Slowly, Tash nodded. Rebel held his nephew against his chest and kissed his forehead. Tash drew back. “Could I call Autumn to tell her? It’s not too late.”
“No, it’s not too late, you can call her before you go to bed.” Rebel hated to say it, but he had to. “Tash, regardless of what happens, it’s got to be your dad’s decision how much time you live with me, you know that, right?”
Before he could answer him, the doorbell rang, startling both of them. “Stay here, Tash. I’ll see who it is.” Rebel stood, set Tash on his feet. “Really, stay here.”
A man and a woman stood on his front doorstep. They raised their badges in concert. “Mr. Rebel Navarro? I’m Special Agent Loretta Morales and this is Special Agent Louis Briggs. We’re from the Philadelphia FBI field office. We’d like to speak to you about your brother.”
Rebel eyed the small woman in her thirties, solidly built with short brown hair and dark liquid eyes, wearing black pants and a black blazer. No one offered to shake hands. He said slowly, “I certainly wasn’t expecting this. Why are you here in Titusville, at my house, so late?”
Morales said, “There was an accident about ten miles east of here and we were held up. May we come in, Mr. Navarro?”
Rebel didn’t move. “I know nothing at all about my brother’s business. I have no idea where he is, if he isn’t still in Paris. I just heard the news about the missing funds like everyone else.”
Special Agent Briggs stepped around her. He was older, in his mid- to late forties, tall and beefy, with a fringe of salt-and-pepper hair circling his head. He looked Rebel up and downand said, his voice deep and aggressive, “As Agent Morales said, we are here to speak to you about your brother, Mr. Navarro. We’d like to know where he is. May we come in?”
It wasn’t a question. Rebel stepped back, waved them into the entrance hall, and closed the front door. “My nephew is in the living room. Please wait here until I take him to his room and put him to bed.” Rebel turned back toward the living room.
Briggs said, voice sharp, “Your nephew, Tasher? Your brother’s son? We didn’t know he was staying with you, but I suppose that makes sense. You’re not going to run, are you, Mr. Navarro?”
Rebel jerked around. “Run? Is that some sort of FBI humor? Why would I do that? This is my home. My brother left his son with me for the summer.”
Special Agent Morales put her hand on Briggs’s arm. “Go take care of your nephew. We’ll wait.”
Tash said from behind him, “Uncle Rebel, I don’t understand. Why did they come here?”
Rebel went down on his knees, eye level with Tash. “They want to ask me some questions about your dad. Now, let’s get you upstairs. You had a shower when you got home from your canoe trip with Autumn, so let’s get your teeth brushed and—”
Special Agent Briggs said, impatience shimmering in the air around him, “He’s a big boy, he can brush his own teeth—”
Morales cut him off. She smiled down at Tash, stuck out her hand. “I like your name, Tash. My name’s Loretta.”
Tash gingerly took her hand. “My mama named me Tasher after her papa, but I’m Tash.”
“It’s a great name. You look like your uncle.”
Tash beamed at her. “Yes, I do, and my dad too. I want to come and live with him part of the time once you prove my dad didn’t do anything wrong.”
Morales smiled at Rebel. “Do what you need to do, Mr. Navarro. It was a pleasure to meet you, Tash.” Morales and Briggs watched Rebel Navarro take the little boy’s hand, walkwith him up the stairs, and disappear down a hallway to the right of the landing.
Morales said to Briggs, who towered over her, “You know I’ve got a kid about his age. They need care, okay? I get it—we’re both tired and hungry. I know it’s a stretch for you, Lou, but he’s a child, make nice.”
Agent Lou Briggs said, “It took us forever to find this godforsaken place, Loretta, and we still need to get home tonight. This guy probably knows exactly where Archer Navarro is. He left his kid with him until the two of them could hook up again.” He waved his hand around him. “You know he’s involved, how else could he afford this place?”
Loretta smacked his arm. She was small, but she was stronger than you’d expect, and he flinched. “I know what you think, but we came late to this case. Didn’t you read the brief about the Navarro family?”
“I know enough to do my job, like this guy writes scary stories, but look around you, Loretta, no way does he make enough for this mansion. He had to get the bucks from somewhere. It only makes sense they dreamed up this scam together.”
Chapter Nineteen
Morales rolled her eyes. “Since you mostly read about sports and fencing, Lou, it’s obvious you don’t know Rebel Navarro is famous for his bestselling horror thrillers. He’s probably the richest guy in town, and he’s made lots of money for a good while now. He can afford this house, trust me.”
“Okay, who cares? But you know as well as I do some people always want more, nothing’s ever enough for them.” Briggs started pacing the beautiful wide-planked oak floor, with geometric rugs tossed here and there. He loved the oak, wished he had it in his own house.
Rebel had heard Briggs as he came down the stairs and managed to quash his anger. He called out, “Maybe you’d enjoy reading one of my scary little stories, Agent Briggs. I could let you have one. I could even autograph it for you.”
“I don’t have time for punk-ass novels,” Briggs said, and he walked away toward the living room.
“Do make yourself comfortable,” Rebel called after him.
