Sarah Woods Mystery Series (1-6) Boxed Set (27 page)

Chapter 3

“
This is an interesting alternative to the rusty brown Buick you drive back home. A Kia SUV? Isn’t it a bit feminine for your taste?”

“
There’s a method to my madness.”

“
Okay,” I said. “I’m all ears.”

Carter reached around to the back seat, withdrew a file from his weathered briefcase, and plopped it in my lap. “Here’s the case file.”

Inside I found several 8x10 photographs, police reports, and some handwritten notes. One of the photos showed a young couple holding an infant. “Who are these people?”

“
Jessica Sanborn, her boyfriend Duane Cunningham, and their son, Toby.”

The young woman in the photo looked like a Chanel model. Her light brown hair was swept up into a French twist, her makeup flawless. Striking blue eyes seduced the camera as she flashed a winning smile. The boyfriend was not as polished, yet handsome, with blonde hair, a scruffy chin, and eyebrows that could’ve used a little tweezing. He was smiling at the baby in his lap. The little boy looked to be only a few months old, but was dressed in a smart-looking Ralph Lauren pinstriped suit with matching cap.

“
Duane and Jessica met the summer they graduated from high school. She comes from a wealthy family, graduated valedictorian, and is studying to become a doctor. Duane, on the other hand, was an orphan, almost flunked out of school, and never got along with his foster parents. The two of them fell in love. Three months later Jessica was pregnant. Her father was very upset. He had big plans for his daughter’s education. She had a full scholarship to BU.” Carter pointed to a newspaper clipping in the file. “That’s her father, Doctor Theodore Sanborn, a highly esteemed heart surgeon from Boston.”

I scrutinized the photo. He looked to be in his early fifties, with a full head of silver hair.

“
I’m sure he thought his daughter could do better than Cunningham,” Carter said.

“
Why didn’t she get an abortion?”

“
Not an option. Doctor Theo is a staunch pro-life advocate, a deacon at his church, and a highly respected surgeon. What else could he do but encourage his daughter to have the baby?”

“
A baby at eighteen? I was still pulling all-nighters with my college roommates at that age,” I said. “What about adoption?”

“
That was originally their plan, but Cunningham talked her into keeping the kid then asked her to marry him.”

“
Sounds like they had things figured out,” I said.

“
Well, come to find out, their baby had some health problems.”

“
What was wrong with him?”

“
The tests were inconclusive. It was a stressful time for them. They’d just moved into an apartment in Boston. The doctor got them a full-time nanny so Jessica could start her pre-med classes at BU. Duane ended up lounging around, mooching off the family teat.  One night, Jessica returned home from school to find that Duane had abducted Toby.”

“
The guy abducted his own child?”

“
Not only that, he sent a letter asking for a huge ransom.”

“
What a bastard! Did they pay it?”

“
Of course, but get this. He never returned the kid.”

“
And the cops had no luck tracking him down.”

“
A million bucks can get you some pretty decent fake documents. He could easily have high-tailed it to Mexico then jumped a flight to any other country. After a few weeks, the police ran out of ideas and the investigation fizzled.”

“
It doesn’t make sense,” I said. “He got his money, so why not return the kid?”

“
No one knows. That’s why the Sanborn’s didn’t give up once the police ran out of ideas. They hired my buddy Richard Kimball. He’s a private investigator, too. He worked the case for several months, but never got any closer than the cops did. All the leads he followed turned out to be bogus. Richard took it hard. He’d become invested in the case and considered it a personal failure. When the Sanborn’s let him go he decided to get out of the P.I. business. He moved to Los Angeles and started a small consulting company. Two weeks ago, Richard was at LAX, headed to Seattle for a business meeting. On his way through the airport he got quite a surprise.”

“
Don’t tell me. He saw Duane Cunningham, right?”

Carter smiled. “He couldn’t be sure, but wasn’t taking any chances. He followed him through the airport and saw him board a plane to Honolulu. But Cunningham was traveling alone. No sign of Toby.”

“
What did Richard do?”

“
Well, you don’t know Richard, but the guy’s a bloodhound through and through. He jumped the next flight to Honolulu.” Carter chuckled as he took a left hand turn down a residential road. “Poor guy was so distracted he forgot to call his wife.”

“
Does Richard know where Cunningham is now?”

“
Cunningham is living here on Oahu under the alias of Eric Fisher. As soon as Richard found out he called Doctor Sanborn. They immediately hired him back.”

“
So Richard knows where Cunningham lives?”

“
Yup. After two weeks he finally found him.” Carter let out a sigh. “Still no sign of the kid, though. But check this out.” Carter reached inside the pocket of his Hawaiian shirt and pulled out a photo. “They call it age progression technology. It’s been eight months since he was last seen. This computer generated photo gives us an idea of what Toby might look like now.”

“
If Richard knows where Cunningham lives, why doesn’t he just have him arrested?”

“
Won’t do much good unless we know for sure he has Toby. We need to get into his house and see what we can dig up.”

“
Why doesn’t Richard just confront him face to face?”

“
Too risky.”

“
And breaking into his house isn’t?”

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Not if you have a solid plan.”

“
Does he know why Cunningham came to Hawaii to begin with?”

“
Not yet. So far it looks like he spends his days lounging around his pool. Yesterday he played golf, but quit early. Richard said he was driving the ball everywhere but onto the fairway. Other than being a duffer, he seems to keep a low profile.”

“
So what do you need me to do?”

