True Deceit (Blindsided Book 1)

by A. J. Carella

  Getting up from the kitchen table, Kat went to the counter to make herself another cup of coffee. It really was a sad reflection on her life that she could drop everything and walk away so easily. There was no one who needed her, who would even miss her. Not even a cat. The thought did nothing for her mood, which was low that morning anyway.

  For years she’d held the fact that she’d done the right thing all those years ago close to her heart. It had helped her get past the nights when she’d cried herself to sleep, when the ache within her had almost been too much to bear. Since she’d been back, though, she’d started to see things through different eyes. Would it have been so awful if she’d stayed? Seeing that Finn was happy despite not pursuing his dream threw a shadow of doubt over her that hadn’t been there before, and she didn’t like it.

  Realizing that she’d been staring into her coffee until it had gone cold, she checked the clock on the wall. Past one. Feeling selfish for wallowing in thoughts of herself, she pushed them aside and brought her attention back to what she had to do today.

  She was hoping that going through the files might throw up something, anything, that may give them a clue. She’d seen it happen many times; a case gone completely cold until looked at with a pair of fresh eyes. Something looked at so many times that it didn’t stand out and got missed.

  Jake and Carrie were both out, so she locked the door behind her as she left and climbed into her car. She had to go through town to get to the address Finn had given her so she stopped at the coffee shop and got them both a coffee on the way.

  She could see as soon as she pulled up outside the address Finn had given her that the house was well cared for. It wasn’t large, a typical two bed, two bath with a small yard out front and larger yard out back. The grass was neatly mowed and it looked as if the house had not long ago had a new coat of paint.

  It occurred to her as she walked up the path to the front door that she hadn’t asked if he lived here alone. Suddenly feeling awkward, she knocked on the door. There was nothing but silence from the other side, so she knocked again. Still nothing. He wouldn’t have forgotten would he?

  Walking back down the path she noticed the garage at the side of the house and walked towards it. As she drew closer, she could hear the unmistakable sound of country and western coming from behind the garage door.

  Knocking on it loudly so she could be heard above the music, she heard it stop before the garage door was pushed open. Finn stood there, covered in oil with a wrench in his hand. Behind him was one of the most beautiful cars she’d ever seen.

  “Is that what I think it is?” she asked, walking towards the car. “A 1967 Pontiac GTO?” She walked around it admiringly. “Didn’t you have a poster of one of these on your bedroom wall in high school?” She remembered it; it had had the prized place above his bed.

  “You remember that?” he asked, wiping his oily hands on a rag before taking the coffee she was holding out to him. “Thanks.”

  She just nodded, not trusting herself to speak. There were many things she remembered about his bedroom back then.

  “Come on in the house.” He closed the garage door and led her through a side door into the kitchen. “I’ll go wash up. Make yourself at home. The living room is through there.” He pointed to a door just down the hall before disappearing upstairs and leaving her alone.

  The house was nicely decorated in neutral colors, but it still managed to feel warm and welcoming, partly due to the clever use of accent colors but also because of the many pictures adorning the walls. They were all along the walls in the hall, and when she went into the living room, she saw that they were on the walls there, too. Taking a closer look she could see that they were pictures of family and friends in various settings. On vacation, rock climbing, by the beach, even one of Finn sitting astride a surf board, smiling for the camera.

  She couldn’t help but wonder who had taken that picture. A girlfriend? There were no obvious signs that anyone else lived in the house though. Kat wasn’t entirely sure why, but that made her feel better.

  She didn’t have long to dwell on the question as she heard Finn coming down the stairs, and a moment later he appeared in the doorway. Gone were the overalls, replaced by jeans and a clean t-shirt and his hair was still damp from the shower.

  “Right. I’m all yours.” He smiled. “I’ve put all the files in the dining room so we can use the table to spread out.”

  Following him, she saw a single cardboard box on the dining room table. She was pleased to see that it was full, telling her that a lot of work had been put into the case. Taking seats on opposite sides of the table, they split the contents of the box between them and got to work.

  ***

  Over the next few hours, they pored over every single piece of paper that the investigation had generated so far. They painstakingly went over all the statements that had been taken, all the forensic reports and all the interview transcripts from people they’d questioned about her disappearance and found nothing.

  “Someone must have seen something!” Kat cried, throwing the document she was reading down on the table.

  Looking up from his own reading, Finn could see that the frustration was getting to her. “Look, why don’t we take a break?” he stood up from the table. “We’ve been at this for hours, we’ve earned it. There’s a deck out back, I’ll grab us a beer.”

  He’d pretty much expected that they wouldn’t find anything in the files. He’d gone through them enough times himself, and though he was no high and mighty L.A. detective, he was a good cop and he was sure he would have spotted anything they’d missed. She needed to see that for herself, though, and he understood that. She’d never be able to move on until she’d done everything she could.

  Taking two cold beers from the fridge, he carried them out to the deck where Kat was already sitting. It was just after five, and though the sun was going down, it was still warm in the late afternoon sun. Handing her one of the beers, he lowered himself into the unoccupied deck chair. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, sitting in companionable silence, sipping their beers.

