The Price of Candy (10 page)

“Sure, let’s do it right now. He reached over
and booted his Police Vehicle Computer. “Toby is short for Tobias.
Of course, Toby could be a legal first name also. If the given name
isn’t Tobias, then it’s likely the last name is fairly unusual and
starts with a T and O. Such as Toblanski, or Topol. We’ll search
for first name or alias.”

They sat doing searches for various areas.
List of names and addresses started scrolling on the screen.
“Here’s five possibles in adjacent counties and three others that
are local.”

“I thought there’d be many more, Chip.”

“Remember, these are criminal offenders only,
not everyone called Toby. And those addresses might not be any
good, except for these two here. See they’re marked as sex
offenders? Sex offenders must give us their current address. You
still have a lot of legwork to do. If this Toby you’re after
doesn’t have a criminal record, you’ve a long tedious search ahead
of you.”

“Ok, print out those eight.”

He did, and tore off the printout and handed
it to her. “I just noticed, you can forget that last name there.
He’s presently in Okeechobee Correctional.”

“Thanks. I’m going now to find the addresses
on this list. Thank god my car has GPS.”

“I’m telling you again, you should drop this
entire idea. Too dangerous. Think about it, Sandy. Toby intended to
go around to Abby’s house the night of the shooting. At least
that’s what Jamie told you—that’s why you went there with Detective
Pomar, right? Therefore when Toby heard about the shooting, he must
have figured out that the bullet was meant for him.”

“That’s what I thought. They arrest Abby, and
Toby becomes afraid she’ll bring him into it. So he snatches Jamie
for insurance. Then he phones Abby and tells her to shut up about
him or else. That means a dangerous man has his hands on
Jamie.”

“That means a dangerous man knows you’re
looking for him.”

Although Sandy was convinced the mysterious
Toby was involved in Jamie’s disappearance, she also had to admit
she had absolutely no evidence to support such a belief. She needed
to find him and needed to figure out where to start. An Internet
search for people named Toby or Tobias in nearby counties had
resulted in far too many hits with haphazard demographics. The
criminal offender list Chip printed out zeroed the search down to
eight suspects. Certainly, a more manageable list, although the
Toby she sought might not have a documented criminal past.

This might take some time and was full of
guesses. Locate each listed offender, get a look at him, and try to
guess if he was likely to be involved with Abby Olin, either as her
boyfriend or someone she might want to kill for a reason yet
unknown. Is he nervous? Does he appear to be hiding? Is it likely
Jamie is hidden somewhere around the premises? All of it a shaky
guess, and the chance of hitting bingo with only eight names on the
list was slight.

She needed to stop by and get something from
Kagan’s office before she started out. Kagan was there at his desk
eating a fish sandwich with creamy coleslaw.

“You have lunch yet? Want a mouthful of
this?”

“I’m skipping it today.” She held up the
printout. “I’m off on a scavenger hunt. I have a list of bad guys.”
She explained what she was up to.

“Might I help somehow?”

“As a matter of fact, I need to borrow a
clipboard and one of your business-sized checks.”

“A check?”

“A blank—straight out of your checkbook.”

“You’re welcome to them, although I’ve no
idea what you’re going to do with them. Just don’t write the check
for more than five million or it’ll bounce.” He tore out a blank
check. “You’ll find some clipboards in that cabinet over
there.”

“Is there anything you need right now? Can I
make a run over to the courthouse for you or anything?”

“Thanks, Sandy. The walk over to the
courthouse does get longer every year. No, I’m fine. Anything else
for you?”

“You can tell me what Abby and Toby are up to
and why Jamie happened to go missing.” She snapped the printout of
names onto the clipboard with the blank check face down on top.
“Maybe you know this. Moran mentioned the police found money when
they searched Abby’s house after the shooting. Do you happen to
know how much?”

“Ten thousand cash is the word around the
courthouse.”

“Geez, I never dreamed it was that much. Abby
and Toby are definitely into something. How would those two
characters get hold of that much cash legally?”

