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Ballard accessed an intercom and told the men, “Have them turn sideways, please.”
Kelly repeated her examination and finally sighed. “Neither of the kidnappers I spoke to is in this group,” she told Ballard.
His face tightened. “You’re sure.”
“Yes,” Kelly said. “They were much younger than this. You don’t have the right guy.”
Ballard uttered a mild curse, but activated the intercom again. “Release everyone but Lawson,” he said.
“Sorry,” Kelly said.
“Yeah,” Ballard said, staring at the floor. “Me, too.”
“No other suspects?” she asked.
Ballard shrugged, and Kelly understood he didn’t want to discuss the case with her. But why shouldn’t he? Who better than her? She was an integral part of his case and she’d thought a lot about the circumstances of the kidnapping.
“Have you considered Jason’s kidnapping could be an inside job?” she asked.
Ballard smiled. “You sound like a television police drama, Officer Jenkins.”
“Don’t be an ass,” she said. “You know I mean someone from Wentworth’s staff could be involved.”
His smile faded. “We’ve checked everyone out. Most have been with the family for years.”
“So how did the kidnappers get on the island? You know no one gets on a ferry without permission from an owner.”
“We’ve gone through the security logs and no one boarded the ferry without clearance.”
“That’s my point. Did you check with the marina? Maybe they came and went with their own boat.”
“Of course. No unauthorized dockings appear in the records.”
“How good is the security at the marina?”
Ballard hesitated. “Good, but not as tight as the ferry.”
“What about leaving the island? Does security check for clearance to board the ferry on the return trip?”
“I don’t know about that.” Ballard frowned. “Why would they?”
“Good question. Did you check out Wentworth’s driver, Hans somebody?”
“He’s clean, retired special forces.”
Kelly nodded. “Well, I’ve been living in this fantasyland, and I believe Adam had to have help from someone in-house. If assistance didn’t come from Wentworth’s inner circle, then employees of the management company. Or the security company. You need to check that out.”
Ballard eyed her thoughtfully. “We’ll go through it again.”
“Good. Can I return to duty?”
He nodded. “Thanks for coming in. We’ll be in touch. Are you still staying at Wentworth’s place?”
“For now.”
“Tell Wentworth we need to have a conversation.”
Kelly raised her brows. Great. Just what the world needed, more conversations.
* * *
KELLY’S SHIFT WAS over by the time she parked her unit at the station and entered the back door. She’d checked in on the drive south, and Rudy told her he’d be waiting for her in the roll-call room.
She pushed open the door and spotted Patrice by Rudy’s desk having an animated conversation of her own with their sergeant. As Kelly moved toward where they stood, they broke off and glanced her way.
“Hey, Kel,” Patrice said with a nod. “See you tomorrow, Rudy.”
Kelly stood at attention before her sergeant.
“Thanks for joining us, Officer Jenkins,” Rudy said. “Any luck with the FBI?”
“No, sir,” Kelly said. “They had the wrong guy.”
Rudy snorted. “Sounds like the feds. So what’s going on with you, Jenkins? You’ve missed a lot of time the last three days.”
“I’m sorry, sir. It’s because of the Wentworth kidnapping.”
“So you’re some kind of big-deal heroine, now, huh?”
She stood straighter and lifted her chin. “No, sir. Not at all, sir.”
“The kid is back with the father, right?”
“Yes, sir. However, Jason Wentworth has developed the deluded notion that I’m his mother.”
“Geez. Because you rescued him?”
“I guess, sir.”
“I see.”
Kelly could tell her sergeant didn’t see at all. He sat behind his desk and slid a yellow sheet of paper toward him. A trickle of unease traveled her spine. Was that a disciplinary memo? What happened to the commendation?
