The streetlamps were casting a dim light on the alley. Ash was looking at me.
— "My father asked me to give you this, " I said, waving the envelope in front of him.
— "You could have put it in the mailbox. "
— "Too risky. I wanted to deliver it directly to you. "
He nodded, but I couldn’t tell what he was thinking.
— "What is this? " He asked, pointing to the still warm paper bag.
— "The Mexican restaurant was open when I left, so I thought you would like some hot food. I was hungry, myself, " I added, smiling nervously.
Ash took a deep breath and winced.
— "Joe, it’s nice, really but… not now. "
He didn’t want me there. I knew he needed space, but I couldn’t let him worry like that. I lifted the paper bag and placed it right under his nose.
— "No and no! You won’t be useful, if you don’t eat and become weak. Let me in, and we’ll have these delicious and still warm tacos! "
He closed his eyes, probably thinking I was the most annoying girl he knew. Then, a smile appeared on his face.
— "You won’t go away. "
I crossed my arms— at least I tried as it wasn’t easy with this bag full of food — and I gave him a wide smile.
— "Right! "
He looked at me and realized I wasn’t kidding. He gave in and opened the front door. I followed him in and waited for him to turn the lights on, so I could put down the bag on the coffee table. I sat on the sofa, and invited him to join me. He looked puzzled and thoughtful. As he finally joined, he complained. He wanted me to know I wasn’t welcome, but I didn’t care. I wouldn’t let him alone.
— "Joe, I was serious. I’m not hungry. I have no time to eat…"
I looked at him silently, as he sat down. Then, I looked right in his deep blue eyes.
— "OK. Let’s make a deal. You eat something, and I help you. "
— "Help me? "
— "Yeah, with your investigation. "
He stared back at me.
— "Two brains working on this enigma are better than one, " I added. "You want to spend the whole night thinking about any possibilities, so we can find them sooner. I get it. But this will require fuel. So, have a bite, and then we get to it. "
I had said all this in one breath, probably trying to sound more assertive than I was. I couldn’t sound doubtful. It would have crushed him.
— "Are you serious? " He said.
— "You bet. "
I handed him the bag, and after two seconds, he dived into it and grabbed his share of the Mexican feast I had brought with me.
— "Oh, I almost forgot. I have this. " I added, as I extracted a bottle from my purse.
When he saw the bottle of tequila, he sighed.
— "You know where the glasses are…"
There was no need for words, so I stood up and went into the kitchen to get them.
We ate quickly and drank no more than one or two shots of tequila. We needed to have clear minds to start working. I felt at home, so I stood up and went to the corridor to find what I needed. Ash was looking at me, puzzled. I opened the first door, but it was the bathroom. Bad luck! I already knew the second one was the restroom and the room at the end was his bedroom. There was only one left. I opened the door on my right, and I finally found what I was looking for. It was a small study room. I grabbed a stack of paper sheets and a few pens. When I came back to the living room, I put everything down on the table, after clearing it. Ash was still looking at me, trying to figure out what I was doing. I did my best to act enthusiastically, but it was just a show to cheer up my friend. As Mona said, complaining about the situation wouldn’t help. I hid my doubts and tried to sound confident. He needed hope, not to see me fall apart. I sat on a dusty carpet next to his dirty jeans.
— "OK. You want to investigate Tommy’s kidnapping, so let’s do that. Ash, I bet we’re going to find him soon. "
I stared at him, while he kept his eyes on me. Finally, he left the sofa and sat down next to me, on the ground. I gave him a sheet of paper and a pen. I saw that he was hesitant. He was torn between making fun of me and giving it a try, hoping it would lead us to an important clue.
— "Write down all the names of the persons who would have a motive to kidnap Tommy. "
Puzzled, he looked at me, before starting to jolt a few names on the paper. In between the lines, I read words like « psychopath,» « moron,» and « lunatic.» I winced. Then, I remembered seeing a laptop in the study room. Without asking, I went to fetch it and brought it back in the living room.
— "The son of the deputy and the Mayor’s daughter. It can’t be a coincidence, " I said.
When I turned the computer on, the system asked for a password. Ash grabbed it, so he could enter it. He gave it back to me, and I opened the browser. I typed a few words, not knowing what I was looking for. I read the local news from a few weeks back, then more recent ones. There were too many headlines, and none was related to our kidnapping. It was harder than I thought to be a detective.
A ringing sound surprised me. Suddenly, a small window opened in the top corner of the screen. I froze, before laughing out loud.
— "Ash? " I said, trying to bring him back to reality. "A woman wearing a bikini wants to chat…"
I laughed again, and the offended look on my friend’s face didn’t help. He quickly pressed the “escape” button to close the window.
