Rayna knows enough to know that means she’s probably screwed.
DETECTIVE GRADY
NOW
The day is a flurry of activity from the moment they discover the local news station somehow got a hold of the story of Remi’s disappearance.
Like almost every single case this happens in, of course they don’t have the right information. Mostly just snippets either heard over a police scanner or from a friend of a friend of a cop. So then it’s the job of the police to hold a press conference to correct the information as soon as possible.
“So are we still withholding that she’s a twin?” Grady is seated at Leary’s desk with Brown at her side. They’re preparing an official media statement.
“I think that’s the best course of action,” Brown answers before Leary can open his mouth.
“It isn’t your call, but yes, if we can keep it under wraps I think that best. We also need to prep the parents. The minute we give out the victim’s full name you know they’re gonna find the family, twin sister included,” he says with a pointed look at Brown.
He nods solemnly. “I know. I just wish it wouldn’t have to involve them both.”
“That’s our other problem,” Leary adds. “The minute we release a description we are going to get calls of people who have seen Rayna, not Remi, because even the parents say they have trouble telling the two apart.”
“Ugh,” Brown groans. “I didn’t even think of that.”
“Well,” Grady ponders out loud, “we could ask Rayna to lay low for a few days at her parents’ house.”
“That’ll lower the call volume, but I’m sure people have seen her out and around this entire weekend. It’s really going to hurt us trying to get the media to see Remi as a victim. Especially after that bar debacle I’ve hear about.” Leary looks pointedly at Brown, who groans and glares at Grady.
“Hey, he wanted to know how we were able to interview her so quickly.” Grady shrugs. “But that’s another issue. I think the media already has her first name, which is bad. Because if I’m right about the fact that Rayna was the one meant to be taken and not Remi, we may have just signed both girls’ death sentences anyways.”
“Because the minute he realizes he has the wrong girl, he’s going to dump or kill Remi and try and grab Rayna,” Brown finishes for her.
Leary nods. “We’ve still got the tail on Rayna right?”
“Yep, I’ve actually been meaning to check in with the guy as soon as we finish the press release.” Grady flips to her to do list which, as always, is nearly a mile long.
“Do it before. I want him to be prepared to bring her back to the station ASAP.” Leary jots down notes on a sticky pad on top of a mound of papers on his desk. “So Grady is going to check in with the tail and handle the press release. Brown, I want you to prep the parents. Also, maybe we should prep the boyfriend too, just in case. But be discreet. I don’t know how deep the media is going to dig but I want to plan for the worst. But don’t give them any ideas either.”
Both officers nod and stand from the chairs by Leary’s desk.
“I’m going to check in with some of our other tails and see if something has developed. We probably need to move manpower around now that our focus has shifted from Remi to Rayna. Did you ever get the phone records for Rayna?”
Grady shakes her head. “Not yet, but I only just asked them when they opened this morning. I usually give them a full business day to get back. I did call this Daryl character. Claims his real name is Daryl but he doesn’t have to talk to me or to give me a last name without a court order…and technically he’s right.”
“So you’re also working on a court order?” Leary raises his eyebrows.
“It’s typed up, I just need to stop by the judge to have it signed. That was my next step after the press.”
“Give it to one of the rookies to take over, you’ve got enough on your plate, per usual.”
“Actually I can take it,” Brown interrupts. “The courthouse is on my way to the parents’ place, I’ll stop by on the way.”
“No need,” says the front desk secretary, popping her head inside the door to Leary’s office. “The parents just walked in the precinct door.”
“Let me guess, they saw the news?” Leary grabs his jacket from the back of his chair and slides it on.
“No, worse, they say they haven’t seen their other daughter in days.” The secretary looks over her shoulder toward the waiting area. Grady’s and Brown’s eyes meet from across the room. “Should I send them in?”
“Please. And Grady, call her tail and let’s get an answer for the parents.”
Grady murmurs a “Roger” and heads back to her desk to make the call. Since she’s out front in the open area with no private office, it’s very easy to see the commotion happening at the front. The parents are obviously distraught.
“Both my daughters are missing and you want me to HAVE A SEAT?” the mother is yelling at the poor secretary.
Grady looks over at her partner, mouths, “fix it,” and tilts her head toward the parents. He nods solemnly and heads over to explain that their daughter has, in fact, been with the police the last night and morning.
She dials the phone as the mother’s hysterics calm down. The rookie they have tailing Rayna answers on the first ring.
“Yes ma’am?” he asks, obviously having read the name on the caller ID.
“Listen, we need you to bring in the girl. The sooner, the better. Just approach her, show your badge and give me a call if she gives you trouble.”
“Uhhhh…”
Grady does not like the sound of that. “Uhhh what?”
“I sort of lost the girl a few hours ago. She got on the metro and the parkway stop and there’s no parking there so by the time I was able to park she was already on a train headed somewhere.”
