In Her Tracks (Tracy Crosswhite #8)(61)

“Do you know his parents or his sister?”

“I met the parents briefly at graduation. I met the sister a couple of times; she went to school at the U. I can’t remember her name.”

“Gloria.”

“Right. She was a few years behind us. She and Bobby seemed close. I don’t really know.”

“You said you grew apart? When did that happen?”

“About the time Bobby started seeing Jewel.”

“You know his ex-wife then.”

Gillespie shook his head. “No. Not really. Honestly, I don’t know anyone who really knew her.”

“You didn’t socialize?”

“We tried. I should say, I tried. She came to a couple of tailgates with Bobby, but you could tell it wasn’t her thing. Bobby came for a while without her, but then he stopped coming too. A couple of us reached out to him, but I think with working full-time and with Jewel . . . After a while you give up trying, you know?”

“When was the last time you saw him?”

“Now? Now we see each other once or twice a month. He’s working for a company here in Bellevue.”

“When did your relationship start again?”

“Soon after he left Jewel. I saw him out to dinner in downtown Bellevue. He’s remarried and has a little boy.”

“Did you ask what happened? Why you didn’t see him for so long?”

“I knew why.”

“And what was that?”

“Jewel didn’t like Bobby’s college friends; she thought we were immature.”

“Bobby tell you that?”

“Didn’t have to. It was made clear by Jewel.”

“Did Bobby talk about Jewel?”

“He said he was glad he got out of the relationship, and that his one regret was he wished he had put it together earlier, that maybe he could have saved his daughter.”

“Put what together?”

“Jewel’s mental illness.”

“Who told you Jewel was mentally ill?”

“Bobby.”

“Have you and Bobby spoken about his daughter’s disappearance?”

“Not a lot,” Gillespie said. “It isn’t really something Bobby likes to talk about. He did say he thought Jewel and the boyfriend took Elle, but that they’ll never prove it. You heard the boyfriend shot himself?” Gillespie asked.

“I did,” Tracy said.

“Bobby thinks Jewel had something to do with that also.”

“Did he say why?”

“He thinks Jewel was just using the boyfriend to make Bobby jealous, and after the divorce was finalized, and Elle went missing, she wanted to dump him for someone who made money, but the boyfriend knew what happened to the kid. So she was stuck.”

“And Bobby thinks Jewel had him killed so he wouldn’t expose her?”

Gillespie shrugged. “He didn’t get into details. Just said he thinks she likely had something to do with it.”

“He never gave you any evidence though?”

“Nah, shit, I don’t know. Just Bobby venting, I guess.”

“Did you ever know Bobby to become violent?”

Gillespie gave the question some thought, then shook his head. “No. Not really. We could all get a little out of hand when we were drinking, fraternity stuff, but never violent.”

“Did he have relationships in college?”

“Bobby? Hell, yeah. He’s a good-looking guy. He had a lot of girlfriends.”

“Any issues of any violence with them?”

“No. Nothing I’m aware of.”

“Do you know how he met Jewel?”

“I think he told me they met in a bar, but don’t quote me on that. They got married six months later.”

Gillespie stopped, though he looked like he wanted to continue. “Something more?” Tracy asked.

He shrugged and made a face. “I heard through the rumor mill that Jewel got pregnant; that’s why Bobby got married so quickly. I don’t know. I’ve never asked him about it. Not my business. But Bobby’s family had money, and the rumor was Jewel was looking for a big payday. No insult intended, but SPD isn’t exactly striking it rich.”

“Far from it,” Tracy said with a smile.

“Bobby doesn’t talk about it and I don’t ask. I’m just glad I got my friend back. You know?”

Tracy knew, but she wondered if Bobby Chin had started to resent Jewel Chin. If he had started to feel like maybe he’d been played, with her getting pregnant, and he got tired of Jewel bitching and complaining about his salary, his work schedule, his friends. Maybe he’d met the woman who is now his wife and wanted out of the relationship. She wondered if it all just got to be too much for Bobby Chin and he snapped, his daughter collateral damage.

Then again, maybe Jewel Chin did have a psychiatric disorder.

There was one way to find out.





CHAPTER 28

Tracy reached Bobby Chin at his employer in Bellevue and made plans to speak to him as she left Gillespie’s office. She figured Gillespie would be on the phone to Chin the minute she departed, if he hadn’t been already, which maybe was the reason Chin had been so amenable to meeting her on short notice. Curiosity was usually a great motivator. A former cop, Chin would think something might have developed in his daughter’s case, and he’d be curious why Tracy was asking his friends questions about him.