“So I’ve heard,” I said.
“And now his sick, twisted son has killed Hayley.” At this, Ian looked aggrieved. “I guess it’s true that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Do you have any leads?”
“A few,” I said. “Were you with Russell on Monday?”
“Not till after you two got here.”
But it was within minutes of our arrival, as I recalled.
Ian saw my expression and nodded. “Russell called me. I can’t remember exactly what time, but I do remember telling him to call the police.” Ian shook his head. “I don’t know what he was thinking. Why he didn’t call immediately when he first got the message that Hayley’d been kidnapped…”
Interesting that he was taking the credit for telling Russell to call the police. According to Uma, it had been Dani, Russell’s wife, who’d begged him to make the call. “And where were you when you got that call?” I asked.
“At home.”
“And after that?”
He gave me a weary look. “The same. Until I called him a while later and found out he’d paid the ransom and…” Ian pressed his mouth closed and turned his eyes away.
That wouldn’t usually impress me as far as alibis go, but we’d already heard from everyone who was present that Ian hadn’t been in the house when Russell saw the first kidnapping note. I knew I’d have more questions for this guy later, but right now we were under the gun to find a killer who might at that very moment be headed for some country that wouldn’t let us extradite. I looked at Bailey, who shook her head. We thanked Ian and let him go.
“Dani?” Bailey suggested.
“Yep.”
Dani had that soft, angelic look many try to engineer but few can pull off. Delicate, natural-looking blonde curls framed a heart-shaped face with small features and wide blue eyes. For all that, she had a down-to-earth quality that probably made her a great friend. The kind who’d tell you the guy you’d fallen for was a shit heel, but still hold your hand when he proved her right.
“When did Russell tell you about the kidnapping?” Bailey asked.
Dani’s brows knitted and she looked down at her hands, which were twisted around the ends of a silky fringed scarf. When she looked up, her eyes were filled with tears. “After he got the first kidnapping message. I feel so terrible. I told him to call the police right away, but he was scared. He thought the guy would kill Hayley. He kept saying he’d do anything, he’d be glad to just pay any ransom. But I should have made him call…” She shook her head and looked down again.
