She Can Hide (She Can #4)(65)

“She’s an alcoholic. Her AA sponsor hasn’t seen her in weeks.” Ethan had obviously done his homework. He knew about Krista’s alcoholism and the terms under which she’d retained custody of Derek.

“She tries.” But Abby’s voice sounded as small and weak as her argument.

“Sometimes trying isn’t enough.”

No kidding.

A knock sounded, and the door opened. The chief stood in the doorway. His eyes were sad and frustrated. “Ethan, can I see you in my office?”

Ethan left the room.

She had to do something. She couldn’t let this go on. Krista was with a killer, maybe willingly, maybe not. Either way her life was at stake. There was also the chance that Joe would go after his only other link to his crimes: Derek.

What was he feeling right now? Memories of her own brush with foster care swamped Abby: the fear, the loneliness, the desolation, along with the knowledge that you were at the mercy of strangers. Derek’s experience had been far worse than hers. Was he all right?

Abby knew what she had to do. There was one man who had the power to make this all go away, a man Abby had sworn she’d never contact again. That he’d use illegal means was a given, but Abby was done with following the rules. The legal system had done nothing but turn its back on her all her life.

She wished she could tell Ethan where she was going, but he was too honest, too good of a cop to ignore the law, and she was too desperate to obey it. But sorrow for what could have been between them filled her heart as she reached for her purse.

An arctic wind blew across the parking lot. The rented sedan sat in the last row of spots. She’d brought it from her house so it wouldn’t get blown up. She got in the car and started the engine. She had to stop Joe and learn why he was trying to kill her. To save Derek and his mother, Abby would sell her soul. It was a good thing she was acquainted with the devil.

She turned onto Main Street and headed toward the highway. Fifteen miles away, she made a stop for a triple espresso and a huge chocolate bar. She paused to text Derek the number of her disposable cell. He didn’t respond. What was he doing right now? How was the foster home? Were the people nice? How many other children lived there?

Willing her exhaustion away, she sipped her espresso and popped a large piece of chocolate into her mouth. She doubted the caffeine and sugar would be enough to fortify her for the next call she needed to make. She glanced at the clock on her dashboard.

In less than three hours, she’d be in Atlantic City.




Ethan perched on the edge of the credenza.

The chief stared at him from over the top of his reading glasses. A file was open on his desk, and he’d scrawled a half page of notes on a yellow legal pad. “Ethan, there was nothing you could do to keep Derek out of the system.”

“I know.” Ethan crossed his arms over his chest. “But I feel like a real shit.”

“You could have saved the kid’s life. His mother’s boyfriend is bad news. Derek is lucky to be alive.”

“They got a hit on the prints already?”

The chief pulled a paper from under the legal pad. “Joe’s real name is Joseph Torres. He’s from Atlantic City. On top of a list of small-time charges, he’s been arrested twice for felony drug dealing and once for murder. Charges were dropped all three times. Twice witnesses recanted their statements. The murder witness conveniently disappeared. So did the evidence.”

“Shit.” Ethan rubbed his forehead. “Atlantic City is awfully close to where Abby used to live. And where she was kidnapped.”

“Agreed,” the chief said. “This isn’t a coincidence.”

Ethan got up to pace the four-by-eight space in front of the chief’s credenza. “This must be tied to Abby’s original kidnapping case. But how?” Nothing made sense. “What if Faulkner’s kidnapping of Abby wasn’t random?”

“You mean she was targeted for some other reason?”

“Yes.”

The chief pulled off his reading glasses. “Do you think there’s something she hasn’t told you?”

Ethan considered. He put aside his heart and the pain a lie of that magnitude would cause it. Would she keep important information about her case from him? She wanted to find the truth as badly as he did. “She seemed as frustrated and confused as me about the case. I really don’t think she’s intentionally holding anything back. But it’s possible there’s something from her past she doesn’t realize is important to the case.”

The chief circled a note on his legal pad. “Why would an Atlantic City drug dealer be interested in a schoolteacher?”

Ethan had nothing. “And why did he take Derek’s mother with him?”

The chief dropped his glasses on his paper-strewn desk. “She knows too much to let her go. This guy has a history of eliminating witnesses.”

“He did a half-assed cleanup job. He had to know we’d find the residue in the basement. Why did he leave it there?”

The chief pinched the bridge of his flattened nose. “Maybe he was going to come back to do the nitty-gritty cleaning, but things didn’t work out the way he planned. Or maybe he’s just a dumbass. He could have found much easier, cleaner ways to kill her.”

Ethan’s stomach flip-flopped. “Or he’s so used to getting away with his crimes, he doesn’t bother to clean up.”