by WL Knightly
“She was content to play dumb. Learn when you should.”
“I’m not dumb. And forgive me for not wanting to be treated as though I am.” She wasn’t going to let Lana talk down to her, and she damned sure wasn’t going to let Ethan Charles, FBI, do the same.
Ethan let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I shouldn’t have brought it up again. But maybe we can both learn something from it. I could get to the point a lot easier without it.”
“Now what? Do we wait until Roald Collier is all set and has his ducks in a row? You heard that man in the hallway. You know as well as I do, if he was bossing her around, it was probably him.”
“I think you’re right. But I think it’s better that we play it safe. Pushing things this early in the investigation is not a good idea.”
She sighed, wishing she felt the same way. In her experience, it was just the opposite. She didn’t have much time before her boss was going to expect more of the story. She needed to get it before someone else did.
Chapter 11
Thomas
After spending the day working a traffic accident and two robberies, Thomas was exhausted. It hadn’t helped that he lacked sleep and was plagued with a hangover, but he was anxious to meet with Lana and hoped that she would help him make an arrangement of his own with Max Loftin.
When he arrived at Roald’s place that afternoon, he used the side gate just like Lana had requested.
“There you are,” she said, walking out to meet him. “I thought you forgot about our meeting.”
Lana gave him a sideward look but chased it with a smile as she moved in closer for a hug. She looked good enough to eat in her pencil skirt and heels, but he could tell by the way her smile didn’t meet her eyes that something was off.
“I’m sorry. I had a lot to finish up at work.”
“It’s okay. Max is on the way.” She seemed to have something on her mind that she was hesitant to say.
“Is that bad? Or is it something else?” Thomas wasn’t going to waste any time getting to the point. If there was a problem with their arrangement, he needed to know. It was better not to waste their time.
“I had visitors earlier. And I’m afraid they have brought bad news.” She walked him inside and shut the door behind them. “We can go into the den. No one is there, and I’d like to be alone when I tell you what’s going on.”
“Is it a bad time?” He didn’t want to interfere in the house business.
Lana placed her hand on his shoulder. “No, in fact, I really needed to talk to you about this one.”
“Sure, what’s up?” He had never seen her look so emotional.
“I’m not sure if you know her or not, but it’s about Cassie Ryan.” She waited for him to shrug before continuing. “She’s a girl who worked for us for a while. First, she was just a house girl, doing odd jobs, and we’ve recently moved her up and have been trying to get her following built up.”
“So, she had been promoted just like Starr?”
“Well, yeah.” Lana looked away from him. “That was the intention anyway, though I can’t see her being as big as Starr could have been.” She let out a deep breath at the shame of it all. “Anyway, she’s been murdered. The killer apparently posted the murder online.” Her eyes were raised as if to ask him if any of it rang a bell with him.
“Damn. I haven’t heard anything about that. That’s terrible. Do they know who killed her?”
“No, the man was never on camera. But the video was awful and graphic. Poor Cassie, she never stood a chance.” She touched the corner of her eye as if stopping tears.
“Do you think it has something to do with Starr? Is that why you wanted to ask me about it?”
“Well, no. I mean, it’s not anything like Starr’s disappearance.”
“Maybe there’s a video about my sister out there that just hasn’t been discovered. You know, it’s possible. Whatever happened to her, it’s going to come out eventually.” He would make sure of that.
“I just don’t feel like it’s the same. I mean, you know how you get a gut feeling. I just thought you might have heard about it. And, well, there’s something else I needed to tell you.”
“No, I haven’t heard about it, but what do you want to tell me?”
“The visitors I had today. One was an FBI agent named Charles. The other was your ex.”
“Sarah Green? What was she doing with an FBI agent? If he’s working a case, he’d hardly want her around. She’d ruin it for sure with her big mouth.”
“Well, regardless, he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he looked like he was rather chummy with her.”
Thomas didn’t like the sound of that. “I’ll figure it out.”
“Speaking of figuring out, do you think you could help me with Cassie’s case?”
“I’ll have to see what’s going on. As it turns out, I met Agent Charles the other day. He came by the station. Funny enough, Sarah was there too, but they weren’t together. She had come by to talk to Captain Bowden. I didn’t even know they knew each other.” He wasn’t going to tell her that he had, in fact, seen the video in question and told Sarah it was fake.
“I told Roald I’d see what I could find out. He’s very upset, as are the girls. At least the few I have told. They are all going to be so upset. We really are like a family here. And I know they all think it could be any one of them.”
“Did Cassie ever do anything that might land her in that kind of trouble? You know, like a bad drug deal, or maybe she ratted on someone or knew about something illegal going down?”
Lana took a deep breath. “You know, I’m not sure.”
“Well, usually, whoever would do something like this would have a damned good reason. So, I’d start with whoever she might have betrayed. It seems to me like the person who did it was trying to send a message. I guess you and the detective they put on it—or this Agent Charles—will have to figure out who the message was for.”
“Thanks. I just have no idea.”
