true. He took him from my house. My son’s name is Benji.” She pulled a photo from her purse and handed it to the woman. “That was taken two years ago. I haven’t seen him since.”
Maude’s alarmed gaze met hers. “I don’t understand. Seth...he cheated people out of money, but he wasn’t no kidnapper.”
Sage’s stomach knotted. “I don’t know why he took Benji,” she said. “But I know that he lied to me. He asked me to marry him, and he warmed up to Benji from the start. Did the two of you have children?”
She shook her head. “I had a miscarriage right after we got married. After that, I was scared to try again.”
“Did he talk about children a lot? Did he want a family?”
Maude’s lip curled into a scowl. “No.”
“What about his own family?” Dugan asked. “Did he tell you anything about them? Did you ever meet his mother or father?”
“No, he said his parents were dead and he didn’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“When was the last time you saw or talked to him?”
“I told you, right after I bailed him out of jail about four years ago.”
“Did he come home with you that night?” Dugan asked.
“Yeah. He spent the night, then said he was going to make things right, that he had to talk to someone about a job and that he’d be back when he got things worked out.”
Sage lowered her voice. “Did you have any idea that he’d been arrested before?”
Maude shook her head no.
“How about that he used different names?”
“I told you I didn’t know what he was up to.”
“He didn’t call you and tell you about being in Cobra Creek?” Sage asked.
“No. I... When I didn’t hear from him, I was afraid something bad happened to him. That the law caught up with him and he was back in jail.”
“So you didn’t look for him?” Sage asked.
“I called his cell phone, but it was dead.”
“You haven’t heard the news, then?” Sage asked.
She crossed her arms, irritation tightening her face. “No, what the hell is going on?”
Sage glanced at Dugan, and he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to have to tell you, Mrs. Handleman, but Ron Lewis...aka Seth Handleman...was murdered.”
Maude gasped and twisted the afghan between her fingers. “What? Who killed him?”
“That’s the reason we’re here,” Dugan said. “I’m investigating his murder.”
Sage studied Maude’s reaction. She seemed sincerely shocked. And she’d given no indication that she’d killed him or that she wanted him dead.
“Please, Maude, if you can think of a place Seth would have gone or someone he would have contacted, tell me. I’m afraid that whoever killed him took my little boy, and that Benji’s in danger.”
* * *
M AUDE’S FACE PALED . “I...just can’t see my Seth kidnapping your boy. If he did, someone must’ve forced him to.”
Dugan had considered that. “But Ms. Freeport didn’t receive a ransom note.”
Maude threw her hands up. “I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry, Ms. Freeport. But I don’t know anything.”
“Do you recognize the names Mike Martin or Joel Bremmer?” Dugan asked.
“No, should I?”
“They’re two of Lewis’s other aliases.”
Maude dropped her face into her hands. “You think someone he conned killed him?”
“That’s possible,” Dugan said. “Or it could have been one of the other women in his life.”
Maude made a strangled sound. “I shoulda known he wasn’t faithful when he left me. Why do I always fall for the losers?”
Sage patted her back with compassion. “I know just how you feel, Maude.”
He laid a business card on the table beside her. “Call us if you think of anything.”
Sage sighed as they walked outside to the SUV and got inside. “What do we do now?”
“There were two other women on the list I want to question.”
“Other wives?”
“One was a wife, one a girlfriend.” He fastened his seat belt. “Maybe one of them can shed some light on Lewis. If he lied to Maude
Maude’s alarmed gaze met hers. “I don’t understand. Seth...he cheated people out of money, but he wasn’t no kidnapper.”
Sage’s stomach knotted. “I don’t know why he took Benji,” she said. “But I know that he lied to me. He asked me to marry him, and he warmed up to Benji from the start. Did the two of you have children?”
She shook her head. “I had a miscarriage right after we got married. After that, I was scared to try again.”
“Did he talk about children a lot? Did he want a family?”
Maude’s lip curled into a scowl. “No.”
“What about his own family?” Dugan asked. “Did he tell you anything about them? Did you ever meet his mother or father?”
“No, he said his parents were dead and he didn’t have any brothers or sisters.”
“When was the last time you saw or talked to him?”
“I told you, right after I bailed him out of jail about four years ago.”
“Did he come home with you that night?” Dugan asked.
“Yeah. He spent the night, then said he was going to make things right, that he had to talk to someone about a job and that he’d be back when he got things worked out.”
Sage lowered her voice. “Did you have any idea that he’d been arrested before?”
Maude shook her head no.
“How about that he used different names?”
“I told you I didn’t know what he was up to.”
“He didn’t call you and tell you about being in Cobra Creek?” Sage asked.
“No. I... When I didn’t hear from him, I was afraid something bad happened to him. That the law caught up with him and he was back in jail.”
“So you didn’t look for him?” Sage asked.
“I called his cell phone, but it was dead.”
“You haven’t heard the news, then?” Sage asked.
She crossed her arms, irritation tightening her face. “No, what the hell is going on?”
Sage glanced at Dugan, and he cleared his throat. “I’m sorry to have to tell you, Mrs. Handleman, but Ron Lewis...aka Seth Handleman...was murdered.”
Maude gasped and twisted the afghan between her fingers. “What? Who killed him?”
“That’s the reason we’re here,” Dugan said. “I’m investigating his murder.”
Sage studied Maude’s reaction. She seemed sincerely shocked. And she’d given no indication that she’d killed him or that she wanted him dead.
“Please, Maude, if you can think of a place Seth would have gone or someone he would have contacted, tell me. I’m afraid that whoever killed him took my little boy, and that Benji’s in danger.”
* * *
M AUDE’S FACE PALED . “I...just can’t see my Seth kidnapping your boy. If he did, someone must’ve forced him to.”
Dugan had considered that. “But Ms. Freeport didn’t receive a ransom note.”
Maude threw her hands up. “I don’t know what to say except I’m sorry, Ms. Freeport. But I don’t know anything.”
“Do you recognize the names Mike Martin or Joel Bremmer?” Dugan asked.
“No, should I?”
“They’re two of Lewis’s other aliases.”
Maude dropped her face into her hands. “You think someone he conned killed him?”
“That’s possible,” Dugan said. “Or it could have been one of the other women in his life.”
Maude made a strangled sound. “I shoulda known he wasn’t faithful when he left me. Why do I always fall for the losers?”
Sage patted her back with compassion. “I know just how you feel, Maude.”
He laid a business card on the table beside her. “Call us if you think of anything.”
Sage sighed as they walked outside to the SUV and got inside. “What do we do now?”
“There were two other women on the list I want to question.”
“Other wives?”
“One was a wife, one a girlfriend.” He fastened his seat belt. “Maybe one of them can shed some light on Lewis. If he lied to Maude