Page 38 of Chasing a Kidnapper

He wasn’t sure if he was thrilled or horrified by that thought.

Trisha felt as frustrated as West looked. They returned to the SUV without speaking. After West placed Peanut in the back, she pulled open the passenger door. “Do you think we have enough to issue a BOLO for Nick Cutter?”

“Probably. He had access to the car key and he hasn’t responded to her calls.” He shrugged. “I’m not holding out a lot of hope, though, because the BOLO for your ex hasn’t yielded results yet. There’s a lot of wide open spaces here.”

“I know.” She had hoped to have a lead on her ex-husband by now, too. As West pulled into traffic, a horrible thought hit. “What if Bryan is dead?”

West turned to look at her. “That possibility has crossed my mind. Sounds like the masked perp was looking for something Bryan had. Possibly because Bryan had told him you had the key, prior to being killed. I’m not saying there’s reason to be sure, but we should consider it.”

She should have thought of this angle sooner. “I would hope that someone would have reported him missing, like a coworker, friend or supervisor.”

“Maybe, unless he’s been off-grid for a while. I searched for a last known address,” West admitted. “The apartment was a dead end. The manager told me Bryan didn’t live there anymore and that he left no forwarding address.”

She frowned at that. “I wonder if he found another job that provided housing. He had some experience working on the Rocking K Ranch.”

“Something to consider,” West agreed. “If you don’t mind, let’s stop in at the station. The autopsies of Petey Pawners and Greg Zillow are scheduled to take place soon.” He shot her a quick glance. “You don’t have to go with me. I know patrol officers don’t usually attend autopsies.”

“I’ll tag along.” She grimaced and added, “I’m not sure why it’s a requirement to attend, though. They were both shot, right?”

“Yes, but the ME could find other clues, too. That’s why it’s routine for detectives to attend.”

“Okay.” She wasn’t going to complain, although the thought of Bryan being possibly dead continued to gnaw at her. She didn’t love him, and Gabriel didn’t even know him. Yet the idea of her son never knowing his father bothered her.

More than she’d have thought.

She gave herself a mental shake. It would be a long time before Gabriel would ask questions about his father. This wasn’t the time to worry about how she’d respond.

Finding Bryan and the masked kidnapper was her priority. “Is there time to swing by Bryan’s old apartment?” she asked. “I was thinking we could ask the manager if he noticed anything odd about Bryan’s activities over the past few weeks.”

West hit the vehicle’s touch screen to make a call, confirming with the ME that the autopsies would happen later that morning. He hit the end button. “We have an hour. May as well stop by the apartment.”

“Great.” She tried not to get her hopes up too high, but even the smallest clue at this point would be helpful. At the next intersection, West turned right to head in the opposite direction.

The apartment building where her ex had been living looked worse than she’d anticipated. The building was run-down and there were several shingles missing from the roof, along with a few broken windows covered with plywood. There was no reason to feel guilty over Bryan’s apparent dire financial situation. He wasn’t paying any child support and had no claim on the house, since she had purchased it with her savings and a portion of her parents’ estate that she’d split with Raina.

“I’m going to drive around, first,” West said, passing the building.

“Looks like the type of place criminals might hang out,” she said with a frown. “I had no idea he lived here.”

“Considering the city’s population is roughly eighty-five thousand people, I’m not surprised.” West made a loop around the block. When he reached the front again, he pulled into the small parking lot and shut down the engine. “Let’s do this.”

She climbed out, knowing he would bring Peanut along for this discussion. It was mighty nice to know if the people you’re interviewing might be carrying.

Too bad all patrol officers weren’t issued weapon detection K-9s. It would make her job much easier.

The manager was a balding man who introduced himself as Leon. He wore a stained T-shirt and flannel pants, as if he rarely left the apartment. She glanced down at Peanut, who sniffed curiously but didn’t alert.

“I’m Detective Cole and this is Officer McCord. We’d like to ask a few questions about Bryan Little.”

Leon squinted. “I talked to you before, right? Told you Little don’t live here anymore.”

“Yes, but I’m wondering if you’ve had any trouble with him prior to his departure.” West spoke in a calm voice. “We’re worried about his well-being, so anything you can tell us would be helpful.”

“I can’t say I noticed anything unusual.” Leon scratched his chin. “He paid by the month. Tole me he got a new job and was heading out.”

“Did he have a lot of visitors?” Trisha asked.

“Nah, he kept to himself.” Leon scrunched up his forehead. “Although someone came by asking for him the day after he left.”

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