Read Online New Growth (Spook Hills Trilogy Book 2) by Jayne Menard - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Jayne Menard
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does?” Even
under the circumstances, Mathew’s heart lurched. “Because of my FBI
background?”
“Yes and because she trusts you. While John Henry may object to having either
of us around, I’ll deal with him. I
scheduled a jet out of Hillsboro to leave in an hour. Will you fly out with me?”
“Sure. Let’s zip down
to the house and talk with Steve and Ivy. We shifted a fair bit out of investments for construction projects. Yours if needed.”
“I want Steve involved, but he must be cautious. Thanks for the offer of your reserves. Pay you back, of course. My broker is due to call me about how soon he
can liquidate some of my assets.”
They sped down to the house. Steve and Ivy sat on the stairs by the back door, brushing the dirt off their boots after working in the
garden. Steve jerked his head up when
Rick and Mathew bounded out and ran over. “What’s wrong?”
“Some scum abducted Susannah. We’re flying down to San Francisco,” Mathew
said.
“Holy Shit!” Steve said, jumping up. “What can we do?”
“Ivy, will you check on Sassy while we’re gone?” Rick asked
“I’ll bring her over here for the duration of this crisis,”
Ivy said
“That would be great. Sassy is so upset. Callie is dear
to her. S he
adores Susannah too.”
“Take Lenny with you in case you need backup,” Steve said to
Mathew. “Ivy and I will take over
surveillance here and at Rick’s. We’ll
patrol and stay armed. You find out the
facts on Susannah and go to the local FBI office. I’ll start making calls.”
Rick intervened. “The
kidnapper said no cops.”
Steve regarded him steadily. “You’re talking to two former agents here. Let me do a little quiet exploration. No names, no specifics. I can nose around by phone and on the
Internet. We solved a case of child
trafficking out of Bulgaria in 2012. I’ll say I’m doing a follow-up .”
Looking puzzled, Ivy said, “I thought the FBI only has
jurisdiction if the case crosses state lines.”
“The Lindbergh Law of 1932 granted the FBI authority in any
kidnapping of a child under 12, which Susannah is. They have Child Abduction Rapid Deployment or
CARD teams trained and expert in locating children.”
Mathew could see that Steve wanted to do some poking
around. Maybe he had an idea to
explore.
“Keep this contained to yourself for now,” Mathew cautioned
Steve.
“Don’t use your mobiles once you’re on the ground,” Steve
said. “I’ll figure out a scrambled
solution for voice. For the near term,
use my secure email. Is the encryption
software still on your laptop?”
“Sure is.”
“Ivy, you follow Rick home and bring Sassy back with you,” Steve said. “Be ready to go when Mathew drives over. Lock up the house. Turn the alarm system on when you leave. Hurry back here and come in through the
garage. I’ll talk to Lenny and bring our
gear out of the safe room. Rick, can you
fire a handgun?”
He nodded. “Got one
at home.”
“Good, take the piece with you. No one will ask on the private plane. Secure the
weapon in a briefcase or something.”
“I’ve got to run downstairs and pack. Rick arranged a flight in about 45 minutes,
which means we will be at Callie’s house by 2:00 p.m.,” Mathew said and hurried
downstairs.
As he grabbed his suitcase, Mathew ached with sadness for
his friends. That precious little girl
with her carefree giggles was suffering a nightmare at best or was dead at
worst. He remembered her playing
backgammon with the gruff Lenny and how she teased him when she won. Now some thugs nabbed that little charmer to
ransom her for a big wad of cash.
He grabbed a couple of suits out of the closet, along with
several shirts and began packing. Her
poor mother! A woman like Callie with her tender heart should not be dealing
with the seizure of her only child, much
under the circumstances, Mathew’s heart lurched. “Because of my FBI
background?”
“Yes and because she trusts you. While John Henry may object to having either
of us around, I’ll deal with him. I
scheduled a jet out of Hillsboro to leave in an hour. Will you fly out with me?”
“Sure. Let’s zip down
to the house and talk with Steve and Ivy. We shifted a fair bit out of investments for construction projects. Yours if needed.”
“I want Steve involved, but he must be cautious. Thanks for the offer of your reserves. Pay you back, of course. My broker is due to call me about how soon he
can liquidate some of my assets.”
They sped down to the house. Steve and Ivy sat on the stairs by the back door, brushing the dirt off their boots after working in the
garden. Steve jerked his head up when
Rick and Mathew bounded out and ran over. “What’s wrong?”
“Some scum abducted Susannah. We’re flying down to San Francisco,” Mathew
said.
“Holy Shit!” Steve said, jumping up. “What can we do?”
“Ivy, will you check on Sassy while we’re gone?” Rick asked
“I’ll bring her over here for the duration of this crisis,”
Ivy said
“That would be great. Sassy is so upset. Callie is dear
to her. S he
adores Susannah too.”
“Take Lenny with you in case you need backup,” Steve said to
Mathew. “Ivy and I will take over
surveillance here and at Rick’s. We’ll
patrol and stay armed. You find out the
facts on Susannah and go to the local FBI office. I’ll start making calls.”
Rick intervened. “The
kidnapper said no cops.”
Steve regarded him steadily. “You’re talking to two former agents here. Let me do a little quiet exploration. No names, no specifics. I can nose around by phone and on the
Internet. We solved a case of child
trafficking out of Bulgaria in 2012. I’ll say I’m doing a follow-up .”
Looking puzzled, Ivy said, “I thought the FBI only has
jurisdiction if the case crosses state lines.”
“The Lindbergh Law of 1932 granted the FBI authority in any
kidnapping of a child under 12, which Susannah is. They have Child Abduction Rapid Deployment or
CARD teams trained and expert in locating children.”
Mathew could see that Steve wanted to do some poking
around. Maybe he had an idea to
explore.
“Keep this contained to yourself for now,” Mathew cautioned
Steve.
“Don’t use your mobiles once you’re on the ground,” Steve
said. “I’ll figure out a scrambled
solution for voice. For the near term,
use my secure email. Is the encryption
software still on your laptop?”
“Sure is.”
“Ivy, you follow Rick home and bring Sassy back with you,” Steve said. “Be ready to go when Mathew drives over. Lock up the house. Turn the alarm system on when you leave. Hurry back here and come in through the
garage. I’ll talk to Lenny and bring our
gear out of the safe room. Rick, can you
fire a handgun?”
He nodded. “Got one
at home.”
“Good, take the piece with you. No one will ask on the private plane. Secure the
weapon in a briefcase or something.”
“I’ve got to run downstairs and pack. Rick arranged a flight in about 45 minutes,
which means we will be at Callie’s house by 2:00 p.m.,” Mathew said and hurried
downstairs.
As he grabbed his suitcase, Mathew ached with sadness for
his friends. That precious little girl
with her carefree giggles was suffering a nightmare at best or was dead at
worst. He remembered her playing
backgammon with the gruff Lenny and how she teased him when she won. Now some thugs nabbed that little charmer to
ransom her for a big wad of cash.
He grabbed a couple of suits out of the closet, along with
several shirts and began packing. Her
poor mother! A woman like Callie with her tender heart should not be dealing
with the seizure of her only child, much
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