by Ragan, T. R.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Hours later, Sawyer sat inside the tire store lobby with her laptop and wrote a first draft of her interview with Christina Farro as she waited for her car to be ready. The total cost with labor was $212. Highway robbery. But they were the only tire store that could get her in without an appointment and take care of it while she waited.
When that was done, she remembered she was out of cat food. It was getting dark by the time she drove into the Walmart parking lot. She needed cat food, sourdough bread, avocados, and fruit.
The fluorescent lighting inside the store was incredibly bright. Sawyer rubbed her eyes and made the mistake of heading down the candy aisle. Her stomach growled. She grabbed a box of Good & Plenty and tossed it into her cart, proud of herself for passing up the red licorice and Snickers. When it came to candy, she had no willpower.
She walked by the floral department and found the bread she was looking for in the deli area. On her way through produce, she grabbed a bunch of not-too-ripe bananas, two avocados, and a basket of strawberries.
The cat food was at the other end of the store. Halfway there, she heard a crash and looked up. A child had dropped a jar of pickles and was crying as his mom did her best to take control of the situation.
Beyond the pickle incident, Sawyer recognized a woman at the back of the store, looking through racks of clothes. It was the nurse from Ella’s school. Sawyer headed that way, intent on thanking the woman for taking care of Ella and spreading a little cheer.
As she drew closer, she saw that Nurse Amy was looking through a rack of little-girl dresses and rompers.
Sawyer came to a stop when she saw what Nurse Amy was wearing. A denim skirt and red Crocs with holes in them—the same outfit the woman who had attempted to take Paige had been wearing.
The woman fit the description to a T.
No children. So why would she need a new dress for a little girl on a Wednesday night?
Nurse Amy selected a dress and left the little girls’ department. Once she was gone, Sawyer made a beeline for the rack where the nurse had finally selected a turquoise pleated skirt dress with a tie at the waist. She’d chosen the one with a blue marker on the hanger, which fit girls aged ten to twelve, according to the tag.
Goose bumps prickled Sawyer’s skin. She pushed her cart back to the front of the store and watched from a middle aisle as Nurse Amy checked out with only the dress. Nothing else.
Leaving her cart, Sawyer exited the store and walked straight to her car, keeping an eye on Nurse Amy the entire time, frowning when Nurse Amy climbed into a white SUV.
Sawyer climbed into her car, turned on the engine, and followed the SUV out of the parking lot and back onto the main street. That’s when she saw the license plate number: 6 VKL 277.
She called Aria, who picked up on the first ring.
“I’m glad you called,” Aria said. “I stopped by your apartment, but you weren’t home, so I started to worry.”
“I’m following Nurse Amy.”
“What? Following her where? Why?”
“Looks like we’re headed to East Sacramento. She drives a white SUV and the license plate has an L and two sevens, just as Paige described.”
“This is so weird because Ella was just talking about the woman. They call her Nurse Slimy, and apparently she’s single.”
“She has no children,” Sawyer added. “But I just saw her purchase a dress for a ten-to-twelve-year-old in Walmart.”
“Maybe she has a niece.”
“That’s true. I’ll feel better, though, once I see where she lives and take a quick look around.”
“Are you planning on knocking on her door?”
Up ahead Sawyer saw the SUV turn onto H Street. “I want to, but she met me the other day when I picked up Ella.”
“I could do it,” Aria said. “What should I say if she comes to the door?”
Sawyer thought for a moment. “You could pretend like you’re looking for an old friend. Make up a name of someone who used to live in the neighborhood. Tell her your cell phone died and ask if you can use her phone.”
“Knocking on the door is one thing, but you want me to go inside?”
Aria was right. Nurse Amy could be dangerous. “Never mind. It was a stupid idea.”
“No. We need to do this.”
Sawyer watched the garage door open. Neat and clean, plenty of room for her SUV. “Looks like she’s home.” Sawyer gave Aria the address.
