“He went to university there, though not for long. It was right before he moved to LA.”
“Do you know when that was?” Layla fought to keep her cool and seem only mildly interested.
“Nearly two decades ago, but there’s no connection to Madison. Thing is, if Ira is behind this, which I really believe he could be, then there’s got to be a connection somewhere, something that links him to Madison. So far, all I’ve managed to uncover is the stuff you already know. . . .”
Trena went on to list Madison’s lies. How she wasn’t really a tragic yet well-bred East Coast prep, but rather little MaryDella Slocum, born and raised in West Virginia until the night her parents mysteriously died in a fire and she was reborn as Madison.
Layla tuned her out. She’d heard it all before. It was Ira’s stint in Oklahoma that intrigued her the most.
Tommy was from Oklahoma. And though Trena had been vague about the dates, Tommy was eighteen, soon to be nineteen. Ira having been there around two decades ago gave new insight into something that had always bothered her, a sort of nagging truth she could never quite grasp.
Tommy possessed an uncanny understanding of Ira’s motivations. Once, when Layla questioned him, Tommy had been quick to dismiss it, claiming he simply liked to know who he worked for.
At the time, Layla let it pass. But now, if what Trena said was true, then Layla was sure Ira Redman was Tommy’s father.
“I found a news report claiming two dead and two injured in that fire. Madison burned her arm, as we all know, but I got the impression the article wasn’t referring to her. . . .” Trena droned on while Layla pretended to listen. Truth was, her mind was in a whirl.
Tommy Phillips was Ira Redman’s son!
The more Layla thought about it, the more it made sense.
Their nearly identical navy-blue eyes only served to seal it.
Layla looked at Trena, wondering if she should tell her.
“Before MaryDella was adopted, she lived with Eileen Banks, Paul Banks’s mother.” Trena’s voice was a whisper. “Paul was first on the scene the night of the fire. He was head of the drug task force unit before he abruptly quit and moved to LA.”
If Ira was somehow behind it, and Tommy was involved, did that mean Tommy was part of it too?
Layla shivered at the thought, causing Trena to misread her reaction. “I know,” she said. “It’s like the pieces of the puzzle are beginning to take shape; only the inside is still missing, so we can’t yet determine the face.”
Layla decided to keep the revelation to herself. Information was power, and she’d yet to meet the person who could keep a secret as potentially explosive as that.
She pushed her thoughts aside and focused on Trena.
“In the diary entry, she mentioned she owes her life to P,” Trena said. “Clearly P stands for Paul. I’ve been unable to locate him, which led me to believe the body found in Joshua Tree was his.”
Layla’s gaze narrowed.
“LAPD’s holding a press conference today—they identified the body.” She paused dramatically, as though imagining the at-home audience leaning closer to their TV screens.
Layla found it extremely annoying.
With a shake of her curls, Trena said, “Not him.”
Just like that, Layla felt a block of tension dissolve. Paul had served her a restraining order demanding she stay clear of Madison. It was a connection Layla couldn’t afford. Larsen would read it as motive. “Who is it?” she asked.
“Kevin O’Dell.”
The name meant nothing to Layla.
“A white male, forty-one years old, with an extensive criminal record. All petty crime, nothing that points to kidnapping or murder.”
“Then why was Madison’s tracker found with his body?”
Trena shrugged. “I’m sure he’s a suspect. But I also heard the body was purposely dumped there long before you arrived, so there’s a good chance he’ll be cleared. If you ask me, someone set the scene, then lured you there on purpose.” She glanced over her shoulder, as though she didn’t quite trust her surroundings. “We need to find Paul. He’ll lead us to Madison.”
“You think he kidnapped her?”