Ben had a rough time over the past few years. He lost his father three years ago, his sister, who was my wife Claire, not long after. While still grieving over the lost members of his family, his partner in the police force was shot by gang-bangers in a shoot-out on Chicago’s South Side. Nineteen bullets. They said there was practically nothing left of his skull afterwards and they had to identify him through DNA. One of those losses was hard enough, but he suffered each of them just as he was starting to recover from the last.
His dogs, his daughter, and escaping to the river to fish, were about the only things that kept him afloat. But even then, he was a leaky vessel in a constant sea of choppy water.
Did I think he could kidnap a child? Once upon a time I would have said no. Without a doubt. But now. Maybe. Nobody knows what another person is capable of when they’re pushed to the edge. And Ben was a man on the edge.
I screeched my truck to the sidewalk in front of my office just as Casey was doing the same. She leapt out of her vehicle, as did I.
“Time until drop?”
“3 hours, 45 minutes.” I looked at my watch. “We’ve got time to solve this before the drop and we have to, because I have a feeling that Chase is going to do something stupid. I can’t trust him to follow instructions. That million dollars is worth too much to him.”
“I called him, like you asked, and you’re right, he’s jittery. I did my best to calm him down, keep him focused on what he needs to do, but I’m not sure he was really listening. I got the feeling his mind was on something else. I think he’s planning something himself.”
I nodded, that was my concern too.
“To be honest, I don’t think he really trusted me,” Casey continued. “I couldn’t get a clear answer from him about anything. Do you know if he has the money ready?”
“He does. Everything is ready to go. He’s been instructed to place the money on the park bench at midnight, walk back to the playground, and then they’ll release Millie.”
“They’ll release Millie without checking the bag first?” Casey looked incredulous.
“We’re not dealing with professionals. This is someone with a strong sense of justice and good morals. Someone who couldn’t conceive risking a child’s life over money. The kidnappers would think that Chase would have to be pretty stupid to take that chance. He’s not a fighter, and whoever the kidnapper is, they’d know that. They’re willing to risk it.”
“But you disagree.” Casey frowned. “You think he would jeopardize Millie by going back for the money?”
“I do. I’m going to call him back in one hour, take him through step-by-step of what he needs to do. I’m going to go over the risks with him, emphasize the dangers and let him know what can happen if he doesn’t play by the kidnapper’s rules. And I’m going to be clear: his child will die. And her blood will be on his hands. An indelible stain that he can never wash off.”
Without willing it, images started growing in my mind of what would happen if we failed. The headlines screaming about the innocent five-year-old who disappeared when the ransom drop went haywire. Millie’s smiling photo next to a picture of Tanya crying.
And possibly the blame being put on me. On the private investigator. The scape goat who Chase would turn on in a heartbeat to save his own reputation and skin. Yeah, that’s how it would play out.
Not that I cared about that. I cared about Millie, getting her back without a hiccup. Seeing her safe and well. But with Chase intimately involved in the process, I was understandably concerned.
“And you think you can calm Chase down?”
“No, I don’t.” We walked into the elevator to the office. “But we don’t have a choice.”
After the short ride, we entered into the office. Casey sat down at her desk and turned on her laptop.
“How did it go talking to Ben? Anything we can use?”
“He was evasive, but I don’t know if that’s because he’s involved, or because he was looking after his beloved dogs.” A thought went through my head. “When you checked the social media accounts around the area, did you check the dog park nearby?”
“I did but there was no information to go on. I couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just photos of smiling, happy dogs.”
“Check it again. Bring up the photos. Ben’s dogs have social media accounts, so check that location for any pictures of beagles. He posts pictures of those dogs all the time. They used to be show dogs and he’s very proud of it. I want to see if he’s been in the area at all in the last week, any day.”
Casey flicked open the internet browser, typed quickly, and what she found made my mouth drop open.
“Ben’s dogs have their own social media accounts, but he doesn’t usually tag their location.” Her mouth dropped open as well as she looked at the background in one of the pictures. “But the last picture was clearly taken in that run-down dog park on the morning that Millie went missing.”
Chapter 24
