Page 24 of All He Sees
There was a kidnapper out there. But it wasn't Pedro Lopez.
Then who? Nicky asked, staring up at the moon as it appeared through the clouds.
Who was taking the girls?
CHAPTER TEN
Back at the hotel room, Nicky tossed her keys on the table and flicked on the lights. Ken came in behind her. They'd been quiet the whole drive here. Nicky had been too frustrated to even talk about the fact that Pedro wasn't their guy, and clearly, Ken had felt the same way.
They were at their first real dead-end.
The hotel room had floral comforters on the two beds and a beachy decal that matched the wallpaper around it, plus a table with two chairs, where Nicky intended to keep working--even if she did have no leads. Through the windows, it was dark and quiet outside.
They'd talked to the witness. One dud of a suspect. But on the drive, Nicky had realized that they hadn't yet talked to the family. She sat down at the table and pulled out Mira's file, glancing it over.
Name: Mira Phillips.
Age: Twenty-one.
Parents: Linda Phillips (nee Jones) and Mark Phillips. Note: Parents live in New York. Mira moved to Florida with her younger sister, June, two years ago for school. Estranged from parents.
"You saw that she's estranged from her parents but close with her sister, yeah?" Nicky asked Ken.
He yawned, stretched, and sat across from her at the table. "I did. Wasn't sure if it would end up being relevant."
"We should talk to her sister," Nicky noted. "If the parents are in New York, I doubt they know anything, but we could check with them too. The sister seems relevant, though."
"Agreed," Ken said.
Nicky stood up and picked up her phone again. She dialed the number and put her phone on speaker.
It rang only twice before it was picked up. A young woman's voice, full of annoyance: "Hello?"
"Hi, this is Agent Nicky Lyons with the FBI," Nicky said. "We're investigating a kidnapping case that took place on August 18th and we were hoping to ask you a few questions about it."
"Oh, and what about it?"
"Well, your sister was kidnapped that day, was she not?"
A pause. "Oh. Uh, yeah, she was."
"You're Mira's sister?"
"Uh... Yeah. I am. June."
Nicky hesitated. June's reaction was a bit... odd. "I know it's late, but could we come over? We'd like to ask you a few questions about the day your sister disappeared."
"Oh, wow," said the girl. "Well, of course, but I am going to bed a bit soon... you could just ask me here."
Nicky looked at Ken, who just shrugged. They supposed it made no difference.
"All right," Nicky said. "I saw that you and Mira moved here together. Do you not live together anymore?"
"Oh, no, Mira much preferred the company of her roommates," June said. "I like living alone anyway."
"Right..." Nicky trailed off. "Well--"
"You know," June cut in, "I don't think we need to worry too much about Mira. Everything that happens is part of Richter’s plan, and I have to believe that Richter has something wonderful in store for her."
