by WL Knightly
Commander Clark eased back in his chair and looked up at Ethan with a suspicious eye. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with your own personal interests, would it?”
“No, sir. As I said, I just want to look into it if you could spare me for a while. A couple of weeks, maybe?”
“Actually, it’s not a bad time to approve it. I just don’t want this to be personal or messy. You’re a good agent, and you have a bright future, so don’t go screwing it up.” He could tell the man wasn’t sure if he was doing the right thing.
“I don’t want to screw it up, sir. I just want to take a look at the case.”
“Well, I guess it couldn’t hurt. If you think the tip that you got holds any weight. And I guess if it finally puts any personal curiosities to bed at the same time, it won’t be a crime.”
“Thank you, sir.” He wasn’t going to deny having the same thought. “Again, it’s not the intention I’m going with, but I can’t disagree.”
“Well, I know you’ve had a difficult time and done well for someone who had such a burden to bear.”
He wondered if that included being pitied when rumors of his girlfriend leaving him for another man had surfaced around the department. “Thank you, sir. So, do I have your permission?”
“Yes, but I want you to check-in, and I’ll need to see some progress if you’re there more than the two weeks.” He gave Ethan a hard look as if to warn him he meant business.
“Yes, sir. Thank you. I’ll be leaving at the first opportunity. I’ll check in when I’m on the ground.”
“Well, stay out of the Hollywood sun. It’s a good place to get burned.”
“I’ll stick to my purpose, sir. I’m not treating it as a holiday.” No matter how badly he might need one.
“Well, if anyone deserves one, it’s you.” Commander Clark stood up and shook his hand. “Good luck.”
Ethan thanked him again and left his office feeling like he had made a small step toward learning the truth. He might not be able to figure out what happened to Katherine, but if he could help the other woman, maybe he could finally let her go.
Chapter 2
Sarah
Just as she was finishing with her rough draft, Sarah Green heard footsteps clicking up the hall. When she glanced up, she shook her head before even looking at her sister’s feet. “No,” she said.
“Come on, let me borrow them.”
“You’re not wearing my heels. Or my blouse. So go take them off.”
“Fine.” Alice, who was only seventeen, stopped across the room where she had left her sandals. She stepped out of the heels and put them on. “Can I at least wear the blouse? Please?”
“Where are you going?”
“Just out with Mackenzie, that’s all. We’ll probably watch a movie or something and go back to her house for the night.”
“And her parents are home this time?”
“Yes. Come on, I know it was one party, but you’re going to have to trust me sometime. I can’t be stuck in this house. And besides, if Mom and Dad were here, they’d at least give me the freedom you had.”
She hated when Alice did that. Bringing their parents into any battle was like showing puppy dog eyes. It worked every time. “Only if you swear that you’re not going to be drinking or smoking pot.”
“I’m not. It was one party. I wanted to have some fun. It’s not fair I have to pay for it for the rest of my life. It’s not like I got pregnant or anything.”
“Fine, just go. I have to focus on this article anyway.”
“What are you writing about now? Alien gives birth under Hollywood sign?”
“Funny. TMI Daily is not that bad. And you wouldn’t make fun if you knew how hard I really work.”
“I see how hard you work. And I appreciate it.” Alice walked over and hugged her neck.
“Good. I need to focus, so if you’re leaving, go before I change my mind and keep you home.”
“Later!” She took off, and Sarah watched as she ran out of the room.
Sarah was eight years older than her sister, Alice. And since their father got shot in the line of duty back when they were both in school and her mother followed shortly after a cancer diagnosis almost two years ago, they were all each other had left in the world.
It had been a big life change for both of them, and while Sarah struggled to do the right thing with what little their parents left them, including a house with two years left on the mortgage, Alice did her best to be rebellious and still maintain that loveable quality Sarah loved most about her.
The truth was, she could relate. Long before she realized she wanted to follow in her father’s footsteps, she had been a brat. But that was the reason she wanted better for her little sister.
She had let her heart and desire for fun lead her into a relationship with a guy she thought she’d be with forever. So when she followed him by joining the academy the year after him, both right out of school, it didn’t feel like a mistake to follow in her father’s footsteps.
Lucky for her, it didn’t take long before she realized it was a bad move for her, but by then, she had already completed her time at the academy, and that felt like a waste. With nothing left to do after refusing to stay on that path and a mother whose cancer diagnosis came a week later, she didn’t have many choices but to throw herself toward her second passion, journalism.
So far, it kept food on the table and the lights on. She couldn’t ask for much more.
Sarah finished her first read-through and made a few corrections, making sure that the opening was strong and the finish even stronger.
The home phone rang on her third pass, and she answered it before it could ring twice. “Hello?”
“Hey, is Alice home?”
“Alice is not here. Is this Mackenzie?” She was almost sure it was the girl she was supposed to be out with.
“Yes, ma’am. I tried to call her, and she’s not answering her cell.”
