Carolyn Arnold - McKinley 04 - Politics is Murder Read Online Free PDF Page A

sat back down. “You don’t know when she went missing?”
    He shook his head. “But if there is a call, I record all incoming.”
    “All the time?”
    “Yes, being a person in a position of power and responsibility garners the attention of people who would rather see you in a pine box, six feet under.”
    “Don’t say such horrible things,” Randi said, straightening up and dabbing a tissue to her nose.
    “It is the truth of the matter.” Davenport didn’t weaken to soften the blow for his wife. “See, if the truth got out that the mayor doesn’t even know when his daughter went missing, people would question my ability to run a city.”
    Sean’s instinctual response had him wondering the exact same thing, but he knew Sara wouldn’t be pleased if he put it into so many words. “This is why you want us?”
    “Yes, and as far as we know, she went missing last night.”
    “Monday?”
    “Yes.”
    “I take it your daughter doesn’t live here?” Sean toed the line of confrontation and diplomacy.
    Randi shook her head. “She’s away at the University of Richmond.”
    “What makes you think she’s missing?”
    “She calls home every night. She didn’t last night.”
    “She could have just been out with friends, lost track of time,” Sara offered. “She could be perfectly fine.”
    “You don’t know our Halie. She would have called if she could.” Tears brimmed in Randi’s eyes.
    “What my sister hasn’t told you is they called her phone but she didn’t answer,” Reanne said.
    “I sense someone else did?” Sara asked.
    “A guy, and he told them to not bother calling back.” Reanne swallowed deeply. “He said that she was as good as dead.”

 
     
     

     
    Mulling It Over
     
    “DID YOU CALL THE RICHMOND police?” Sean asked.
    Davenport nodded. “Yes, last night, but they didn’t find anything odd at her dorm. I hated that she insisted on living on campus. I would have rented her a townhouse on the outskirts, even bought her a car, paid for her parking.”
    “She wanted to prove that she could stand on her own two feet, Wayne.”
    He turned to his wife. “And look at all the good that did her.”
    The spark that lit Randi’s eyes made Sara think she would have slapped her husband if it weren’t for their presence.
    “It wasn’t her fault. This is all yours. If it wasn’t for your fancy career, we could all live in peace.” Randi shot to her feet and stormed out of the room, the glass in the french door rattling when she slammed it behind her.
    “I apologize for her. This has been hard on Randi.” Reanne went after her sister.
    Davenport leaned over, bracing his forehead in his hands.
    “Mr. Davenport,” Sara started.
    He lifted his head. “Please, simply Wayne.”
    “Tell us about your daughter.”
    Sean turned to face her and she met his gaze, with a twinge of her mouth and solid eye contact. They had said they wanted their lives to be about adventure and had agreed in Mexico to handle cases “not so on the books.”
    “She is nineteen. Smart girl. She doesn’t drink or smoke or party.”
    “Sounds too good to be true,” Sean said.
    Sara served him a sideways glare. “He just means that a lot of times parents have no idea what their kids are up to.”
    “I understand that, but that’s not the case with my Halie. Honest to God, the girl’s not like her mother or me. She’s a straight arrow. An A-plus student.”
    “You said that the police didn’t find anything out of the ordinary at her dorm room?”
    Wayne shook his head. “Nothing at all. They said it didn’t look like there had been a struggle.”
    “So she wasn’t taken against her will,” Sara summarized, glancing at Sean. She noted the communication in his eyes and that his demeanor had softened, despite what she sensed was a lingering hesitancy to get involved. “She knew her kidnapper.”
    With the realization came the trace of sadness. They didn’t know if she had been kidnapped, murdered, or