Danger Zone

by Stacy Claflin

  His stomach lurched every time he thought about the Dark Web being involved. That was where the worst criminals gathered, where the ugliest, most vile crimes were planned out. People were sold there—children. Alex was no expert on the Dark Web, but he knew crime rings were rampant. And there was a good reason it was called the Dark Web.

  It was something he figured he’d run into on the job at some point, but never imagined it would affect his family. Not like this.

  He called Nick. “You have someone at the middle school?”

  “Yes. Johnston is there. Said she’s been going to classes, no suspicious activity.”

  Relief washed through him. Not only that everything was normal with his daughter, but also that Lieutenant Johnston was watching her. He was one of the biggest and most intimidating men on the force. “Thank you.”

  “How are you doing?” Nick’s voice held concern.

  “Still can’t reach Zoey.”

  “Want me to put a patrol out to look for her? It’s a slow day—everyone’s doing paperwork.”

  “No,” Alex said quickly. “She’s probably with my sister, who I also can’t reach.”

  “That doesn’t worry you?”

  “Everything worries me right now, but I don’t want to be overbearing. I get why she’s mad at me, but hopefully she also sees my side. We both just need to cool off to be able to work this through.”

  “If what that PI said about the Dark Web is true, you can’t be too careful.”

  Alex took a deep breath. “I know. I’m going to give it a few hours before I start to worry.”

  “Hey, Alex. I have to go. The brother of our mummy just arrived.”

  They ended the call. Normally, Alex would’ve been curious about that, but it was all he could do to keep himself together. Nick would fill him in later, anyway.

  Alex called Zoey again, then Macy, leaving messages for both to call him. Then he called Johnston to find out directly from him how Ariana was doing.

  “Hey, Mercer,” he answered. “Calling for an update?”

  “Yeah. Everything appears normal?”

  “Yep. She’s been going to each class and talking with friends. Nothing out of the ordinary.”

  “Nobody around her seems suspicious? Is anybody tailing her? Or—”

  “Nothing out of the ordinary. I’m keeping a lookout for anything suspicious. I’ll see anything going on.”

  “I appreciate it. Thanks again.” He ended the call and stared out at the water for a few moments before trying to call Zoey one more time. After she didn’t answer, he called his sister and left a message letting her know while he was glad she was there for Zoey, she needed to encourage her to talk to him.

  Hopefully that would help. It wasn’t like Macy was taking sides. She wouldn’t do that. They might even be having an impromptu counseling session and have their ringers off. Though at this point, it had to be a record-setting length for a session.

  Pressure built in his chest, his breathing grew even more shallow than before. He needed to release the stress before it got the better of him. Part of him itched to drive somewhere and pick up a beer. A small part of him, but it was there. Would it ever go away? He shoved the thoughts aside and leaped out of the car. A run would do him some good. He re-tied his shoes, turned up his ringer as loud as it would go, then he headed for the trail around the little lake.

  With any luck, after he cleared his head, someone would call and have good news about something.

  Question

  “What do you make of him?” Anderson turned his gaze from Will sitting on the other side of the two-way mirror to Nick.

  “He looks like a man who just discovered his sister is dead.”

  Will had only been sitting in the little room for a few minutes, but his distress was obvious. He’d run his hands through his hair several times and his eyes were clearly red even from where Nick stood.

  “You going to go in?” Anderson arched a brow.

  Nick frowned. Technically, he should remove himself from the case because of his involvement in it, but it wasn’t like he knew any of these people. He just wanted to know the real history of the house he was moving his family into. “For now, I’ll wait here. I might come in, depending on how your questioning goes.”

  Anderson nodded in obvious approval, then he headed into the hallway before appearing on the other side of the mirror. Will rose as he introduced himself, and they shook hands before sitting.

  “I’m sorry about your sister.” Anderson pulled out a pad of paper and a pen. “And I appreciate you taking the time to travel up here to speak with us.”

  Will’s expression tightened. “Anything to put that bastard behind bars! Was it Colin?”

  “We’re only beginning to look into this, as the results just came in. Do you—”

  “You got DNA from Daisy! Can’t you get it from the baby and prove that Colin was the father?”

  Anderson noted something on his paper. “I’m sure they’ll attempt to extract DNA, but even if they show him to be the father, that doesn’t prove he killed your sister.”

  “Who else would it be?” Will rubbed his temples. “It’s always the boyfriend in these cases!”

  “Not always, but it’s a possibility, and we’ll be looking into him.”

  Will cracked his knuckles and furrowed his brows. “He’d better hope you guys get to him first.”

  Anderson made another note. “Tell me about your home life.”

  “My home life?” Will jolted.

  “Growing up,” Anderson clarified. “What was life like for you and Daisy before she disappeared?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  Anderson stared him down. “Your sister ran away. She didn’t feel safe going to your parents with the news of her pregnancy.”

  “What teenage girl does?”

  Nick leaned against the wall and studied Will. His face was reddening and the lines around his eyes and mouth were more pronounced. The defensiveness in his tone gave the impression that he was hiding something. Definitely a whole different tone from the guy he spoke with on the phone.

