The Truant Officer by Derek Ciccone Read Free Book Online Page B

hoping they’d stick. The local police practically accused me of being involved in her disappearance, but then the FBI came in and acted like they were my best friends. If they can’t get on the same page, then I have no idea how they expect to find Lilly.”
    Jessi continued to cling to his side like flypaper, and let out a condescending laugh. “Don’t you get it—they were playing good-cop/bad-cop. I hope you’re smart enough to figure out that they think you’re involved.”
    “That’s ridiculous! I love my wife—all I want is her to be safe.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Tell it to the jury. It’s textbook. You’re conveniently in New York, which gives you a perfect alibi, and you and your wife were obviously having problems. So you hire one of her students and make it look like one of the gang abductions.”
    “I’m a pilot. It was my job to be in New York. And what makes you think we were having problems?”
    “Some reporters might see your sad puppy dog eyes and fall for your story, but I see a husband away and a wife strutting around in a skimpy outfit like she’s heading to a club. And you seem like one of those inadequate guys who wants a bunch of kids so you can imprison her. But your wife didn’t give you children, so my guess is she had a boyfriend that she was going to better-deal you for, and that’s why you had her abducted, and possibly killed.”
    “What are you talking about?” Darren said, lowering his voice, “Boyfriend? Killed? You’re crazy! And obviously you don’t know Lilly. We love each other and I’m going to find her!”
    Darren barged by Jessi toward a car that wasn’t there. She jumped back in front of him. “You’re going to need my help to find her.”
    “I don’t know how you could help me.”
    “You need to make a public plea on television. I have the power to set it up.”
    “If you think I was involved, then why would you help me?”
    “It’s in both our interests to find your wife. For me, I need to break the big story that will get me back to New York. In your case, if you really had nothing to do with her disappearance, then you obviously want to find her before she ends up like those other women, or worse. But if you did hire this kid to get rid of her, then you best start playing the role of the concerned husband ASAP.”
    Darren gave her a dirty look. But when he met her eyes, he came to a scary realization—aligning with Jessi Stafford might be his best chance to get Lilly back.

Chapter 13
     
    They drove in Jessi’s car, a convertible VW Cabriolet, red.
    The trip from Sky Harbor to South Chandler took about twenty minutes. There was always heavy traffic in the Valley, but they just beat the morning rush. Jessi spent the entire ride on her cell phone headset like a hard-edged labor negotiator, convincing her bosses to put his plea on television. From what Darren could make out, her appeal hit a roadblock. Lilly’s name had yet to be released, so besides the obvious legal issues it might raise, there was no way to check if Darren really was the husband, or just another wacko trying to break into reality TV. But she finally won out and victoriously hung up.
    “You’re tougher than you look,” Darren quipped.
    “Because I’m a pretty girl?”
    “Sorry, I shouldn’t have stereotyped you.”
    “Don’t be—I’ve been profiling you since before we met, and sadly it looks like I’m going to be right.”
    “What kind of person do you think I am?”
    “It doesn’t matter what I think of you, it matters if the audience buys your story.”
    Darren was already questioning their alliance. “So what now—when do we do the interview?”
    “With most respectable news stations, there would be days of legal haggling, but Channel-6 is so desperate for ratings that they’ll risk getting sued. A high-profile lawsuit might actually help them become relevant. So to answer your question, as soon as we get to your house.”
    A knot tightened in Darren’s