Chapter 40 Chapter Forty

Chapter 40 Chapter Forty
“So what happened to this other Dale- Deland Carson?”

Ellsa’s lips rose in half a smile, “Let’s just say I got to know him very well. I can give you his phone number if you like?”

Audrey held up her iPad, “No need, I found him.”

“Isn’t he hot?” And then her smile was gone and her face was pulled in surprise. She held out the phone to Carson, “I think you should take this.” Her voice was cracked as she spoke.

“Why? What’s wrong?” Ellie asked, dread settling over her. She couldn’t take any more bad news.

Carson held the phone to his ear, prepared for the worst. “Hello?”

“Hi. This is detective Simon. Mr. Daniel Baker was stabbed in his home.”

Carson gently eased Ellie in a chair and walked out of the room. The rest of the team, except for Audrey who stayed behind to watch Ellie followed. He put his phone on loud speaker so that they could all listen. “How bad is it?”

“The last time I saw him, he was alive. It’s been a week already since the incident. Do you mind telling me who I’m speaking to?”

“Dale Carson, from the FBI BSU unit.”

“Are you the guys looking for that serial killer who shreds her victims’ hearts?”

“Yes.”

“Well then, you should count yourselves lucky. Daniel Baker is your first living victim- that is if he wakes up.”

Carson hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. He ran his hands exhaustedly over his face. This was going to destroy Ellie. “Ellie can’t know about this.”

“She shouldn’t, if she’s to carry that baby to full term. Any more stress and both their lives will be in danger,” Kevin chipped in.

“Who made you a doctor?” Gwen jeered.

“The medical degree hanging on my mother’s living room wall qualifies me to diagnose.”

Gwen rolled her eyes, then turned to Richard, “What now?”

“Gwen, Doran and I will go to the hospital and watch Daniel in case the suspect goes back to finish the job. Paloma, Kevin and Carson will stay and find out more about the bodyguard and his girlfriend.”

The team broke and Carson went to Ellie. She was leaning against the table holding her head up with one hand while the other rubbed the right side of her round belly. She looked very uncomfortable, her face creasing in pain every few seconds. “Are you okay?”

She nodded. “What’s wrong with Daniel?”

“He had an accident, nothing serious.”

She nodded towards the trio walking to the elevator, “So where are they going to?”

“They are going to check out the bodyguard’s apartment.”

“And what are you guys doing?” She flinched. The sharp pain was getting stronger.

Carson saw the pained look. He placed his hand on her tightly clenched fist on the side of her huge belly. “We are tracking down the girlfriend. Are you sure you are okay?”

“I’m not in labor if that’s what you are asking. Go work.”

Ellsa coughed. “Could someone please take these off me?”

Carson stared at her, wondering how two people who shared a womb could come to be so completely different. He was glad he nabbed the better of the two. He uncuffed her, “This doesn’t mean you can leave. Stay here with your sister while we work.”

She rubbed her wrist, “Sure.”

Carson kissed Ellie on the forehead. She felt feverish against his lips. “Are you sure you feel fine?”

She nodded, “Don’t worry about me. Go find our daughter.”

Reluctantly he pulled away, “Call me if you need anything.”

They spent hours in the conference room sifting through the two kidnappers’ lives. There was nothing to tie them together. They lived two states apart and the only evidence of them being in contact was the surveillance video of them kidnapping Stacey-Ann and after that, nothing. They didn’t even have enough to charge them for Seth’s shooting. It’s like they’d disappeared into thin air.

It was a relief that Seth was doing well, but Daniel still hadn’t woken up from his medically induced coma. According to Richard, his surgery was full of complications, one that left him with a brain bleed. Ellie could never know.

Carson took a break from the frustration and went to see Ellie. When he got to the case room there was no one there so he went to his office and it was empty too.

He rushed to the case room to check again. Empty. “Audrey!”

“Yeah?” she said, walking into the case room.

He turned to look at her, “Where are they?”

“Ellsa had to go see her accountant about the money and Ellie went to see Daniel at the hospital.”

Carson could feel the panic creep up his spin, “Alone? Call Richard and ask him if she is already there.”

“Dada!” Stacey-Ann’s singing voice filled the room.

Startled, Audrey and Carson turned to the direction it came from. She was hiding behind a tree pot, smiling and giggling. Her big sparkling brown eyes lighting up her face.

Carson sunk to his knees, his voice caught in his throat. She looked so beautiful... and taller! Her hair was longer and she had more teeth in her mouth.

She was walking!

She ducked back behind the tree pot then peaked out again, “Hi!” She yelled, waving at him.

Carson cried, stretching his hands out to her. She ran, jumping into them. He held her tight thanking God for bringing her back. But he didn’t understand how?

“Carson, Ellie never got to the hospital! Gwen has gone out to look for her. And Ellsa isn’t answering her phone.” Audrey announced, in a panic.

Carson stood up, his daughter securely in his arms as he rushed behind Audrey to her office. He felt like he would never put Stacey-Ann down, ever. “Track her cell phone.”

“It’s off.”

“What about Gwen’s?”

“That’s off too.”

Carson felt like he was about to blow up, in frustration. “Do you still have permission to tap into the security cameras?”

She turned in her chair to face her five computers. Her office was like a lair, where everything on the web, secured or not, was at her disposal. Her fingers ran wildly over the keyboard, bringing up several different on each screen. If they didn’t have to cut through so many red tapes, they probably would have ended Carson’s nightmare days ago.

Audrey stopped when the video got to Ellie walking alone towards a dark van. A red head jumped out, carrying Stacey-Ann and then Ellie got in calmly, touching her daughter for only a second before she was taken away. Then the red head came back, without Stacey-Ann and they drove off.

“It really was Gwen. But where is Ellsa?” Audrey gasped out.

“I hope for Ellie’s sake she’s okay. Can you track the car?” Audrey went back to typing. “It’s like you don’t know me.”