“What about Roald? He’s a man with considerable means and a lot of power. Could she have done something to upset him, maybe?”
“No, of course not! It just doesn’t make any sense. Everyone loves Roald. He does so much to help people.” She kept her eyes averted still, and Thomas couldn’t help but wonder what was on her mind.
Max Loftin walked in the room, dragging his hand through his hair. He had a somber look on his face, and his shirt was unbuttoned enough to show a tuft of chest hair. He beelined for Lana and hugged her. “I heard about Cassie. It’s so unreal. I don’t even feel like I’m awake right now.”
He turned and acknowledged Thomas. “Hey.” He gave Thomas a suspicious look. “Thomas, isn’t it? You’re Starr’s brother.”
“Yeah, that’s me.”
“You’re a cop, too, aren’t you?” He glanced at Lana, who had reached into her cleavage and pulled out her silver necklace. “Is he the one you called about?”
“Yeah, I am.” Lana opened the silver vial and put a sample on her fist, which she held up for Thomas to take as a loyalty test.
Thomas snorted it and wiped his nose.
“See, I told you he’s alright.”
“So, this is my newest customer.”
Thomas shrugged. “My guy skipped town.”
“Yeah? Well, it’s amazing how many of you cops Roald keeps in good with.”
“Yeah, truly,” he said.
“Thomas is a friend of mine. He’ll be around a lot more often.”
“Good for you,” said Max. “So, you’re going to be at the party tomorrow night?” He seemed to be asking as if she might be keeping him a secret from the others.
“I already invited him. And yes, Roald knows he’s going to be there.”
“Well, that’s great. Maybe you can help us figure out who shot our Cassie. She was a handful sometimes, but she was a nice girl. I hope whoever is responsible gets locked up for the rest of their life.”
“I’ve alrea
dy told Lana I’d see what I could do. But I hear that the FBI is already going around asking. So that could limit what I find out.”
“Well, I just wanted to drop this off.” He handed Lana a package. “I have to run, but keep me updated.”
“Sure, I will,” said Lana, slipping him some money for the drugs.
Max turned and headed to the door. “You two have fun. Call me if you need anything else.”
When he was gone, Lana put her arms around Thomas’s neck. “You are coming tomorrow night, aren’t you? I know Roald will be happy to see you.”
Thomas smiled. The old man would be something, but happy? He wasn’t so sure about that. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
Chapter 12
Sarah
After a long afternoon with Ethan trying to arrange things with Cassie Ryan’s landlord and dealing with her editor, Sarah went home to start dinner.
When she walked in and heard two voices, she knew that Alice had invited company without warning her.
As she walked into the kitchen, she found Alice standing with her back to her, leaning over someone’s shoulder.
By the deep male tone, Sarah already had a good idea who it was. “I told you, it’s going to bring in a lot of views,” said Cash. “It’s just what my channel needs. Besides, true crime is huge.”
Sarah cleared her throat, and Alice turned around, startled. “Jeezus! I didn’t hear you come in.”
“And I didn’t know you had company.”
“Cash and I were just working on his YouVerse page.”
Sarah looked at the table and noticed her notes. “Wait, what are you doing?” She stormed around the table and grabbed the small stack of papers that they had left next to the keyboard. “These are my notes. What are you doing with these?”
“I just thought Cash could get some information for his next video. He’s going to take his channel to the next level with true crime, and this case is just the one to do it.”
“What are you even talking about?” She was trying to get her head on straight and understand what she was up to.
“You’ve heard of YouVerse, haven’t you?” asked Cash. “I can make a lot of money on this platform just by speculating on the case. People eat that stuff up.”
“I’m sure they do, but that doesn’t make it right.” She turned to Alice. “A day ago, you couldn’t stand the thought of everyone looking at it and making comments on it. Now you’re helping him with his YouVerse channel? And not only that, but you’re stealing my research to do it?”
“It’s not stealing. It’s not like you’re not going to release it to the public anyway.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. There is some information I’m not allowed to share.” She turned her attention to the boy, who had a bothered look on his face. “And if I see something on that page of yours that shouldn’t be, I’ll have the FBI after you so quick it will make your head spin.”
His eyes widened. “FBI? Whoa, that’s a little harsh, isn’t it? I’m just trying to find good content.”
“No, it’s not harsh. Not when you’re messing with sensitive material.”
“Sorry,” said Alice. “But I think he’s right. I think you’re overreacting.”
“Oh? Do you? You haven’t even seen me begin to overreact.” She tried to ignore the sound of her mother’s voice coming out of her and stuck to her guns.
“Yes,” said Alice. “You act like we’d be going about this in a different way than you are, but that’s not true. We care like everyone else, and it’s like you always say, the public has a right to know and form opinions.”
“Yeah, and I have a right to free speech,” added Cash.
“And I have a right to privacy. I’m warning you two. Not one word.” She held the notes close to her.
“Relax,” said Alice. “We didn’t even get to read it yet. You’re so lame. It’s not like I can read that chicken scratch.”
