Read Online The Green Children: A Sycamore Moon Novel (Sycamore Moon Series Book 3) by Domino Finn - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Domino Finn
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everything. When we woke up the next morning, she was gone."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"'Cause we didn't do anything," he insisted. "We figured she just chickened out, you know? Walked back to Sanctuary. Her tent and bags were gone, so it was obvious she left by herself. And then BT noticed his wallet was missing. He thought maybe she went through with it and hitchhiked to California. But I didn't think so. I mean, Annabelle likes to talk a lot. She acts like she's an adult, but she's not. I knew she was still around."
"So that was the last any of you saw of her?"
Bryan nodded.
"If I talk to Grady and BT and Allison, they'll all say the same thing?"
"I swear."
Maxim chewed his lip. He wouldn't take the kid's word for it, of course. Half his job was confirming mundane information. It was in the little discrepancies that the lies revealed themselves.
"Look at me, Bryan," said the detective, locking his eyes on the boy's. "Did anyone do anything to Annabelle to make her leave? Do you know why she would have left you?"
The boy didn't answer immediately. His lip quivered. "No."
"Bryan," intoned the father.
The teenager stared at his lap again. "I—she might have been a little drunk."
"What?"
"Grady brought some wine coolers. I only had a taste."
His father snorted. It didn't take a detective to see through that lie. Maxim put his hand up to calm the man.
"Listen to me, Bryan. This is important. Did Annabelle say anything that night about what she wanted to do? Where she wanted to go?"
He shook his head. "Just Los Angeles, man. She wanted to be a singer. She was always recording herself, singing new songs and stuff."
Maxim frowned. "And if she didn't go home, if she didn't see her mother or father or any friends from school, where else would she have gone?"
Bryan thought for a moment but nothing came to him. The ringing of Maxim's phone interrupted them and he backed up to retrieve it from his jacket.
"Is that what you spent my seventy-five bucks on?" demanded the father. "Alcohol?"
Maxim stepped away as the two argued. He didn't recognize the phone number but answered anyway. "Detective Dwyer."
"Detective," came a familiar voice. "This is David Harper. There's an incident that needs your attention."
"What is it?"
"Your friend, Diego de la Torre—he's in police custody. He deserves it, to be honest, but he's asking to talk to you."
Maxim winced. "What did he do?"
"He followed a man into a bar in Williams and attacked him. Security grabbed him and a local uniform responded. Diego insisted this was related to the kidnapping so the deputy notified me."
Maxim tensed. "Related how?"
"That's the problem. It's not. Your friend is getting himself into trouble over this." David Harper assumed the same smug tone of superiority Maxim had come to expect. "Listen, this looks like a misunderstanding. The victim doesn't want to press charges and I realize your friend is worked up over recent events. As a favor to you, I'd be willing to let him walk, but you need to come down here to pick him up."
Great, Diego was getting into his usual trouble and cashing in a get-out-of-jail-free card. The last thing Maxim needed was a distraction. Even worse, he would now be in debt to a cocky detective from another department.
But he had no choice.
"Give me the location."
Chapter 16
Maxim parked on the side of the road behind Detective Harper's unmarked car. Unlike Maxim's silver TT, it was a government vehicle. In the house's driveway was a Williams Police Department cruiser, with the familiar Shamu black and white coloring.
Diego de la Torre had garnered the attention of three agencies.
Speaking of the biker, as soon as Maxim exited his coupe, he spotted the outlaw handcuffed in the back of the police car, surprisingly calm. The biker turned to Maxim and smiled. The detective simply shook his head and continued past.
David Harper waved from the front porch and met Maxim halfway.
"Thanks for this,"
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"'Cause we didn't do anything," he insisted. "We figured she just chickened out, you know? Walked back to Sanctuary. Her tent and bags were gone, so it was obvious she left by herself. And then BT noticed his wallet was missing. He thought maybe she went through with it and hitchhiked to California. But I didn't think so. I mean, Annabelle likes to talk a lot. She acts like she's an adult, but she's not. I knew she was still around."
"So that was the last any of you saw of her?"
Bryan nodded.
"If I talk to Grady and BT and Allison, they'll all say the same thing?"
"I swear."
Maxim chewed his lip. He wouldn't take the kid's word for it, of course. Half his job was confirming mundane information. It was in the little discrepancies that the lies revealed themselves.
"Look at me, Bryan," said the detective, locking his eyes on the boy's. "Did anyone do anything to Annabelle to make her leave? Do you know why she would have left you?"
The boy didn't answer immediately. His lip quivered. "No."
"Bryan," intoned the father.
The teenager stared at his lap again. "I—she might have been a little drunk."
"What?"
"Grady brought some wine coolers. I only had a taste."
His father snorted. It didn't take a detective to see through that lie. Maxim put his hand up to calm the man.
"Listen to me, Bryan. This is important. Did Annabelle say anything that night about what she wanted to do? Where she wanted to go?"
He shook his head. "Just Los Angeles, man. She wanted to be a singer. She was always recording herself, singing new songs and stuff."
Maxim frowned. "And if she didn't go home, if she didn't see her mother or father or any friends from school, where else would she have gone?"
Bryan thought for a moment but nothing came to him. The ringing of Maxim's phone interrupted them and he backed up to retrieve it from his jacket.
"Is that what you spent my seventy-five bucks on?" demanded the father. "Alcohol?"
Maxim stepped away as the two argued. He didn't recognize the phone number but answered anyway. "Detective Dwyer."
"Detective," came a familiar voice. "This is David Harper. There's an incident that needs your attention."
"What is it?"
"Your friend, Diego de la Torre—he's in police custody. He deserves it, to be honest, but he's asking to talk to you."
Maxim winced. "What did he do?"
"He followed a man into a bar in Williams and attacked him. Security grabbed him and a local uniform responded. Diego insisted this was related to the kidnapping so the deputy notified me."
Maxim tensed. "Related how?"
"That's the problem. It's not. Your friend is getting himself into trouble over this." David Harper assumed the same smug tone of superiority Maxim had come to expect. "Listen, this looks like a misunderstanding. The victim doesn't want to press charges and I realize your friend is worked up over recent events. As a favor to you, I'd be willing to let him walk, but you need to come down here to pick him up."
Great, Diego was getting into his usual trouble and cashing in a get-out-of-jail-free card. The last thing Maxim needed was a distraction. Even worse, he would now be in debt to a cocky detective from another department.
But he had no choice.
"Give me the location."
Chapter 16
Maxim parked on the side of the road behind Detective Harper's unmarked car. Unlike Maxim's silver TT, it was a government vehicle. In the house's driveway was a Williams Police Department cruiser, with the familiar Shamu black and white coloring.
Diego de la Torre had garnered the attention of three agencies.
Speaking of the biker, as soon as Maxim exited his coupe, he spotted the outlaw handcuffed in the back of the police car, surprisingly calm. The biker turned to Maxim and smiled. The detective simply shook his head and continued past.
David Harper waved from the front porch and met Maxim halfway.
"Thanks for this,"
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