Page 48 of Stand By You
Geneva’s mouth dropped open. “You’re drugging him?”
“No,” her mother said.
“That’s what it sounds like,” Geneva yelled. “How could you? How could you? If you’d do that to him what are you going to do to me now that I’ve found out?”
She didn’t wait for their answer, instead, she ran from the kitchen and back up to her room, locking her bedroom door. Grabbing her phone from the bedside table, she dialed 9-1-1.
“9-1-1, how can I help you?” the female voice said.
“I’d like to report an abduction. My son Travis McGinty was taken at the Miami zoo by my parents Robert and Judy Reyes. I don’t know where they’ve hidden him, but I know they purchased the house, so maybe that’s where he is. But I’m afraid they’re going to kill me! Can you send Detective Curt Simons to 6842 Whispering Pines Lane.”
“Have they threatened you?” the female asked.
“No, but I heard my father say he killed the man he paid to take my son from the zoo,” Geneva wept. “If he’ll go to those lengths to prevent the man from talking, what wouldn’t he do to me?”
Banging sounded on the door and the knob rattled as someone tried to get in.
“Geneva. Geneva, open this door,” her father’s bellowed, and the door rattled as he slammed his weight against it.
“Hurry,” she begged, looking at the door “They’re trying to break down my bedroom door.”
“Please stay on the line. I’m sending patrol cars to your address,” the woman said.
“Send Detective Simons,” Geneva screamed and hurried into the bathroom to lock herself inside.
CHAPTER 15
Simons and Kohlwere headed out of the station with their search warrant for the Richmond West address when the chief of detectives, Gordon McCann stopped them.
“Hold up guys. We’ve had a distress call come in from Robert and Judy Reyes’ address. Their daughter is claiming her parents are responsible for Travis McGinty’s abduction and that they are trying to harm her,” McCann said. “Patrol cars have been dispatched to Whispering Pines Lane, but I think you better head over there since Geneva has been asking for Simons.”
“Shit,” Simons said. “Where is McIlroy and Willard? They’ve been sitting on the house watching the Reyes family for days.”
He quickly called McIlroy’s cell. While he waited for the call to be picked up, he said, “I knew the Reyes’ were involved, but I never imagined it was them and not their daughter who had Travis abducted.”
“McIlroy,” the undercover officer said through a yawn.
“It’s Simons. You had better not have been sleeping on the job. Where’s Willard? I need the two of you to rush the house, Geneva has called claiming her parents are trying to harm her.”
“On it boss!” McIlroy said.
“If she’s hurt because the two of you were slacking off…”
“We weren’t. We were watching the house,” McIlroy protested, and Simons released a sigh of relive as a car door slamming came through the speaker.
“Get in there and save her,” Simons said, ending the call.
“Mayor Suarez just happened to be in my office getting an update on the McGinty boy’s’ abduction when the dispatch call came in,” McCann said. “He’s concerned by Geneva’s accusation. He’s also concerned that his good name may be tainted if Robert Reyes really did kill someone. The man gave heavily to the Suarez election campaign.”
“We understand,” Kohl said. “We’ll handle this with utmost care not to damage the mayor’s reputation in the process.”
“But,” Simons cautioned. “We can’t help it if the mayor has been associating himself with the wrong sort of people.”
“No disrespect, sir,” Kohl said, biting off his words. “We’re talking about people who very likely had their own grandson kidnapped and drugged to hold him hostage for reasons yet unknown. And very likely had a man killed because of it.”
With that, Simons and Kohl left the station, giving Nick Bardou a call on the way.
“Bardou here,” Nick said on the second ring.
