but it’s too light a sentence,” Vic muttered. “The district isn’t allowed to hire anyone who’s had a prison record, but since the charge was dropped, I guess the rule didn’t apply.”
“The information on Leroy’s school file says he started working for the district a week after his release from prison. Someone higher up had the power to pull strings like that,” Kit theorized. “I’ll get the full police report on the other men involved in the assault. Maybe the ones causing the confrontation with Leroy work for someone who gives them orders when they want a hit made.”
“That’s what I’m thinking.” Vic got to his feet. “Before the night is over I want to talk to the person at the district who hired him, and find out who put the pressure on him or her. It’s time to pay Leroy a visit to find out just how sick he is. Let’s go in my car.”
“I’ll call headquarters right now to get that process started.”
It was ten to six when they left the building and drove to the Walnut Creek area known as a hot spot for a large number of auto thefts and larceny. Bennett lived in an older three-story apartment building, in unit 22. Vic parked the car and they entered the main foyer. Several tenants had to have been just getting back from work. They were checking their mailboxes, which were located inside the building.
Vic followed the arrow to Bennett’s apartment on the main floor. He knocked on the door. No answer. He tried it again.
Kit grimaced. “We need a warrant.”
“Barring that, let’s check with that woman across the hall.” Vic walked over to the woman who held a sack of groceries in one arm and was in the middle of opening her door. She looked to be in her twenties.
“Ma’am? Can we speak to you for a minute?” He pulled out his ID. “I’m Ranger Malone. This is Ranger Saunders.”
She eyed them suspiciously. “What do you want?”
“Can you tell us about the man living in apartment 22? He doesn’t seem to be home at the moment.”
“I try to avoid him. He’s been bugging me to go out with him since I moved in here two months ago. He bragged about being in Iraq.”
“Does he ever have friends over?”
“Not that I’ve noticed.” She hunched her shoulders. “He’s weird, wanting to show me all his tattoos, you know? I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in some kind of trouble.”
“When was the last time you saw him?”
“This morning. His parking stall is in the rear near mine. I saw him loading up the back of his truck. I asked him if he was moving out. He just nodded and drove off. I’m glad he’s gone and good riddance.”
Vic felt as if he’d been stabbed. His only lead already had a ten-hour advantage on him. “Can you describe the truck for us?”
“I don’t know models. It was blue and looked old with a bunch of dents.”
“Four doors? Two doors?”
“Two doors I think.”
“What time was that?”
“Quarter after eight. I have to be to work at eight thirty.”
“Thank you for your time.”
“Sure.”
With that news, the two of them rushed out of the building to Vic’s car. “I’ll call in for a license plate number. Once it’s found I’ll ask TJ to send out an Amber Alert. I wouldn’t doubt if Leroy was paid off to do his part in the kidnapping, and now he’s headed for the border.”
Kit nodded. “He must have driven to the school right before the bell and put Jeremy in the garbage bin. All he had to do was put it in the truck parked outside the door and take off with no one being the wiser.”
Bile started to rise in Vic’s throat. “We’ve got to find him.” He put in a call to the captain. The blood pounded in his temples. Someone had used Leroy to carry out the kidnapping. He could be anywhere in the state by now. If he slipped over the border, it could take a long time to track him down.
When he got off the phone with the captain, Kit looked at him. “As soon as you drop me off at headquarters, I’ll ask the boss to get us a warrant to search Leroy’s apartment and take a look at his bank and cell phone records.
“Good. Pray we’ll come across something that could give us answers. Whoever in Human Resources hired him was taking orders from higher up. I’m hoping we’ll catch a break here.”
“After we make the search I’ll get on the phone and help you talk to the other teachers and school staff who might be able to give us more information about Leroy.”
“Claire will help us. We’ll call everyone from home with the list the secretary gave me. Someone has to know about his private life and the people he hung out with. I’ll call to let her know I’ll be home soon.” Vic held the steering wheel tighter. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Kit. Someone has my son—”
“We’re going to find him, Vic.”
After hearing from Vic, Claire hung up and started to fix dinner. She was so horrified over Jeremy’s disappearance that she’d lost her appetite. As for his poor father, she knew Vic wouldn’t be able to eat, but he needed food in order to keep going. That meant making something light.
Taking stock of the groceries they had, she put together some dinner rolls with ham and cheese. Accompanied by fruit and hot coffee, they would hopefully tempt him. While she listened for Vic’s car in the driveway, her mom phoned again to hear if there’d been any word on Jeremy.
“Not yet. Oh, Mom—” Claire broke down in tears. “I couldn’t bear if anything happened to him.”
“We’re all praying he’s found soon. Barbara and Kaye have offered to help any way they can.”
She loved her sisters. “Tell them thank you.”
“You have to have faith that Ranger Malone will find him.”
“I do. You don’t know how much I love that boy.”
“I’ve known that for a long time.”
Of course she did. Claire never stopped talking about him. “This is a nightmare, Mom. Oh—I think I hear Vic now. I’ll call you later.”
She clicked Off and dashed across the living room to the front door. When she opened it, Vic had just reached the porch. Before walking through the door, he flashed her a look that revealed his terror.
Claire followed him through the house to the kitchen. “What can I do to help?”
He’d gone over to the sink and was drinking water from the tap. The poor man had been gutted. Claire had never felt so helpless. Once he’d washed his hands, he turned
