Baltimore 03 - Did You Miss Me?

has to be,’ Clay said. ‘We just haven’t found it yet. Did Novak tell you why he’d asked about Kimberly?’
    ‘Just that she’d been kidnapped with the Elkhart boy.’
    ‘She has a record for theft. She stole a ring from a home she was cleaning.’
    ‘Novak did ask me if we had a cleaning service. I laughed at him. We’re barely surviving now, putting one daughter through college and saving for the younger one.’
    ‘And then they cut your pay,’ Clay said and watched Gargano’s eyes flash fury.
    ‘Yeah, well, they’re all sonsofbitches,’ he said bitterly. ‘I was a damn good cop. Nineteen years without a single blemish on my record. And they turned on me.’
    ‘Daddy?’ The alarmed little voice came from upstairs. ‘Are you all right?’
    Gargano hid his gun between the chair cushions before looking over his shoulder with a smile. ‘Go back to your room, MeiMei,’ he said gently, lovingly. ‘Daddy’s fine.’
    Clay’s ears perked up. MeiMei? It was a Chinese endearment meaning ‘little sister’.
    ‘Who are those men?’ she pressed, coming down a few more steps. She was about nine years old and had black hair. She was Chinese.
    Quickly Clay scanned the room for a family photo, but saw none. Was Mrs Gargano Asian or was the little girl adopted? Gargano had just said he was putting a daughter through college. Was she adopted too? Like Kimberly MacGregor?
    Beside him, Alec sat up straighter. He’d made the connection too. Smart kid .
    ‘They’re just visiting, honey. Go back upstairs and finish your homework. Mom will be home from work soon and she’ll want to see it done.’ The little girl did as she was told and Gargano’s gun hand reappeared. He still had his finger on the trigger.
    Clay barely noticed. His mind was spinning. ‘You called your daughter MeiMei.’
    ‘Yes. So?’
    ‘She’s Chinese. Adopted, yes?’
    ‘Yes. We adopted her when she was six months old.’ His eyes narrowed. ‘Why?’
    ‘Your older daughter,’ Clay pressed. ‘The one in college. Is she also Chinese?’
    Gargano’s face darkened. ‘What the hell is this?’ He stood up. ‘You need to leave.’
    ‘I’m sorry. Wait.’ Clay lifted his hands, palm out. ‘Kimberly MacGregor is also Chinese, adopted by her family. Aren’t there groups for families who adopt from specific parts of the world? Is it possible your daughter met Kimberly at a local function?’
    This made Gargano even angrier. ‘Are you saying my daughter stole from me?’
    ‘No, not at all. But what if she knew Kimberly, trusted her, invited her in, unwittingly gave her access? We know Kimberly stole once. Maybe she stole from you, too.’
    Gargano’s expression changed from fury to stunned disbelief. ‘I don’t know.’
    ‘Can we talk to her, your older daughter? Please, this is important.’
    ‘Yes, of course. She’s lives in the dorm.’
    ‘In Baltimore?’ Clay asked.
    ‘No, why?’
    ‘That’s where Kimberly goes to school.’
    ‘My daughter didn’t go away to school. She’s here, in the city, but living on campus. She’s a freshman at Drexel in Philly. She doesn’t have a car, so we’ll have to go to her. If we can make this connection stick, I can appeal my demotion.’
    ‘ After I find my missing college kids.’
    ‘Of course. I’m sorry.’ Gargano holstered the gun and ran to the staircase. ‘Jessica, we need to leave the house, baby. Get your coat and bring some homework.’
    ‘Clay,’ Alec said urgently. ‘Look.’
    Pushing himself to his feet, Clay looked over his shoulder and blinked. Alec had grabbed a chair from the dining room table and was standing on it, staring between the vent blades of the heating duct on the ceiling. ‘What the hell , Alec?’
    ‘Good God!’ Gargano shouted. ‘Were you raised in a barn? Get down now!’
    ‘In a minute,’ Alec said, pulling a penknife from his pocket. ‘This’ll be worth it.’
    ‘You said he wasn’t armed,’ Gargano said accusingly.
    ‘It’s just a screwdriver set.’ Alec held it out for Gargano to see. ‘Was your gun safe against that wall?’ he asked, pointing to a large built-in bookcase. A large rectangular area was empty, shelves having been built around it.
    ‘It was. I got rid of it after the theft. Why?’
    Alec unscrewed the vent cover and grinned. ‘Right there in the duct. A camera.’
    ‘In my heating duct? Why the hell would a thief leave a camera in my duct?’
    ‘To watch you dialing your safe’s combo,’ Alec