“What happened?” Catherine asked.
“He kissed her. She told him to leave. He didn’t. Picked up our baby and started walking around with her. Wouldn’t give her back. Bella was crying, terrified. And Garrett—he laughed. Thought it was funny.
“Shebeggedhim to give the baby back,” Vince continued. “Said she’d sleep with him if he did. He told her she wasn’t his type, handed the baby over, and walked out. It was like a game to him, to emotionally break my wife.”
Catherine’s voice was low. “I’m sorry.”
“I confronted him the next day. Punched him in that smug, self-satisfied jaw. Wish I’d broken his nose. Told him if I ever saw him again, I’d kill him. I’m not proud of that, but he—he crossed the line. He always did. He laughed it off and walked away.”
“What about your other brother, Frankie?”
“He hasn’t seen Garrett, either. He would have told me.”
“Any old friends? From high school or college?”
“I don’t know. Everyone likes Garrett at first. But I doubt he kept any of his friends. In college, he was more interested in women.”
“A girlfriend?”
“A lot of them. None I remember specifically. I don’t even think I knew names.”
“You mentioned older women?”
“After college. He lived with that divorced friend of my mom’s.”
“Do you remember her name?”
“Blanche Richardson. She moved to Florida a few years ago—maybe Fort Myers?”
Catherine jotted it down. “Do you know how to reach her?”
“No. And even if I did, I wouldn’t. My mom cut her off years ago.”
“What about someone from high school?”
“Becca McCarthy. Garrett dated her for two, three years. Maybe longer. My parents liked her. I met her a couple times, she was pretty and smart. I think they broke up when they went to different colleges. As I said—people really like Garrett. Until he screws them over.”
Catherine asked Ryder to find Blanche Richardson and Becca McCarthy. She gave him all the information she had, which wasn’t much.
It was after nine in the evening and she had a splitting headache. She hadn’t eaten since breakfast that morning, which was never good, but the thought of food made her feel ill. Her cell phone rang and she almost didn’t answer; it was her husband, Chris. She hadn’t told him what happened to Matt because he had been in surgery this morning when she left; all she’d said on his voicemail was that there was a situation in Florida, and she was traveling there with the team.
Matt was one of their closest friends. The best man in their wedding. Their daughter’s godfather. She had to tell Chris what was going on.
“Chris,” she said. “Hello.”
“I’m sorry it took me so long to call you back—there were complications.”
“No apologies. Is your patient okay?”
“She’s in critical condition, but I’m hoping by morning I’ll be able to upgrade her. What about you? What’s wrong?”
She told him what had happened to Matt and Kara.
“They’re missing?” he asked, shocked.
“Abducted from the resort Sunday morning. Garrett Reid has a partner. I missed it.”
“Everyone missed it,” Chris said.
