Chrystal Bones (Finding Home Book 1) (5 page)

“Go on,” she encouraged her.

"He didn't want me to have Scotty. He tried to talk me into having an abortion so we could continue with our carefree life. Traveling all over, going to parties at the drop of a hat. If I hadn't gotten pregnant we would probably still be married and still partying. When I refused, things went downhill fast and that is when the affairs started. Nate really doesn’t like kids, any kids, not just Scotty. I grew up, he didn't. If Cole knew some of the things Nate said and did he would kill him." She finished with a small shrug of her shoulders.

Riley asked her, "Did you ever meet any of the women he slept with? Does he have a certain type?"

Janie frowned, "Not really as long as they are young, pretty and willing to party, he flirted with them all."

"Did you know about his gambling while you were married?"

"Sure. We gambled all the time. We would go to Vegas and even Monte Carlo. I thought he had quit though when I wouldn't give him any more money. But I found out during the divorce that he was stealing money from my trust fund and selling stuff from our apartment to cover his gambling debts."

Riley told her, "Okay that’s it for now. If I think of anything else I need to know I will call you.”

Cole and Jake came back into the room just as she was saying, "I need to see Scotty's room now.” Cole led her upstairs and Jake went to Janie.
Hmm, something is going on between those two,
she mused watching Janie move into the comfort of Jake’s arms not her brother’s.

It was a typical little boy's room. Decorated with a Lightning McQueen bedspread and posters of Mater and Luigi, from the movie Cars, on the walls. There was a race track going around the room with race cars lined up to race. It was a boy’s paradise. "Why no pictures of Sally Carrera?" she asked Cole, referring to Lightning McQueen's girlfriend.

"He is still at the age where girls have cooties,” Cole said with a smile. It was the first smile she had seen from him and it transformed his face from dark and forbidding to almost friendly.

"What's his favorite toy?" she asked.

Cole picked up a shinny red car and said, "This one. He usually takes it everywhere with him but he decided to leave it here this time."

She took the toy car from him and told him she needed some time alone in the room. "I'll come down when I am ready,” she said.

"Is this where you do your so called physic stuff?" he asked sarcastically. "I don't believe in any of that garbage."

"I'm not asking you to believe in it. I'm asking you to leave me here, alone, for awhile so I can get to know your nephew a little,” she said calmly. His reaction was nothing new to her, but that did not stop her from thinking he was an arrogant jerk.

He started to walk towards the door then stopped and turned to her. He said in a deadly voice, "If you try stringing us along I will destroy you." Then he was gone.

She smiled in amusement.
He even sounds sexy when he's threatening me. I am so not right in the head
. She turned her attention back to the room. She walked around touching all the toys and stuffed animals, picking up a couple she could tell he played with a lot.

It was a well loved stuffed horse that held the most of the boy. That was the one she held as she sat in the middle of his bed. Riley closed her eyes and concentrated on Scotty, trying to find the essence he had left behind. It took a long while but when she found him, the connection was the strongest she had ever experienced. She was thrown off balance by it for a moment. Some kids were more receptive than others and Scotty was not only receptive he was wide open.

The flood of words that came from him caused a small smile to form on her lips. She could tell he was okay, just sad, bored and sleepy. He wanted to come home so bad and his dad kept saying bad things about his mom. He hoped she came and got him soon.

Riley sent him waves of reassurance and love from his mom and uncle. She was able to see the room he was locked in, but that gave no clue where he was being held. She asked him to look out the window to see if she could see anything to pinpoint where he was, but no help there. All he could see were trees. He couldn't see any houses or hear any noises.
Well, he is not in the city that’s for sure
she thought
, not with that many trees.

She gently pulled out of his mind when she felt him drop into sleep. She opened her eyes to look straight into a pair of steel grey eyes watching her with so much suspicion in them.

"I came up to check on you. You have been up here for over an hour. I’ve been watching you for the last fifteen minutes. You did not move an inch,” he said deliberately spacing each word apart. “That is some trance you put yourself in lady. You didn't even hear me call your name."

