“Their names were spelled incorrectly? How convenient. I’m guessing that the reports were completely bogus, too.”
“Unfortunately, your guess is correct. The first thing I noticed is that there was no exact date or even time frame listed for when the men went missing. The only date recorded was the day the reports were filed. And ironically, all the reports were filed on the same day.”
Samantha carried their coffee back into the living room and handed Gregory a cup. “And we both know those men didn’t all disappear on the same day. I bet someone from Westman’s filed the report once they realized that the men had just up and vanished without a trace, and no one was doing anything about it.”
“I agree. Which is sad. Because it just further proves that those men didn’t have any family or friends keeping up with them.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely sad. But it’s also not surprising. Oftentimes there’s only so much the supporters can take before they give up on an addict.”
“True indeed,” Gregory replied quietly as he sipped from his mug.
“I just hate the fact that those missing men’s cases were left unresolved. It’s as if they were completely forgotten. I’ve dealt with so many cold cases throughout my career, and it’s painful when the families have to live with no answers as to what happened to their loved ones. Maybe that’s how you managed to suck me into this investigation of yours,” he said before nudging her playfully in an attempt to lighten the mood.
“Hey, if that’s what it took, then so be it,” she giggled. “Seriously, I’m sure you already thought of this, but Jacob may very well be the person who reported the Westman’s workers as missing. That could’ve been the motive behind his murder.”
“I did think of that. And it very well could be.” Gregory took another sip of coffee. “Mmm, this is really good.”
“Thanks, glad you like it. I buy the grounds at Hannah’s Coffee Shop. She actually roasts her own coffee beans. Her secret is that she blends both arabica and robusta beans to give it that nice mix of fruity and nutty flavors.”
“Good to know. I’ll have to pick some up next time I’m there,” the detective said before taking a few more sips. “Listen to you, sounding like a full-blown coffee expert.”
Samantha set her mug down on the table and continued sweeping up glass. “I’m far from an expert. I just know the good stuff when I taste it.”
She turned and locked eyes with the detective. Just then the intensity of her gaze made him feel as if time had stopped and they were frozen in the moment.
“Anyway,” she continued abruptly before turning away from him, “back to those missing-persons cases. The question of who reported them to authorities could possibly be answered by Kenzie, since the calls were placed anonymously.”
“I agree. Because my guess is that if it wasn’t Jacob, it was her. Do you feel comfortable reaching out to her and asking?”
“I do. I’m pretty sure I earned her trust after we met up at Barron’s. At this point I’m willing to do whatever it takes to help apprehend Jacob’s killer.”
Gregory dropped the last bottle into an evidence bag, then glanced over at Samantha. He couldn’t deny the fact that he was taken by her beauty. But his attraction toward her fiery intellect and passion for justice was growing stronger by the minute.
Reel it in, Harris, he told himself. You cannot endure a repeat of what went down in Chicago...
“So was there any useful information on the men’s disappearances in the police reports?”
“Not really,” he replied, placing the evidence bags near the front door. “Just a bunch of filler. And a major focus on their prior drug addiction.”
“Of course.”
Gregory walked over to the sheets of plywood leaning against the wall and grabbed a board. “Do you have nails and a hammer?”
“I do. They’re on the kitchen counter. I’ll go grab them.”
“Thanks,” he said, once again finding himself unable to take his eyes off her as she walked across the room.
“So I, uh...” he began, struggling to find his words, “what I also found interesting is that none of the men’s names had been entered into any missing-persons databases. At least not the major ones. And I checked several, including Illinois’s clearinghouse and the four federal databases. I even checked NamUs, which you know is the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System. Nothing there, either. That’s pretty bad considering their family members or friends could’ve entered their names in that system themselves.”
“It’s terrible. On their part as well as Gattenburg PD’s.”
Samantha strolled over to the window and handed Gregory a nail. When he reached for it, his fingertips brushed up against hers. He jumped back a bit as the feeling of her supple skin sent tremors up his arm.
“You all right?” she asked, eyeing him curiously.
“Yep, I’m good,” he lied, knowing full well Samantha had practically knocked him off his feet.
She handed him the hammer, and Gregory made sure to grab the head so not to make contact with her skin again.
He turned around and placed a sheet of plywood over a window. Samantha came behind him, brushing up against his back before reaching out and helping to hold the sheet in place.
Gregory felt a fervent stirring emerge from deep within. His limbs went numb, and he almost dropped the hammer.
“Go ahead and pound the nails in,” Samantha said, her lips so close to his ear that he could feel her breath on his lobe. “I’ve got the board.”
He closed his eyes, mentally reprimanding himself for allowing his mind to drift off to taboo places.
“So, um...back to the missing men,” he said as he hammered the nail through the plywood. “At this point, since the disappearances occurred months ago, the FBI should’ve been brought in. But according to the police reports, they were never contacted. So I took it upon myself to enter the names into the NamUs database. I also submitted them to the criminal justice agencies that manage the federal clearinghouses. Hopefully we’ll get some leads from that.”
