The Promise Read online

  Thank you

  To Tom Renfree for believing in me to finish this book and to Kathleen Buckman for her loving care in making it better.

  “Innocence, once Lost, can Never Be Regained.”

  John Milton

  Prologue—treasures of Life

  Girls are special. Unlike boys, they are vulnerable, mystical, capricious and alluring.

  They are also innocent from the moment they are born until the moment they die. Some die old, some die young, some die gracefully, but all girls, in some way, will die.

  And, when they die young, it is a tragedy of the deepest emotion and the saddest of days.

  Girls are special.

  And, we need to always appreciate them, honor them, love them and most of all, protect them.

  Chapter One--A day like any Other

  Late August in Georgia is hot and damp. The dogwoods and the magnolias are as still as the perspiration that sticks to one's face and lays there like an unwelcome visitor who refuses to go away.

  It is one of the reasons why southern people move a little slower than the rest of the mainland.

  The University of Georgia celebrates the early vestiges of the fall quarter in the middle of this intemperate environment forcing her students to traditionally start classes wearing as little as possible because of it.

  The Athens campus is one of the most stunning in the Southeastern Conference serving as the ideal frame for the aqua and turquoise clad youth that frolic across the green grass seemingly without a care in the world.

  Everyone seems to be wearing shorts. The girls wear halter tops and sleeveless blouses. The boys wear khakis and polo shirts. The goal is to wear as little as possible in the stifling dampness of a late summer day.

  There is a lot of obvious flirting and the smiles seem to belie the serious study ahead. Almost everyone is optimistic at the beginning of the school year, the dark clouds of homework, grinding lectures and critical exams are non-existent on their horizon.

  For now, everyone is happy and good-looking and the pre-class barbecues and drinking toasts are in full swing. Being a college student is an honor to be celebrated here.

  In the midst of this sea of human seduction passes a young woman of striking, physical presence.

  She moves easily and quickly through the crowd as though it was parting just for her.

  The young men notice her instantly and their heads turn as though they were magnetized to every fiber in her body. Even the ones with girlfriends seem to notice, of course in a briefer and more discreet way.

  For this was not just any girl passing through their lives at this moment in time, she is Allison Taylor.

  Allison is not just another coed, to many she is a memorable occasion.

  Bred in wealth and educated at the finest prep schools, Allison Taylor is the American Dream in the flesh.

  Her father, Archer Taylor, is the owner and founder of Home Buys, Inc., the largest retail chain of its kind in the world.

  Beginning with his family's floundering furniture store in the late 50's, Mr. Taylor parlayed a few sofas and beds into a conglomerate of antiques, entertainment centers, home security systems and specialized rooms to go.

  You could walk into one of his stores and custom choose just about any country for your home interior. He would even sell you the financing, the insurance and your own personal interior decorator, too.

  He did not take lunch breaks or sleep at night. He only had time for one thing in his life and that was his company.

  There was one luxury he afforded and that was time with his daughter. If his company was his passion, Allison is his reason for living. She is his only link to any personal contact on the planet.

  Blonde, green-eyed and slender with long tanned legs, young Allison could have been a model or an actress had she chose either of those professions.

  She would have been ideal for public relations or advertising, too.

  With her academic achievements, a career in law or medicine would not have been out of the question. She is was gifted as her father and endowed with a grace that had eluded him.

  Allison had a charming vulnerability that drew people to her. To young men, she was the beauty queen who lived next door. To the other girls she was the sister and best friend they always wanted.

  She was not only the most popular girl in her school, but the most likely to succeed, as well.

  She was also the homecoming queen and could have been the valedictorian of her class. This caused many to believe that she purposefully made a “B” in typing to let someone else win for a change.

  It would not be unusual for Allison Taylor to do something unselfish. She was a special person and her inner character was as stunning as her outward beauty.

  The president of the University personally petitioned Allison to come to Athens.

  Her father, an alumnus, had sealed the deal by telling his daughter that it would mean a lot to him if she carried on the tradition at the same institution that proudly bore his name over the doorway of the business school.

  Allison finally decided to go to Georgia because she had interned there during the summer with junior high kids in a special education project in nearby Winterville. She wanted to finish up with them as they made the critical transition from middle school to high school.

  It was out of loyalty to them, more than to her father or the President that convinced her to enroll in the red and red of UGA. That spoke volumes about the character of Allison Taylor.

