Boston Blues - BLACKBIRD book 2

3. missing dad

Gillian and Brock headed to the corner of the squad room the locals had cleared for them, with a desk, a board, and the best of all: a coffee machine that worked better than the station heaters.

"You think Katy and Albert Nelson planned this together?" asked Gillian, handing Brock a steamy mug.

Brock thanked her for the coffee and turned to the map on the board. "No, he did it by himself. He just knew she'd come to him if he told her so."

"Then why not just call her to take their son and leave?" It was a very basic question and Gillian had a couple of answers without asking it. But following Brock's mental steps was her own private thrill, so she didn't care if he thought her stupid.

"He knew Katy's father would stop her. So he hired these men to abduct Jimmy, create confusion, and give Katy both occasion and motive to run away. This kind of job is paid in two installments, part in advance, part once it's done. So now they're gonna set up a ransom payment. Then Nelson will have his wife and child back and the kidnappers will disappear under the grid with the money. And Nelson can accuse Katy's parents of not taking good care of his wife and son, and Parker can do nothing to refute him. It would look only natural if Katy and Jimmy move in back with him."

"So he gets what he wants and keeps his hands clean," she muttered to herself. "Frigging psychopath, he thinks they're his property. Getting the court notice might've been the stressor."

Brock had to remind himself that, in a way, he had taught her those terms and trails of thought. Even if he had no recollection of why or how. "He may also be after Parker's money."

Gillian narrowed her eyes with a slow nod. "Paying for this can't be cheap. You think he's counting on Katy to pay the 'ransom' with her father's money?"

"It's possible."

She pointed to Westborough on the map as she made a call. "Here's where they're meeting," she said to Brock, and asked Tanya to get the rest of the team on the line, then she put her phone on speaker.

"Hey, Reg, we're on the move," said Fred from the passenger seat in Hank's car. "Albert Nelson just escaped his apartment through the bathroom window, if you can appreciate the cliché. We're tailing him."

Aldana reported from the SUV. "We caught up with Katy and now we're just following her down the Pike."

"Nelson's alone?" asked Gillian.

"Yep, he left the detective having tea in his family room," replied Hank.

Russell recapped. "So he got two thugs to fetch his son, then called Katy to go join him. But he still doesn't have Jimmy."

"T, d'we have eyes on the motel?"

"Only the entrance."

"Try to see if the stolen car's there."

"You think the deal's going down there?" asked Fred.

"Maybe they're also on their way," said Ron from the Parker's house.

"Or he's going there to wait with Katy for their call to fix the delivery," said Brock.

"Mom, I've been watching the feed from the parking lot again, and I think I can enhance it enough to get something like a clear shot of the face of one of them."

"Do it, son. Is Brandon there with you, lads?"

"Yes, ma'am—sorry, LT, here I am," replied the FBI tech, correcting himself quickly.

"When Connor's done, run a facial recognition nationwide."

"Yes, ma—LT."

"T, hit him till he gets it."

"With pleasure."

Andrea was by Tanya, and leaned in toward the phone. "Before you ask, Dad, I'm here, safe and sound."

Brock nodded. "Okay, good."

Gillian noticed he'd hidden a smile at hearing her voice. He couldn't help it: whenever his daughter talked to him, his lips just curled up.

"Brock, can you call Cooper?" asked Russell.

"Sure, don't worry."

"Stay in touch, lads," said Gillian, disconnecting.