relief flooded out, replaced by weights that dragged him deeper into despair.
He realized that finding out that Didi was alive in a car with a man who was hitting her with an object was not great news, but she was alive. And so long as she was alive, there was hope.
Rich saw Scott watching him intently. He wondered if he passed muster.
Scott put his hand out to comfort Rich. âI know everything youâre feeling. Everything,â he said earnestly. âWe hate this most of all. We hope that heâll contact us, with a ransom note, or a call, with some indication of his intentions, and then we can usually pursue him. We have to hope heâll slip up somewhere. Weâll do what we can, everything we can. But right now, we donât even know if we have the right car, much less the right man. You must hang tight, and let us do our job, okay? I promise you one thingâwe will catch the bastard.â
Rich pulled away from Scottâs hand. âYouâve had many of these kidnapping cases then?â
âYes,â Scott said. âThis is what I do.â
âHow often do you get the kidnapper?â
âNine out of ten times,â Scott said proudly.
Rich nodded weakly. âMaybe we could get on the phone and talk to the lady who saw Didi?â
Scott stopped chewing gum for a moment. âI wasnât bragging. I was telling you, youâre in good hands. And I already did talk to the lady. Itâs the first thing I did when I heard the womanâs message. I asked her to turn around and come back to Dallas. Sheâs at the station right now. If you have a picture of your wife, Iâd like to show it to her.â
Rich didnât allow himself to be even a little bit impressed as he fumbled in his wallet. He took out the wedding picture of Didi, glowing, smiling, in white. Her shiny hair, twinkling eyes, and fresh smile were exactly the same seven years later as the day they married. Rich handed the picture to Scott, who glanced at the photo and said, âSheâs pretty.â
Rich felt light-headed. Yes, she is, he thought. I just want my pretty wife back.
âCome with me,â Scott said, as he led Rich down the hallway and opened the door to a room with a table and some chairs. âHave a seat and sit tight. Iâll be right back.â
Scott left. Rich realized that Juan and Chief Murphy were no longer involved. Rich sat for a few minutes behind the table, but he couldnât stand to be with his thoughts in an empty room. He walked outside and sat on the wooden bench, where he waited.
Wishing he could keep moving, Rich tapped his heels on the tile floor. The worst was sitting there counting off the seconds for something to happen, for some news.
When Scott returned, Rich jumped up. Putting a calm hand on Richâs arm, Scott said, âTake it easy, man.â
âYeah, Iâll just do that,â Rich said bitterly. âThanks for the advice.â Then, after a momentâs pause, he said, âWell, anything?â
Scott, impeccable and proper, said, âYeah, something.â Nodding, Scott said, as if answering his own question, not Richâs, âItâs her. The lady recognized her. Itâs your wife.â
Dumbly, Rich nodded himself. âI just knew it. What kind of car were they driving?â
âThe lady couldnât really remember,â Scott replied. âThe man sped off, swerving in and out of lanes, going ninety or more, the lady said. He obviously didnât want her to follow him. She said his car looked like an older-model Ford station wagon. Beige. She didnât have a chance to get the whole license plate. She got the first three letters, though. JZ five.â
âOh,â Rich said, disappointed. âIs that helpful?â
âItâs better than nothing,â Scott replied, as he opened another piece of gum and stuffed it into his mouth. âThere are hundreds of plates
Maggie Brendan
Barbara O'Connor
Jan Washburn
Terri Blackstock
Norah Simone
Barry Kemp
G.P. Taylor
Alan Cumyn
Linda Barnes
Lisa Jackson