The Ransom by Chris Taylor Read Free Book Online

of being found alive. It was common knowledge the first forty-eight hours after a kidnapping were crucial. As far as he’d been able to ascertain, she’d already been gone for nearly three.
    “Th-there was a man. He…he ripped open the curtain.”
    “What did he look like?” Lane urged.
    Brittany shook her head back and forth in distress. “I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.”
    Lane bit down hard on his impatience. “Okay, Brittany. Let’s take it slowly. Was he tall?”
    The girl nodded.
    “As tall as me?”
    She nodded again.
    “What color hair did he have?”
    “None.”
    “What do you mean? Was he bald?”
    “Yes. No. Kind of. I think his head was shaved.”
    “Did you notice his eyes?”
    “No.”
    “Did he have a beard?”
    “Yes.”
    “A heavy beard? All over his face?”
    “No, a beard like Dad gets when he hasn’t shaved for a while. But he looked scary. And mean.”
    Lane jotted the information into his notebook. “What was he wearing?”
    “I-I can’t remember.”
    “You’re doing really well, Brittany. Take your time and think really hard.”
    The young girl squeezed her eyes closed. A few moments later, she spoke again, her voice quiet and uncertain.
    “He…he wore a leather jacket. A black one. It was open.”
    “That’s great, Brittany. Anything else?”
    “A black T-shirt with some kind of picture on the front—and jeans. I remember thinking he must be hot in all those clothes.”
    Lane scribbled again. “What else can you remember, Brittany?”
    She frowned. “He had weird skin. It looked really rough and had little holes in it. And a tattoo. A redback spider on his hand.”
    “That’s great, Brittany. You’re doing great. Do you remember which hand?”
    “His left hand, I think.”
    Lane’s gut tightened. Although not uncommon, it was a symbol used by one of Sydney’s notorious outlaw motorcycle gangs. Perhaps the Attorney General’s on the mark?
    Pushing the speculation aside, he concentrated on the girl in the bed. “Okay, Brittany, you’re doing really well. Now, this may be a little bit scary, but I need you to try and think as hard as you can about what happened next.”
    Brittany looked up at him, her eyes wide with fear. Lane kept his voice calm. “What did the man do when he came into the cubicle?”
    “He…he pushed me hard out of the way and grabbed for Olivia. I stumbled against the wall and hit my head. That’s all I remember. I-I think that’s how I got this.”
    She lifted up a fold of golden hair and Lane caught sight of a small white bandage taped across the side of her forehead.
    “Did he say anything?”
    “No, he just kind of grunted. I-I think I cried out when he pushed me aside, but I’m not sure what happened after that. The next thing I knew, someone was yelling for an ambulance.”
    Lane digested the information. It was better than nothing. In fact, her description of the attacker was better than he’d hoped. He closed his notebook and returned it to his pocket.
    “You’ve done really well, Brittany. Thank you.”
    “Will you be able to find Olivia?” she asked quietly, hope igniting the depths of her eyes.
    Lane shot her a confident smile he was far from feeling. “You betcha.” He stood, keenly aware of Zara watching him. He looked at her, and again felt the impact of her eyes. “If she remembers anything else—”
    “We’ll call you,” Zara finished.
    Pulling out a business card from his shirt pocket, Lane scribbled his home number on it and handed it to her. Their fingers touched. The spark traveled between them again. Lane knew she felt it, too. His gaze locked with hers.
    “Call me if she remembers anything else. Anytime.” He dragged his gaze from hers and turned away. The Attorney General ushered him out of the room. Lane followed him down the stairs in silence.
    At the foot of the stairs, Dowton turned to him and held out his hand. “Thank you for coming, Detective.”
    Lane shook it. “You let me