Page 34 of Girl Lost
“I wanted to update you on Abercorn,” Blade said. “Got your new partner with you?”
Luna, he meant. “Not yet.” The clock on the wall said she was almost fifteen minutes late. Or she’d decided not to come at all. “What’s up?”
“Abercorn’s alibi checked out. He was at work when Stryker was kidnapped. His boss confirmed they spent the morning on the grass trimmer at the hospital. Surveillance footage proved it. Me and Villanueva went at him hard, every which way, and the dude still swears he hadn’t been cooking meth and hadn’t rigged his house with the APD.”
Anti-personnel device. The booby trap designed to take out anyone who tried to enter the house, with the bonus of destroying evidence. It was kind of genius. The accelerant ignited with a spark from the socket. “You believe him?”
“Jury’s still out for me. I doubt he’s smart enough to pull it off. I checked his arrests, and not one methamphetamine. Oxy is his drug of choice.” Blade sighed. “He swears someone is setting him up to go down for manufacturing and trafficking.”
“He’s saying someone broke into his house and did this?”
“We’re canvasing the neighborhood, pulling doorbell cams, all the usual. We’ll see if a witness can corroborate his story. But there’s more to bolster his claims,” Blade said. “The lab found traces of a unique accelerant in the house. It’s serious stuff. I’m texting you now.”
“Bury the lead, why don’t ya.” He studied the chemical breakdown on his screen and exhaled. Diethyl ether. Extremely volatile. Extremely flammable. One spark. That’s all it took. If it hadn’t been the light switch, static electricity alone could’ve done it. That house had been a powder keg waiting to blow.
And someone had made sure it did.
“This stuff is serious firepower,” he said. “What’s it used for?”
Corbin could hear Blade shuffle papers. “Historically it was used as a general anesthetic until the sixties. It’s been phased out becausesafer alternatives exist, but it’s still regulated. Now it’s primarily used as a solvent in chemistry and pharmaceutical labs and as a fuel additive. DEA keeps tabs on large purchases because it’s a key ingredient in methamphetamine production.”
“Abercorn’s a landscaper, right? How would a guy like that even get his hands on diethyl ether? Don’t you need some kind of license?”
“Exactly. Not something you can pick up at your local hardware store or garden center. You need proper credentials and established relationships with chemical suppliers, usually scientific or medical. We checked his background, and there’s nothing that would give him legitimate access. Whoever sourced this either has connections or knows someone who does.”
“So why would Abercorn torch his own house? It doesn’t add up.” Corbin hated the uneasy feeling crawling up his spine.
“That’s what I’m saying. If he did this, he had help. But more likely, someone else did this to get rid of him.”
“But who goes through that much trouble?”
“Someone trying to get rid of the man who bought the Tasers.” Blade paused. “Or someone trying to send the police a message.”
“What message? Stay away or get barbecued?” He glanced at the clock: 7:21 p.m. Luna still hadn’t showed up. Maybeshewas sending a message. That he was on his own to find Carlie. At least Blade had his back on the kidnapping case. “So, whoever kidnapped Stryker set Abercorn up after he sold them the Tasers?”
“That’s our theory. We traced the AFIDs right after the kidnapping and they led us straight to Abercorn’s door. If we’d shown up an hour later, he might’ve tripped that trap and been killed. Hard to question a dead man.” Blade hesitated a beat. “Think about it. The timing, the elaborate setup ... it screams professional job. And professionals don’t work for free. Abercorn is scraping by, which means someone else is bankrolling this.”
Abercorn was a small-time criminal with a pain pill problem, not a mastermind. Not someone with access to sophisticated chemicals.Not someone who’d destroy his own property as an elaborate cover-up. This was big. They were dealing with a complicated operation, one with resources and planning that went far beyond what he’d initially thought.
New leads should have his blood pumping. Instead, his chest felt weighted with lead. The image of Luna’s face, frozen in terror as flames danced around her legs, flashed before his eyes. He’d put her in danger. Put them all in danger. And now, time was slipping through his fingers.
Maybe Luna’s undercover world had followed her back to Millie Beach. Maybe this wasn’t just about Stryker. Maybe it was about her too.
“Hey, Corb? Still there?” Blade cut through his spiraling thoughts.
“Yeah. Just thinking.” He swirled the glass of whiskey and set it down, watching the liquid tornado dissipate. “I should’ve taken more time to set up a full operation. Pulled in extra manpower. Pushed for tactical.”
“And what? Let Stryker’s trail go cold? We worked with the information we had.”
Corbin’s fingers drummed against his desk. “Maybe. But Luna ... I shouldn’t have let her come. The fire could’ve killed her.”
“Ah, there it is. I was wondering when we’d get to the real issue.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Come on. I’ve known you too long. This isn’t just about the case. It’s about her.”
He opened his mouth to protest, but the words died on his lips. Who was he kidding? Of course it was about Luna. It had always been about Luna.