“You’re so awesome,” Samantha gushed. “Thank you for doing that.”
“Of course. It’s my job.”
“You do realize that those names not being submitted is a sign of a cover-up, don’t you? Because think about it. Any sort of questionable activity coming out of Westman’s is being completely ignored by Gattenburg’s law enforcement. That includes this attack on my house. Somebody at Westman’s is up to no good. And by somebody, I mean Collin. I believe his shady father and the entire police force have turned a blind eye to his crimes.”
Gregory secured the board, then moved on to the next window. “I agree that at least some of the police force is looking out for Collin. And there’s obviously something way deeper to those men going missing as well as Jacob’s death, which just so happened to occur right after he confronted Collin about the disappearances.”
“We’ve got to get to the bottom of all this. I should check my blog and see if anyone has messaged me with new leads. I bet the comment section is blowing up now that I’ve name-checked Collin.”
“I’m sure it is. The people in this town may be afraid to speak out against Collin publicly, but they’re probably willing to say their piece anonymously. From what I’ve gathered, he certainly isn’t loved, but he is definitely feared. And with that being said, you need to be careful, Samantha. I don’t want something like this to happen to you again.”
Her eyes narrowed defiantly. “If you think I’m about to let up over this amateur, punk move, you’re wrong. This little incident just motivated me to go in even harder.”
“Little incident? Samantha, I don’t think you should diminish what happened here tonight. This was a serious act of violence. What if you had been sitting in your living room when those bricks and bottles came flying through the windows
? You could have been seriously injured.”
“But I wasn’t,” she rebutted, her stern tone laced with defensiveness as she backed away from him. “You know Collin did this to try and silence me. Unfortunately for him, that’s not about to happen.”
Gregory realized he’d hit a nerve. Instead of responding, he grabbed his coffee and took a few gulps.
“Would you like a refill?” Samantha asked, her voice softening a bit.
“No, thanks. One cup was perfect.” He emptied his mug then studied the boards. “Looks like these should do the trick until you get someone in here to replace the windows.”
“Great. I’ll call an installer first thing in the morning.”
He looked around the living room and nodded his head. “Looks like you’ve got everything cleaned up. Don’t forgot to email the photos you took to me. I’ll add them to mine on the police report and include all the details that were left out.”
“So in other words, you’ll be filling out the report from scratch. Because my guess is that Officer Baxter is going to force Officer Miller to destroy whatever information he recorded.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
Gregory noticed Samantha’s rigid posture slacken at the sound of those words. He felt himself wanting to wrap his arms around her and hold her reassuringly. As soon as that visual popped into his head, he shook it off.
“It’s, uh...it’s pretty late,” he continued, “and I have to be at the station early. So I’d better get going.”
“Ooh,” Samantha moaned. “That means you’re not gonna get any sleep.”
“That’s okay. I usually don’t. Too many thoughts constantly flying through my head for me to ever fully unwind.”
“Sounds like you need a vacation.”
“What is a vacation?” Gregory asked before the pair broke out into laughter. He grabbed the bags of trash that were filled with broken glass. “I’ll take these out. Anything else I can do before I go?”
He watched as Samantha hesitated, biting her ample bottom lip while clasping her hands behind her back. She glanced up at the ceiling, then back down at him.
“No. But I’d like to do something for you,” she told him. “As a thank-you for—”
“No, no,” Gregory interrupted, adamantly shaking his head. “You do not have to do anything for me. I’m just doing my job, and—”
He stopped speaking when Samantha held her hand in the air. As she sauntered toward him, Gregory felt himself once again becoming both hypnotized and aroused by the sight of her sensual gait.
“That wasn’t a question,” she murmured. “And it wasn’t your job to come over here in the middle of the night to check on me and board up my windows. Not only that, but you collected the evidence that those sorry police officers left behind, then volunteered to update my police report. Don’t even get me started on how you’ve gotten involved in Jacob’s case, which you originally had no intention of doing, and—”
“Okay, okay,” he interjected, throwing his arms out at his sides. “You got me. I’ll let you do something for me. What did you have in mind?”
“I was thinking I could treat you to dinner. Better yet, I’ll cook dinner for you. How does that sound?”
Gregory was taken aback by the offer. “That sounds really nice, actually. I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in...” He paused, running his hand over his goatee. “I don’t even remember the last time I had a home-cooked meal.”
“Well, you’re going to have one this weekend. Does Saturday night work for you?”
“Yes. It does.”
“Good. Any allergies?”
“Nope.”
“Excellent,” Samantha said while walking him to the door. “I’m already looking forward to it.”
“Same here. Hey, are you sure you feel safe staying here tonight?”
“I do. I’m not about to let Collin run me out of my own home.”
“You know you’re more than welcome to stay at my place if you want.”
Samantha paused. Her mouth fell open as she stared into the detective’s eyes. “I really appreciate that. But I’ll be fine.”
