Chapter Thirty-three
Roman waited for Thomas to steer his Porsche along the driveway then tucked in behind him. They drove fast, hurtling along the twisty lake road until Mia was forced to clutch the door handle to keep herself from being tossed around like a rag doll.
“Maybe Thomas shouldn’t be behind the wheel right now,” she said.
“He’ll be fine, and we’re almost back to the main road anyway.”
When the Porsche swerved and just about went into the rock-filled forest beyond the narrow shoulder, Mia gasped. Roman slammed on the brakes then coasted to a stop behind the now idling sports car. He put on his hazards and they both got out.
Thomas didn’t notice them approach. He sat hunched down in the driver’s seat staring at his phone. Roman tapped on the glass and he jolted so badly the phone went flying out of his hand and fell down beside the console. He fished it out then lowered the window.
“What the heck happened?” Mia asked.
His eyes were red-rimmed and his skin had taken on an ashy hue. He handed her the phone. “Read for yourself. For the life of me, I couldn’t understand why Jenn would have gone off to meet some stranger without a word to anyone. Now I know.”
Mia and Roman peered down at the screen.
I’m getting bored. Let’s move things up. I want the Monero by 1 a.m. or I dump your wife’s body. Remember to keep the police out of it or we’re done. And FYI, this is what got her attention in the first place.
Mia clicked on the attached photo. It was a screen shot of a text conversation. Lots of sexy jokes and references to meeting up for another quickie. One of the participants signed off with the initial C and referred to the other using the nickname Big T. Big T promised C that his clueless wife had no idea and once things died down after his son’s wedding, he’d have more time for play.
“You swore you’d told us everything, and now we find out you were cheating?” Roman said, his eyes blazing. “Don’t you think that information was relevant to Jennifer’s kidnapping?”
“Meaning Eliza probably wasn’t involved,” Mia said.
Thomas’s breath heaved out. “That’s the thing. It’s not true. I don’t know any C. I admit I wasn’t always faithful in the earlier part of our marriage, but as God is my witness, I haven’t cheated on Jenn in years. Now if she dies, she’ll go to her grave thinking I gave up on us and I can’t stand it. This is all my fault. She must hate me.”
He bowed his head and sobbed softly, his shoulders lifting with every inhale.
Roman shot Mia a look and she crouched down and patted Thomas’s shoulder. “Hey. It’s all right. We’re going to figure this out and get Jennifer back. You can tell her all this yourself.”
Thomas shook his head and swiped a hand across his eyes. Searching the pockets of her jeans, Mia came up with a Kleenex and handed it to the sobbing man.
“You know, this is actually good news,” Roman said. “It’s our first honest-to-goodness clue. Someone framed you as an adulterer in order to kidnap your wife. Who knew about the early trouble in your marriage?”
“Well, no one, really,” Thomas said. He blew his nose and let out a shaky sigh. “I guess the women I was with. And our therapist. And some of Jenn’s friends.”
“These women, do you know where they are now?” Roman asked.
“Heavens, no. I haven’t the first clue. It happened more than ten years ago.”
“Was Scott aware of the infidelity?” Mia asked.
Thomas blinked several times, and his cheeks pinked up. “I guess he might have been. It’s not like I announced it to him or anything, but he knew there were fights and therapy sessions. I don’t know if Jenn out-and-out told him or not though.”
“I think he probably knew. Kids usually do. If so, he might have mentioned it to Eliza,” Roman said.
“Meaning this could still be her?” Thomas said with naked hope in his eyes. “God. That would be great … I mean, not great but the idea that one of my exes was behind hurting Jenn was too much.”
Roman rubbed his hands together. “The sooner we talk to Scott the better.”
“What about the earlier payment? Can you make the deadline?” Mia asked.
“Yeah. Probably. I’ll get the money sectioned off then look into purchasing Monero, but typically the transaction times on these things are pretty quick.”
“Okay. Good.” Mia checked her phone. “That gives us around six hours before you need to start the process. We’d better get moving.”
Mia and Roman returned to their vehicle and they resumed the drive to Walkerton. Scott lived in a gated community where the lawns were big and bold, the driveways sweeping, and the houses set well back from the road. His Range Rover was parked by the front door. There was no sign of Eliza’s red Toyota 86.
