“Last night, ma’am. Late shift.”
Bart’s stomach dropped when Wilson refused to look his way.
“Anything unusual happen?” Langer continued.
“Um, yes, ma’am… Um…”
“Well? What was it? What happened?”
“One of the detectives brought a guest with him into the evidence room.”
“A guest? What kind of guest?” Langer asked as Ronald and Al exchanged glances.
“I thought he was a cop. I knew him from the academy years ago, but I’ve since found out he never joined the force because of an injury.”
“Who was this man?”
“Nick Jensen.”
“And who was Mr Jensen with?”
Wilson paused and finally looked over to Bart with an unspoken apology in his eyes. “Detective Kapman.”
* * * *
“Are you better now, sweetie?” Faith asked after handing Kelsey a cup of hot tea.
“I’m okay, Faith. I don’t need a babysitter.”
“Well, consider me a bodyguard then. Comes in handy having cops in the family, right?”
“Ha ha. Very funny.” Kelsey was trying to remain strong, wanting to keep it together until she was alone, but she was quickly losing the battle. To add to her already weakened resolve, Faith was the one person who could always read her, regardless of what she said.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Hardly. I just spent the last few hours reliving it. I don’t even want to think about it right now.” Kelsey wrapped herself in the blanket from the back of the couch, immediately regretting the move once she caught the fragrance of Nick’s aftershave wafting from it.
Her thoughts went back to the wonderful night they’d spent talking in the very spot where she now sat. It had been only a few days prior, but it felt like a lifetime had passed since the morning they’d woken up happily in each other’s arms and surrendered to their passion.
“I’m not talking about your abduction. I’m talking about Nick, and you know it,” Faith said firmly, but with a gentle understanding.
“What’s there to talk about? He’s obviously not the great guy I thought he was.”
“I’m sorry, Kels. I wish it had worked out for you.”
“It’s okay, really. I never should have gone out that night. I mean, what good could possibly come from a relationship that starts with sex?”
“I hope this doesn’t mean you’ll stop looking, honey. The right guy is out there for you. I don’t want you to be afraid to find him.”
“I don’t know, Faith. I’m not really interested in dealing with the whole dating scene. Maybe all of this happened to convince me that I just need to worry about my career right now.”
Faith wrapped her arm around Kelsey and hugged her tight.
“Look, I appreciate you being here, really, but I think I’d just like to be alone for a while. Do you mind?”
“Are you sure, Kels? Maybe I should stay with you tonight.”
“I’ll be fine, Officer Kapman. There is a guard outside my door, right?”
“Yes.”
“So he’ll protect me. You can punch out,” Kelsey said with a smile. “I just want to soak in a nice, warm bath and then sleep for the rest of the week.”
“Yeah, I bet you’re tired. Okay. I’ll go. But you’ll call me if you need anything, no matter the time, right?”
“I promise.” They stood from the couch and walked together to the front door.
“And, sweetie, just because it didn’t work out with you and Nick doesn’t mean Mr Right isn’t just around the corner waiting to sweep you off your feet,” Faith said with a hug.
“Thanks, Faith.” Kelsey squeezed and released her hold. “I know he’s out there somewhere. But he’ll just have to wait. For now, I’ll just concentrate on work. Nick was a pleasant distraction, but I’m done with him.”
Faith gave her a sweet smile and walked out of the door. Kelsey locked it and walked to the wadded-up blanket on the couch. She held it to her nose, inhaling deeply before wrapping it around herself and curling up in a ball. “I just wish I wasn’t already in love with him.”
* * * *
It was the last place Nick wanted to be, but the text message told him he had no choice. He would have preferred jumping into the nearest bottle of booze and drowning his troubles, but things needed to be done, and for now, that meant work.
As luck would have it, the person he wanted to see least in the world was now standing beside the open door. “Ah, Jensen. What a pleasant surprise,” Anthony said snidely.
“Fuck you, asshole. Where is he?” Nick pushed past the angry man as he entered the foyer of the large home.
“Office,” Anthony grunted and walked away.
Nick marched into Gianelli’s office and sat in his usual spot. Lifting one foot onto the desk and crossing the other atop it, he called out to the back of the large leather chair, “You rang?”
