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This wasn’t the kind of guy who’d do his own kidnapping. He’d have someone else do it. So it didn’t matter if he could prove where he’d been last night. Still. I could watch his body language for clues as I picked and chose what to tell him.
“A twelve-year-old girl. The police chief thinks she ran away, but I believe she was kidnapped.”
His eyes darkened. “I don’t mess with kids. Never have. Never will. You’re barkin’ up the wrong tree if you think I have anything to do with that, Detective.” Then something in his eyes shifted. “Why were you asking about TJ Peterman? You think he had something to do with it? He’s a fucking asshole, but he never struck me as a pedophile.”
“You never know who the monsters really are, Mr. Malcolm,” I said, my voice cold. “Many of them like to hide in plain sight.”
He seemed to appraise me, then gave a slight nod. “True, but a lot of the monsters I’ve met didn’t hide who they really are, not if you looked close enough, so I suppose it goes both ways. Why do you think TJ Peterman kidnapped a kid?”
I rested my forearm on the table. “The man blackmailed you. You tell me why he might kidnap a kid.”
“Revenge. Money.” He paused, and his voice hardened. “Nefarious reasons.”
“What nefarious reasons can you think of?”
“Could be wrong about the pedophilia. Trafficking. The kid saw something she shouldn’t have.”
Holy shit. Was he onto something with that last one? Had TJ done something to keep Ava quiet because she’d seen or heard something she shouldn’t have? It seemed like a stretch. If he was involved, it seemed more likely that he’d accidentally killed her and was covering it up. But if that were true, as calm as he was this morning, he had to be a sociopath.
Malcolm shook his head. “So why are you asking for my alibi other than the usual harassment? Why would I kidnap a kid? To get back at Peterman for his threats?” His eyes widened. “Fuck. It’s his kid.”
I saw no reason to deny it, especially after seeing his reaction, what had looked to be genuine shock. “Yeah. But keep it to yourself for now. They’re not making it public.”
“So why tell me?”
That was a question I was currently asking myself. This was James Malcolm, who had supposedly made a deal with the FBI to hand over an international drug cartel, which meant he’d dealt with some high rolling crime bosses. And that was after he’d allegedly run his own crime syndicate. What was a man like that doing running a bar in Lone County, Arkansas? And why did I think I could trust him?
I didn’t, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t provide me with useful information. It was obvious he knew a lot more about TJ Peterman than I did, and he knew things I wouldn’t find out from Peterman’s neighbors and friends.
“What did Chief Larson ask you this morning?”
He scowled. “Where I was and what I was doing last night.” His jaw clenched, and he seemed to be considering something before he added, “If I had a thing for kids.”
“He thinks you took her?”
His jaw ticked as his gaze shot to the bar. “Fuck. They’re gonna try to pin this on me.”
“Did you do it?”
His eyes turned murderous as he shifted his attention back to me. “I already told you. I don’t fucking hurt kids. They have nothing to do with the evil of the world, and it should stay that way.”
Call me crazy, but the intensity of his anger convinced me he wasn’t lying.
“I’m trying to find Ava,” I said. “But my notoriety and my lack of a badge are working against me. Have you heard anything about a kidnapping?”
“What makes you think I would have?” he grunted, pissed.
“If I remember correctly, you supposedly hear things from your patrons.”
“If I ever heard of one of ’em hurting a kid, you’d be looking for them, and I can guarantee you’d never find ’em.”
I grimaced. “I’m not sure you should be telling me that.”
He shrugged, looking indifferent.
“Do you know anyone else who might have issues with TJ Peterman?” I asked.
“No, but I’ll look into it.”
