Page 46 of Stand By You
Pushing back from the table, Jillian stood. “Anyone can be led astray without knowing it, but you will have to take responsibility for your actions.”
“If we aren’t killed,” Slick mumbled.
“What?” she asked.
“Detective Simons said we might be killed like Delvecchio for what we know,” Slick explained.
“I’m sure the police will keep you safe,” she said, and went to the door, and finding it was locked, rapped sharply on it.
Simons opened it and let her out. “Did you get what you wanted?”
“Yes,” she said. “Keep them safe. They shouldn’t end up like Delvecchio.”
Kohl met them before they reached the bull pen. “You won’t believe who owns the real-estate property those two said they took Travis to after leaving the zoo.”
“Try me,” Simons asked.
“Robert and Judy Reyes. The real-estate agency is listed as Jamieson Realty, but they own it,” Kohl said. “What do you want to bet they have him at another agency listed house?”
“How’d you find this out?” Simons asked.
“Nick called a pal of his who ran the Reyes’ financials,” Kohl explained as they walked back to the bull pen and their desks.
“Swede,” Jillian said. “He’s a computer genius and can find out anything, anywhere.”
“Yeah, that’s him,” Kohl said, excitement lifting his voice. “Swede also found a new property that the Reyes purchased several months back located in Richmond West. It’s only twenty-one miles from downtown Miami.”
Simons rubbed his forefinger and thumb back and forth at his chin. “Richmond West is a family friendly neighborhood. My sister lives out there with her family. She told me they liked itbecause of the sense of community and safety she felt as soon as they moved in.”
“Perfect place to hide a kid then,” Kohl said. With other children around it wouldn’t be out of the ordinary for a kid to scream or yell.”
“Right,” Simons said. “Get a search warrant for the property address ‘cause we’re heading for the Keys.”
CHAPTER 14
Geneva woketo the sounds of loud voices. Were her parents arguing? She got up and slipped on her robe before quietly going out into the hallway and heading to the top of the stairs. The voices grew louder as she approached, and she could clearly hear her mother’s angry voice. “That’s so unlike her,” she murmured to herself. “Mom never shouts.”
Tiptoeing down the stairs, she crept toward the kitchen where the voices were coming and stood in the hallway, listening to the argument.
“Sh-h-h, Judy, you’re going to wake Geneva,” her father, Robert, said.
“Then you should have thought of that before you went and shot a man. How could you?” her mother demanded. “It’s one thing to hire that idiot private investigator to do the job for us, but it’s another to get rid of him.”
“He knew too much,” Robert said.
“That was the risk we took when we hired him,” her mother said, her voice lower this time. “And look how worried Geneva has been since she learned that Travis was abducted. How long are we going to keep it from her that he’s fine?”
“A few days more,” her father said. “Once we know that Delvecchio’s body has been found and there are no leads back to us.”
“Are you certain no one saw you go to his office last night?” Her mother asked. “Wasn’t that risky?”
“It was dusk, and I parked in the alley just like he wanted. He left the back door open for me.” She heard the familiar annoyance in her father’s voice. “I had our cleaner go in as soon as he left the office for dinner and tidy up.”
“Please tell me you didn’t kill him too?” her mother pleaded.
“No. I had him blindfolded until we got there and after we left he was well compensated for that job, and I put him on a flight to Barbados as soon as I left there.”
“What insurance do you have he won’t talk once he returns,” she demanded.
