The click of the keyboards and the whoosh of air through the air conditioning vents filled the otherwise quiet space.
Brandon broke the silence. “She’ll come around.”
David placed a hand on his aching side. “I don’t think so.” His heart shattered. Zoey was missing, and Jennie…he’d let her down in a big way.
He gritted his teeth and lowered himself onto his seat. All his aches and pains were punishment for not protecting this woman and her daughter.
“Mags emailed the info on our suspects. She’s continuing to dig, but she has the preliminary report.”
The door opened. Rick and Sandy greeted everyone and joined them at the table.
“Thanks for coming.”
“Of course.” “No problem.” The pair spoke over each other.
“Now that we’re all here, tell us what Mags said about Kenny and his friends.”
Brandon concentrated on his laptop. “We are all aware of how Kenny ended up in prison. Apparently, he learned his abusive ways from his father. His parole officer has accounted for his whereabouts over the past week.”
Rick waltzed in from the kitchen with a cup of coffee and a water bottle. After handing David the mug of bold brew, Rick plopped onto a chair. “He’s still on my list. He could have paid off his P.O. to alibi for him.”
“True. The man has the biggest motive to terrorize Jennie.” David hadn’t wanted to consider that option, but it made sense.
“All right, door number two. Levi Benson. Typical bad boy. In trouble as a teen, but nothing major. Oh wait, it says here that fifteen years ago he was arrested for assault. He hauled off and punched a man at a bar for talking to his girlfriend. Nice guy.” Brandon rolled his eyes. “Nothing since then though.”
Sandy propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand. “Seems like the jealous type. He could have fixated on Jennie after her husband died.”
“Two names, two suspects. I was hoping to narrow things down.” David rubbed his eyes. “What about Adam?”
Brandon drummed his fingers on the table. “Adam King had a normal family life growing up. From what Mags discovered, he was a quiet kid and a loner. The only odd thing is a sealed juvenile record. Could be anything. We’d need a warrant to open it.”
“That won’t happen unless we have evidence to justify it.” David eased back in his chair. The bruises from the accident screamed at him. “Jennie said he was quiet, but he helped her with Zoey when he came to visit Kenny. Sounds like the only one out of the three men that seemed to care about Jennie.”
“Let’s look at motive for a minute.” Sandy had them switching gears
Brandon crossed his arms over his chest. “Whoever is responsible is obsessed with Jennie.”
“That makes the most sense. Which leads us back to Kenny, who has an alibi.” Frustration set in. David wanted to throw his coffee mug across the room.
“True. But whether it’s him or one of the others, why take Zoey?” Rick asked.
Sandy stared at the ceiling, her eyes darted back and forth, seeking an answer. “To get back at Jennie. She’d do anything for that little girl.”
“I get that. But there has to be more to it.” David’s brain refused to function. If they didn’t figure out who had Zoey soon, he’d be a puddle of sludge on the floor, unable to contribute to the discussion.
Brandon’s gaze drifted from one person to the next. “If you ask me, this guy thinks Jennie is his property and anything that belongs to her is his too.”
Hanes flipped open a file he’d tossed aside earlier and typed frantically on the computer.
What had triggered Randy’s sudden interest?
“Whatcha got?” Rick asked.
Randy held up a finger then went back to typing.
David’s heart rate increased at the possibility that Randy was on to something.
***
