Wrecked (Josie Gray Mysteries #3)(64)
“You’ve heard about full-immersion language learning? I’m full-immersion negotiation. I want to meet everyone. Immediately. Dillon’s been gone five days now. You’ve been investigating four with scant leads. We’ve had two contacts from the kidnappers. I want to be prepared when the third hit comes.”
Nick’s demeanor was unnerving: eyes so dark the pupils weren’t visible, and bicep and pectoral muscles defined well enough to show through his shirt. He was born for law enforcement.
“Okay. That’s good, then. I’ll call Otto and let him know.”
“I’ll get acquainted with the house while you make arrangements.”
Josie pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and expected resistance from Otto when she explained that Nick would like to tag along.
“I talked with Senator Abilene from Arizona earlier today,” Otto said in response. “The senator that Santos negotiated release for?”
“Yes?”
“The senator had me call his wife too. She said she’d be glad to talk to you. She claims Santos saved her husband’s life. She said he can be overbearing, but he’s a workaholic. And, he knows his stuff.”
She sighed with relief. This was Otto’s way of conceding, and she was more relieved to have his support than she could have ever expressed to him.
*
Josie quickly changed into jeans and a sweatshirt while Nick began setting up equipment in the dining room. When she was done, she walked into the room and found him typing on a laptop.
“We’re monitoring the e-mail account the kidnappers used to send you the message.”
“Don’t they block their identity when they send the e-mail?”
“We can track the server from which the e-mail was sent. The problem is, the person or robo-account that sends the e-mail usually isn’t associated with the kidnapping. We start small though and work our way up.”
“You say we. You have other people working for you?”
“Absolutely. I need men on the ground running down information.”
“So where do you go from here?” Josie held her breath, hoping for something to focus her energies on.
He turned from the computer to face her. “Keep in mind, I’m called a negotiator, but that’s a little misleading. The majority of my time is spent tracking down information that will lead me to the victim.” He looked at her and seemed to consider adding more, but turned back to his computer as he continued. “As I said, the money bothers me. I checked databases and several sources yesterday. The last two major ransoms anywhere near this amount were political. But they were in-country.”
“You mean Mexico?” Josie leaned against the kitchen counter with her arms crossed, trying to see how this could relate to Dillon.
He nodded, facing her again.
She looked at him blankly. “I don’t know what to say. Dillon isn’t tied to any political party. I mean he’s a Republican, but big deal. It’s not like he’s tied to any politicians.”
“You?” He studied her expression.
“Me?” She laughed. “I’m even less political than he is. I hate politics, from the local to the national. Hate it all. And neither one of us are even remotely connected to politicians in Mexico.”
“Let’s go back to the money. I don’t think I made this clear. I know you don’t have nine million. But typically, the kidnappers plan on claiming ten, or at the most, twenty percent of the original ransom amount. So we’re talking maybe only nine hundred thousand. A lot more doable.”
She laughed again at the absurdity of the conversation. “Doable? I’m a cop in a speck of a town on the Mexican border. I don’t have, and will never have, that kind of money. Ever.”
He put a hand up. “I get it. What about your friend? Drench?”
“I can’t ask him for that kind of money!”
“That’s not my point. If the kidnappers see you associated with Drench?” He shrugged.
“Drench is obviously the wealthiest man in Artemis. Maybe in West Texas. But why use me? Why not kidnap his wife?” Her face reddened as she thought of his wife and how Drench didn’t tell her about the money. She felt guilty for even mentioning her name.
“You’re trying to think like a cop. Kidnapping negotiation is a completely different line of thinking. It isn’t about right and wrong. It’s not about justice. Not even about revenge. It’s about the money. If they think you can lead them to Drench’s millions, they choke you out until you deliver.”
She stared at Nick, trying to understand what he was saying.
He leaned forward and spoke softly, his raspy voice a stark contrast to the silent house. “Josie. You’re a pawn. Wrap your head around that. You’re not a cop anymore. Life is seriously messed up, and the sooner you get your head around that reality, the sooner you start coping, making rational decisions.”
She struggled to follow him. It felt as if the horizon line was off, as if her entire world had been knocked sideways. She rubbed her temples with her fingertips and stared at him. He was either talking all over the place, or she had lost the ability to focus.
Nick pushed his chair back and walked over to her. He stood directly in front of her and laid his hands on her shoulders, his eyes boring into hers. “I don’t know what’s going on right now any more than you do. I just want you to realize, your normal way of thinking won’t cut it. It’s difficult to change your perspective. But I want you to try. Okay?”