She rolled her eyes at the girl calling her ma’am. But at least she was respectful. “I thought Alice had gone to your house.”
“Oh.” The sound of that one syllable was enough to let Sarah know the girl knew she had screwed up. “She was going to stop by. That’s why I was calling.”
“Too late. I know she’s out with someone else. And I can only guess who since you don’t seem to know anything about it.”
“I’m sorry. I have to go.” She hung up the phone so fast, Sarah knew she was probably trying to get in touch with Alice and warn her. Or else she was hoping to God not to get dragged into the middle.
“Dammit.” Sarah pushed her chair back and got up, walking to the door where her bag and shoes were. She put the bag on her shoulder and got the keys out as she slipped into her shoes.
She didn’t like being the boss, but she knew she had to look after her sister’s future and safety.
Sarah got in the car and called the station, where she knew a lot of people since her dad worked there so many years. When her friend Cleo answered at the front desk, she was ready for her. “Hey, Cleo, it’s Sarah Green.”
“Hey, Sarah, how’s it going?”
“Not too good at the moment. Do you know if there have been any noise complaints or parties reported?”
“There’s a few.”
“Anything ripe for a seventeen-year-old?”
“There’s one down on Carlotta Canyon road. It’s supposed to be a bunch of kids. We haven’t sent the deputy out yet. But he’s going as soon as he gets done at the station. He just brought someone in. Do you want me to tell him to give you some time?”
“Yeah. It’s Alice. She’s decided to lie to me about where she’s going. I guess it was just a matter of time.”
“I remember back in the day. I know me and my friends pulled the same stunt.”
“We did too, but that’s the reason I know she’s up to something. I never had to lie if I was doing something my parents approved of. I’m on my way there now. I’m about ten minutes out.
”
“Okay,” said Cleo. “I’ll tell Officer Cramer to take his time.”
“Thanks.” She ended the call and hoped that Alice was there. Considering it was in their part of town and that her boyfriend, Cash Tyler, was from that neighborhood, it was likely.
She should have questioned her sister more. Of course, she was going to meet with him. And that explains wanting to wear the heels and the blouse. “Wake up and get your head out of the clouds, Sarah.” She glanced at herself in the rearview. “And you wanted to be a detective.” She couldn’t even police her sister properly.
Sarah pulled up to the house a few minutes later and parked across the street, which was the only place to park, with cars lining the drive and street in front of the house with flashing lights in the window.
When she got out of the car, the music was pulsing so much she could feel it. And it only got worse the closer she got to the house. She didn’t bother knocking when she got to the door, and it was no surprise that not many people even noticed her. They were all busy dancing around, drinking beer, and groping each other.
Sarah went from room to room until she passed by a study where she could hear Alice’s voice above the others. “That’s disgusting,” she said. “I can’t believe you all think it’s funny.”
“It’s because it’s not real, babe. If it were real, do you think it would be circulating?”
“I’ve seen plenty of real violence online, so yeah, I think it is.”
“Well, I think it’s all just CGI. It’s probably a clip from some movie.”
Sarah walked in unnoticed and looked over Cash’s shoulder. There was a replay of the video where a young woman was getting shot. “Is this the kind of shit you’re exposing my sister to?” she asked.
Alice turned around and quickly put her beer down on the nearest table. “Oh my God. What are you doing here?”
“I should ask you the same thing, but it’s obvious.” She picked up the drink and smelled it. “Your friend called the house, by the way. She’s been worried that you haven’t answered your phone.”
Alice’s face paled. “I’ve got to go.”
“We’re just chillin’,” said Tyler, in his stupid surfer-boy voice.
“Come on, Alice. Tell your friends goodbye.”
“I thought you said your sister was cool,” said Cash when she hugged him goodbye.
“Call me. I’ll explain it later.”
“Don’t bother. She won’t have a phone.”
Alice came after her. “You can’t take my phone!”
“You’re right, you need it because of emergencies, but that doesn’t mean he needs to know that.” She led her sister out of the house and across the yard.
Alice caught up to her. “I’m not going to stop seeing him.”
“That’s your choice. But when you see him and what time of night you see him is mine.”
“You are such a pain in the ass, Sarah. You’re not Mom.”
“No, I’m not. But I do have her job now, so you might want to show some respect. This has all gotten worse lately. You were doing so good.”
“Whatever.” She got in the car and slammed the door.
Sarah went around and got in on the other side. “What was with that video you were watching anyway? That was terrible.”
“I think it’s real. The guys found it online. They were looking up a different video, and it came up instead. I told them that it’s real. And it’s a murder. But they think I’m acting stupid.”
“Even your boyfriend? Does he think you’re stupid too?”
“No, but he thinks it’s fake. Did you see it?”
“Enough of it.”
“Could you take it into the station or something? Someone should see it. It was only posted a couple of days ago and didn’t have a lot of views.”
“Thankfully.”
