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“Do you have a feel for how realistic it is that she ran away?”
If she didn’t run away, if this is a kidnapping, then the trajectory of our investigation will change fast.
“No. There’s a world of difference between twelve and fifteen. And she lost her mum. That one event will change a person. But…” Her words trail. Her fingers trace the outline of the harness. “The girl I knew wouldn’t have run away. She had a good head on her shoulders. Sweet. We keep in touch via WhatsApp. When I got home after our meeting, I read through all of our prior messages. She seemed happy.”
That’s what I feared. That we would not be dealing with a missing persons case for long. That soon we would call it an abduction case. Given Sullivan’s net worth, the scenario is reasonable. A ransom carries with it some good news. For one, they’ll keep her alive. And two, while Arrow doesn’t have expertise in runaways, that’s not the case with kidnappings. We handle K&R, or kidnappings and ransom, all over the globe.
“How long before we get there?” she asks.
“Little over an hour. We’ll head down along the coastline, then cut in. Sullivan has his own helipad, so that’s where we’ll land.”
“He has a helipad at his house?”
“From what I understand, estate is the correct nomenclature.” My attention splits between the controls, the view of the Pacific coastline, and my passenger’s long legs. The jeans are tight on her ass and thighs but loosen below the knee, and, due to the way she’s sitting, they end several inches above her ankle boot, revealing smooth, pale skin. She’s either a sunblock adherent or she doesn’t spend a great deal of time outdoors.
She leans to the glass, checking out the panoramic view. To our left lies a seemingly endless stretch of sandy beach lined with rows of houses packed together, the black line of the 101, and the hills and valleys that rise into the San Rafael Mountains. To our right, as far as the eye can see, the wide-open sea sparkles with the occasional white of crashing waves.
“You were friends with his wife. But you’ve never been to their house?”
“No. She visited me. I say she was my friend, but…she was over ten years older than me. She stayed with us when she did a study-abroad as a college student. My dad is a professor. Over the years, we had a lot of exchange students. But Cassandra and I bonded. Kept in touch. She brought Sophia to London once, and I met up with them.”
“When was the last time you saw Cassandra?”
“Probably four years ago. It was after their divorce.”
“They divorced?”
“Yeah.”
A lot of military guys divorced. But Sullivan clenched his hand when I asked about Sophia’s mother. My interpretation of his reaction was that the topic was emotional or difficult for him.
“Was it a bad divorce?”
Static crosses the line, but I can hear her exhale. I glance sideways.Is she emotional?
“Is there a good kind?”
“I suppose not. I just mean, did they fight? Or was it public?”
“I think as far as divorces go, it ranked as proper. Cassandra said she’d always expected they’d divorce before the ten-year mark.”
“Why?” Ten is a random number.
“In California, after ten years, you split the estate if there’s a divorce.”
“That’s right. He said something about that.” His father had been livid about the marriage.
“Yep.” She smiles. Dr. Rolfe is a moderately attractive woman, but when she smiles, the needle moves considerably higher. “They eloped. I got the sense his family did not approve. I mean, they liked Cassandra. But his father believed in prenuptial agreements.”
Based on my research, Sullivan’s estimated net worth is approximately $950,000,000. I’d expect his father did believe in prenups.
“So, they divorced before the ten-year mark. Did she get a good settlement?”
“If the hotel suite she booked at Savoy is any indication, she wasn’t wanting for anything. But she never said. And I would never ask.” She sounds affronted. “How would you even ask someone that? How much money did you get?”
“Without a doubt, there are articles out there with mentions of the divorce settlement.”
“I’m sure, but that doesn’t mean I need to ask.” She kicks her long legs in front of her, stretching them out. If she were wearing a mini-skirt, I would have an incredible view of long, endless legs.
