“At the Pringles’, drinking and getting stoned. They all must have passed out. Then my mother wakes up, realizes what happened, and rushes home to check on us. And finds me nearly dead and Mercy gone.”
“But surely the Pringles would have remembered that.”
“They lied,” said Pine simply. “Myron said he was at work when his wife called with the news after she heard from my mom. But I think he was at home still drunk. He might have gone in to work later, but who would remember that now. No, they lied because they felt shame for what had happened. And they didn’t want to be linked to what had happened. That’s why neither one could recall what they were doing that night, until Myron finally admitted that they had friends over. He just didn’t tell us those friends were my parents.”
“So she finds you nearly dead and your sister missing. Then they go into panic mode.”
“A little too late for that,” said Pine, letting out a long breath as she said the words. “The damage was already done.”
“And why the nursery rhyme as a way to choose?”
“I don’t know. Maybe it was the only thing the kidnapper could think of. Maybe he conjured it from his childhood when he was picking or being picked for teams.”
“What are you going to do now?”
“I need information on Barry Vincent and any connection to folks in New York. If there is one, I can start making some traction. If not, I’m back at square one.”
Lauren Graham came in at that moment, looking pale and disconsolate.
“Are you okay?” asked Pine.
“I’m just so worried about Jack.”
“When I left the hospital he was doing fine. The surgeon was in to check on him and the latest set of pictures they took showed they got all the damage corrected. It’ll be a long rehab but he’s no longer in danger. And he can afford the best care. I think he’s going to be okay.”
“Did…he ask about me?”
Pine glanced at Blum before answering. “Um, he was unconscious, Lauren. He couldn’t ask about anyone.” She was not going to tell the woman about Lineberry referring to her as Amanda, twice.
“Is he able to have any visitors?”
“He’s in protective custody right now because of what happened, but you should check with Detective Wallis. He might have more information.”
Graham thanked her and left.
“She’s got it bad for him,” said Blum.
“Yes, she does. But he’s handsome, insanely rich, and nice. I would imagine lots of women would like to be part of his world.”
“It is an attractive package,” noted Blum.
Pine thought about her time with Lineberry the night before. How he had looked at her. “Maybe Graham has a shot. Because he does seem to like them younger.”
Blum was about to respond when Pine’s phone buzzed.
“Hello?” she said.
It was Don Bigelow from the business office at the Mercedes-Benz dealership.
“Agent Pine, I just found something that might be helpful to you,” he said.
“What’s that?” Pine said, sitting up straighter in anticipation.
“I ran that name, Jack Lineberry, through some other files and I got a hit.”
“You got a hit? So Lineberry did buy something from the dealership?”
“No, not him. Another guy who bought an AMG S63. Sweet car. Fully loaded, it can run you over two hundred grand. Now, that’s no Pagani, but still a nice ride.”
“What does that have to do with Lineberry?”
“Well, the guy paid cash for the ride, but we still collect information from the customer for sending them stuff and warranty applications and the like. He listed his employer as Jackson Lineberry and Associates. Figure that might be the same Jack Lineberry you were asking me about earlier.”
“It is. So what’s the name of the guy who bought the AMG?”
Pine thought she knew: Jerry Danvers. But Bigelow’s answer was about to stun her.
“His name is Myron Pringle.”
Chapter 65
MYRON PRINGLE, REALLY?”
Eddie Laredo was sitting in the front passenger seat of Pine’s rental.
“That’s what the guy from the dealership said.”
“How much does Lineberry pay this guy that he can afford a two-hundred-thousand-dollar car?”
“Well, he said he sold an algorithm at some point for a six-figure payday. Maybe that was how.”
“But still. I’d like to know how much this guy makes.”
“I’m trying to find that out. I can’t ask Jack for obvious reasons. But I’ve put in a call to his firm.”
“So what’s our plan?”
“We go out there and talk to him. But we don’t spook him.”