What the hell do I know? I’m on medication.”

  Tuck laughed. “When Tom and Bill get here, I’ll head to the ranch to get things ready.”

  “I’m not staying with you,” Eli insisted with a touch of anger. “You’ll mother me to death. I know you.” He grimaced as he tried to shift around in the bed. “Besides, I want to stay close, to keep tabs on what’s happening.”

  “Then I’ll go clean up your apartment,” Tuck said, not deterred for a second. “Although I might need a face mask to do that.”

  “Stay out of my apartment. When I leave here, I’ll be walking and driving, and I don’t need someone to fuss over me. I can take care of myself.”

  “Oh, yeah.” Tuck grinned. “The old Eli is back.”

  Tom and Bill walked in and Eli wanted to sit up. He fumbled with his left hand until he found the controls on the bed. He pushed a button to raise himself.

  Tuck and the agents watched, but didn’t offer to help. They knew better.

  “Is there anything you’d like me to bring you to eat?” Tuck asked as he reached for his hat.

  “A thick, juicy hamburger.”

  “That ought to clog those arteries right up,” Tuck said, going out the door.

  Tom and Bill took seats.

  “How are you feeling?” Bill asked.

  “Ready to get out of here,” Eli replied.

  “Yeah.” Bill pulled out a pad and pencil. “The doctors and nurses feel the same way.”

  “I don’t know what they’re talking about. I’ve been a model patient.” Eli was surprised he could say that with a straight face because he knew he’d been a pain in the ass.

  “Yeah, right,” Tom said. “Now let’s get down to facts. Do you feel up to telling us what happened?”

  “Damn right I do.” For the next thirty minutes he told them everything, trying not to leave out any small detail.

  “When Buford, Ruth and Samuel were talking outside Buford’s quarters that night, Buford said to kill Ms. Whitten and dispose of her body like the others. I believe there are young women who didn’t succumb to the brainwashing, or died in that room. They could be buried on the property.”

  “We’ll check it out,” Tom said.

  “He gave orders to kill Ms. Whitten—is that why you didn’t get out and call us first? Is that why you decided to take her with you?” Bill started firing questions.

  “Yes. Buford said to kill her before dawn, and that only gave me a few hours. I didn’t know how long it would take me to get out, what with the dogs and the fence. I wasn’t taking a chance of us coming back and finding her dead. And I didn’t know exactly where Caroline was. They were preparing for a wedding—even Buford told me that. The dark-haired woman whispered a clue to me at dinner, so I knew for sure that Caroline was in the cellar somewhere. When Buford said Caroline had to be killed, that didn’t leave me much choice.”

  “You did a great job,” Bill said.

  “Why do you say it like that?” Eli couldn’t miss the hesitation in his voice.

  “Only because Buford is telling a much different story.”

  Eli’s eyebrows rose. “And you believe him?”

  “Hell no,” Bill replied. “But it might have been easier for us if you had emphasized your personal interest in this a little more.”

  “Personal interest?”

  “Ginny Barker.”

  Eli frowned. “So? You knew I investigated Buford because of her murder.”

  “She was your fiancée, though, and now I’m thinking we should have taken that into consideration.”

  “Why?”

  “Because things are going to get rather sticky.”

  Eli clenched the bed rail with his left hand, feeling the anger rising inside him. “The congressman wanted you to find his daughter and I wanted to get something on Buford. I did everything within the confines of the law and within my ethics as a ranger. If you guys have a problem with that, then—”

  “Hey.” Bill stopped him. “I just want you to be prepared.”

  “For what?”

  “For a lot of questions.”

  “I can handle that,” Eli told him.

  Tom joined in. “You haven’t heard Buford’s story.”

  “Which is?”

  “He says he met Ms. Whitten while she was taking pictures, and she later asked to become a part of their faith. His men went to get her as she requested, and she agreed to go through the ritual of fasting and isolation to rid her body of the poisons of society. When she was brought out to meet the flock, you became infatuated with her and later removed Ms. Whitten from isolation against her will and fled with her. They were praying for your soul when we arrived.”

  Eli forced down his angry retort. “And you’re buying this story?”

  “No way in hell,” Tom said. “But that’s what we meant by being prepared. Once Buford learns you have a personal interest in getting him, he’ll milk it for all it’s worth and so will his lawyer.”

  “Who is—?”

  “No one, yet,” Tom answered. “He refused counsel, saying he had nothing to hide and could speak for himself. But that’s going to change—probably by this afternoon.”

  “The Wessell family.”

  “Yeah.” Tom looked surprised. “You know them?”

  “I have two cardboard boxes in my office with files on Amos Buford. His first wife, Cynthia, the only one he’s legally married to, lives in Dallas with their four children. Buford’s father was a Baptist preacher, and when he passed away Buford tried to take over the congregation with his weird religious beliefs. He was asked to leave. He did so without his wife and children.

