Stolen Lives: A Detective Mystery Series SuperBoxset by Roger Hayden, James Hunt Page A

were speaking with a slim, wavy-haired man dressed in a suit. His back was turned toward the window and his briefcase rested on the table.
    “The Anderson family lawyer,” Nettles said, pointing.
    Captain Porter and Lou squeezed into the tight-fitting viewing room, trying to look over Miriam’s shoulder. Nettles pressed a small button on the wall next to them. An intercom above them sounded, allowing them to hear the conversation.
    The lawyer was saying: “No one knows where Philip is. He’s on the run. But what we want to do is get you out of here. Secondly, you don’t say anything. I’ll have you out of here before sundown.”
    Captain Porter looked at Lou. “That’s all contingent on what we find after the search of their salvage yard.”
    “How many properties does the family own?” Miriam asked.
    “None,” Lou said. “Phillip owns them all. And there’s twenty of them we know of throughout South Florida.”
    “And what efforts have been made to search those properties?” she asked.
    No one answered. She turned around. “A helicopter? Something?”
    “We’re working on it,” Porter said, not wanting to elaborate any further.
    Agent Nettles crossed his arms, watching the couple through the glass. Boone was a large man, over six feet tall, with short white hair and a thin matching beard. His eyes were magnified behind thick glasses, and he looked perpetually upset. He wore a pair of old-fashioned overalls on his large frame. His wife, Judith, was about half his size, with curly gray hair and an equally perturbed expression. The lawyer continued his promise that they would be released soon.
    “Is that slime ball going to be present when she speaks to them?” Captain Porter asked Nettles.
    Nettles shrugged, not certain. “His plate is full with three other clients, but ultimately it’s up to the lovely couple in there.”
    “They did request to speak with her,” Lou added.
    Porter shook his head. “Again, I don’t understand. What’s their angle?”
    “How much is Philip Anderson worth?” Miriam asked—posing a question of her own.
    “He’s believed to have a net worth of three million dollars,” Nettles answered.
    Lou nearly gasped. Porter’s eyes widened. Miriam could hardly believe it herself. She turned and patted Lou’s back as he hacked and coughed.
    “That psychotic backwoods predator is a millionaire?” Lou said, catching his breath.
    “Yes,” Nettles said. “We’re working on freezing his assets.”
    “That’s a start,” Porter said.
    “He’s not stupid,” Nettles said. “There has been zero activity in his bank and credit accounts.”
    Miriam wondered how much the FBI knew about Philip Anderson. She wondered how much they knew about her. With the family lawyer present, it looked like the parents’ release was a foregone conclusion. What did he want with her anyway? Why had she come to Lee County when a fresh crime scene stood waiting at her own house? She pulled her phone out to check for any missed calls—even though her ringer had been fully on. The unlisted number didn’t show.
    Nettles knocked and opened the door to the interrogation room. The curly-haired lawyer stopped and turned around, exposing a youthful, clean-shaven face. He looked to be in his early forties. With the amount of wealth Philip Anderson had, Miriam was surprised that an army of lawyers hadn’t descended upon the precinct. She asked Agent Nettles to elaborate on the family’s wealth.
    “They all make a decent income, but Phillip is the loaded one,” he said. “The family business and all its wealth belongs to him.”
    That one man could have so much power over his family was strange. Whatever the scenario, Miriam could understand his parents’ reluctance to talk.
    “Yes?” the lawyer asked from the other room, waiting.
    Nettles opened the door and poked his head in, speaking in a moderately sarcastic tone. “All right, your honor, I have Ms. Castillo here as requested.”
    The