by Rose Pressey
He sped out of the parking lot. I had to race to catch up to him. I wanted to be able to keep my distance though so he wouldn’t see me. Since he was driving like a lunatic I had to as well. I was pretty soon someone would call the police on us. Jake would somehow get word that I was driving like a lunatic around town. He might not actually be surprised by that—unhappy, but not surprised.
Kenneth made a couple of turns and I used my best maneuvers to keep up with him. Maybe he did know I was back there after all, but something told me he always drove like a jackass. I was just hoping that he stopped soon. I didn’t want to keep driving like this for long. If he kept it up there might be an accident. I wouldn’t be a part of that. I should call Jake and have him pull the guy over. He could arrest him for driving too fast. Or I could just make a citizen’s arrest on my own, I supposed. For now I would keep following.
A short distance farther he pulled into the apartment complex and drove slowly around the building. I kept my distance and hoped that I would be able to find him. This place wasn’t nearly as congested as the roads, so I couldn’t stay right on him or he would see me right away. When I turned around the side of the building, I didn’t spot him. Then I realized he had parked so I whipped into the first spot that I saw.
I watched as he got out of the car and walked over to an apartment. He shoved the key into the lock and opened the door. I jumped off the scooter and headed over toward his apartment. I assumed since he had the key that it was his place. I didn’t know what I was going to say to him, but I wanted answers and he was going to give them to me right now.
Sure, this was a bit of a crazy move, but I had to do whatever it took to find Dorothy. He had left the door open. I figured he’d thought it was closed. I didn’t care. I was going to be as intimidating as possible in order to get answers from him. I opened the door further and peeked inside. He was nowhere around, so I stepped inside the apartment.
I had my gun with me if he decided to start shooting or something, although I was technically breaking and entering his home, I supposed. But those were minor details. Singing came from the back of the apartment. He was really lousy at it too. It sounded more like an injured animal. I walked to the bedroom door and spotted him standing there. Unfortunately, he had no clothes on. I knocked on the doorframe. Kenneth screamed and spun around. In the process he tumbled to the floor.
“What the hell are you doing in here? Have you lost your mind?” He grabbed the blanket from the bed and attempted to cover up. “I knew you were nuts.”
“I want to know where my assistant is. I know you have something to do with her disappearance.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’m calling the cops.” He reached toward the nightstand.
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” I said with a wave of my hand.
What was I thinking? He stopped and stared at me with wide eyes. He wasn’t a tough criminal. I couldn’t believe he was actually doing as I told him.
“Look, tell me what you know and I will leave,” I said.
“I told you that I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
I stared at him. “You and your father are involved with this. How do you know Kevan Willoughby? Why did he kill Brett McGraw?”
He seemed nervous and not just because I was standing in his bedroom. No, I got the impression he knew more and was pretending innocence.
“I don’t know,” Kenneth said.
“We can do this the easy way or we can do this the hard way. It’s your choice,” I said.
He scoffed. I knew he couldn’t tell if I was being serious.
“You want to test me?” I asked.
I scanned the room. I spotted a pack of cigarettes on the dresser. I eased over to the piece of furniture, keeping my eye on him in case he decided to make a move.
I picked up the pack of cigarettes. “These yours?”
“Yeah, you can have them if you’ll just leave,” he said.
“No, thanks, I don’t smoke. I don’t want the wrinkles.”
He shrugged.
“It’s funny.” I held the pack of cigarettes up.
“What’s funny?” he asked.
“This is a lesser-smoked brand of cigarettes. It’s not that common.”
“So what?” he said with an attitude.
“It just so happens that I discovered this same kind of cigarette outside my office. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.” I stepped closer to him.
He moved a little closer to the nightstand. Did he have something in there that he was trying to reach?
“Why don’t you tell me why you were at my office? Where is Dorothy?” I demanded.
“I don’t know,” he yelled.
This was getting me nowhere. I had to be tougher with him. Jake wouldn’t be happy with me if he found out about this. That meant that I couldn’t let him find out about this. In one swift movement, I reached out and grabbed the blanket, ripping it off of Kenneth. He gasped and covered his front area with his hands. If I hadn’t been so mad and wanted to find Dorothy I would’ve laughed at his reaction.
I was losing my patience with him though. This was getting me nowhere. Maybe he really didn’t know anything about it, but his reaction just sent off strange vibes to me. What else could I do to him? I couldn’t threaten him more. I would have to just leave. That was upsetting considering the discovery of the cigarettes.
Maybe Jake could match fingerprints from the cigarettes that I’d found at my office to the pack I’d just taken from his dresser. That was better than nothing. I supposed that made me feel a little better about this trip. Not a complete success, but better than nothing.
A sniffle sounded across the room. He whimpered and wiped at his eyes. Actual tears ran down his cheeks.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
This was really awkward. I didn’t know if he was just trying to trick me or this was real emotion. I didn’t know what to do next. He didn’t answer me. I moved back for the door so that I could get out of there. I would give the cigarettes to Jake and maybe he could help me go from there.
