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“Like what?”
Vanessa hesitated. “Well…Casey has an easier time at school than Ainsley. And Casey’s family goes to our church.”
There was something she wasn’t telling me, but hopefully I’d figure it out from my interviews. “Anything else I should know?”
“Like what?”
“Any new information? I hear the police are still treating this as a runaway case.”
“TJ insists,” she spat out. “I nearly ripped his head off, but he told me he has things under control. He’s spent most of the day in his office downstairs with the door closed.”
“I heard he’s trying to shut down two businesses and one of them is on the agenda for next week’s city council meeting. Suds and Duds.” I had questions, but I wanted to see what she’d volunteer first.
“Yes.” Her voice was tight.
“I take you don’t agree.”
“I told him it was dangerous to take on someone like Ricky Morris, but once again, he insisted he knows what he’s doing.”
“Vanessa, has Ricky Morris made any threats against you or your family?”
“What?” She paused and I heard her heavy breaths. “Oh my God. Do you think he took my daughter?”
“I don’t know, but I’m considering it as a possibility. Do you know if TJ has gotten any ransom notes or secret calls?”
“He’s taken several calls,” she said, her voice shaky. “I have no idea what they were about.” She let out a sob. “I’m such a fool. Why didn’t I consider that Ricky could have stolen my daughter?”
“What did you mean when you said he was dangerous?”
“He threatened TJ’s business. He said if TJ took his business, he’d retaliate by taking TJ’s.”
“And how would he go about doing that?”
“He said he’d burn it to the ground.”
“And you believe he’d make good on his threat?”
“He’s done it before.”
My head popped up from my notebook. “Ricky Morris has burned businesses down before?”
“Businesses. Homes. No one could ever prove it was him, but we all know. You do not want to cross Ricky Morris, and now he’s taken my daughter,” she wailed softly.
“I don’t know that he took your daughter,” I said. “But I plan to look into it. Anything else I should know about what’s happening over there?”
“No,” she choked out, sounding close to a breakdown.
“I’m going to find Ava,” I said, knowing I was an idiot for promising that, but I had to give her some hope. I realized I was probably giving some to myself too. “You have to trust me.”
“I do.”
“Thank you. I’m going to talk to Lori and Millie, and if you hear anything else that you think could be helpful, let me know, okay?”
“Do you think my daughter is still alive?”
My stomach clenched. If she’d been kidnapped and raped, then statistically, no. But if someone like Morris had taken her, then he’d want to keep her alive so he could use her as leverage. “Yes,” I said firmly. “We have to believe that she is. You have to believe that she is, Nessi.”
Vanessa started to cry. “Oh, Harper…”