She got in her Miata and punched the first
address into her GPS. It felt good being out in the field
people-finding again. Locating conspirators and witnesses was what
her old job in Philly paid her to do and she was good at it. This
time it was different. This time she was the subject of her own
investigation. This was personal.

Her GPS indicated the first named felon on
the list was north of town. At the third stoplight heading north on
US 1 she noticed the white Toyota SUV following her.

She took a sharp right turn to convince
herself, and indeed the SUV turned with her. Her first impulse was
to speed up, but at that point she was interested in who it might
be. Her safety didn’t seem a real concern there in the bright
Florida sunshine. She pulled over to the curb.

The SUV driver stopped in the lane. Then he
realized he’d been spotted and pulled over behind her. Her
convertible’s top was rarely up but fortunately, it was that day.
Her doors were locked, but she pushed the lock button to hear that
satisfying click again to be sure. She kept the car in gear and
watched in the mirror as the driver walked up to her car. A nice
height, slender, and about her age. If he lost that ridiculous
baseball cap, he might even look appealing. He appeared far from
menacing, more like a tourist in her opinion.

As he came up to her car she said, “You were
following me.”

“Damn right I was.”

That didn’t come out as rough as he intended.
He didn’t appear as though he wanted to be angry. She lowered her
window. “And?”

“You’re the one who’s causing all the
commotion!”

“My grandmother used to say commotion. She’d
say, what in tarnation is all that commotion? Unfortunately, I’m
the only one who
is
causing a commotion about Jamie missing.
Why don’t you stop yelling long enough to introduce yourself? I’m
Sandy Reid. I guess you’re already aware of that.”

“Kevin Olin. You phoned me and said she was
missing.”

“That’s right.” Sandy started frowning. “Hey,
I phoned you late yesterday. How’d you get down here so fast? Where
were you when you answered my call?”

“At home, in Athens.”

She had a disturbing thought. “I don’t think
you could drive down here that fast. Maybe you were already here
when I phoned. Maybe you already knew your daughter was missing.
Maybe you already know everything.”

“What are you accusing me of? I leave my
house early this morning. I drive down here and find out you’re the
problem.”

“You must have friends and family around
here, you lived here at one time. You must know people who would
take in Jamie for a while. Look, if you have her, tell me now.”

“Why would I take my own daughter?”

“Maybe it’s a custody battle. Maybe you know
what’s going on and it’s to protect her.”

“So if I’m guilty of all that then I’m a bad
father?”

“Considering your ex, it probably means
you’re a good father. If you snatched her, I think it’s great. Your
secret is safe. Just tell me so I can start sleeping at night and
I’ll stop leaning on the city and county police.

“Look, all I have to say to you is back off,
get uninvolved. And stay away from me.”

“Wait, I’m sorry...I’m pleased you came down.
You sound like an okay guy. How did you find me?”

“Abby said she once phoned you at that
lawyer’s office. I followed you from there.”

“You could have just walked in and said
hello.”

“You’re not to be trusted, according to her.
You started the entire problem. Everything was fine until you
showed up.”

“Hey, if Abby said that, it must be so. Your
ex-wife’s judgment is pretty reliable, huh? I hadn’t noticed. Yes,
I’m a troublemaker. Just like those pesky police who are always
nosing around bothering criminals.”

“But you’re responsible for Jamie being
missing. You talked to her and got her involved.”

“I talked to her to help. This mess started
when Abby shot Toby. That would have happened without me being
around.”

“She’s says you’re not police and you’ve
nothing to do with anything and no business sticking your nose
in.”

“That was before I met your daughter. Someone
has to look out for her. You and your ex certainly aren’t doing it.
Sounds as if you’re feeling guilty for not being down here for
her.”

“That’s not fair. I’m down here twice a
month. More often when the turtles are active. I wanted full
custody but didn’t get it.”

“The turtles?”

“You’ve never gone to a moonlit beach to
watch one of those prehistoric sea turtles nesting, or baby turtles
hatching? Fascinating. You might have to wait until two a.m. before
the first turtle sightings occur so prepare yourself for a long
wait, but definitely worth it. I’d really like to go to the
Galapagos Islands. Ever been there?”

