My cheeks burned with embarrassment. Had I really been taken in so completely by Chris? “I’m not stalking. And hell if I know.”
“Well, you’re going to stay away from both of them. I trust you’re satisfied Justin isn’t involved in the disappearance now?”
I didn’t want to give the answer. Didn’t want to admit defeat over my instincts. Guilt over the misery I’d caused Justin ate through my stomach lining. I still believed the neighborhood had the right to know he lived among them, but I’d allowed my own selfish need for atonement to control my decisions. And Justin wasn’t the only one affected. Todd had been smacked with the shittiest end of my self-righteous stick.
“He told me what you said to him yesterday,” Todd said. “And even though you are a gigantic pain in my ass, I know your heart is in the right place. So you tell me, after talking to Justin, how do you really feel about him?”
I swallowed hard. “I’m not sure anymore.”
“Not a shred of evidence points to him, even with his previous contact with Kailey. We don’t have anything concrete on Chris Hale yet, either, but we’ve got some nice circumstantial facts piling up. More than anything we’ve got on Justin.”
“His uncle is the A.D.A.,” I said. “You can’t go accusing him of anything without hard evidence. Frank Hale is one of the best.”
Todd grunted. “I know. We’ll get it if it’s there.”
“Let me help.” Damned if I was going to let Chris use me like some easy pawn. If he had Kailey and had been wasting my time the past few days, playing on my guilt, I’d pour the cyanide straight down his throat.
“What?”
Righteous indignation cleared my clustered thoughts. I jumped up and started to pace, rubbing at my still sore wrists. “You give Chris Hale any idea you suspect him, and he’ll call his uncle. Which buys him time to move Kailey if he did take her.” If she was still alive.
“I can handle it.”
“So can I. Let me get closer to Chris. See if I can find anything you can use.” I could do this. He wanted to know more about my lifestyle. About me. I’d tell him whatever I needed to in order to find Kailey. And if Chris started talking shit about me, I’d have to hope Todd took it as revenge ramblings, even though he wouldn’t. He was too good of a cop.
“You are not a cop.” Todd drew the words out for emphasis. “You need to stop trying to act like one.”
“But I know how to manipulate people.”
“Really? Well that makes me feel great about trusting your judgment, then.”
I flushed. “I’m not proud of it, but my mother is the queen bee of emotional manipulation. I’ve learned.”
Todd took of his glasses and rubbed the indentation marks on the bridge of his nose. “Even if I agree to this, he knows you called me concerned about him. You really think he’s going to trust you now?”
If I play my cards right, hopefully he will. Even if I have to talk about my sister. Or my extracurricular activities for the last year.
“At least let me try.”
“I’ve already told him I know he followed Justin.”
“So ask him about it and take his word. Or let him think you did. Let us go tonight, and give me twenty-four hours to find something else out.”
Todd shook his head. “How do I know you’re not playing me? You just admitted to being a mastermind player. What if you’re hot for this Chris and want to help him out?”
I sat back down. “Because you know I want to find Kailey. Whatever mistakes I’ve made, that’s been my goal.”
Todd chewed on his lower lip until he broke the skin. “Twenty-four hours. And know that we’re going to be investigating him as much as we can. I’m looking into his financials, his property records, anything I can find out. And if I try to hold him now, Uncle A.D.A. will have him out, and probably make him shut off all communication with you.”
“Absolutely.” I wasn’t sure how much pull Chris’s uncle had over his decisions, but now wasn’t the time to argue with Todd.
“And,” Todd stood up and leaned over me. I didn’t challenge his position of power, but I didn’t shrink. “If it turns out you’re trying to help him in any way, I will arrest you for trespassing, tampering with evidence, and if it turns out he did take the girl, conspiracy, not to mention accessory to kidnapping and murder if she’s dead. Got it?”
“I’ve got it.”
Sitting in the
station’s waiting area, I tried to relax. Todd should be finishing up with Chris soon, and I needed to be ready.
I didn’t have a clue how I was going to keep myself from getting in his face and demanding the truth. Todd’s theory about why Chris had been following Justin and me made sense, but something about it didn’t feel right. Maybe it was my own pride, but Chris’s story had a lot more pages.
