Killer Ambition - [18]

Raynie greeted us at the curb as Bailey drove up. “Just pull in here.” She pointed to a small space on the street a few feet from her front door. In the hills, all space, including parking space, was at a premium; all of the roads were steep, winding, and narrow. Raynie had her hair up in a loose bun and she wore a long white cotton skirt with multicolored embroidery around the hem and a turquoise tank top. She looked fresh as a daisy, a perfect counterpoint to my straggly hair, wilted gray slacks, and rumpled jacket. I reminded myself to pick a lighter, cooler ensemble tomorrow. I couldn’t get away with Raynie’s boheme maxi skirt stylings, but a dress of almost any kind would be a vast improvement over a pantsuit in this heat.

We followed Raynie inside. The house was an oven. The windows that looked out over the city also let the sun bake through. No doubt those windows could provide a stunning view, but today, all they showed was a city hazy with smog, a dark yellow-tinged basin of indistinct concrete, metal, and glass. Raynie picked up a remote, and at the push of a few buttons, the electronic blinds covered the windows. Instantly the room felt ten degrees cooler.

“Sorry,” she said. “I forgot to turn on the air and close the blinds this morning.” She paused and swallowed. “It should cool down pretty quickly now. Can I get you anything to drink? Ice water?”

We accepted gratefully. Raynie gestured for us to have a seat on the white leather sectional couch and brought us each a glass. The walls were adorned with pictures of Hayley from birth to the present. Some were of Hayley alone, some included her friends, and others were with Raynie. None were with Russell. Not that I was surprised. A husband who decamps for a younger trophy isn’t someone whose picture you need to see every day. What did surprise me was that I hadn’t noticed photos of any kind at Russell’s house. At least not anywhere I’d been able to see.

I dived right in. “Did you know if Hayley was dating anyone?”

Raynie took a sip of water, then held the glass in her lap between her hands and stared down at it. “She didn’t bring anyone around, but she did mention having met a boy recently.”

“Do you remember when she mentioned it?” I asked.

“I want to say a month ago?”

“She say when she’d met him?”

“No. Just that he was a really good guy and that he wasn’t like the other boys. That he had more…substance to him. And something about him having had a tough childhood, I think.” Raynie stopped and shook her head. “I’m sorry. I wish I could tell you more. I know you’ll think I’m a bad mother for not pressing her for more details. But I always seemed to learn more by just letting Hayley talk than by questioning her. And in all honesty, I expected I’d meet him pretty soon if it was really serious.”

“She ever mention the name Brian?”

Raynie’s eyes widened. “No. Is that the boyfriend?” She looked from me to Bailey. “Is he the kidnapper?”

I looked at Bailey, who nodded. We had to tell her what we knew about Brian. Bailey filled her in. Raynie sat stunned for several long moments, then she leaned forward and covered her face with her hands. When she collected herself and sat up, she looked three shades paler.

“Do you know of any reason why someone would target Russell, or Hayley?” I asked.

“I’m sure a lot of people have an ax to grind with Russell. You don’t get as big as he has in this town without collecting a raft of enemies. But Hayley?” She shook her head slowly. “I can’t imagine who’d have an issue with her.”

“Do they get along?” I asked. “Hayley and Russell?”

Raynie sighed. “Since the divorce…not so much. Hayley really held it against him.” She grimaced. “I think that’s why she spends so much time at his house in the hills. It’s kind of an ‘in your face’ thing. Russell feels guilty and keeps trying to make it up to her by spending money on presents and being the ‘cool dad’-”

“Meaning permissive?”

“Exactly. So she takes advantage. She uses the party house, his SUV limo, his credit card, as much as she can. I think it’s her way of punishing him, and I don’t like it. I’ve told her that if she’s upset with him, she should talk to him about it, not use him that way.” Raynie paused and gave a sigh that felt more like resignation than disappointment. “Bottom line, no, she isn’t his biggest fan.”

If I pulled that thread to its source, it’d lead me to believe that Hayley could’ve been in on her own kidnapping. The fact that we had no evidence of a struggle or any kind of force used against Hayley lent some support to that theory. And I have to admit I liked that possibility because it meant Hayley probably wasn’t in danger.

Raynie’s mouth stretched into a grim line. “I should’ve known there was something wrong when Hayley wouldn’t tell me his name.” She stopped and frowned. “By the way, how old is this boy?”

“Nineteen? We won’t know for sure until we find out his true identity.”

“Well, that’s one reason she didn’t bring him around,” Raynie said. “I’d never have let her date someone that much older.”