Free Got the Look by James Grippando Page A

thought it.
    Jack's mouth opened, but he didn't say anything.
    Are you blushing? she said, seeming to enjoy the fact that she'd knocked him slightly speechless.
    Jack shrugged it off and smiled, but he was thinking about the Cuban mother he'd never known, the half-Cuban boy who didn't eat a plantain until his sophomore year in college. They were talking about Andie, however, and he didn't want to one-up her with his story of a twenty-three-year-old mother who died in childbirth and an alcoholic stepmom who destroyed all the letters that his abuela mailed from Cuba. I can probably relate to your situation more than you'd imagine, he said, leaving it at that.
    The waiter checked on them again and then retreated inside. Andie stirred another packet of sweetener into her cup. The conversation turned to business, and Jack gave her the whole story without interruption, including Theo's theory that Salazar might have killed his wife and staged the kidnapping.
    Andie gave it some thought, then shook her head. It's a stretch.
    Why do you say that?
    Like I told you from the start, the exact wording of the kidnapper's demand has never been made public. It's this kidnapper's signature - pay what she's worth' - and we didn't want a flood of copycats using it. For Salazar to be able to fake a kidnapping and use that exact same language in a ransom note would mean that he somehow had access to police details of the previous ransom demands.
    Hey, imagine that. A leak in law enforcement.
    She nodded and gave a little smile. I hear you. I just don't think so in this case.
    Is Mia's kidnapping really that similar to the Thornton case?
    I can't share everything with you. But there are some important differences. Here, the ransom demand went to Mr. Salazar and to the FBI. Last time, it went only to Mr. Thornton. The use of the Internet phone to avoid tracing didn't happen in the Thornton case.
    None of these differences raise red flags for you?
    There are too many other important similarities.
    So you think it's purely a coincidence that the husband finds out his wife is cheating and then she disappears?
    No more of a coincidence than if her lover suddenly finds out she's married and then she disappears.
    Jack coughed on his latte foam. Wait a minute. Am I on some kind of list that I should know about?
    Let me put it this way. You're pretty much on the same list Mr. Salazar is on.
    I'm not sure how to take that.
    I'm not saying you're a suspect. I'm not barking up your tree or Salazar's, but we haven't ruled anything out completely.
    Fair enough, said Jack, though he knew the reality. Whether the cops admitted it or not, everyone was a suspect until they were ruled out. Especially the two male corners of a love triangle.
    Andie set her empty coffee cup aside, seeming to shift gears slightly. I'm not just asking this out of idle curiosity, but I would like to know. How did you feel about Mia?
    You mean before or after I found out that she was married?
    Let's start with before.
    I thought we were close.
    Were you in love with her?
    Maybe. I was definitely more excited about her than anyone else I've dated since my divorce.
    How do you feel about her now?
    How do you think I feel?
    If the kidnapper sent you the same note - pay what she's worth - would you do the same thing Mr. Salazar is doing?
    Not at all.
    You'd pay a ransom?
    I didn't say that. Salazar is playing a very dangerous game. It's his prerogative to decide whether he wants to pay. But he shouldn't be toying with the kidnapper in a way that could get Mia killed.
    Now you understand my frustration, said Andie. The FBI can only advise in these situations. It's like when the cops say don't pay a ransom, and the family does it anyway. We can't force Salazar to conduct his negotiations any certain way.
    Yeah, but at some point the FBI has to step up and say, hey, bucko, you're being a jerk, and we're not gonna let the victim be the one who suffers.
    True. And that's why you should stay