Page 21 of Stand By You
“I’ll be…” Nick said. “So that’s how they got away.”
“Yeah,” Jillian agreed.
“Sit still. I’m going inside to let Simons know we don’t need footage,” Nick said.
She nodded, feeling shaky. She got one of the bottles of water out and unscrewed the cap to take a drink hoping it would settle her frazzled nerves. Her thoughts went to Travis, and she prayed he was unharmed wherever he was and that no harm had come to him. Surely, he was okay, and they’d find him soon. She had to hold on to that thought.
She turned on the radio, thinking the music would calm her. But it was right before the top of the hour and the station was giving a news report. A prominent family court judge had beenfound murdered in his home that morning. She turned up the volume.
“Judge Michael Stevens was discovered slain in his back yard this morning by his wife. After he didn’t return from walking their dogs,” the news reporter said.
“Stevens,” Jillian murmured, searching her memory. But the name remained a vague memory. The driver’s door opened, and she jerked away, hitting her head on her window.
“Sorry to have startled you,” Nick said, getting inside. “You’re white as a sheet. What’s wrong?”
“A family court judge was found murdered this morning in his back yard,” she explained. “I think I know him, but I can’t be sure.”
“Family court,” Nick said. “Interesting.”
“I think,” Jillian said slowly. “He might be the one who heard the McGinty’s custody case but that was a long time ago.”
“Is there a way for you to find out?” Nick asked.
She shrugged. “I’m not sure and even if it were him, he has seen many cases over the years. His murder has nothing to do with Travis’ abduction or my muggings.”
“Or your hit and run,” Nick added.
“Right. Just another unexplained occurrence,” she said before giving a long sigh. “What did Simons have to say?”
Nick grimaced. “He was surprised by them being on bikes. We assumed they were skateboarders by the way they dressed. He must wait for the crime scene techs to arrive, so he wants us to try to find the guys.”
“Surely they couldn’t get very far,” she said.
“Let’s hope not,” he said, checking the rearview mirror before backing out of the parking space.
Nick drove the speed limit,keeping an eye on the surveillance on his phone to make sure the bike riders didn’t turn off the street. The flashing red dot assured him he was following in the right direction.
“Are you okay?” he asked Jillian after she’d remained quiet for several miles.
“Just thinking,” she said.
“About Travis or that court judge?” he inquired.
“The judge,” she said, sounding defeated. “I don’t know why I can’t recall if he was the one who presided over the McGinty’s hearing.”
“You did have a head injury two days ago,” he pointed out. “Even though it wasn’t a concussion that could contribute to your fogginess. Plus, it’s been several years and not something you’d think about daily since it wasn’t your own case.”
“True, but I still feel like I should know this because it is important to Travis’ life,” she said.
She lapsed into silence again. After a while, she sighed and said, “It’s not like I could do anything about the man being dead if he were their judge. And I never heard from Mr. McGinty last night. I don’t know if he reached Geneva or not. Did Detective Simons mention the twenty-four hours being up before they’d release that Amber Alert about Travis?”
“No, but he did say he had to get back to his partner Kohl and their other case since it was Kohl’s first day back to work from medical leave.”
“Maybe I should call Mr. McGinty and check in instead. I wonder what time it is there?” she said and began to rummage through her purse, taking out of phone.
It was clear to Nick that she hadn’t paid attention to what he’d said so he let it go. And with her preoccupied he focused on driving and following the red dot on his phone, then he half-listened as she talked to Mr. McGinty. He could hear the man’sdeep voice on the other end of the line and the concern for Jillian’s safety in the words he spoke.
“We’re looking for Travis now,” she said, her voice getting shaky. “We’ll bring him home. I promise.”