Cole was as skeptical as they came. He did not believe in psychics, but he knew something was up with this girl. He couldn't even accuse her of scamming them because she wasn't charging his sister any money. She and her partner were here because Jake had asked them to help. But she hadn't moved or responded in any way when he called her name. She got up from the bed and walked out of Scotty's room and he followed. He had a feeling he would be following her a lot in the future and he wasn't even psychic.

Downstairs Riley went straight to Janie and taking her hand in one of hers, the other hand still holding on to the stuffed horse told her, "He's fine. A little sad missing you and his uncle. But right now mostly he is just bored wishing he had his Ipad to play on and someone or something called Turtle."

There was a shocked silence before Janie gave a little laugh and pointed to the horse in Riley's hand. “That's turtle, Cole got it for him when he was three and he sleeps with it every night." She gripped Riley's hand tight. "There is no way you could have known that. He's really all right." She looked like she had just had a thousand pound weight lifted from her shoulders and a bright beautiful smile lit up her tired face.

Riley held up turtle and told her, "I need to take him with me. I promise not to lose him and I will give him to Scotty when we find him. I need to go get with my partner Blue and see what she has found out. But I will get in touch soon and you call me the minute you hear from Nate. Now go take a nap, you are going to need it." Casually as if it was an after thought she asked, "Does Nate have a place he goes to get away from the city?"

With another laugh Janie replied, "No, he hates nature, he is strictly a city boy. I had a hard time getting him to even come here when we were married. Why?”

“Oh, no reason. Scotty just saw a lot of trees so I thought I would ask,” Riley said as she turned and walked out the door.

She could feel Cole's eyes boring into her back as she walked to her car. Jake hurried after her."Is he really ok?" he asked opening the car door for her.

“Yes, he really is ok for now. I might not tell her if he wasn't but I wouldn't hold back from you." She went up on her tip toes to kiss him on the cheek before getting in the car. "Now go back to your girlfriend. I will be in touch soon."

"She's not my girlfriend,” he protested.

"Maybe not, but you wish she was." Laughing Riley drove off.

Chrystal Bones Billie Jo Hanlin

Chapter 6

Blue was learning all kinds of interesting things from the LCA's apartment. It had taken her all of four minutes to bypass the security system and get in. If he was her client she would advise him to replace it. She didn’t reset it, she doubted she would be here long and she didn't think the LCA would be back any time soon.

Going through the pile of mail on the floor she found he was three months behind on rent for the swanky apartment and had received an eviction notice the day before he had snatched the kid. He was also behind on all of his other bills.

The electricity was scheduled to be turned off tomorrow if the balance wasn't paid by noon. There were a couple of nasty letters from collection agencies and one invitation to a party for tonight. “Sorry Ashley I think he's going to miss your party,” she murmured placing the bills on the side table.

She wandered throughout the rest of the apartment looking at everything. The kitchen didn't look like it had ever been used. There was a fine layer of dust on the dishes and pots in the cupboards.

Moving into the bedroom she saw the bed wasn't made and there were a couple of towels mildewing in the corner. The closet was filled with expensive suits and a lot of shoes. Really what man needed twenty pairs of shoes, she counted them. He had almost as many shoes as Riley, well maybe not, Riley had a lot of shoes.

She took in the clothes in the laundry basket and by the smell the LCA hadn't been back since he left a few days ago. She took a quick look in the bathroom noting that his toiletries were gone and the sink and shower were bone dry, then went back to the living room just as there was banging on the door.

"Open up we know you're in there,” a male voice shouted.

Another voice, shrill with its high pitch said"Break it down. We only saw one person go in and she is just a girl."

Blue moved quickly and quietly to stand by the wall next to the door so when they barged through she would be between them and the door, in case they tried to escape. She would show them;
‘just a girl'
she thought as the door jam broke and the door flew open. It hit the wall with enough force to bounce back and hit the second man coming through in the shoulder. The first having kept going once the door gave way.