“Been there? I can’t even pronounce it.” So
he has a nature lover side to him. That’s okay. “Let’s start over,
Kevin. Get in. We’ll talk.” She pushed the door unlock button. By
the time he walked around and got in they both had settled
down.

“Does Jamie like you?” she asked just to
start the conversation.

“Of course she likes her daddy. What kind of
question is that?”

“I didn’t know. I didn’t get a chance to
discuss it with her. Okay, any friend of Jamie’s is a friend of
mine. If she likes you, then I like you.” She had no reservation in
saying that.

He appeared a bit on the shy side and she
didn’t yet know if he had a brain. If she were at a dance, she’d
have been watching him, and if Mr. Nice Guy came near, she’d do
that little flirty thing she could do with her eyes. When he got
closer, she’d stand, try hard to blush, and say, “Oh, me? Yes, I’d
love to.”

“You’d love to what?” He looked at her.

Geez, did she say that aloud? “Ah...love to
meet Jamie’s dad.”

“Sorry, I came on strong. I guess I don’t
really know the situation. Thank god you called me.”

“Take off your cap.”

“My cap? Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize
gentlemen must remove their hats in your presence.”

That was quick, she thought. Maybe there’s
hope. “No, I just wanted to see your cap.” She didn’t, she wanted
to take a look at his hair. It was dark brown and lots of it.
“What’s the emblem on the cap?”

“EMT, I’m a paramedic up in Athens...you
know, ambulance stuff and all that.”

“You like that gig?”

“Pay’s nothing. Especially in Georgia. I
flunked out of pre-med. I want to go back.”

“Okay, I forgive the cap.”

She explained the situation. Her background
with Abby. All she knew so far about Jamie’s disappearance. They
agreed to team up and search for her. He knew some of Abby’s
background, her family, and friends. He’d contact them to see if
they had any information on Jamie. Meanwhile, she’d keep trying to
locate Toby whatshisname. They exchanged phone numbers.

“Does Abby work? How does she support herself
and Jamie?”

“I pay child support. And she has some rental
income. Her dad used to live in a condo in West Palm Beach. Cheap
when he bought it, but since then the value has shot up. She
inherited it from him. It rents for an unbelievably high amount.
There’s no mortgage on it, so I guess she makes out being a
landlord. I don’t know what else she’s into.”

“How nice for her. I guess I was misled by
Jamie as far as her suspicions about her mother being into Internet
porn.”

“Porn? Oh, my god, what are you talking
about?”

She explained what Jamie had told her. “There
is no proof whatever. Just my suspicion and I might be wrong. I
heard Jamie acts out sometimes and is prone to exaggerate.”

“Who told you that?”

“You know, she’s made some false police
reports and such.”

“Probably not false. Like when much younger,
Jamie was lost in the mall and Abby kept on shopping without her.
Jamie found a police officer. Abby claimed it was a prank. Said
Jamie was with her all the time, saw the policeman, and ran over to
him. This kidnapping is the last straw. I’m going back to court and
try to get full custody of her again.”

“You had full custody once? Why did you give
her up?”

“Long story, I’ll explain later. We’re
wasting time. I need to start looking for my daughter. Why don’t we
meet last thing today?”

“Super. We could have a drink.” She was glad
she thought of that. “You don’t know how pleased I am you showed
up...to help me.”

* * * *

Two hours later, using Chip’s printout of
criminal offenders with the alias of Toby—five possibles in
adjacent counties and three local—she had crossed off only the
first two names. Tobias Swanson, aka Toby Swanson had moved, no
forwarding address. She’d have to check further on that one. Next
on the list was Michael T. Young, aka Toby Young. It seems he’d
gone steady with his high school girlfriend for two years over her
father’s objections. Then he turned twenty-five in February two
years ago and she wouldn’t be eighteen until April that year. In
Florida, twenty-five is over the limit to have sex with a seventeen
year old. Her father had him arrested for statutory rape on his
birthday. The judge found him guilty which marked him for life as a
sex offender. They were married after his release. Sandy crossed
him off as highly unlikely.