Chris emerged from another interview room with Todd behind him. They shook hands, Todd’s expression stoic. This had to be killing him. He said something to Chris, who looked surprised and then nodded. He raised his eyebrows when he saw me sitting on the bench.
“Figured you would have caught a cab home.”
“I wanted to make sure you didn’t get arrested.”
“Really? Didn’t sound like that earlier.” He closed the distance between us and spoke quietly. “Maybe you’re just making sure I didn’t tell the detective anything about you.”
So that’s how I needed to play this. “I won’t lie. I’m a little nervous.”
“I don’t sell out friends.” He brushed past me, heading for the door. I hurried to keep up, a trickle of remorse sliding through me. Chris obliterated every natural instinct I had. He seemed so sincere, and yet common sense dictated Todd was right, that Chris was in this up to his neck.
“I’m sorry. Going head-to-head with Justin freaked me out. When I realized you were the one following him and you hadn’t said anything, I didn’t know what to think.”
Chris zipped up his thick sweatshirt, slipping the hood over his head and effectively blocking me out. I realized we were headed for the street, presumably to hail a cab.
“Don’t you have to go to impound for the Audi?”
“Nope. Mr. Detective didn’t impound it. Gave me a pass. Figured I hooked up with you and let you talk me into doing you favors. Like following his brother and helping you break into the storage unit. I agreed.”
Of course that’s what Todd said. No doubt relishing every word. “That’s because I told him that’s what happened.”
“So why didn’t you get arrested?”
Because I knew how to play the game.
“He’s got other shit on his mind. And I had to grovel. Admit I was wrong about his precious brother.”
Chris waived his hand to hail a cab. “You think so?”
“At this point, yes. Unless Kelly hears something, nothing points to Justin. I can’t keep chasing shadows.” Saying the words out loud felt strangely liberating, a weight moving off my shoulders.
A yellow cab squealed to a halt at the curb. Chris yanked open the door, and then turned to stare at me. “And what about me? You still think I took the little girl?”
Did I? Did I believe that his childhood could have made him a coldhearted criminal? Absolutely. It happens time and again. And Chris had lied to me, right? I realized he hadn’t, not technically. He’d simply omitted following Justin. Everything else could have been the truth. I didn’t know, and I didn’t know what I believed.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because you’re not that good of an actor,” I lied. “You came to me to hear about my choices. My line of work. I’m the one who involved you in this business with the kidnapping.”
He debated, the intensity of his gaze making me feel naked. “All right, then.”
“But I do need the answer to one question.” I glanced at the irritated looking cabbie. “Why were you following Justin?”
“Same reason you’re interested in him. I watch the news.”
“So you decided to check him out months after his release?”
“Hey.” The cabbie, a round man with a thick, graying beard and a wool cap, glared at us over the back of his worn, leather seats. “I’m trying to make money here.”
Chris pulled out his wallet and retrieved a twenty-dollar bill. He thrust it at the grumbling driver. “Just give me a few minutes.” He turned back to me. “My schedule was full when he was first released. I wanted to see where he was living. When I found out there were kids around, I started watching more. Only wish I’d been there when the little girl went missing. Might give us more answers.”
“Why only at night? When the kids were in bed and Justin wouldn’t have access to them?”
He shrugged. “My work schedule, mostly. Plus, I thought he might be going into other neighborhoods. Not shitting where he eats, so to speak.”
“Why didn’t you just tell me that?”
“You didn’t need to know.”
“Todd thought it was me!”
“But you knew it wasn’t. And he didn’t have any proof,” Chris said. “If he’d have kept harassing you about it, I would have stepped up. But I figured you were already creeped out enough by my following you.”
“Yeah. I’d have been less creeped out about your following Justin. That reasoning I get. I still don’t know why you decided to follow me. And I don’t believe you saw me at a scene. I never did, actually. But I played along because I was afraid of what you’d do if I didn’t.”
He looked pleased. “So I intimidated you? Wasn’t my intention.”
“Where did you first see me?”
I was pretty sure I already knew the answer. He’d found out about me when he honed in on Justin, like Todd said. Whether or not he was using me, I hadn’t decided yet. And his answer right now would go a long way towards that decision.
