Chapter 267: Tough Old Granny

"You know there is one thing we have overlooked. Probably not the cops, but we don't know why this got reported. If I'm the nanny, and I'm in on it, just as soon as I get somewhere safe I have the bad guys call mommy and say no cops or the kid dies," I said to Vlad and Anya.

"So, if that is the case, who reported the kid missing?" Vlad asked. "She was grabbed at noon and the cops were on it by 12:30. I agree who reported it."

"Let's find out before we go all redneck on the families," I suggested.

"When I was young in the old Soviet Union, we called that going Stalin," Vlad said. "But when you go Stalin, everybody dies."

I called Blevins back. He didn't want to tell me at first, but when I explained why we were thinking about going a different direction without questioning the nanny's people, he relented.

"Maxine this had better not get into the papers," he said.

"If it does, you better look somewhere else my friend. There are only three of us who know and all three of us would rather die than talk to a reporter. Now give it up." I demanded.

"The Granny went to the play school. She planned to meet the nanny and take the child home with her. It had been arranged with the mother and dad the night before, but the nanny had gone for the day so she didn't know. The nanny drove right past Granny as she left the parking lot. Then nanny and kid disappeared. Granny knew something was wrong. So when she couldn't find the nanny, or the kid, she tried to called the dad. He was in conference and couldn't be disturbed. Then Granny tried the mom on her route, but mom didn't answer either, so she called us. That's how we got onto the missing kid."

"Fair enough, then we will start talking to people right now and get back to you. Clear it for me to talk to the mom and dad. My PI license is still good, so I can have some official standing, if someone will retain me."

"If all esle fails. I think we can swing that, by calling you a consultant," Blevins suggested.

"If I can't get it anywhere else, I'll think about you as a boss," I said reluctantly. "It will be hard for me to do what I do, if I have to answer to the judicial system," I replied.

When I hung up I asked. "Who is going to hire us?"

"Granny," Anya said smiling the most wicked smile. "Got to be tough old bird to face dealing with a bunch of cops on a guess."

"Then she is the first stop for me. You two get in position to find out about the nanny and I mean really find out. Don't listen to that 'she's a good girl' shit. Something ain't right. I'll call you once I get the retainer

."

Across the street from the victim's home there were two TV station Vans. It was going to be a three ring circus from that point on.

I expected to find Granny at the home of the Parents. It's where I would be, if it were me. There were no cop cars and nothing that even looked like an unmarked cop car. The days of the wire tap having to be inside the home of the parents were gone. My guess was that the wire tap was in the back of a van two or three blocks away.

I knocked on the door of the middle class frame home in the middle class neighborhood. When what was obviously the mother opened the door, I pulled her name from the recesses of my mind. "Mrs. Blair, my name is Maxine Stone, I would like to help you, if I can." The older woman was standing behind her.

"We don't need your help everything is fine," she said.

"No disrespect intended, but your daughter is missing, you have reporters on your lawn, and people are going to be coming out of the woodwork to take advantage of you. Unless you have dealt with kidnapping before, you are going to be lost, and confused."

The Grandmother did exactly what I would have expected her to do. "Ms. Stone, I am familiar with your reputation. The police respect you and so do the criminals, I for one would appreciate your help. If my daughter won't talk to you I certainly will. And if she won't let you in her house, we can talk outside, on the lawn in front of the reporters."

That's right Granny, I thought. Put her ass in a box. What I said was, "Yes ma'am it's understood, I work for you, not the cops, or the thugs. The advice I give you is what is most likely to get your grand daughter back safely. To be honest that might prove to be impossible, but it's priority one."

"That's what we need right now in spite of my daughter's opinions," she said angrily.

"I need to make one phone call. I have some friends who know the nanny's friends and family. They will be interviewing them, while I talk to you guys." The grandmother nodded.

I was inside the house when I placed the call to Vlad's cell phone. "Vlad find out who is working this, and I don't give a crap how you do it." I said it for Granny as well as Vlad.

I sat at the kitchen table with a cup of coffee in front of me while I spoke to the parents and grandmother about the little girl. "I did some checking and you guys are not rich, but I still believe this was a kidnap for ransom. If that is the case you have already been contacted by the bad guys. I need to know a couple of things about that call. Whatever you say stays with me. If you want the cops to know, you tell them. I won't tell them anything unless it becomes absolutely necessary for their help in some way."