Wade sat in the back seat with Linda while Pisano drove. Pisano was checking rear view and side mirrors as he left the parking lot and headed toward the other side of the city.
In the back seat, Linda quietly asked Wade, “How long have you known him?”
Wade said “Mr. Lawrence has been a friend of our family for many years. He’s very good and knows all the right people. Everything’s going to be okay.”
Linda held Wade’s hand and put her head on his shoulder and cried. At one point she said, “I’m so worried about Mindy.”
Wade didn’t know how to answer, so he remained silent.
In 40 minutes, Pisano pulled up in the driveway of a two-story home. He pulled the car about halfway up the driveway so it wouldn’t block a side door into the downstairs of the house. The door opened and a tall, professional-looking woman greeted them with a brief smile.
Before opening the car doors, Pisano informed his passengers, “This is Jane Mason. She’s a former detective, and she’ll be staying with you.
Linda asked, “What about my clothes and everything?”
Pisano hadn’t thought about that, but he answered, “Don’t worry about that right now. We’ll get you everything you’ll need. Right now we want to concentrate on getting you and your daughter together.”
Pisano opened his car door and they started to get out. Pisano introduced Linda to Jane. Pisano said, “While you and Jane get to know each other, I’m going to be in the other room making some calls.”
Jane took Linda’s arm from Wade and said in a calm voice, “This house is safe.” Jane continued talking to Linda, “Would you like to have a drink of water or use the bathroom?”
“I could use the bathroom if you don’t mind.”
As Linda and Wade separated, Linda turned back to him and said, “You’re not going anywhere are you? You’re my only link here.”
Wade replied, “I’ll be right in the other room when you come out.” He went upstairs and could hear Pisano already on the phone in one of the rooms. As Wade approached the door, Pisano waved for him to come in. Pisano was setting up stakeouts of the beauty salon and Coletta’s home. Pisano hung up the phone and turned to Wade and said, “We’re only half in the clear. Once T.J. finds out she’s no longer at the hospital he’ll turn this city upside down looking for her. He’ll definitely go after the daughter and use her as bait and leverage to control Linda. We have to move fast and get the daughter safe.”
“I’m going to need to get Linda to make some phone calls without losing it. My men are probably already outside of Carla’s house at the address she gave us. They haven’t reported any movement at the house and the lights are out. Let’s see if Linda is able to function now.”
Pisano found Linda and Jane chatting in the kitchen. Linda was holding a glass of water. Pisano asked how she was feeling.
She replied, “I hurt all over, but I’m okay — just worried about my daughter.”
She seemed calmer and more rational to Pisano. He suggested that they move to the other room and go over some details if she felt up to it. He said, “I’m going to need you to make some phone calls.”
“Sure. Whatever you say,” said Linda.
Pisano explained, “What we are doing now is trying to get your daughter as safe as you are. I sent some men to the address you gave me for Carla’s house. The lights are off and no one seems to be at home. Are you sure the address you gave us is where your daughter is?” Pisano showed Linda the paper she gave him at the beauty shop.
“That’s where I took her during the bad argument with T.J., yes.”
Pisano asked, “Tell me about this person your daughter is staying with.”
”Carla is a close friend of my sister.”
“Can you think of any reason why they might not be home?”
Linda replied, “No, not really. She’s stayed with Carla before when T.J. and I had arguments or I had to go out of town. Sometimes Carla takes Mindy shopping or to the movies. That’s possible I guess.”
“Does Carla know where you live?”
Linda registers some alarm as she slowly answers, “Yes.”
“Is there any chance Carla would bring Mindy back to your house without talking to you?”
“Oh, God, I hope not!” blurted Linda, and she started crying again. Jane heard her and came in and tried to comfort her as she cried.
Pisano pressed on, “Linda, please forgive me, but I have to ask some of these difficult questions.”
Linda managed to compose herself. “I understand.”
Pisano’s asked Linda to call Carla’s house again, and there was no answer. Pisano said “I’m not sure we can do anything right now. We just have to wait.”
In two hours, Pisano got a call from the officer on the stakeout at Carla’s house, telling him one female adult and one female child had just pulled into the driveway and were now inside the house. At this time, Linda was exhausted and lying down on one of the beds Jane had prepared for her. Pisano asked Jane to bring Linda into the room with the phone.
Pisano said to Linda, “It looks like your daughter just got home with Carla, and it doesn’t look like they’ve been followed. Let’s give them a few minutes to get settled, then I would like you to call.”
Linda called, and Carla answered the phone. Linda said, “I’m so glad to hear your voice. Is everything okay?”
Carla, puzzled by the question, replied “Yeah, how about you. Are you okay?”
“Not really, but it’s a long story. I’ll tell you all about it soon. Right now I’m concerned about Mindy. Is she all right?”
“She’s fine.”
“I’m here with a retired NOPD detective who can explain everything. But first can you put Mindy on?”
“Sure.”
When Mindy took the phone, she said, “Hi Mommy! Aunt Carla bought me a new dress, it’s beautiful! We had a great time shopping.”
“That’s wonderful Mindy. Listen, Honey, Mommy hasn’t been feeling well, but we’re going to see each other soon and spend the night in a beautiful new house together. We’ll have a great time.”
Excited, Mindy said, “That sounds like fun!”
Linda asked Mindy, “Can you put Carla back on the phone?”
A moment later, Linda spoke briefly with Carla again. “I’m going to now put Detective Lawrence on. He’ll explain everything for you.”
Pisano took the phone and cleared his throat before saying, “Hello, Carla, I’m detective Lawrence. Linda has had problems with T.J., and we have her here in a safe house across town. We’re concerned that T.J. may try to find Mindy. I have some police officers in an unmarked car outside your house. They will identify themselves and show you their badges. They work for me. They will bring Mindy to her mom here at the safe house. I’m going to keep the officers stationed outside your house for safety for the next several days. If you get a call from T.J. or anyone other than Linda, tell them you don’t know where Linda or Mindy are. Say that Linda picked Mindy up several days ago and you haven’t heard from her since. Tell them you thought they were going out of town somewhere but they didn’t say where. Are you comfortable with that story?”
Carla stammered, “Yes.”
Mindy was shortly going to be united with her mom for the first time in several days, and Linda, although still apprehensive, was calmer now than she had been since arriving at the safe house. Jake, Linda, and Wade all sat in the room where the telephone call had been made and breathed sighs of relief.
Wade’s mind had been running possible scenarios involving Coletta ever since leaving the beauty shop. With all that was going on, he hadn’t had a chance to discuss any of them with Pisano. Wade, Pisano, Linda, and Jane were sitting in the room after the call to Carla and Mindy. They all knew Mindy would soon be on her way to the safe house.