“Dammit!” Grady screams, a little too loudly as everyone in the station turns to look at her. She motions to Brown to meet her in the back when he’s done escorting the parents into Leary’s office. “You need to find her, and fast, shit is about to hit the fan.”
“What do you think I’ve been doing?” he snaps back. “I checked every stop and station I could think of. And this girl is on foot, if she stepped in a restaurant near one of those places I would have no idea. This city is giant.”
Grady groans. This is a mess. “I’m going to put out a BOLO on her. Not on the news, but we need her in the station and NOW.” She feels a little guilty to be treating a rookie like this but she also can’t believe he lost his eyes on Rayna. She hangs up the phone without waiting for his response and storms into the break room where Brown is already waiting.
He doesn’t even wait for her to close the door. “What was that about?”
“Rayna’s in the wind. I don’t think she did it intentionally, but she shook the tail. Hours ago. We are screwed.” Grady runs a hand through her hair as she sits down at the table. Things just got infinitely more complicated.
Brown lets out a sound that’s a mix between a groan and a growl. “I’ll start the BOLO, and stop by the judge’s on the way. You prep the parents since they are already here.”
Grady doesn’t like deviating from her boss’s orders, but she knows Brown is just being logical. He does know the girl better than most of the officers and may have an inkling of where to find her. “Ask someone on the way out if they can call to get her phone triangulated.”
He nods. “Text me right before you talk to the press. Just so I know.”
She agrees and fills a cup up of coffee that’s sitting in the pot on the counter. It’s probably old, but she doesn’t care. Anything to keep her awake at this point.
After a few sips she exits the break room and heads to Leary’s office where the parents are waiting. She’s happy to make a press release, but she can’t lie, she’s definitely not excited to deal with parents, she’s never been very good at it, unlike Brown. He’s a real people person.
She rests her han
d on the door knob before slowly cranking it open, bracing herself for the onslaught of questions. Internally she crosses her fingers and hopes they haven’t just gotten both of their daughters killed.
REMI
NOW
Remi feels like it takes centuries of walking on her now-numb feet to reach the light. For every step she takes, she feels as if it gets further away. But finally, it begins to draw near.
The wind whistles by the side of her face, drying her skin and eyes. Her throat begins to burn. It isn’t winter yet, only fall, but the nights are certainly deceiving. She was never any good at guessing the temperature outside, but she figures it has to be right around freezing.
She’s eventually able to make out what looks like some sort of small hut with two gas pumps situated outside. The light she saw is the lone street lamp shining down on the little cement oasis. She’s never been so glad to see a gas station in her life.
Her pace picks up as she makes her way towards the hut. As she gets closer, she can see the hut is dark inside. Probably closed. Sure enough, as she walks around the side of the hut, there’s a sign stating they close at 10 o’clock every day.
Now what? she wonders.
The hut is small, only enough room for a cashier, cash register, and various candy and tobacco products. The windows are glass, and they aren’t barred like the gas station further in town. Her hands are still tied behind her back, otherwise she would try to bust open the glass with a rock. Instead, she tries beating her head against the glass, willing it to break.
Of course it doesn’t, it’s probably bulletproof, and she just ends up with a headache instead.
Remi dejectedly slides down to a sitting position in front of the hut. She’s out of ideas. This is it. She can’t believe she’s come so far to give up in front of a gas station in the middle of nowhere.
You’re not giving up! her mind argues. Take a nap, we can try again in the morning!
A nap does sound nice, but she remembers from biology class that it’s the worst thing you could do, if you’re hypothermic like she figures she is right now. To go to sleep is death.
She tries to find the will to climb to her feet and keep walking, but she finds she’s so sore she’s now unable to move. Her toes and feet are almost completely numb, and she can no longer feel her hands, arms, or shoulders either. It’s only a matter of time now.
Sleep it is. “I’m sorry Rayna, I tried. I really did,” she whispers into the night before closing her eyes. For once she wishes they were telepathically connected like other twins. But only silence fills her mind as she drifts into a deep sleep.
DETECTIVE GRADY
NOW
The press conference goes well, as well as could be expected. Of course the minute she finishes she’s bombarded by questions, some of which she answers, and some of which she lets be. They already agreed to withhold certain aspects of the case, although it seems some of the reporters already know the answers they’re looking for. As of right now, they’ve only mentioned Remi’s disappearance, since they aren’t even sure Rayna is missing. Grady just hopes whoever leaked the first chunk of information will now keep their mouth shut.
She reaches her desk and plops down, placing her head on her hands. She’s exhausted. But there’s no break in sight.
“You okay?” Brown asks as he slides into his desk across from hers.
“If we find these girls I will be.” She peeks her head up to look at her partner. He’s staring off into space. “Any luck on finding Rayna?”
He shakes his head, not saying anything out loud. Grady has worked with Brown for many years. Even though he claims he doesn’t have a thing for the girl, she knows better, there’s something there.
