Her mother’s eyes met hers. They were filled with a darkness Aubrey had never seen before. “Yes.”
Aubrey tried to make sense of what her mother was telling her. “They want Jonathan in exchange for Ethan?”
Her mother nodded.
That was crazy. Or maybe it wasn’t. Smolleck had suggested the kidnapping was politically motivated. “You must tell the FBI about this, Mama. They’ll figure out how to handle it so no one gets hurt. Maybe some kind of swap.”
“They don’t want a swap.”
“But you said . . .”
“They want Jonathan dead.”
“What?”
“And they want me to kill him.”
She stared at her mother, certain she must have misheard. Someone wanted her mother to kill the man she loved in exchange for her grandson’s life. Impossible! It was the kind of thing you saw in movies. But life had already taken a turn for the bizarre—Ethan had been kidnapped. That wasn’t supposed to happen in real life, either.
“You must get the FBI involved,” Aubrey said.
“I can’t. The note said . . .” Her mother licked her lips. “They said if I told the authorities, they would harm Ethan.”
Aubrey felt faint. She wasn’t naive. She had known since Ethan disappeared that the outcome could be devastating, but now there was a note and a threat that made the awful possibility that much more real.
She thought about her nephew grinning as he pulled the carrots out of his nostrils. Boogers, he’d said, laughing. Dragons only ate carrots with boogers.
The entire situation boggled her mind, but it was now twenty-six hours since Ethan had been taken. “Did the kidnappers give you a deadline?”
“They want proof of Jonathan’s death by midnight Tuesday,” her mother said. “I called him. I told him to come to Miami. I didn’t say why.”
An icicle slid down Aubrey’s spine. “And what are you planning to do when he gets here?”
“I don’t know. I figured if they’re watching me, they would expect me to get Jonathan down here. It’s the first step.”
The first step in planning his murder?
“And the second step?” Aubrey asked.
“I haven’t gotten that far.”
“Mama, you can’t be considering . . .”
“I’ve been trying to come up with a plan. I might tell Jonathan about the note. Then, if he agrees, I could give him a drug that would slow his heart down sufficiently for him to be declared dead.”
“Whoa,” Aubrey said. “You’re thinking of giving him a drug? Isn’t that risky to him?”
“Yes, but I have to do something.”
“Then what? You said they want proof of his death.”
“I’m not sure. I haven’t thought it through.”
Her mother was clearly desperate, coming up with this Romeo-and-Juliet solution, but trying to fake Jonathan’s death could turn into another disaster.
“There’s no guarantee these people will return Ethan even if they believe Jonathan is dead,” Aubrey said.
Her mother turned her engagement ring around on her finger.
“And this isn’t something you could pull off alone. You would need the medical examiner and lots of other people to help you. You’d have to get the FBI involved.”
“No,” her mother said. “No FBI.”
What if her mother was right? Notifying the FBI could put Ethan in greater jeopardy. But coming up with a plan to fake Jonathan’s death would never work. They had to figure out something better.
Aubrey watched the boats bobbing in the water. A few clouds had formed and reflected a hint of pink as the sun began to set. It was almost six. The note had given her mother a deadline of midnight tomorrow. Thirty hours from now.
Thirty hours in which to get Ethan back safely.
And they had to do it without the FBI.
CHAPTER 10
Her mind settled into a familiar track. Step one, make observations. Step two, gather data. Step three, derive predictions as a logical consequence. Step four, test hypothesis by conducting experiments. Step five, interpret results.
But the scientific method only worked in a controlled environment, which this definitely was not. Aubrey was outside her comfort zone.
A sailboat glided across the bay, glowing in the fading sunlight.
Thirty hours.
She sat up straighter. Just because she couldn’t test the hypothesis didn’t mean she couldn’t analyze the situation in a logical manner.
“Let’s start with the note,” she said to her mother. “You said it was in the square envelope. I noticed it on the bed. It was stamped but not postmarked. Isn’t the FBI checking the mail for ransom notes? How could they have missed it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Someone must have slipped it in with the mail after the FBI went through it.”
Her mother frowned, as though considering this.
“Which means someone who was in the house today most likely put it there.” Aubrey took out her iPhone. “Let’s make a list of everyone in the house.” She started tapping in names as she said them aloud. “Detective Gonzalez, Special Agent Smolleck, and the people on their teams.”
“You think someone with the police or FBI is involved?” her mother asked.
“We have to consider it.” Aubrey thought for a minute. “Unfortunately, there’s no way we’ll be able to figure out if there’s some rogue agent or cop embedded with the legitimate team without revealing we know about the note.”
“And then the kidnappers might harm Ethan,” her mother said.
Her mother was right. Telling the FBI, even if they were able to do it secretively, could end any chance for Ethan’s safe return.
Several joggers pounded the path as they ran behind the bench. Aubrey turned to look at them as they continued around toward the bay. A man in sunglasses glanced back at her, slowing his pace, then he took off after the others. Had he been sent to watch them?
There was no one she and her mother could trust. They were on their own.
“What about the reporters?” she asked her mother. “Did any of them come inside? Maybe to use the bathroom?”
“I don’t know.”
“Anyone else come inside the house?”