Where was he going? There was nothing out here but warehouses, semi-trucks, trailers, cargo containers, and freighters.
Could the organ smuggling operation be running out of a freighter?
Possible. It’d be easy to move that way, a definite bonus for an illegal operation.
The man stopped.
Kevyn pulled back behind a shipping container as she saw him begin to turn around.
Had he seen her? Heard her?
Or was he simply being careful?
₪ ₪ ₪
“You said you knew what happened to Jason Boggess.” Caldwell absently tapped a finger on his knee as he stared at Taylor.
Red crept up into Taylor’s cheeks. “Uh, yeah. So I made that up.”
Made it up? Did Taylor really expect them to buy that? It was too precise for it to be randomly selected.
Dak bit back the skepticism burning his tongue.
This was Caldwell’s interrogation. Taking over the questioning wouldn’t be well-received.
“Really. Made it up.” Caldwell’s tone reflected Dak’s own disbelief. “Are you telling me that you don’t know anything about the Jason Boggess abduction?”
“Yes. I knew Kevyn wouldn’t be happy to see me after all these years, so I had to do something to get her attention.”
“And lying about a missing person was the best way to do that?”
“Look. You don’t know what it’s like.” Taylor tucked his arms close to his sides and seemed to shrink into the chair. “I’ve run off everyone in my life. My ex-wife, my kids. Kevyn was my last chance. It seemed like a good idea at the time.”
Oh, come on. Did Taylor think they were stupid?
“So, what? You thought that choosing some random victim from the headlines was the best option?” A hard edge lined Caldwell’s words.
“Of course not.” Taylor huffed. “I hired a PI to follow her, found out she worked for the FBI investigating missing persons. It was only logical that the mayor’s son would land on her plate.”
Dak’s phone vibrated in his pocket.
Probably another regular check-in from Sid or Kev.
It could wait a few minutes. It felt like they were close to getting answers.
“You really thought that would work? That you could bluff your way into her life?”
Caldwell’s question seemed to pop Taylor’s indignation. His shoulders sagged. “I’d hoped so. I didn’t know what other card to play.”
He couldn’t take it any longer. “How about the truth?”
Taylor lifted defeated eyes to meet Dak’s. “That’s easy for you to say.”
“The truth is always the best option.”
“Oh yeah?” Taylor rubbed the back of his neck again, more vigorously this time. “The truth is I was a scared and selfish kid when I ran out on Kevyn’s mom. How is admitting that the best option?”
“It’s the best option for her.” Keeping his tone level was a challenge, but Dak managed to sound neutral. “After all this time, didn’t you think she deserved the truth?”
“On a more serious note,” Caldwell slanted narrowed eyes at Dak before refocusing on Taylor. “Filing a false report is illegal. A misdemeanor, at the very least, although we could charge you with a felony in this instance.”
Taylor wagged a finger. “Uh-uh. I never filed a report. Why do you think I never went through with this whole thing?”
Because you’re a coward? Dak bit back the words. Caldwell wouldn’t appreciate him butting in – again – and it wouldn’t do any good.
“You still wasted valuable manhours that could have been devoted to actually tracking down Jason Boggess. We’ve been trying to find you, because you claimed to know something, when we could have been focused on tracking down real leads.”
Taylor shrugged limply. “Sounds like your problem, not mine.”
Dak’s fingers curled into fists. Rarely did he want to punch someone, but Taylor was pushing all the right buttons.
Kev was better off without this jerk in her life.
The phone vibrated again.
And there was the other agent checking in.
Probably better take a peek. Make sure it wasn’t important.
He pulled it out and glanced at it. The display showed a text from Kevyn and a text from Sid. Sid’s was the most recent, so it was the only one that displayed on the lock screen.
Followed Divers home. Waiting to see if she leaves.
Okay, so nothing big happening. Kevyn’s text was probably similar. He’d check it when they were done here.
He refocused on the conversation as Caldwell asked again if Taylor knew anything about Jason Boggess.
“Nope.” Taylor spread his hands. “Look, I didn’t think it through, all right? I didn’t know you’d take my note so seriously and go to all this trouble. I don’t know anything about any kidnapping. Never did.”
Part of it felt like the truth. Another part felt like a cover. The question was, which part? Did Taylor know something about Boggess? Or about a kidnapping in general?
“If you don’t have anything else, I’d like to relax. It’s been a long day looking at spreadsheets and my eyes are tired.” Taylor stood, a clear indication that he was done talking to them.
Looked like they were done here.
Taylor’s gaze flitted between the two of them before resting on Dak. “And I’d appreciate you not talking to Kevyn about any of this. Or telling her where to find me. She’s better off without me.”
That was probably the truest thing Taylor had said since they’d walked through the door.
But that also wasn’t his decision to make.
“I won’t lie to her. Ultimately it will be her decision if she wants to track you down.”
A sigh escaped Taylor’s lips as they curled slightly in a ghost of a smile. “You’re a better man than I am.”
Dak followed Caldwell back into the hall, where he heard the deadbolt slide behind them.
Neither spoke as they rode
