Cut & Run Read Free Page A

However, Scotty was fired before Rick and I were even married.Anyway, after we found that Scotty had kidnapped his own son to get back at Janine, I realized there could be a possible connection to Mallory’s disappearance. I talked with Rick about it at the time, but he dismissed the idea that Scotty could be connected to Mallory’s kidnapping.”
    “He showed no interest in following up on it as a lead?” Lewis had asked Rachel.
    “Not really. Rick said he just couldn’t imagine that Scotty had been involved. He said that Scotty had been fired because he never showed up on time and his work was suffering.”
    “What department did he work in?” Lewis had asked, taking notes on his legal pad.
    Rachel didn’t remember ever meeting Scotty during the many company functions that she attended with Rick. Of course, Rick Scott Imports employed over a hundred employees. It was hard for Rachel to keep all the names straight.
    “Scotty was a mechanic. Rick said he was a model employee for a few months. Then Scotty started showing up late or not at all. His coworkers also mentioned to management that Scotty was driving a new BMW and flashing lots of cash. Rick suspected a gambling problem. Eventually Scotty was fired.”
    “Do you think he would’ve kidnapped your daughter to get back at Rick for the firing?” Hammond had asked.
    “I asked Rick the same question. He didn’t think so. Scotty was long gone from the dealership before Mallory was even born.”
    “What do you think?” Hammond had asked her.
    “I think anything is possible. Scotty kidnapped his own son to get back at Janine. He wasn’t happy about the pending divorce and he wanted revenge. He was mad that Janine was trying to get full custody and he thought he could take care of Jack better than she could.”
    “It’s possible that Scotty was involved in the child abduction ring while he was working at the dealership. It wasn’t a gambling problem. He was getting money from the child abduction ring.” Lewis had continued to write notes on his pad. “We need to takeanother look at child disappearances in the Miami area around the same time that Mallory disappeared.”
    “Red Cooper, who was the lead detective on Mallory’s case at the time, did take a look at Scotty,” Rachel told him. “He didn’t find anything suspicious when he questioned him, although Scotty couldn’t provide a solid alibi for the time frame that Mallory disappeared. He’d claimed he was out of work at the time and was probably home the morning Mallory vanished.”
    “We have a warrant out for Scotty’s arrest,” Hammond had assured Rachel. “We are also looking for the Amsels. They have a residence in Miami and one in Germany, but so far they haven’t shown up at either place.”
    Rachel finally got to the shoreline and dragged her board onto the soft sand, feeling happy that she’d been able to get out on the water to clear her head. She located the backpack she’d left behind on a beach chair and pulled out a plastic hair clip. She took her long auburn hair and fashioned it into a messy bun, securing it with the clip. Taking a long sip of bottled water from the backpack, she tried to gather her thoughts. It was time to figure out her next move. As she stared out at the blue water, she asked herself the questions she’d asked Hammond several times during their meetings.
    If Scotty or the Amsels were found, would the FBI uncover new clues to find Mallory?
    Was Scotty the person who kidnapped Mallory? If so, was it revenge for being fired from the dealership or just a coincidence?
    Tonight Rachel would be flying home to Miami. She wanted to start from scratch and retrace Scotty Jensen’s every move from the day Mallory disappeared. Rachel also planned to find out everything she could about Helen and Dirk Amsel. She would also talk to Rick again about Scotty’s employment history with the dealership. They could be overlooking some significant clue. Rachel knew that