“Right,” Ronan agreed. “Where are you going with this?”
“Jerry is Armstrong’s son.”
“Whoa!” Fitz said. “How the hell did you get to Armstrong from Jerry being angry at Jude and Ronan?”
“During Armstrong’s trial. Evidence was brought forward that he’d told his lock-up cellie that his biggest regret was notkilling Jude and Ronan. The cellmate told the jury he was sure Armstrong would go after them if the doctor was acquitted of the charges.” Cope could see all the pieces coming together in his mind. “I told Ten a little bit ago that I didn’t believe the reason Jerry had come back into Jude’s life after seven years was because he was still in love with Jude. This is what ties it all together. Obviously, Jerry is trying to finish his father’s work and was using his past relationship with Jude to take the first step. It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Jerry were to call back and say that he wanted Ronan to deliver the ransom.”
The table was quiet in the wake of Cope’s theory. Fitzgibbon was furiously tapping on his phone, with Cisco looking on. Ronan was out of his chair and pacing around the room.
“Cope’s right,” Fitzgibbon said. “We’d gotten a warrant to obtain Armstrong’s DNA after he tried to kill Jude that night at Salem Mercy. It was entered into the national database. I just ran a search on familial hits and one name came up, Jerry Dunkirk. According to his record, Jerry was arrested after a bar fight three years ago. He broke some guy’s nose and the man pressed charges. His DNA was collected as part of the investigation. The samples confirm that Jerry is Armstrong’s son.”
“I’ll get units out to Betty Wilcox’s house,” Cisco said, reaching for his phone.
“Make sure they check basements, crawl spaces and old bomb shelters. In Everly’s vision she said she could smell freshly turned earth and rotting leaves,” Ronan said.
“You got it.” Tapping the phone, Cisco got out of his seat and shut himself in the laundry room.
“It’s all coming together. We’re gonna get Jude back, Cope. I can feel it.” Ronan patted Cope’s shoulder.
Cope wasn’t as certain as Ronan. There were a lot of moving pieces and he felt further from Jude than ever.
Time was running out for Cope to find him.
16
Jude
After Jerry sent the ransom demand to Cope, he and Nurse Betty left his room. Jude heard the bolt slam home, meaning he was once again trapped in the cellar. Jude could hear footsteps overhead, which made him assume he was being held in a basement. If he were in some sort of bomb shelter or underground tunnel, he wouldn’t have been able to hear people walking over his head. Freedom was so close, yet so far.
Jude set his mind back to the idea of breaking out of his cage. If he could do that, he was sure he’d be able to take Jerry when he came through the door. Same went for Betty, but he’d do his best not to hurt the older woman. The element of surprise would be on his side.
The one fly in the ointment of his plan was that Jude was starving. The last meal he’d eaten was the McDonalds Jerry had brought the night before. Jude had no idea what time it was or when his next meal was coming.Ifone was coming at all.
He grabbed the handle to the bucket and went to work trying to figure out the best way to break the lock, which hung from a hasp. The plate was securely bolted to the door to the cell, while the hasp itself was attached to the first bar to left of the door.The plate swung over to the loop and the padlock was attached, making it impossible to push the door open. If Jude could use the metal bucket handle as a lever, he might be able to snap off the lock.
Jude had a lock like this at home. He used it to keep the kids out of the work shed in the backyard. He kept fertilizer and potting soil, along with hedge trimmers and clippers, in there and didn’t want Wolf or Lizbet to get their tiny hands on those things. At some point last winter, the key had been lost and Jude ended up borrowing a crowbar from Ronan, which he used to snap off the lock. It had been quick work, but Jude was at full strength physically and wasn’t hungry. His life depended on him getting out of this cage.
Sticking the handle trough the shackle of the lock, Jude wrapped his right hand around the top of the metal and his left around the bottom. He held on tight and wrenched the metal forward. The lock didn’t budge and he whacked his hand on the cell bars, nearly causing him to drop the piece of metal.
Jude tried it again and again, the shackle held firm. He needed something stronger that would provide more torque, like a crowbar or tire iron, but he was going to have to make do with the only tool he hand. If more force was needed, he would have to provide it.
He was about to try again, when he heard the familiar screech of the door being opened. Jude hurried to hide the handle under his pillow and sat down quickly, putting a despondent face on. The last thing he wanted was his happy face to alert Jerry he had a plan to break out.
“Good morning, sweetheart,” Jerry cooed as he stepped through the door. In his hands, he held a foil package of Pop Tarts and a bottle of water. “Breakfast is served.” He set the foot downabout a foot away from the bars of the cage. “It’s your favorite! Remember how we ate a whole box of strawberry-frosted Pop Tarts that first night we were together.
Jude remembered every detail of that night. He’d picked Jerry up at Spellbound and instead of getting down and dirty in the men’s room or in the backseat of the Thunderbird, he’d brought Jerry home with him, which, of course, had been a colossal mistake. If he only knew then what he knew now, Jude would have stayed home that night.
“Come on, eat up!” Jerry offered a too-bright smile, reminding Jude of a cartoon villain trying to kill his intended victim with kindness before the trap was sprung.
Jude raised a silent eyebrow at the food. Both were packaged, but he wouldn’t put it past Jerry to have somehow tampered with them.
“Don’t worry, Jude. Neither of them are poisoned. I need you in tip top shape for today.” Jerry bounced up and down on the balls of his feet, like a kid excited to open his Christmas presents.
“Why, so I can shovel your driveway?” Jude asked with a cold smile. Not that he would mind that in the slightest. He’d use the shovel to incapacitate Jerry and would take off running, even if his shoes weren’t returned to him.
“You know, that’s a good idea.” Jerry’s impossibly bright smile got even brighter. “I hate being out in the cold, but that is beside the point.” He shrugged and refocused his attention on Jude. “I need your movie star good looks on full display.”
“Why?” Jude asked. “Are you gonna sell me to your friends?”
