A Mother's Secret. Pat Warren
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“Did she work back then or was there insurance money?” He needed to get an overview of the family dynamics.
“Both.” Relaxing fractionally, Sara leaned back. “Dad owned an insurance agency and had a lot of personal insurance, plus the house was free and clear. So I went to school and then on to college, and Meg went to work at Macy’s. She got me a job there summers and after school, which is when I got interested in fashion.”
“You’re still there?”
“No. Four years ago, I opened a boutique on Scottsdale Road, Sara’s Closet. I have plans for a second store, but…well, I have to concentrate on finding Mike right now.”
“So you’re close to your nephew?”
“Yes, very.”
Kincaid thought she was unaware of the sad smile on her lips as she spoke of the boy.
Sara decided she’d best tell him the rest. “Meg married Lenny a year after our folks died. He moved into the house with us. Meg often talked about wanting a child, but I don’t think Lenny was quite as enthusiastic. When Mike was born, Meg quit her job after some sort of back injury. She chose to stay home and be a full-time mother. I attended ASU but I lived at home and spent a lot of time with Mike. He’s a wonderful boy, bright and funny and handsome.”
Love for the boy radiated from her like the warm sunshine drifting in through the window. “I can see you dote on him. What about Meg and Lenny…are they loving parents?”
Sara glanced up quickly, her eyes suspicious. “Why are you asking?”
Kincaid shrugged. “Not all parents are.”
Sara wondered just how much she should reveal. “As I said, Meg really wanted a child and was thrilled when Mike was born. Lenny’s a bit of a strict disciplinarian. Maybe because he’s a cop.”
Maybe the father had been a little too strict and the boy had run away from home. And maybe both mother and aunt hadn’t caught the signs. He needed to know more. “A cop, eh? What precinct does he work out of?”
“Mesa, where they live,” she said, naming a suburb south of Phoenix.
“Do you know what his rank is?” Kincaid knew a lot of officers and had heard of even more, but he’d never run across the name Lenny Nelson.
“I believe he’s currently a patrolman, with a partner, somewhere in Mesa.”
“Currently?”
Sara shook her head as she crossed her arms over her chest. “He’s sort of a jack-of-all-trades, has trouble holding down a job, gets restless. He’s been a truck driver, mechanic, exterminator, landscaper. He quits after a few months because the people in charge are all stupid, according to Lenny. He’s been with the police department for nearly two years, a record of sorts.”
Interesting. But obviously not against the law. Was this lovely woman an overreactor, making a mountain out of a molehill? Kincaid hadn’t had time this morning to check her out, but he would.
“Is Mike an only child?”
“Yes.”
He watched her put the shredded tissue into the nearby trash can, her hands trembling slightly. From worry and strain? Or something else, he wondered.
“So when did you move out of the family home and why?”
Sara frowned, annoyed at the question. “I don’t see what that has to do with all this, but, if you must know, I moved out after college. I wanted to be on my own. I was making good money as a buyer for Macy’s and I had some investments from my folks’ estate, so I bought this condo.” That was the truth, as far as it went, Sara thought, her eyes downcast once more. She didn’t see any point in revealing that a strain had developed between her and Lenny, mostly over Mike, so she’d left, thinking it would be better for the boy if there wasn’t so much noticeable tension. And Meg always took Lenny’s side. Mike was sensitive and picked up on their discord.
Kincaid took a moment to glance around, noticing that her home was not extravagantly decorated but done in good taste with fairly expensive furniture, the location in a neighborhood of upwardly mobile families, probably a fair share of singles with good jobs.
“Did Mike mind you moving out?” he asked, watching her face.
“A little. But I fixed up my spare room for him here, and he often spends weekends with me.” A frown came and went as Sara wondered if he ever would again.
Her expression suddenly imploring, she looked up. “You’ve just got to find him.” Was he just playing with her by asking all these questions or was he really going to help her? “I want to hire you to find Mike.”
“Not so fast.” Kincaid shifted in his chair. Her robe wasn’t in the least revealing, but he sensed she wore nothing underneath as her fragrant, after-shower warmth drifted to him. He reached into his pocket and took out a lemon drop, popped it into his mouth. With no small effort, he jerked his attention back to the missing boy. “For one thing, as I told you last night, I have a job. I work for the public under the auspices of the police department. But I think you already know that.” He narrowed his gaze, aware that she’d undoubtedly looked into his background and checked his credentials. She appeared to be thorough, methodical. “I’m curious. Why me?”
“Because I did check you out, talked to a lot of people and, quite simply, everyone says you’re the best. I also recall seeing one of your high-profile cases on television a while back on one of those news shows. I know you have broad authority in the police department because of your years of experience and your success rate.” She paused to take a calming breath. “I’m aware that you’re on leave, for whatever reason, so I’m willing to pay for your time.”
He shook his head. “Money’s not the issue here. I don’t take every case. There are other investigators who work with me, under my supervision. If I take a case, I have to believe the adults responsible for the child, to know that they’re telling the truth so I can figure out how things happened and where to begin the search.” Leaning his forearms on the table, he met her worried gaze. “So now that I’ve got the background, tell me about how you learned that Mike was missing.”
Sara gathered her thoughts. “Meg wasn’t upset when she first read Lenny’s note because, as I’ve said, Lenny is impulsive. However, he hadn’t even hinted where they were going, only told her not to worry. By Sunday evening when she still hadn’t heard from him, she started making a few calls. To hospitals and the police to see if they’d been in an accident, to Mike’s friends in case he’d mentioned the trip to one of them. She got nowhere so she called me. Now, here it is Tuesday morning and still no word.”
Kincaid tried to keep his face expressionless. He didn’t like wild-goose chases. “You realize that the boy isn’t really missing, in the literal sense. He’s with his father.”
Sara struggled to find the right words to convince him to help her. “Did I tell you that Mike has allergies? When I went to talk to Meg, we checked his room and he hadn’t taken his allergy pills and only a few clothes were missing. That would indicate a short trip, but he’s been gone four days.”
Frowning, Kincaid tried to make sense of it. “Surely Lenny is aware of Mike’s allergies, the medication he needs. As his father, he could get another prescription, if necessary.”
“Lenny’s careless about such things. He once took Mike camping up a mountain trail in the spring when all the new growth was out on the trees and shrubs. Mike had a bad attack, had to be taken to a hospital for a shot of adrenaline when Lenny finally got him home. Lenny dismissed the whole incident, said that Meg and I spoil Mike, that we’re making him into a sissy… His word.”
“A real macho guy, eh?” Kincaid had seen more than his share of guys like that.
“Yes, the big jerk. He was furious that Mike didn’t make his school’s football team.”
“You don’t