wasn’t the first time the kid had broken a rule.
Ian stared at the can of Dr Pepper. “One of the guys from school texted me. I went to his house to talk to him. He said he heard his parents talking about Mom screwin’ around, and he’d seen her at the mall with another man.”
“Talk or fight?” Tigo’s eyes locked onto Ian’s.
“Does it matter?”
“Until two thirty?” Tigo said.
Ian drew in a breath. “I wasn’t going to come back. Took him a while to talk me into going home.”
Tigo believed he spoke the truth. “Why weren’t you going to come home?”
“I … I’d seen Mom with that guy too. I didn’t know him. Anyway, after I saw them together, I asked her about him.”
Tigo leaned in closer. “When was this? I need the whole story.”
Ian cast Jonathan a helpless glance. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Now’s the time, son,” Jonathan said in a gentler tone.
Ian waited a few more seconds before beginning. “About two weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I needed to ask Mom something, so I looked for her in her office. She was talking onthe phone, and the conversation was loud, so I stood outside her door and listened.” He took a deep breath. “She told someone, ‘You won’t get away with this’ and ‘You won’t ruin my family.’ Then she didn’t say anything for a while. I started to knock, but then I heard her say, ‘I’ll meet you at the food court at the mall. Twenty minutes.’ I backed away from the door and went to my room. When I saw her leave, I followed. Took your car, Dad …” Ian paused and looked at his dad.
Tigo glanced at Jonathan. At sixteen, Ian probably had a driver’s license, but he couldn’t legally operate a vehicle without adult supervision.
“Go on, son,” Jonathan said, frowning. “You followed your mom …”
Ian nodded. “I watched her and this white man. She couldn’t see me. She was upset and finally left. It took me a while to confront her, but when I did, she said it was none of my business. That was last Sunday. We had a big fight. I’d never seen her that … weird. Maybe scared. I thought she was afraid I’d tell you she was messin’ around. I said some bad things. Never had a chance to apologize.”
Tigo pieced the story together. Joanna had problems with a man who’d obviously threatened her. She’d met with him, and Ian witnessed it and then confronted her on Sunday. She filed for divorce on Tuesday and had been killed with his sister on Wednesday. “This kid you went to see last night … Did he say anything else?”
“He just wanted money not to tell anyone about seeing them together. I’ve been thinking. Maybe she thought going to a busy place would keep her safe?”
“Probably so,” Tigo said. “Did you give this kid money to keep quiet? That’s blackmail, Ian.”
His gaze flew to Jonathan’s face. “I took three hundred dollars from Dad’s stash.”
“Give me the kid’s name, and we’ll handle it,” Tigo said. “We’ll get your dad’s money back. I need for you to come withme to the FBI office. Our artist there can make a sketch of the man you saw with your mother.”
“Okay.” Ian’s eyes filled with tears. “Dad, I’m sorry. I was going to tell you. I’m sure that guy killed Mom and Alexia.” He buried his face in his hands. “I never told her I was sorry.”
CHAPTER 9
2:00 P.M. THURSDAY
T igo picked up his iPhone. He studied the Buzz Lightyear phone cover that showed his hero striking a pose. “To infinity and beyond.” Right. His relationship with Kariss had taken him nowhere.
She’d given him the phone cover a week before Thanksgiving. The week before everything went wrong.
They’d spent Thanksgiving with her parents in Texas City. Wonderful family. Her mom was almost as good a cook as his own mother had been. They’d laughed. Teased. Played football in the backyard. Kariss had acted strangely from the time he’d picked her up that morning until he brought her
Ian stared at the can of Dr Pepper. “One of the guys from school texted me. I went to his house to talk to him. He said he heard his parents talking about Mom screwin’ around, and he’d seen her at the mall with another man.”
“Talk or fight?” Tigo’s eyes locked onto Ian’s.
“Does it matter?”
“Until two thirty?” Tigo said.
Ian drew in a breath. “I wasn’t going to come back. Took him a while to talk me into going home.”
Tigo believed he spoke the truth. “Why weren’t you going to come home?”
“I … I’d seen Mom with that guy too. I didn’t know him. Anyway, after I saw them together, I asked her about him.”
Tigo leaned in closer. “When was this? I need the whole story.”
Ian cast Jonathan a helpless glance. “I didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Now’s the time, son,” Jonathan said in a gentler tone.
Ian waited a few more seconds before beginning. “About two weeks ago, on a Saturday afternoon, I needed to ask Mom something, so I looked for her in her office. She was talking onthe phone, and the conversation was loud, so I stood outside her door and listened.” He took a deep breath. “She told someone, ‘You won’t get away with this’ and ‘You won’t ruin my family.’ Then she didn’t say anything for a while. I started to knock, but then I heard her say, ‘I’ll meet you at the food court at the mall. Twenty minutes.’ I backed away from the door and went to my room. When I saw her leave, I followed. Took your car, Dad …” Ian paused and looked at his dad.
Tigo glanced at Jonathan. At sixteen, Ian probably had a driver’s license, but he couldn’t legally operate a vehicle without adult supervision.
“Go on, son,” Jonathan said, frowning. “You followed your mom …”
Ian nodded. “I watched her and this white man. She couldn’t see me. She was upset and finally left. It took me a while to confront her, but when I did, she said it was none of my business. That was last Sunday. We had a big fight. I’d never seen her that … weird. Maybe scared. I thought she was afraid I’d tell you she was messin’ around. I said some bad things. Never had a chance to apologize.”
Tigo pieced the story together. Joanna had problems with a man who’d obviously threatened her. She’d met with him, and Ian witnessed it and then confronted her on Sunday. She filed for divorce on Tuesday and had been killed with his sister on Wednesday. “This kid you went to see last night … Did he say anything else?”
“He just wanted money not to tell anyone about seeing them together. I’ve been thinking. Maybe she thought going to a busy place would keep her safe?”
“Probably so,” Tigo said. “Did you give this kid money to keep quiet? That’s blackmail, Ian.”
His gaze flew to Jonathan’s face. “I took three hundred dollars from Dad’s stash.”
“Give me the kid’s name, and we’ll handle it,” Tigo said. “We’ll get your dad’s money back. I need for you to come withme to the FBI office. Our artist there can make a sketch of the man you saw with your mother.”
“Okay.” Ian’s eyes filled with tears. “Dad, I’m sorry. I was going to tell you. I’m sure that guy killed Mom and Alexia.” He buried his face in his hands. “I never told her I was sorry.”
CHAPTER 9
2:00 P.M. THURSDAY
T igo picked up his iPhone. He studied the Buzz Lightyear phone cover that showed his hero striking a pose. “To infinity and beyond.” Right. His relationship with Kariss had taken him nowhere.
She’d given him the phone cover a week before Thanksgiving. The week before everything went wrong.
They’d spent Thanksgiving with her parents in Texas City. Wonderful family. Her mom was almost as good a cook as his own mother had been. They’d laughed. Teased. Played football in the backyard. Kariss had acted strangely from the time he’d picked her up that morning until he brought her
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