Page 91 of Final Approach

Once he had them taken care of, he walked over to James, who’d arrived seconds after Andrew had walked through the door. “Thanks for taking this. There’s no one I’d rather have on this case than you and Cole.”

“We’ve got it covered, I promise.”

“I know. Thanks. Although I’ll admit I feel torn, because you guys should probably be with Hank.”

“He’s got so much coverage, he’s probably suffocating,” Cole said. “Kenzie will let us know if we’re needed. Right now, we’re here for you. Jesslyn is with Kristine.”

“Thanks. Good.” He glanced at his phone. “She texted me. I need to answer.” He tapped a reply that he appreciated her offer and he’d be in touch when he had more information.

“We’ll grab the security footage,” Cole said, “and see what the analyst can come up with.”

Andrew started to rejoin his parents when he noticed them deep in a whispered but fervent conversation. Then his father stood to pace in front of the couch while his mother sat staring at her hands. Andrew frowned and went to place a hand on his father’s bicep. The man stopped but wouldn’t meet his eyes.

“Dad? What is it?” he asked. “What are you not telling me?”

“Nothing, Son. It’s just...” He looked at his wife and sighed. “Nothing.”

“That’s not true,” his mother said. “It is something and I can’t ask you to keep it from Andrew.” She stood and pressed her fingers to her lips. “Corey came by today asking for money.”

“What? I thought you said he was coming Friday.”

“We thought so too, but he came today and said he was in debt to some bad people and needed the money today or they were going to kill him.”

“Did you give it to him?”

“No.” His father shook his head. “I refused.”

“What did he say? Was he angry?”

His mother laughed, a short sound without humor. “No. I wouldn’t say he was angry. Desperate, but sad too. He just shook his head and said we were his last hope.” She lifted her chin. “But I agreed with your father. We couldn’t give him the money. I told him to go to you and ask for your help. We explained to him that the only way out of all his problems was to face them, not continue to pay the people who keep adding more and more to the total he owes them. He’ll never be free of them at that rate.”

“So,” Andrew said, “it’s possible he came back and did this.”

“No,” his mother said. “I don’t believe so. That’s why I didn’t want to even mention him. Corey would never do this. We got him a hotel room at the Lake City Inn for three nights until we can figure something out.”

“What about the man’s build? How tall would you say he was?”

His dad’s eyes slid away. Then he sighed and shook his head. “Maybe around six feet or so. Slender, not real bulky, but he was fast. I still don’t think it was Corey.”

But it was a description thatcouldmatch him.

Andrew scrubbed a hand down his cheek. “All right. I need you to tell all of this to Cole and James. I’ll be back in a little while.”

“Where are you going?”

“To take care of something. But I’ll be back. Hopefully with some answers.”

“Andrew—”

His mother’s call didn’t stop him. He headed for his vehicle. It only took him ten minutes to reach his destination and another five to get the room number of his cousin. Room 206.

He bypassed the elevator and took the stairs, found the room and pounded on the door. “Corey? It’s me, Andrew. Open up.”

Silence.

He banged again. “Corey! I said open up.”

The lock finally clicked and the door opened. Corey stood there, blinking and rubbing sleep from his eyes. He was dressed in knit shorts and a T-shirt and was barefoot. “What in blazes are you doing, Andrew? I finally felt safe enough to fall asleep and you go waking me up. Thanks a ton.”