  Anderson leaned over the table, closer to Will. “Some do, but most don’t run away.”

  “They get abortions these days.”

  “I believe that was an option for your sister.” Anderson glanced down at his paperwork. “She disappeared long after Roe V Wade. So, what was your home life like?”

  Will crossed his arms and leaned back in the chair. “Why do I feel like I should have an attorney present?”

  “You can if you’d like.” Anderson scrawled more notes. “However, that would take more time. We’d have to wait for him or her to arrive, and I’m only here to ask questions. We both want the same thing, and that’s to find your sister’s killer.”

  Will’s nostrils flared. “Then ask me about her jerk boyfriend instead of our home life. That doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

  “Her boyfriend was a jerk?” Anderson’s pen flew across the paper. “Tell me more about that.”

  “Colin thought he was all that. Played on the varsity football team and always saw himself as untouchable. The teachers and coaches always gave him whatever he wanted. He failed a test? Didn’t matter. Got good marks anyway. Not only that, he was a player.”

  “Player?” Anderson leaned forward.

  Will threw his hands in the air. “You know what a player is!”

  “I want to hear your definition.”

  “How does this help anything?”

  Anderson set down his pen. “You want to find your sister’s killer?”

  “That’s why I’m here!”

  Nick found himself holding his breath. This wasn’t quite the cut-and-dried case he’d hoped for. Now there were more suspects beyond the televangelist—his son who impregnated the girl and possibly even the brother or father, given Will’s interview. Was he trying to protect himself or his dad, or even both of them? But if they weren’t guilty
, why bother showing up for questioning without an attorney?

  “What’s your definition of a player?” Anderson asked.

  He scowled. “You really think this’ll help?”

  “Yes.”

  Will took a deep breath and muttered under his breath. “Fine. He liked surrounding himself with girls. Flirted a lot, even in front of Daisy. Rumors flew about him seeing cheerleaders behind her back. My sister was the clean and wholesome girl next door, and dating her helped his image.”

  “How so?” Anderson took more notes.

  “Like I said, he was a player. Dude got himself into a lot of trouble and had himself a reputation as a bad boy. He used Daisy to balance that out. It worked, at least until she disappeared.”

  “And nobody ever questioned his involvement?”

  “Of course, but he had enough people backing his alibi that the police quickly moved on from looking at him.”

  “Did you try telling them that?”

  “Yes!” Will slammed his fists on the table, and to Anderson’s credit, he didn’t even flinch. “I told those cops everything! Did they believe me? No, they believed the quarterback and the coaches who lied for him.”

  “Now you’re accusing the coaches of lying for him? Are you certain they did?”

  Will crossed his arms. “They always did with grades to keep him on the team. Why not this?”

  “There’s a huge difference between fudging an exam grade and murdering someone.”

  “True, but our town was all about the high school football team in those days. It was the only thing anyone had to be proud of. The players were practically worshipped, especially the talented ones like Colin.” Will leaned back. “Can I see my sister now?”

  “I’d like you to finish answering my questions first.”

  “Aren’t we done here? I just proved to you that the guy who got her pregnant should’ve been the top suspect all along. He’s been walking around free for more than forty years! It’s time he finally pays for his crimes.”

  “We need to go through the proper motions. Can’t just arrest him.”

  Will frowned. “What else do you need to know?”

  “I’d like to know about your home life.”

  “I’m not saying another word without an attorney present.”

  Nick stormed out of the room. How long would he have to wait to get the answers he needed about his new property?

  Watched

  Ariana kept her head facing the teacher as she glanced out the large window into the hallway. That same guy who she’d been seeing all morning was leaning against a locker, looking at his phone. He was tall and built and carried himself like he was on a mission.

  A mission to watch her.

  Why hadn’t she figured that out earlier? He was obviously a plain-clothed cop sent by her dad. It was so obvious.

  Couldn’t her dad ever just trust her? She’d always been so responsible, and for what? Not like it got her anywhere. Now she had a cop tailing her, and she hadn’t even done anything wrong. Well, she was hiding certain details about Damon and their tutoring sessions from her parents, but it wasn’t like she was out robbing banks or selling drugs to elementary kids. Despite her issues with the English teacher, she was still on the path to honor roll again.

  Why couldn’t her parents just be happy about that? They were so controlling—especially her dad. He was so used to dealing with people who lied all day that he looked at her through that lens.

  “Ariana?” The math teacher’s voice pulled her from her thoughts.

  Giggling sounded around her.

  Normally, she’d have been horrified but today she didn’t care. She looked at Mr. Roberts and gave him a fake smile. “Sorry, I missed the last part of that. I was trying to work out the equation in my head.”

  Great. Now she was lying to teachers, too. What would be next? Actually selling drugs to little kids? Robbing banks? No. It was just a little white lie. Didn’t hurt anyone.

  The teacher repeated his question, and luckily it was one Ari could easily answer. He moved on to drill another kid.

