Color slid from Orson’s face as she straightened in her chair. “You-you caught him?”
Ah. Worry, not hope.
Just as she thought. Orson was in on this.
Now to figure out why.
“We don’t have them in custody, but we’re making progress.” Sid rested his elbows on his knees with his fingers laced together. “In the meantime, we’re very glad you’re safe here.”
Orson’s tongue flicked across her lips. “Yes. Of course. Safe.”
“And we’re grateful for your help in catching these guys.” Kevyn kept her gaze focused on Orson, who straightened at her words. She set a manilla envelope on the coffee table between them. “We have a few images we’d like to run by you.”
“I’ll do whatever I can to help you catch them.” A theatrical shudder rocked Orson’s bony frame. “I want this nightmare to be over.”
“I’m sure you do.” Kevyn met Sid’s gaze.
A barely perceptible nod indicated that Sid was ready to go. They’d rehearsed their strategy on the way over. Now to see if it worked.
Kevyn slid out the images, all printouts from the security video.
“We’re curious.” She pushed the first one across to Orson. “This one, you’re looking in the direction of the van. Almost like you expected trouble.”
Sid snagged the next printout, the one where Orson looked at the attacker. “And in this one, you’re looking right at him. But you told us you didn’t get a good look.”
A gray hue colored Orson’s cheeks. Her frame shook from the force of her heavy breathing.
And Sid wasn’t even done.
“And in these,” Sid spread out three more images, each showing the moment the supposed abduction occurred. “It looks like you’re climbing into the van on your own. Not being forced. Why is that?”
“I-I… that’s not what’s happening.” Orson’s voice rose to a squeak. “I mean, of course I fought back. I wouldn’t let some creep take me without trying to get away.”
“You don’t hit him or scratch him. You don’t even scream. Why is that?”
Kevyn barely waited for Sid to finish his question before pulling out the remaining paper, a printout of Orson’s financials. “Does it have anything to do with this?”
Color exploded into Orson’s cheeks. “How dare you dig into my personal affairs! You have no right–”
“Actually, we do. When you were abducted, we were granted access to your financial records. Finances often help us locate people who have gone missing.” Sid’s tone contained an uncharacteristically hard edge. Precisely as they’d discussed. “We know you weren’t abducted by the same crew that took Jason Boggess. We also know that you were going deeper in the red, in spite of running a successful business. So what is it? Drugs?”
She shot to her feet. “I would never!”
“Gambling?”
A sheen glistened on Orson’s face in the filtered light and her pulse jumped in her neck.
Sid had hit it with that one.
Kevyn softened her tone. “How much do you owe?”
Orson’s eyes darted toward the door, which was on the other side of the room, past the sofa on which both Kevyn and Sid sat. “I don’t…”
“And why not ask your father for the money? Why the ruse?”
Orson collapsed to her knees in front of the table as a sob ripped from her. “You don’t understand! I couldn’t ask my dad.”
Kneeling on the other side of the table, Kevyn reached across and placed her hand on top of Orson’s. “He loves you so much. Surely he would have helped you.”
Orson gulped in air. “It wasn’t the first time. Last time he threatened to cut me off. Sell my condo. I told him I’d stop, but I couldn’t help it. I-I couldn’t go to him. Not again.”
“So you arranged the kidnapping so you’d have the ransom to pay off your debts.” It took effort to keep the anger and condemnation boiling within her from coming out in her words. This woman, with her selfish actions, had wasted their time. Valuable time that could cost three people their lives.
“Kind of.” Orson raised her blotchy, tear-streaked face to meet Kevyn’s eyes. “I was being pressured to pay. Threatened. I-I sorta suggested that we stage a kidnapping and they could have the ransom.”
“How much did you owe?” Sid kept his tone casual, as if they were discussing where they should go for dinner.
“Forty thousand. I knew daddy kept that much at the house.”
“You know they took eighty thousand from him, right?”
Orson’s eyes dropped to the table at Sid’s question. “I had nothing to do with that.”
No? Given that the abduction had been her idea, it sounded like she had everything to do with it.
“Anyway, I’m done now. I’m clear and I’m out. I won’t do it again. Honest.” Her bloodshot eyes implored Kevyn. “Please. We don’t have to tell daddy, right?”
Pulling her hand away, Kevyn pushed to her feet. “He’s going to find out. You committed a crime, wasted federal investigative resources, and may have cost three other people their lives.”
Sid walked around and pulled Orson to her feet. “You’re going to have to come with us.”
“I want a lawyer!” Orson jerked her arm away.
“You’re going to need one.” Kevyn caught Orson’s arm and snapped a handcuff around the bony wrist. “You can ring him from our office.”
₪ ₪ ₪
The late afternoon sun beat down on Dak’s shoulders as he stepped out of his Jeep.
Phew! It was a warm one today. The sun was surprisingly intense for the Seattle area, even during July.
At least he’d opted for a polo shirt today rather than button down.
He slipped on his ever-fashionable FBI cap before locking his Jeep and jogging across the narrow two-lane road. Sea grass brushed his knees
