“You must be doing okay if you could escape in a limo,” he observed.
“Turns out I have a head for business. With my help, I took my in-laws’ outdated storefront and turned it into a thriving, multistate enterprise,” Sesame said proudly.
“So you’re rich?”
“Not rich enough,” she said.
“Why didn’t your mom ask you where you’ve been?” Nick asked.
“She didn’t?” Sesame asked, her blue eyes wide and innocent.
“No. She didn’t. Seems a little cold even for her,” he mused.
She gave a perky shrug. “Who can tell with my mother. She was probably in shock. People react to unexpected news in all kinds of ways.”
Weber ended his call and rejoined them. “I need to go into the station to take care of a few things. Why don’t you come with me, and you can make your statement, Sesame?”
“Statement?” she repeated.
“Your case is still open. Once you give your statement, we can revive the investigation.”
She was wringing her hands now. “I-I was really hoping we could keep this just between us for a little bit.”
“Beth…I mean, Sesame, you’re never going to be able to put this behind you while that family is still out there. What if they do this to someone else?” Kellen said gently.
Nick wouldn’t be able to put it behind him either.
“I’m just not ready to make a statement,” she said, her eyes going glassy with unshed tears. “It’s too traumatizing.”
“Are you in danger?” Kellen pressed.
Sesame stomped her foot. “Of course not!”
“How can you know for sure?” Nick asked her.
“I-I just do. I can’t talk about it right now. It’s too overwhelming.”
“Look, Weber. It’s already been six years. What’s a few more days?” Nick argued.
“I’m a cop. We don’t just sit back and let criminals get away with things like abduction. The trail gets colder every day. You know this.”
“I also know that treating your sister like a witness is callous even for a Weber.”
Kellen turned back to his sister. “They kept you for six years and let your family think you were dead.”
“I know. But it’s just so…so upsetting.” Her lower lip quivered courageously. “I just don’t think I’m ready to talk about it, and it’s not like there’s anything you can do about it since they left the country.” On that, she buried her face in her hands and let out a wail.
“Nice going,” Nick said, slapping Kellen in the gut.
The man doubled over on a pained breath. “I hate you,” Kellen wheezed.
Nick gestured toward the audibly sobbing Sesame. “If you stop being a dick, I’ll stop hitting you in the broken ribs.”
Kellen glared at him then relented. “Fine. Sesame? I’m sorry for pushing you. I just need to know that you’re safe, and the way I can do that is by doing my job.”
“They’re not criminal masterminds, Kelly. It’s not like they’re going to fly back into the country and bonk me on the head to make me forget again.”
Kellen looked like he’d just been asked to sell his soul to the devil…or his mother. “Fine,” he said, shoving a hand through his hair and making it stand up on end. “But you have to tell me what happened sooner rather than later.”