Scott opened the front door before they’d even crossed the front porch. “What’s going on?”
“Would it be okay if we came inside?” Roman asked.
Scott said nothing, simply pressed his lips together then stood back and waved them in.
“Is Eliza home yet?” Mia asked.
“Nope. I can’t reach her, either. I’ve been trying off and on all afternoon.” Scott’s eyes flicked over their faces finally zeroing in on Thomas’s. “Something happened. What is it? Is Eliza okay?”
“I have no idea,” Thomas said. “I haven’t seen her since the party last night.”
Scott sagged against a side table, causing the keys in a bowl centered on top to rattle. Then he pushed up and brushed by them, walking back to the kitchen. They followed him. He grabbed a bottle of water off the large center island and drank deeply.
“Scott, I’ve got some bad news.” Thomas moved across from his son and set his palms down on the counter. “Your mom went missing this morning. We’ve traced her car to an industrial lot in Nashville but haven’t been able to contact her. Shortly after we found the car, I got a ransom demand.”
Scott didn’t move. Didn’t blink. His face went completely blank, and he stood like a statue for several beats. Then he seemed to shake himself, and he turned to Roman and Mia.
“Tell me everything,” he said simply.
They quickly brought him up to date although, by silent mutual agreement, didn’t include the text about Thomas cheating. It was his decision whether to bring up the sensitive topic with his son.
“Okay. And no police, right?” Scott asked.
“Your father didn’t want them involved yet,” Mia said.
“Wait. There’s one more thing. As much as I hate to tell you, you have a right to know,” Thomas said. He told Scott about the screenshots made to look as if he’d been having an affair. “It’s not true. I wasn’t cheating, I promise you.”
Roman cleared his throat. “Scott, your father admitted there had been some infidelity in the early stages of his marriage to Jennifer but nothing recent. We think the kidnapper simply mocked this up to get your mom to the location of the snatch. Did you ever discuss your parents’ marriage problems with Eliza?”
“Not in specifics because I didn’t know them, but yeah, I might have mentioned something about marriage being work and how we had to commit to getting through rough patches.” He shook his head then stared down at the water bottle. “She didn’t do this. I promise you. You’re looking at the wrong person.”
Thomas crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s admirable you’re sticking up for her, but your mom’s life is on the line. I’d have hoped this incident would’ve cleared the damn mist from your eyes where Eliza is concerned. She killed her family and now she’s kidnapped Jennifer. That’s why you haven’t been able to reach her all afternoon. She’s evil incarnate and once we get your mom back safe and sound, I want you as far away from that monster as possible.”
Scott sighed. “It’s more complicated than you can possibly imagine.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell. “I’ll try calling again. I’m worried something happened to her.”
“Nothing happened to her.” Thomas grabbed a handful of hair above his forehead and tugged while letting out a frustrated growl. “She’s the cause of everything, not some damsel in distress. I thought you were smarter than this.”
Ignoring his father, Scott held the phone to his ear then shook his head. “She’s still not picking up. I’m starting to seriously freak out now.”
Roman brought his gaze to Scott’s face. “When did you last talk to her?”
“Just before lunch. She was upset. Like crying and everything. Basically having a panic attack about how my parents hated her and kept asking what chance did our marriage have. I calmed her down some, but I could tell she wasn’t okay. When I said I’d come home right then and there, talk it over more, she told me not to. Said she was fine, but I knew she wasn’t. I decided to give her some space.” He slammed a hand down on the counter. “Clearly it was the wrong decision.”
“Can you track her phone?” Mia asked.
“No. At least not with a tracking app if that’s what you mean.” He grabbed the water bottle then strode around the island. “I’m going to her condo to see if she’s there. Maybe she just turned her phone off and doesn’t even realize I’ve been calling.”
“Mia and I will come with you,” Roman said.
Scott hesitated at the opening to the foyer. “I guess. If you want. No real need, though. I’m half expecting to find her tucked up on the couch eating Ben and Jerry’s and hugging JP.”
Mia let out a weighty sigh. “All we can do is hope that’s the case.”