He cocked his head to the side and threw her a look of uncertainty. “You sure?”
“I’m positive. Now go home so you can at least get a few hours of rest.”
“Okay. If you change your mind, you know how to reach me.”
Samantha slowly opened the door. “I do. And for the thousandth time, thank you.”
“For the thousandth time, you’re welcome.”
She leaned in and embraced him tightly, then planted a soft kiss on his cheek. Gregory closed his eyes, reveling in the comfort of her affection.
“Why don’t you give me a call when you wake up?” he asked. “Let me know how you’re doing.”
“I will.”
“Be safe.”
As Gregory walked out the door, he realized just how hard it was to leave Samantha. And it wasn’t just because of his desire to look after her.
“You’re slipping, man,” he told himself after dumping the garbage in a trash can, then heading to his car.
But as he glanced back at Samantha, who was standing in the doorway watching him leave, he couldn’t help but question whether he’d already fallen.
CHAPTER SIX
Samantha walked into Hannah’s Coffee Shop and approached the counter.
“Hey, good morning, Sam!” Hannah called out over the loud hissing of the espresso machine. “What can I get for you?”
“Good morning. I’ll have a medium caramel mocha, please.”
“Coming right up.”
Samantha eyed the shelves behind the cash register, which were filled with bags of coffee grounds.
“You know what? I’ll also take two bags of your medium-roast house-ground coffee, too.”
“You got it.”
Samantha smiled as she reached inside her handbag and pulled out her wallet. Detective Harris would be pleasantly surprised to see that she’d picked up a bag of coffee for him when he came to her place for dinner.
After several moments, a beaming Hannah slid her coffee across the counter.
“Here’s your caramel mocha, and here’re your two packs of medium-roast house grounds.”
“Thank you so much. What do I owe you?”
“Nothing.”
“What do you mean, nothing?”
“Just what I said. Nothing,” Hannah reiterated, her wide-set eyes narrowing mischievously as a deep shade of red crept across her chubby cheeks.
Samantha tilted her head to the side curiously. “Hannah, what in the world are you up to?”
“Oh, nothing. Just showing a little appreciation toward my hometown hero.”
“Hometown hero... Are you actually referring to me?” Samantha asked, pointing at her chest.
“Yes. You. I’ve been keeping up with Someone Knows Something. And let’s just say I am absolutely loving the work you’re doing on Jacob’s cold case. Sam, that man was one of my best customers. I knew him better than anyone and cared for him like a son. There’s no way he overdosed on drugs. No way. He just wasn’t that type of person.”
“I know, Hannah. That’s why I’m doing all that I can to shed some light on his case in hopes that Gattenburg’s law enforcement will reopen it. But I’m sure you can imagine how hard that would be. Because, you know...”
Hannah snatched a towel from underneath the counter and began rigorously wiping it down. “Yeah, I do know,” she spewed. “But the people of this town aren’t stupid. We all know that Collin had something to do with Jacob’s death. We just don’t know the reasoning behind it. And hey,” she said, lowering her voice, “you may not realize this, but practically the entire town is following that blog of yours.”
“Really?”
“Yes
. Really. Most of us are remaining pretty quiet about it, though, because as you already know, the Wentworth family is pretty powerful around here.”
“I do know that.” Samantha sighed. “All too well.”
“Just keep fighting the good fight, though, sis. You’ve got our support, even if it doesn’t seem obvious.”
“I appreciate you saying that, Hannah,” Samantha said, reaching across the counter and squeezing her hand. “And thank you for the coffee.”
“Don’t mention it. Oh, and I hope that new friend of yours is helping you out with your investigation. What’s his name? Detective Howard? Hardwick? Henderson?” she asked with a sly wink.
“Harris,” Samantha giggled. “And stop trying to be slick. You know exactly who Detective Harris is. He comes in here for coffee almost every day.”
“Yeah, and looking for you...”
“What do you mean—” Samantha began just as someone call out her name. She turned toward the door and saw Ava walk in.
“Hey, girl! How are you?”
“Oh, I’m hanging in there,” Ava said. “How are you?”
“Same. Hanging in there. Do you have a minute to chat?”
“I do. I don’t have to be at work for another twenty minutes,” she replied, running her perfectly manicured hand through her spiked pixie haircut.
“Cool. I’ll go grab us a table in the back.”
“All right. I’ll be there as soon as I order my—”
“Large Americano with a dash of almond milk steamed in?” Hannah asked.
“Yes, ma’am,” Ava said.
“I’ll get that started for you right now. Go ahead and have a seat. I’ll bring it over to the table.”
“You’re the best, Hannah. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Samantha led the way as she and Ava walked toward the back of the quaint, rustic coffee shop and took seats at an empty table near the window.
“I’m so glad I ran into you,” Ava said. “I’ve been meaning to call you, but things have been so busy at the advertising firm. Plus my husband threw his back out last week after insisting he could install our new refrigerator by himself.”
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