“Look, I’m leaving, okay? So you can stop crying now.”
He sat on the floor with no clothes on and crying. What had I done? I’d scared him so much he was having an emotional breakdown. I wasn’t sure if this was part of the private investigator thing. He wiped his tears from his cheeks. If he was acting then he deserved some sort of award for that. Nevertheless, I was getting out of there.
As I backed up I bumped right into somebody. I couldn’t help but scream. When I turned around I realized Jake was standing right behind me. How did he know where to find me? Needless to say he had a funny expression on his face, considering I was in a room with a man with no clothing on and who was still sniffling.
“Oh, hi, Jake,” I said.
His right eyebrow lifted slightly at my casual greeting. “Should I even ask what’s going on here or would you like for me to give you two some privacy?”
The look on his face was similar to the one I gave Dorothy when I caught her tossing breadcrumbs to the seagulls. It sounded as if he was a tad upset. I supposed I had some explaining to do.
“I came here to get answers from the guy.” I gestured with my thumb.
“She’s crazy. She has me trapped in this room. Can I please have the blanket now?” he asked.
Jake stepped into the room and grabbed the blanket. He tossed it to the guy. Kenneth hurriedly wrapped the blanket around his waist.
I handed Jake the pack of cigarettes. “I found these. They match the butt I found in front of my office. It’s not a usual brand, so I think that there’s a connection.”
“What can you tell us about this?” Jake held the pack of cigarettes up.
“I told her I don’t know anything,” Kenneth said.
“I saved the cigarette butt so that you can take fingerprints off that and compare them to the ones on that package,” I said. “Then you would know for sure if he’s
telling the truth.”
The guy got a funny look on his face. “Okay, I’ll tell you what I know.”
Now we were talking.
“Can I put on some clothes first at least?” the guy asked.
“We’ll be right outside this door. Hurry up,” Jake warned.
We stepped out in the hallway in order to let him dress. Soon enough Jake would put the cuffs on him. At least that was the way it played out in my mind.
Chapter 29
“How did I manage to walk in on you and a guy with no clothes on?” Jake asked.
“There’s a good explanation for that,” I said.
Jake smiled. “I’d love to hear it.”
“Well, he was apparently getting in the shower when I walked in the bedroom.”
“So you just came in? Maggie, that’s very dangerous. You shouldn’t do that. Why are you in his apartment?”
“The door was open. It was like an invitation. I called out to him, but he didn’t answer because he was too busy singing. I just let myself in.”
“Why did you do that?” Jake asked.
“I wanted to ask him where he took Dorothy. I know he has something to do with it and I want answers.”
“Maggie, there are just certain ways you have to do things, and walking into someone’s home isn’t good. Not to mention when they have no clothes on is probably not the best timing.”
“Duly noted,” I said. “What is taking him so long?”
Jake checked his watch. “I don’t know. It is taking a long time.”
Worry set in. What if he’d gotten away? There was a window he could’ve gotten out. Why hadn’t I thought of that first? We should have never left him alone. He’d been nude when I’d walked in, so he surely could’ve dressed in front of me. I’d already seen all he had.
“I’m going to check on him.” I couldn’t just stand back and wait for him.
Jake stopped me. “I’ll check.” Jake wrapped his hand around the door knob and turned. “How’s it going in there?”
When he didn’t get an answer he opened the door all the way and walked in. I hurried in right behind him. My gaze went straight to the window. Sure enough, it was open.
“I knew it. We shouldn’t have left him here alone,” I said.
Jake looked back toward the bathroom and closet area, but the guy wasn’t there. I hated to make Jake feel bad, but if he’d have let me handle the guy Kenneth would still be here now. Jake ran over to the window and looked out. Too bad it was the first floor. If Kenneth had tried to jump out the second or third floor maybe we could’ve caught him. I was surprised that I hadn’t heard any noise in there. I’d known it was too quiet. When it was quiet people were doing things they weren’t supposed to. I couldn’t help but feel a bit defeated right now. Now this guy knew we were looking for him, and no way would he return. Where would I find him now?
I stared out the window over the parking lot. “Do you see him anywhere?”
Jake stood beside me. “He’s gone.”
“Where could he have gotten away to so quickly? Do you think he dressed before he took off?”
“If he has no clothes on then we’ll probably get some calls,” Jake said. “Most likely he dressed though.”
“Maybe some of the neighbors saw him,” I said. “Now we know he definitely has something to hide or he wouldn’t have taken off.”
“He probably realizes he can’t hide from you.” Jake managed to keep a straight face while he said that.
When I took one step forward, I ended up getting set back two.
“Where is your partner?” I asked.
“She had some other things to do,” he said.
Thank goodness for that. I really didn’t want to deal with her attitude right now.
“We should get out of here,” Jake said, gesturing toward the door.
“At least I got the cigarettes for you and the fingerprints. I told you I would.”
“Yes, and I told you I didn’t want to know how you did it. Then I walked in on it.”
