DON'T LIE TO ME: Eva Rae Thomas Mystery #1

by Rose, Willow

  Cooper returned a few minutes later.

  "I got it. It belongs to Thomas Price."

  My eyes instantly grew wide. "Thomas Price?"

  "Yeah, " he said. "Why are you checking up on him?"

  I swallowed, thinking about Sophie and her mother.

  "I have to go, Cooper. Thanks for helping me. I owe you one."

  "But…?"

  I hung up before he could ask any more questions. I stared at the name I had written on a piece of paper on Maddie's desk. I had seen this guy this same morning. Had he taken Maddie? If so, what had he done to her? Was she still alive or had he killed her? Was he also responsible for the death of Sophie Williams?

  I wondered for a few seconds how to handle this. I knew Patricia was terrified of involving the police. She was absolutely right. If the police found out she had left her daughter alone all night, they would have to involve the DCF, and she would lose her child. I couldn't do that to her. But if this guy had taken Maddie, there was no time to waste. Not if we wanted to find her alive.

  Chapter 37

  Maddie couldn't cry anymore. She had been crying so much her blindfold had gotten soaked, but now there were no more tears left in her. Her arms were strapped around her back so tightly they began to hurt, and she tried to sit up straight, but it was impossible when she couldn't use her hands to help. She tried anyway, using her elbow, but just as she just managed to get herself almost up, she fell over and landed flat on her face.

  Maddie cried out in pain as her cheek hit the carpet. She sobbed, feeling sorry for herself and so, so very hungry. Her prison guard had been there and poured water down her throat before pushing the bad-tasting cloth back into her mouth, so she felt like she was choking, taping it shut with duct tape. But she had welcomed the refreshing water in her mouth and throat. Now, she was mostly hungry, but so far, she had gotten no food at all while being held like this and she felt like she was about to die. Her stomach hurt so bad.

  Maddie had felt this starving feeling before when they had run out of food, and her mother hadn't come home. Sometimes, she would be gone for days, working, she said, then come home with purple bruises all over her body. Maddie hated going hungry for days or waking up to an empty fridge. It was the worst. Actually, if she was honest, that wasn't the worst part about her life. The very worst part was the fact that all her friends knew what her mother did for a living. And they would tease her about it. Just the thought of how the kids in her class looked at her filled her with such deep shame it almost made her cry again.

  One time, a boy from her class, Gareth, had held her down and spat in her mouth, telling her to get used to that feeling since she would grow up to be a whore too. That was the most humiliating thing anyone had ever done to her.

  It was Gareth's dad who had seen Maddie's mom down by the harbor one night and then told Gareth about it. The next day, Gareth had told everyone else in their school.

  What Gareth's dad was doing down there at night was something Maddie had often thought about asking him, to get back at him, but that was only when she thought about it afterward, lying at home in her bed. Once the teasing started, she never knew how to say anything. At least nothing clever. Fact was, she too was embarrassed by her mother's profession. She didn't even want to defend herself. Because if her mother was dirty like they said, then so was she.

  Maddie sobbed a little more when she realized that her blindfold had slipped up slightly on the right side and light was coming in. It must have happened when she fell. She managed to push it further up by sliding across the carpet, and soon she could actually see something.

  Maddie gasped as she looked around the barren room with nothing but the carpet she was lying on and strange black foam on the walls. There was only one other thing there. A huge wooden box was placed against the end wall. Maddie stared at it, and as she paid attention, she thought she could hear a noise coming from inside of it.

  It sounded an awful lot like nails scratching against the wood.

  Chapter 38

  "What's the rush?"

  Matt got out of the police cruiser. I was standing in my driveway, where I had asked him to meet me.

  "You said you owed me, remember?" I asked. "Big time, you said. I’m going to have to cash in on that right now."

  It had taken me a couple of deep breaths to call for his help, but the fact was, a girl's life was on the line, and our little quarrel shouldn't be allowed to end up costing her life.

