Wright grimaced, then gave a heavy sigh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that. It’s just we’re getting a little stretched here and time is running out. The chance of Chloe surviving another sub-zero night is minimal, and I won’t weaken the search by redirecting people somewhere else.”
“But you don’t know Nick. And you’re not listening. What if Chloe isn’t out there somewhere? What if Austin has had her the whole time? What if Nick discovered that, and now he’s in trouble? He would never do this to me unless he didn’t have a choice.” I didn’t let on that I wasn’t nearly as sure of that as I sounded. Nick could be pig-headed and reckless even. “Did Samuel reach you?”
Wright shot me a narrow look. “So I have you to thank for him tearing me a new one.”
Thank Christ.I was gonna kiss that man the next time I saw him. “Is that why you came scuttling back?”
Wright arched a brow.
“Sorry. Arsehole in training here, at least according to Nick.”
The detective’s lips twitched.
I pressed, “What did Samuel say?”
Wright gave a weary shake of his head. “He said I should listen to you. That as much as the two of you drive him batshit with your antics, you have great instincts.”
I blinked. “He really said that?”
Wright winced. “I will neither confirm nor deny in a court of law. My balls are on the line... apparently.”
I swallowed a smile. “What else did he say?”
“That he still had nothing solid on Austin but that one of his colleagues tapped a confidential informant who did in fact back up your claims.”
The air whooshed out of my lungs in a flood of relief. “So, you believe us then?”
“I didn’t not believe you before. I just had some reservations. The Crows don’t have a big presence south of the Cook Strait, which means I don’t have the same type of confidential informants that big city cops do. But I didn’t dismiss your suspicions either. I had one of my men do a little digging.”
“And?” I was going to wring the man’s neck if he didn’t speed up.
“He asked some questions of Austin’s colleagues at the school and a couple of teachers had some interesting things to say. First off, neither liked him. Said he was sanctimonious and pretentious but also seemed to be under a lot of stress. They’d already assumed he was a bit of a gambler because they’d seen him scrolling betting sites in the staff room, but that was as far as they’d go.”
“Is that it?” It didn’t sound like enough to act on.
“No.” Wright glanced down as Teddy wove in and out of his feet. “The principal said Austin had been reprimanded twice in the last year for poor academic standards and general tardiness. When asked about a gambling problem, he said he couldn’t say much because a complaint was before the school board. When pushed, he admitted the complaint dealt with gambling during class time.”
This had to be good news for us. “Wow. He’s really down the rabbit hole if he’s doing that.”
Wright nodded. “Wow indeed. The principal said that Austin complained a lot about his father’s partner. That he begrudged her getting money he thought should’ve come to him, and thathe wouldn’t want Austin looking afterhismother if he was the last person standing.”
“So why are we still standing here?” I pressed. “This has to be enough. The guy’s a dirtbag and he’s holed up with Chloe and Nick somewhere that isn’t down there.” I waved a hand in the general direction of the riverwalk.
“Slow down,” Wright cautioned. “He may be a dirtbag, but just how he’s involved with Chloe’s disappearance still isn’t clear.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Oh, come on, Jonothon. You and I both know thehowdoesn’t matter. Finding Chloe is what matters, and if there’s even a chance Nick and I are right, you have to do something.”
Wright studied me for a moment. “Okay, assuming your suspicions are correct and Austinhassquirrelled Chloe away, claiming she’s confused and wandering in order to persuade her to hand him power of attorney, what’s stopping her from simply spilling the beans when she’s found?”
I forced myself not to bite his head off. “Because she’s been drugged out of her tree with Valium, that’s why. No one will pay much attention to anything she says. Don’t you think that story about his dad’s pills was a little too convenient?”
The considering look in Wright’s eyes told me he’d had the same thought. He dragged a hand over his mouth and stared at the ground, his jaw working. “But there’s a problem with your theory. Austin staged Chloe’s disappearanceafterhe read the letter andknowingwho Nick is, so he’d have to assume that Chloe might just as easily ask Nick instead. And as of this morning, he learned she already has. Assuming Nick accepts, Chloe’s ongoing disappearance achieves nothing except delaying a done deal. Austin is going to be cut out of everything regardless. It makes no sense.”
The answer hit me like a punch to the chest.
Austin was going to be cut out of everything regardless.
Except he wouldn’t.