  “He took up residence in a small town outside Houston and met Ruth Wessell. She and Buford became involved and he performed his own marriage ceremony. He’s not licensed to do that, but that didn’t stop Buford. He makes his own laws and finds people to follow him. He and his followers never stay long in one place because they’re always asked to leave.”

  Eli took a breath. “The Wessell family has money, and they tried to get Ruth away from him, but never succeeded. Over the years they’ve given Ruth money, hoping she’d come home. Instead Buford courted Ruth’s sister, Naomi, and she became his second wife in his so-called faith. The Wessells kept giving the women money—money that Buford took. He bought the land in the hills with Wessell money, and I’m sure the Wessells will be here to post t
heir daughter’s bail.”

  “Yes,” Bill told him. “We’ve already gotten the call. According to Ms. Whitten, Ruth is the only person she saw besides Buford, and the two men who abducted her. Ruth will probably be the only woman charged. We’ve contacted the families of the other women and they were glad to hear their daughters were alive, but they were shocked at the situation. Four were runaways—one seventeen, two eighteen and one nineteen. They’ll be released into the custody of their parents. The other women will also be released to family members.”

  “What about Jezebel?”

  “The people at the hospital have changed her name to Jane Doe for their records. We’re keeping her away from the others and she’s talking very little. She’s afraid, but we’re not sure of what. The men, women and children are all telling the same story as Buford—that Ms. Whitten was there of her own free choice and you took her against her will.” Bill glanced at Eli. “They all say that Ms. Whitten’s isolation was in Buford’s home, not a dark room.”

  “Goddammit.” The curse erupted from his throat. “And, of course, there is no room.”

  “No,” Bill said. “But we have people out there digging, trying to find evidence that there was.”

  Eli shook his head. “Buford is good at covering his tracks, but you can’t let him get away with this.”

  “We’re trying,” Tom stated. “It’s just startling how all these people tell the same story verbatim, even the kids.”

  “What about Jezebel—I mean Jane Doe. Damn, couldn’t they’ve come up with something better?”

  “We’re hoping to identify her, but she won’t talk. When she does, she says she doesn’t know anything, and she always looks at the table, not at us.”

  “All the women are like that,” Eli said. “Buford has demoralized them and they take it. The ones that didn’t are dead.”

  “Yes.” Tom got to his feet. “Now we have to build a case against him, and the congressman is pushing for a speedy trial.”

  “Have you told Caroline all this?” Eli asked.

  “Yes.” Bill said, also standing. “We just came from her room, and she’s taking it very well. As long as yours and Ms. Whitten’s stories match, the prosecutor feels he can get an indictment. Ms. Whitten knows that and she’s being optimistic. She’s a very strong person.”

  “Yes,” Eli murmured. He wanted to ask how she was physically, but he wouldn’t. Caroline would be fine—now that she was away from Buford and his clan.

  “Someone from the prosecutor’s office will be by to get a full statement, but then you know the drill.”

  “We’ll talk to you later.” Bill shook Eli’s left hand, as did Tom. “Don’t be too hard on the nurses.”

  Eli lay back and thought about this development. He wasn’t surprised. He should have known that Buford wasn’t going to make this easy. Eli hoped Caroline stayed strong, because she had to testify and put Buford away. He had to get better fast to help with this investigation—to help Caroline.

  Whoa! Where had that thought come from? He wasn’t sure. His job was to help build a solid case against Buford.

  And that was all.

  “ARE YOU OKAY?”

  “Sure.” Caroline answered her sister for the third time.

  “Why do you keep asking me that?”

  “You seem a little down since the FBI agents were here yesterday.”

  She was better, but the terror was still there. She was trying to deal with it, for the present, the future and the trial. “I just keep thinking that Amos Buford is not going to get away with what he did to me. Not like he got away with killing Eli’s fiancée.”

  “You don’t know anything about that case.”

  “I know what Eli told me, and he’s a man who doesn’t lie.”

  “Caroline,” Grace sighed. “You don’t know anything about Ranger Coltrane, either.”

  “He risked his life to save mine—that’s all I need to know.”

  “Okay. I’m not going to argue with you. I’ll leave that to Mom and Dad.” Grace picked up a suitcase. “I brought your things. Do you want to change out of that hospital gown?”

  “Yes.” She swung her feet over the edge of the bed and sat up, glad her sister wasn’t going to argue. Grace couldn’t possibly understand what she was feeling.

  Her sister pulled a lavender negligee out of the case.

  Caroline’s eyebrow shot up. “Why did you bring that?”

  “It was in your drawer and I just grabbed several things.” Grace looked at it. “What’s wrong with it?”

  “Didn’t you notice that it’s very revealing?”

  “No. Not at the time. I just wanted to get out of your place. It had an eerie feel about it and I don’t think you should go back there.”

