me alone. Get the nurse, I want pain meds. My lawyer said you have nothing on me, I’ll be going home soon. Uncle Booker told me all about your takeover, but there’s no way that’ll last for you. You’ll see.” He stared at Savich. “Who are you?”
“I’m Agent Savich and you’ve already spoken to Agent Sherlock. It’s all very straightforward, Mr. Bodine. Help us find the missing teenagers, tell us where you took them, and it could save your life.”
Quiet, keep your mouth shut, that’s what his pa had said, too, last night after the lawyer laid it out. He said, “You’ve got no proof, you’ve got nothing at all. Go away.”
Sherlock cocked her head at him. “Help me to understand, Mr. Bodine. If Dr. DeSilva didn’t read your mind, if she didn’t scare you witless, then why did you knock her unconscious, take her to your house, and duct-tape her in your basement? Surely you and your lawyer have come up with a story, an explanation, right?”
“I didn’t! I never touched her, I don’t even know her. She’s fricking crazy. You should be locking her up.”
Sherlock said, “Does your family know what you’ve been up to? Are they involved? Or are they covering up for you out of habit?”
“My family is none of your business.”
“Oh, but they are, because someone not only removed your car from your driveway, this same someone probably also removed your computer and the duct tape. Which makes me wonder, how does a homeowner make do without any duct tape?”
“Very funny. Look, I came home and walked in and there she was holding that pipe, ready to brain me.” He flicked a look toward Griffin. “And that one, that pretty boy, came running into my house and attacked me. They’re probably sleeping together and he’s lying to protect her.”
His wrist hurt, his head hurt, and he was scared to his bones, but no way would he let these bastards see it. He looked over at Carson, managed another credible sneer, coated it with sarcasm. “You’re a journalist for this big shot in New York City, and everyone knows you people make up stuff all the time.” And then to Griffin, “So, are you going to charge me? My lawyer says even if you do, you can’t hold me for long. There’s no proof I did anything wrong.”
Carson still wanted to leap on him, but instead she took another deep breath, even managed to smile at him, watched him jump. For the first time in her life, she tried to hear what someone was thinking, but there wasn’t anything to hear.
Sherlock said, “Tell us, Mr. Bodine, what did you mean—Agent Hammersmith won’t last for long?”
He held it in, shook his head.
Sherlock studied Rafer Bodine. He was a fairly good-looking man, early thirties, and probably tall, but she couldn’t tell with him in bed. His hair was blond, more gold, really, with some wave to it, a bit on the long side. She’d bet he moseyed when he walked. She wished she could see a monster behind those dark brown eyes, but she didn’t. What she saw was anger and fear, and petulance. She said to get him talking again, “Mr. Bodine, we hear your family has been in Gaffer’s Ridge for generations, that many of you run successful businesses here. Is this true?”
Rafer stared at all the curly red hair, the pale face, the incredible light blue eyes. He said slowly, “Maybe I’ll tell you, if you tell me if you’re white all over. Or are you sick?”
“Your father, Mr. Bodine,” Sherlock said without pause. “Isn’t he the president and owner of Gaffer’s Ridge First City Bank? His name is Quint Bodine?”
Rafer looked at the four faces, then back at her. “You call yourself Sherlock? That’s dumb. A girl can’t be Sherlock.”
“Your father, Mr. Bodine?”
Why not? It was common knowledge. Why would the lawyer mind? “That’s right, he owns a lot of things, not only the bank, but some of the stores in town, like the dry cleaners, and two gas stations, and a whole lot of land. My pa signed over a share of the lumber mill to me three years ago and I run it. I’m a respected citizen around here, not that you strangers would know anything about that.”
“And your mother? What does she run?”
He said with no hesitation, “She runs the family. No one screws with her. She’ll fix you in ways you can’t imagine, she’ll fix the whole lot of you.