“Look at what happened at the convenience store.”
“Yeah, but that may have been because I showed up a few hours before.”
“True, and you were lucky. I think they were willing to give you the benefit of the doubt because of your history with Ice and Carla. And then it was as if they were tipped off about the abandoned zoo, but I wasn’t so lucky. If they think you’re working with the police, pretty soon the gang will stop cutting you breaks.”
“You know your dad said something the other day that made me wonder.”
“What did he say?”
“Remember we were in your kitchen and your dad mentioned Sergeant Butts. He said he found out you got tased—”
“I think Mary Beth must have told Mom or Dad when I was in the ER.”
“Yeah, but what if there’s something to that? Butts wrote you up when he saw you talking to the detectives about Mandy.”
Luca shook his head as though not willing to believe it.
“Luca, I didn’t tell you at the time, because I didn’t want to hurt you, but I had a vision of Lisa driving a Corvette—with a blond guy in the passenger seat. I didn’t think of it then, but have you ever known a cop to be able to afford a car like that?”
Luca turned to Dawn. “I don’t know that he bought it for her.”
“Is there any other way she could have afforded it?”
“Not that I know of. She doesn’t have a job yet, and it doesn’t sound like she even wants one.” He took a deep breath. “Do you think Butts is working with the Keene Street Gang? That he’s involved in Patricia Richardson’s death and Mandy’s kidnapping?”
“What else could explain why they keep moving her?”
“He’s Mandy’s uncle, Dawn.”
“What? I had no idea!”
“His wife is—was—Patricia Richardson’s sister. Well, half sister.”
“How do you know this?”
“Mary Beth told me. So if Butts is behind all this, that would be so effing twisted. His own family.”
“Do you think Ice knows that too?”
“I don’t know.” Luca blew out a breath. “But if he does, that could explain a lot.”
“What do you mean?”
“Keeping Mandy alive is an insurance policy for Ice. He could use her against Butts if it came down to an arrest.”
“So Ice is the one keeping Mandy alive, and Butts is the one who wants her killed?”
“Maybe.”
“That’s psychopathic.”
“That’s a scary thought, but you could be right.”
“Do you think he also found out about you and Lisa?”
“If he had, I probably wouldn’t be alive right now. She was adamant he shouldn’t know about us, back when she cared what happened to me.”
“We have to stop him, Luca, and we need to save Mandy.”