  Matt gave me a look. It reminded me of how he used to look at me on the playground at school. It was a look that I never knew if he wanted to hit me or play with me.

  He scratched his stubble. "Okay. What is it?"

  "It needs to stay between us. You can't tell any of your colleagues."

  "I…I don't know, Eva. It sounds like trouble."

  "It is trouble, but a girl's life is depending on us," I said.

  He wrinkled his forehead. "You're telling me you want me to help you do police work…illegally?"

  I threw out my arms. "Not illegally. Just…bend the rules a little. Help me save a young girl."

  He rolled his eyes at me. "You're going to be my death, Eva Rae Thomas. I always knew you would be."

  I leaned over and smiled. "I’m counting on it. So…do I have your word? That you will keep this between you and me?"

  He stared at me, contemplating, weighing the pros and cons, his nostrils flaring lightly.

  "All right," he said. "But then we're even, you hear me?"

  I exhaled, relieved. "Thank you."

  I told him the story of Maddie and Mrs. Altman and the photo, while his eyes grew wider and wider.

  "And she never told the police?" he asked with anger in his voice.

  "No," I said. "She can't. She's a prostitute. She'll lose her daughter. DCF will take her."

  "Darn right, she will. And she should. For leaving her alone at night," Matt argued. "No kid should be home alone all night."

  "You and I can agree on that, but we can also agree that sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures, okay? This woman is trying her best. Besides, that's not the point here. The girl is in danger, and we can help her. Let's help a girl and her mother, okay?"

  Matt looked at me. He was about to argue again but stopped himself as our eyes locked. I saw the softness in them that I remembered so well. He never could say no to me.

  "All right," he said. "You said you know where she is?"

  "I know who took her," I said. "And I think maybe he's the same one who took Sophie Williams. I did see a white car parked in the alley that night before she was found. It could be this one. You could end up solving your case. Not half bad, huh?"

  "Okay, I’m buying into it. Who is he?"

  "Thomas Price. Sophie Williams’ coach."

  I opened Mrs. Altman's photos on my phone and showed him.

  "Here. This is his car that Maddie was picked up by. This is the last time she was seen. I had Cooper run the plate, and it belonged to Thomas Price."

  He grabbed the phone and studied the picture, then nodded. "Cooper is involved too?"

  "Just for running the plate. He doesn't know anything else."

  Matt gave me a look, then sighed. "All right. Let's go have a chat with him."

  Chapter 39

  Matt handed me his Police jacket to put on while we walked up to the house.

  "Just to make sure you look official," he said.

  I nodded while putting it on. It felt strange to wear one again. Especially in this heat.

  Matt smiled when he saw me wearing it.

  "What?" I asked.

  He shrugged. "It suits you."

  "Very funny," I said as I walked up to the door and knocked. It took a few seconds before Thomas Price opened it. He stared at Matt, then at me, a look of confusion on his face.

  "Officer Miller?" he asked. "What's going on?"

  "We're looking for a girl," he said and showed him the picture of Maddie. "Madeleine Jones. Have you see
n her around?"

  He took a quick look, then shook his head. "Nope. Never seen her before."

  "We have reason to believe she might be hiding somewhere around here," I said. "Could we take a look around inside?"

  Thomas Price shrugged. "I don't see why. She's not here."

  The tone in his voice got angrier…almost hissing.

  "We're not accusing you of anything, Mr. Price," I said. "We just need to take a quick look around."

  He gave me a strange look. "Who is she, Matt? Why is she suddenly everywhere? I thought you had kids to take care of. Or was that just a lie you told me this morning? What is all this? Why are you harassing me?"

  "I assure you, sir, I am not…" I said, but we had lost him. He shook his head violently.

  "If you don't have a warrant, then you're not coming inside," he said.

  "Thomas," Matt pleaded. "It's just a quick look around. If she's not there, we'll be out of here immediately."

