She Can Hide (She Can #4)(74)

He walked to the window and stared out at the roiling sea. His internal sensors were alarming. Something was going down. Something bad. The coming storm wasn’t the biggest threat on the horizon.




“What?” The cobwebs in Ethan’s brain were swept away by the chief’s statement.

“The foster parents heard a car engine outside. They checked on all the kids. Derek was gone. There was water on the floor under his window. They think he jumped from the roof to a nearby tree and then someone picked him up on the road. Where’s Abby?”

“She’s with me.”

“Then she didn’t pick him up,” the chief said.

“No.”

Ethan’s gaze went to the window. Sheets of rain obscured the view of the ocean. “Is it raining there?”

“No. Sleeting and cold,” the chief said. “I hate to think of a kid out in this weather. We’re organizing a search, and we’ve notified county and state law enforcement.”

“Any leads on Torres or Derek’s mom?” Guilt tore into Ethan. Abby had feared Derek would run away if he was sent into foster care again. Damn it. He should have listened to her. He should have broken the rules and found a place to hide the kid.

“No,” the chief answered. “And now I have to divert manpower from the case to look for Derek.”

Ethan told him about Ryland Valentine and his relationship to Abby.

The chief swore softly. “When are you coming back?”

“We’re leaving in a couple minutes.” Ethan ended the call. Abby was already up and moving. She went into the living room and grabbed her purse. From its depths she produced a cell phone. She dialed and waited, sweeping a hand across her forehead. “He’s not answering.”

“He has your phone, right?”

“Right.”

“You have my electronic tablet in your purse. I found you by tracking it.” Ethan stood up, hope energizing his limbs. He put his gun back into its hip holster. “Even if you don’t have the app downloaded, we can try to track the phone’s location.”

“My phone doesn’t have GPS.”

And hope took a swan dive over the deep end. “What?”

“I always use cheap prepaid phones without GPS.” She held up her new cell phone.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t want the wrong people to be able to track me.” She picked up the hotel phone and ordered coffee to-go. She retreated to the bathroom. Ethan heard the water running and the toilet flush. He took his turn next. When he came out, a waiter was setting a tray with travel mugs of coffee and a cardboard box on a table. He exited, closing the door behind him.

Ryland was talking to Abby in the living area. Of course, his staff would have let him know the second they called for coffee. Abby’s face was pale, her eyes too wide.

Ethan walked over to see what dear old dad was up to.

Ryland stopped talking. “This is a private matter.”

Abby shook her head. “No. If it’s important, you can tell us both. If it’s not, then we’re leaving.”

Ryland’s eyes debated. “All right. There is one more piece of information you should have. When you were kidnapped, Detective Abrams was not incompetent as you were led to believe. He was corrupt. He knew exactly where you were. He withheld that information until I paid him a hundred thousand dollars.”

Face. Palm.

Ethan should have connected those dots. “That’s where he got the money for the boat and the new car.”

“Yes.” Fury burned in Ryland eyes.

“Did you have anything to do with his death?” Ethan asked.

Ignoring Ethan’s question, Ryland turned to Abby. “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have refused your mother when she asked me to find you. I should have done it myself, but I didn’t think it was related to me at all.”

Other than the victim was his daughter. Ethan held back the words. There was no need to emphasize Ryland’s neglect.

“What about now?” Ethan slid into his jacket.

Ryland looked away. “I’m not sure.”

That wasn’t helpful.

“We have to go.” Abby picked up her coat and purse. “Thank you for being honest.”

Ryland bowed out. “I had my staff put a box of sandwiches together. If you can’t sleep, food will be better than nothing.”

Ethan had his doubts about Ryland’s honesty. The furtive look in his eyes said he was still holding something back.

He and Abby didn’t speak until they were in his truck. The casino had cameras pretty much everywhere. He started the engine.

“Emotionally, I can’t even process all that he’s told me. I feel like the last three years have been a lie. I thought my kidnapping was random. Now I find out it might have been one of my father’s business associates. Maybe he did keep me a secret all my life to protect me. I always thought that was bullshit, but now, I don’t know.” Abby set their coffees in the center console. “I’m tired of secrets and conspiracies.”

“Are you OK?”

“I’ll deal with it all later. Right now we have to find Derek. Then get back to the search for Torres and Krista.”

“Does Derek have anywhere he feels safe?”