The Lies You Told

by Emerald O'Brien

  On paper, Madigan had less to offer a missing person than Grace, with all her police and detective training, but it hadn’t stopped her from trying.

  On my way. Be there in an hour, Grace texted back and slipped the phone in her pocket as she grabbed her purse and stood.

  “I’m coming, too,” Madigan said.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, and you’re working.”

  Madigan licked her lips, searching the room until she spotted the girl she spoke to before. “Dana! Could you stay longer and cover for me?”

  “This again?” Dana asked with attitude, but her face softened. “Listen, I owe you more than that. Go ahead.”

  Madigan waved thanks and rounded the bar. “Let’s take your car.” Grace picked up the pace and caught up with her as they left the bar. “Where are you parked?”

  “Hey, slow down.” Grace grabbed her arm and pointed to the other side of the lot.

  Madigan matched Grace’s pace, shaking her head. “You got your chance to help Officer Morelli out. Now I want mine. Have you spoken to her since you were undercover?”

  “No, I haven’t. This may not be what you think it is.” Grace’s voice shook with the last words.

  An officer missing for this length of time, not reporting to work, is never good. It never ends well.

  “You’re going; I’m coming.” Madigan beat her to the car. “I need a chance to repay her for what she did for us. I never thought I’d see her again.”

  And you might not.

  Grace shook the terrible thought from her mind as they got in the car.

  Chapter Three

  Madigan followed Grace up the concrete steps to the small, modern home on Aspen Avenue. The front door swung open, slamming into the wall as a man in uniform stepped into view behind the screen door.

  “…and what you’re not going to do is question me in my own home,” he said, pushing the screen door open. “So, I’ll ask you to leave.”

  “This is my mom’s house, you asshole,” a woman shouted from somewhere further inside. “You moved in with her, and I’m not leaving!”

  “We should take a walk, Carrigan,” another man’s voice came from deeper inside, getting louder as he approached the door. “Come on. Get some air with me.”

  “No.”

  “It wasn’t a request.”

  The man called Carrigan opened the screen door all the way and froze as he stared down at Grace.

  He recognizes her. Maybe they worked together.

  The older man behind him bumped into him, scowling down at them.

  “Who are you?” the older man asked.

  “I’m Detective Grace Sheppard, and this is Madigan Knox. Shawna asked me to come over.”

  “You’re Detective Grace Sheppard?” Carrigan moved out of the man’s way as he came face to face with Grace.

  “I invited her here.” A young woman with long, curly brown hair stepped between them with her hands on her hips. She wore a tight black tank top and tighter ripped jeans. A purple crystal dangled from her long necklace, swinging back and forth in front of her as she pushed the door open.

  “Shawna,” Grace said. “I’m so sorry to hear about your mom.”

  “Could you give us a minute?” Shawna asked the older man.

  He clasped his hand on Carrigan’s shoulder and led him outside, brushing past Grace’s shoulder. Madigan stared at the short girl who barely looked old enough to be out of high school.

  “Come in, please.” Shawna moved back to allow Madigan to follow Grace inside, where the two slipped their shoes off before stepping into the front living room. “I’m so glad you came.” She hugged Grace, her eyes closed and a sigh escaping her lips.

  “I’m glad I could be here for you.” Grace stepped back. “But the police are here. I’m not sure how I can help?”

  Shawna picked at her fingernails, staring down at her hands.

  “This is my sister, Madigan.” As they shook hands, Grace continued, “She knows your mom.”

  She extended her hand out to Madigan. “Hi, my mom told me about you.”

  “She did?” Madigan shook her hand.

  Shawna took a seat and gestured for them to do the same. “You’re the one she caught, right? The one who told her what was happening to you guys.”

  Madigan nodded.

  “When I came back from rehab, she filled me in as much as she could. She said you were a brave little girl. She told me I could call you, Grace, but to leave everyone else behind. She set up an apartment for me in Torrance. Came to visit a few times a month on her days off. She wanted me to stay out of Amherst, away from the same circles of people, my triggers…”

  “She wanted to protect you,” Grace said.

