by WL Knightly
“Hi,” she said, taking in the sight of him. It made her only slightly flustered, but she was trying hard not to get away with herself.
“Hi. I hope you like wine. I was always taught never to show up to dinner empty-handed.”
“Well, thanks,” she said, taking it. “I’m sure this will go great with the dinner I’ve made. Come on in and join me in the kitchen. I’m just finishing up the salad, and dinner should be ready soon.”
He followed her to the kitchen, where she offered him a seat at the table across the room from where Alice was busy with the vegetables. “This is my sister, Alice. Alice, this is Agent Ethan Charles. He’s the FBI agent I was telling you about.”
“Hey,” she said as she chopped a cucumber. When she finally looked up, her expression changed a bit, as if the man wasn’t quite what she had expected. “Hello.”
Ethan smiled. “Hello, Alice. It’s good to meet you. Your sister said you were very passionate about getting that video some attention. I commend you on your concern for your fellow man.”
Alice didn’t answer until she finished chopping the last of the cucumbers and put them in the salad. “I think any decent person would do the same thing.” She smiled shyly and tucked her chin.
“That’s true maybe,” said Ethan. “But in my experience, I’m sad to say that there aren’t many decent people in the world anymore who are willing to stand up and do the right thing.”
Sarah cleared her throat. “I thought we might save talking about the video until after we eat. You know, considering.” She didn’t want to speak of blood and brains or put that memory in Alice’s mind before she ate.
“Oh, my apologies. Of course. It smells wonderful.”
The timer went off on the oven, and she grabbed the oven mitts and opened the door. “Ah, that’s it. I think it’s done.” The recipe had said to heat everything together and let the cheese melt. She hoped that was all it was going to take.
“Oh no,” she said. “I forgot the bread. I should heat it, or it won’t be any good at all.”
“I can help with that,” said Ethan, rising up from his chair.
“Oh no, you sit. Did you find anything out about the girl?”
Ethan seemed a little surprised she had wanted to talk about it after all. “Are you sure you don’t want to wait until after we eat?”
“Just keep it clean.” She shook away the thought and pulled the pan from the oven. It looked okay to her, but her past experiences with cooking had taught her that looks could be deceiving.
“Ah, well, I found out who she is. So, that’s a start.”
“Who is she?” asked Alice.
Sarah gave her a hard look. “I’m sure if Ethan wanted to tell us, he would have.”
“Fine. So, has anyone found her? I mean, they had to dump the body somewhere, right?” Alice had a point, but Sarah didn’t know if it was the right time to talk about it.
“Alice. Come on. Don’t ruin your appetite.”
“It doesn’t bother me,” snapped Alice. “Does it bother you? Because you’ve never been squeamish before.”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just—” Sarah took a deep breath, tired of fighting her, especially when she didn’t have an excuse. “Oh, go ahead.” She didn’t really know what to expect from Ethan and hoped he didn’t think they were awful. She gave him an apologetic look. “I’m sorry. She’s right. Our father didn’t exactly raise us to be squeamish girls. But our mother also never liked gory talk at the dinner table.”
“Neither of them is here,” said Alice. “So, I guess we can do whatever the hell we want.”
Sarah gave her sister a hard look. “I’m sorry. We’re still adjusting.”
“Make no apologies,” said Ethan, waving his hand. “I’ll use discretion if you like. The truth is, I do have to look into the case a bit more and hopefully find her. And there really isn’t a whole lot more to share other than that.”
Sarah wondered if they’d send him away and put someone local in his spot or if he would carry the case long term if he had to. “You’re staying until it’s solved?”
Alice snorted, and Sarah looked over to see her roll her eyes. Did she seem that desperate?
Ethan nodded. “I have already asked my supervisor if I can look into it. That’s my plan. I don’t know how long it will take, of course, but I think there are worse places I could be.”
“That’s great.” She opened the cabinet and took down the plates.
Ethan got out of his seat and walked over to take the dishes. “At least let me help set the table.”
“You really don’t have to.” She wanted to be a good hostess.
But Ethan wasn’t taking no for an answer. “I want to feel useful. Besides, it’s been a long time since I had dinner in a proper home.”
“Do you stay gone a lot?” asked Alice.
“Yeah, the last case had me gone for four months. I racked up quite the hotel bill, but at least it was a nice room, and the hotel restaurant had decent food. You’d be surprised how many don’t.”
Alice got a faraway look in her eyes. “That sounds amazing. Staying in fancy hotels is going to be a hobby of mine one day. Room service and pool access. Yes, please.”
Ethan chuckled at Alice. “It gets old. Trust me.” He walked over to set the table.
“You’re going to need a good job to be able to do that,” Sarah warned. “You’ll have to go to college for sure.”
Alice let out a frustrated sound. “I already told you, I’m not sure what I want to do.”
“College is a good option,” said Ethan. “Especially until you figure out what you want to do. It’s not like you have to have it all figured out right now.”
“Tell her that.” Alice brought the salad to the table as Sarah followed with the pasta dish. “She made her mind up and changed it.”