“
You’re scheduled to go to his house tomorrow to give him a massage.”

“
You’re joking, right?”

“
It’s already a done deal. I made up a mock flyer offering free promotional massages. He called the number and booked an appointment. Who can pass up a free back rub?”

All I could do was shake my head.

“
The appointment is for ten tomorrow morning. You’ll be driving this car to Cunningham’s place. We’ll discuss the details later on.”

“
Your confidence is astounding,” I said. “So who’s going to hack his computer and set up surveillance while I’m giving him the massage?”

“
I’ve got a guy to do that. All you have to do is keep Cunningham occupied for an hour. We’ll do the rest.”

Carter must have assumed I was up for the task. I figured it was a great opportunity to prove myself, especially after screwing up my last assignment several weeks ago. “Sounds straight forward enough. I think I can handle it.”

“
Good. This is where the Sanborn family is staying.” Carter rolled down his window and keyed a sequence of numbers into a keypad, at which point an iron gate swung open. Before us was an elegant plantation-style home, looking like it belonged on the cover of a magazine.

“
Not too shabby. I wonder what it costs to rent this place for a week.”

“
More than I make in a year, I’m sure.”

I followed Carter’s lead and exited the jeep. A tall, lanky guy with thick black hair and heavy sideburns came out to greet us.

“
You must be Sarah. I’m Richard Kimball.” Friendly brown eyes greeted me. I shook his outstretched hand and decided he was the perfect combination of Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley. “I’m glad you’re here,” he said. “Carter sings your praises.”

“
That’s a song I’d like to hear,” I said.

Richard chuckled and waved his hand around in a big circle. “This will be our headquarters for the next week or so. We’ve been invited to come and go as we please. Everyone will have the gate code to get in and out. Dr. Theo and his daughter Jessica insisted on being here in case we find Toby. They got in late last night.”

“
This place is gorgeous,” I said.

“
Well,” Richard said with much enthusiasm, “Dr. Theo can afford it. Did Carter tell you he’s a heart surgeon back in Boston? He’s made millions on his invention; something to do with heart valves. Anyway, he’s funding this whole gig. Only thing he cares about is finding his grandson.”

“
Losing a child is every family’s worst nightmare,” I said.

Richard nodded in agreement. “I don’t have any kids, so I can’t imagine what it must be like. However, Toby has been on my mind constantly over the past eight months, though I’ve never met the little guy.”

Carter was leaning against the SUV, listening to our chat. He didn’t have much to add to the conversation, so I turned back to face Richard. “What are the chances we’ll find the boy?”

Richard took a deep breath and stole a quick glance behind him to ensure no one was coming out of the house. “Honestly, I really thought Cunningham would have his son with him.”

“
Maybe he left him with a family member,” I said.

“
Cunningham hasn’t spoken to his foster parents since he graduated high school, and he doesn’t have any other family that we know of. I’ve already contacted the few friends he has back home.”

I paused to consider other possibilities. “A new girlfriend, perhaps?”

Richard shrugged. “That’s what we hope to find out very soon.”

“
We’re assuming the boy is still alive,” Carter said. “Nobody wants to talk about the alternative, but we have to be prepared for anything.”

Richard looked away, running a hand through his black pompadour. “Believe me, I’ve thought about it plenty. Anyway.” Richard clapped his hands together in an apparent effort to lighten the mood and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder. “We should go in. The Sanborn’s are anxious to meet you, Sarah.”

We entered though a massive pair of carved wooden doors depicting Polynesian symbols. A spacious room, with floor to ceiling windows, overlooked a meticulously landscaped terrace leading directly to the ocean’s edge. To the left was a kitchen area with stainless steel appliances and granite countertops. To the right, sliding screen doors led to a covered lanai where three people sat at a table.

“
Oh yeah,” Richard said, stopping us before we went any further. He lowered his voice. “The other guy you see with the Sanborn’s is Alex O’Malley. He’s an attorney, and a close friend of Dr. Theo. I guess he came along for moral support. He’s been a big help to the family since Toby was abducted.”

We continued out to the balcony. Richard introduced us. I shook Jessica’s hand. “I’m so sorry for all you’ve had to endure, Jessica.”

There was a flicker of sadness in her eyes, but she quickly composed herself. “Thank you so much for agreeing to help us.”

Next was the older gentleman. He gave a courteous nod. “Hello, I’m Doctor Sanborn, but call me Theo.” He seemed refined, with hardly a wrinkle on his face, dressed impeccably with a soft blue button down shirt and pleated slacks.

The attorney looked to be in his mid-thirties with dark red hair parted on the side, slicked back with too much hair gel. Rimless reading glasses made his eyes appear very large. “Alex O’Malley,” he said. “Pleasure to meet you.”

“
Do you have children, Sarah?” Jessica asked.

I nodded. “Yes, my son Brian graduates high school next year. Well, I hope he graduates.”

My lighthearted comment elicited some quiet laughter.

“
Really?” she said. “You don’t look old enough to have a teenager.”

Jessica’s generous compliment surprised me. I had to remind myself she wasn’t even twenty years old. I found her maturity and grace remarkable considering the circumstances.

“
Thank you,” I said.

Jessica motioned for us to take a seat at the table. She poured some water and offered up a plate of finger sandwiches. “Please help yourself.”

I looked toward the kitchen and noticed an older woman wearing a bright apron.

Jessica took notice. “Maggie was recommended by the management company. She’s a fabulous cook and runs errands. We’re not supposed to leave the house.”