— "You’ve never seen ads? " He said a bit too aggressively.
— "Of course, but never for this type of website. You almost got me! " I joked.
He grunted like my father always did. I bit my lip, not to laugh, and coughed a little.
— "OK. We have other fish to fry. But I won’t forget about this. As soon as this is over, I will ask you about the lovely « Evil Pussy 666 »! You know that I will, right? "
He glowered at me, and I laughed.
— "Be careful. With this type of attitude, you will be forever single, and your only option will be to subscribe to one of these websites, when you reach fifty"
I pretended to be offended.
— "Maybe I’ll see you there! "
— "Impossible! I will have upgraded to the senior version! "
Despite the stress, we laughed together, and it felt good. We looked at each other for a long minute, amused by how natural it was to tease the other one like that. It just felt right and these intimate moments and mean jokes were very special for bad kids like us. Then, we stopped smiling. Back to reality! We had to get back to work. Tommy needed us.
— "Has Evan always been the sheriff’s deputy? "
My question came out of nowhere, but I was still wondering why the kidnapper had chosen these two special children. Ash seemed surprised that I was back to business so quickly.
— "No, it has been ten years since he got the job. "
— "And before that? "
— "Who cares? "
— "Everything matters. You don’t want to leave any stone unturned. "
He sighed and thought for a while.
— "Lizbeth said something about the FBI. "
— "Seriously? A fed with a promising career quits his job to become the sherriff’s subordinate? Strange…"
— "We don’t know anything about a promising career, " Ash corrected me.
I interrupted him.
— "He certainly believed so. How old is he? In his forties? He was about thirty years old, when he left. Every agent about the same age dreams about a big career and reading his name in the headlines. "
Puzzled, Ash nodded.
— "What do you mean, Sherlock? "
— "Not sure. I just want to understand why he suddenly left everything behind, when he still had so many valuable options for his career. Is he from San Francisco? "
— "I believe so… He married Lizbeth four years ago. I met him, when he came to town in 2005 or was it 2006? I don’t remember. "
—
"I don’t know. I think that someone could have sought revenge by taking the most important person in his life. It’s just a possibility…"
— "It’s possible, " Ash said thoughtfully. "A vendetta. Classical, but…"
— "Right now, we have no clue. It could also have been a pervert... But I’m convinced that picking these two wasn’t a coincidence. "
— "Probably not. Still, Tommy hangs out a lot with Bowman’s daughter. He lives on the same block as my sis. She could have been collateral damage, or maybe Tommy was…"
He clenched his jaw, and I understood the pain he was going through. I put my hand on his arm to show him that I cared. He closed his eyes for a long moment, before letting a big breath out. When he opened his eyes, I saw his determination to fight. He would never let go.
It gave me the strength to resume my search on the Internet. I focused on convicts, who had been released recently, but found nothing. Without the proper accreditation to look up this type of information, it would take years to access it. Suddenly an article caught my eye. It had been published in the Monty Valley gazette a month ago. My heart skipped a beat.
"Ash…"
Frowning, he looked at me quizzically. I pointed to the screen.
— "This guy, Edward Larsen… Do you know him? "
He thought about it, but the name didn’t seem to ring a bell.
— "No, I don’t think so, why? Should I? "
I shrugged.
— "He was released a month ago. He had been incarcerated in Karson for sixteen years. He was convicted for child abuse. "
He gave me a stern look, before taking the laptop out of my hands.
— "Let me see. "
He started to read the article, as I watched the ugly and swollen face of the convict on a photograph. He looked so scary.
— "How could they release such a man? "
— "They followed the psychiatrist’s recommendation. He is monitored. "
— "Where is he? "
— "Vacaville. "
My pulse was quickening, and I was hardly breathing. Next, to me, my friend must have felt the same excitement, as the color of his eyes had become darker.
— "Wait, " I said, so he wouldn’t get overexcited. "We don’t know if he’s involved. It could be a coincidence! "
— "I don’t think so, " Ash replied in a harsh tone.
He jumped on his feet and made a phone call. I looked at the clock. It was one AM.
— "Liz, let me talk to Evan, please. "
I stood up and waited. I was feeling extremely nervous, but also eager to hear some news.
— "Have you heard of a man called Edward Larsen? "
Ash kept silent for a while, before ending the conversation.
— "I’ll be at your place in fifteen minutes. "
My friend hung up and put his cell in the pocket of his jacket, before putting it on his back.
— "What are you waiting for? " He said hastily, as if I should have been ready to go.
