by Cole Baxter
“Annabeth!” he yelled.
I gasped, grabbing his hands and nodding my head. “I’m fine, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”
“Done what? Are you okay? You’ve got to stop doing that to me. God, should I have a doctor here?”
I cringed at his cold tone. How could I be surprised though? I knew how high-maintenance I was. My mother constantly reminded me of that fact when I woke her at night screaming in fear. My shoulders stiffened. I was determined to see this through to the end, without needing someone like the detective to lean on.
Clearing my throat, I dropped my shaking hands into my lap and out of his sight. “Sorry. I’m fine, really. What can you tell me about this place again? It looks like he was in a rush.”
Reyes shrugged. “I don’t think he had much time to assemble it, to be honest. He was on the run when we caught up to him.”
I shook my head. “No. The place that I was being held at was well-constructed. He cared about it.”
“If this was a temporary place, though,” Reyes mused.
“I just don’t know. I can’t see him ever leaving that place. It was designed to be a maze. It must have taken him years.”
“But crimes like these can escalate. It’s possible he was forced to move after you got loose. He couldn’t know that you would have amnesia. Maybe he just panicked.”
“I don’t know. I guess. I might never know without meeting him again.”
Reyes shifted uneasily. “It would seem my men were able to bring him in for questioning.”
My heart started to race. “He is here? Right now?”
Reyes nodded, “He’s in the interrogation room right now. I wanted to check in on you first though.”
“Can I watch it?” I blurted out. “I mean, can I see you talk to him? I don’t know, it might trigger something in my memory.”
“Do you really want to risk doing that again?”
“It’s not like I have a choice. What would you do if someone kidnapped one of your daughters?” I said quickly.
I saw him wince, though he quickly recovered. “I can let you watch from the room next door, but there is no way in hell you are going anywhere near him, understand?”
I nodded my head vigorously, “Yes, of course. Thank you for allowing me that much.”
“Listen,” he whispered softly. “We are breaking a lot of rules and regulations here. Can you keep this between us?”
I chuckled. “You don’t want me telling Jacob?”
“I know that you trust him, but we still have a job to do. Until I’ve had a chance to clear him myself, I need to know that you will keep this investigation between us.”
“I will,” I told him. I knew that there had to be trust between us if we were going to find Gregory.
Chapter Ten
I had to admire the stark difference between the Gabriel that I was getting to know and the detective who walked into the interrogation room. I was alone in the next room, watching from a computer monitor while the female officer ran a recording device next to me. Even flying under the radar, they made sure to keep a record of everything.
The two men on screen weren’t doing much. It turned out that there was just a lot of paperwork when it came to locking up the bad guys. I wanted to know a little bit more about Gabriel, though, so I welcomed the brief reprieve.
“Detective Reyes is very good at his job,” I observed.
The officer chuckled. “He is. If anyone is going to find out what this guy knows, it will be Reyes.”
“Does he do this a lot?”
“Not really. This case got to him though.”
“Because of his daughters?” I offered.
She nodded. “I wasn’t sure what all you knew.”
“He shared enough to ease my mind,” I told her. “I just want to find my son.”
“I can’t imagine what you are going through, but I know that not many women would be this brave.”
“What do you mean? I feel like I can’t do anything right. It seems like I’m a burden on the case.”
“Not at all. Having someone here who can give us firsthand accounts isn’t something we normally get. The information you have is crucial to finding Gregory.” The men on the screen started to talk and we both turned to it. “They are starting.”
I watched as Reyes started to question Jenkins. At once, I was consumed with what was happening. Reyes was so calm and collected.
“Mr. Jenkins, do you mind if I call you Morrie?”
The obese man, balding and covered in liver spots, glared at him. “I don’t care what you call me. Doesn’t change a thing.”
“Listen,” Reyes said soothingly. “We just want to ask you a few questions. We’ve been looking over your old case file.”
“Now you listen to me, boy. I served my time and I haven’t broken the law.”
“No one here is saying that you have, Morrie. We just have a couple of questions for you, okay? Calm down.”
“What do you want?”
“Where were you two nights ago?”
Morrie scoffed. “Same place as always. In my apartment with this damn bracelet on my ankle.”
“That’s what happens when you beat people and take their children, Morrie. Society doesn’t forget about you until long after you are dead.”
“You can track it, okay? Just ask them to tell you exactly where I was. Or what, you think I’m some kind of evil mastermind who can slip out of it?” Morrie coughed as he laughed. “I can’t even tie my own shoes anymore, boy. That’s what the system does to men like me.”
“Pedophiles,” hissed Reyes.
“Oh,” Morrie snapped, pretending to be intimidated. “Been called a lot worse than that in my day. So, what do you want? Or am I free to go back to my million-dollar lair?”
“A boy was taken,” Reyes whispered. “The case is starting to look more and more like your old handiwork there, Morrie.”
