Part 17 (1/2)
She walked over to pick up a notebook. ”You haven't found her. Let's start at the beginning.” She sat down as she opened the notebook. Jack paced.
”Marisa came over to talk to you about the whole graffiti thing, right?” Jack asked. ”She told me she was scared. She felt like someone was watching her.” Jack noticed Replacement shudder. ”I was going to go back that night, but she wasn't there.” He walked over to the window. ”I didn't think anything about it.”
”That was Tuesday night,” she added.
”Wednesday, I saw Thaddeus. He already had gone to the police, but nothing happened.”
”SEE?” Replacement almost ripped the notepad as she dragged the pen across the surface.
”Collins had his reasons. Thaddeus isn't the most reliable witness.”
”But you believe him. And you believe Marisa.”
”It might not be black-and-white, kid. What if...what if she just went away and-”
”I'm only going to say this once, Jack.” She glared at him. ”You were right about Mich.e.l.le even when everyone doubted you. Don't doubt yourself now.”
Jack looked back out the window.
”Did Thaddeus see the guys?” Replacement asked.
”Only one. He said he was Asian and had his arms covered with tattoos. I went to the station and met these two Feds, Walter Prescott and Jennifer Rivers.”
”Feds?”
”FBI,” Jack said.
”FBI? Oh, because it's a kidnapping? They sure came fast.” Replacement put down her pen. ”But I thought Collins didn't believe Thaddeus? And why would someone kidnap Marisa? She isn't rich, is she?”
Jack exhaled as he looked down at the Impala parked outside.
She can't help me if she doesn't know.
He looked at his reflection in the window that glared back at him. ”It's because Marisa has a past. She's Severino Mancini's daughter. Her real name is Angelica.”
Replacement spun around and then moved the mouse. After a few minutes, she looked up at Jack, wide-eyed. ”Are you kidding me? This guy is a serious bada.s.s. He's ruthless. Even his name in Italian means severe. Do you know how many times he's been put on trial?” She leaned closer to the monitor as she frantically scanned the pages.
”He's never been convicted,” Jack said dryly.
”You dated his daughter? Are you crazy?”
Jack shook his head. ”She left her family when she was sixteen. That was almost eleven years ago.”
”Why did she leave?”
Jack shrugged.
”She didn't tell you?”
”I didn't ask.”
”Is that why she was kidnapped?”
”I don't know.” Jack continued to pace. ”For all I know, it may not be related but...why else would someone grab her? Like you said, she's not rich. But if it's a kidnapping, why hasn't anybody reached out to them?”
She started to write in her journal and then froze. ”How do you know no one has reached out to them?”
Jack stopped pacing. ”I asked.”
”Severino?” Replacement spun around to face him as she pointed back at the monitor.
Jack nodded.
”You went to see him?”
Jack could see her fear and anger but there was also a little pride. ”I did. He didn't know anything. Neither did his son, Ilario. He gave me a phone.” Jack walked into the bedroom and brought out the phone.
”Why would he give you a phone?”
”It's a burner. I couldn't give him anything that could trace Marisa back here. She's in trouble, I know that, but...what if her disappearance doesn't have anything to do with her father? If Severino finds out where Marisa lives, she'll have to leave Darrington.”
Replacement nodded.
”I followed Severino's men to Chinatown after we talked. They met with the Yakuza. The Yakuza didn't know anything either.”
”What? Jack. Even I know the Yakuza are j.a.panese Mafia. You went alone? No backup? Jack, that's... It's...” She shook her head.
Now she's just ticked.
Jack stuck his hands in his pockets. ”What else was I going to do?”
Replacement scribbled hard on the pad. ”I put down they didn't know anything.”
”I didn't get any read from the guy except...” She looked up. Jack turned away from the window. ”He's very dangerous.”
”When did you go to Marisa's apartment?”
”Last night. I went there yesterday morning before I went to see Severino. I went back last night to check it out again and left, but I forgot to leave a note with the neighbors, so I turned around. I saw the light from the hallway in the apartment. When I went up, this woman was in there. She got the jump on me and took off. I chased her until I caught her behind Bratton's but...she knows how to fight.”
”What did she look like?”
”She had thick black hair, blue shorts with white stars, and this gold headband and la.s.so.”
”Shut up.” Replacement threw the pen at him. ”I said I'm sorry about the Amazon thing.”
”Sorry. It's hard, knowing I let her get away.” His fist pounded the desk; everything bounced on it.
Replacement set the notebook down as she looked at the clock.