Page 77 of Claws and Feathers

Abigail Stone will pay.”

“It’s a Bible quote. Romans 12:19. I Googled it,” Ryan explained.

Cooper bit down on his cheek, his mind racing. “Do you know who wrote this?” he asked.

“No. I was hoping you might know. I haven’t spoken to Abigail in over a decade – I have no clue how many bridges she’s burned in that time.”

This was certainly foreboding and showed ill-intent, but it still didn’t give him much to go on. He had the man’s handwriting now – though, he also had his fingerprints, DNA, and a mental image of hisface. Yet, all of that had yielded nothing. However, this did give him an official motive: vengeance. “I’ve interviewed Abby multiple times and she doesn’t know anyone who would want to harm her,” Cooper said. “I called you because your sister mentioned you had gotten into drugs. I considered that your drug connections may have played a role in her abduction.”

“Drugs?” Ryan appeared mildly offended, but mostly amused. “That’s a fabrication. I work in finance. I have a wife, and a Yorkie, and quite literally, a white picket fence.”

Cooper frowned. “You’re not a heroin addict?”

“Jesus, no.” Ryan stood from the couch, his hackles rising. “That was a lie my grandmother created to protect the only person that seemed to matter to her. My defamation of character was just a tool to further the web of bullshit. I was just a pawn. Abigail was always the king in this game – protect her at all costs. Atanycost.”

Well.Now he was on to something. “Web of bullshit? What game?”

Ryan froze, his fingers linked behind his head, and turned to Cooper. He backpedaled. “Nothing. It’s personal. Nothing to do with your case.”

Cooper blinked, his eyes fixed on the jittery man in front of him. There was something there. He couldfeelit. “While we’re on the subject of Cecily Stone, I went through her bank statements and noticed a sum of ten-thousand dollars being withdrawn every month for years.” Cooper watched as Ryan’s mouth twitched. “Do you know anything about that?”

“No.”

He was lying. Cooper pressed on. “And I can’t help but wonder… why did you cut contact with Abby for all these years? You knew about her abduction, but you still didn’t reach out?”

Ryan sat back down, running his hands through his hair, leaning forward on his knees. “I drove up when I heard she’d been found. I tried. I sat outside the damn hospital for three hours before I turned back around and came home. I couldn’t face her.”

Cooper studied him. He was twirling his wedding ring around his finger, his eyes fixated on the rug beneath his feet. Cooper’s gut was telling him that Ryan Stone had nothing to do with Abby’s abduction, so the man’s personal grudge against his sister was likely none of his business. But something about it still gnawed at him. Cooper was about to continue probing when his phone vibrated in his pocket. He reached for it, seeing Walker’s name light up the face. A sharp pang of anxiety swept through him and he answered quickly. “McAllister. Is Abby okay?”

“She’s fine,” James replied. “Sorry to bother you, but Kravitz was just involved in a hit-and-run.”

“What?”

“I know you’re out of town, but I wanted to keep you informed,” James said. “Kravitz pulled this guy over in Ashland for speeding, but before he could issue the ticket, the dude sped off, side-swiping Lyle as he drove away. We’re down a man, so we’ll need you back here sooner than expected.”

“Jesus.” Cooper scratched his head. “Is he okay?”

“Yeah, he’s okay. Bruised up pretty bad and a few cracked ribs.”

“Damn. Thanks for letting me know.”

“One more thing…” James continued. “It might be nothing, but the car was a Kia Optima. Name was Christopher Larkin. I’ve got the plate, too, but I haven’t been able to do much investigating yet. Reynolds is working on it.”

Cooper’s interest piqued. It was a common car – surely, it was only a coincidence.Surely, it was nothing. Before he could reply, Ryan interrupted the conversation.

“Wait, what name did he just say?”

Cooper glanced up. “What?”

“That name.” Ryan stood up once more, pacing around the coffee table. “No… no, it couldn’t be.”

“I’ll call you back, Walker. I’ve got to go.” He clicked off the call and turned his full attention to Ryan. “Christopher Larkin. You recognize that name?”

Ryan had turned ghostlike. He wrung his hands together as he continued pacing. “There can’t be a connection. It’s impossible. It’s been too long.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” Cooper was getting frustrated. His heart was thudding beneath his ribs, demanding answers. “Why do you know that name?”

Ryan stopped pacing. He stilled his feet, burying his hands into his face and breathing in deep. “The accident,” he said. His voice was muddled, weak and far away. “It was the accident.”

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