Page 80 of Pied Sniper

“I would be thrilled but Abigail gave her cop babysitters and our guys the slip and turned off her phone. Garrett is pissed and I’m worried.”

Solomon contemplated that. “Now would be the perfect time for the kidnappers to make contact. Everyone’s distracted by the press conference.”

“You took the words right out of my mouth.”

Chapter Sixteen

We waited at the police station for close to two hours, long past nightfall, but neither Garrett nor Maddox returned. I finally signaled to Solomon that we should leave. After a simple supper at home, several unreturned calls, and a review of the case notes, we both fell into bed exhausted.

I slept fitfully, my dreams strange and complicated. For the first few moments of wakefulness, I recalled the vivid memory of playing the role of an online influencer, my face changing every time I saw its reflection. Then as I awoke properly, the memory mostly disappeared, leaving me with an uneasy feeling of shallow confusion.

“Bad dream, sweetheart?” asked Solomon, placing a coffee cup on the nightstand.

“Weird more than bad. I think I was Tiffany in my dream but it was so jumbled, I don’t remember much.” I sat up before Garrett’s call burst back into my awareness. “Did Garrett call? Did he find Abigail?”

“He called you an hour ago, then he called me.”

“Why didn’t you wake me? Is she okay? Is he still mad?”

“You were tired and there wasn’t anything immediately important to tell you. Abigail is okay. Garrett is mad as hell but he’s calming down.”

“What happened?”

“Exactly what we suspected, Abigail got another communication from the kidnappers. She scraped up most of the money and left to make the drop.”

I slammed my palm to my forehead. “Oh, no! I can tell this isn’t good already. Your face says it all.”

“My face says nothing,” said Solomon, “But your instincts are correct.”

“Is Tiffany…?” I waited, fearing the worst.

“She hasn’t been found. Drink your coffee and get ready. I’ve arranged a meeting with Abigail. She’ll be here soon.”

I pushed back the covers. “I should call her.”

“What the hell are you wearing?” gasped Solomon.

I looked down at my striped pajamas. They were satin and pink and I liked them a lot so I wasn’t sure what prompted Solomon’s reaction. It wasn’t like I put them on backwards. “PJs. What’s wrong with them? They’re perfectly normal.”

“That’s why I gasped. Shouldn’t you have some kind of crazy kangaroo print on them?”

I frowned. “I’m trying to appear more mature.”

“I don’t know how I feel about that. I’m used to sleeping with a lunatic.”

“Haha,” I snorted as I reached for my phone where I left it charging overnight.

“Garrett took Abigail’s phone. I sent Delgado to fetch her here. Garrett agreed it’s a good idea that someone keeps watch over her. I understand she’s very upset.”

“I would be too if I gave Garrett’s people, and ours, the slip, then got caught. What on earth was she thinking?”

“The clock was ticking and she might have panicked. We’ll know when she gets here.”

A glance at the clock made me sigh. I hadn’t overslept but it was early. Despite how busy it got yesterday, today could only be just as grueling. We still hadn’t found Tiffany, the kidnappers’ call seemed to be a bust, and who knew what might happen next? “Thanks for the coffee,” I said, reaching for it and sipping. I was pleased at finding it hot and sweet. “Let me shower and get dressed and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Take your time,” said Solomon as he strolled back to the door.

“Hey,” I called after him. “Any word on that guy from yesterday?”

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