Cut & Run (A Rachel Scott Adventure) - By Traci Hohenstein Page 0,21
answered, clearly getting more annoyed with Melinda. It was obvious that there was something brewing between husband and wife.
“We had to put a lien on his house because he skipped bail. It’s not something we normally do, but this was an extreme measure. Rupert skipped on bail and went into hiding. His wife, Frances, was pretty livid and showed up on our doorstep with a baseball bat.”
“You told the detective this?” Red asked.
“A police report was filed at the time. They’re aware of it.”
Rachel noticed that Matt looked bored. His eyes were glazed, and he kept rubbing his palms over his eyes like an exhausted kid. Rachel wondered if he was still heavily medicated.
“And if the person skips on bail,” Rachel asked, “like Rupert Meaux, do you always put a lien on their property?”
“We do that as a last resort. Sometimes, depending on the amount of bond, we employ a bounty hunter to track down the fugitive. If that is unsuccessful, and the courts have approved, we are entitled to the full bail amount. We will put a lien on the property that was used to secure the bail bond.”
“What happened to Mrs. Meaux?” Red asked.
“She was able to pay off the bail amount and we removed the lien.”
“Not before she had a heart attack and her oldest son came after Chris with some buddies one night,” Melinda said.
Chris shot Melinda another irritated look. “Melinda! Enough.” He turned his attention back to Red and Rachel. “Look, it was nothing. The family was a little pissed off and I defused the situation. It happens sometimes. The Meauxs had nothing to do with Erin or this situation.”
Rachel was a little uncomfortable with the tension in the room. Thankfully, the doorbell rang. While Melinda went to answer the door, Rachel took the opportunity to ask Matt something she’d been thinking about.
“Matt, I have a friend who is in town this weekend. Her name is Michelle Couch, and she’s worked with amnesia patients before. I thought we might give it a shot and have you talk with her. See if she can help you recover your memory.”
“Sure. That’s why I called you guys to come over. I wanted to see what I could do to help find my family. I feel so helpless just sitting around doing nothing.”
“I know how you feel.” Rachel told him about her missing daughter, Mallory. “I’ve been in your shoes and I know that helpless feeling very well. But there are ways that you can help, and talking to Michelle would be a good first step.”
“I’d be willing to do that,” Matt agreed. “And I’m sorry to hear about your daughter. It must be hard.”
“It is.” Rachel finished her drink. “I’ll set something up in the next day or two with Michelle. We’ll find…” She was interrupted by Melinda coming back in the room with her guests. Rachel looked up in surprise to see Agents Krapek and Phipps standing behind Melinda.
“The FBI is here to talk to Matt,” Melinda announced.
CHAPTER 14
Rachel knew immediately that Agent Krapek was bringing bad news. She’d experienced this when working with the FBI in the past. They usually didn’t call the bad news in. They showed up unexpectedly. Like this.
Agent Krapek had her game face on. Dressed in her typical tailored work outfit, she wore navy trousers, a white shirt, and a gray blazer, even though it was a humid day. Everything about her said that she was here on serious business. She was accompanied by Agent Phipps and another law enforcement officer, who was introduced to Rachel as Detective Kerry Jones of the NOPD. Rachel watched the professional but friendly handshake between Jones and the O’Malley brothers and remembered what Red had said about the three having worked together before. It had to be a relief to the O’Malleys that an intimidating FBI agent like Krapek was accompanied by a local officer with a familiar face. Rachel studied Detective Jones. She was about five eight, with mocha-colored skin and slick dark hair that formed a tight bun. Rachel could tell that Jones meant business.
“Sorry to come unannounced.” Krapek directed her words toward Matt. “Something has come up. Can we talk in private?”
“It’s not necessary. You can speak freely in front of everyone here,” Matt told her.
“Okay.” Agent Krapek took a seat next to Matt, while Jones and Phipps stood by. “A woman’s body was found in Houma. We have reason to believe that it’s your wife.”