It wasn’t until Maggie hung up that she remembered why Carl and Isadora Ramsey sounded familiar. She’d met the pair last June. They were Taylor Donahue’s in-laws. After a battle with a madman obsessed with controlling the young nurse, Maggie had helped explain the situation to the Ramseys. Back then, the couple had sole custody of Taylor’s son, and she worried they would try to blame her for what happened.
The meeting would have been uneventful except for the formality of it. Dora Ramsey seemed more concerned with how she served her FBI guest. There was tea to be had. Iced sweet tea presented in a crystal pitcher with matching glasses. Lemon slices aligned perfectly on a small porcelain plate alongside a bowl of sugar cubes and cookies. The aroma permeated the house of the fresh-baked cookies.
She appeared fascinated that Maggie worked at Quantico, as if that elevated her stature in Dora’s eyes. Ever the profiler, Maggie could tell the woman was only interested as she tried to figure out how she might use this new connection in the future. At the time, Maggie didn’t care if it meant Taylor would be left in good standing with her in-laws and have access to her son. She had no idea that six months later, Taylor would still be battling for custody.
Before she left Pensacola Beach, Maggie tried to call Ryder. His phone went directly to voice mail. Of course, he and Grace must still be out searching. Then she tried to call Sheriff Norwich. Again, directly to voice mail. This time, she left a detailed message and contact number.
She was about to barge into the middle of an active search. She didn’t want to alert Dora Ramsey, but she did need to notify law enforcement.
When her cell phone rang, she grabbed it expecting Norwich. It was Alonzo.
“We have a match,” he said.
She let the silence hang between them as her mind switched gears.
“How sure are we?” she finally asked.
“Agent Warren’s team got a treasure trove from the outside and inside of the canvas bag. Gregory may have been overly confident that the alligators would take care of his carelessness.”
“They match what Kuszak has?”
“Yes. She’s searching through the New York and Jacksonville cases for any prints left behind at those crime scenes. He’s never been fingerprinted before. He thought he was safe.”
“I’m headed over to his mother’s now.”
“It’s kind of early in the morning.”
“I’m counting on the element of surprise.” She wondered if Dora Ramsey would recognize her six months later.
“You’re thinking he might already be there. You have backup, right?”
“Her neighborhood is crawling with law enforcement. Her grandson has been missing since yesterday morning.”
“Now that’s an interesting twist. Coincidence?”
“By my calculations, the boy disappeared right about the time Gregory arrived in Pensacola.”