He hesitated, glancing back at the bedrooms. “Maybe Lucy should come with us.”
Lauren nodded and quickly went to get her daughter. Lucy glanced at the cops with interest, but she didn’t complain as they all headed out to the elevator and down to the parking garage.
Lieutenant Olson frowned when he saw the shattered rear window of his Jeep. “Looks as if the gunman was aiming for you, McFarland.”
“I know. And that’s why I think your guy isn’t the kidnapper. It seems more logical the gunman’s goal was to eliminate me from the picture to have access to Lauren and Lucy.” Even as he said the words, he realized that Lauren might be a target now too. Kidnapping a mother and daughter would increase the value of a ransom demand. And it would help the kidnappers to have the mother caring for the child.
Detective Kramer took pictures of his damaged Jeep, then turned to the lieutenant. “I think we continue to hold Dombach for a few days. Maybe he saw something since he was so close to the scene of the kidnapping.”
Grady opened the back of the Jeep to grab his duffel. He’d need to get the glass replaced very soon. He decided to call Rex Grayson in the morning to make the arrangements.
As Lauren spoke with the two police officers, he scanned the parking garage. There were way too many cars for him to memorize any license plates. He pulled out his phone and took a video of the cars in the general vicinity of his Jeep and the white Porsche that he assumed belonged to Lauren.
He pocketed his phone and followed the rest as they headed to the elevator. Lucy was unusually quiet as the rode to the penthouse.
Outside the apartment door, Lauren turned to the lieutenant and detective. “Thank you for coming out to update us on your progress and to hear about the gunfire incident. I would appreciate being in the loop moving forward. Grady will be staying here with us.”
The lieutenant sized him up. “I ran your background, it’s clean. But tell me again how you and Ms. Chandler met?”
“Through mutual friends.” He nodded at both men. “Thanks again, please excuse us. It’s getting late, and Lucy needs to get some sleep.”
And just like that, Lauren had opened the apartment, ushering Lucy inside and closing the door on the Chicago police before they could ask more questions. She arched a brow. “What mutual friends exactly?”
He shrugged. “You tell me. Maybe someone who attended one of your charity events.”
She thought about that for a moment. “My friend Suzanne and her husband, Eli White. They’ve been to Wyoming to ski. We’ll say that you somehow met with them there and introduced us.”
He filed the names away in his memory. Then he glanced at Lucy who hovered near her mom. “Are you doing okay?”
She nodded, but her expression was wary. “I’m afraid I’ll have nightmares,” she confided.
“I’ll be right across the hall if you do.” He dropped to one knee so he could look the little girl in the eye. “Nobody will get to you as long as I’m here, okay?”
Lucy nodded, her dark hair falling partially over her face. “Okay.”
“Come, Lucy, time to get ready for bed.” Lauren flashed a grateful smile as she led her daughter down the hall. “We’re safe here. There’s no reason to be afraid.”
Grady watched them go, then moved toward the wide double doors that led into the hallway and elevator vestibule. There were deadbolt locks on the door, but he still didn’t love the set up. Interesting that Clara didn’t live on-site, but maybe she preferred it that way.
He headed to a short hallway that led to the master suite. There was a decent-sized living area in addition to a large bedroom and full-sized bathroom. Again, the main bedroom had a stunning view of Lake Michigan. Shaking his head at the extravagance of the place, he returned to the living room.
Lauren joined him a few minutes later. “I hope Lucy doesn’t have nightmares. I feel bad for her. Children shouldn’t have to live in fear of being kidnapped.”
“I know, but we’ll keep her safe.” He gestured for Lauren to sit. “I really need you to make a list of anyone who could remotely be involved.”
“I’ve started one,” she admitted. “But I think this is the work of some stranger who thinks they deserve easy money.”
“That’s possible, but don’t you think this guy is more likely someone you or your father knows?”
She frowned, appearing lost in thought, before she looked up at him. “Twenty-five years ago, I was kidnapped from school by a man named Jerry Cromwell who had recently lost his job and decided he deserved to be wealthy. Things weren’t as electronic back then, but the FBI did try to trace his calls. My father paid the million-dollar ransom demand, and I was released as promised. I know most cases don’t end well, but mine did.”
He stared at her in shock. “I had no idea you were kidnapped as a child.”
“Yeah, well, that was a long time ago.” Lauren tucked her blond hair behind her ear. “The point is, this guy almost got away with it. The police grilled me for hours about where we were and what the man looked like. He didn’t use a face mask, like the guy who’d taken Ariel. I was able to give a reasonable description with the help of a sketch artist. A week later, the FBI caught him as he was boarding a plane to Florida.”
“I’m glad they caught him.” Grady’s heart twisted at how frightened she must have been. Not just during the kidnapping, but afterward. It would’ve been a harrowing experience that had to be difficult to recover from. “Is Cromwell still in jail?”
“I believe so.” She shrugged. “If not, he’s too old to be involved in this incident. He was thirty-five at the time, which makes him sixty now. The man we saw on video moved quickly enough that I anticipate he’s much younger than that.”