“No, it means the cops probably haven’t seen it yet. Could you take it in?”
“Sure. But where was it posted anyway? Who allows that kind of content?” She knew things were getting bad, but that was the worst she’d seen.
“YouVerse doesn’t have any restrictions. It’s taking off now, and everyone is using it. Well, all of us younger people, anyway.”
“I said I’d take it.” Sarah could tell that her sister was really worked up over it. “That’s the kind of crap I have to be afraid of, you know. When I’m responsible and you’re all I’ve got left and to see something like that. How couldn’t I be terrified of you being out there in this world?”
“If you wanted to do something about it, you should have gone ahead and taken the job with the force.”
“You know why I didn’t. And I don’t want to talk about it. Other than to say you need to make better decisions. Is Cash the kind of guy you want to spend your life with? Because you keep trying to sneak out all night with him, and you might end up tethered to him for life. Don’t do that to yourself.”
“But he’s amazing. He’s sweet, extremely hot, and talented too. He’s got real potential to make it big, and his parents are loaded.”
“His parents are also not around. And guys like that will break your heart.”
“My heart can take it. It’s been through worse.”
“But I don’t want you to go through it. I want you to have better than me. Including men.”
“Thomas was a pretty face,” she said, giving Sarah a sideward look. “And he loved you.”
“Yeah, enough to be unfaithful.”
“He begged you to give him another chance, and you didn’t.”
“Stop. We’re talking about you and your mistakes, not me and mine.”
“I guess that’s all in how you see it.” Alice had always adored Thomas when they had been engaged. She was so excited to have a brother, and since Thomas spoiled her, he was her favorite person who could do no wrong.
“I’m done with this conversation, young lady.”
“God, you sound just like Mom.” Alice turned her head and rested it against the passenger window. “I miss her so much I almost want you to say it again.”
Sarah let out a deep breath and reached over to stroke Alice’s hair. She may hate her tonight, but she’ll thank her later.
When they drove up to the house, Alice took out her phone. “I sent you that video.”
“I’ll take it. You should put it out of your head and get some sleep. And make sure you wash that blouse. It smells like stale beer and surfer boy. I don’t want to find it hanging back in my closet like you did the last one.”
She watched Alice go inside and looked down at the video link. She hated to click it but needed to see if she agreed with Alice or if it could be a hoax. She hit the play button and watched.
The woman was clearly terrorized, and if she was acting, she had all of the body language down to a science. Her forehead even had that deep impression of stress and fear. “You were scared for your life, weren’t you?”
The girl uttered something, and Sarah hit the volume in time to hear the gunshot. The bullet struck the woman and blew the back of her head off. The brain matter and pieces of her skull were visible as she hit the ground, and the killer kept the video on her long enough to see the result.
When the video ended, Sarah realized she had put her hand over her mouth. It was a real murder, alright. Her sister was definitely onto something.
Sarah put her phone away and got out of the car to go inside the house. “What’s wrong with this world?”
Chapter 3
Ethan
Just after arriving in town, checking in with the LA office of the FBI, and settling into his hotel room, Ethan went to the police station to get cooperation from the captain and let him know that he’d be doing part of an unnamed investigation in his town about a missing person. He only hoped he didn’t ask too many questions.
“I’m here to see Captain Bowden,” he said to the woman behind the front counter.
The woman behind the counter gave him a tired look. “Is he
expecting you?”
“No, but you can tell him I’m Agent Charles with the FBI. I’m sure he’ll want to talk to me.”
The woman’s eyes narrowed and she quickly nodded as she reached for the phone. “One moment, please.”
Ethan turned around and looked across the busy room while she made the call. It wasn’t like the offices back in Denver where he came from.
“He can see you now if you want to go back.” She gestured to the door beside her counter.
“Thanks,” he said, heading to the door. As he went down the hall, he could see inside the different rooms where officers were busy doing business. The sound of ringing phones and idle chatter grew louder as he passed the main office. Bowden’s office was just across the hall.
He glanced into the room through the open blinds and saw the man sitting on the other side of the windowed wall. He approached and knocked, even though the man was already on his feet and waving him inside.
“Come on in, Agent Charles. You’re a new face around here.”
“Captain Bowden. It’s good to meet you.”
“Have a seat. Take a load off.” Bowden had the hard-nosed look of a man who had been in uniform long enough to see some serious shit and live to tell about it. And he gave Ethan a sideward look that was full of questions. “Are you replacing Agent Holloway?”
“No, sir.” He had barely gotten the words out when the man spoke up again.
“Oh, I’m surprised. It’s a shame they haven’t even gone any farther with that case.”
“Which case are you referring to? Sorry, there are so many.” He knew exactly which case he meant and wondered if there had been any new tips that had come in through his department.
The captain nodded in agreement and eased back in his chair. “The Starr Asher case. Surely, you’ve heard of it? It was all over the press. A young Hollywood starlet goes missing, and everyone wants to speculate.”