“Don’t go anywhere. I’ll be there soon.”
Sawyer was sitting back at an angle across the street from Nurse Amy’s house, a two-story Tudor with leaded-glass windows in the front, when Aria pulled up to the curb directly in front of the house.
Aria climbed out of the car, shut the door, then looked around until she spotted Sawyer across the way. She dipped her chin in acknowledgment and then turned and walked up the pathway to the front of the house.
The tree-lined street where Sawyer had been parked for thirty minutes was fairly busy. She’d seen bikers, mothers pushing strollers, and a man and woman out on a walk, holding hands.
Nurse Amy’s porch light flicked on right before the door opened. Sawyer had no idea what Aria was telling the woman, but she had her attention. She even handed her a clipboard as she talked.
As Sawyer watched, a light upstairs came on. Curtains covering the window moved just enough for her to see a shadowy figure peeking out. Someone else was in the house? Sawyer’s gaze returned to Aria just as someone knocked on the passenger window and made her jump. A short man with disorderly straw-colored hair was peering through the window. Glad the doors were locked, she turned on the engine so she could roll the window down halfway.
“Can I help you?” he asked. “My wife noticed you’ve been parked out here for some time, so I thought I would come out here and investigate to ease her mind.”
Sawyer smiled and held up her phone for him to see. “I came to visit a friend, Stacy Anderson, but she’s not answering her phone, and I didn’t write down the address.”
“Well, hmm. I don’t know of any Anderson family living on the street, but I could go ask my wife for you. She knows everyone on our block.”
“I thought she gave me the address to the house right across from you,” Sawyer said, gesturing toward Nurse Amy’s house.
“Oh, no. That’s Amy Lennox. She was living in that house when we moved in. Sorry I’m not more help.”
Sawyer looked back at the house. Not only was Aria gone, the curtain upstairs was closed tight and the light was off. “I wonder if she rents out the upstairs room and that’s where my friend lives? Because right before you tapped on my window, I saw someone peer through the upstairs window.”
He frowned. “She definitely lives alone.”
Sawyer’s phone buzzed, and she quickly picked up the call.
Aria said, “I know you’re talking to someone, but I wanted you to know that I’m at a small market on McKinley Boulevard right around the corner. I’ll wait for you here.”
The call ended, but Sawyer didn’t want the man still looking at her to know that. “Hi, Stacy. Yes, I’ve been sitting in my car for a while now, but I didn’t have your address, and you weren’t answering your phone. I know. I’m so sorry. Hold on for a second.” Sawyer looked at the man. “Looks like I had the wrong street entirely. Sorry to bother you and thanks for the help.”
Sawyer merged onto the street, turned onto McKinley Boulevard, spotted the market Aria had mentioned, and parked next to her sister. Sawyer got out of her car and slid into Aria’s passenger seat. “What happened?”
“That was crazy,” Aria said. “I don’t know why I got myself so worked up, but my heart is still racing. Who was that man talking to you?”
“Just a neighbor checking on me since I had been parked there for a while. He said her name is Amy Lennox. Said she lived alone, and yet while you were talking to her, I saw an upstairs light go on before someone peered through the curtains.”
“She fell for that?”
“I guess so since she signed her name. After the noise sounded from upstairs, she seemed distracted. I asked her if someone else was there at the house and if maybe they could sign the petition too, but she was adamant about it being the television that I heard. In fact, that’s when she signed the paper and shut the door in my face. She looked a little freaked out to me. What should we do now?”
“I need to talk to Palmer.”
“Do you think it could be Riley inside her house?”
“I don’t know, but we need to find out.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Sawyer and Palmer sat in his Jeep across from Nurse Amy’s house, waiting for Detective Perez. Although Detective Perez had been unable to obtain a search warrant since the judge determined there was not probable cause that a crime had been committed, the detective did agree to knock on the door and question the woman who lived there.