— "Please drive me there. My Harley is not very discreet, if you see what I mean. And… I don’t know how things will turn out. Better safe than sorry. "
Without a second thought, I grabbed my jacket and my keys. I walked out first, but before I went down the steps, Ash caught my arm.
"Thanks. "
I swallowed hard. I had never heard such sincerity in a single word.
— "Come on. We need to close this investigation," he added.
The next minute, I was behind the wheel of my Comet with Ash sitting on the passenger seat.
CHAPTER 21
Jerry
When I got up, I read the gazette’s headlines, which put me in a bad mood. The whole front page was dedicated to the kidnapping of the children. Nothing happened in Monty Valley, which was a quiet little town. Therefore, such a sensational event attracted all the journalists from the county, and even a few, who worked for national networks. I wouldn’t mind, if they helped to find the bastard that did this, but I doubted it. Worse, writing about the kidnapping would probably flatter the psychopath, who had taken the children. These guys liked publicity. They enjoyed being the centre of attention. They wanted to live forever through their crimes. I was ruminating, as I drank my coffee, when a soft hand stroke my cheek. I seized the small fingers of my gorgeous wife and smiled to reassure her. I knew what she was thinking. I had been up for more than an hour, as I couldn’t sleep.
— "You turned and tossed all night long … You look awful. "
I was about to open my mouth, but the cell, that I only used for the club, rang. At such an early hour, it couldn’t be good news. Usually, the guys didn’t call before 7.00 AM. When I saw Ash’s name on the screen, my heart raced. I sighed, before taking the call with Mona by my side.
— "Yeah? Is there a problem? "
— "Jerry, I’m sorry to bother you… but it’s an emergency. Can you meet me at Lizbeth’s? The address is 52 Primroad Street. "
— "Now? "
— "Yes, now, Jerry…"
I heard him sigh on the other end of the line. He must have been exhausted.
— "We have a lead. We need to act now. Please take the van. It will be less noticeable in this neighborhood. … no need to draw attention to ourselves. "
— "OK, I’m leaving now, " I said immediately.
I hung up and left the table, without finishing the light breakfast I had prepared. Ash needed me, and he was an absolute priority. I would never let him down.
— "I’m going to Evan’s. " I told Mona, before kissing her in the neck. "They may have found something. Can you manage the workshop today? "
My wife looked at me for a moment and nodded.
— "Of course. "
I grabbed my jacket, my sunglasses and my helmet in the hallway.
— "Take care, " she said in a soft voice.
— "Always, " I said, smiling.
I enjoyed watching her beautiful face. I was always moved by the love I felt for her. This moment gave me enough strength to face the day ahead of me. Then, I left.
*
I went to the workshop to leave my Harley and take the van. A pleasant surprise was waiting for me: Hanger had the great idea to come in early and work on his bike, so I asked him to tag along. Three men would be better than two. The sheriff’s deputy wouldn’t be able to control himself, if we had to get into a fight. The life of his son was the in balance, and a father would do anything for his children. I knew this. As we were about to drive away, Billy showed up at the gate. I signaled him to get into the van.
Fifteen minutes later, I was parking the vehicle on a lovely driveway, bordered by well-kept bushes. It was a much nicer neighborhood than ours.
— "It seems like your daughter is here, " said Billy, as he walked to the front door.
He pointed at the black Comet, parked on the street. I sighed helplessly. Joe couldn’t stay out of harm’s way… She couldn’t help it. She could share my life, but she had to make an effort, not to get in the way of our business, especially when it was dangerous. I was trying to protect her, but I was no superhero, and I couldn’t be behind her all the time. Since what had happened with the Kasabovs, she should have realized how valuable she was to my enemies. She was my weak point, the one person I would die for without regret. Upset, I grunted, before knocking on the door three times.
The angelic face, facing me, made me forget my resentment for a minute. I pushed the door open and kissed my daughter on the forehead. My guys walked in, and we all followed Joe. We entered a large kitchen, which reminded me of those you see in magazines. I saw Ash, sitting at the dining table, holding his head between his hands. His brother in law faced him, and he was studying a state map carefully. Behind the counter, his sister, dressed in a large cardigan, was sipping her coffee. They all looked awful. They probably had worked all night on this.
— "Hello, " I said to everyone.
Billy and I were standing, ready to be told what we needed to do, while Hanger s
at at the table. Ash lifted his head. He had dark circles under his bloodshot eyes. I slapped him in the back, and he looked at me gratefully.
Joe took the smoking hot mug that Lizbeth was giving her, and she offered us some, which I accepted.
— "What are you doing here? " I whispered to Joe, who was leaning against the kitchen counter.
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