Free The Price of Candy by Rod Hoisington Page B

She went in the sheriff’s office to
retrieve her personal belongings and then found Triney and thanked
him.
    “Sandy you’re free. I can uncross my fingers
now. But get away from me. I’m investigating you and Abby for
murder conspiracy. I can’t talk to you without your lawyer
present.”
    “I know you can’t talk about my case. Did I
ask you to talk about my case? We’re just talking about other
things. Is it hot enough for you? Will the rain hurt the rhubarb?
How ‘bout them Dolphins?”
    “You’re cute. I know what you want. Okay,
here it is. After you were jailed, I went to where you found the
bike. I took my CSI buddy with me and we searched around. Found
zilch, only a couple of old papers in the gutter but nothing
fresh.”
    “Was the bike still there?”
    “Yes. And before you ask, yes, he dusted it.
So we can add his name to the list of persons sticking their neck
out who might be fired because of you. Only usable prints found
belonged to a child.”
    “So, if Jamie ever participated in one of
those Children’s Fingerprinting for Safety drives at school, we
could prove the bike belonged to her.”
    “Not necessary. I took the bike over to Abby
Olin and it positively is her daughter’s bike.”
    “And?”
    “And, nothing. According to her, you’re
probably the one who took Jamie. She still won’t report her as
missing.”
    “Okay, I hereby report Jamie Olin, a
ten-year-old, is missing.”
    “No good, the report has to be made by a
parent or some sort of guardian.”
    “Can’t Child Welfare or somebody step
in?”
    “Not without more evidence that she’s
missing.”
    “Okay, I’m going to get you more evidence. I
wonder where Jamie’s father is. If I can locate him, would you
instigate an investigation on his behalf?”
    “Maybe we’d have to. One more thing. Everyone
and his brother knows Chip will be helping you on your arrest and
on the kidnapping. Warn him he’d better be damn careful. Because
Moran would love to nail him for getting involved.”
    “What’s the latest on Detective Pomar? Is he
still on the shitlist for helping me that night?”
    “I put a warning in his personnel file. Told
him to watch being influenced by wild women, especially cute
ones.”
    “Thanks for everything.”
    She drove the short distance over to where
she had stopped at the ficus hedge near the school. She walked
around where she had found the bicycle and up and down the nearby
curb. Across the street was a vacant lot and next to it the only
house on that side that would have had a view of the abduction. The
occupant was an elderly woman who was happy to cooperate, but she
hadn’t gone to her front window until she heard the honking.
    Sandy waited there in her car and approached
the few people who walked on either side. Did they remember a young
girl riding a blue bike in the neighborhood yesterday morning?
Perhaps someone stopping a car to talk to a girl with a bike.
Nothing. A long shot, at best. She’d come back in the morning to
look for people that might walk at the earlier time every day. She
was there until dark. She had the odd feeling that Jamie, wherever
she was, somehow knew Sandy was looking for her.
    She drove back to Park Beach and to Kagan’s
law office. She let herself into the dark and quiet office and
booted the computer. She searched Florida Vital Records online and
found Jamie Olin’s birth record immediately. It had a Kevin R.
Olin, age 31, listed as the father.
    Next, she did a “find-anyone” search and came
up with three initial listings for Kevin R. Olin. Twenty-one
dollars later, she had three DOB’s, current addresses, and cell
phone numbers. Let’ see, Jamie is now ten and one man listed is
forty-one, so bingo! The Kevin R. Olin living in Athens, Georgia is
the daddy.
    She tried the Kevin Olin number—no answer.
She left an innocent sounding message mentioning Jamie on his voice
mail. He called back immediately. He sounded like an intelligent
person on the phone.