Free Best Defense by Randy Rawls Page B

face in his hands and his words came out muffled. “They must know I received their message loud and clear. They must know I’ll pay anything.”
    It hurt to see such a proud man reduced to this level, but I tried not to show it. One of us had to project strength. “Pressure, John. It’s all about building up the pressure. And I’m sure they’re getting a feel for how the police are reacting. They’ll have to find some sneaky way to make contact, expecting your phone calls to be recorded.”
    â€œHow about emails? The police brought in a laptop and are monitoring my inbox. Do you think they’ll email me?”
    â€œPossible, if they use a public computer. I doubt they’d be dumb enough to use a personal one. The library is always a possibility … or a FedEx Office or something like that. Hotels, motels. There are business centers everywhere these days, even some coffee shops. Anyone can use them, and setting up a phony account is a snap. When the authorities backtrack the email, the trail ends at the computer that sent it. No way to identify the author. So I’d say email is a distinct possibility.”
    â€œI’ll take your word for it. All that techy stuff is too much for me. I yearn for the good old days of handwritten words on a legal pad.”
    â€œDid your sister leave?” I asked, hoping to get his mind off his daughter.
    â€œNo. She said she’ll stay until Ashley comes home. She’s a rock, one I need. My whole life she’s been the one who stood up when courage was needed.”
    So much for diverting his thoughts with his sister. Another try was in order. “Yeah, I have a brother like that. He’s always there for me.” It wasn’t exactly the truth, but it kept the conversation moving. I went on, embellishing on what had been a pretty normal big brother-little sister relationship. Harve thought I was a pain in the ass, and I thought he was a macho pig. “When my dad died, Mom had to go to work. Harve was the one I came home from school to, the one who made me a snack, helped me with my homework. I think I know what you mean about your sister.”
    â€œHarve?”
    â€œHis name is Harvey. Mom always kidded that she named him after Harvey the Rabbit from the old movie. Actually, there’s been a Harvey on Mom’s side of the family every other generation from way back. Harve lives in Wisconsin with his wife, Delores, and two adorable children. Mom loves his kids and tells me all the time I need to give her grandkids. She—”
    â€œBeth. You’re babbling. It’s not necessary. I’m not going to fall apart.”
    Caught. What could I do? I smiled. “Hey, does that mean you don’t find my family fascinating?”
    My cell phone sang its ditty. I stared at the caller ID a moment, wondering if Mom was testing to see if I’d given her the correct number. Didn’t matter. She was about to storm into my life.
    Throwing Hammonds an apologetic smile, I said into the phone, “Hi, Mom. Did you get a flight?”
    â€œYes. I fly out of DFW at two. I’ll land in Fort Lauderdale at six-fifteen. It’s only a three-hour flight, but we lose an hour because of the time zones.”
    â€œGreat. Call me when you arrive. Do you still want to rent a car? I can pick you up.”
    â€œNo. I don’t want to be stranded. If you have to work, I can always go to the beach or Disney World. Are you working now?”
    I chose not to tell her Disney World was over three hours north of me. Texans tend to think that anywhere except their home state is small with everything located close together. I know because I overcame that same tendency—almost.
    â€œYes. I’m meeting with a client right now, so I need to cut this short.” I threw another smile accompanied by a shrug at Hammonds, who appeared to have forgotten I was in the room. “Sorry, but when the opportunity