“I wish the judge had signed off on the warrant,” Sawyer said. “It would have made the process so much easier. Amy Lennox fits the description given by Paige Owens. She drives a white SUV with the numbers and letters Paige mentioned, she has access to syringes and needles, and she bought a dress for a little girl even though she has no children.”
“For starters,” Palmer said, “everything you’ve got is circumstantial. We’re lucky Perez agreed to knock on the woman’s door. If she’s innocent, she’ll open the door and agree to let Perez into her house for a look,” Palmer said, his voice weary, reminding Sawyer of what Geezer said about Palmer’s health.
“I heard you were at the doctor’s today. Everything okay?”
“I’m fine.” He straightened in his seat. “Looks like they’re here.”
An unmarked car and a police cruiser double-parked in front of Nurse Amy’s house. Palmer had taken the soft top off his Jeep, making it easy for Sawyer to see what was going on. A neighborhood dog had been barking since Palmer arrived ten minutes ago. Aria had left before that.
It was go time.
Detective Perez stood on the sidewalk, waiting for the uniformed officer to join him. It was dark out, and the two men looked like tall silhouettes as they approached the front door.
The warm air hinted of jasmine.
Palmer was about to tell her something when the door to Nurse Amy’s house opened. Beneath the porch light, Sawyer could see that it was Amy Lennox. Perez was talking to her. She could hear his voice, but she couldn’t make out the exact words being said.
Perez took a step back, giving the uniformed officer a chance to speak. He had a booming voice that carried. He pointed inside and asked her if anyone was there.
“She’s shaking her head,” Palmer said.
A crash sounded. Loud enough for both Sawyer and Palmer to hear.
Gun drawn, the officer disappeared inside. Nurse Amy’s voice became shrill as she told the officer he didn’t have permission to enter her home and must leave.
Detective Perez asked her to step outside, but she wasn’t having it.
Sawyer saw the upstairs light go on in the same room where she’d seen someone peek through the curtains earlier.
“It’s got to be Riley,” Sawyer said. “They found Riley.”
“Leave him alone,” a woman shouted.
Moments later, the officer ushered a shirtless man with his hands cuffed behind him toward his cruiser. He opened the back door and pushed the man’s head low enough that he could slide in before he shut the door. Perez joined the officer outside. The door to the house closed.
“What’s going on?” she asked Palmer. “Where’s Amy Lennox?”
“Wait here.” Palmer climbed out, jogged across the road, and before he could get a word out, Perez let him have it, his voice explosive, every word tumbling over the next.
Sawyer’s stomach hardened into a tight ball. What happened in there? Where was Riley Addison? She wanted to jump out of Palmer’s Jeep, run across the road, and march through the front door. Neither Perez nor the officer had been inside the home long enough to do a thorough check. There could be a basement or shed out back. What about the garage?
It all happened way too fast.
Nothing she had witnessed made any sense. Her gaze fixated on the man in the back of the cruiser. Who the hell was the shirtless man? A lover? Had she gotten it all wrong?
Palmer was on his way back to the Jeep. He climbed in and said, “You’re off the case.”
It was worse than she thought. “Why? I don’t understand. What happened?”
“Amy Lennox insisted no one was in the house, but the noise coming from upstairs alarmed the officer, and he took off only to find a man hiding under the bed in the master bedroom. He’s married and worried about being found out. He was arrested after he made the mistake of throwing a couple of punches at the officer.”
“But what about the dress Amy Lennox bought—”
“It was a gift for her coworker’s daughter, Molly. She showed Perez the box she’d wrapped in colorful paper and tied with a ribbon.”
“Molly was one of the names the woman called out when Paige Owens escaped. And what about the SUV she’s driving? Did anyone question her about that?”
“Enough,” he said, rubbing his temple.
Sawyer exhaled. The woman needed to be questioned, but nobody wanted to listen. “Don’t take me off this one, Palmer.”
“I don’t have a choice. Perez wants you fired. He threatened to press charges against the Sacramento Independent for what he called ‘the excessive stream of false information being reported.’”
