NYPD Red 6 - James Patterson Page 0,12

he asked. “Do you know anything?”

“Not yet,” Kylie said, “but we have hundreds of cops out there looking. Have you heard from the people who took her—a phone call, e-mail, a text, anything?”

“No.” He held up his cell phone. “I’m waiting.”

“NYPD will wait with you.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means the best chance we have of finding Erin is to be with you when the kidnapper makes contact. Our technical people will monitor all your phones, your e-mail, and your social media accounts. We’ll set up a command post in front of your residence, and while we won’t stop you from coming and going as you please, we’d prefer if you stay home for the next forty-eight hours.

“Every call you get will be recorded. A detail of uniformed officers and detectives will be assigned to cover your home, both inside and out. And someone from the hostage-negotiation team will be with you at all times. He’ll coach you in advance on what to say and what not to say when the call comes.”

“I don’t need coaching,” Gibbs said. “I know what I’m going to say: ‘How much? I’ll pay. And please don’t hurt her.’ ”

“Jamie, don’t be an ass,” McMaster said. “These detectives have been through this before. Do what they tell you. Erin’s life depends on it. This is Detective Kylie MacDonald and Detective Zach Jordan. You couldn’t ask for anybody better to be working this case.”

“Sorry,” Gibbs said. “This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life. I can’t believe what’s going on. What do you want me to say when they call?”

“Whatever they ask for, don’t agree to it right away,” I said. “First thing you want is proof of life. And not just a phone call. You want a video.”

“A video takes time. Why drag it out? Why not just pay the ransom and get her back?”

“Because paying the ransom doesn’t guarantee that they’ll release Erin. And if she’s seen the kidnappers, once they have the money, there’s no reason to keep her alive. Your job is to keep whoever calls on the phone. Every conversation you have will tell us more about the kidnappers and where your wife may be.”

“You think there are more than one?”

“One person took her, but that doesn’t mean he’s working alone,” I said. “Can you think of anybody who might be behind this?”

“No. It’s probably just some random maniac who wants money.”

“He hasn’t asked for money yet, so we have to consider that it’s someone who has a grudge, a vendetta, or some other reason to want to hurt her.”

“People love Erin. She’s super-famous, so of course she has her detractors.”

“Do any of them stand out?” Kylie asked.

“Yeah, my mother,” Gibbs said with a hint of a smile. “She’s taking a lot of heat on social media for Erin’s disappearance. But trust me, she had nothing to do with it. If she had, Erin would have been gone long before the minister said, ‘I now pronounce you man and wife.’ ”

“We’d like to talk to your mother,” I said.

“You and me both, Detective. She hasn’t returned any of my calls. On a normal day I wouldn’t worry, but … ” He choked up and took a few seconds to shake it off. “This isn’t a normal day. For all I know, the kidnappers took her too.”

CHAPTER 10

THE INVESTIGATION HAD gotten so big so fast that while we were with Jamie, we needed somebody to keep tabs on the dozens of detectives who had been interviewing the guests, the wedding party, the TV production people, and the catering crew.

And there’s no one we trust more than Detective Danny Corcoran. We’d recruited him a few months ago, and he quickly became our go-to guy. Give Danny an assignment, and he gets it done, no handholding, no excuses. And the fact that he’s also a trained hostage negotiator would be a bonus for this case.

He was waiting for us upstairs.

“Boil it down for us, Danny,” I said. “What have you got?”

“Not much. I’ve never seen so many self-involved people packed into one ballroom. None of them saw anything of any value, but that didn’t stop them from offering up theories—especially the actors who play cops on TV. We took names, addresses, and phone numbers, and let them go. The waiters, bartenders, and the rest of the staff were also no help. The inner circle—bridesmaids, groomsmen, best man—were as shocked as everyone else. They all swear that this marriage was the real deal.