Page 60 of Cassidy

“Miles, I need direct answers to my questions. If you can’t help me, there’s no reason for me to make a deal regarding minimal to no jail time.” Bax was clearly getting annoyed. “Either you’re here to cooperate or you aren’t.”

“Miles, answer his questions.” Gordon nudged his son with his elbow. “Tell them about this kid Travis.”

“The last time I saw Travis he was being driven away in a van from the Homerun Restaurant and Bar. I can’t tell you the exact time, but it was somewhere between two thirty and three in the morning. The minute Turk found out that Travis made a phone call, they hustled him outta there.”

Bax nodded slowly. “Okay, so you know the men who have Travis. Is that correct?”

Miles lifted a bony shoulder. “Yeah, I know their names.”

“Okay, then. I will agree to dropping all charges against you in exchange for detailed information about who these men are and why they took Travis.” Bax spoke plainly enough for Miles to understand.

The kid glanced at his father, then nodded. “Okay.”

“One more thing,” Bax said with an intense gaze. “If we discover you lied to us at any point during the remainder of this investigation, this deal is null and void. Do you understand? If you lie, I will prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Miles hunched his shoulders again. “I hear you. No lying.”

Cass was impressed with how well Bax was managing the situation but could sense Gabe’s impatience radiating through the one-way glass. She sent a reassuring smile, even though she couldn’t see him.

“Who is Turk, and why does he have Travis?” Bax asked.

“I dunno his first name; the guys call him Turk, which I learned was shorthand for Turkow,” Miles said. “He’s the guy in charge. They took Travis because he discovered the hidden spyware in the Sorcerer’s Sword software.”

“Spyware?” Cassidy asked with a frown. “You mean the goal is to spy on the general public through the game?”

“Not like, to see them or anything,” Miles said. “There isn’t a camera. But the spyware will infiltrate the computer network giving them access to all online banking information.” Miles shrugged again. “They claim they’ll be rich in a matter of weeks, once the holiday is over and every kid across the world with money to burn has started to play the game.”

Cassidy glanced toward the one-way mirror again, imagining Gabe’s reaction to hearing this. They shouldn’t have been surprised to learn the root of this nightmare was money. Greed was the motive of most crimes. She knew he’d be upset that he hadn’t figured out the spyware aspect to the software he’d downloaded to the USB drive, but they had what they needed now. At least in part. They still needed to find Travis.

She turned back to face Miles. “Okay, you don’t know Turkow’s first name, but you must know the names of the others involved in this,” she said reasonably. “Start with how many guys were at the Homerun bar earlier this morning? You, Travis, and who else?”

“Three others. Turk, Lonny, and King.”

She frowned. “That’s not good enough. Those sound like screen names, not legal names. We need to be able to track these guys down.”

“I don’t know their real names,” Miles’s voice turned whiny. “We’re gamers. That’s how we know each other.”

This wasn’t nearly as helpful as she’d hoped. She glanced at Jina, feeling helpless. How could they possibly find these guys based on names like Turk, Lonny, and King? She turned her attention back to Miles. “Think back to the time you spent with them. You heard Turkow’s full name, right? Maybe you heard something else? Maybe Lonny stands for Lionel? And King is either a first or a last name?”

“Maybe.” Miles glanced at his father who was starting to look sick to his stomach at what his son was revealing. “My screen name is Millions. Because you know, that’s the end goal. To make millions so I don’t have to work at some dead-end job.”

It was all she could do not to laugh, cry, or scream with frustration. Based on the incredulous expression on Gordon’s face, his father felt the same way.

“You mentioned they took Travis in a van,” Jina said, turning the conversation back to the facts at hand. “What kind of van? A box van without windows? Or a minivan? We need the make, model, and license plate number.”

“Dark-gray minivan, I think it’s a Ford.” Miles did not sound at all confident. “I didn’t pay attention to the license plate. But if it helps, the Turk always drives the van. He doesn’t let anyone else get behind the wheel.”

“We can work on finding dark-gray vans that belong to someone with the last name of Turkow,” Cassidy said. “Is there anything else specific about the van? Dents or stickers of any kind?”

“Not that I remember,” Miles said. His expression was earnest as if he’d taken the threat about not lying to heart. “I didn’t pay any attention to that kind of stuff, you know?”

“What did you focus on?” Jina asked.

“The game.” Miles’s eyes gleamed with interest. For the first time since picking him up at the lake house, the kid came alive. Which was a little sad when she thought about it. A bit like Ben and Brian whose whole world revolved around games. “The game was the best thing to hit the market in years. Everyone had been talking about it for weeks prior to its release last week. Stores were selling out the minute stock hit the shelves.” Miles waved a hand. “I work at the Game and Go store, so I got to see it before anyone else. The graphics are phenomenal, and the levels are super hard.”

“How exactly did you get involved with Turkow and the others?” Bax asked when Miles took a breath. She sensed the kid would have kept going on and on about the stupid game without taking into consideration the fact that Travis’s life was at risk because of it.

The blunt question caused Miles to deflate. He stared down at the table for a long moment, avoiding his father’s gaze. “I connected with them on Dorian.”

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