Chapter 8
Mitch groaned as he pulled into the station parking lot. A band of reporters was blocking the entrance. They swarmed on Mitch as he walked towards the front door.
"Chief Foster, are there any new clues?"
"How do you respond to allegations that the police force knew that kidnapping was going to happen?"
"How do you respond to the criticism made by Rob Garrison?" Mitch glared at the reporter. Cheryl Kent. A bitch of a reporter from a local channel. She was ruthless in her pursuit of out scooping her rivals and peers. She loved to make a scene at every major crime scene. And there weren't many.
"I haven't heard any criticism," said Mitch.
"He says that this police force is too inept. He wants to have the Parksville PD take over," explained Kent, grinning at Mitch's growing anger.
"This matter does not concern Parksville. Jake Baker wasn't kidnapped in Parksville," replied Mitch. With that he turned on his heels and went into the station, ignoring the rest of the millions of questions. Megan walked up to him.
"Mac just called. Get this. It seems that Tom's brother Harry has been at odds with Tom and Kate since he accused them of stealing money. He hates them actually. And the kids." Mitch felt his heart start to race. This could be the lead they were looking for.
"Does he live nearby?" asked Mitch.
"Lounsbury. That's forty miles outside of the county," answered Megan.
"Close enough to mastermind a kidnapping," said Mitch. "Someone needs to drive out there."
"Jim called the state troopers office. A deputy is on his way there now. I sent Red to go talk to the Bakers," said Megan. "How'd things go with father of the year?"
"He got pissed when I questioned him. He's hiding something but then again, Garret is always hiding something. I wish I could arrest people for being an asshole," groaned Mitch.
"We already have enough problems with overcrowding of jails," said Megan. Mitch chuckled. Light was fading and day two of the search was no doubt going to end with nothing being found. If something didn't come up soon, Mitch was going to have to deal with a major political shit storm from Parksville. The bastards who ran the town thought they could bully any town in the county. A kidnapping with no leads gave them a damn good reason to.
Kate sat on the couch, trying to focus on the movie that Kyle and Nigel were watching. Kyle and Nigel weren't old enough to really understand what was going on. They had no idea that their big brother was in the clutches of some madman. The doorbell rang, offering Kate relief from the movie. Henry had beat her to the door.
"She's right here," said Henry, leading the visitor into the living room. The visitor was a cop. Kate didn't recognize him. Her mind started to race as she thought of all the reasons the officer could be there be. They found Jake, alive, dead, mutilated,
"You found him?" asked Kate. The officer shook his head.
"No. I'm sorry. But we have a new suspect. Oh, by the way, I'm Bill Redding. I'm Mitch's deputy," replied the officer.
"Please sit," said Kate, disappointment washing over her.
"Thank you," said Red. He sighed.
"Mac read about the fight you had with Tom's brother, Harry. The fact that he lives nearby makes him a prime suspect," explained Red. Kate let out a long sigh.
"Harry may be a jerk but he would never do anything like this," said Kate.
"Has he every threatened the kids?"
"He doesn't really know the kids. They only see him if the kids are visiting their grandparents. I've never heard any of the kids complain about him."
"Have you had contact with him since he accused you of stealing money?"
"No. He and Tom avoid each other like a plague. We had no idea he lived here when we moved." Red nodded.
"I'm sorry I can't offer anything more. Harry has nothing to do with us anymore," said Kate.
"Well there is a strong possibility he could be the one who took Jake. Mac says that family members kidnapping other family members is common," said Red.
"I hope that's not the case," said Kate. Because Kate knew Harry would torture Jake. He would take all his rage out on him. And Kate would probably never see her son again.
Mitch looked up as Jim rushed into his office.
"We just found the van that was parked outside the skate park. Dale just sent over what they found inside. This case just took a serious left turn," said Jim. He handed Mitch a file folder.
"Who's the van registered to?" asked Mitch.
"Walter Parke. The skate park manager. That file was found inside the van," said Jim. Mitch opened the file. It was pictures. Dozens of pictures of the same person. Mitch felt the bottom drop out of his stomach. Staring up at him from every picture was Ricky Morris.
"Holy shit. The sick fuck grabbed the wrong kid," said Mitch.
Can we say tangled web of evidence? I'll give a cookie to who ever figures out what is going on and who did it before the end. I really hope you don't think it's Parke. That would be too easy. Oh, I would like to know something. Who do you like better? Mac, Jim, Megan, or Mitch. Thank you. And please review.