  "Why would she be here?" he asked aggressively. "You don't think I know what's in my house? You don't think I would know if a girl was inside my house?"

  "She could be hiding, maybe under a bed or something," I said, thinking this was getting too far out. He was onto us, and there was no way we were getting inside that house.

  "You know what? How about I take a look around myself and then I'll call you if I find a little girl, how about that, huh?" Thomas Price said. As he was about to slam the door shut, I put my foot in it to stop it. It hurt like crazy as he tried to close it anyway, but I didn't care. I pushed it open, pushed him aside, and rushed past him.

  "Maddie?" I called, hurrying into the living room.

  The TV was on but muted. The News was on, talking again about the senator's son. I turned away, then spotted a door and ran to open it. Thomas Price was yelling behind me, but I hurried, so he couldn't catch me. Matt was yelling at me to come back out too. Meanwhile, I rushed into the bedroom and looked around, but found nothing, not even in the closets that I pulled open. I then ran to another bedroom and looked around, even under the bed, but found nothing.

  "Maddie!" I called, hoping she would hear me and answer, but there was nothing.

  Thomas Price was now in the doorway, yelling at me to get the hell out of his house. I walked up to him, stared into his eyes, and felt a chill run down my spine as I saw the look in his.

  "You can't just come in here," he growled. "I know my rights."

  "Where is she?" I asked and showed him the picture of his car from my phone. "She got into your car."

  Then Thomas Price started to laugh. "Did you see my car in the driveway?"

  "No."

  "I don't have a garage, and you assume I have the car somewhere? Where? In my living room?"

  "What are you saying?" I asked.

  He leaned over. I could smell his breath as he spoke. "I gave my car to my mom three weeks ago. She needs it more than I do since hers broke down. I can walk to the ocean from here. If I need to go further, I just pick it up at her place."

  Matt came up behind him. I felt the blood leave my face.

  "Embarrassing, huh, Officers?"

  "You could still have borrowed it, and the car is part of an ongoing investigation," I said.

  Coach Thomas shook his head. "You're crazy, lady. Now, please, get out of my house. I wonder what the chief is going to say when she hears about this. You know she and I go way back, right?"

  Chapter 40

  I looked at Matt. We were driving back in his cruiser. It was getting dark out, and bugs were dancing in the headlights. I felt terrible.

  "I am so sorry," I said. "I was so certain she was there, you know with his connection to Sophie Williams and everything."

  Matt sighed and stopped the cruiser outside my house. "You were only trying to help…I guess."

  "I hope I didn't get you in trouble?" I asked.

  "We'll see. But maybe…just maybe you should leave the police work to me from now on, okay?" he said, forcing a smile. "I know you used to be a big shot and everything, but maybe you need to focus on yourself and your family right now."

  I grabbed the door handle, then opened the door before looking at him again.

  "Thank you, Matt. I am glad you were here today. I’m just sad we didn't find the girl."

  "Well, I did owe you one. But now we're even, okay?" he said. "I'll go talk to Price's mother before I head home today. Just to make sure the girl isn’t over there, but I know her, and she's an old woman. Still, I'll check just to be certain. I’m sure that'll help you sleep better tonight."

  I nodded. "Thanks."

  I watched his cruiser as it disappeared down the road, then turned with a deep sigh and walked inside. I knew I wasn't supposed to do any more police work, but how could I not? Maddie was still out there somewhere, and her mother had put her confidence in me finding her.

  Barely had I set my foot inside of the house before Olivia stood in front of me, hands on her sides, an angry look in her eyes.

  Uh-oh.

  "Where have you been?" she asked.

  "I…I had to be somewhere, why? Is everything all right?" I grabbed my phone and looked at it—eleven calls and seven texts, all from Christine. My first thought was that something had happened to Alex, but as I finished the thought, I heard a loud scream coming from the stairs, and Alex came storming toward me, holding out a sword. I exhaled in relief. The boy was okay. Louder than ever, but okay. Then what was it?

