The Girl Who Disappeared Twice

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Day Seven

Early-morning sunlight was peeking through the trees when Ryan’s van pulled up the road to Sunny Gardens. Like Marc, he left a healthy distance between his car and the facility, parking in a dirt alcove amid a wooded area where his van could blend right in. Later, he’d make a more public appearance.

The good news was that construction workers began at dawn. So when Ryan trudged across the grounds in his dirt-stained jeans and white T-shirt, carrying a large toolbox, no one gave him a second look.

He went around back, as Marc had instructed, and, also as Marc had surmised, the delivery door was unlocked. It was daytime. Security measures were more lax. And deliveries were more plentiful.

He went straight down to his destination: the basement. It didn’t take him long to navigate the various wiring and network connections, or to locate the video distribution feed that led to the main nurses’ station.

He pulled out his staple gun and fired a staple directly into the jacketed wire. Ryan waited-one minute, then two. After five minutes had passed, he whipped out his cell phone and called the head nurse’s station.

“Yes?” she answered in a frazzled voice.

“Hey,” Ryan greeted her. “This is the security company. Are you having a problem with your closed-circuit TV?”

“How did you know? Our bank of monitors just became wavy and full of static. We can’t see much of anything.”

“The system monitors itself for trouble, and a message popped up in our office. You’re a medical facility, so you’re a priority customer. Would you like me to drive over now and take care of it?”

“Oh, God, yes.” The nurse sounded as if she were being thrown a lifeline. “Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem. Who should I ask for?”

“Jeri Koehler. That’s me. I’m the head nurse here.”

“Okay, Jeri, you hang tight,” Ryan said in a reassuring tone. “I’ll be there within the hour.”

He hung up, placed his tools in his toolbox and left the building, strolling across the grounds and walking out the main gate.

Reaching his van, he climbed into the back and settled down. He opened the brown bag that was waiting for him, and helped himself to the protein bar and coffee he’d bought himself for breakfast. While he was eating, he checked in with the office, let them know that phase one was complete.

A half hour later, he changed into a work shirt-making sure to leave the top few buttons undone-got out of the back of the van, opened the driver’s door and sat down behind the wheel.

He drove through the front gates and parked in the main parking lot. Checking in at the front desk was a snap.

To say that Head Nurse Koehler was happy to see him would be a gross understatement. She visibly released a breath of sheer relief when he walked over. A few of the other nurses poked Jeri, asking who the hot guy was, in low undertones that Ryan wasn’t supposed to hear. She answered in a no-nonsense voice that said he was here to fix their video system, and to save their flirtations for later. Then, she showed Ryan the problem and headed off to tend to a pressing medical situation.

Ryan unpacked a few things and dismantled the monitors, listening as the other nurses muttered under their breath about Nurse Koehler. He chuckled a few times, commiserating with them about uptight supervisors and turning on the charm that came so naturally to him and that he was careful to use to his advantage in situations such as this one.

He spent just enough time searching for the problem, before announcing that he needed to go down to the basement to locate the source of the weak signal. With a wink, he promised to be back ASAP.

Once downstairs, Ryan began to repair the cable he’d sabotaged an hour ago-but with modifications. He inserted a splitter, routing the second video line to his personally designed “black box”-a computer capable of streaming the closed-circuit video signal over the internet and directly to the Forensic Instincts office.

Task completed.

Ryan used his Android phone to remotely access the brownstone’s video server, checking to see if his handiwork had been successful.

A nod of self-congratulations. His black box was sending the video perfectly.

Job done. He was a genius.

Ryan packed up and headed upstairs and back to the nurses’ station.

“Hi, ladies,” he greeted the nurses, who were still hanging around, waiting for his return. “I made a repair, but unfortunately, it’s only temporary. I’ll need to order a part and come back in a few days to install it. In the meantime, the good news is, you’re back in business.”

“Thank you so much,” one of them said gratefully. “You’re a lifesaver.”

“Glad to be of service.” Ryan gave her a broad smile, again cranking up the charm. “Now I’ll just need a few minutes to reassemble your monitors and clean up the mess I left you.”

“Take your time.”

Ryan did, taking as much time as he could, and chatting with the nurses as he worked.

“I noticed your gardens when I drove in,” he commented. “They’re pretty impressive. My mother would be jealous.”

“Yes, our patients love to sit out there and enjoy them,” a young, pretty, blonde nurse’s aide supplied.

“I figured as much.” Ryan carefully fitted one of the monitors in place. “Do they get to go out there a lot?”

“As much as they want. They’re finishing breakfast now. Those who want to go outdoors will be on their way soon.”

Not soon enough for me, Ryan thought silently.