  Shawna picked at her nails again. “She just started to let me come visit her here again a few months ago… She lost a lot of trust in me, but we’re building it back, and now—she’s gone.”

  She must be so scared. Why isn’t anyone here with her? Maybe she really doesn’t have anyone else.

  Grace cleared her throat. “When did you last see your mom?”

  “Yesterday. We had a lunch date, so I came here to pick her up. She wasn’t ready yet, and I wanted to wait in the car, but she promised she’d only be a minute, cleaning salt off her shoes. I was watching her, and I saw a big bruise on her forearm. I asked her about it, but she told me it was something from work. I didn’t believe her. There was just something not right about it.”

  She clutched the purple crystal pendant on her necklace and shook her head with wide eyes. “I had a gut instinct, I guess. I’ve been listening to my inner voice a lot more, now that I’m sober, and it told me something was wrong. The bruise was big, like someone grabbed her. Rhett came downstairs, right there, and I just stared at him. I know he didn’t want me here—”

  “Rhett is?” Madigan asked.

  “Officer Rhett Carrigan,” Shawna spat, “that upstanding member of society you just saw leaving with Detective Shelling. He’s my mom’s boyfriend. So, he accused me of being disrespectful, as usual, and Mom shouted at the both of us to stop. He tried to kick me out, and Mom wasn’t having that, so he left. After that, neither of us wanted to go out anymore, so I left. She didn’t say it, but it felt like she blamed me for starting with him again.” Her bottom lip quivered as she picked at her nails, avoiding eye contact.

  “I’m sorry things were left on a poor note.” Grace leaned forward in her seat and pulled some tissues from the table beside her, handing them to Shawna. “Was that the last time you spoke with her, too?”

  Shawna nodded, tears spilling down her cheeks. “I should have apologized. I hate upsetting her, and I’ve done so much of that over the years, but when I saw that bruise, and she wasn’t being straight with me about where she got it…”

  “Shawna,” Madigan began, “you said you wanted to wait in the car for your mom. Why? Was it because of her boyfriend?”

  Shawna lifted her chin and sniffled, nodding. “We’ve never gotten along. I’ll be straight up, at first it was my fault. I was using, and he knew it, but Mom didn’t want to believe it. He’s the one who ratted on me to her. He’s the reason I left home. He wouldn’t allow a junkie to come around, and now I don’t blame them, but I did then. I thought my mom chose him over me, because she didn’t try to keep me there. She’d call, but I’d just hang up. Since I came back from rehab, and I’ve seen them together, I still don’t like how he talks to her. He’s controlling. Anal. Everything has to be his way.”

  “That’s why you thought the bruise might have been from him?” Madigan asked.

  “Yeah.”

  “Did you ever witness him abuse your mom?” Madigan asked.

  “No…just like, verbally controlling, you know?” Shawna sniffled again and turned to Grace. “It was always me against him. I thought it was bad before, but now she’s gone, and he’s one of them.”

  “That’s why you asked me here.” Grace sat back in the chair.

  �
��I’m just overwhelmed. These men are walking around in here, asking questions but not really listening, telling me what to do, but I just want to find her. I thought maybe you could help me find her.”

  “This isn’t my jurisdiction, Shawna.” Grace folded her hands in her lap. “But I will support you in any way I can through this.”

  “We both will.” Madigan rested her hands on her hips. “When you saw the bruise and asked her about it, Rhett wasn’t in the room, right?”

  “He was upstairs.”

  Madigan stood and gestured to the stairs. “May I?”

  Shawna’s forehead wrinkled, but she nodded. Madigan felt her gaze as she walked toward the staircase and climbed it. “Don’t mind me.”

  As she reached the top, she heard them speak again, but she could barely make out the words until she stood still.

  “…any reason to suspect…think of as to why she might have gone?”

