Chosen To Die (Alvarez & Pescoli)

“What did she say?” Alvarez asked, bringing Lucky back to the conversation.

“On the phone?”

Selena nodded.

He shrugged. “That she was on her way. I’d told her I . . . well, that Michelle and I wanted full custody of Jeremy and Bianca, and Regan went ballistic. Told me she was coming over, and to get the kids and the dog ready.”

“Did she show up?”

“No.” He looked away from Alvarez’s steady gaze.

“I figured she’d cooled off. Changed her mind.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, really. She does that, y’know.” He was irritated now, paying a little more attention. “It’s not like she hasn’t said one thing and done another before. It’s kind of her M.O.”

“Yeah,” Michelle agreed.

66

Lisa Jackson

“You’re her partner. You must know what a hothead she can be,” Lucky said.

“Seems to me she’s been pretty rock-steady where the kids are concerned.” For the first time Selena noticed that Pescoli’s son hadn’t joined the party.

“Is Jeremy here?”

“Nah, he went into town.”

“In this?” she asked, hitching her chin toward the window and the storm raging outside.

“He’s nearly eighteen, been driving in snow ever since he got his license. It’s nothing. I loaned him my truck ’cuz we left his at her house.” As if a sudden thought occurred to him, he said, “You said you checked there at her place?”

“She’s not there and her Jeep is missing.”

“And she’s not answering her phone?” Leaning across the couch for the handheld, he dialed a number, as if he could reach his ex-wife when the entire sheriff’s department couldn’t. When that didn’t work, he pounded out a new set of numbers, then as he listened, said, “You probably tried her cell?”

“Yes,” Selena answered carefully.

Frowning, he waited, then, obviously hearing Pescoli’s voicemail recording, hung up and stared at the phone.

“Dad?” Bianca asked, her voice quavering slightly.

“Where’s Mom?”

“Oh, probably with some loser guy she picked up—”

“Lucky, don’t—” Michelle warned, her perfect, pink lips puckering into a knot of disapproval. Maybe she isn’t so bad after all.

“But you can find her, right?” Bianca said, glancing from her father to Alvarez.

CHOSEN TO DIE

67

“Of course,” Selena said, though she didn’t like her odds. “Why don’t you tell me what happened when she called yesterday.”