Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7)

by Kaylie Hunter

  “A modern mystery,” Beth said, walking toward Bridget. “Sounds intriguing.”

  I turned back to the profile I was writing.

  Chapter Four

  After finishing and sending the profile, I emailed our general mailbox asking for the extension office in Nevada to be billed for a quick-glance service. I also provided a few case details to add to the invoice. I received a reply email from Kemp that the invoice would be sent by the end of the day.

  I closed the files, saving them by date and case number in an electronic folder before opening the third case. The runaway case. The case happened a little more than five years ago, and the fifteen-year-old girl would now be twenty-one. She would’ve reached out by now if she was still alive.

  I hated these types of cases. They were depressing and often there was nothing I could do to help. Since Tech had promised I would look, though, I had no choice.

  Sighing, I started with the parents’ statements. Allie Jacobs argued with her parents about her curfew before leaving to go to her best friend’s house. According to her friend though, she never showed. Her friend lived less than a mile away, and Allie had taken her bike. Neither the bike, nor Allie, were ever seen again. “Damn it, Tech.”

  Tech turned his chair to face me. “I know. I get why you hate these cases, but something is off about this one.” He stood and walked over with his laptop. “Look at this.” Tech clicked a few screens and a satellite map of the neighborhood came up. “This is farm country USA. Only fifteen houses exist between her home and her friend’s house. Also, there are only two roads that intersect her road. Limited traffic and the houses are set back a good distance from the road. Anyone could have stopped Allie, and no one would have seen anything. This isn’t a city neighborhood where a street kid turns to the wrong person for help. This is a small community.”

  “You’re thinking kidnapping, but maybe she never planned on going to her friend’s house. She was a teenager. She could’ve gone anywhere.”

  “Not likely,” Tech said, expanding the map. “There’s nothing else around unless she decided to ride her bike five miles into town.”

  “An older friend could have picked her up. A secret boyfriend.”

  “Her best friend confirmed that she wasn’t secretly seeing anyone, and they didn’t have any friends that could drive yet. Plus, she would have stashed her bike somewhere, but it was never found.”

  “Your theory is that one of the neighbors was involved? That’s a lot of background checks to dig through.”

  “Which is why I asked Kemp to start pulling the backgrounds for all of the rest of the residents within a two-mile radius.”

  “We’ll need to go deeper than that. A friend or a relative could have visited anyone living in the neighborhood.”

  “I’m working on the family’s background now, diving deep. Allie would’ve been more likely to go quietly with someone she knew, whether that was a neighbor or someone close to her own family.”

  I raised an eyebrow at Tech. He usually didn’t push for cases this hard. “This case got to you, didn’t it?”

  He shrugged. “I can’t explain it. I don’t know why this one feels more important. My gut is telling me we need to look closer.” He grabbed some documents from the printer, handing them to me. “I’m willing to cover the cost. You were right. The family’s broke. They’ve dumped everything they have into finding their daughter.”

  I sighed, looking up at the ceiling. “We’ll take it pro bono, but no promises.”

  Tech threw an arm over my shoulder. “Thanks. I owe you one.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. You’ll likely have to research your ass off. And for what? There’s no hope that this girl is alive. You know that, right?”

  Tech nodded as he moved back to his workstation. “But we can stop whoever did this from ever touching another young girl.”

  “Don’t get sucked in,” Bridget said to Beth from their side of the table. “Stay focused on our case.”

  “Their case sounds more important.”

  “It is, but it’s the type of case that will break your heart whether they solve it or not.”

  Bridget tapped on Beth’s monitor, and Beth rolled her chair closer to her screen.

  I called the police department in charge of the disappearance case. The detective on the case was happy to help after he verified my references. He emailed me his case files, including his notes. “Tech, as you and Kemp run the backgrounds, flag anyone who has a truck or SUV. If she was picked up, they took her bike with them. It was an adult-sized ten speed.”

  “They could’ve strapped it into a car trunk.”