Vincent turned around with a sneer. “Hello, Nick. Nice to see you again.”
“What do you want, Vinny?” As hard as it was, he had to keep his cool. After what this monster had put Kelsey through, Nick wanted nothing more than to draw his gun and empty the clip into Vincent Gianelli’s head. Better yet, he could shoot a few strategic points—his knees, his hands, his cock. He wanted to make him suffer and smile in satisfaction while watching him bleed out.
“I have another job for you.”
“What now?” he replied, temporarily burying his maniacal fantasies.
“I need you to find another contact on the Brookfield PD. One that will work with us.”
“Excuse me?” Nick lowered his feet from the desk and leant forward. “What are you talking about? Kapman’s on your payroll now.”
“Kapman’s out of commission.”
“What? What did you do to him?”
“I didn’t do anything to Detective Kapman. He should have been better at covering his tracks. He would have been very handy to have at my disposal.”
“What happened?”
“It seems the young detective has been found out. Police discovered missing evidence and Detective Kapman is the main suspect. Well, he and his guest that evening.”
Nick made no moves, showed no emotion. He wasn’t going to give this son of a bitch the satisfaction. “So what do you want me to do?”
“Find his replacement. I’m sure you know others from your academy days. Perhaps the elder Kapman brother. He may be a good option.”
“Ronald? Not a chance in hell, Vinny. Look, I’ve done my time at the cop shop. I go anywhere near there and I’ll be arrested. I doubt Kapman is singing my praises right now.”
“I’m sorry, Nick. I wasn’t suggesting you had a choice.” Vincent stood from his chair and rounded the desk to stand in front of Nick. “I need a contact on the department. I’d like you to find me one.”
“Sorry, Vinny. It’s not happening this time.” Nick stood and turned towards the door.
“Have I not proved to you I mean what I say?”
The tone in Gianelli’s voice made Nick stop in his tracks. “What does that mean?”
Vincent walked slowly towards the bar and poured himself a drink. After taking a long sip, he spoke. “Nick, you’ve proven to be a very good employee. You work efficiently and successfully, given the right motivation.”
Nick remained silent and watched the gangster walk back to his desk and sit in his large leather chair like a king on a throne. “You certainly were concerned when poor Miss Braden went missing. I’d hate to see something so awful happen to her again. She seems like such a nice girl. But, working in the poor area of town the way she does, things happen. Bad things.”
“You son of a bitch, you leave her out of this. She’s got nothing to do with this.”
“If I were you, I’d work on getting a contact in the Brookfield PD. But you’re free to do what you feel is right. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m quite busy.”
Nick rushed out of the front entrance and climbed on his motorcycle. As he sped away, peeling rubber on Gianelli’s expensive cobblestone driveway, his mind was processing hundreds of thoughts at once.
I can’t do this. A contact at the police department? Who? I can’t go anywhere near there without getting arrested. But if I don’t, Kelsey could be hurt. Now what do I do?
He sped into the night, trying to make sense of it all. What was he going to do? Maybe if he just took the blame for the missing evidence, he could exonerate Bart and take Kelsey out of the line of fire. Would things be even worse if he did? It seemed no matter which option he weighed, the potential result could be disastrous.
Chapter Twenty-Six
“Well, it’s about time you showed up. I’ve been waiting for ten minutes!”
“I’m sorry, Mr Gianelli.” Anthony stumbled closer to his boss’s desk as he finished tucking in his shirt. “I was…um…detained.”
“When I call you, I expect you to respond immediately. The whores will still be there after I’ve finished with you. That’s why they’re kept on the premises.” Gianelli grumbled and took a drink. “I’ve already got one employee thinking with his dick. I don’t need another.”
“I understand, sir.” Anthony had to bite his tongue. He’d worked his ass off over the years making his way up the organisation’s ladder. Now, the power was right in front of him. He just needed to get rid of Gianelli and…
“We seem to have a problem with Mr Jensen. I’m afraid he’s not as cooperative as he once was. I think he needs a bit more motivation.”
Anthony wasn’t disappointed in this news. He’d hated Jensen since they’d first met and anything he could do to make the man’s life hell would be a welcome assignment. What he really wanted to do was put a bullet in his head, but for now, he’d accept Gianelli’s idea of motivation. “The woman again?”
