Free Abducted Heart (Z-Series) by Jerri Drennen Page B

everyone. Had he ever told the truth? About anything?
    “I gave him what I could.” Alex looked guilty for some reason. “It was a lie, wasn't it? What has my son been doing?”
    “Brent racked up quite a debt at Harrah's and, from what I could gather, stole money from his company to pay off some of the debt.”
    “Oh my God.” His mother looked horrified and she didn't even know the worst of it yet.
     
    *
     
    “What else?” Casey's father-in-law asked, watching her and Lynch closely. “I can tell by your faces that there is something worse coming.”
    Lynch looked at Casey. She could tell he really didn't want to tell Alex and his mother what he thought, yet he needed to get it all out.
    “I have no proof of what I'm about to tell you, but from what I can piece together, and what has happened in the last few days, Brent staged his own kidnapping.”
    “What? Brent’s been abducted? Why the hell didn't you call me?” Alex asked Casey.
    “Casey called me,” Lynch said, holding up his hands. “She was told not to tell anyone or Brent would be killed. But let me backtrack here. I don't believe Brent was kidnapped. I think he staged the whole thing to somehow break in to this house, then orchestrate a home invasion gone bad to kill Casey for the one-million-dollar life insurance money he has on her.”
    “This is crazy.” Alex's face distorted with anger. “Like you said, you have no proof about any of this. What if you're wrong? What if Brent was actually kidnapped? What then?”
    “Someone with a key broke into this house. Nothing was touched except where Casey was supposed to be sleeping. If she hadn't called me when she heard the intruder, I believe she'd be dead now.”
    He looked at her and gave her a half smile.
    “Do you believe this story, Casey? Do you think Brent is capable of hatching such a horrendous scheme?” Alex asked her.
    “I don't want to believe it, but I didn't know about this second insurance policy Brent kept in the desk at his office, and I certainly had no idea about the double indemnity clause included in it.”
    Alex stood. “I don't want to listen to this. I can't imagine my son doing anything so awful. I just can't.” The man shot out of the room and slammed the front door on his way out.
    Casey looked at Lynch's mother who seemed torn as to whether she should go after Alex or not.
    “Do you think he did this, Lynch?”
    “I do, Mom. I'm sorry.”
    “So, should we call the police or what?”
    He glanced at Casey for a moment, then returned his attention to his mother. “No, not yet. We need to get proof first.”
    “How are you going to do that?”
    Exactly . How were they going to do that? Casey had no idea, but she'd trust that Lynch would.
    “I'm still working that out in my head. Somehow we need to find a way to draw the man out of hiding. How we're going to do that, I don't know yet. We may have to use what Brent needs most. Money.”
    “So a ransom was asked for?”
    Casey nodded. “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars.”
    Lynch's mother's light-blue eyes widened. “Oh my God. Who has that kind of money?”
    “My father. I have it in the safe in my office.”
    “Is it still there?”
    “I'm the only one with the combination to the safe.” Might not be a bad idea for her to go check to make sure it was still there.
    The doorbell rang, and Casey jumped half out of her skin. She frowned and glanced at Lynch.
    “Maybe Alex decided to come back.” He headed for the door.
    A moment later she heard angry voices in the foyer and went to see what was going on. She found her father pushing past Lynch to get into the house.
    “Daddy, what are you doing here?”
    “Why haven't you answered your phone? I've called ten times, and what the hell is he here for?” He pointed at finger at Lynch.
    Both men stared daggers at one another.
    “You showed up at my office and asked to borrow a huge chunk of money and I come here to find him in your house. Is he trying to