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“I asked to be updated on anything as it could be related to cases here, and they said they found a whole drawer full of threats addressed to Trent.”
“What kind of threats?”
“Pictures of his family with their heads cut off, notes saying, ‘I’m still watching’ and ‘It may have been ten years, but I’m still here,’ ‘If you help her, your family is dead,’ and so on. Creepy stuff.”
“Unbelievable. And he never reported it?”
“No, doesn’t look like it. He was just too afraid, I guess.” A pause. “And looks like he had good reason to be.”
Vince shut his eyes, forcing his brain to think. If he wanted to help Raina, he had to think. “See if other people had thosesame threats. Including Raina’s parents.” It hit him that he didn’t know her birth name. Chopper blades beat the air and he found himself impressed at how fast law enforcement had mobilized to find Raina. “I’ve got to go, Gabrielle. Text me anything else that you find?”
“Will do. But one more thing. Holt let me know they were able to trace the jeweler who made the rings Raina told you about.”
“They found hers?”
“No, but they got the one from the family of one of the victims. They found the organizer of an annual jewelry convention and snagged the email distribution list. Had them send a blanket email with a picture of the ring and received an almost instant response.”
“No kidding. That’s brilliant.”
“It was a very high-end jeweler who custom designed that piece for a man named Kevin Anderson. Even though it’s been years, he remembered the transaction, because the guy wanted ten rings of the same design.”
“I wish I could hug you. We’re closing in on him.”
“Go get him. I’ll text if I wind up with anything else.”
Vince hung up and found himself in the midst of the officers, trying to give as many details as he could remember, even while he kicked himself for letting Raina get away from him. He hadn’t thought—
No sense in going there. Regrets and beating himself up wouldn’t find her. She’d reacted and in all probability kept Kevin from snatching Michael. The timing of the van’s arrival was just one of those things. If it hadn’t been the van, it would have been something else.
They just needed to focus on getting her back, because leaving her in the hands of a possible serial killer wasn’t an option.
????
The knock on the door didn’t surprise Simon. Finding two federal agents on his doorstep did. He’d been expecting Freddy Harper.
The first agent showed his badge and identified himself as Special Agent Lance Gresham and his partner as Haley Fleming. Simon dug deep and found his poker face. “What’s this all about?”
“Do you mind if we come in?”
“I guess not. Follow me into the sitting room.”
Once they were in the room, he motioned for them to sit, but they declined, so Simon stood as well. “Again, what’s this about?”
“We’re here about a private investigator you hired. A Freddy Harper?”
Chills danced up Simon’s spine.
Footsteps in the foyer distracted him for a moment, and he pulled in a breath at the reprieve.
Christopher stepped in the room and stopped. “What’s going on here?”
“I was just getting ready to find out,” Simon said. He introduced the agents to his son, then cleared his throat. “They’re asking about the private investigator, Freddy Harper.”
“Oh. And?”
“That’s what we’d like to hear,” Agent Fleming said. “Go on.”
“I don’t know what you’re looking for. Freddy’s been on my payroll for a while. I have him scout various real estate properties around the country. He does a lot of the background searches for titles and that kind of thing. Looks into the owners and why they’re selling.”
