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Samuel’s shaggy eyebrows cocked. “Why?”
“To try to get her to give up her parental rights so I can adopt Benny.”
The screen door slammed.
His wife marched through the door from the foyer, their children trailing behind her. Nicole stared at Daniel, the jut of her jaw telling him she’d heard his statement. Phoebe bit her bottom lip as if trying not to cry, and Christopher had the usual studied indifference on his face. Before Nicole could say anything, Daniel went on. “I told Shawna I wanted to adopt Benny. She laughed in my face. She never took care of Benny when she had him, but he’s still her son. Why make me—”
“Figures.” Phoebe whirled and flounced down the hallway.
Christopher’s gaze slid around the room and then came back to Daniel. “I don’t get it. We get to stay with you every other weekend. Benny will live with you all the time? No fair.”
“I want us all to live—”
“Now’s not the time,” Nicole interrupted. She glanced around the room. “We’ll discuss it later—in private.”
The room was quiet for a second. Daniel stared at Nicole, willing her to understand. She stared back. He dropped his gaze. She was right. Now was not the time. Later, he’d make her understand. Make the kids understand. Right, now Benny had to come first.
“Has Benny been to see her?”
To Daniel’s relief, Samuel broke the silence. “Several times. He didn’t want to go.”
“How’d he seem afterward?” Susana was always the counselor. She stood in the doorway, carrying a tray with coffee and bottled water on it. Marco grabbed a bottle, trotted over to Daniel, and handed it to him. He patted Daniel’s back with his free hand.
“Thanks.” His throat tightened at Marco’s attempt to comfort him. “He seemed quiet. Obedient. Like he was scared I’d send him back to her permanently.”
“He knows you can’t do that, right?”
“He knows.” Daniel drank from the bottle, trying to swallow his panic. “But he also has learned to never depend on an adult to tell him the truth. He’s had so many promises broken, believed so many lies, he’s never sure if he can trust anybody.”
“What do you think the guy meant about Benny having special skills?”
“I’ve always suspected Shawna used him in her business. Maybe as a runner. Had him making deliveries on his bike. She did a lot of sales to kids, punks on the street.”
“Maybe Shawna is in on it, and she’s looking to punish you,” Deborah said.
“Possibly. We need to connect the dots between the kidnapper and Shawna Garza,” Samuel agreed. “We have to get into see her. We also need to contact the CPS worker who handles Benny’s case. Let’s get moving.”
“Shawna had gang connections, didn’t she?” Joaquin Santos pushed away from the stone fireplace mantel, his sleeping son in his arms. “I can run with that connection. Get me some names and we can go rattle some cages.”
Daniel felt the vise around his throat ease a little. He had the best possible combination on his side—family, friends, and law enforcement. His brother-in-law served on a multi-agency gang taskforce. With Joaquin, Deborah, Ray, Samuel, and Alex, it was a formidable team. The kidnapper had no idea how formidable. “She never admitted to a gang affiliation, but she had to have connections to run her business in that area. It’s Latin Kings territory.”
“The kidnapping happened in the county. Sheriff’s office has first dibs,” Ray pointed out. “Coop, what do you want to do?”
Cooper stood. “I’ll discuss forming a taskforce with my boss. We’re shorthanded and your support makes sense. But the BCSO takes the lead. I’ll go see Shawna Garza as soon as possible. Most likely she can tell us who this guy is, where he hangs. We can snatch him before Monday.”
“If he thought she would do that, he’d never have grabbed Benny,” Daniel objected. “He knows her. For some reason, she won’t give him up.”
“Yeah, but he visited her. There’ll be records of who her visitors were,” Ray said. “We need to get—”
“You nothing. Maddy’s driving you to the hotel and tomorrow morning you’re flying out on your honeymoon,” Daniel interrupted. “Did you forget? This is your wedding day.”
“We can’t leave.” Susana planted feet clad in the red cowboy boots she’d worn under her wedding dress. “Not until we get Benny back”
Ray wrapped both arms around his bride. “Susana’s right. You think we could enjoy a honeymoon knowing you’re back here trying to save Benny’s life? Besides, we have skeletal remains in our backyard that Coop seems to think I might have buried. He won’t let me skip town right now.”
Silence filled the room.
They’d acknowledged that Benny might not come out of this alive.