Gabriel slid out a stack of photos. It took me a minute to recognize my own home. My brother’s blood still stained the carpet in the front hallway. I shuddered but kept my eyes locked on Morrie. His eyes glistened, his crackled lips becoming moist as he looked at images of my son and my home. The bile rose in my throat as I realized what must be going through his mind. I felt a rage like I’d never experienced when I looked at the disgusting man.
“I want to go in there,” I hissed.
“Not a chance in hell. Just let Reyes handle this. If he knows anything, he’ll crack.”
“Look at how he’s looking at my son though. I don’t like this. I’m never going to know if that’s him if you people won’t let me face him. What’s it going to take to get into that room?”
The officer raised her eyebrow and slowly stood. “It would take an act of God, and unless you sit down, Ms. Simmons, you aren’t even going to be in here to watch what Reyes does. Do you understand me?”
I glared at her but slowly sank back down into my seat. You’d think after years of dealing with my mother, I would be accustomed to bossy women. Still, I didn’t like backing down to someone I didn’t know, someone who clearly had more authority than I did in the disappearance of my own son. I went back to watching the screen, silently and begrudgingly.
“These are from an attack two days ago. One man is in the hospital and we have a little boy missing.”
“Oh?” Morrie said, almost amused. “It’s all starting to come together now. And you think that I had something to do with all of this?” He chuckled. “Haven’t you heard? I’m reformed.”
“I saw the way you looked at those pictures. Reformed, my ass. How did you do it, Morrie? Where is the boy?”
“If I knew that, do you think you would have found me in that shitty apartment?”
“It would make a good cover for wherever your real operation is.”
“Right, and now we are back to my skills of evading the ankle bracelet.”
“You made a lot of enemies in prison. I’m inclined to believe y
ou made a few new friends and learned some skills while you were at it. You play the old fool well, but I know your type. You never stop looking for your next victim. How did you find Gregory? Was it at the park you liked to watch?”
Jenkins’s head snapped up. “How do you know about that?”
“We are the police! We know everything,” Reyes said as he lost his temper. “I want to know where Gregory is, or else.”
“I told you,” Morrie seethed. “I don’t know anything about that boy, and if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t help you bastards find him.”
“I can have you arrested for obstruction of justice.”
“Arrest me for whatever you want, then you’ll never find out anything. How do you like that? Huh?”
“Then you do know something?” Reyes whispered.
Morrie glared. “I know enough to keep my mouth shut. I’m not saying another word about it without my lawyer.”
Reyes slammed his fist down on the table, making me jump as I watched the screen. “I have a missing kid and you want to talk about lawyers?” He scoffed. “I told them you wouldn’t give two shits.”
My heart started to race once again as Gabriel headed for the door. This couldn’t be it. It couldn’t be over already. Not when we were no closer to finding my son than we’d been before. I quickly glanced at my companion, who was deep in thought as she worked with the machine in front of her. My hand twitched as I darted for the door. I jerked it open, making a beeline for the interrogation room before she could stop me.
By pure luck, Reyes had temporarily turned his back on the door, talking with another officer. He spun around as the female officer called his name but not before I whizzed into the room. Morrie’s shocked expression did little to faze me as I slammed my hands down on the table.
“Where the fuck is my son?” I screamed at him. His eyes grew wide, his jaw becoming slack as he shook his head. I didn’t wait to hear more of his lies. “Don’t tell me you don’t know where he’s at, you son of a bitch. If you’ve hurt one hair on his head, I swear to God I’ll—”
“Lady!” he yelled back at me, cutting short my threat. “I have no idea where your kid is, okay? I don’t know anything about this!”
“You are a disgusting liar,” I spat at him. “You would do anything to save your own ass now.”
“Listen, lady, I swear to you, I have no idea what happened to your boy. I talk a big talk, but I don’t know nothing about this. I stay in my apartment most times and don’t bother leaving. Everyone around here knows what I done. There’s no way I could do anything that they’re saying.”
“Annabeth,” Reyes hissed.
I ignored him, keeping my attention focused on Jenkins. “Why are you asking for a lawyer then? Huh?”
His cheeks flushed red as he looked down at his hands. “I dunno.” He shrugged. “My life sucks.”
“You’re a child molester. You shouldn’t even have one,” I spat at him.
He glared back at me. “I served my time. Now I can’t even walk down the street without someone screaming at me. What kind of life is that? I wasn’t gonna turn down the attention.”
I chuckled. “You disgusting asshole. You really don’t know anything, do you?”
“I know things!” he blurted out.
It was a last-ditch effort to feel of some importance. I could see it now for what it really was and not just a show of his sick mind. Hours had been wasted on the poor blubbering idiot. They should have taken him right back to his miserable apartment, but it wasn’t my decision to make. When Gabriel grabbed my arm, I let him pull me from the room and past the now fuming female officer. He slammed the door behind him as I once again flopped into the chair, still positioned near the computer screen.
“What the hell were you thinking? I should have you arrested for that little stunt of yours!” he yelled at me.
“He doesn’t know anything,” I sobbed, the pain washing across my body.
