Page 69 of Final Approach
He pursed his lips. “Normally I would say yes, but just from meeting her, she’s a good liar. Or a skilled actress. She’s not going to tell us anything if we ask. We’re going to have to catch them together. What do you think about an early morning stakeout?”
“You read my mind once again.”
He pulled to the Browns’ curb and parked. One vehicle was in the garage. “Think she might be home.”
“All right,” Kristine said, “let’s do this.”
FIFTEEN
Before Kristine could even ring the bell, the door opened and a young boy around the age of seven stared up at them with wide eyes. “Mom! Someone’s here!”
Tabitha, barefoot and dressed in black leggings and an oversized T-shirt, appeared and pulled her son away from them. “Go finish coloring, Ollie.” The child scampered away, and she eyed the bags in their hands with a raised brow. “Hi.”
“I hope you don’t mind us bringing food.”
“Um ... no, not at all.” She glanced over her shoulder and sighed, then opened the door.
Kristine and Andrew stepped inside the immaculate kitchen and set the bags on the table. “I guess we should have called,” Kristine said, “but it was a spur-of-the-moment thing.”
“It’s fine. Kids, come on in here if you’re hungry. Some friends brought Mike’s burgers.”
A stampede came from the back of the house and the den area. The kids surrounded the table, eyes wide. Tabitha distributed the food, then tilted her head toward the den. Andrew and Kristine followed her into the now empty-of-kids room. She took in the new recliner in the den, the new coffee table and end tables, new boardgames stacked on the built-in shelves, and an Xbox hooked up to the new flat-screen television.
She met Andrew’s gaze, noted his raised brows, and bit her lip on the first words that wanted to roll off her tongue. Instead, she pretended not to notice the new items.
“What’s all this for?” Tabitha asked.
“We just felt like doing something for you. We wanted you to know we haven’t abandoned you.”
“Well, we’re doing okay. You didn’t need to.” She hesitated and looked around the room, her expression uncomfortable but borderline defiant. Then she sighed. “Thank you. It’s been a rough few days.”
“Tabitha,” Andrew said, his voice low, “where’s Jacob?”
She frowned. “Why are you asking me? You’re the ones who lost him.”
“He ran,” Kristine said, “and you never asked us if we had any word about him.” She waved a hand at the room. “And this? Jacob has the money, doesn’t he?”
“He didn’t buy anything I didn’t need.” Her gaze flicked to the Xbox. “Except maybe that, but Marcus and I’d been saving to get that for the kids for Christmas.” She tightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “We needed Christmas to come a little early this year.”
Kristine sighed. “Where is he?”
“Why does it matter? He’s safe.”
“Then why doesn’t he come home?”
She rubbed her palms on her leggings. “He’s afraid he’ll be in trouble for running away, but I told him I talked to the psychiatrist at the hospital and he cleared me. The overdose was an accident. My church family has stepped up and is helping.”
“Or ... he doesn’t want to give the money back?” Andrew asked.
The woman bit her lip and nodded. “I think that’s probably part of it. Will we have to? I mean, part of me feels guilty about all of this, but another part of me feels like it somehow allows Marcus to giveus what he wanted.” She held up a hand. “I’m not saying I agree with what he did, but if we have to give the money back, then it feels like he died in vain.” Tears dripped down her cheeks.
“He has to give the money back,” Andrew said. “That money is evidence in a crime that’s not solved yet. It needs to be examined, to see if it can be determined where it came from.”
“How are you going to figure that out?” Tabitha asked. “It was cash. In small bills.” Her voice cracked on the last word. “Jacob doesn’t want me to get in trouble. He won’t give it to me and he won’t tell me where he is.”
“But you probably have a suspicion?” Kristine asked. The noise from the kitchen was rising quickly and Tabitha hurried to defuse whatever argument had been sparked.
The kids settled and she returned to the den. “Maybe,” she said in answer to the last question. “He likes the library. He likes Mike’s. And he likes the church, whether he’ll admit it or not.” She shook her head. “I don’t know. And honestly, I’m not sure I should tell you if I did.”