Suddenly, his attention is drawn over her shoulder, and Grady spins around in her chair to follow his line of sight.
The boyfriend, John, is standing in the doorway of the police station, glaring in their direction.
“Not this guy again,” Grady hisses under her breath as she rights herself and tries furiously to fix her hair.
“At least he cares.”
“Appears to care,” Grady corrects as they make their way over to the man.
“Any word? I saw the news.” He looks at them eagerly. He’s clearly worse off than they are, his hair disheveled and his face unshaven. His clothes are rumpled, leading her to believe he probably slept in them.
“If you saw the news, you know there’s been no new developments,” Brown replies gruffly.
Grady watches John’s face fall and instantly feels bad for the guy. The guilt of their last fight is obviously eating at him. “Here, come have a seat, I’ll get you a coffee, okay?”
He nods mutely and follows her back to the waiting room, sinking down into the couch.
“I just feel so terrible,” he mumbles.
“I know,” she replies, debating whether to sit down next to him or remain standing. She decides to remain standing. “You can’t blame yourself, though. We believe whoever took her, it was premeditated. She would have been taken whether or not you guys fought.”
“I know,” he replies. “It doesn’t make me feel any better, though. If only I had filed for a divorce earlier.”
“That wouldn’t have changed the events, John.” Grady looks over her shoulder to see Brown approaching with a cup of coffee. She takes it from him and hands it to John, motioning for Brown to leave them be.
“You can’t say that. Any small event could’ve changed the course of everything that’s happened.” He puts the coffee down and drops his head into his hands.
“That’s true, John. But can you go back in time?”
“No,” he mutters.
“And neither can I. So it’s time we move forward. Now that we’ve officially made a statement, feel free to hand out fliers and we will begin to organize search parties okay? If that doesn’t sound like something you want to do, you can also post on social media, asking people if they’ve seen her. Sometimes those things really do work.” Grady knows anything to keep the families of victims busy usually helps—as it makes them feel like they’re helping and keeps them out of the police station and from bothering officers.
John lifts his head, not saying anything but obviously not opposed to the idea.
“I’ve got to get back to my desk. Feel free to stay here as long as you want.”
“Thanks, officer.” He stands from the couch. “I think I’ll get started right now. Sounds better than moping around.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Grady smiles as she watches him leave the break room, checking her watch. It’s almost eight in the evening. She walks back over to her desk to see Brown poring over a document.
“What you got there?” she asks, leaning over his shoulder.
“Rayna’s phone is off or dead. They can’t get it to triangulate.” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair. “This is an activity record, shows if the user has used apps like Uber, etc.”
“And?”
He shakes his head. “Nothing. Her phone has been off or dead since shortly after I left her on the front steps this morning. I requested the video feeds from the metro station she entered, as well as the one near her parents’ house, but we could be digging in a haystack. Those cameras are often times poor quality and aren’t always maintained.”
Grady is all too familiar with the city’s public camera system. It never seems to truly help any of their cases. “I know. I wish they would have better ones.”
“I did find something interesting, though.” He motions to another paper in his hands, clearly the phone and text log, on which the numbers are highlighted in different colors. The document is mostly blue, with a few yellow and pink stripes. “The blue here is Daryl, and the yellow is Remi.”
“So she wasn’t lying when she said she and Remi didn’t talk often.” She squints at the paper, wondering just how far the logs go back.
As if reading her mind, he flips to the next page. “We subpoenaed back only ninet
y days, but for a twenty-something girl, Rayna sure doesn’t use her phone much.”
“So she also wasn’t lying about not having friends.” Grady walks around to her side of the desk and sits down, her feet starting to ache from a day full of walking and standing after a night of not enough sleep.
“I don’t think so. But there is this number highlighted in pink here, see?” He points to a line that appears on the first page, and then multiple times on the previous pages. “There were texts and calls from this number, not regularly, but frequently, then they suddenly drop off.”
Grady takes the paper from his hands and peers at the number, quickly using her right hand to copy it down on a sticky note.
Brown watches her do so with one eyebrow raised. “I was going to call the phone company when they opened in the morning.”
Grady shakes her head. “We may not need to.” She flips open her computer and opens a browser window. Sometimes technology really is on their side.
“You’re gonna search Facebook at a time like this?” Brown asks as if he thinks his partner’s lost her marbles.
“No, you’ve never seen this before? You can type a phone number in the search bar on Facebook, and if they’ve got one attached to their profile it will come up.” She types in the number and presses enter, the mouse spins in a little circle as the computer searches. “A lot of people don’t have their Facebooks hooked to their phone number, but the demographic that does is usually mostly young females.” A profile pops up on her screen. “Ah-ha!” she exclaims as she clicks on it.
Brown bumps his elbow as he tries to lean in too quickly to see the screen. “Ow,” he murmurs quietly as Grady searches the page.
Before Now Page 20