  Caroline fingered the lavender silk. “I bought this to wear when Colin and I went to Houston for the opening of his new store. We planned to stay a week, and I was going to say yes about getting married as soon as we could.”

  “And now?”

  “Now I can’t see myself marrying him at all.”

  “Caroline, don’t do something you’ll regret,” Grace warned. “You’ve been through a horrendous ordeal. Give yourself some time and talk to Colin.”

  She didn’t need time. She knew what she wanted—someone to love her the way Eli loved his Ginny, and until she found that she wasn’t marrying anyone. But she wouldn’t tell her sister that. Grace was a very practical person and she didn’t believe in happily ever after. Caroline did, and she would find the perfect love—one day.

  She slipped the gown over her head and quickly reached for the robe to cover herself.

  “I see what you mean,” Grace said. “It is very revealing, but the robe covers you up.”

  “Yes. I guess it will do.”

  “I don’t even own a gown like that,” Grace said out of the blue.

  Caroline eyed her sister, whose life, she knew, revolved around her career and their father’s law firm. Grace had never tapped into her feminine side, and Caroline wasn’t sure if she ever would. She made a mental note to spend more time with Grace.

  “When I get home, you can have this one,” Caroline said.

  “Please.” Grace rolled her eyes. “Where would I wear it?”

  “To bed.”

  “No, thank you. I’m comfy with my cotton gowns.”

  Caroline wagged her head. “We’re going to work on you.”

  Grace lifted her chin. “No, we’re not. I have better things to do than to waste my time.”

  Grace handed her a hairbrush and Caroline began to brush her hair, letting the subject drop.

  She was surprised that her hands were so much better. The bandages were off, with just a few strips over the deeper cuts. The bandages on her feet were also mostly gone. For a couple of days she was supposed to walk only when necessary. After that, the doctor said, she would be fine.

  “Are you sure you’re okay with me staying at your place?” Caroline asked. She couldn’t go back to her apartment just yet, and she wasn’t going to Washington.

  “Yes. I’m positive. I guess I should warn you, though.”

  Caroline stopped brushing. “About what?”

  “Mom and Dad are on the way up, and Dad’s hired a nurse and a bodyguard. Mom has also booked some sessions for you with a therapist.” She took a deep breath before adding, “That’s their concession in letting you stay here.”

  Caroline didn’t have time to respond, for just then their parents came into the room. Joanna came over to her. “Oh, darling, you’re looking so much better.”

  “Thank you, Mom.”

  “Your father and I have to fly back to Washington and we’ve made some arrangements for you.”

  “There’s no need,” she answered in a stiff voice. “I’m capable of making my own arrangements.”

  “We know you are.” Joanna stroked her arm. “But we’d feel better knowing you’re in good hands. We’ve hired some people to take care of you—that way w
e won’t worry.”

  Caroline chewed on the inside of her lip. When she’d been in that awful room, all she’d wanted was to see her parents, to talk to them. That urge had grown out of fear. Out of her guilt, too. She’d learned a long time ago, though, that talking to her parents was like trying to touch the sun—impossible. And she usually got burned in the process.

  “I don’t need a nurse. I’m able to take care of myself, but if it will put your mind at rest, then by all means hire the guard.”

  “Thank you, darling,” her mother said, reaching into her purse and pulling out some appointment cards. “A therapist will help you to deal with this. Dr. Roland will come to Grace’s condo. Everything’s been arranged.”

  Caroline took the cards. Don’t get angry. Don’t get angry, she kept repeating to herself.

  Her father stepped closer. “If you need anything, just call.”

  “I will,” she replied, but she knew she wouldn’t. Her parents didn’t understand her and she didn’t understand them. She loved them, but had nothing in common with them. They wanted to make sure she was taken care of—she understood that. But she wondered if they ever thought that she might need them, their love and time, and not some stranger’s.

  Her mother hugged her. “I’ll call tonight.”

  Stephen hugged her, too. “I’ve spoken with the prosecutor and he said this could be a long, drawn out trial. I’ve also spoken with Hal Gooden, a criminal attorney, and he will help you with your testimony.”

  She gritted her teeth. “I don’t need help.”

  “Don’t be naive, Caroline.” Stephen’s voice rose. “To get this man you have to know what to say and when to say it.”

  “I—” Grace squeezed her hand and Caroline bit her tongue. Grace hated confrontations with their father, and today Caroline couldn’t deal with it, either. She just wanted to be left alone.

  “I’ll do whatever I have to to convict Amos Buford.”

  “Good girl.” Stephen patted her shoulder and soon their parents were gone.

  Caroline looked at Grace. “Go get a wheelchair, please.”

  Grace reached for her purse. “You want to go to the coffee shop or to the cafeteria?”

  “I want to go visit Eli.”

  “What?” One of Grace’s eyebrows almost disappeared into her hairline.