  “Someone would’ve noticed and remembered. No. It’s more likely to be a truck or large SUV.”

  “Her dad drives a truck.”

  “Wasn’t the dad. He wouldn’t have put a second, then a third, mortgage on their house if he had killed her.” I picked up my phone and texted Trigger, asking if he could go back on the road. He replied that he was available and was only minutes away from Headquarters. Next, I called Wayne and asked if there was a seasoned guard available. He said he’d check with Jerry.

  “You want me to pack a bag?” Bridget asked.

  “No. I’ll have Tech send Trigger with a body cam, and we’ll watch the interviews remotely.”

  “Why do you need one of Ace’s guards?” Tech asked.

  “Because Trigger’s not seasoned enough. If we do manage to find this guy, Trigger might decide to put a bullet in his head.”

  Bridget snorted. “Which is exactly why you should send him alone.”

  Beth nodded. “I’m liking that plan.”

  I rolled my eyes as someone knocked on the door.

  Tech half stood, stretching to open it. Casey Pritchard walked in.

  I nodded a greeting. “Casey, it’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were back at work.”

  “Laurie kicked me out for a few days. Said I was smothering her.”

  “How’s she doing?”

  Laurie’s real name was McKenzie Griffith. We’d recently rescued her from her psycho ex-husband.

  “Good. For the first time in years, she doesn’t have to watch over her shoulder. I never got a chance to thank you for your help. When Wayne said you needed someone for a case, I figured this was the best way to repay the favor.”

  “Not necessary, but I could use someone to accompany Trigger to Indiana. I’d go myself, but I don’t want to leave Nick while Grady’s out of town.”

  “What’s the mission?”

  “Cold case of a missing teenager. Tech’s theory is someone picked her and her bike up along the side of the road and drove away. We’ll need the neighbors interviewed, and boots on the ground to follow any leads.”

  “Kelsey wants you to live-stream the interviews,” Tech said. “I’ll get the equipment ready.”

  “I’ll pack and meet up with Trigger.” Casey turned to leave as Trigger was entering.

  “Trigger, good timing,” I said. “I’m having Casey accompany you to Indiana so you don’t do anything stupid. Understood?”

  Trigger laughed but didn’t say anything as he followed Casey out the door.

  Tech smiled wickedly at me. “You really think Casey can keep Trigger from doing something crazy?”

  I shook my head. “It’s a coin toss.”

  Tech laughed as he left to get the equipment ready.

  “This is much more entertaining than geometry lessons,” Beth said, grinning.

  Bridget tapped Beth’s monitor again.

  “Right. Focus, Beth,” she said to herself.

  I needed to take notes on the suspects, so I printed the summary page of everyone Tech had researched so far with a vehicle large enough to transport the bike. On each, I made notes of questions to ask and any details from their files that stood out like employment, family structure, or hobbies. I had ten suspects to interview within the first hour alone. And those were just the ones who lived close. Anyone visiting the area c
ould’ve been involved.

  The case application listed the names and numbers for friends and family members. Allie’s best friend Kristyn was listed with a current phone number and a current address in Indianapolis. Though she was likely at work, I opted to call, anyway.

  “Hello?” someone answered.

  “Hi, is this Kristyn?”

  “It is. May I ask who’s calling?” She seemed annoyed, and I heard people talking in the background.

  “My name is Kelsey Harrison. I work as an investigator for Silver Aces Security in Michigan. I’ve been hired—”

  “Please don’t tell me you’re another private eye out to steal the Jacobs’ money. They’ve been through enough. The case went cold years ago, and despite how I wish differently, Allie’s dead.”

  “First of all, I know the Jacobs can’t afford our services. I offered to look at the case pro bono. Second of all, tell me why you’re convinced she’s dead.”

  “It’s been five years,” she said, exhaling slowly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound so cold, but I work in the city with runaways. I know what the odds are.”