  Stopping briefly, to say hello to a friend from high school, Allison laughs and promises to meet her at the freshman social that evening.

  Seemingly oblivious to the intense interest on the part of practically every male hormone within six Southern states, she finishes the conversation and quickly makes her way along the walk in front of the library.

  As she turns the corner on Jackson Street she waves to one of her professors and disappears behind the building.

  And no one has seen her since.

  Chapter Two-Mystery

  The main police station in Athens, Georgia is on Lexington Road. Its red brick exterior and ivy covered portal reminds one of another campus building.

  But, inside among the bustle of jangling phones and extroverted officers the feeling here is all business. Crime is taken very seriously because of the campus environment and the vulnerable young people who reside close by.

  The police in the Southeastern part of the United States are well aware that any of their colleges are an easy target for madness.

  Of all the police officers in Athens, detective Michael Gallagher is especially sensitive to it. His own daughter, Megan, was brutally murdered in high school by a sniper as part of an organized team designed to bring terror to not just the South, but to the entire country as well.

  As a father who relentlessly sought justice for the death of his child, he was instrumental in saving the lives of thousands of others who potentially stood in the cross hairs of that vile plot.

  Michael Patrick Gallagher.

  The man grew up in a Roswell, a suburb of Atlanta. He attended local schools, went to Auburn University and got his B.S. degree in criminology.

  He returned to his hometown near Atlanta, married Alisha Leigh Abernathy and soon they started having babies, a son and the fated, Megan.

  He had his own private detective firm but the money wasn’t consistent enough and his family was growing, so he became a cop.

  The steady income was vital here.

  It wasn’t long before Mike Gallagher became one of the best in law enforcement. He was promoted to lead homicide detective within four years of graduating from the police academy. A remarkable jump in police annals.

  A major part of that swift success was his ability t
o solve two cold case murders in the Athens area.

  One involved a slain elementary school teacher and the other was an elderly woman who lived alone in a mobile home on the edge of town.

  In her case, it was a presumed suicide. By the time Gallagher was through grinding down the twenty-year old evidence, the coroner changed his opinion to homicide and her nephew was convicted of her murder.

  If there was a homicide in Georgia, Mike Gallagher was either going to solve it or come so close, the perpetrator was not going to sleep at night.

  He was passionate, fearless, competitive and persistent to the point of being obsessive.

  He was also a trivia expert and he had only lost one game of Trivial Pursuit in his life.

  As he painfully recalled that defeat, “We were at a resort cabin on a family outing. My brother-in-law beat me on a fluke question, ‘What renowned golfer known as Champagne Tony, died in a plane crash in 1964?’

  My brother-in-law lucked out. The previous guest had left a golf magazine and he read the article an hour before the game started. Until then, he had never heard of Tony Lema. Otherwise, I’d be undefeated.”

  In fact, Mike Gallagher used his trivial questions in his job to either catch a suspect off-guard or to harass his police partners.

  He was an expert on most things, except for opera and the Old Testament. Other than that, Gallagher was a prime candidate for, “Jeopardy.”

  Gallagher had a medium build, with thick, dark brown hair and twinkling bluish-green hazel eyes. He was also a pain in the ass if you were guilty of a crime thanks to his stubborn Irish nature.

  He was the last person you wanted to tangle with in a confrontation. He was as fearless and tough as they came. He had a soft spot for the underdog but he didn’t care much for self-victimized people.

  He believed in taking personal responsibility. That made Gallagher a social conservative and a moderate in international affairs.

  He was also, in certain cases, a believer in the death penalty. He had seen evil in the world and had a strong opinion that there were criminals who were beyond rehabilitation.

  Gallagher had all the components of a successful homicide detective. He was tough, persistent, charming and street smart when it came to finding a solution to any setback.

  He also had a sixth sense in resolving a case.

  He always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. He could sniff out, as if by instinct, the good guys and the bad guys.

  He had weaknesses.

  His flaws included a fear of failing and he sometimes got down on himself too much. He was an emotional man, not always good for his line of work. But, he cared strongly about people and a sense of responsibility towards them.

  Mike Gallagher was a family man. Raised as a faithful Roman Catholic, he had been married for seventeen years but he tended to spend too much time at work. This was especially true in the two years since his daughter's death.

  He seemed to be driven in a way that had not been present before the tragedy. A child's murder will do that to a parent. His family was more like a second home. He seemed to live full-time at the police station.

