Blindside

teenager, particularly since Abe Hewett was fifty-four years old and had three grown boys all older than their stepmama. “Well done, Alice. Thank you.”
    “Let me know, won’t you, Katie?”
    “You bet.”
    Katie called Wade at home, got him between spoonfulsof his wife’s special pork stew. “I’m really sorry about this, Wade, but—”
    “I knew you’d call, Katie. I sent Conrad over to talk to Alice, see if she remembered anything else. Man, this stew is the best.” A long silence, then Katie heard Wade’s wife, Glenda, say something in the background.
    “Tell you what,” Katie said, “stay put. Just keep close to your phone. Call Jeffrey and have him update the rest of our people, including our three volunteer deputies. Keep an eye out for that van—we’ve got a partial plate. It’s Virginia and it’s LTD three something. I’m going to call the FBI, let them check it out.”
    “You don’t want me to go out right this minute?”
    “Nah, stay put. I’ll call you if something comes up.”
    She called the Knoxville FBI field office because she knew the Johnson City field office just didn’t have the staff for this sort of thing. She got Glen Hodges, the special agent in charge, pretty fast and told him what was going on. Then she dialed Agent Savich’s cell phone. He picked up immediately.
    “Agent Savich?”
    “Yes. Is this Sheriff Benedict? Is Sam all right?”
    “Yes, he is, but listen to this, please,” and she told him about the kidnapper’s visit to the pharmacy. “Alice thinks they’re driving a light gray van, Virginia license LTD with a possible next number of three.”
    “Got it. I’ll call Butch Ashburn, he’s the agent leading the kidnapping investigation. He’ll find out who the van belongs to.”
    “I called Agent Hodges from the Knoxville field office, told him what was going on. He’s on his way here.”
    “Good. You have Sam with you?”
    “Yes, he’s still sleeping. He’s just fine.” It was then she heard the deep rumbling noise. “You’re in an airplane?”
    “Yes, it’ll take us a couple of hours since we’re in aCessna. Sheriff, I don’t like the fact that the kidnappers are still local. What else is happening?”
    “Here’s the deal, Agent Savich. I don’t like the fact that those two guys are still hanging around here either. I’m hoping that Fatso—that’s the name Sam gave one of the kidnappers—is hurt bad and that’s why they haven’t hightailed it out of here. But if he was badly hurt, then why not take him to a doctor? We have two doctors in town. Both of them call me from home every hour so I’ll know they’re okay.”
    “Well done,” Savich said.
    “Yeah, but you know, the truth is, I don’t know what to make of it. They’ve got to know that everyone is looking for them. Why would they stay local?”
    “You’re basing this on one witness?”
    “Yes. Her set of eyes is just fine.”
    “You shot Fatso in the arm?”
    “Yes, that I’m sure of. Then I fired several more times while they were running back into the forest. Maybe I shot him again, I just didn’t see, all I heard was a yelp.” She drew a deep breath. “I know where they were keeping Sam. Agent Glen Hodges said he and his people will dust the place for prints when they get here.”
    “I’m not too happy that they’re still around, but it sounds like you’ve got everything under control. We’ll be there soon. Be careful, okay?”
    Katie pressed the “off” button on her cell. Well, she was being careful. She was keeping Sam with her, the FBI was on the way, and she’d called in all her people—with the exception of Wade, who’d already worked his butt off today. Everyone was out looking for that light gray van now.
    Her cell phone played the first bars of “Fly Me to the Moon” a minute later. A man’s voice came on the line. “Sheriff Benedict? This is Miles Kettering. I’m with Agent Savich. I’m sorry to bother you, but I just wanted to thank you, and . . . please take care of my boy. Savich told me he was still sleeping?”

    “Yes, he’s out like a light. Do you want me to wake him up?”
    “Oh no, it’s just that I’m—” He stalled.
    “I understand, Mr. Kettering. If someone had taken my child, I’d be scared out of my mind until I actually had her in my arms. You’re flying the Cessna?”
    “Yes. It was the best I could do on short notice, but it’s a solid little plane.”
    “It’s pretty bad weather here, as I’m