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“Or someone,” Kaj murmured. “Corey still had Jace. Rick was too scared to say a word to anyone. Except to say that Dewey was the driver so that we didn’t keep looking and find Jace. Whether Corey thought Rick was dead or alive, it doesn’t matter. He handed Rick over to divert attention from himself because he’s planning something big. The guy who owned that Hyundai is part of it. Dewey must have become a liability after Aaron’s arrest, so Corey eliminated him. He couldn’t drop Dewey’s body off on my lawn because I’d have looked for Dewey’s killer.”
“Tossing him to the gators meant we’d keep spinning our wheels searching for a dead man,” Burke said in agreement.
“Why did he need those two people? We need to know what Corey’s up to. Corey and Aaron both had cabins here. Aaron has to know something. It’s time to talk to Aaron again. The last time I had him in an interview room he said nothing, but he was going through detox at the time. It’s been over a week and he should be through the worst of it.”
Burke gave him a look full of doubt. “Your boss won’t let you talk to him, will he?”
“No, but Hogan’s taken the case and he might let me observe when he interviews Aaron. I’ll ask him when that’ll be.” Kaj had started to call his boss when his phone buzzed with a text from Val. His heart stuttered in apprehension for a moment until he read the first sentence.
All is well here. But we need to talk to Rick asap. He might have information about Corey but won’t talk until he knows Jace is safe. Please advise.
Kaj dialed her number, showing Burke her text as the phone rang.
“Hey.” Her voice was warm and inviting and made him wish he were with her.
“Hi,” he said, feeling his cheeks heat at Burke’s lifted brow. “I’m here with Burke. You’re on speaker.”
“Hey, boss. Did you lose my thermos again?”
Burke winced guiltily. “I left it in the boat. I’ll buy you a new one.”
She chuckled. “You bought that one. I think you’ve bought my last six. What’s up?”
“Is Elijah in hearing distance?” Kaj asked.
“Hold on.” After a pause, she was back, her voice barely a whisper. “I went to the front door. I can still see him, but he’s talking with the others and not listening.”
“What did you mean, Rick has information about Corey?” Burke asked.
“Oh. I don’t need to hide that from Elijah. He’s heard it already. Jace said that Corey would disappear for days at a time and several of the times he forgot to leave them food. Rick kept a record of all the days he disappeared so that he could use it in his bid for emancipation. Jace said that Corey wasn’t doing construction jobs at the time because he didn’t take his tools with him. One of these times was the week after Labor Day, but there are others.”
Kaj felt a thrill of excitement. “That might help us figure out what Corey’s up to.”
“But Jace doesn’t think Rick will cooperate unless he sees that Jace is okay,” Val said. “Skype might work, but we’d be sure to get what we need if Rick sees Jace in person. Setting up a meet in the hospital would be ideal, but we don’t have much time. Once Rick is released to the jail, our opportunities for getting Jace in undetected go way down. Jace trusts me, so Rick might, too. Is Molly available to guard Elijah for a little while this afternoon, Burke?”
“She is,” Burke answered.
“It won’t take long,” Val said. “We’ll get Jace in, talk to Rick, then get out. I’m taking Lucien with me. He’ll offer to be Rick’s attorney and we’ll be his assistants.”
“But Lucien isn’t an attorney,” Kaj said, half appalled by the lie and half intrigued.
Burke’s lips twitched. “Yeah, he is. I mean, I’m not against bending the rules for the right cause, but Val’s plan is righteous. No law breakage involved.”
Kaj’s eyes narrowed. “Lucien is an attorney? For real?”
Burke lifted three fingers. “Scout’s honor.”
“That part was a lie,” Val said. “Burke wasn’t a Boy Scout. But Lucien is an attorney and all his licenses are current. You can check if you don’t believe us.”
Kaj winced. “Sorry. I do believe you. I’m just surprised.”
“Lucien gets that a lot,” Burke said dryly. “He hated being a lawyer and I don’t make him wear a suit and tie.”
“Burke, we need to borrow one of your suits for Jace. Can I ask Molly to go by your place and get one?”
“I think he’d swim in my suit,” Burke said doubtfully. “He’s tall, but too skinny.”
“He can wear one of mine,” Kaj offered. “Better the pants be a little short on him than way too big. He’d look like he was playing dress-up, and he already looks so young.”
