Page 124 of Family Bonds- Kelsey & Van

The dog brought over the ball and he picked it up to toss it down the hall.

He heard his phone go off with a text and noticed it was from Jarrett Bond to call him when he had a minute.

He figured now was as good of a time as any.

“Hey, Van,” Jarrett said. “Not interrupting anything, am I?”

“No,” he said. “Did you find anything out?”

“We got a hit on the van leaving the island a few days ago. A white van that matched the description. No lettering on it, but we ran the plates and came back with someone with arrests but no records. He always walks. He’s denying it was him when I went to talk to him yesterday, but he’s lying. We’ve got him on camera.”

“What was he doing on the island?” he asked.

“That was the thing. He said he wasn’t on the island. Swears it’s a mistake. We thought we’d give him a day to change his story. We told him we knew it was him. Mentioned there were cameras at the docks and that is how we found him.”

“What is your thought?”

“My thought is he’s not a thief. Not like breaking and entering. He’s gotten some shoplifting charges, but they were dropped. Drug possession. Disturbing the peace. Likes to get in fights. Nothing sticks.”

“It makes no sense to me,” he said. “Does he have money? Is he lawyering up?”

“He’s got a lawyer to get him out but not sure where the money is coming from. This guy is unemployed. I did talk to your renters. Sarah did know him. Said they went to school together and dated for a few weeks. One of those silly things in middle school. Nothing more.”

“That makes no sense unless he was carrying a torch for her and this was a scare tactic.”

“I don’t know,” Jarrett said.

“What did Sarah think of it?”

“She was rattled, but said she’s had no communication with him since they graduated high school. They are from Plymouth. Neither Sarah nor Thomas is on any social media. Nothing links them as having any communication in years.”

“Okay,” he said. “Thanks for letting me know.”

“I think that is why he’s playing dumb,” Jarrett said. “I’m just not sure why yet.”

“Let me know if you find something else,” he said.

“Will do,” Jarrett said and hung up.

He tossed his phone on the counter and went to get a beer. There had to be more to this than met the eye, but until they could get the guy to talk, not much could be done.

When his phone went off again, he walked over drinking his beer and saw the text from his father.

He had to look twice to make sure he wasn’t imagining it.

He wasn’t.

His father wanted to know how he was doing. He’d heard that Van didn’t go back on the force.

He wanted to laugh over that. He’d been on the island for almost six months at this point and his father was just finding out that he never returned to his job.

He wasn’t sure what to say. Or if his father even knew where he was.

For now he wasn’t going to answer the man that was at the center of all his hatred.

35

ON A MISSION

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