“Izzy, be specific,” Shayla said now. “Is there blood or any other evidence that Maddie’s been badly hurt?”
“No blood at all,” Izzy reported, and Pete breathed for the first time in an hour. “But the bathroom door was kicked in. It’s splintered. There was a phone—a landline—in there. I’d bet my retirement fund that’s where the nine-one-one call originated. Other than the bathroom door, only thing broken’s a pane of glass in the back door—it opens into this little mudroom-slash-laundry-room.”
“Is that how Dingo and Maddie got into the house, or…?”
“I’m betting that was our bad guys. I think Team Dingo had a key. We found two big boxes of food in one of the bedrooms with a note—just a simpleI love you. Looks like a care package for our man Dingo, from his mommy. I’d bet your retirement fund that he uses the house at his mom’s invitation, when she and Mean Daddy are away.”
“Wait, they’re away?” Pete asked. “I thought they were home.”
“RV’s gone,” Izzy said. “So unless the bad guys took it along with both parents, too…? Yeah, I’m not feeling that.”
Shayla spoke up again. “Did you find any proof that Maddie was actually there?” she asked. “I mean, we don’t know for sure—we’re assuming it.”
Pete knew she was still hoping that this was a bad coincidence, that LA was a big place, and that they were going to get a text from Maddie asking them to meet at a Starbucks in Hollywood.
“Yeah,” Izzy said. “That’s the really not-good part of what we found here. There were clothes in the washing machine. And Schlossman is dead certain that the girl-sized jeans and shirt that we found in there are what Maddie was wearing when he talked to her outside of the Seven-Eleven on Tuesday afternoon. And…”
“There’s anand?” Pete asked.
“Seagull and Timebomb searched the immediate area and found this car, next street over. Texting the photo to you, Shay.”
Her phone whooshed, and she opened the photo, expanding it to reveal…
Pete glanced over.
“That’s definitely Dingo’s car,” Shay told Izzy. “Well, okay, then.”
“There’s one more thing, sir,” Izzy told them, and his voice was unusually somber, “and I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but Lindsey called me and I said I’d pass the bad news along.”
“Oh, no,” Shay murmured. Somehow she knew—or guessed—what was coming, but Pete had no clue.
“What?” he said. “Jesus, just tell me.”
“Daryl Middleton didn’t make it,” Izzy said. “His head trauma was too severe and, well, he died about a half hour ago.”
Peter’s response to the enormous pile of bad news was to drive even faster.
Shayla wasn’t sure exactly what he was rushing toward, since they had no idea where Maddie and Dingo had been taken. Their hope of getting information from Daryl had also tragically died with the young man.
And then there was the fact that Maddie had been grabbed by killers. It was bad enough when the bad guys had only been drug dealers and thieves.
“We need to speak to both Dingo’s parents and Fiona’s mother.” Shay had her computer out and open as she attempted to figure out some kind of plan. “Also, let’s check to see if any of them—Dingo, Fiona, or Daryl—had police records, see if we can find a connection to anyone in San Diego’s underworld.”
Pete glanced at her, and she nodded. “I know,” she continued, “that sounds soBatman,but I’m not sure what else to call it.”
“Make a note that we should ask to talk to Fiona directly,” he said.
“Yes,” she agreed. “I also already sent a text to Tevin and Frank, to put out feelers among their friends. I’m making a list ofanyonewho was seen talking to either Fiona or Maddie. I’ve also asked Tevin to see what he can find out about where, locally, kids buy drugs. And I’ve asked Lindsey to check with her contact at the San Diego Police, see if she can get us a list of usual suspects when it comes to drug deals, see if we can find Maddie that way.” She squinted at her list. “Oh, and I was also thinking that, when we get to Van Nuys? Maybe I could pull Dingo’s mother aside while you’re talking to the father?”
The latest plan was to meet Izzy and his “tadpoles” in Van Nuys. A neighbor had had the Dinglers’ cellphone number, and while they hadn’t been willing to share it, theyhadcalled about the break-in, and Dingo’s parents were heading back home.
Peter glanced at her again. “Yeah, I think I’d rather just get you safely home.”
“What? Wait, we’re not going to Van Nuys?”
“No, we’re going there. But you’re going directly home. I’ll let Izzy and Seagull take you. Hans and Timebomb’ll stay with me, wait for the parents.”
“Peter. I’m certain I’ll be safe enough in Van Nuys for the duration of a conversation with Dingo’s—”