  Even with their quiet voices in the living room, I can hear them if I’m still. Rhett would have heard Shawna come in—probably knew she was picking her mom up…

  The screen door creaked open, and Madigan took a step back down but stopped just out of sight of the door.

  “Listen, Shawna,” Rhett Carrigan said, “I shouldn’t have spoken to you that way. I know you’re just as worried as I am, and there’s no need to attack each other.”

  I can hear him clear as day.

  “Tell me what happened yesterday, after I left,” Shawna said.

  “I don’t know. I didn’t see her after that.”

  “What?”

  “I left to help a friend out, and when I came back last night, she wasn’t here. I thought she picked up an extra shift or got called in. When I woke up this morning, I had to go in for work, and I tried to call her, but she didn’t answer. It wasn’t like her, but I thought she was still upset about…well, you know. By the time I could check in at the department, they told me she wasn’t scheduled until this afternoon, just like I thought. No one had seen her. I came back here to check, but she still wasn’t here—”

  “But her car was gone?”

  “Yeah, and her purse and cell phone, too. I called it in right away.” His voice rose as he defended himself. “Now seriously, Shawna. You know as much as me, so please, don’t get offended when I ask you the same question. We’re just trying to get the facts straight. What happened after I left yesterday?”

  Shawna cleared her throat. “We didn’t feel like going out for lunch after that, so I left. I told Detective Shelling that.”

  “That’s it?” he asked. “She didn’t say if anything was going on? Anything that seemed off to you?”

  “You don’t think I would have said by now? I’ve got nothing to hide, Rhett. Can you say the same?”

  “Okay now,” Detective Shelling spoke up. “That’s enough. We have to get out there, and Shawna, you need to stay here in case she returns, alright? You stay by the phone; you keep trying anyone or any place you think she might be. Anyone who might have seen her. Keep a list, make notes, and we’ll check in when we can.”

  The door creaked open again, and as the screen door slammed shut, Madigan joined them back downstairs, sitting on the couch across from them.

  “I know you don’t get along with Rhett,” Grace glanced toward the door and back at Shawna, “but it’s beneficial to keep the peace for now. If he’s more comfortable talking to you, you’ll learn more about what’s happening behind the scenes.”

  “Like what?”

  “Potential sightings of her or her vehicle. Persons of interest, and trust me, it’s not information the police give up easily. If you want to stay on top of things, I’d make nice with Rhett Carrigan.”

  “Do you know him?”

  “I did—a bit. I never worked with him, though. He had a different beat, and then I was undercover, so… Shawna, have you done as they asked? Called family?”

  “My aunt and uncle live in the States,” she said, studying the slight changes in Grace’s face as she spoke, “but I’ll call them. Other than that—”

  Two raps on the glass of the screen door caught their attention, and Shawna shot straight out of her chair and dashed toward it.

  Her mom wouldn’t knock at her own house.

  She stopped in front of the door. “Dad? What are you doing here?”

  “I didn’t expect to see you here,” a deep voice said. “What’s going on? I just saw a cop car leave. I’ve got some papers for your mom. Is she home?”

  Shawna opened the door and stepped back as a tall, well-built man appeared in the entryway wearing a suit and tie.

  “I don’t know where she is. She’s missing.” Her voice broke at the end of her sentence.

  “What?”

  Shawna nodded, wiping her eyes, and the man reached his arms out, wrapping her up close to him.

  “Hey, it’s going to be okay,” he said as she pulled out of his embrace. “When was she last seen?”

  “Yesterday,” Shawna replied through sniffles as he turned to the sisters in the living room. “They’re friends.”

  “I’m Matt Morelli.”

  “Detective Grace Sheppard, and her sister, Madigan. I called Grace to come and help. Rhett reported Mom missing this afternoon, and I saw her yesterday, but…I could have been the last one to see her.”

  “Detective.” Matt joined them in the living room. “I want to help. What can I do?”

  “I’m actually not working this case.” Grace stood and shook his hand. “I’m sure the detective on the case will want to speak with you, though. Did Tina know you were coming by with…papers?”