“Can you handle it by yourself this time?”
“Not a problem.”
“Then see to it.”
* * * *
Bart had been sitting alone in the small, barren interview room for well over an hour when he finally stood and began pacing. After Wilson had revealed the events of Friday night, including his visit to the evidence room with Nick, Ms Langer had insisted that he be escorted to the holding room where he’d been sitting ever since.
His nerves were shot as he busied his mind with images of what was about to happen. He’d be questioned, arrested and locked up. His career was over. His life as he knew it was over, and it was all because of the man he’d once called a friend.
“Nick Jensen,” Bart sneered. He kicked the rickety chair away just as the door popped open.
“Detective Kapman, so sorry to keep you waiting.” Ms Langer entered with two policemen, a fellow detective of Bart’s, along with a uniformed officer. “Have a seat.”
She was all business, no chit-chat and no emotion, just right to the point. Bart realised as he watched her pull items from her briefcase that he was now her new mission. If she couldn’t put away a big crime lord, she’d make a name for herself by taking down a highly respected cop turned dirty. She set a file folder on the table with a legal pad beside it before taking her seat.
“Sit, please. We may be here for a while,” she said while scribbling on the pad. The interrogation was about to begin.
* * * *
Kelsey looked at her bedside clock, wondering how long she’d spent turning restlessly in her bed. It was two a.m. After Faith had left, she’d barely picked at some food, fielded a few calls from her worried family, soaked in a nice warm bath, and slipped quietly into bed. That was four hours ago and still she’d yet to find sleep.
Her mind was working far too hard to relax. She thought of the nightmarish days in captivity, and the panic of being chased through the emergency clinic until she’d been drugged and locked away in a cold, dark room. She was thankful that her time there, though scary and unpleasant, hadn’t been as horrific as it could have been. She’d been relieved when she’d been told that Wally, who’d been stupid enough to give her his real name, hadn’t succeeded in raping her as he’d intended. Why, she didn’t know, but he’d been found shot dead beside her in the emergency clinic. She was also thankful that, other than a few bumps and bruises, and some lingering lethargy from the drugs they’d given her, she was physically unharmed. She’d relived the experience many times as she’d lain awake, but the bulk of her thoughts always seemed to drift back to Nick.
When she’d awoken in the hospital wrapped in his strong embrace, she’d felt the unmistakable euphoria that only a budding romance can provide. For a brief moment, she had allowed herself to believe that all was well—they were happy, they were together, and all of the bad had faded away. But once she’d remembered his involvement with the thugs who’d taken her, as well as his goal of corrupting her beloved brother, she had pushed him away just as fast as she could. He wasn’t the man she’d thought him to be, and everything between them had been a lie.
Now, as she’d done while she’d been imprisoned, Kelsey closed her eyes and allowed her thoughts to drift back to their time together. A few days ago, she’d thought nothing but good things about him, but now she had a whole new perspective. Now she analysed every word he’d said, every move he’d made. Things started to stand out to her—the vagueness about his family, his work, and even his home. The way he would seemingly distract or divert her attention if she asked a question that may have been too revealing. It all began to make sense.
She remembered the night he had interrupted her dinner with Bart. “His shock was genuine, right? I mean, he couldn’t have known,” she whispered to herself. She wasn’t sure if she was trying to analyse what had happened or convince herself into believing what she wanted to be true. She groaned in frustration and finally threw off the covers, giving up on the idea of sleeping any time soon.
Kelsey tugged off her nightgown and slipped on a comfortable pair of sweats and her beaten-up baggy sweatshirt with plans to cuddle on the couch and watch some TV. With her thick, warm woollen socks completing her ensemble, she hoped to lose herself in an old movie and a glass of her favourite wine—no, perhaps a bottle of her favourite wine. Maybe if she got drunk, the thoughts and memories would fade enough to allow her the sleep she so desperately needed.
Just as her foot touched the bottom step of the spiral staircase the lights in the apartment flickered out, leaving her in complete darkness. “Ugh, not again,” she grunted and turned to head back upstairs. The circuit box was located in the closet of her bedroom.