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Alex let his hand rest on his holster. Six hours until they had the man who kidnapped Benny in their crosshairs. He would be first in line to take the guy out—only if necessary, of course. His hand tightened involuntarily on the butt of the gun as his gaze met Ray’s. The look in his friend’s eyes told him they were thinking the same thing.
Jorge Morin better be ready for them.
Chapter Twenty-six
Alex stopped, his turkey sandwich half way to his mouth. He hadn’t even taken the first bite. He was finally getting the sandwich. With Deborah. True, they were sitting in his car outside a sub shop a few blocks from the station, where they had to report in ten minutes for a strategy session on Benny’s case. Now that they were about to eat, his phone was ringing.
“Go on, answer it.” She bit into her Italian sub, her gaze returning to the window. “Maybe they’ve got news about Daniel or Benny.”
“Alex, it’s Cooper.” The detective’s voice lacked its usual verve. “We got the ID.”
Alex dropped the sandwich on the napkin in front of him, his appetite gone. “The dental records matched. It’s Nina Chavez.”
“Yep.”
Alex sucked on his iced tea to dissolve the hard knot in his throat. “We have to find Clarisse Chavez and the other kids. It’s the only way to find out what happened at Ray’s ranch.”
“My buddy in at the Sheriff’s Office in Dickinson County, Kansas, is checking out Ezra Dodge for me. He lives on a farm outside the city limits. With his sister and four kids.”
“Sister. Yeah, right.” Alex tried to keep his tone dispassionate. Professional. “Ex-wife Clarisse. And her four children, not five, but four.”
“Yep. Detective Baker will pay him a visit, get the lay of the land. He says there’s nobody by the name of Simon Phillips in his town. In fact, he doesn’t remember a PI paying him a visit. He’s checking into that as well.” Static broke up some of Cooper’s words but Alex got the gist of it. “My boss wants me back at the sheriff’s office on another case—one where the victim hasn’t been dead five years. Can you take a shot at Chavez with the notification?”
Alex would like to take shot at Chavez. He forced himself to breathe. “Sure. I want to see how he reacts.”
“I would, too. Keep me posted.”
Alex disconnected and stuck the phone in his jacket pocket. His hands shook. The image of a dark-haired, elfin-sized girl with a bad haircut and green eyes floated to the front of his mind. He glanced at Deborah. She met his gaze, the expression in her eyes unreadable. “It’s her?”
“Yeah. It’s her. Five-year-old Nina Chavez has been lying buried on Ray’s property for at least the last five years.”
“Poor Ray.”
“Yeah, he feels plenty guilty. I know I would.” Alex re-wrapped the sandwich, pain shooting through his temples as he gritted his teeth. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my life, but this really sucks.”
“I keep thinking of those other kids.” Deborah’s voice hardened. “Nina may have gotten off easy. For the last five years, it’s possible the rest of them have been living with the parent who murdered their sister. It doesn’t have to be Tómas Chavez. It just as easily could’ve been Clarisse. She killed Nina, and she took off. The rest of those kids could still be suffering.”
Alex didn’t trust himself to speak for several seconds. He struggled to connect the dots. “That sounds like the voice of experience.”
Her head turned so her long hair blocked his view of her face. “I’m a police officer. Of course, I have experience.”
“No. You know what I mean, Deborah. What happened to you? Did someone abuse you when you were a child?”
The silence went on and on. Finally, she cleared her throat and sniffed. “Do you like kids?”
She didn’t trust him. Not yet. Maybe never. But the question deserved an answer. “Yeah. I like kids. If I thought I wouldn’t mess them up, I might even want some of my own.”
She tossed her hair back and their gazes met. “Alex—”
“You asked.”
“But—”
“We gotta get back.” Alex shoved the key in the ignition and turned it.
“What are you so cranky about?” She took another bite of her sandwich and chewed slowly, as if the conversation had never occurred.
“Dead and missing children.”