Sarah had heard enough. “You know, Alice, I really thought better of you. When you wanted me to look into this, I was proud of you for your consideration for the young lady. But now, you’re just acting like an entitled brat.”
She went over to the kitchen sink and started a pot of coffee. She wasn’t sure if she should tell Ethan about it or not, but she had a feeling he wasn’t going to like what they were up to any more than she did.
She could hear them whispering back and forth to each other, but she was done being nice. “I think it’s time you tell your friend goodnight. We have to make dinner.”
“Can’t he stay and eat with us? He wanted to pick your brain about the murder.”
Cash piped up. “Yeah, I just wanted to know if you could help me with police-procedure-type stuff. I want to know some things so I can come across like I know something about it.”
She sighed, thinking that was the whole reason she was against amateurs trying to play detectives. “I think you’ve gotten enough from me today, Cash. Maybe some other time.” Maybe when she didn’t feel like snatching his head off his shoulders and using it as a frisbee.
Alice huffed and turned her attention to Cash as he slammed his laptop shut and got up from his seat. “If she was still seeing Thomas, I bet he would help. He was so cool. I wish you could have met him, Cash. He is a cop in the same precinct my dad used to be, but she ditched him just before Mom died. He would be able to tell you anything you wanted to know about being a cop because he’s actually one.” She turned her eyes up at Sarah and back to Cash. “Come on. I’ll walk you out.”
Sarah waited for them to leave the room before letting out a frustrated sound. She raked her hand through her hair and let it fall back into place. She had a feeling her sister was going to make her evening hell from that point on.
Sarah got started with dinner, and while she was reading the instructions on the box of instant rice, Alice came back into the room. “I hope you’re happy.”
“Don’t talk to me like that. For one, you had no right to go into my things and take my notes, and the other reason you shouldn’t have meddled was for the sake of that poor girl. Did you even think about her at all when you decided to play true crime reporter?”
“We weren’t going to say anything bad about her. We want to use it for awareness and try to get the word out about what happened to her. Maybe someone will call in a tip or something.”
“That’s why we have police and the FBI. They are the only people who need to be trying to figure out what happened. Have you ever thought it might get you some attention you don’t want? Like that of the person who murdered her? As for his channel, if he wants to help, he can share the police tip line and keep everything he says based on his opinion only, which he is more than entitled to.”
“Don’t act as if you care about her. I read your notes. It’s like you’re not even talking about a human being in them. She’s just something you’re going to sell. Just like you did, Thomas. Why should you be the only one to tell the story?”
“I’m not putting speculation out there. I’m trying to print the truth and facts so people know what happened and the police can still get the job done, which is my job. And don’t forget that my job is the one putting food on the table. You compromised that tonight by letting him read my notes.”
Alice rolled her eyes, and Sarah wished she could thump them both like marbles right out of her skull. She was so sick of seeing that. But Alice wasn’t backing up her defense. “I could make money with the channel too. Cash said he’d cut me in on the profits.”
Sarah knew it wasn’t going to make a difference. She was never going to make her sister see eye to eye with her. “I’m not helping. And you can both stay away from my notes.”
“Fine, I’ll just go and talk to Thomas about it. He’s still my friend, even though he’s not yours. I’m sure he’ll talk to me like I’m a sister more than you do.”
Sarah ground her teeth and felt her jaw pop. “Leave Thomas out of this. And stay away from him. You don’t even know w
hat you’re talking about when it comes to him.”
She had never told her sister what happened with Thomas. One day, she knew she would have to. Until then, the humiliation was still too much, especially when Alice already thought so little of her. She would probably make it all her fault for Thomas’s cheating anyway.
“Whatever. I’m going to my room.”
“Dinner will be ready in an hour if all goes as planned.”
“Don’t bother. I’m not hungry.” Alice stormed off, and she sank down against the counter, resting her head in her hands. Why did it always have to be a fight?
Her phone rang in her pocket, bringing her upright again. Ethan’s name on the screen had her taking a deep breath to calm herself enough to answer. “Hey,” she said, hoping he had good news for her.
“I finally got clearance to go inside the apartment. The landlord is going to meet me there in the morning.”
“That’s great news. Are you calling me to tell me I can go along for the ride?”
“Yeah. I thought you might want to. And having another pair of eyes is always helpful.”
She thought of her argument with Alice and Cash and wished all of this would be over soon. “I hope we find something.”
“Me too. And I really think we have a chance there.”
“I still think we need to talk to Roald Collier.” She wondered what his reaction had been to the news.
“I agree. It’s obvious that Lana Foster hasn’t told him how urgent this is, but then again, it’s only been a few hours.”
“Maybe they’re all in shock. I know I would be.”
“Speaking of shock. How’s Alice? Is she holding it together after seeing all of that?”
She thought it was sweet of him to ask about her, but she wasn’t about to tell him the truth. If he knew her notes were stolen, he wouldn’t be happy. “Alice is fine. I should get off of here and get dinner going. I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Goodnight, Sarah.”