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“A familiar way, too, isn’t it?”
Clearly, Memphis wasn’t going to pretend he didn’t know where this chat was going.
“I’m in Colorado Springs right now,” Midas informed him. “Been here a while. Just wrapped up a case with an action star in the area and signed on for a new job last night. Rather an interesting coincidence that this O’Sullivan woman was taken and killed—this way—while I’m in town.”
“The MO is the same as your father’s.”
“Copycat,” Midas returned. “Has to be, right?”
“Unless I missed a news story about your old man escaping a prison cell.” Grim. “That escape shit happens, you know. Look at that prick Lane.”
Lane Lawson. Midas was very familiar with the name—and the man. “Lane was innocent.” He’d just worked that case with Oliver Foxx. In fact, Oliver was out honeymooning with Lane Lawson’s sister. Oliver had married her as quickly as he could. “He escaped because it was either escape or die behind bars. You’re just mad because Lane got the drop on you.”
“He locked me in a freezer.”
True. “Aren’t you guys like…working together now?”
“Trial basis.”
Midas took that as a yes. They were. Back to the matter at hand. His two minutes had to be nearly up. “I called to see if you or the other Ice Breakers knew anything about Maureen’s killer. Anything that would…” But he trailed away because he didn’t know what to say.
“Anything that might help you sleep at night?”
He didn’t sleep most nights. Nothing helped with that.
“We’re just starting to look into things. I told you, her brother came to us, but the locals locked us out. The case was still—it was still fresh, so you know it’s not exactly our wheelhouse.”
No, the Ice Breakers usually only worked the cases that had been unsolved for years. The ones that the cops and Feds had given up on solving. “So you don’t have anything to give me.” The call had been a mistake.
“Slow your roll, man. I said we were just starting. Starting doesn’t mean we have nothing. The team learned there was another abduction not too long ago. A few months before Maureen went missing. It was in Cherry Hills Village. That’s only about an hour away from Colorado Springs so it caught our attention. That vic was gone for a week before she made it home.”
“She came back?” Good news. Surprising news. In most of these stories, the vics never came home.
“Yes. She came home. The family won’t talk to us. And, again, local authorities are telling us that we are not welcome on the investigation. They want us to stop digging. But I happen to be really good with a shovel.”
One of the things Midas admired about the guy. Not that he’d confess that to Memphis.
“You’ve got proximity with the case locations,” Memphis said. “You’ve got two women from wealthy backgrounds. You’ve got a situation that sets off my alarms.”
Midas’s, too.
“If I learn more, I’ll let you know. Now, look, the bathroom door is opening so—”
“Thanks for the intel.” Midas started to end the call.
“Who’s the new client?”
His eyes were on her house. “Not at liberty to say.” Ryker wanted things confidential. They’d stay that way, for now.
“I get that you like to think of yourself as a one-man army and all that uber cool stuff.”
Midas grunted.
“But even you can need backup.” Memphis’s voice was dead serious. “You see that you need backup, then you call me again, got it?”
“Thanks.” He hung up the phone and hoped that he wouldn’t have to take Memphis up on his offer.
Then he made himself comfortable in the vehicle. Two abductions. One woman returned. One dead. Wealthy women. Women linked by fairly close proximity.
