Chapter 3
Linda was stunned that I had taken the housekeeper's side. She pouted, crossing her arms, the resentment radiating off her in waves.
But Ethan was even worse.
He tore through my study like a tornado, throwing priceless first editions on the floor and scrawling on the walls with my fountain pens. He even started fights in the neighborhood, scratching another child's face so badly that the parents came storming to my door.
"Mr. Bennett! Look what your son did to my child's face! You need to do something about this!"
Ethan hid behind Linda, pulling a monstrous face at the bleeding child.
Linda, however, felt no shame. She planted her feet and went on the attack.
"Kids get into scuffles! It's normal! Are you really going to make a federal case out of it? Besides, your kid probably started it! My Ethan just got his father back. He's sensitive!"
"How can you even say that?" the other parent sputtered, furious.
"My baby is a sweetheart! He would never! You are the most unreasonable person I have ever met!"
"Yeah? So what if I'm unreasonable!"
Linda's voice rose to a screech.
"This is Bennett Villa! My son is the heir to the Bennett family! Watch your words, or I'll have you run out of this community!"
Watching Linda's smug face, I felt a white-hot rage nearly breaking through my control.
Forcing it down, I pulled out my wallet and handed a thick stack of bills to the other parent.
"I'm so sorry. We should have been watching him more closely. Please, take this. Get your son to a doctor. If it's not enough, you let me know."
The parent took the money, shot one last disgusted look at Linda, and left without another word.
Linda beamed at me, her chest puffed out.
"See, Mr. Bennett? That's how you handle people like that. With power."
I didn't even look at her. I turned and walked into my study, shutting the door behind me.
If I had to look at her for one more second, I was afraid I would throw her and her monstrous child out the second-story window.
"Mr. Bennett, I have something."
I was in my office, trying to focus on quarterly reports, when Mark's call came through. I sat bolt upright.
"Go ahead."
"Linda and Ethan are not from this city. They arrived two weeks ago from Northwood. According to traffic cams, two weeks ago they were spotted in a suburban area on the edge of that city. They appeared to pick up an orange-and-white cat.
"Shortly after, they purchased train tickets here."
Mark paused.
"However, the cat's location is unknown. We've checked their motel records before they came to you, but there was no sign of an animal.
"It also seems that before they came, they heard a rumor you were looking for your 'son.' In their haste to cash in, they didn't get the details and hired someone to forge a DNA report to try their luck."
An orange-and-white cat?
It had to be Milo.
My hand was shaking so hard that I could barely hold my phone.
"Are you sure? Orange and white? Could you see a collar? Anything around its neck?"
"The footage is too grainy to see details like that. But the coloring is a definite match."
"Okay. I've got it."
I hung up and was out of the office in seconds, my car peeling out of the garage.
Milo had to be hidden somewhere. They had him. All I had to do was make them talk, and I would have my Milo back.
I burst through the front door to the sound of the television blaring. Linda and Ethan were lounging on the sofa, surrounded by bags of chips and candy.
I was about to confront them when a local news report caught my eye.
"A string of animal cruelty cases has plagued the city for the past two weeks. Multiple residents have reported their pet cats stolen, only to be found brutally murdered and abandoned in public parks.
"The suspects have shown a high degree of counter-surveillance awareness, but a security camera in a blind spot managed to capture the backs of two individuals leaving a scene. One adult, and one child..."
My eyes snapped to the screen. The figures were blurry, but the height ratio and the way they walked were a perfect match for Linda and Ethan.
It felt like an invisible fist closed around my heart, squeezing tight until my breath caught and the air wouldn't come.
They didn't just have Milo. They were hurting other cats.
What if Milo was already dead?
"Mr. Bennett, you're home!"
Linda chirped, smiling as she got to her feet.
"You look like you've seen a ghost. Is there something you wanted to ask us? You seemed like you had something on your mind earlier."
I snapped back to reality, burying the sheer terror and fury under a brittle smile.
"No, nothing. Just a work issue. I had to come back for a file."
"Okay then."
She shrugged and plopped back onto the sofa, her attention returning to the TV.
I couldn't ask. I couldn't bear to hear the answer if they had already killed Milo.
I must stay calm, although my pulse hammered against my ribs. I had to be smart. I had to get the truth out of them.