  "Is it Christine?" I asked, my heart beginning to race.

  "You’re darn right it is," Olivia said.

  "What happened?" I asked, panic beginning to rush through me.

  "You missed it," Olivia said.

  "I missed what?" I asked. "Olivia, tell me what is going on right away. You're scaring me."

  "Her concert," Alex screamed.

  I looked at him then up at Olivia. "What concert?"

  "Christine's concert. It was tonight," Olivia added.

  "What concert? I never heard anything about a concert?" I asked, still feeling confused.

  "Her choir concert," my daughter said. "She even put the note up on the fridge to remind you; look. You really mean to tell me you didn't know?"

  I rushed to the fridge. There it was, right in the middle where I couldn't miss it.

  How could I not have known this?

  "So…where is she now?" I asked.

  "She's still there. But it's too late to go," Olivia said. "The concert is over now. She'll be home soon."

  "Oh, okay," I said, disappointed. "Guess I'll have to make my famous chili for dinner, huh? Her favorite." I was about to take out some meat when I paused. "Say…how did she get there? Did she bike?"

  Olivia shook her head. "Nope. She got a ride from someone."

  "She got a ride? From whom?" I asked.

  Olivia shrugged. "How am I supposed to know that? Some parent, I guess."

  Chapter 41

  I was about to explode with anxiety for the next fifteen minutes. It felt like forever; that's how nervous I was. I couldn't stop thinking about Maddie Jones and the white car. What if Christine never came back? Just like Maddie had never come back?

  I was terrified.

  I called my parents and talked to my dad. My mom said she couldn't deal with this right now and gave the phone to my dad, who calmed me down. I told him about Maddie and how she had gotten into a car with a stranger and how I was so scared the same thing had happened to Christine. I told him how we had been on the trail of finding her, tracing the car, but had run into a dead end.

  "I get why you’re freaking out," he said. "Believe me; I do. There is nothing worse than not knowing where your kid is. But you have to remain calm. It won't help anything if you lose it. It won't bring her back. Give it time. She might be back."

  After exactly fifteen minutes of me watching the driveway from my window, my stomach in knots, biting my nails, a car drove up the street, and I spotted my daughter in the window. The car slowed down to a stop, and she got
out, then walked up to the house. I ran to the door, heart beating hard in my chest.

  "Christine!"

  I was about to take her in my arms, but she pulled away.

  "Mom. How could you forget?"

  "I am so sorry, baby, I am so, so sorry. I…I hadn't seen the note on the fridge. I know I should have but I didn't…and I was just so…scared."

  She wrinkled her forehead. "You were scared? Why?"

  "Christine. You went in a car with a complete stranger. What have I told you all your life about strangers?"

  Christine stared at me. "You've got to be kidding me? You're making this about you again? Of course, you are. You're trying to make me feel bad when you're the one who screwed up? All the other parents were there. I was the only one whose mother wasn't there. Do you have any idea how that feels? I almost missed the entire concert because you weren't there to take me. I waited forever for you to come home. I called you a million times, but you didn't answer. I was about to go by bike, but I knew I would get there too late, when he came along. Luckily, he could take me, and I made it in time."

  "Who?" I asked, my hands still shaking. "Who took you there?"

  "His name is Phillip," she said. "He's the captain at the fire station. He was wearing his uniform. He said he knew you."

  "And you went with him? In his car? Just like that?" I said, my heart thumping in my chest. After all the years I had spent telling my girls to be careful, I couldn't believe she could be so careless.

  "Would you stop it? It's not like that," she said. "He was only trying to be nice. Besides, I’m back, aren't I? Nothing happened."

  She was about to walk past me when I grabbed her arm. "This time. Promise me you'll never do it again. Never get into a car with a stranger."

  Christine looked at me, then rolled her eyes at me. "Mom, would you cut it out? I know something bad happened to you once. I know some guy tried to grab you in Wal-Mart; I know it happened to you, but it doesn't…"