Conrad looks at Cassidy, but his eyes are far away as he gets his phone out and says, “This will be easier if I call the other person who was there that day.”
Cassidy frowns but says nothing, so I ask, “Other person?”
Conrad nods, his focus on his phone. He taps the screen then places it on the arm of the chair beside him. It rings a few times then someone answers, “Conrad?”
It’s a woman, her voice low, yet still somewhat delicate, her tone questioning yet friendly. “Is everything alright?”
Conrad clears his throat then responds, “It’s time.”
“Do I need to come?”
“No,” he answers, shifting uncomfortably on the chair. “You can tell the tale and then answer questions easily enough over the phone.”
“Okay,” she says, no hesitation in her voice.
“I’ll start at the beginning, and then you can pick up with whatever you recall from where we initially parted ways, does that work?”
“Of course,” she answers softly. “And don’t worry, Conrad. I remember everything.”
He sighs loudly and I open my mouth to ask who this woman is and why she has part of the story that he does not, but Conrad puts his hand up, stopping me. His expression has shifted, his eyes still tired, but now holding a cold edge I’ve never seen before.
He leans back fully in the chair, his hands moving to the tops of his thighs as he slouches down a bit, this new stance and his shift in demeanor giving him an old-world vibe that sends a chill down my spine. He levels his gaze on me then turns to Cassidy, his eyes softening some as he watches her.
He sighs again, clears his throat.
And then he speaks.
36
A LUCKY BREAK
TWENTY-ISH YEARS AGO…
CONRAD
“I found her.”At the sound of Mickey’s voice, I’m instantly awake.
Sitting up, I reach for the light. “Where?”
“Up north,” he replies.
“Are you there?”
“No, you know how I always put feelers out to all my guys, just in case they hear or see something,” He states, not waiting for me to respond, he goes on, “A couple of my guys followed a lead on something unrelated and got a lucky hit.”
"Did they get her out?"
"Not yet. There was a lot of activity and they were worried they'd be in the wind before they could secure her. So they backed off and reported to me for further instructions."
I switched my phone to speaker, already out of bed and in the middle of dressing. "How long before you can get a team together?"
"Well, that depends on how you want to do this."
He doesn't have to explain what he means. When it comes to extracting a victim from a dangerous situation you can do it the easy way or the hard way. Typically, the hard way is the legal way, but that requires having to go through official channels, provide evidence and enough reasonable doubt that someone will actually go in there and do something. "We'll do this easy to start. We can get legal involved after the fact. Whatever gets her out of there the fastest.”
"My man reports getting access won't be easy. How likely is it that someone will do something irrational if we force our way in?"
"It's a certainty," I respond, knowing exactly the lengths my ex-wife would go to not have her scheming disrupted. "Keep eyes on the place. If anyone tries to leave with anything at all, follow them and when a reasonable distance away, search them."
