A few days later, Melanie arranged to meet Talon at the house to do a therapy session including hypnosis. I had finished my work for the day, so I decided it would be a good day to drive into the city and have a chat with Larry Wade. Bryce had gone with me the last time, but this time I needed to see Larry alone. There were questions I needed to ask—questions I couldn’t ask in front of my best friend. I couldn’t ask Talon to go with me either. He wasn’t ready to face one of the men who had abused him so horrifically. Plus, I had every intention of asking Larry point blank about Tom Simpson and where he might be hiding. I needed to be armed with the most accurate information possible when I told Talon and Bryce my suspicions.
And while I was at it, I’d ask about Milo Sanchez, and if there was any connection to Nico Kostas or Gina’s abusive uncle.
Would he answer? Probably not. So I’d have to be on guard. I’d have to try to get him to slip up.
I sat at the table looking through the glass, waiting for Larry to come and talk to me on the phone. Because it was only me this time, a guard didn’t need to escort Larry to the visitor’s area. For violent offenders like Larry, even though he hadn’t been convicted of anything yet, the guards really didn’t like to use the open area.
I was slightly disappointed. I wanted to look my uncle straight in the eye and ask questions. Granted, the glass was clear, but it still created a barrier—a barrier I didn’t want right now.
Finally, a guard escorted Larry down the walkway to the desk in front of me. We were separated only by the glass. I picked up the phone.
Larry picked up the phone as well. “What the fuck do you want now?”
“Nice to see you too, Uncle Larry.”
Again, Larry looked like he had aged. His face had healed, but he had lost weight, and his forearms were bruised and battered. Clearly, he was still getting into some trouble behind bars.
“Just here to ask you some questions,” I said. “I hope you’re feeling more talkative today.”
“Can’t say that I am.”
“The offer still stands. You tell me what I want to know, and I’ll hire the best lawyer in Colorado to represent you.”
He said nothing.
“So…I’m going to ask you again about Nico Kostas. Does that name ring a bell?”
“Nope.”
“How about Milo Sanchez?”
One of his brows lifted. Nearly microscopically, but I noticed. I again cursed the glass between us. If only I could get a look straight into his face, with no barrier, not even a clear one.
“Recognize the name?”
Larry cleared his throat. “No.”
“Theodore Mathias.”
Again his brow lifted, just slightly.
“Nicholas Castle?”
Nothing.
“John Smith?”
Nothing again. Either he had trained his eyebrows to stay down, or he didn’t recognize the names.
“Is it possible that all those men—Nico Kostas, Milo Sanchez, and the other three—are all the same person?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Larry said.
“Some of them even sound similar. Nico Kostas and Nicholas Castle. Don’t you think those names sound similar?”
“Don’t know. Don’t care.”
“I understand that one of your fellow abductors had a phoenix tattoo on his left forearm.”