He straightened up and turned, dragging his arm across his forehead and giving the women a rueful look. “I know how hard you ladies work. And I promise I’m not being sexist. But would one of you mind getting me some water? I left my bottle in the van, and that basement was really dusty. My throat is so dry I can barely swallow.”

“No problem.” The nurse’s aide scampered off, buying Ryan a little extra time.

He used it wisely, chatting up the nurses, telling them about his marathons and extreme sports adventures, and watching their eyes widen with awe. BASE jumping came in handy. You either impressed the hell out of someone, or convinced them that you were crazy.

Either way, it passed the time until the nurse’s aide returned with a large cup of ice water.

“Here you go,” she said, handing it to him.

“Thanks so much.” He began to drink, glancing at the monitor as he did.

The patients were being helped or wheeled outside, some to the patio and others to the gardens. Sweet.

Ryan made sure to drink his water slowly, taking a break here and there. Finally, he turned back to his work.

About eight or ten patients were being settled in each of the garden clusters. He scanned the monitors quickly. Not yet.

He continued reassembling. Come on, come on, he thought, glancing repeatedly at the screens. How many patients could there be going to the gardens? He couldn’t stand here forever, flirting with nurses, drinking water, and looking like a moron who couldn’t put a monitor back together. The minutes-and his opportunity-were slipping away.

There. Ryan’s gaze snapped to the screen. Linda Turner was just arriving, via wheelchair, at the eastern garden. She was talking animatedly with the nurse wheeling her out.

There was a red string tied around Linda’s finger.

“Well, that patient certainly looks happy,” Ryan noted aloud. “If all your patients start their days in that kind of mood, I just might check myself in.”

The nurse’s aide peered over his shoulder. “Oh, that’s Lorna Werner. She loves that spot, and insists on sitting there every day. She’s normally subdued. Today, she’s excited because she’s having a visitor this afternoon.” The aide pointed at the screen. “See the red string? That’s to remind her when her daughter is coming. She tells the entire place when that’s happening.”

Daughter? Ryan’s mind was racing. So that’s what they were calling kidnapping accomplices these days. He had to admit it was a clever twist on the accomplice’s part. Preying on Linda’s need for a child would make her all the more open to manipulation.

He paused long enough to see exactly where the nurse was positioning Linda before she headed off to tend to the other patients. Then, he quickly finished his reassembly.

With one modification. He was careful to leave his tone generator inside the panel. It was the perfect excuse for him to make an immediate return visit.

He said goodbye to all the nurses, promised to be the technician who came back with the necessary part in a couple of days and headed out. He went straight to his van, climbed inside and shut the door. He whipped out his BlackBerry and called Casey.

“Hey, we’re at the edge of our seats,” she greeted him. “What’s going on?”

“You can now access Sunny Gardens’ closed-circuit video right there in our office,” he replied. “So feel free to take a look.” He proceeded to give Casey the necessary instructions. “Linda Turner is in the garden on the east side of the grounds,” he continued. “I want to plant Gecko right near there. Evidently, Linda is having a visitor later today. She’s wearing a red string around her finger to remind her.”

“Like the red string we found at her house.”

“Exactly. And guess who her visitor is? Her daughter.”

“Daughter?” Casey echoed, momentarily stunned. “Are you telling me that Linda’s accomplice is masquerading as her daughter?”

“Makes sense, doesn’t it? If this woman successfully posed as Linda’s grown daughter, she could get away with anything-admitting Linda to Sunny Gardens, managing her entire stay there-you name it.”

“Not just managing her stay. Managing Linda, too.” Casey was over her surprise and on to her analysis. “Manipulating her, getting and feeding her information, and using it all to her advantage. Remember, having a daughter is Linda’s greatest desire. She could view this person as Anna grown up, and Krissy as Anna when she was a little girl. There are so many potential psychological factors here, we could go on all day. But they’ll wait. What’s your plan?”

“Like I said, I want to plant Gecko in the garden where Linda sits. When her visitor arrives, Gecko can pick up their conversation, both audio and video. It’s well within his range to broadcast from there to my van. I’ll listen in and monitor the entire interaction. We’ll learn who this accomplice is. At that point, we’ll find a way to tip off Peg and the task force, so they can grab her. And we’ll find out where she’s keeping Krissy.”

“You sure as hell won’t do this alone,” Casey stated emphatically. “Marc and I are driving up there. And we’re bringing Hero with us. Since this daughter isn’t showing up until afternoon, we have more than enough time to get there and join you for the show.”

“I expected as much.” Ryan was already gathering up what he needed. “Okay, I’m going to set Gecko up now. I’ll put him in sleep mode to save power. I left one of my tools behind to justify a return trip across the grounds. I’ll make a quick stop in the garden. After I’m done, I’m pulling the van out of the main parking lot and holing up in the wooded alcove diagonally across the street from the facility. Meet me there, and you can hop on in, and take in the performance with me.”