  "Hey, Gallagher, come in here. I've got something here for you."

  The detective turned and walked straight into the office of his chief, Albert Marston Parker.

  Chief Parker was getting ready to retire after forty-two years on the job. He was well respected by all his officers, as a father figure and as a damn good cop.

  He could be tough. But, he was always fair and he took time to listen to the men and women who served under him. He had a special relationship with Detective Mike Gallagher.

  It was Parker who hired the young patrolman and watched him develop into one of the best homicide detectives in the business.

  The officer was like a son to the chief. He had even been a godfather to Gallagher’s youngest child, Michael Jr., who was born soon after the tragedy that had devastated the family.

  His young namesake was the perfect therapy for Mike and Alisha who desperately needed to experience life again in a fresh and new way.

  He had reddish hair and an outgoing personality that daily brought smiles to the Gallagher clan which also included a son, Michael Jr.

  Those two children made it even harder for the detective to be away from his family. He knew that work was an escape for the pain of his missing oldest child. It had helped him cope with her loss.

  "I have a tough one for you, Mike."

  The detective takes the file from his boss. Opening it, he whistles softly, "Allison Taylor? The heir to the Home Buys fortune?

  Missing?"

  Chief Parker nodded, "Yeah, it’s being kept hush hush. She was seen walking on campus two days ago and she simply vanished and no one has heard from her since.

  Her father has been calling me incessantly and it has been very difficult explaining our twenty-four hour waiting policy to him.

  He angrily insists she’s not a runaway. The very minute the time period ran out, he came in and filed a detailed report."

  "Why call me in on this one? I'm homicide. A bit premature, isn’t it?”

  "Mike, my gut tells me there’s a very good chance that homicide could be involved here. This girl is not in the habit of disappearing and not telling anyone, especially daddy. I want you to get involved as soon as possible. I trust you, Mike."

  "Maybe, she met a guy and decided to run away with him."

  "Read the file. This girl does not take off. Everything in her life is planned out."

  Gallagher picked up the file and began to study it, "Maybe she got tired of always being organized. Maybe she disappeared to make a statement that she wanted to have fun for a while. Some young people have been known,"

  The chief interrupted his detective, "She isn't just some young person. She’s Allison Taylor and there is no evidence that she was unhappy or feeling confined or in a mood to walk away from her life.

  According to her father she was looking forward to starting college and succeeding like she always did. Can you possibly imagine how devastated he is?”

  Almost immediately the chief realized his statement and tried to retract it. It was too late.

  Mike sadly looked at his boss, "Of course I can imagine it."

  "I know you can, Mike. I'm sorry.”

  "Forget it. I know you didn't mean anything by it. I just don't know if I can handle this case or not. It hasn't been that long since Megan was, uh, has been gone.

  This is about a young girl here. I feel more comfortable trying to figure out why there are four adults dead in the back room of a restaurant."

  What's your theory with the Taylor girl?"

  "Well, my initial impression is a kidnapping. The old man is loaded. She brings a pretty fair price. I’m a little surprised she didn't have security."

  Parker clarified his statement, “She did. He was bringing the car around to pick her up. I guess he figured she would be safe walking across a crowded campus at noon.

  It’s not exactly your ideal kidnapping scenario."

  "I know, Chief, and that’s what bothers me. According to this file, no one saw her on the other side of the library either.

  No witnesses. It was like the earth swallowed her up and no one noticed. In order for a kidnapper to do that Allison would have to help him make her disappear."

  Parker mused, "Maybe she did. Isn’t it possible she knew the person or persons?"

  "That makes more sense than a stranger shoving her into a van in front of a thousand people."

  "Or maybe the stranger didn’t act like a stranger. Maybe he made friends with her quickly by asking her for help."

  "You mean the Bundy method?"

  This was in reference to the infamous Ted Bundy who killed several women by soliciting the aid of his female victims luring them close to his car before he rendered them unconscious by clubbing them with a blunt instrument.

  It made the victims disappear quickly and quietly, like they never exist
ed.

  "I thought every woman knew Bundy’s ploy by now."

  "Trust me, they don't. There are a lot of sweethearts out there who are still nice to strangers, even male strangers."

  "That is, if this person is a man."

  "Yeah, it could have been a man using a female partner as bait. That would be clever and effective. It could have put the Taylor woman at ease."

  Chief Parker walked back behind his desk, "Speaking of young women, I am assigning one as your partner in this case."