“Turn right at the next intersection, then keep heading west.” She sighed and shook her head. “It’s not good. Dad has some cryptocurrency that we can use, but the banks overseas are closed for the weekend too. I don’t know what they’re thinking. Being rich doesn’t necessarily mean we can get that kind of money day or night.” There was a hint of bitterness in her tone.
“That’s okay. We’re going to find Lucy very soon.” His phone rang. Recognizing Griff’s number, he handed it to Lauren. “This is Griff. Put the call on speaker, okay?”
She nodded and answered. “Griff, this is Lauren. We’re in the car. I’m putting you on speaker so Grady can hear.” She did so, then added, “Do you have something?”
“None of the properties in the area are owned by Cromwell,” Griff said, getting straight to the point. “We found a rental property in the area, though. We’re working on that as a possible location now.”
“Is 910 South Miller Street?” Grady asked. “We’re heading there now.”
“Yeah, it is. You think that’s the place?” Griff sounded excited now. “Hang on, Dom is doing his hacker thing to find out more.”
Grady glanced at Lauren. Her blue eyes were full of hope. “Please ask Dom to hurry,” she said. “They demanded a twenty-five-million-dollar ransom after hours on a Friday night. I don’t know what they’re going to do if I can’t make that happen.”
“Lauren, this is Dominic. I can help you do an electronic transfer if you’d like. The good news is that the funds won’t be available until Monday morning, so we’d have the weekend to continue working the case.”
“Thanks, Dominic.” Lauren’s voice was strained. “I will gladly pay that to get Lucy back. But I’m worried they’ll keep her until they know they can access the funds.”
Grady was inclined to agree with Lauren’s assessment. They needed to find Lucy before the one-hour deadline. “Let’s just see if we can identify where they’re holding Lucy.”
“I’m on it.” Grady heard Dom typing on the computer. “Okay, the good news is that they’re using a popular home-sharing app. They’ve tightened their security, but I think there’s a way...” Dominic’s voice trailed off. Then he said, “I’m in! Give me a minute to look at that specific address.”
“We’re going to find her,” Lauren whispered. “I can feel it.”
“Okay, I found that rental property, but it’s not being paid for by anyone with the name of Cromwell,” Dom said. “The payment was made by a woman by the name of Karla Dalton.”
“That’s Nelson’s girlfriend!” Lauren exclaimed. “She’s involved!”
Grady pushed his speed as fast as he dared. He wanted to get to the rental property as quickly as possible. “That’s perfect, Dom. You’ve been a huge help. Thanks. We need to call the police to let them know.”
“You do that. Let me know when you have the little girl back.” With that, Dom ended the call.
“Call Lieutenant Olson,” he said. “Tell him to have squads meet us at the rental property, but no lights and sirens. We need to approach with caution.”
“Okay.” Lauren looked both relieved and terrified as she made the call. “Lieutenant Olson?” Grady listened as she repeated his instructions. “Yes, the FBI is at my place, but we don’t have time to wait for them to show. You should already have squads in the area, don’t you? Okay, thanks.” She lowered the phone. “They’ll be there in five to ten minutes.”
He nodded, slowing to make the turn onto Miller street. “Good. Look for building number 910.”
“I think that’s it.” Lauren leaned forward in her seat. “Third on the west side of the street.”
It was indeed a red-brick house with black shutters that was sandwiched between two multifamily units. There was no black SUV parked on the street, but he saw there was a single-car garage door that was closed. The vehicle was likely inside. He drove slowly past the house that had lights shining through the curtained windows.
The setup did not work to their advantage. There was barely a two-foot gap between the rental house and the buildings on either side. He racked his brain for a way to get inside as he drove around the block.
“What’s the plan?” Lauren asked, when he pulled over to park several doors down from the rental. There was no street parking allowed, so he kept the vehicle idling. “Are we going to wait for the police to arrive?”
He blew out a breath and turned to look at her. “I’m going to check the place out. You stay here.” When she opened her mouth to argue, he held up his hand. “I need you to watch for the police, and I won’t be long. I just want to know what we’re dealing with.”
“Okay.” Her expression was one of resolve. “I hope you can see Lucy.”
“Me too.” He slid out from behind the wheel and jogged across the street. Waiting for the police was the smart way to go, but he was concerned about what Simon and Jerry Cromwell might do.
Jerry, in particular, had nothing to lose. The guy was dying. And Grady had already killed his son Shane. Simon must have known his brother was either dead or arrested.
Either way, Grady couldn’t ignore the deep sense of foreboding as he cautiously approached the rental house.
Silently, he prayed for God to grant him the strength and wisdom he needed to rescue Lucy.
* * *