  “You’re right, and I agree. It still doesn’t hurt, though, for me to take a look at the case. So can you tell me about the day she disappeared?”

  “She didn’t show. I’m not sure what else I can say. When I called her cell phone, she didn’t answer. I called several times over the next hour before calling her mother to see if maybe she was grounded again.”

  “Was that normal? Did her parents ground her a lot? Take away her phone?”

  “Not any more often than mine did,” she said, laughing humorlessly. “Our parents were best friends. Any one of our four parents could ground us or take away privileges. Since Allie and I were the only kids who lived in that neighborhood, we were always together when we got into trouble.”

  “What about the fight she had with her parents about curfew?”

  “About curfew? I heard they argued, but Allie wouldn’t have run away if it was about our curfew. That was a game.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “As I said, our parents were best friends. If I had a nine o’clock curfew, so did Allie. But we knew if either of us could get it extended, then the other’s parents would extend theirs. We’d both been harping on our parents for days to get the time changed. The night before she disappeared, we joked about how stubborn they were being.”

  “Was that the last time you spoke to her?”

  “I called her the next morning to tell her I was riding with my mom into town to buy a new backpack.”

  “What time was that?”

  “I’m not sure. I was a teenager, so likely mid-morning. We agreed to meet at my house at noon, but when I got home, she wasn’t there.”

  “And you were home on time? Before noon?”

  “No, actually. We were running late. I remember whining to my mom, but she said Allie had a key.”

  I flipped through the detective’s notes. “I don’t see anything in the police file about you not being home.”

  “I don’t think anyone ever asked. They asked me if I’d seen her, and I said no. The police searched the house and the property. They even looked into my dad, but he was driving semis back then and was somewhere out west.”

  I found the notes on Kristyn’s father’s alibi and circled the date stamp of a gas station surveillance photo. “Was there anyone else who frequented your house or Allie’s house? A family member? Friend of the family?”

  “Wow, um, let me think. Allie’s grandma visited a lot. Her mom’s friend Patty was around every summer to help with the flower nursery that Allie’s mom ran. My uncle had visited, but he left the night before to head back to Lafayette.”

  I took notes as I asked questions. “What about regular visitors of any of your neighbors? Can you think of anyone who was around enough that Allie would’ve felt comfortable talking to?”

  “Well, we knew all the neighbors, but I can’t say we knew their extended families. Except for Mrs. Carpenter’s nephew, Blake. We’d talk to him when he was out mowing his aunt’s yard. He was a few years older than us, but we both had schoolgirl crushes on him. He seemed interested in Allie too, but they never did anything more than talk. If you track him down, let me know if he still looks dreamy.”

  “You didn’t stay in touch?”

  “No. My family moved away a year after Allie disappeared. It was just too hard. I was flunking out of school, and my parents wanted me to stop dwelling on it.”

  “I’m sure that was difficult, but I think their decision was a good one.”

  “I still dwell on it. Hell, I volunteer at a runaway shelter and am going to school to become a social worker.”

  “But you’re working with the living and not following a ghost.”

  “Maybe. Look, I have to get back to work. Did you need anything else?”

  “Do you know Blake’s last name?”

  “Blake Foster.”

  “And what about your uncle? What’s his name?”

  “Milo Sprigston, but as I said, he left the night before.”

  “I might still reach out to him, just to see if he remembers anything. He might’ve noticed someone in the neighborhood during his visit. If you think of anyone else, call me. Day or night.”

  “I will. And sorry about getting so nasty with you when I answered. I really do want someone to figure out what happened.”

  “I know you do, and I’ll do my best, but no promises.”

  We ended the call and I tossed a post-it note pad at Tech. “I need backgrounds on those two. One’s Kristyn’s uncle and the other was an older teenager who worked at one of the neighbor’s houses.”

  Tech looked at the names and raised an eyebrow. He pressed the speaker button on the conference room phone and called Wayne.

  “Yeah,” Wayne answered.

  “Doesn’t a Blake Foster work for Aces?” Tech asked.

