The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 8

The Mercedes sat next to the curb near the exit to the drug store's parking lot. McClendon had arrived first on the scene and phoned Taylor to say that he found the SUV. Fortunately, Erin had a spare key fob on her keychain, so opening the door was the easiest thing they had done all day. 

Looking inside, they found Dr. Harper's bags still in the back of the SUV. His cell phone and wallet were not present inside the vehicle. Everything looked like he had stepped outside the SUV and gone in to buy whatever he needed from the store. Only they knew that he did not purchase anything from the store.

"Hey, Taylor, take a look at this," McClendon said, pointing down at the ground. "Someone looks like they pulled out of here in a big hurry."

"Yeah, let's see if they got anything on the security cameras. I'll check here. You go to the auto parts store and see if they've got anything we can use."

Back at the station, Barnes returned to the interrogation room. Erin sat there, apparently calmed down from this morning. She looked over at Barnes as the door opened and smiled weakly to acknowledge her presence. "Is there any news about my husband?" she asked as Barnes sat across from her.

"I just got off the phone with Detective Taylor. They found Conner's car at a Walgreens near the coffee shop. Initial indications show the kidnappers grabbed him shortly after he got out of the car. I guess they missed him at your house and followed him on his route to the airport, looking for an opportunity to take him. That's all we know so far." Erin nodded, taking in what Barnes had just told her. "Hey, I almost forgot I brought you something," she said as she slid a white paper bag to Erin. "It's not much, but I thought it might help a little."

When Erin took the bear claw from the bag, her eyes lit up just a little. "Conner loves these things. He'd bring them home half-eaten, and I'd ask him where mine was. Thank you."

"Listen, Mrs. Harper..."

"Please, call me Erin. Mrs. Harper makes me sound so old."

Barnes thought for a second or two. "Okay, Erin, I need to search your house. There may be something there that can help us find your husband. Any little thing could help. Technically, Detective Taylor, with a bunch of uniformed officers, could do it, but honestly, they aren't too gentle sometimes. You know what I'm saying?"

"Men, right? Yes, of course, anything that may bring Conner home. If you need what they sent, I kept it in the main bedroom on my makeup dresser. I can go with you if you need me to."

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that. It could compromise the location. Plus, there's still the matter of your arrest."

"God, I'd almost forgotten about that," Erin said. "I'm going to go to jail, aren't I?"

"I don't know. There are exceptions in the law for people under duress, but I can't say what will happen."

Erin thought momentarily, crossing her arms as she leaned on the table. "It's okay if I do. As long as Conner is safe, I can live with the consequences. At least one of us has to be there for our kids."

Barnes retrieved the keys from Erin's personal belongings. Taylor, thankfully, had not taken the entire keychain with him when he got her key fob to the Mercedes. She arrived at the home of the Harpers late that afternoon. Laura pulled into the drive and soon let herself into the house. She disarmed the security system with a code Erin gave her before Barnes left the station, grateful she remembered to ask if there was an alarm.

It was a spectacular house, Barnes thought to herself as she slipped her gloves onto her hands. The living area had a few toys in the living room, but otherwise, it looked well-kept. Looking around the room, she saw several pictures of the Harper's children and a wedding photograph of the Harpers. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary here, so she moved on.

Barnes went from room to room, looking for something out of place or unusual. She walked upstairs to check out the bedrooms. The kids' rooms were messy, which was probably normal for young kids. The master bedroom was stunning. The room had a large walk-in closet, a large master bath, and some of the most excellent bedroom furniture she'd ever seen.

She found the box the kidnappers sent sitting where Erin said it would be. She reached down and took the note they left. The letter was handwritten in large print. She thought they could match a handwriting sample when they caught these guys. That was a big mistake on their part. Inside the box, Barnes also found the picture they sent. There was not much to go on from the image other than the men possibly looked to be Caucasian. Looking closer, Barnes spotted a small tattoo on the left arm of one of the men in the picture. She couldn't see the entire tattoo, but the part she saw looked like the bottom portion of a bird. Specifically, it looked like either a hawk or an eagle. The bird appeared to be holding something, perhaps a snake in its claws.

Barnes gathered up the box, placing it in a large plastic bag. As she turned to go, her eye caught a family photograph on the nightstand next to the bed. In the picture were Conner, Erin, and their two children. From the looks of the photo, it was taken recently. She stared in silence at the image for several minutes. She didn't know why but couldn't take her eyes off the picture. Finally snapping out of her daze, she walked back toward the stairs, still carrying the image.

By the time she returned to the station, it was late. Taylor was still there, but the night shift had already started their duty rotation. He was looking over a case file when she arrived. She made her way over to Taylor as he searched through the file. "Hey, what did you find with the SUV?" she asked him.

"We got some security camera footage from the scene. Guys pulled up in a van. The driver was wearing a mask, and I assume whoever grabbed Dr. Harper was too. They covered up the license plate, so we didn't get a look at it. I guess they got him in the van and covered his eyes quickly so they could take off their masks. They might have even stopped down the road and removed the plate cover. What about you? Find anything helpful at the Harper's home?" Taylor said as he looked up from his file.

"I found the box and this picture," she showed him the picture of the two men holding Dr. Harper hostage. "Interesting tattoo on the man's arm."

"Yeah, bird claws and a snake. It might not be much, but it's a start. Alright, go home, Barnes. It will be a long day tomorrow, and we need to start early. Good work today."

Barnes started to object. She didn't feel like going home to her apartment, but the look on Taylor's face gave her the impression that he would not likely take no for an answer.

Reluctantly, Barnes agreed and went to her desk to grab her belongings. She crossed the parking lot to her car and settled behind the wheel. Barnes noticed she still had the Harper family photograph with her. Setting it in the passenger seat, she started the car and headed home.