“Okay, that’s good, thank you.” Jordan turned around, shielding her eyes against the sun as she looked up one of those grey depressing blocks that surrounded them. The street was empty. It was unlikely that they’d find a witness here. Finding that group of men hanging around might help.
She remembered that one of her former CI’s, Darla Pierson, had lived around here. She’d ask her some questions. Meanwhile, they’d have to visit Buck’s school to find out more—and unfortunately, notify his family.
* * * *
The college’s dean confirmed that Colin Buck had enrolled four years ago. He would have graduated this year.
“There was never any trouble,” the dean, a woman in her late fifties, said. “Not that we have a lot here, but his name never came up. Excellent grades. He’s from Tacoma. This is terrible,” she added with a sigh. “I suppose you’ll have to notify the parents. I’ll have to talk to them too. How very sad.”
“We’d like to see his dorm room,” Derek said, and she nodded.
“Of course. Come with me.”
Curious looks followed them as they walked across the campus to the dorms, and into the building.
Buck’s room was fairly typical, textbooks, some sports memorabilia, a jacket over a chair, a half-empty bottle of coke on the desk. Jordan lifted it with a gloved hand, but it didn’t smell like anything else. The laptop was going straight to the lab. No cell phone had been found with Colin Buck, and it didn’t look like there was one in here. She was opening drawers when the roommate came in.
“Whoa, what happened? Is Colin in trouble?”
“Why do you think that?” Derek asked sternly, and the student blushed.
“You’re the police, right? You wouldn’t be going through his stuff if…Is he okay?”
“Colin was found dead this morning,” Jordan said. “Do you have any idea if he had any plans last night, if he was meeting anyone?”
The roommate, Jeffrey Bishop, shook his head. “Nope, he didn’t talk to me about these things. We’ve been sharing a room for the past two years—he doesn’t say much at all, is always studying…was,” he corrected himself solemnly. “I don’t think he went to any party in his time here.”
Jordan shared another look with Derek, suppressing the urge to shake her head. Apparently, Bishop thought of this as a big loss.
“Wow,” he said, “that’s really bad. Was he robbed?”
“Can you tell us when you last saw him?”
“He was in class yesterday afternoon. That’s the last time.”
“Did you see him talk to anyone?”
“No, but that’s not unusual. He goes straight to the library.”
“Thank you. We’ll check that.”
Jordan could tell that Bishop was still mulling this over, seeming more surprised than shocked that his roommate had been killed. She waited.
“Um…I don’t know if that’s important to you.”
“Just tell me. We’ll sort it out later.”
Bishop took a deep breath. “I mean I wasn’t surprised that he didn’t have lots of friends here, he was just that type…but he got some text messages at night the past few weeks, and one time, a guy came and asked for him…Colin wasn’t here.”
“Okay. Can you describe the guy?”
His reaction was the shrug she got from too many witnesses. “Dark hair, tall, good looking…not who you’d think Colin would hang out with.”
Because stereotypes were well and alive in this school, too, Jordan thought, barely suppressing a sigh. “If you could come to the station for a facial composite later, it would be very helpful.”
“With a sketch artist?” he asked, intrigued.
“It’s all computerized now, but yes, it’s the same principle.”
“Sure, when do you want me there?”
They settled on five-thirty and afterwards, made a detour to the library on the way out where the librarian confirmed that Colin had come by after his class, but left after getting a call, around six.
“You know this for sure?” Jordan asked, surprised.
“Oh yes,” the woman said. “He was very dedicated. I saw him here almost every day, and he was always immersed in his studies, rarely speaking to anyone. This was the first time I had to remind him to turn his phone off.”
They had yet to find his cell phone.
“He’s very eager to help. You think he knows more that he’s telling us?” Derek asked with regard to the roommate.
“Not sure, but I would like to find out who that tall dark-haired stranger is. The sooner we get that composite, the better.”
“A lover?”
“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’d like to stop at Darla’s before we go back. She knows the neighborhood pretty well.”
* * * *
Darla had some time before her work shift started, and she agreed to meet them. Taking in the small, but cozy apartment, Jordan felt assured that Darla had made herself at home in a new, better reality.
“You’d like to hold him for a moment?” Not indulging her indecisiveness for long, Darla handed her baby boy to Jordan before she straightened the blankets in his bed. Jordan tried to focus on what she’d come here for in the first place. Holding the baby in her arms was deceptively calming, and the workday was nowhere near over.
“Thanks.”
Finally, Darla straightened, and her tone and expression seemed a lot more like the woman Jordan had come to know earlier in their relationship. “What do you want to know?”
She didn’t flinch when Jordan showed her the picture. Jordan hadn’t expected her to. Darla had seen bad, and worse.
“Wrong neighborhood, huh? Bad coincidence, or was he looking for something?”
“Any idea what he could have hoped to find? Neighbor talked about a group of guys hanging around, with baseball caps and jerseys, one of them with the number six.”
It was a long shot—Darla lived a different life now, and she might not appreciate the reminder.
“Number six,” she said. “That’s blatant. I’m not sure, but I might be able to help you find him.”