  Ariana did her best to focus for the rest of class, while in the back of her mind trying to figure out what to do about her friend out in the hall. He was speaking with the principal at the moment, and class would end in a few minutes. With any luck, he would be distracted enough that she could get to the cafeteria unnoticed. Although he likely had her schedule and would be able to find her without much effort—unless she could get to the food line before anyone else and get somewhere he couldn’t find her before he made it to the cafeteria. She could go out to the bleachers where kids liked to smoke. Or she could find a hallway people didn’t usually go to, like where the role-playing nerds went. The cop wouldn’t think to look in either of those spots.

  The bell rang, and he was still engrossed in his conversation. But he looked her way. Crap. She stuffed her things into her bag and ducked behind some other kids. Hopefully, he hadn’t seen her.

  Ariana glanced back. He was making his way toward her, still talking. She kept low and hurried to the cafeteria. Maybe she needed to start bringing a lunch in case this became a regular thing. Then it’d be easier to avoid him.

  She skipped going to her locker to dump off her bag and darted into the food line. Only a few kids were ahead of her. By the time she got through the line, the cop was in the cafeteria. Probably thought he was being so sly, standing near the back partially hidden by a pole.

  Ariana pretended to walk to a table, but then as soon as the officer glanced at the clock, she bolted outside. With any luck, he hadn’t seen her. She burst into a run, headed for the football field. Glanced back and didn’t see him. Hurried past the bleachers and tried not to breathe in the smoke.

  If he did follow her out here, hopefully he’d distract himself with the underage smokers. She went around the corner and sat against the concession stand. She scarfed down the pizza pocket then texted Damon.

  Ariana: We have a problem.

  She didn’t expect an immediate reply since he’d likely be in class, but as she started to put the phone away dancing dots appeared on the screen, indicating he was replying.

  Damon: What?

  Ariana: My dad has a cop tailing me. She followed the message with annoyed emojis.

  Damon: Told u he didn’t trust u.

  Ariana: Maybe we should skip tutoring today.

  She hated that idea, but what other choice did she have? The cop needed to report back to her dad that everything was fine and he was worrying about nothing.

  Damon: No. Not doing anything wrong.

  Ariana: Like u said, he won’t like us together.

  Damon: We’ll meet where we had study group. Don’t worry.

  She chewed on her lower lip, not liking the idea.

  Ariana: Better idea. I lose him & meet u off campus.

  Damon: U sure?

  Ariana: Totally.

  Damon: What if u cant ditch him l8r?

  Ariana: I will. Meet at ice cream place.

  Damon: LMK if you cant.

  Ariana: OK. But it wont b a prob.

  Damon: OK. Cu then.

  Ariana: Cu.

  He sent a kissing emoji.

  Her heart beat out of control and her face flamed. Did he know she’d been reliving the kisses almost nonstop? Only that stupid cop had distracted her. Damon would think she was so immature for obsessing over it.

  She quickly sent a different kissing emoji so he’d think she thought it wasn't as big of a deal as she was making it.

  The warning bell sounded, meaning she only had a few minutes to get back to the building, grab her things from her locker, and get to class. Heart still thundering from the last texts, she stuffed her phone into her bag and raced toward the building.

  Found

  Alex wiped the sweat from his forehead and leaned against his car. His clothes were drenched, but at least he felt better. Not as good as he’d feel if his life was back to normal, but at least it was an
improvement.

  Still no texts or calls from anyone—not his wife, sister, or the private investigator. It was just as well. He needed to shower off before going anywhere. Thankfully when he got home, there were no cars out front.

  He showered, changed, and got back into his car. No new notifications. That was fine. He revved the engine and headed for his sister’s house.

  Both Macy’s and Zoey’s cars were parked out front.

  Bingo. If they wouldn’t answer his calls, he’d show up.

  He marched up to the door and rang the bell, smiling for the camera. With any luck, a friendly expression would make them more eager to answer.

  Footsteps sounded. His luck was turning around.

  The door opened just slightly, and Macy appeared. “I’m sorry, Alex. I know I should’ve returned your calls so you wouldn’t worry.”

  He nodded. “Will you let me in?”

  She glanced inside. “Zoey really isn’t feeling up to speaking with you.”

  “We need to talk.”

  “Hold on.” Macy closed the door.

  Alex’s mind raced as he waited. He should probably apologize to Zoey for letting his anger get the best of him, for not trusting her immediately. If it came down to it, he would bring up the stalker and the fact that he was launching an attack on their family.

  That would get her attention.

  The door opened again, and Macy reappeared. “She needs some space.”

  “I understand, but will she at least let me apologize? There’s more to the story, and she needs to hear this. It’s urgent.”

  Zoey appeared in the doorway. “What is it?”

  “Will you let me in?”

  She frowned. “Whatever you say, you can say in front of her.”

  “That’s fine. Can I come in?”

  Zoey stepped back and opened the door. “What’s so urgent?”

  Alex took a deep breath and considered his wording, even though he’d already been mentally practicing the whole way around the lake and again in the car. “Let’s sit.”