Page 21 of For Better or for Ransom

“His mom and dad are devastated.” Penny said.

“Of course,” Divya said. “Where is it again that they live?”

“San Antonio, Texas. That’s where Leonardo grew up.”

“Really? He’s not a Brit! He had me fooled!” Divya said. There was surprise in her features.

“It’s normally the other way around, right? British actor who everyone believes to be from New York or Baltimore,” Penny said. “But he went to college in London, basically spent his whole adult life there.”

“So the parents are in Texas now?” Luke tried reconducting the interview.

“Yes.” Penny’s answer allowed no more curiosity on the subject.

“Any siblings? Cousins? Aunts and uncles who may know where he is?”

“He’s an only child and the Pascuals are quite the small—and private—family.”

Sol took Luke’s notebook from him, stole his pen from his fingers, and scrawled something before returning both objects to him. He read, checked again, looked at her for confirmation. When her eyes told him to ask the publicist that, he finally said: “Right, Penny, what are you not telling us?”

“I don’t know what you can possibly mean.” Penny was back at her most professional tone.

“Why are you the point of contact and not Leonardo’s manager or agent?” Luke continued asking, based on Sol’s notes. “What are you worried about?”

“We can't find and help Leonardo if we don’t know everything,” Divya added.

There was silence and everyone around the table started looking at the others. Luke was convinced Penny would not say anything else. He was ready to thank her for her time and hang up.

But the publicist broke the silence, after all. “Leonardo was seeing someone.”

Luke thought he understood Penny’s words but he still needed to make sure. “Seeing?”

“He’d been having a relationship.” Penny’s voice sounded as if she was gritting her teeth and talking against her will.

“A romantic relationship?” Luke double-checked.

“Yes.”

“Do you know who it was that he was seeing?” When it came to romantic partners, there was a long-established tradition in mystery novels and even real-world crime investigations: they were always the main and most obvious suspects. Luke had never been a great believer in that particular doctrine—and perhaps because of that, he’d taken longer than necessary in deciphering the case that had kept him in Los Angeles for longer than he’d wanted—but if Leonardo Pascual was seeing someone, they needed to talk to them.

“Not a single clue. Leonardo is an extremely private person,” Penny said.

“But you know he was seeing someone…”

“He told the parents,” Penny said.

Sol had jotted something else in Luke’s notebook. He read it and was about to ask Penny about it, but the publicist volunteered the information before he had to ask. “Leonardo hasn’t been linked to anyone in more than a decade.”

“Were the parents surprised he was with someone now?”

“They are.” The line went silent for a few long seconds and Luke could almost picture Penny choosing her following words. “Extremely.”

He was afraid he already knew what her next answer would be, but he asked her anyway. “Do they know who it was that he was seeing? Do they have a name?”

“I know this may sound like I’m still being evasive, but I’m not. They know nothing.” Her voice rang true.

“Any chance they’d talk to us?”

“I’ll ask. Can’t promise anything. They’re devastated.”