  “What do you think happened to her?”

  He looked over at her but she wasn’t looking at him; she was looking into the distance. “I don’t know, I really don’t.”

  “You must have some ideas, though? What does your gut tell you?” She turned and looked at him now and he could see the need for answers in her eyes.

  He wasn’t sure she wanted to hear the answer to that question, but he needed to be honest. “I think she walked away.”

  “What?” She turned to face him, her voice betraying her anger. “You really believe that? So what’s all this, then? Going through the files, showing me the car. Humoring me?”

  “Kat, calm down and hear me out, will you?” He’d known his opinion wouldn’t be popular. “Look, everything points to it. Her fiancé had not long before been murdered, there was absolutely no sign of a struggle and according to just about everyone we spoke to, she didn’t have any enemies.”

  Kat was shaking her head. “No. No way. She wasn’t that kind of girl. She would never have just walked away from her life and not let her folks know she was okay, never.”

  “You did.” He regretted it the moment the words left his lips and he saw the flash of anger in her eyes.

  “What? How dare you?” She was breathing hard now. “I walked away, yes, for a damned good reason. And my family knew exactly where I was. It’s not the same thing at all.” She stood up. “This hasn’t been about helping me find Jamie at all has it? It’s been about you getting your kicks because your macho pride is still hurt because I walked out on you.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous. If you’d just calm down, you’d see what I’m saying makes sense.”

  “I’ll see myself out.” She turned and went back into the house.

  He watched as she went, slamming the porch door behind her, and debated whether to follow. Deciding it was best just to let her calm down, h
e remained on the deck long after he’d heard her car start up and pull away, the squeal of her tires telling him it might be a while before she did.

  She had been wrong, though. That wasn’t why he thought the way he did. There simply wasn’t any evidence pointing to foul play. He truly did want to help her, but she needed to accept that she may not like what they discovered. If they discovered anything at all.

  I should have just said no, he thought to himself. It would have been much easier if he’d just told her to deal with the chief directly. He was glad he had company coming over tonight. He really didn’t want to spend time analyzing his reasons for saying yes again. He wasn’t sure he’d like the result.

  Twenty-Six

  She was still pissed, but the fire had gone from her anger. She’d spent the evening slamming her way around the house and even Carrie had had the good sense to avoid her. In the mood she was in, she would have gone for the jugular.

  She had no idea why she’d reacted as strongly as she had but, if she was honest with herself, she figured it probably had something to do with the guilt she felt. Being in this place again was too much. This was exactly why she’d never come back. She needed to get out of here as soon as she could and get back to her own life. It may not be a particularly full one, but at least she wasn’t on an emotional roller coaster all the time.

  The house was quiet now as she padded back upstairs with a glass of hot milk. She’d had it as a child when she couldn’t sleep and thought she’d give it a try. It was nearly 3 a.m. and she hadn’t slept a wink, even though she was so tired her bones ached.

  Propping herself up in bed, she settled back to watch the news. They were showing a special report about a suspected serial killer in the next state. The hot milk nearly scalded her as she spilled it down herself, leaping out of bed. It was her! It had only been a few seconds, but there was no doubt in her mind. Jamie had been in that broadcast!

  For a moment, she didn’t know what to do, shocked by what she had just seen. She wanted to run and wake up Jake and tell him that his sister was alive, but what if she was wrong? No, she couldn’t raise his hopes like that.

  Immediately, she thought of Finn. She had to speak to Finn. Shit! She’d never gotten his cellphone number. She very briefly considered waiting until morning, but that thought was quickly pushed aside. This couldn’t wait until then; she had to see him now.

  Throwing on a pair of jeans and a sweater, she ran down the stairs as quietly as she could. If she woke Jake and Carrie up, they’d want to know where she was going in the middle of the night and she couldn’t tell them, not yet.

  The roads were deserted as she drove way over the speed limit in her hurry to get there, replaying what she’d seen in her mind. She was absolutely sure it was her. She looked different, and she’d been dressed like a hooker, but it was her. She was sure of it.

  Pulling her car to a stop outside Finn’s house, all thoughts of what had happened earlier long gone, she banged on his door. She’d been banging for what felt like ages before a light went on upstairs. She heard someone on the other side of the door and saw a shadow fall across the peephole. The door opened and Finn stood there in his shorts, his hair rumpled from where he’d been sleeping.

  “Kat? It’s the middle of the night! What’s wrong?” He rubbed his eyes.

  Trying to keep her eyes averted from his naked chest, the words tumbled out of her mouth. “She’s alive! Jamie! She’s alive!” She walked past him into the house. “I saw her on TV. I know it was her!”

  “Whoa, slow down!” He took hold of her arms to get her to stand still “What on earth are you talking about?”

  “I was watching TV just now and I saw her!”

  “Is everything okay?” Kat spun round at the sound of a female voice. About halfway up the stairs stood a woman, wearing nothing but a man’s shirt. She was quite beautiful, with long red, curly hair and a great pair of legs, from what she could see.

  Suddenly, she felt incredibly foolish. What had she been thinking, coming over here in the middle of the night? It had never occurred to her that he wouldn’t be alone, though she didn’t know why.

