Angela shrugged. “I’m not going to say it’s wrong to make some preparation. I mean, there are catastrophes that happen where people might benefit from having stockpiled food and water. Like storms. And I think it’s a good idea to know how to plant a garden and be somewhat self-sufficient.”
“But he takes it too far,” Kiara said. “He’s preparing to protect what he’s stockpiled. In addition to the weapons, he’s built walls around the homestead, and parts of the property are booby-trapped.”
Jude’s brows lifted at that revelation. So, it appeared that going after Jim was going to take some careful planning.
“Is there anything you can tell me about the woman in the photo?” Angela asked, clearly done with the discussion about Jim and his weapons.
Jude still had questions, but he was willing to put them aside for the time being. “Let me make a phone call to see how they want to move forward.”
“We’ll let you have the room for the call,” Kiara said.
Angela looked from Jude to Kiara, then the two of them stood up. “Um… come get us when you’re done.”
Jude also got to his feet. “Will do.”
He watched as Kiara led Angela from the room. As the door closed behind them, he pulled out his phone.
He spent a moment gathering his thoughts about everything he’d learned from the two women. None of it was a total surprise.
It made sense that Jim and Sandra would create a life for themselves and Angelica that was out of the public eye. Had he considered that the pair would turn into weapon’s stockpilers preparing for the end of the world? No, that definitely hadn’t crossed his mind.
But everything Angela and Kiara had shared revealed a level of paranoia that made sense for someone who had kidnapped a wealthy man’s children and only returned one of them, and then absconded with a million dollars of his money.
Turning his attention to his phone, he placed the call to Duncan, then walked over to the narrow windows that looked out on the small patch of grass that lay between the library and the building next to it.
Duncan answered on the first ring. "How did it go?"
"It's her," Jude said without preamble. "No question about it. The resemblance to Annie is remarkable."
The silence on the other end stretched for several seconds before Duncan's voice came through, thick with emotion. "Are you certain?"
"Absolutely. We have the DNA sample, but I don't need it for confirmation. She has some of the same mannerisms, the same eyes."
"How is she?" Duncan's voice was low and full of emotion.
Jude turned away from the window, his jaw tightening as he considered how to answer. "Physically, she appears healthy. Emotionally…" He paused, choosing his words carefully. "She's been through a lot, Duncan. Jim and Sandra—Jim especially—weren't kind to her."
"Tell me."
"Not over the phone. But I will say this—she and another adopted daughter managed to escape the homestead two years ago, though they didn’t get far. They're living in a basement apartment in Briar Hollow, not far from the homestead. Sandra is dead, but Jim and his adopted son are still harassing them to return."
Duncan's sharp intake of breath was audible. "Are they in immediate danger?"
"Hard to say. The threats seem to be for intimidation rather than actual physical violence." Jude ran a hand through his hair. "There's something else you need to know. Jim Reynolds apparently has turned into a survivalist.”
“A survivalist?”
"It sounds like he’s gone completely off-grid. He's stockpiled weapons and food, built walls around the property, and, according to Angela, booby-trapped parts of it. He's preparing for some kind of apocalyptic scenario."
Duncan was quiet for a long moment. "That explains why he's managed to stay hidden for so long. And why our investigators never found any trace of them."
"It also makes approaching him directly more complicated," Jude said, his voice grim. "We need to be strategic about this."
"What's your assessment of Angelica's state of mind? Is she ready to learn the truth?"
Jude considered the question carefully, picturing Angela's guarded posture, the way she seemed to look to Kiara for support.
"She seems… fragile, but I suspect she’s stronger than she comes across. It seems that she’s been conditioned to expect the worst, but I think there's still hope in her. The fact that shereached out at all tells me that at least a part of her wants to find her family."