  “Yeah. Matter of fact, he’s standing next to me. He came in a few days early for the tournament this weekend.”

  “Is he from Indiana?” Tech asked.

  “Yeah,” Wayne answered.

  “Is he in his early to mid-twenties?” I asked.

  “How old are you, Blake?” Wayne asked. “Says he’s twenty-three.”

  “I’ll be down to talk to him,” I said, nodding at the phone for Tech to hang up. When the light turned red, I gathered my phone and the file I’d started. “What do we know about Blake?”

  “Not much. I’d just heard the name bounced around. Bones worked a couple of jobs with him. If memory serves, he was a cop in Indianapolis before taking a bullet to his knee.” Tech walked over and opened the door.

  “You don’t have to go with me.”

  “If things turn ugly, I’ll be there to yell at one of the other guys to help,” Tech said, grinning ear to ear.

  “We need to teach you to fight.”

  “These hands were made for computers, not fighting. If I break a finger, I can’t run a keyboard.”

  “Good point.”

  Chapter Five

  I turned toward the stairs and started down. I spotted Wayne next to a dark-haired hunk at the bottom of the stairs. “Conference room.”

  Wayne raised an eyebrow but moved into the main conference room on the first floor. Blake held the door open as Tech and I followed Wayne inside.

  “What’s going on, Kel?” Wayne asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he leaned against a wall.

  “I’m working a case and Blake’s name came up.”

  “Is this about Allie?” Blake asked, taking a step forward. His demeanor instantly changed from cautious to hopeful. “Please tell me you’re working Allie’s case.”

  I glanced over at Tech who shrugged while sitting in a chair and leaning back to stretch his legs.

  “Why would you assume that? I could be referring to a case from when you were a police officer.”

  Blake shook his head. “I didn’t have your same experienc
e when I was a cop. I wrote traffic tickets for ten-hour shifts.”

  “How’d you acquire a bullet in the leg then?” Tech asked.

  “Dumb luck. I pulled a guy over for speeding. Didn’t know he was the same guy who robbed a liquor store six miles away until I was in the hospital’s recovery room.”

  “What can you tell us about Allie Jacobs?” I asked.

  “I’ll give you everything I have. It’s in my car.” He started for the door.

  “Wait,” I said, raising my hand. “I summoned you into our conference room to question you about a case, and now you want to go to your car?”

  “You can trust him, Kel,” Wayne growled.

  “Why? Because Donovan or Grady hired him?”

  “I’ve worked with him. He’s a straight shooter.”

  “Ted Bundy was everybody’s friend. So what?”

  “Wayne,” Blake said, handing his keys over, “can you grab the file box from my SUV?”

  Wayne glared at me, but took the keys and left. Blake pulled out a chair, sitting directly across the table from me.

  “What was your relationship with Allie?”

  “Friendly. Flirty,” Blake said. “I liked her, but I was a few months shy of my eighteenth birthday. She was only fifteen. It still didn’t stop me from mowing my aunt’s front yard three times a week, though.”

  “What can you tell me about her?”

  Blake smiled at the table as he thought about her. “She likes hip-hop music, hot fudge ice cream sundaes, and fixing cars with her dad. Her best friend’s name is Kristyn. Her birthday is in November, and she’s a night owl by nature.”

  “You talk as if she’s alive,” Tech said.

  “It’s weird, but I can’t accept she’s anything but alive. I mean, I’m not an idiot. It’s been over five years. Some instinct keeps screaming at me not to give up looking for her, though.”

  “Damn. This box is heavy,” Wayne said, carrying the box into the conference room and setting it on the table.

  Blake stood and opened the box. “I’ve run backgrounds and interviews on almost everyone in that town.” He started stacking the thick notebooks and files on the table. “I interviewed every man, woman, and child who lived on that street and the two cross streets. My old lieutenant said it was the obsession that kept me on traffic patrol. He was right, but don’t tell him that, because he was an ass.”