“Wait, just like that? #6, it’s a thing?”
“Oh yes, people know him around. I’m surprised you didn’t hear of him. Guy’s so full of himself, it’s a miracle he’s not in jail yet.”
“You got a real name?”
“Chucky somebody, but I’ll get you in touch with someone who can probably give you a last name too.”
“Really? I don’t want you to do anything dangerous, you hear me? Let us take care of this.”
Darla’s wry smile reminded her of what they both knew—their previous arrangement had without a doubt been dangerous, and both of them had accepted the premise. That had been a different time though. They both had been different people.
“I’m not going to do anything stupid, especially now. I’ll just make a few calls, and if I find out anything, I’ll get right back to you. I promise.”
When Jordan obviously didn’t convey enough confidence, Darla added, “Take a look around. I’m a mom. I have a job and a roof over our heads. There’s no way I’ll put any of that at risk. I can ask a few people who might know what #6 is doing now. He used to do a bit of everything, drugs, gambling, girls. Not as big as Ryder…” She shuddered at the memory. “But enough to make a splash. Last thing I heard he was laying low, but with Ryder and his gang in prison now, I assume he wants to get his share back. To your original question, it’s likely that your college boy was looking for ways to get high or get laid, and he ran into some bad luck.”
“Thank you. That’s more than I hoped for, actually.”
“You’re welcome. You know, if you want to do me a favor, donuts are always a good idea.”
“I’ll remember that. Excuse me,” Jordan said when her cell phone rang, and she turned away while Derek made some small talk with Darla.
“I’m sorry for calling you in the middle of the day.”
“That’s fine, Ariel, ar
e you okay?”
“No.” The girl’s voice sounded tearful. “You said I could always talk to you or Ellie. Could you come see me? Soon?”
“Sure, I can come by later this evening. Is it about the trial? I know you’re scared, but they can’t do anything to you. There will be lots of police.” Jordan knew this couldn’t be much of a consolation for Ariel when she had to face the father who didn’t want her—which was, all things considered, still a blessing—and potentially the man who had killed her mother. A.D.A. Esposito would do her best to keep them apart, but the men on trial had expensive lawyers on their side.
“I know. I don’t really want to do this, but I know I have to.”
“You won’t be the only one.” Some of the women in the cult had agreed to testify as well, but most of them were either too intimidated or had been conditioned from an early age to support the men no matter what. Jordan didn’t blame them, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t angry or frustrated at the status quo which put lots of pressure on a traumatized teen. “I promise, I’ll come by later tonight, and then we’ll talk some more. Is that okay with you?”
“Yeah. I guess. Thank you.”
“No problem. I’ll check in with Ellie, and maybe she’ll have time too.”
“I read about this online,” Darla said after Jordan had ended the call. “What a bunch of assholes. It’s good you shut them down.”
Jordan wasn’t going to argue with any of it.
“Call me when you have something. I owe you.”
Darla chuckled. “Just like old times, huh?”
It was Jordan’s turn to barely suppress a shudder. She preferred to think of the future these days.
Chapter Four
Ellie had spent most of the day with a sense of disbelief. She had made a plan. She had always been a planner, but became even more meticulous and disciplined about her goals after her parents’ death. Because life was short, and every moment counted. She hadn’t allowed the man who attacked her on the street one night, to stop her, other than the few days she’d had to spend in the hospital. Even when he came back to abduct her, she had refused to give him power over her life in the aftermath.
She had wanted Jordan. To become a detective. To land a job with Homicide—and after everything she’d invested, it wasn’t fair that this should be the time all her careful planning came to a jarring halt. Ellie knew for certain that she hadn’t made a mistake. It was her calling. It was where she belonged. But the precinct had chosen someone else over her, and at her current workplace, Waters showed no sign of resigning anytime soon.
Ellie never allowed herself to remain in a state of dissatisfaction for long, because there was always something to do, something to work toward…Still, she found herself sitting in the bistro for a late lunch, picking at her salad she didn’t want to order in the first place. Then again, since she was still wearing the uniform, a big piece of pastry and a red wine like she craved, wouldn’t have been the best choice in public. She knew she’d get over it, because she always had.
All her recent achievements, though, professional and personal, couldn’t do away with the facts. The attack and subsequent abduction had changed her. Ellie still had nightmares at times, and she knew they might never go away completely. She and Jordan were going to buy a house together, but that didn’t promise them permanence. And whichever great things she was going to do with her life, her parents were still dead.
Ellie felt the tears burning behind her eyes. She tossed a bill on the table and left her uneaten meal, heading back to her car where she wiped her face angrily. This wasn’t her. She didn’t give up, didn’t dwell. There would be another opportunity. There had to be.
She found the text message from Jordan a few minutes later. They would meet at the station after their respective work shifts, and then go see Ariel.
Perhaps it wasn’t such a bad idea to remind herself that someone had it worse—being as young as she was, Ariel had a lot less control over her life. Ellie wished she could help her more than the occasional phone call or visit. She wasn’t sure how.
