Pat Warren - A Mother's Secret

With no small effort, Kincaid withdrew his hands but held her gaze. “I have to say it again, Sara, that despite everything we’ve learned, there simply isn’t a case here.”

Her eyes filled with emotion so strong he had to look away. “Lenny’s a louse and it would seem he has some serious explaining to do to internal affairs. He’s also a cheating husband, but that’s between him and Meg. Maybe he went away with Mike because he knew that he was in trouble and might face jail time, so he had one last outing with the boy. I don’t know what his thinking was, but let’s just say we find them. Then what? He hasn’t done anything to his son that’s against the law, as far as we know.” He saw she was making an effort to control herself.

“I’m sorry, Sara. Really I am.”

She nodded, her eyes downcast as she reached for her purse and searched for her wallet.

“Please, allow me,” Kincaid said, tossing a twenty on the table.

Sara slid out of the booth, and they left the restaurant. The ride back to her home was quiet, the silence uncomfortable. Sara wondered where she’d turn next, who might help her. Probably no one since Kincaid’s reasons for refusing were sound. Anyone else would reach the same conclusions. But they didn’t know Lenny the way she did, and they didn’t love Mike. They also didn’t have a gut feeling that something was wrong.

She’d go it alone. She simply had to.

As they neared her condo, Sara gathered up the maps and brochures, putting them in her purse.

Kincaid thought he knew exactly what she was planning. “Don’t do it, Sara. Not only are you looking for a needle in a haystack, but you could be walking into a dangerous situation.” He glanced over at her, saw the stubborn set of her jaw and noticed that she wouldn’t look at him nor answer him.

“Damn it, Sara, don’t do this. Wait awhile and most likely they’ll be back. Lenny wouldn’t compound his problems regarding his thefts by not showing up on Monday for his date with internal affairs. That would be crazy.”

Sara felt she’d better answer him or he’d try to stop her some way. “I know. You’re right.”

Kincaid swore under his breath, knowing she was unconvinced. He turned onto her street, wondering how he could make her see. He swung into her parking lot and drove around back to the stairwell leading up to her condo. As he parked, he noticed a woman in a muumuu with red poppies get up off the third step and come toward them.

“I wonder why your sister’s here,” he said, pulling to a stop. Maybe Lenny and Mike were back and Sara could rest easy.

“I have no idea,” Sara answered, climbing out as Meg came closer.

Meg shot an annoyed glance at Kincaid, then stopped in front of her sister. “Why are you still with him?”

Sara ignored the question. “What are you doing here, Meg?” Her sister rarely visited, and this was the first time she’d come over and waited outside for Sara’s return.

Meg held up an envelope and waved it in front of Sara. “I came because of this. I found it stuck in my mailbox, but it didn’t come through the mail.”

Sara felt rather than heard Kincaid move directly behind her. “What is it?” she asked.

“It’s addressed to you, but I read it, anyway. It’s a ransom note demanding $230,000 for Mike’s release.”

Seated on her living room sofa, Sara held the single sheet of paper in her trembling hands as Kincaid read over her shoulder. It was the same white eight-by-ten paper as the previous note, the same large, uneven handwriting.

Sara—I didn’t want it to come to this, but things have gotten worse since last month when you turned me down for a loan. I had no choice but to force you to see that I need the money.

Mike won’t get hurt, I promise, but I need you to do as I ask. Go to your bank and get $230,000 in unmarked hundreds and fifties. Drive to Flagstaff tomorrow and go to the post office on Porter Street at 10 a.m. Use the enclosed key and open box 225 for more instructions.

Pack for a hike. Come alone. No cops. I know you have the money so don’t try to bargain with me. Mike’s fine, but if you want to see him again, you’d better follow my orders. Lenny.

Stunned, Sara looked into the envelope and found the post office box key. Her eyes slowly raised to her sister who was standing with her arms crossed over her bosom protectively.

“Don’t look at me!” Meg said, her voice shrill. “None of this would have happened if you’d loaned Lenny some money last month. And now…” She sniffed, removing a tissue from her pocket and dabbing at her eyes. “He’s snapped, and my little boy is in danger.”

“He told you about asking me for a loan?” Sara asked, surprised.

“Yes. You don’t understand. He…we owe somebody money. A lot of money. You refused Lenny, so he had no choice left.”

What utter nonsense, Kincaid thought, to turn it around and try to make the whole thing Sara’s fault. “You knew nothing about this?” he asked Meg, indicating the note.

“Of course not!” Meg’s voice rose as her agitation increased.

Desperately trying to remain calm and think clearly, Sara stared at her sister. “Why would Lenny need that much money, Meg? And if he does, why don’t you go into your trust fund and help him out?”

“Because my trust fund money’s all gone,” she wailed, sitting down heavily in the pale green easy chair. “I’ve got a mortgage on the house and…and the bank won’t give me a second mortgage because they say Lenny’s job history is unstable. You know I can’t work with my bad back.”

Frowning, Sara leaned forward as Kincaid quietly took the note and studied it. “Where did all that money go, Meg?”

Meg’s tearstained face turned angry. “Where? Where do you think? It costs a lot to raise a child these days. And upkeep on the house and—”

“Stop!” Sara was growing impatient. “You can’t tell me it’s cost you a quarter of a million to raise Mike to age twelve. What about all the things I buy him? As for the house, I’m not stupid, Meg. It was free and clear when Dad died and in good shape. It’s badly in need of paint, repairs, all sorts of things. So I’m asking you again, where did the money go?” Could it be that her sister had also gambled?

Meg turned her furious gaze to Kincaid. “I don’t want to say any more in front of him. Tell him to leave.”

Sara knew she had to take a stand. “No. He’s staying. If you don’t want me to turn this note over to Lenny’s superior officer right now, answer me.”

As if in slow motion, Meg’s face crumpled and she burst into loud sobs. “We were going to stop, but…but things got out of hand. We had a lucky streak for a while, and I thought we could pay off everything, put the money back. But then things started to go wrong.”

Her suspicions were right, Sara thought. The evidence of gambling had been in Lenny’s apartment. Sara was seeing her sister in a new light. “You gambled,” she said wearily.

Meg looked up, sniffing, beseeching. “Only a little at first. For recreation, you know. Then more to make up for the losses and…and, well, it got real bad.” Her damp eyes implored Sara. “You’ve got to help me. My little boy…he needs his mother.” With that, she resumed her wailing.

Sara shook her head, wondering how she’d stumbled into this nightmare. “Meg, if Lenny so much as harms a hair on Mike’s head, I’ll hunt him down and make him pay.”

“Oh, he wouldn’t, Sara. No, no. Nothing like that. Lenny loves Mike. I know he wouldn’t harm him. Please, just do as he says so he can pay the men off and Mike can come home.”

“What men?” Sara demanded.

Meg waved a dismissive hand. “Just some men he borrowed from. They’re…they’re getting impatient.”