Ransom (Sue Thomas FBEye)

Ransom - Chapter Four

"Manning," Bobby answered his phone after lunch.

"Bobby, it's Jack."

"I'm putting you on speaker, mate," he said before pushing a button. "Tara was just about to phone you."

"Hi Jack. I did a thorough check on your girl. She did go to the same college than Sophia for a year. Her student visa expired last August, which was when she went back home. No criminal offences or anything of the sort. I even talked to a professor and a few students who remembered her. She was a sweet, innocent, quiet girl."

Jack almost choked on the last words. This wasn't the young woman they met. "You sure we're talking about the same Miranda Marchand?" he couldn't help but ask Tara.

"Yes, I matched her picture with the one from her French driver licence."

Maybe Sue was right and she changed, Jack thought. That Michel Dutoit would have been a questionable influence. Which prompted Jack to fill his colleagues with the latest information.

"Let me run that number for you, Jack," Tara said.

Jack imagined Tara typing frantically, willing her screen to life.

"Is mademoiselle Marchand in custody?" Myles inquired.

"Benoit is on his way to her apartment as we speak. He will bring her in for questioning," Jack answered.

"How did I miss that?" Tara's intonation was a notch or two higher than usual.

Jack felt no need to add his voice to the ones of his colleagues as he heard all of them call Tara's name.

"Jack, you won't believe it," Tara said, but at this point he was pretty much a believer he was tempted to reply. "It's a DC cell number, registered to Lynn Jamieson."

"Sophia's mother?" Jack exchanged an incredulous look with Sue as her eyes widened after she read the name on his lips.

"I thought her mom didn't receive any call?" Bobby's remark matched the others. "Myles, want to go for a ride?"

"Coming." He grabbed his jacket. "Jack, need me to make any type of reservation for you before I leave with Bobby?" he offered.

"We can...manage," Jack answered, wondering if he imagined the faint hint of amusement in Myles' baritone voice.

"If you say so," Myles replied, meeting Lucy's gaze who was beckoning him to her desk.

"Mate, as soon as we straighten this matter with Sophia's mom we'll call you."

"Myles? What am I missing?" Lucy asked after Jack hung up, her eyes locked on Myles in a battle of will. "What did you do?"

"Nothing." He shook his head. "Why do you have to be so suspicious?"

She gave him a dubious look.

Come to think of it Myles didn't want her to answer that. "I simply provided my services as translator," he smirked.

"He booked one room instead of two," Tara told her.

A smile appeared on Lucy's face. "On purpose?"

"An honest mistake," he specified, Bobby and Tara's grin contradicting his statement.

"Keep repeating it, mate," Bobby suggested. "If you sound sincere enough Jack may forgive you."

"Have you all failed to notice that Jack didn't sound too upset, and certainly wasn't in a mood to kill me?" Myles pointed out.