A Necessary Evil(12)
“Speaking of her family,” Lonnie said as he leaned back into the couch cushion. He shot a cursory glance at Kurt before finishing his thought. Kurt knew exactly where Lonnie was going with this line of thinking. Lonnie looked back at Laurel. “What about her grandfather?”
“Who? You mean her pops? What about him?” Laurel asked.
“Well, it’s just…surely you know who her grandfather is. Franklin Cartwright?”
“Yeah, I know who he is,” Laurel said tersely. “And I know what he does for a living. I’m not stupid. Neither is Mollie. She’s known for years.”
“Thank you, Laurel.” Kurt stood from his spot on the couch and reached for his coat. “You’ve been a big help. Sorry to have taken up—”
“Wait.” She stood and held her hands out between them. “You don’t think…why are you asking about her pops? Do you think he—”
“Well…” Lonnie began.
“Absolutely not,” Kurt said at the same time.
Kurt shot Lonnie a warning glance. There was no reason whatsoever to think Mollie’s disappearance had anything to do with Frankie or his less-than-legal lifestyle. Lonnie was going off script, and the last thing they needed was to have Laurel telling Frankie—or anyone, for that matter—that Kurt was insinuating Frankie had anything to do with Mollie’s disappearance. Lonnie must have taken the hint, because he simply nodded, thanked Laurel for her time, and reached for the front door.
Kurt stepped to the side and was about to follow Lonnie over the threshold when Laurel walked rapidly over to them and grabbed the doorknob. “You should know that Mr. Cartwright loves Mollie very much. And Mollie loves her pops, no matter what he’s done.”
“Yes,” Kurt said with a nod, “I know. Sorry again for the intrusion.”
“You know there’s no way Mr. Cartwright did anything bad to Mollie. In fact…”
Kurt turned to face Laurel, who was biting her lower lip and staring down at the ground. “What is it, Laurel? Do you know something we don’t?”
“No,” she responded quickly, looking up to meet Kurt’s gaze. “It’s just…”
“Go on,” Lonnie said, growing impatient with the young girl. “What is it?”
“I know Mr. Cartwright is looking for Mollie too. He called me just before you showed up.”
“He called you?” There was accusation in Lonnie’s tone, and Kurt didn’t appreciate it. He held his hand up to prevent his partner from saying anything further. Lonnie shook his head in disapproval.
“What did he say?” Kurt inquired.
“He said…he said he’s looking for Mollie, and he can find her faster than you guys can.”
“He said that, did he?” The look on Lonnie’s face was a combination of disbelief and frustration.
“He did,” Laurel said with one nod. “And he also said when he finds her, he’s going to make whoever took her pay…like, big time.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Lonnie asked before Kurt could stop him.
Laurel clearly didn’t appreciate Lonnie’s tone any more than Kurt did. “It means, Detective, if Mr. Cartwright finds Mollie’s kidnapper before you do, he’s going to, like, kill him. And honestly, I think it’s pretty brave of him.”
“Laurel,” Kurt said in a cautionary tone.
“No, I’m totally serious.” She folded her arms across her chest and cocked her hip to the side. “If you guys catch him, and that’s a big if, he’ll go to jail for, what? Maybe a few years? If that. He’ll get to eat three hot meals a day, watch cable TV, and get a college degree in prison. Then he’ll be smarter and back on the streets to take more innocent girls.”
“Laurel,” Kurt repeated.
“At least if Mr. Cartwright catches him, well, let’s just say he will never hurt anyone else again. So, I’m rooting for Mollie’s pops. I hope he brings Mollie home and makes that asshole pay.”
Lonnie opened his mouth to respond, but seeing the anger flaring on his face, Kurt grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out onto the landing.
“Let’s go, Lonnie.”
“Did you hear what she said?”
“I did. She’s just a young girl. Don’t let it get to you. We’ll find Mollie first.”
Lonnie spun around and looked down at Kurt as if hot lava was burning behind his eyes. “Are you sure about that? Are you sure that’s what you want?”
Kurt took a step backward. “Lonnie, what the hell are you trying to say?”
“I’m saying I think you secretly agree with her. I think you would rather Frankie find her and her kidnapper first. You’ve always talked about how the system fails victims all the time. Maybe when you and Frankie were in the room together earlier, you shook hands and agreed to let him run roughshod over our investigation. You’re hoping he finds him first so he—”
“Watch it, Lonnie.” Kurt stepped closer to his partner and poked a finger into his chest. “Watch your mouth before you say something you can’t take back. I know you’re frustrated. So am I. We’ve been searching for this sonofabitch for two years, so I get it. But don’t you ever accuse me of giving up. Do I need to pull rank, here? Do I need to remind you that I’m your superior?”