“More like it was made for me.” Sarah didn’t expect her to understand and didn’t want to make her feel bad that she had been a part of why things had changed.
But Alice carried on anyway. “Did she tell you she’s a cop? But she doesn’t want to see her ex every day, so she changed her mind after finishing at the academy.”
She had let Alice believe that, but with Ethan there, she felt she had to clarify that statement. “That’s not entirely true. I could work in any other department in the city. But I think our guest would rather not hear all of our problems. We wouldn’t want to spoil his appetite.”
Ethan sat with Alice at the table, and after getting everyone a beverage, Sarah joined them.
They all fixed their plates, and Ethan cleared his throat in the awkward pause and met Sarah’s eye with an apologetic look. “Hey, I’m happy to be here, and let’s all just relax and enjoy this lovely dinner.”
“You first,” said Alice, looking down at her plate as if she wasn’t sure.
“Come on. I’m not that bad of a cook.” Sarah tasted the food, and while it could have used a little more salt, she never let on.
Neither did Ethan. He ate his plate and went back for more. “This is really good. It reminds me of a dish my mother used to make for me. She loved any kind of pasta.”
“Thanks,” she said. “I’m glad one of you like it.”
Alice sighed. “I have to admit it’s not the worst thing you’ve ever cooked.”
Sarah smiled. “That’s high praise coming from you.”
Alice sank down in her chair. “Don’t get used to it.”
“So, Alice, your sister says that you and your friends stumbled onto the video at a party.”
“Yeah, they all think it’s fake. Some people are making parodies of it, and it’s already got close to three-hundred-thousand views. That’s probably from a lot of people watching it over and over. Do you think they’ll take it down?”
“Trying to get YouVerse to take something down is going to be like pulling teeth. They aren’t like the other video platforms with restrictions. Most young people gravitate to it because there are not man
y limitations.”
“But the video can be traced, can’t it?” Sarah figured it was like any other post. It should be able to be traced back to whoever put it out there.
“I’ve got someone looking into that. Again, YouVerse is a whole new beast.”
Sarah arranged another bite on her fork. “So, you’ve really been hard at it. I’m impressed.”
“And all thanks to you and your sister. Things like this go unnoticed far more often than you’d think. There was a time that people believed everything they saw on the internet, and now it’s just the opposite. The people who see things that they don’t want to see, they think it’s fake.”
“What a difference a little time makes.” Sarah guessed everything had to change eventually.
“Yeah, but the fact remains we, mankind, are still our own worst enemy.” Ethan looked down at his plate and took a sip of his soda. Sarah wondered if there was something weighing on his mind other than the case.
“You can at least get it taken down, right?” Alice made a face, and Sarah was sure it wasn’t from her cooking. “It’s sad. So many people are profiting and making light of it. That poor girl.”
Ethan shrugged. “I hope we can. But again, YouVerse isn’t like other platforms. It was created because people were tired of all of the censorship that they were getting everywhere else.”
“Can’t someone ban the entire platform? God knows there’s enough of that going around these days,” said Sarah.
“Not when it’s so much in demand. They’d be shooting themselves in the foot.”
About that time, Alice’s phone rang, and she quickly took it out of her back pocket and looked at the ID. “It’s Cash. I’m going to take it to my room.”
She got up and started off but stopped and picked up her plate to take it with her.
As she rushed out of the room, Ethan chuckled. “She must really like it more than she let on.”
“She’d never boast on me these days, but we used to be a lot closer. It’s okay. I’m getting used to it.”
“So, you take care of her because your parents died. I think it’s honorable. And great that you both have each other.”
“It’s just a lot harder than I thought it would be.”
“Did they leave you comfortable?”
“Enough. I mean, it could be better. But that’s kind of what I wanted to talk to you about. Since you’re staying and checking into the case, I’d like to help.”
“You’re a reporter, aren’t you? Not a detective?”
“No, but I trained as a cop, and I have to do investigative research for stories all of the time.”
“I’m sure you’re great at what you do, but I don’t know. I’d have to make some restrictions. I can’t have you printing everything I find. It would compromise everything.”
“I’m good with conditions. I just want the story. I need the money, quite frankly, and you could give me a perspective that no one else has.”
“But could you behave? I don’t want to regret it, you know.”
“I understand. I do. And I’m not going to pretend that I haven’t made terrible mistakes in the past, but those lessons have only made me better. I won’t mess this up.”
“I’ll have to think about it. It’s not like I have anyone breathing down my neck, but I’d still have to wonder what people would think if it got around you were shadowing me.”
Sarah gave him a pleading look. This would be the opportunity she needed to do something serious with her career. And it might help her choose a better path. “Please, Ethan. You won’t regret it.”
Chapter 7
Ethan
As they finished having their dinner, Ethan grew excited with Sarah Green’s eagerness to help with the case. He knew he couldn’t be as eager as she was to help by accepting the offer in haste, so he had to string her on just a little bit longer.
Sure, she was only doing it for the story, but with her interest in factfinding and her time at the academy, he was sure she would be a valuable tool.
“That was really good, Sarah. Thank you for dinner.”
