Maverick Mania by Sigmund Brouwer Page B

here?”
    Mom gave him the newspaper article. “Remember I brought you some concerns about the Riggins family? You might find this interesting.”
    â€œAll right,” he said after reading it. “I’ll agree it’s strange to find a family with the same names.”
    Mom took a deep breath. “Captain, you know I spend a lot of time trying to learn about detective work.”
    It might have been my imagination, but I thought I saw Captain Briscoe fight the twitch of a smile. “Yes,” he said, “I do know that.”
    â€œI’ve learned that there’s something people can do to change their identities,” Mom said. “I’m sure you know about it. They look for people about the same age who have died. They send away for the deadperson’s birth certificate and use it to apply for a driver’s license, credit cards...a new identity. No one ever cross-checks against death certificates.”
    â€œYes,” Captain Briscoe admitted, “I know of that happening. But this—”
    â€œIs a whole family,” Mom said. “If the father and mother and son were born about the same time as those killed in the accident, think of how easy it would be to give a whole family a new identity from the dead people’s birth certificates. Especially if the family lived so far across the country from Roaring River that no one would recognize their names and connect them to the people who died in the car accident.”
    â€œHow did you connect them?” Captain Briscoe asked.
    I explained.
    â€œI don’t know,” he said. “This is so farfetched. And the Charlie Riggins we know is a respectable businessperson. There are probably thousands of Charlie Rigginses across the country.”
    â€œBut how many with a wife named Louise and a son named Caleb?” Mom asked.
    â€œGood point,” he said. “But why would they go to this trouble?”
    â€œI bet we could answer that if we knew who they were before they changed identities,” Mom said. “Maybe Charlie was a drug dealer. Or a wanted murderer. Or...”
    Mom’s eyes were beginning to have that excited mystery shine.
    â€œHold on, hold on, hold on,” Captain Briscoe said. “You have to be very careful about what you say. If you’re wrong and rumors get started, Charlie Riggins could sue you for slander.”
    As he thought, Captain Briscoe rolled the article into a tube and tapped it with his right hand against the palm of his left hand.
    â€œThis is what I’ll do,” he said. “I’ll photocopy this article. First thing tomorrow—when the records offices are open—I’ll make some phone calls to look into this.”
    He shot a warning glance at Mom. “Remember, you keep this to yourself.Last thing I need is for the department to know that I’m actually involving myself in one of your crazy mysteries.”
    â€œThank you, Captain,” Mom said.
    â€œBut...,” I said.
    They both looked at me.
    â€œIf Mr. Riggins is some kind of criminal,” I said, “tomorrow might be too late. Caleb has been gone a day already.”
    â€œI don’t think we need to worry,” Captain Briscoe said after a few moments of thought. “At this point, Riggins doesn’t know we’re checking into his background. Say this does turn out to be something. Nothing will go wrong as long as Charlie Riggins thinks he is safe.”
    He directed his frown at me. “Which means you can now leave this in police hands.”
    He cleared his throat. “Right, Matt?”
    â€œUm, yes, sir,” I said. “Absolutely right.”
    As if I’d ever do anything crazy like my mom would.

chapter seventeen
    In the darkness, a
Tyrannosaurus rex
roared as it charged toward me. I hardly noticed. I’d sat there for half of the movie that night, and I couldn’t even remember eating my popcorn.
    Who were Charlie,