“During the media buzz when Justin was paroled,” he said. “I saw your name and picture in the paper with the parents of the kid he attacked.”
“That was a year and a half ago.”
“When I decided to check up on him, I did the same with you. You interested me. And then I saw you at a scene–I didn’t lie about that–and figured you out.”
“How? Just because I happened to be–”
“It was the look on your face,” he said. His eyes suddenly roamed over me, making me feel like I’d just been strip searched. “Immense satisfaction. And then I knew. And I wanted to talk to you.” His grin hinted at embarrassment, but his expression was apologetic. “It’s kind of lonely being me. I thought you were someone I could talk to.”
“But you believe you’re a sociopath. Why did you want to talk?”
He pursed his lips, shaking his head. “I can’t answer that. I just…did.” His tone was so vulnerable I was struck with the need to comfort him. I barely caught myself.
“All right, then.” I echoed his earlier words, more confused than ever. “If you want to talk, we can talk.”
“Thanks. But not tonight.” He finally slid into the backseat of the taxi. The driver grumbled under his breath and gunned the engine. “It’s late, I’m tired, and I still need to get my car. I came off a shift this morning, you know.”
“Can I share your cab, then?” I shouldn’t tell him where I lived. Of course, he probably knew already.
“I was raised right,” he teased. “As long as you split the fare.”
T
oo early the
next morning, sitting at the breakfast table, I watched Philadelphia wake up. An untouched bowl of steel cut oats sat cooling in front of me. I sipped coffee and wished I had an espresso maker. The extra boost would be extremely welcome right now. I should at least start buying stronger coffee, but I’m too cheap to buy the good stuff.
Mousecop warmed my lap, his legs dangling on either side. I ran my fingers through his silky fur, the feel of his happy purring easing my rampant nerves. This afternoon would mark ninety-six hours since Kailey’s disappearance. Her mother had appeared on the news this morning, looking exhausted and pleading for her daughter’s return. I was amazed the media hadn’t realized who Jenna was. According to Todd, her family went to great lengths after she was returned home to establish a new identity for her, and that’s why they hadn’t made an appearance since Kailey had been taken. They wanted their daughter to be able to move on without anything more than her own memories hanging over her head. As if those weren’t monsters enough. Todd hadn’t even realized who she was until he found out Chris’s real name and started checking out Jenna on a hunch.
Still, the media could smell a sensational story like a shark senses chum. They’d find out, and most likely soon. Probably from a source in the police department. I wondered how long it would take before they tracked Chris down. Then again, he had his uncle protecting him.
I prayed Chris didn’t have Kailey. If he did, then my instincts had gone to complete shit. Last night, despite everything I’d learned and my own previous fears, I couldn’t shake the feeling that Chris had nothing to do with the kidnapping. I had no real reason for this, other than a pure gut feeling, and that apparently wasn’t very reliable anymore. But every time I thought about our talk in the parking lot, about the way he looked when he answered my questions, about his emotion when he spoke of Kailey, I couldn’t swallow the idea he’d taken her.
And that needed to end right now. My business wasn’t based in gut feelings. I worked with hard evidence. With every vigilante action I’d taken, I’d had hard proof the subject was still hurting children. This was no different. All I had to do was work the methodology. And get Chris to talk. By tonight.
The buzzing of the intercom nearly made me topple in the chair. Mousecop leapt off my lap and sauntered off, his bottlebrush tail sticking straight up. Hand to my pounding heart, I trudged to the speaker. “Yes?”
“It’s Justin Beckett. I really need to talk to you.”
My mouth dropped open. “How’d you get my address?”
“I spent the night at Todd’s last night. He had it on file.”
“He’s got a file on me?”
Of course he does.
“He thought you were following me.”
“You thought I was following you,” I corrected.
“Can you blame me?”
No, but still. I couldn’t believe he’d shown up here. “What do you want?”
“Please. This is about Kailey. Todd won’t listen, and I don’t know who else to turn to.”
Letting him in was stupid. But I couldn’t say no, and he knew it. “Fine, but I’m texting a friend to let them know you’re here.”