In any case, she had decided, she would do her job best she could, go the extra mile even if that involved some unusual tasks.
“I’m so sorry to bother you,” the young mother who had called them, said while her daughter was sobbing. “She’s been up there for over an hour, and we didn’t know what to do.” “She” was the kitten the family had gotten for the girl’s birthday and had recently explored the tree across the street, getting too high up to find a way back on her own.
“That’s all right,” Casey assured her. “I’m going to call the fire department. They take care of these things…Ellie?”
“Come on. We don’t need to call them for that.”
Ellie hadn’t climbed a tree in some time, but she didn’t see any reason for wasting time and resources on this rather easy task. Ignoring Casey’s disbelief, she reached for the cat that didn’t show much appreciation of her rescue efforts.
“Don’t do this,” Ellie spoke to her. “I know it’s tempting to cling to a bad situation, but you’d rather want to be with the people down there. Right?”
She didn’t need to see it to know Casey was rolling her eyes. “Come on, kitty. I don’t have all day, and—ouch. No, definitely don’t do that.”
Finally, the cat was giving up her resistance. Ellie could carefully climb back down and hand it to the girl.
“Thank you so much!” She gave both Ellie and her cat an enthusiastic hug.
“You’re welcome. What is your name?”
“Sandy.”
“All right, Sandy. You promise me to take good care of that kitten?”
The girl nodded.
“Can you tell me what that was?” Casey asked when they were back in the car.
“Saving another kitten? That’s what I do now, apparently.”
“Come on, Harding, what’s the matter with you?”
“What do you mean? It’s part of the job. I’d feel silly waiting for the fire department to show up.”
Another call came over dispatch, a home invasion in progress. Ellie answered it, and they were on their way.
* * * *
The balcony of the apartment door stood open, and they could hear drawers and cabinet doors being opened. A man had climbed over the ground floor railing and entered the apartment, according to the witness. The neighbor didn’t know whether or not the tenant was inside.
“Thank you, Ma’am. Please stay inside now. Okay,” Ellie said after the door closed. “Let’s find out what’s going on here.”
“I’ll call for—damn it, Ellie,” Casey whispered before she followed her onto the small balcony and into the living room. A staircase led to an upper level. They heard heavy footsteps coming from upstairs. Carefully, they made it from the living room towards the source of the noise.
The bedroom door was ajar, and the intruder was inside, turning over the mattress.
“Police! Put your hands up!” Ellie yelled at him. He stood frozen, not reacting to her command either. Her gaze fell onto the bundles of money under the mattress. This home obviously belonged to someone who didn’t trust banks, and chances were, the robber had known about it.
“I said hands up!”
He finally complied long enough for her to cuff him, and Ellie breathed a sigh of relief—only to jump at the sound from another room a moment later. Judging from Casey’s stormy look, she probably wished Ellie would have given her the time to call for backup.
“Is anyone up here? Hello?”
Assured that Casey had her eyes on the robber, Ellie peeked outside the door, holstering her weapon again when she saw a man in boxer shorts coming from a bathroom at the end of the hall.
“It’s all right. We got the intruder, Mr….?”
“Lansing. Wow.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I better put on some pants. I came out of the shower when I heard the sounds, and I thought it was safer to stay in here and call you. Thank you.”
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“You did the right thing. One of your neighbors notified us as well. We’ll just wait for my colleagues now. You can go and get dressed in the meantime.”
“Thanks so much.”
Five minutes later, backup had arrived, and Casey took Ellie aside.
“What is it with you today?”
“What do you mean? The guy might have gotten away if we waited.”
“We were also lucky that there was just one guy.”
Ellie shrugged. “The neighbor told dispatch she saw one man breaking in. What do you want me to say?”
“Follow protocol the next time?”
Today of all days, Ellie wasn’t in the mood to argue. “Sure thing,” she said.
“Good.”
* * * *
After Bishop had completed the composite, Jordan sent the graphic to Darla just in case.
Sorry, that’s not #6, a text message reached her minutes later. He doesn’t look familiar.
No problem. Thanks.
In passing, she heard Officer Chris Atwood laughing. “I hear Bristol is giving Harding a piece of his mind. Can’t seem to follow orders, that one. It’s a miracle she made it as far as she has—well, not really.” Jordan turned to glare at him, but he was already walking away. So Ellie’s day hadn’t gotten better, though she had confirmed earlier that she’d accompany Jordan to the home Ariel was living in.
Jordan decided to find her and try to lift her mood some before they went to see the girl.
She ran into Ellie on the way to the area where the interrogation rooms were located. Perfect.
“Hey, I’m almost done, but there’s something I wanted to show you.”
Ellie sighed. “Please tell me it’s something good. It’s already been a terrible day.”
“I’m sorry I had to hang up on you earlier—and that you didn’t get the job,” Jordan said when Ellie walked back with her. “They have no idea what they’re missing.”
“Well, not according to Casey and Sergeant Bristol. I mean, come on, one guy looking for money and jewelry, and we could catch him right in the act. That kitten on the tree put up more resistance.”
Intentions (Carpenter/Harding Book 6) Page 3