Page 34 of Finding Carly
Slate dipped his chin in acknowledgement. “Right.”
“If we can get this started…I’ve got someone else to track down today before I head back up north,” Baker said.
Jag leaned forward and pinned his gaze on the man. He really needed to hear some good news. That Baker had either figured out who was working with Carly’s ex or that he didn’t think there was a threat from anyone. His gut didn’t think the latter was a possibility, but he could still hope.
“First off, is Carly in danger?” Mustang asked.
Baker hesitated—and Jag’s stomach dropped.
“From what I’ve been able to uncover, no, but…” He trailed off.
“But?” Jag prompted after a moment.
“This entire situation stinks to high heaven,” Baker said in a hard voice. “Someone’s lying. Or they all are. The people I’ve talked to have all said the right things, but I’m not getting warm, fuzzy feelings from any of them.”
“Who did you talk to and what did you find out?” Pid asked.
“I started with the son. He’s a prick,” Baker said bluntly. “A misogynistic asshole who doesn’t have the least bit of respect for women. I’m guessing he learned that from his old man. I grilled him pretty hard, and he stuck to the same story he told the cops. That he was with his girlfriend.”
“How’d he explain the fact that Carly actually saw him on the beach near Duke’s that night?” Aleck asked.
“He swore that he was there looking for his dad, to try to talk him out of doing something stupid—Luke’s words, not mine,” Baker said.
“You believe him?” Pid asked.
“No. But then again, if the timeline Carly gave the cops is correct, he didn’t exactly have time to go from the beach to a marina, then head out to the ocean so he could pick up his dad,” Baker said.
Jag clenched his teeth in frustration. He’d thought the same thing. “You think there was more than one person working with Keyes?” he asked.
Baker turned his green gaze on him and shook his head. “No. The son knew about his dad’s plan—he all but admitted it by sayin’ he was at Duke’s to try to talk him out of something. But I don’t think he was part of the plan to actually kidnap Carly. So someone else had to have known as well. Maybe Luke had a role that would come into play later, maybe he was looking forward to having a spin with Carly once his dad brought her to wherever he’d planned to take her. Or maybe he was supposed to help dispose of her body. But I don’t think he was part of the actual kidnapping plan.”
“Motherfucker!” Jag said, pushed up and out of his chair. He began to pace in agitation. He couldn’t sit still and listen to Baker talk about Carly being assaulted.
“What I believe Luke Keyes was doing at Duke’s that evening is irrelevant,” Baker continued, ignoring Jag’s outburst. “There simply wasn’t enough time for him to drive to a marina, get a boat, and go out into the water. Especially because I uncovered some video of him in his car, right around the time everything was going down.”
“So his alibi is bullshit,” Slate observed. “He said he was with his girlfriend.”
“Yes,” Baker agreed. “But since he was recorded driving his car at the time Keyes was standing on the beach with Kenna, he couldn’t have been the pickup guy in the ocean.”
“Shit. Okay, what else?” Mustang asked.
“I talked to Rebecca, the girlfriend. She tried to bullshit me with the story she and Luke had come up with, but I quickly convinced her that wasn’t going to fly. She admitted Luke hadn’t been with her, but she swore she didn’t know anything about the plan to kidnap Carly. And honestly, she doesn’t seem like the type. Very mousy, zero self-esteem, no close relatives to look after her, and Luke’s alienated her from her friends. She’s also young. Just turned eighteen a few months ago. I advised her that it was in her best interest to get away from Luke; that the first chance he had, he’d throw her under the bus to save his own ass.”
“Like he already attempted to do,” Midas said dryly. “By involving her in this shit and using her as an alibi, and getting her to lie to the police.”
“Exactly,” Baker said with a nod.
Jag wanted to feel bad for Luke’s girlfriend, but at the moment he didn’t have it in him. “Who else?” he asked, still pacing. He wanted todosomething. Standing around talking about what had happened, and what hadalmosthappened to Carly, and guessing who might still want to harm her wasn’t sitting well.
“I tracked down the three friends,” Baker said. “Jeremiah Barrowman was Keyes’s closest friend, best I can tell. The two did a lot together. They were thick as thieves and he’s on the top of my list of suspects. Of course, Barrowman denies being involved. He told me that Keyes was always bitchin’ about one thing or another, and Carly had become his latest whipping post. When they got together to play poker, he was constantly complaining about her. About how he’d worked hard to ‘train’ her—again, his words, not mine, Jag. Settle the fuck down.”
Jag realized that his fists had clenched and he’d taken a step toward Baker as if to beat the shit out of him. That would be a mistake. Even though Baker was in his fifties, the man was definitely still in shape and could quite possibly win in a hand-to-hand encounter.
“Sorry,” Jag said. “I just hate hearing anything derogatory about her.”
“I get that, but I’m just relaying what these other assholes said. You want to hear this or not?”
“Yes,” Jag said simply.