  He shook his head. “She wasn’t expecting me, but I finally got around to signing the divorce papers she asked for.”

  Shawna stared up at him with wide eyes. “You’re not officially divorced yet?”

  “No. Neither of us thought it was necessary, but this January, she sent the papers and asked me to sign them.”

  “Why now?” Shawna asked with a rough edge to her voice. “I would have thought after you went to jail would have been a good enough time.”

  Jail? For what?

  Matt pressed his lips together and glanced at Grace before turning back to Shawna. “Listen, I can check any place you want me to, but I should speak to an officer first. I’d like to know what’s going on.”

  Shawna took the folder from him. “You came here to drop this off. Now you have. You can go.”

  “Shawna, I want to help. This is crazy.”

  “I don’t want your help, and neither would Mom.” Shawna strode to the screen door and held it open for him.

  He shook his head but took his keychain out of his pocket and stalked past her out the door. Shawna let it slam shut, staring out the door until Grace spoke, startling her.

  “Shawna, do you know if your mom and dad were in communication recently?”

  She shook her head. “I didn’t think they spoke at all. I didn’t know about the divorce—that came out of nowhere.”

  “Why’s that?” Madigan asked.

  “Mom and I have had nothing to do with him since he went to jail for fraud of some kind and became a white-collar criminal, or I guess he was all along. I was in high school, and things got really tough for Mom and me. I swear, she only let Rhett move in here because it was more economical. Why else would she go from one controlling man to live with another? She has a type and bad taste in men.”

  “Your dad’s controlling, too?” Madigan asked.

  “In a different way, I guess. Most of all, he was a hypocrite. He’d work all these long, late hours, and then complain when Mom did too. He never wanted her to work—just to be a stay at home mom—but I know she’s thankful she kept working. She supported me on her own for a while, right here in this house, and it was tough, but we were close then… Until Rhett came around.”

  “Shawna, I think you should do what the detective suggested,” Grace said. “Call around to her friends. Any other family. Make a list. It’s th
e best chance of figuring out if she spoke to anyone else after you left yesterday. Anywhere you can think of that she might go—you call, okay?”

  Shawna nodded. “Thank you for coming. I’m scared for her, and I just needed some… I don’t know. Back up.”

  “If there’s anything you need help with, or if you need support, don’t hesitate to call me, okay?”

  “Or me.” Madigan took her phone from the table, entering her contact information. “There, just texted myself so I have your number too.”

  “Thank you both.” Shawna stood by the door as they put their shoes on and stared outside. “She would have never left without telling me where she was going. Rhett’s so controlling, she would have told him, too, but for sure me.”

  “Play it cool with Rhett, okay? And hang tight. If you have a friend to call and stay with you during this—"

  “I don’t. No one close, anyway. I haven’t been in contact with any of the old gang, and making new friends as an adult is hard, at least for me.”

  “Then you’ll call if you need anything.” Grace squeezed her arm.

  “My mom was really proud when she told me about you. She said you’re the best example of why she does what she does.”

  “Being a cop?” Madigan asked.

  “That, yeah, and advocating for victims whenever she can. Shining a light where others won’t look because they are too afraid, or they don’t care like she does. She always says anything worth doing is worth doing right.”

  “Then you get to work,” Grace said. “Keep in touch.”

  Shawna nodded as they stepped outside and appeared at the front window as Grace started the car.

  “Wow, she’s not what I imagined.” Madigan said. “She looks so young and vulnerable, but she sure sticks up for herself.”

  “She’s always had a bit of a temper, so this situation really escalated things, but I don’t understand why she wouldn’t take her dad’s help. They need all the help that can get looking for Tina, but she’s more stubborn than I remember.”

  “Did you see her with that crystal? Is she spiritual, or?”

  Grace shook her head. “I don’t know. I didn’t think she was, but a lot has changed in her life. She looks a lot younger now and healthy. What did you see upstairs?”