  “Shit. I’m sorry, I don’t know what I was thinking.” She couldn’t look at Finn. “Look, I’ll come back in the morning. I’m so sorry.” She had her hand on the door handle when Finn stopped her.

  “Kat, its fine. Isn’t it, babe?” He addressed the woman on the stairs. “You don’t mind, do you? It’s work.”

  “Of course I don’t. I’ll go back to bed. Nice to meet you.” She offered to Kat before turning and going back up the stairs.

  Finn led her into the living room before closing the door gently and turning to her. “Now, what’s this all about?”

  Taking a deep breath and trying to explain properly this time, Kat told him what she’d seen on the news a short time ago.

  “Are you sure? It’s the middle of the night. You’re tired and, understandably, a bit emotional at the moment.”

  She could hear the doubt in his voice and it irritated her. “Don’t patronize me. I may be tired and emotional, but I’m still a highly trained detective. My brain hasn’t turned to mush. I know what I saw and it was her.”

  He looked her in the eye and she met his gaze unwaveringly. For a few moments they remained like that, eyes locked, before he spoke again. “Okay. I believe you. Well, there’s nothing we can do tonight so we should both try and get some sleep. We can look into it first thing in the morning.”

  Like she was going to get any sleep now! She should have just waited until it was light before charging round here, but she’d been so shocked that she’d just needed to tell him right away. “Yes. Of course, you’re right. Please apologize to your friend for me.”

  “There’s nothing to apologize for. This is wonderful news. Don’t worry, okay?” He took hold of her upper arms, looking into her eyes “we’ll find her.”

  ***

  She watched as the lights downstairs went off before she started her engine. Seeing that woman on the stairs had come as a shock, though she had no idea why. Did she honestly think that he’d spent the last twenty years pining for her? She had no claim on him, but her own feelings were betraying her.

  She’d needed his help but she could take it from here. She needed to distance herself from him. Being this close wasn’t healthy. She’d thought she’d be able to handle it, but she was wrong.

  The news broadcast had been filmed in Parkway. If she left now, she could be there by breakfast time. She just needed to swing by the house, pack a few things and leave a note for Jake. She would just tell him that she was following up on a lead, where she was headed and that she would be in touch as soon as she had any news.

  With one last look at the house, she put the car in drive and drove off.

  Twenty-Seven

  Apart from a couple of coffee and bathroom stops, she’d driven through the night and had arrived at Parkway’s local TV station at just after 8 a.m.

  She knew she was right, but what Finn had said last night had been nagging at her constantly on the drive. What if she was wrong and it was wishful thinking? She needed to be sure before she went off on a wild goose chase, and the only way to do that was going to the source.

  Leaving her car in the parking lot out front, she went inside. The TV station was one of the smaller local stations and was situated in an older building away from the center of town where the other, bigger, stations were based. A bored security guard manned the reception desk, and when she asked to see someone about the broadcast he lazily waved his hand towards an elevator to his left and told her to go to the third floor.

  Stepping out, she looked around, unsure who to speak to. The whole floor was open with cubicles dotted around, many already occupied even at this early hour. No one paid her any attention as she spotted an enclosed office in the far corner and made her way over to it.

  A harassed-looking man waved her in impatiently when she knocked, barely glancing in her direction.


  “Hi. I wonder if you can help me.”

  “Who are you?” He looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Do you work here?”

  “No, I’ve come about a news broadcast you showed last night.” She held out her hand. “My name is Kat Mckay.”

  He took her outstretched hand. “I’m sorry. Everyone is supposed to be met in reception. I’ll have to speak to Gus about that he shouldn’t have just sent you up. I’m John Flint. I’m in charge around here. How can I help you?”

  Kat explained what she’d come for.

  “And you think your missing niece was captured on the broadcast? Okay, well there’s one way to find out for sure.” He stood up. “Follow me and I’ll take you down to the production office. They’ll be able to show you a tape of the show and you can find out either way.”

  After explaining what she needed and wishing her luck, John left her in the production office. It took a few minutes for them to bring up the broadcast and her stomach was in knots by the time they indicated that it was ready.

  Taking a seat in front of one of the many screens in the room, she held her breath as the technician pressed play. “Stop it there!” she said when they were a couple of minutes into the tape. Frozen on the screen was her niece. There was absolutely no doubt about it.

  “Can I get a copy of the tape?”

  “Yep, sure,” the technician replied, and quickly made her a copy before handing her a disc.

  Thanking him, she quickly made her way back out of the building to her car. Though she was exhausted from being up most of the night, she didn’t have time to rest. She needed to get this tape to the police as soon as possible.

  ***

  She’d felt excited and hopeful on the way over to the Parkway P.D. building, in downtown Parkway. Those feelings had quickly dissipated, though, and now she was growing increasingly frustrated with the detective that had taken her into a side room to listen to her story. One thing was for sure, she was getting a better understanding of the victims of crime she dealt with must feel. Usually she was on the other side of the table, the one asking the questions. Now, though, she was at the mercy of the great lump of a man sitting opposite her who didn’t seem in any hurry to get anything done to find Jamie.