The Nightmare Thief by Meg Gardiner

Author:Meg Gardiner
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
ISBN: 9780451235961
Publisher: Signet
Published: 2011-07-21T00:00:00+00:00

32

Tina sat down at the kitchen table and rubbed her temples. Evan poured coffee for all of them.

“Ruben Kyle Ratner dropped out of high school and struck out for the rodeo circuit,” Tang said. “Tried to make it riding saddle broncs. Didn’t get far. Made ends meet by petty thievery. Eventually he switched to rodeo clowning, which proved frightening.”

“He didn’t draw the bulls away from riders who got thrown?” Evan said.

“He did, but somehow always managed to circle back toward the cowboy. And if anybody got trampled or gored, he found it amusing.”

“Fun guy.”

“He was fired from a number of rodeos. When he left, they’d find tires slashed, other vandalism. Eventually they found horses injured.”

“Oh no,” Tina said.

“Ratner is a first-class psychopath.”

Tina stood, one hand pressed to her lips, and walked to the French doors. The rising moon cast white stripes across her face through the shutters.

Evan said, “You mentioned mutilation. The horses?”

“He knew how to hobble them. Some had to be put down.”

Tina’s hand trembled. “Oh my God.”

“And the bank siege?” Evan said.

“When he was a juvenile. He was the driver, who got tired of hanging around on the street while his buddies grabbed the cash inside.”

“He left the getaway car and went into the bank?” Evan said. “Impulsivity is an issue, I’m guessing. And impatience.”

Some people said the same about her. She declined to consider the comparison.

Tang nodded. “He ambled in just before the police arrived. His buddies barricaded the front entrance. He ran out the back and ratted on them, like that.” She snapped her fingers.

“Not a team player, then.”

“He got leniency from the court, because of his age.”

“So he’s moved on, in terms of his criminal ambitions. Substantially.”

“Unfortunately.”

Tina turned from the doors. “And this guy now advertises his services as a handyman? So somebody’s grandma may hire him to paint her kitchen?”

“Not everybody runs a criminal background check on casual laborers.”

Evan said, “I’d venture that almost nobody does.”

“And you’d be correct.”

“Especially not when said handyman has his mother booking jobs for him.” She eyed Tang. “What finally sent him to prison?”

“He put a rattlesnake in a guy’s mailbox.”

Evan squirmed. “I’m guessing that’s the mayhem conviction.”

The lieutenant’s expression was taut. “The victim spent a month in the ICU and lost his hand.”

They were silent for a moment.

Evan said, “What’s Ratner’s connection with Phelps Wylie? Because he did not randomly target him. On the recording from Wylie’s cell phone, the abductor says, ‘You know the score here.’”

“I don’t know what the connection is. But I know what I’m going to do.”

Tang phoned the SFPD and asked for an address check and information on any vehicles Ruben Kyle Ratner owned.

Tina said, “Are you putting out a warrant on him?”

“I don’t have probable cause to arrest him yet. I need more evidence. But I want to bring him in so we can interview him as a material witness.”

“That’s not good enough, not if he’s out there with Jo,” Tina said.

“I know.” Almost delicately, Tang set a hand on Tina’s shoulder. “I’m calling the Tuolumne County Sheriff’s Office.

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