Disappointment clouded her expression. “Oh, I’m sorry. We haven’t even opened the wine.”
Ethan was ready to remedy that. “I could go for a glass now unless you’d rather me head out?”
“No, not at all. I mean, of course, you should stay, and we’ll pour a couple of glasses.” She let out a breath. “I’m sorry if I’ve been a bit scattered. It’s been a while since I have entertained. My mother usually did that sort of thing here, and I guess I keep thinking I have to do everything her way in her house while raising her daughter.”
“Well, not to be disrespectful, but maybe Alice had a point. You can do things your way. I’m sure your parents understand that you’re not them. Things can’t help but be different.”
She seemed to let out a sigh of relief. “Oh, boy. Thanks for letting me off the hook, but I think it’s really clear that I’m not them. They would have never allowed her to sneak off and get into trouble.”
“Didn’t you?” From what he had read in her piece about Starr Asher, she seemed like she enjoyed stirring up a little trouble.
“Well, that was me. I was different than Alice. She was their baby. I was supposed to give them some trouble. I just feel like no matter what I do, I’m letting them down.”
Ethan smiled at her honesty. “I think you get hung up on tradition. It’s okay that things are not what you expected.”
She let out a sigh and went to fetch the corkscrew and the wine he’d brought. “You make it all sound so simple.”
Ethan took them from her when she returned. “Allow me.”
“I’ll get the glasses.” She made another trip to the kitchen and came back with them.
Ethan had the wine open and ready and made himself comfortable on the couch.
She joined him with two long-stemmed glasses, and he wasted no time pouring. “You’re a fast worker.”
“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.” He chuckled. “Though, I try to take things nice and slow. You know, to enjoy them.”
“I was talking about the cork.”
“Ah.”
“So, is that why you haven’t told me a thing about the girl? Is it because you enjoy taking things slow? Or do you really think it’s a bad idea I work with you?”
“I’m still thinking. But I’ll fill you in where I can. Her name is Cassie Ryan. She’s a young starlet who was trying to get her feet wet being an influencer, it seems. Though, her numbers don’t look so great. According to her social media, she’s tried out for a lot of parts she hasn’t gotten.”
“Wow. So, someone could recognize her.”
“I think that’s only a matter of time. In fact, I’m counting on it.”
“Does she have an agent?”
“She’s managed by Collier Entertainment.” He waited to see if that was going to ring any bells with her.
When her eyes lit up, he knew she had done her homework. “That’s the same company who represented Starr Asher. She went missing and hasn’t been seen again.”
“Yeah. That’s my understanding. Which brings me back to the question you asked me at the table. I’d say that’s the place to start.” It was the perfect way to get her to tell him everything he needed to know about the brother-sister relationship.
“Well, I can already tell you it’s run by Roald Collier. He’s a billionaire. At least that is what I’ve been told. And supposedly, he has connections all over Hollywood. Some people call him the new Hugh Hefner because he’s always got some young blonde on his arm, and supposedly, he keeps a collection of them at his mansion. I’m not sure about that, personally, because I only saw him with one while I was there.”
“You’ve been to his house?” he asked, wondering what would bring her to his place.
Sarah nodded. “Yes, when I was still with Thomas, who you met earlier, he brought me there. We were guests of his sister’s. Roald Collier threw her a
huge party, and she could invite whoever she wanted. It wasn’t really my scene, but I wasn’t going to argue with Thomas over his sister’s birthday celebration. Plus, he had said we could do better in life and with our futures if we made the right connections. I just wanted things to be simple.”
“Do you mind me asking what happened between the two of you? You seemed really angry with one another. Or at least he did.” He hadn’t liked the way he had postured over her or put his finger to her lips. He hadn’t wanted her to speak, and so he had bullied her not to.
Sarah let out a sigh. “Yeah, he cheats on me, and somehow I’m the one who brings out the worst in him. Go figure.”
The man had to be nuts to waste a good woman like Sarah. Maybe he really was off-balance, as Kevin had said. “Ah, say no more. What happened earlier makes a lot more sense.”
“His sister had a lot of glamorous friends or at least people who wanted to be the next big A-lister, but he let one of them get too close one night, and I overheard her talking about it a few weeks later. Apparently, it was still going on, even though he had just proposed to me. I felt like a total fool.”
“Wow. You’d wonder why he even bothered if that was his plan.”
“Yeah, well, he’s a jerk. So, enough about him. Unless you want to tell me what you were talking to him about.” She sipped her wine, and he stared into her eyes as she peered over the glass.
“Actually, I had just met him. I went to talk to Captain Bowden and let him know I’d be hanging around. I saw Thomas in the hallway and thought I’d say hi. Honestly, I thought he looked familiar. One of my buddies filled me in later. And when I found out about this girl, it was like I was meant to be here. I mean, talk about a coincidence.”
“Well, I’m glad someone is on the case who will care about it. I don’t know how close you are to Agent Holloway, but he was a complete jerk and wasted a lot of time and energy for nothing.”
“Don’t tell me you dated him too.” He chuckled in a teasing way, hoping she could take the joke.