“Can he do that?”
Palmer shrugged. “I don’t know. But I do know that my department can’t afford to get into any sort of feud with Perez. It’s best if you take the next couple of weeks off and stay off the grid.”
She could see that Palmer was struggling with what he felt he had to do. “I understand,” she finally said. “You took a chance on me, and I messed up. I’m sorry I’ve made things difficult for you—”
“Stop,” he said. “We all make mistakes. Even Perez. You might only be a decent journalist, but you’re a top-notch investigative reporter.”
“I wanted to find her so bad. I wasn’t trying to impress you or Perez. I just wanted to find her.”
Palmer rested a hand on her shoulder. “I know you did.”
She’d blown it. Her rapid appraisal of the situation had gotten the best of her. She shouldered her bag. As she climbed out of the Jeep, Palmer said, “Don’t stop listening to your instincts, Sawyer. It’s not your instincts that get you into trouble. It’s your impatience and overconfidence that get in your way.”
She nodded. He was right. Her knees wobbled when her feet touched the ground. It took everything she had to keep her head high as she walked to her car. Palmer waited until she started the engine before he drove off.
And just like that, the longest day of her life was over. And so was her career if she wasn’t careful.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
Riley’s stomach wouldn’t stop gurgling. Her every thought was of a juicy hamburger with french fries dripping with ketchup. And water. She could drink a gallon of water right now.
The days and nights had gotten away from Riley. Time was a blur inside the closet. It smelled so bad. She’d spent hours working to remove the tape from her hands and legs. Once that was done, she began to prepare for Bubbles’s return, but the woman never came back.
There were no longer any pictures on the wall. Tired of looking at so much misery and pain, she’d torn them down. She was going to die. Riley knew that much. And eventually she figured her photo would go up on the wall of shame with the others.
By the door, Riley could see the pencil she’d found in one of the bins. Next to the pencil was the jagged piece of plastic. She planned to use
both weapons to fight Bubbles if she ever opened the door. But it better be soon because Riley was growing weaker by the moment.
Bored and hungry and frightened, she turned off the light, then got down on all fours and looked under the sliver of space beneath the door. It was nighttime. During the day, she could see sunlight hitting the floor. As she pushed herself to a sitting position, she heard someone walk into the room. A light flicked on.
Her heart raced.
Padded feet crossed the floor. It sounded as if Bubbles was opening and closing drawers. Next came clinking and clanking sounds as she moved the chains from under the bed. Shivers rolled over Riley as she quietly picked up the pencil and the piece of plastic, stood tall, and readied herself in case Bubbles opened the closet door.
No sooner had the thought passed through her mind than a key was inserted into the lock. The light filtering in under the door allowed her to see the knob turning. The moment her eyes connected with Bubbles she screamed as loud as she could and pummeled her arms, stabbing the woman with both the pencil and the hard, pointy plastic.
The pencil took root in Bubbles’s arm!
That would have been a good thing except for the look on Bubbles’s face. Her teeth were clenched tight, her skin bright red, and her eyes bulged as she looked from the pencil to Riley.
An unnatural silence fell around them. Riley could hear her heart thumping against her ribs as Bubbles yanked the pencil from her arm and tossed it to the side. Her wild-eyed gaze pinned Riley where she stood. She grabbed both of Riley’s wrists, shaking hard until Riley thought her arm might break off. The jagged piece of plastic dropped to the ground.
Bubbles dragged her to the bed. Riley could see the metal cuffs, wide open and waiting. She needed to get away. This was it. Her chance. Half starved and weaker than she’d ever been, she yanked her arm out of Bubbles’s grasp and ran, slamming the bedroom door shut behind her before scrambling for the stairs.
She missed a step and went spiraling downward, thump, thump, thump. Her side bumped the railing, her hip banged against the wood step, but she couldn’t stop the momentum. She rolled all the way down and landed on her face, knocking her mouth on the tile landing.