“Do you know where in Freetown?” Ted asked.
I wondered for a split second why Sabine would share that information. Even Ted had a perplexed look.
“No, I had to use the restroom. Fran said she would be fine, and Sabine seemed nice.”
“Then you went to the men’s room.” Ted kept the conversation going in the right direction. “What happened?”
As for me, steam was coming out of my nose like that from a bull in a ring.
The beeping of monitors went haywire as Ryan stared at me.
The nurse ran in. Jess was the name on her uniform. “You both should leave.”
“Not a chance.” I bared my teeth like a wolf in the wild.
“It’s okay,” Ryan said to her. “I’m fine.”
The nurse scurried out as Ryan’s eyes squeezed shut, like he was trying to grab on to something just out of his reach. “This rich prick with blond hair came up behind me. I caught sight ofhim in the mirror with a pipe wrench and ducked just in time before he swung it at me.”
“Obviously, you two fought.” I made an imaginary circle around his face.
“Yeah, he seemed like he wasn’t expecting me to fight. In the end, he punched me in the face so hard that I flew backward and hit my head on the sink. Then everything went black.”
Ted held out his phone, which showed a photo of Drew Lopez. “Is this the guy?”
“That’s him,” Ryan said. “Crazy fucker. I’m so sorry. I should’ve stayed with Fran.”
It was obvious to me that Ryan wasn’t involved.
“Can you think of anything else about this guy?” Ted asked. “It’s important. Fran and Grace are missing.”
Ryan’s breathing ramped up, as did that irritating beeping noise. “Oh, God. I don’t want anything to happen to Fran.”
“Tell us about Josh.” I glared at the kid.
“My counselor,” he said. “There’s nothing to tell. He’s a great guy. Why?” Then realization dawned on him, and his blue eyes turned wild. “Is he involved in Grace and Fran’s disappearance?”
“You don’t know anything about why Josh would want to hurt Grace and Fran?” Ted asked evenly.
“He would never.” Ryan sounded offended. “He’s helped me get my life back on track. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t have gotten accepted to Oakwood Academy.”
“He used you to get to my daughter.” I didn’t know that for sure, but it sure as fuck seemed that way. “Did he bribe anyone at the academy to get you in?”
“He knows the baseball coach there, but I don’t think he paid anyone off. I had to fill out all the forms like any other person.”
Ted and I exchanged knowing looks. He might be a cop with a sharp eye and criminal intellect, but I was a criminal.
“Where does Josh live?” Ted asked.
On the way to the hospital, Ted had given me a rundown of what he knew about Josh Kinley. Boston College grad, no priors or police record. The guy was squeaky clean. No indication he was the son of John Smith either. Then again, John Smith was not the real name of the man who’d purchased Grace many years ago.
Ryan picked at a fingernail. “He lives in Jamaica Plain, as far as I know, but I’ve never been to his place. I’ve always met him at restaurants around Boston or the Boys & Girls Clubs, or he came to the academy.”
Ted shifted from one foot to the other. “Back to the man who beat you. Did he say anything to you?”
Ryan shook his head. “No. But I noticed he had dirty fingernails, like he’d been digging in dirt, and he had this distinct smell. It was like he’d been working on a farm with horses or cows.”
“You mean he smelled like manure?” I rubbed my temples, feeling a looming headache hanging in the wings. The pain in my chest, which the paramedics deemed was due to a panic attack but advised me to see a doctor to be sure, was slowly returning.
