7b2696c981e3d60fa8abbc841c83ccf4

“A financial and investing advice site, apparently. And a very successful one.”

“Don’t tell Gran,” I said, “Or she’ll want to start one of those herself.”

“I doubt if there’s still a lot of money to be made there. The market must be saturated with investment advice sites. Well, let’s go and have a word with the former whizz kid.”

The whizz kid didn’t look like much of a whizz kid, I thought. Then again, his whizz kid days were a thing of the past now. Tilton Bond was a tall man, with a full crop of dark hair, graying at the temples, which lent him a distinguished look. He had a neatly trimmed beard, pale blue eyes that didn’t miss a trick, and a charming demeanor overall.

“Please take a seat,” he said, as he gestured to a chair in front of a large mahogany desk. He then glanced down at Dooley and myself, and Odelia was forced to explain our presence. She did it with the practiced ease of one who’s had to explain the presence of her cats to many people many times. “Well, what can I do for you?” asked the man, giving her a pleasant smile.

“I just had a long talk with your wife,” said Odelia. “And she told me that your stepson Todd has gone missing.”

“Yes, well,” said Tilton, his face taking on an appropriate look of concern. “It’s not the first time he’s done that, and it probably won’t be the last. Todd is at an age where rebellion seems to be the best answer to just about everything that troubles him.”

“Your wife seems to think he may have gone to Mexico, to look for his father.”

Tilton quirked an eyebrow.“She told you about that, did she?”

“Yes, she came to me because of the blackmail.”

“A dreadful business. You caught the scoundrel?”

“Yes, we did. Unfortunately when we found him he was already dead—killed by his associate.”

“I know. I just got off the phone with your uncle, Mrs. Kingsley. He told me about the late Mr. Dornhauser and the things he was involved in.”

“Do you think there’s any connection between the blackmail and Todd’s disappearance?”

“I doubt it. Like I said, it’s not the first time Todd has gone missing. The last time was over a bad report card. His mother and I gave him some grief over that, and he couldn’t think of a better way to respond than to disappear for an entire weekend. He’d convinced a friend of his that Iwas bullying him, and that he needed to hide.”

“And did you? Bully him?”

“Of course not. I’ve only ever treated my wife’s kids with the utmost respect. I love them as if they were my own—though it hasn’t been easy. You see, when I met their mother, they’d just gone through a very traumatizing experience—with their dad deciding to become a bank robber, and gallivanting off to Mexico with his secretary and five million dollars of his clients’ money. So the last thing they needed was for their mom to come home one day and announce she met a man, and was planning to marry him and move in together.”

“Todd wasn’t happy about that, was he?”

“Not at first, but I like to think he and I have grown closer over time. But sixteen is a difficult age for any boy, Mrs. Kingsley, and certainly for a young man who went through what Todd had to go through on account of his dad. But on the whole I think we all get along fine.”

“What about Aisha?”

“What about her?”

“When Rosa asked her if she knew what her brother was up to, I had the impression she knew more than she was letting on.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t be surprised if she does. You see, Todd and Aisha have always been very close. Again because of the trauma they shared. The last time Todd went off without telling us where he was, Aisha was the only person he’d confided in.”

“So you think he’s staying with a friend again this time?”

“Yes, I do.”

“So the story about Mexico…”

Tilton gave us an indulgent smile.“I hardly think a boy his age would have the means or the initiative to launch an international search for his missing father, Mrs. Kingsley.”

“It’s possible his dad got in touch, and gave him his address,” Odelia suggested.

“Yes, I guess it is possible,” said Mr. Bond. “But then I’d ask myself why he’d wait nine years to get in touch. Why now, all of a sudden? And why not simply talk to Rosa?”

“Because he’s afraid she’ll turn him in to the police?”

“Well, she would, of course,” Tilton agreed. “Considering the grief that man put her and the kids through.” He thought for a moment, then decidedly shook his head. “No, I’m sure Todd is staying with a friend again, and he’ll be home in one or two days, blaming us for whatever it is that upset him this time.” He smiled. “Do you have kids, Mrs. Kingsley?”

“That question again!” Dooley hissed. “Why do they keep wanting her to have kids!”

“Because that’s what most people who get married do, Dooley,” I whispered back. “They get married and have kids!”

“Well, not Odelia—she already has us!”

“No, not at the moment,” said Odelia with a smile.