Both men stopped in the middle of the room looking around. The one with the girly voice acted like he was in charge. He ordered the other man to go look in the bedroom while he checked the kitchen.

Before they could take two steps she spoke from behind them, "Hello gentlemen, all you had to do was knock. You really didn't have to break the door. What can I do for you today?" she said in a soft pleasant tone.

Both men whirled around in surprise to stare at her. The one giving the orders was a short skinny guy with skin pock marked from acne and a receding hairline. He looked like a scrawny rooster. The other was six feet tall and had to weigh in at two hundred and twenty pounds and it was all muscle. He was pretty boy handsome with blond curly hair falling to his shoulders. She bet he spent a lot of time in the gym lifting weights.

"We're looking for the guy that lives here,” the rooster said, giving her what he probably thought was a hard look that only made her stifle a laugh.

"What a coincidence so am I. He's not here,” she said helpfully.

"We know that but you are, and the boss is going to want to talk to you,” pretty boy said walking towards her. "So you are coming with us.”

When he went to grab her arm Blue moved fast, with a step to her right she kicked straight out with her left leg and drove her boot clad foot into his knee cap. Her right palm came up hard into his nose while her left delivered a chop to the nerve between his neck and shoulder. He was down and out in less than three seconds.

Before he hit the ground she was on the rooster. She grabbed his arm and had it twisted behind his back before he had time to finish pulling his gun. Pushing his arm up higher between his shoulder blades, she rammed her foot into the back of his knees forcing him to fall to his knees.

"Don't worry, I'm just a girl. I won't hurt you. Much,” she said in an ice cold voice that was no longer pleasant. Then she used the same chop to the base of the neck to knock him out that she had used on his companion.

Blue surveyed the two men sprawled on the floor and walked back into the bedroom closet. She helped herself to several silk ties and went to secure them. She wanted answers and maybe they could provide some. After she had the men tied up nice and neat, she went through their pockets.

Rooster’s name turned out to be Lenard B Pritkins. She was sticking with rooster. He didn't have anything interesting besides the Glock nine millimeter gun. She took the mag out and cleared the chamber before tossing it on the couch. She turned to the pretty boy.

According to his drivers license his name was Marco Deluca and he was thirty four years old.
Pretty boy took a pretty picture
she thought putting his wallet back in his suit pocket. His gun was a Smith and Wesson M&P nine millimeter pistol. Not the best but either gun would get the job done. She tossed it to the couch to join rooster’s after she had removed the bullets.

Pretty boy came awake fighting mad. He glared at her while he tested his bonds. She placed her hand on his arm in order to read him and what she found surprised her. Sure he was mad that she had gotten the best of him but he was madder at himself for letting her. Like he had a choice.

She had been practicing the Israeli form of Krav Maga for over fifteen years. There were not many people who could get the best of her even if she was just a girl. She was a fourth degree black belt. There were only five degrees of Krav Maga before you were considered a master and that took a lifetime to achieve.

What did surprise her though was pretty boy wasn't just a pretty face. He was the one in charge, not the rooster. She handed him a cloth for his bleeding nose and said to him, “Let’s talk. "I don't have time to go see your boss right now. We are both looking for Nate Walker. Now I know why I'm looking for him but why are you?" she asked. Pretty sure she knew the answer but wanting to see if his thoughts matched his words.

Instead of answering her question he asked one of his own, "What was that you pulled on me? You had me down and out so fast I barely saw you move." He wasn't mad anymore, he was impressed. He looked over at the rooster and laughed.

In addition to tying him up she had also gagged him. He had also woken up from his unplanned nap and was struggling against his bonds and trying to talk through the gag.

"Look, I'm glad you find this so amusing but I really don’t have all day. Now what do you want with the asshole?"

This time he answered her question. She knew through her touch that he was telling her the truth. "He owes my boss two hundred and fifty grand. The boss sent us here to watch this place when he wouldn't return his phone calls and disappeared. You're the only one who has come calling,” he said with a smile then added, “You want to go out to dinner tonight?"