“I know that it doesn’t seem that way, but we are still going to hold him just in case,” Reyes said in a soothing tone. “You shouldn’t have gone in there though. I’m going to have a ton of paperwork to do now. Plus, the legalities . . .”
“What are you talking about?”
“Don’t you think the defense will use this little episode of yours to have anything he’s said thrown out? It happened in a police station, not really something that we can pretend didn’t happen.”
“I didn’t think about that,” I whispered.
“Of course, you didn’t!” he yelled. “Because family isn’t allowed to be in the room for this very reason. It was a mistake letting you sit in while I talked to Morrie. All I can do now is damage control and hope that they still have enough to book him.”
“Gabriel,” I stammered. “I didn’t know that sort of thing could happen. I’m so sorry. If something happens to my son because of this . . .”
I could feel my chest start to tighten, the signs of a panic attack setting in. I took a deep breath, focusing on counting above everything else. I couldn’t have another episode in front of Gabriel. He already thought that I had lost my mind twice before. This time, I had no doubt that he would be done with me once and for all. He was the only link I had to my son’s case, and I couldn’t lose that.
“Hey,” he said softly. “Just take a deep breath.”
I shook my head and cleared my throat. “I’m fine, really, I promise. I just can’t believe that I was so foolish. I let my emotions get the best of me. Do you think that I’ve screwed everything up?”
He sighed. “I don’t think so, honestly. There is something that Jenkins isn’t telling us, but I don’t think it has a whole lot to do with the case. For all we know, he’s got a stash of illegal porn somewhere.”
I shuddered. “Either way, I think I’m ready to get out of here unless you need anything else from me.”
“Were you able to look through all the photographs from earlier?”
“I was,” I said carefully. “I just don’t think it’s the same person. I know there are a dozen different ways to explain how sloppy everything was, but I know my kidnapper. Those photos were not his work. He was very careful in everything he did.”
“Then I guess there is nothing else that we can do right now. I have a few leads out there right now. One is looking into the van incident that happened earlier.”
“You’ll let me know when you find out something?” I asked.
“Only if you promise to keep your head on the level next time, okay?” he offered.
I smiled at him. His tone was apologetic but sincere. I knew that he only wanted what was best for me. Someone knocked on the door and my cheeks flushed. I’d been lost in the moment and the sound startled me. Gabriel shot me a sly grin as I jumped in my seat. I straightened my back when I saw the female detective glare at me over Reyes’s shoulders.
I didn’t need to hear what she was saying to get the gist of the conversation. She was pissed at how Gabriel was handling the situation, no doubt. I couldn’t stop a smirk from playing across my lips. For the first time in a very long while, it felt good to be desired by a man and to know I could still make someone jealous. Reyes closed the door.
“Ready to head home?” he asked.
I nodded. “Absolutely.”
Chapter Eleven
As he led me out into the waiting room, I could sense something was on his mind. When we lingered by the door longer than needed, though, I finally had to break the silence.
“Well,” I blurted out. “Thanks for everything.”
“I was hoping that you’d let me drive you home,” he said almost sheepishly.
I flushed instantly. “Look, I think you are a really nice guy and all but—”
“No,” he shot in before I could continue. “I just mean that someone followed you here. Plus, you’ve been through a lot in the last few days and the last few hours. I don’t think I could forgive myself if you didn’t make it home safe.”
“Oh! Rig
ht, sure,” I quickly agreed. “Yeah, that makes sense. So, should I just leave my car here?”
“I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you. I’ll drive you home in your car, then I can get an Uber or something from there.”
“You’ll at least have to let me pay for it.”
He grinned and stepped to the side so I could lead the way to my car. “I wouldn’t dream of taking the honor away from the city though. They love it when I send in to be reimbursed.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Whatever makes you happy! Second gear likes to stick sometimes. I just can’t bring myself to take it to the shop.”
“You’ve kept it in great shape. I take it she belonged to your late husband?”
I smiled sadly and nodded. “A seventy-eight cutlass. He loved this car.”
“I can see why. Original paint too?”
“Baby blue, his favorite color.”
“I don’t blame you one bit for hanging onto it,” Gabriel said as he held open the passenger door. He climbed into his side. “I still have the pearl necklace my wife wore on our wedding day. Sometimes, it’s okay to hang onto those memories.”
“Wow,” I said softly.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking at me with concern.
I nodded. “Yeah, I just.” I took a deep breath. “I’ve never really talked with anyone who knows what it’s like to lose a partner before.”
“You haven’t tried any support groups?”
“No,” I admitted. “it’s hard with my social anxiety.”
“Well,” Gabriel said with a confident grin. “I can be your support group for now. It helps to have someone to talk to. Thank God there aren’t too many people who have to understand the pain we’ve gone through, but it’s nice to be able to share. Maybe I can talk you into joining a group or two after we find Gregory.”
“You are so confident,” I whispered as I watched the traffic and city pass by. “Every day that he’s still missing, I feel the depression trying to creep back in.”