“It doesn’t answer the question of why, or where he got the bills, but at surface level, it looks like a kid who got some cash and spent it.” Luke traced the kid’s face with the pointer. “He certainly doesn’t look like a threat to national security.”
Gil agreed. “He doesn’t look nervous either. If he’d had any idea he was spending counterfeit currency, he might have been a bit more fidgety.”
Luke slid the laser pointer back into the drawer. “Do you need us at the ball field tonight? If you don’t, we’re going to stay here and work on the video.”
“No. I’m going to ask Ivy to consider going home with Faith or Tessa until I’m done with the game.”
Zane crossed his hands behind his head and leaned back in his seat. “Didn’t that get you into big trouble before?”
Gil couldn’t argue. It had. “I didn’t ask before. I assumed. I’m done assuming. But given what I’ve uncovered about Preston and Abott Percy, I—”
“You don’t want her anywhere near your kids, do you?” Zane, as usual, didn’t miss a thing.
“I can’t risk it. Whoever is responsible, they hired someone to snatch her out of a hotel filled with innocent people—mostly men and women, but several children were there. The fields will be crawling with families tonight. Even if his focus is on Ivy, I can’t presume the presence of children would be a deterrent.”
“You’re not wrong.”
“I’ve got Sabrina doing a deeper dive on Preston. Tessa is on Abott. You have the video. Faith has the lawyers. And I’ve done the unthinkable.”
Zane exchanged a look with Luke and asked, “Which is?”
“Put in a call to my mom.”
“Why?” Luke sounded confused. Understandably so. Calling your mom for advice on a case? It just wasn’t done.
“I need her take on Ivy’s mom.”
Zane grimaced. “Based on what you’ve told us, I bet that will be a fun conversation. What do you think your mom will be able to tell you about Ivy’s mom that you don’t already know?”
“I don’t know of anything specific. When Patricia stole from us that summer, and Mom and Dad pressed charges, they didn’t keep it a secret or hide anything from us. Emily and I were seventeen. Plenty old enough to understand what was happening. And, of course, with Ivy in the mix, our parents thought it was crucial that everything be aboveboard. They had no idea Ivy would disappear. Mom and Dad both expected Ivy to be part of our family, and they thought the best way to handle it was to be transparent about what they were doing, the legal action they were taking against Patricia, etcetera.”
“But you think they held something back?” Zane stretched one leg, then another, then stood.
“Not intentionally. No. I think they told us everything. But, again, I was seventeen. I was in love with Ivy and she’d disappeared. Her mom had stolen priceless heirlooms and was going to jail, and my baseball career had ended before it started. I wasn’t in a good place mentally or emotionally. So my memories of that time, and of what happened, could be skewed, or even completely wrong. I want to get Mom’s take on Patricia Draper Collins Johnson. Obviously, I know she was a thief. But would she be willing to put Ivy’s life at risk to get to that money?”
“That would be rough.” Sometimes Luke had a real knack for understatement.
“Agreed. We’ve all met hardened criminals who were devotedfamily men. They wouldn’t think twice about ordering a hit, but then they’d go home and read bedtime stories to their kids at night. I’ve always assumed Patricia fell into that category. Not a great mom, but not a mom who would endanger her daughter. With everything that’s happened, I need to rethink that.”
The fact that neither Zane nor Luke contradicted him was a testament to what they’d all experienced in their careers—never assume innocence. That was for the courts. Not for the investigators.
“I’m surprised your mom didn’t take your call.” Luke frowned. “I would think she’d be dying to talk to you.”
She was. She’d texted him ten times over the past few days. He wasn’t avoiding her. Much. But she wanted details about Ivy, and he wasn’t prepared to give her what she wanted. The details were his. His and Ivy’s. No one else’s.
“I called this morning during her planning period. But she texted that she doesn’t have a free period today because she’s helping cover another teacher’s classroom so the woman can go to the dentist. She’ll call when school lets out.”
Zane rapped his knuckles on the table. “I always love talking to Mama Dixon. Have her call you on your office line and put it on speakerphone so Luke and I can chime in. We’ll make sure she knows about Buttercup and how she’s stolen her little Gilly’s heart.”
Zane was a dead man.
“Princess Buttercup. I guess that means it’s ‘wuv, twu wuv.’” Luke’s imitation of the line fromThe Princess Bridewas spot on.
So was Gil’s aim.
The marker hit Luke right in the sternum. “Ow.” Luke rubbed the spot as he retrieved the marker and tossed it onto the table. Gil put the marker back in its assigned location. Leslie had a strictdry-erase marker policy, and no one broke the conference room rules.
“Come on.” Zane nodded toward Luke. “Let’s go find out why Gil’s girl got a bunch of funny money. Maybe if we solve that piece of the puzzle, he’ll invite us to the wedding.”
