Free The Innocent: The New Ryan Lock Novel by Sean Black Page A

presumably abducted by a pedophile, and they were being treated with suspicion. He hadn’t liked the look of the guard either, and now he wished he’d asked for a name, or at least that of the company he was working for.
    The driveway was long. They drove slowly. On either side open land sloped upward. After a full thirty seconds they breached the top and saw the house. It looked as if a typhoon had picked up an estate from the Hamptons and dumped it there.
    Three cars were parked at the front of the sprawling house. Malik pulled up next to them and got out with Eve.
    The cops here must have known they were coming because an older guy in a grey suit headed them off as two uniforms spoke to a distressed blonde woman, whom Malik assumed was Becker’s wife. She was in her late forties, with perfect hair and makeup, and was clutching to her chest the kind of small, yappy designer dog that Flint, his retriever, hated.
    The guy in the grey suit introduced himself as Detective Johanssen from the state’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Once the pleasantries were out of the way, he said, ‘So, tell me what happened.’
    Malik took him through both of his visits with the Barnes family, all the way up to Jack’s disappearance.
    Johanssen listened patiently. ‘I’ll need to get all that in a statement from you. Including what you saw at the stadium.’
    ‘No problem,’ said Malik, relieved that someone finally seemed to be taking him seriously.
    Johanssen took Eve Barnes by the arm. ‘We’re doing everything we can to find your son. We’ve issued an amber alert statewide, and if we don’t locate him soon we’ll widen it.’
    ‘I just want him home,’ she said.
    Over her shoulder, Malik could see the blonde woman with the dog growing more agitated. She kept glancing at them, and the two cops with her were trying to distract her. ‘Is that her?’ the blonde lady shouted. ‘We’re going to sue you. And your son.’
    Eve Barnes couldn’t help but hear. Anyone within a half-mile radius would have heard. Malik moved in front of Eve. ‘Ignore her … That his wife?’ he asked Johanssen.
    ‘Gretchen Becker,’ said the detective, with a nod.
    ‘I mean it,’ shouted Gretchen Becker. ‘I know what this is. We have money, and you think that if you make up some outrageous story about Aubrey we’ll pay you to keep quiet. Well, think again.’
    Eve pushed Malik, and began marching toward her. Malik and Johanssen had to race to catch her before the two women went toe to toe.
    Behind them a car horn sounded. Everyone stopped and turned, as a grey Volkswagen sedan rolled slowly down the driveway toward them.
    Malik froze. His hands bunched into fists. Even without looking at the bumper stickers on the rear, he was almost certain it was the car that had fled the stadium. Next to him, Eve was frozen too.
    Johanssen stepped in front of them. ‘Let’s just stay cool, okay?’ He waved over one of the troopers.
    The car rolled to a stop. Malik noted the smoky tint of the windows. The passenger door opened. No one moved. Jack Barnes got out, a hoodie obscuring his face. His right hand was swathed in a thick white bandage.
    Letting him get out first was a smart move on the part of whoever was driving. Eve rushed to her son. He stayed motionless and she threw her arms around him, sobbing with relief.
    The driver’s door opened. As it did so, an SUV raced up behind the sedan, skidding to a halt. The fair-haired security guard leaped out and ran toward Aubrey Becker as he emerged from the grey sedan. As he reached Becker, Malik saw his jacket ride up to reveal a gun holstered on his right hip.
    Aubrey Becker looked around at all the assembled people, the cops, his wife, Malik and Eve. He didn’t look like a guilty man. He stared at everyone in turn. If anything, he looked pissed. He stood up straight, shoulders back, chest out, chin tilted upward. ‘Would someone like to explain to me what the hell is going on?’
    No one moved.