“Have you reached out to Handover?” Grady asked. “Do you have any idea where he is?”
“He’s not at home, but he has a black Honda SUV registered in his name. I’ve issued a tri-statewide BOLO for him, and I am sure we’ll have him in custody by the end of the day.”
Lauren stared at Grady in shock. Curtis Handover was one of the shooters!
She bowed her head and silently prayed the police would find and arrest him very soon. Bringing an end to this nightmare.
12
Grady understood from Lauren’s relieved expression that she believed Curtis Handover was their shooter. The guy did own a black SUV, so it made sense. Yet oddly, he wasn’t convinced. He cleared his throat. “Agent Braun, will you let us know when you find Curtis Handover to bring him in for questioning?”
“That’s the plan,” Braun agreed. “I’m sure one of the police officers will spot his vehicle and grab him for us.”
“Thank you,” Lauren said. “Lucy and I will be so happy when this nightmare is over.”
“Yes, thank you.” Grady reached over to end the call. He was glad the feds planned to move fast on this new intel. But why hadn’t the FBI found the connection between Curtis Handover and Bobby Morton sooner? He thought it was interesting Randy had died of a drug overdose. Addiction obviously ran in the family. But they should have known about Curtis, watching his movements shortly after Ariel’s abduction.
Yet it was odd that Curtis would be so clueless as to post threatening comments on social media before setting up a kidnapping attempt. Then again, nobody claimed criminals were smart. There were prisons full of criminals who’d gotten caught because of their actions.
“I’m so glad we came south to Lake Geneva.” Lauren sat back in her seat with a sigh. “It’s nice to be that much closer to home.”
In his mind, home wasn’t a penthouse apartment, but obviously, it was to Lauren and Lucy. He smiled reassuringly. “We’ll stick around here for a while until we hear back from Agent Braun.”
“That’s fine with me.” She glanced up as their server approached with their meals. “Perfect timing.”
Grady nodded and decided not to share his concerns. Lauren looked so happy he couldn’t bear to wipe the smile off her face. When their server topped off their coffee and left, he reached across the table for Lauren’s hand.
“I’d like to say grace.”
“Oh, are we praying again?” Lucy asked.
He nodded and took her hand too. “Yes. Remember what I said earlier?” He bowed his head. “Dear Lord Jesus, we thank You for this food we are blessed to eat. We also ask that You continue to keep us safe in Your care. Amen.”
“Amen,” Lucy said.
“Amen,” Lauren echoed. Then she smiled. “Thanks to you, Grady, I’ve been praying a lot since this started. I’d like to find a church to attend once we get home.”
He nodded, humbled by her words. He was glad to have been a part of her faith journey. He wasn’t so sure there were churches in the downtown area of Chicago, though. That seemed price prohibitive considering the real estate market was sky high in urban cities. “I can help you find something close by if you like.”
“That would be nice.” Lauren watched ruefully as Lucy dug into her chicken tenders. “I’m going to have a hard time convincing her to eat healthy once this is over.”
He grimaced, stung by a stab of guilt. “Sorry.”
She waved that off. “I know I probably went a little overboard because of Lucy’s surgery, but I was so scared.”
“I know.” He figured his double-decker cheeseburger was off-limits as well. “To be honest, I think it’s good that you encourage Lucy to eat healthy and expose her to different foods. More parents should do that.”
“Thank you.” She dug in to her chicken wrap.
Grady took a bite of his cheeseburger and was glad he’d ordered it. The burger was juicy and delicious. He felt like he’d burned thousands of calories since he’d been tasked to protect Lauren and her daughter.
For their sake, he hoped Curtis Handover was the kidnapper/shooter and that he’d be off the street soon. But that didn’t stop him from noticing every single black SUV that passed by the restaurant outside. None had tinted windows, so he tried not to overreact.
Lauren must have noticed, though, because she frowned. “I’m sure we’re safe here.”
He shrugged. “I plan to stay alert just in case.”
“Okay.” She smiled at Lucy who was clearly enjoying her chicken strips. “I can’t wait to get back home. I need to reimburse the owner of the car and the crop-duster plane, not just for the items but for their time and the inconvenience we’ve caused. I know they won’t be thrilled, but I hope that letting them know the only reason we took their things was to stay safe will take the sting out of our actions.”
