Page 54 of Deadly Forever

Maverick typed on his computer for a second and then turned around the laptop monitor. James nodded when he recognized Kaspar’s features. The man in the photo was younger, his hair darker and fuller, but it was definitely the same man.

“So Kaspar is a registered sex offender,” Jake said. “What did Fisher do to get himself on that list?”

“He had sex with two minors,” Maverick answered. “Doug Fisher worked as a guidance counselor at a Kalamazoo school. One student accused him of rape and he was put on administrative leave. Then a second student accused him of the same thing and the cops got involved.

“Fisher did three years in prison before being released,” he continued. “He made regular parole meetings for six months and then disappeared. They’re still looking for him.”

“And we’ve found him,” James mused, rubbing his chin. “What about his kid? Darcy said he has a kid.”

“Doug Fisher has a son named Jacob Fisher,” Maverick answered. “Jacob lived with his mother while Fisher was in prison. As far as I can tell the mother has custody of the kid, but he doesn’t live with her.”

“Didn’t Darcy say that Kaspar’s son was named Jacob?” James asked.

Mandy nodded. “Yes.”

“Okay, how much do you want to bet that Kaspar set up that party and used his son as bait?” James asked, keeping his arm around Mandy’s waist as he leaned forward. “He supplies the kids with drugs and tells them what to do. Then he remains hidden and takes advantage of their choice, who just happens to be Darcy in this instance. No one but that little group of kids even knows he’s in the house … and that’s by design.”

“I feel a little sick to my stomach,” Mandy muttered.

James brushed his lips against her cheek before continuing. “He probably incorporated the drugs in the hope that the girls wouldn’t remember. He got caught last time because the girls testified against him. He probably hoped this was his way around that.”

“Darcy remembered Dakota, though,” Jake pointed out. “She blew everything out of the water.”

“That still doesn’t explain why the kids went into the mall that day,” Grady said. “They weren’t facing charges because Darcy recanted. A lot of the kids at the school were on their side. There was no reason for them to storm that mall.”

“That’s where we have to focus,” James agreed, bobbing his head. “We need to talk to Kaspar.”

Mandy shifted her eyes to James, surprised. “You’re going to confront him?”

“Oh, baby, I’m looking forward to confronting him,” James said. “I hope he resists the questions, because I’m looking forward to beating the crap out of him, too.”

Mandy raised an eyebrow. “You’re not going to kill him, are you? I don’t want you in jail when we’re planning a wedding.”

“I’m not going to kill him,” James promised. “I’m going to question him and then call the police and let them handle the situation. I promise not to get arrested.”

“Okay.”

James kissed the tip of her nose. “I have big plans for you this weekend. I definitely promise not to get arrested. Don’t worry about that. It’s not going to happen.”

Mandy’s eyes flashed. “What big plans?”

“It’s a surprise.”

“You know I hate surprises,” Mandy grumbled.

James knew nothing of the sort. She enjoyed complaining about surprises, but in the end, she almost always enjoyed them. “You’re going to like this one. I promise.”

“Okay,” Mandy said, although she looked doubtful. “Be careful while you’re with Kaspar. If he senses the noose closing around his neck, he might become dangerous.”

“I already told you this, but I think it bears repeating,” James said. “I will never be away from you for any length of time again. I promise.”

“Aw.” Jake, Grady, and Maverick made faces as they watched the interaction, mocking the happy couple in unison.

James ignored them. “So who wants to go with me to question Kaspar? I think we’ve got a long talk in our future.”

“I’ll go,” Jake immediately answered. “I want to talk to him about the way he looked down my woman’s dress last night.”

“You and me both,” James said. “Let’s do this. The sooner we get to the bottom of what Kaspar has planned, the sooner we can focus on the wedding and nothing else.”

“Except my surprise, of course,” Mandy reminded him.

James grinned, the expression lighting up his handsome features. “Of course, baby. I could never forget about your surprise. It’s going to be one for the record books. I promise you that.”