Read Online Racing Against Time by Marie Ferrarella - Free Book Online
Authors: Marie Ferrarella
Tags: Suspense
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don’t know people as well as we think we do.”
Brent held his position. He would have bet his life on this, and he wasn’t the type to bet on anything except a sure thing. “Jennifer never wanted to be a mother. Rachel was an accident. One of those tiny percentages that manage to screw up the birth control industry’s batting average. When Jennifer got pregnant, I had to talk her into keeping the baby. Having Rachel cost me the price of a full-length mink coat. Best return on an investment I ever had.”
So the woman also believed in murdering animals for their pelts. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have an opinion of the judge’s ex, but Callie was getting to like her less and less by the moment. Especially since Jennifer Montgomery apparently had no mothering instincts. Families were such a way of life in her world, she couldn’t fathom someone not wanting a child.
She looked down at her pad. It was still snow-white, but she couldn’t very well write “Ex-wife is a bitch.” At least, not while the judge could read the words upside down. She folded her hands over the pad and looked at the man. “So she wouldn’t suddenly try to have your daughter kidnapped?”
His laugh was short and without mirth. “It’s all I can do to get Jennifer to visit Rachel a few times a year.” Brent hated the way Rachel looked whenever Jennifer canceled a visit. He knew his daughter was trying to keep up a brave front for him, but he also knew that her feelings were deeply hurt. For that alone, he damned Jennifer. “Believe me, she has no interest in taking Rachel.”
Love wasn’t always a motive. But oftentimes hate was. “Even to get back at you for something?”
Jennifer would have been more inclined to feel that way if he hadn’t allowed her out of their marriage. “The only thing my ex-wife wanted from me was my last name and my money. She got a share of both in the divorce. She also wanted to be free. She couldn’t wait to be rid of both of us. There is no way that she would do anything like this.”
This time she did write. “Ex-wife wants no part of child.” She looked up at Brent. “All right, if it’s not about your housekeeper and it’s not about your ex-wife, there are still two ways to go here. Someone is trying to get revenge against you, or—” and this was a very big or “—someone wanted to kidnap your daughter.” She had a feeling Brent already knew this, but she made it a point to lay out the foundations for every parent whose child had been kidnapped. “Other than parental snatchings, kidnappings occur for four reasons. To get a ransom, to replace a lost child, real or imaginary,” she tacked on, knowing that one was just as strong a reason as the other, “to sell the child, although those are usually younger than your daughter.”
“That’s three.”
Was he asking her about the fourth? Or did he just want it out of the way? “The fourth is for reasons of pedophilia.” But even as she stated it, she ruled it out. At least, for now. “This was too awkward, too difficult to be a random snatching by a pervert who just happened to see your daughter and had something triggered inside of him. That would have been more likely had he been driving by your house or walking by the schoolyard and seen her playing outside.”
He wanted to believe that, to believe that his child wasn’t in any more danger than her kidnapping already placed her in. “What do your instincts tell you?”
“Since there haven’t been any ransom phone calls, I’m inclined to agree that this isn’t about money. I’m more inclined than ever to think that this might be about revenge. Which brings us back to you.” She looked at him pointedly. “Has anyone threatened you in the past year or so, Brent?”
Threats were part of the territory. He could still remember how unsettled the first one had made him. It was only after three that he began to shrug them off. Until now.
“I’ve been a criminal court
Brent held his position. He would have bet his life on this, and he wasn’t the type to bet on anything except a sure thing. “Jennifer never wanted to be a mother. Rachel was an accident. One of those tiny percentages that manage to screw up the birth control industry’s batting average. When Jennifer got pregnant, I had to talk her into keeping the baby. Having Rachel cost me the price of a full-length mink coat. Best return on an investment I ever had.”
So the woman also believed in murdering animals for their pelts. She knew she wasn’t supposed to have an opinion of the judge’s ex, but Callie was getting to like her less and less by the moment. Especially since Jennifer Montgomery apparently had no mothering instincts. Families were such a way of life in her world, she couldn’t fathom someone not wanting a child.
She looked down at her pad. It was still snow-white, but she couldn’t very well write “Ex-wife is a bitch.” At least, not while the judge could read the words upside down. She folded her hands over the pad and looked at the man. “So she wouldn’t suddenly try to have your daughter kidnapped?”
His laugh was short and without mirth. “It’s all I can do to get Jennifer to visit Rachel a few times a year.” Brent hated the way Rachel looked whenever Jennifer canceled a visit. He knew his daughter was trying to keep up a brave front for him, but he also knew that her feelings were deeply hurt. For that alone, he damned Jennifer. “Believe me, she has no interest in taking Rachel.”
Love wasn’t always a motive. But oftentimes hate was. “Even to get back at you for something?”
Jennifer would have been more inclined to feel that way if he hadn’t allowed her out of their marriage. “The only thing my ex-wife wanted from me was my last name and my money. She got a share of both in the divorce. She also wanted to be free. She couldn’t wait to be rid of both of us. There is no way that she would do anything like this.”
This time she did write. “Ex-wife wants no part of child.” She looked up at Brent. “All right, if it’s not about your housekeeper and it’s not about your ex-wife, there are still two ways to go here. Someone is trying to get revenge against you, or—” and this was a very big or “—someone wanted to kidnap your daughter.” She had a feeling Brent already knew this, but she made it a point to lay out the foundations for every parent whose child had been kidnapped. “Other than parental snatchings, kidnappings occur for four reasons. To get a ransom, to replace a lost child, real or imaginary,” she tacked on, knowing that one was just as strong a reason as the other, “to sell the child, although those are usually younger than your daughter.”
“That’s three.”
Was he asking her about the fourth? Or did he just want it out of the way? “The fourth is for reasons of pedophilia.” But even as she stated it, she ruled it out. At least, for now. “This was too awkward, too difficult to be a random snatching by a pervert who just happened to see your daughter and had something triggered inside of him. That would have been more likely had he been driving by your house or walking by the schoolyard and seen her playing outside.”
He wanted to believe that, to believe that his child wasn’t in any more danger than her kidnapping already placed her in. “What do your instincts tell you?”
“Since there haven’t been any ransom phone calls, I’m inclined to agree that this isn’t about money. I’m more inclined than ever to think that this might be about revenge. Which brings us back to you.” She looked at him pointedly. “Has anyone threatened you in the past year or so, Brent?”
Threats were part of the territory. He could still remember how unsettled the first one had made him. It was only after three that he began to shrug them off. Until now.
“I’ve been a criminal court
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