“I can’t help it if you came here. Besides, why are you here?” I asked. “Are you checking up on me again?”
“I just happened to be in the neighborhood,” he said.
“Right.”
Jake scanned the apartment. Nothing seemed unusual so we walked to the door.
“So what happens now?” I asked as we stepped outside.
Once outside I surveyed the area, just in case Kenneth was hiding somewhere and waiting for us to leave. So far I hadn’t spotted him anywhere.
“We’ll issue an arrest warrant. We need to get him down to the station and we can question him.”
“I’d like to be there for that,” I said.
“I bet you would,” Jake said. “I see a lot of your uncle in you. From what I’ve heard he didn’t always have the most ethical ways of getting information, if you know what I mean.”
“I’ve done nothing wrong,” I said. “Furthermore, my uncle only did what needed to be done.”
“Abby told me what you did for her back at the building.”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. “I figured she wouldn’t tell you anything about that.”
“Abby may have a funny way of showing it, but she really does appreciate it. And I do too. I know that you two don’t exactly get along.”
“I have nothing against her. She’s just a little standoffish.”
“Yeah, that’s just her nature.”
“If you say so,” I said.
“But anyway I want to thank you.”
“She already said thanks… kind of,” I said.
“Maggie, you’re always getting yourself into danger. Seems like when I tell you not to do something you do the exact opposite.”
“So maybe you should start telling me to get into danger.” I smiled.
He laughed. “Now you might have an idea.”
“I’m not exactly sure what I’m going to do from here, but I can’t go back to the office and just sit around. I hope we will find her.”
“I know we will.”
I just hoped that it wasn’t too late.
My cell rang, but I didn’t recognize the number. I picked up anyway, just in case it was something important.
“Maggie, P.I.,” I said.
“We have your friend,” the man said.
My stomach dropped. “Where is she?”
“You have to come get her,” he said.
“Why do you have her?”
“We want to talk to you,” he said.
“Tell me where to go. I’ll be there right now.”
Jake stepped closer since he noticed the distress in my voice. The guy gave me the address and then the phone went dead.
“What is it, Maggie?” Jake asked.
“The man said they have Dorothy.”
“Tell me where to go.” Jake grabbed my arm and rushed me toward his car.
“They said not to bring the cops.”
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” he said.
“I don’t want Dorothy to get hurt,” I said.
“I promise I won’t let that happen,” Jake said as he opened his car.
I had to trust that he was telling the truth.
After jumping into his car, we took off out of the parking lot with the sirens blaring and the lights swirling. Thank goodness he hadn’t argued that I couldn’t come along. Jake had practically insisted I come along by the way he showed me to his car.
We navigated the streets to the address. I was so nervous about what I would find once we arrived. When Jake pulled the car up to the curb I opened the door before he even got the engine turned off.
“Maggie, wait for me,” Jake said.
I had to get to Dorothy. There was no time to slow down now. Once I reached the porch I slowed down though. Maybe it wasn’t a good idea to go in there by myself. I had no idea who was in there waiting for me. They obviously wanted something from me. They weren’t going to turn Dorothy over for no reas
on. Jake and I walked up toward the house. He had his hand on his gun as we reached the door.
“They probably won’t open the door if they see me,” he said. “You’ll have to knock on the door and stand there so that they open for you.”
I hoped he had a plan after that happened. It sounded like I was the bait in this situation. I knocked on the door and within seconds, Roland Bailey opened it. The room was dark. Roland stood in front of me, eyeing me up and down. Then he motioned for me to come in. I stepped forward, but at the same time surreptitiously peeked over at Jake. He gave a nod.
I turned my attention to the darkened room again and spotted Dorothy. I had to hold back the tears. I couldn’t let Roland know that I was upset or afraid. That would give him the upper hand. I had to keep calm and remain in control. Of course that was easier said than done with Jake standing next to me with a gun, and who knew how many men inside the house with guns.
Chapter 30
Dorothy had a gag around her mouth and she was tied to a chair. That made my blood boil. How dared they treat her that way? I stepped forward slightly. Suddenly I knew what Jake’s plan was. Wouldn’t this guy be surprised?
Jake popped up from behind me. Roland spotted the gun pointed at him and looked as if he’d seen a ghost. He spun around and took off in a sprint across the room. He disappeared around the corner. I darted out of the way so that Jake could enter the house. I had to get to Dorothy.
Her eyes were fixed on me. I knew she was pleading with me to help her.
“Don’t worry, Dorothy, I’m coming to help you,” I said.
Jake took off in the direction that Roland had run. I wished I could help Jake, but I couldn’t leave Dorothy alone, tied up in this dark room. What if there were other men back there waiting for Jake? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. He wouldn’t be able to defend himself against all of them. How many were there? I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I let something happen to Dorothy or Jake. We needed to call for backup. Where was Abby when we needed her?
When I rushed over to Dorothy the first thing I did was take that rag out of her mouth.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” Dorothy said.