Poker Face

by Noelle Winters

  “Yes.” Veronica didn’t say anything more than that.

  Ryan decided to switch topics. “I’m looking for this girl.” Ryan placed a photo on the bar and passed it over to her, watching her intently. There was a flash of recognition, then it was replaced by the same chill Ryan had seen moments ago. “Jasmine Turner.”

  “Her.” Veronica nodded once.

  It was interesting to see how different she was here than she had been at their home. “What can you tell me about her?”

  “Not much.” Veronica gestured her to come to the side of the bar, away from the majority of the noise. “She was employed here for about six months, then she stopped showing up.”

  “Any idea why?” It didn’t match what she had learned from the parents, but she knew quite well that someone could live a double life.

  “I guessed it was due to a boyfriend.” She sighed. “We’ve lost quite a few young people that way.”

  The formal, stilted tone of her voice rankled Ryan. Did she not care? Was it far enough away in time that she didn’t feel anything for the young woman?

  “How long have you worked here?” Ryan asked, trying to establish a timeline.

  “A year,” Veronica said. “I recently bought the bar a few weeks ago.”

  Ryan noted that down, keeping her frustration off her face.

  “What happened to her?” Veronica looked at Ryan, her face still blank.

  That did surprise Ryan. “You didn’t see the news?”

  Veronica shook her head. She opened her mouth as if to say something, then stopped. “No.”

  “She disappeared over a week ago,” Ryan said. No reaction.

  “Oh.” Veronica nodded once.

  “You might want to talk to Ashley.” Ross appeared out of nowhere, next to Veronica.

  Ryan looked at him, interested. “Ashley?”

  “Ashley Palmer,” Ross clarified. They worked around the same time. Ash stayed for a couple weeks after Jasmine did, then she quit.”

  “Do you have any contact information for her?” It was the first real lead Ryan had managed to get since she had started the missing case.

  “Just her home address.” Veronica was the one who spoke, and then disappeared through the back door.

  “That’s where the employee files are kept,” Ross explained.

  Ryan nodded, uneasiness causing the hair on the back of her neck to prickle up. She couldn’t explain what it was, or what the the dynamic between the two of them was, but something bothered her.

  “Here.” Veronica reappeared with a piece of paper. There was a name and address on it.

  “Thanks.” Ryan nodded, then reached in her breast pocket and pulled out a business card. “If you think of anything else, please let me know.” She slid it across to the two of them.

  Ross and Veronica looked at each other, then Veronica picked it up. She didn’t say anything, instead turning back to the bar.

  Ryan left the bar with more on her mind than she had come with. Had they not checked the girl’s identity? She was definitely underage. She would have to look into if either her or her friend had a history of fake IDs. It would explain a lot.

  Getting behind the wheel of her car, she plugged the address into the GPS and started towards it. Ashley lived in a small lot, not far from the southwest side of town. It was like a cluster, with four houses in close proximity and no more for a mile or two. Isolated, but still friendly looking.

  The dirt paths were hard on Ryan’s patrol car. The rocks made a bumpy ride, and more than once she cursed herself for not chiding the police Chief into replacing the tires on her car. Checking the house numbers, she drove into the second house from the left. There was a worn, pale blue mailbox at the front of the lot, with a short dirt road leading Ryan to a creaky-looking old house and a well-kept stable.

  It didn’t take a genius to figure out where their priorities lay. Not that it was unusual, in the country. Horses were expensive, after all.

  She parked the patrol car, tucking the keys into her pocket as she got out. There was another car parked next to the stable, but the lights were off in the house. Was no one home? Had her trip been pointless?

  The creaking sound of a door opening caught her off guard. Ryan whirled on the spot, hand going to her gun belt before she saw it was just an older woman who had pushed open the door and screen door.

  “Are you —”

  “Oh thank God,” the woman said, her voice breaking. “Ashley is missing.”

  Sunday 2nd October; 9am

  Liv stared at the counter she had polished four times. She was at home now, cleaning up after Gram had baked a cake. It was the only thing that helped calm her mind.

  Not that it was working at the moment.

  The small TV chattered noisily in the background, and she watched the colors flash by on the screen without focusing on them. Her mind was spinning, the last image of Cairo haunting her. She knew Ryan was investigating. What had she found, if anything?

  The warmth that always came to her when she thought of Ryan swept her off guard. She closed her eyes, letting herself pretend that Ryan was there, that they could hold each other and be together. The feeling of Ryan’s arms around her, their bodies melding.

  As quick as she had remembered them, she shoved the memories away, brushing a few tears off her cheeks. It wasn’t the time to be sentimental. Besides, she had no right to wish for that resolution.

  “And here is Chief O’Conner, to talk about the recent death in Amaranth,” someone was saying on the TV. Liv’s ears perked up and she put down the rag, heading towards the TV and turning it up.

  “Hello.” The Chief, bulky in his uniform, nodded to the few press members there. “I’m here to talk about the recent death of Cairo Levitt.”

  “And what can you share with us about this death?”

  Liv recognized the presswoman speaking. She was from their local newspaper, a hard-hitting woman named Natalie. She had been that way even in high school.

  “We are quite certain that it was a suicide, and we will not be investigating it further.” The Chief smiled widely.

  Liv tuned the rest of the questions out, her head burning. There was a tall man next to the Chief, but Ryan wasn’t there. Did she just not care?

  “Gram, I’m heading out for a bit.” Liv grabbed her purse, aware she wasn’t thinking and that she really shouldn’t have been doing what she was about to do.

  “Take care, dear.” Gram waved from where she sat on the couch watching TV, Mocha spread out next to her.

  Sunday 2nd October; 9:30am

  Liv debated taking the dog, then shook her head and headed out the door. She knew where Ryan lived. She had never moved.

  “I shouldn’t be doing this.” Those words became her mantra throughout the ten minute drive, her hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white.

  But she had to. Someone had to stand up for Cairo, had to prove that she hadn’t killed herself. If Ryan wasn’t going to do it, Liv would.

  It was a kick to the chest when she caught sight of Ryan’s house for the first time in a long time. It hadn’t changed, really. Still the tall chimney, the dark, rusty brick. It was one of the more rustic houses in the city, and it looked like it had just stepped out of a history book.

  Fury kicking her forward, Liv threw the car into park and got out, passing by Ryan’s car in the driveway and heading up to the door. Hesitation stopped her, but then she knocked on the door. Her heart was racing, and she could barely breathe, but she knew what she was doing was right. She had to make sure they took Cairo’s death seriously.

  The door opened partway, then stopped.

  It was okay, because Liv’s heart had skipped a beat too. It wasn’t just the fury that had her so worked up. It was the first time she had been to Ryan’s house in a long time. There were so many memories there. The first time they had made love together. Hanging out, lazily watching a movie and stealing kisses.

  Liv swallowe
d thickly, her brain kicking into gear and reminding her why she was there. “I need to talk to you.”

  “About what?” Ryan’s voice was strained, a distance and a coolness there that Liv didn’t like but knew she had earned. Liv was coming over with no warning, to a place she hadn’t been to in a long time.

  “Cairo.” Liv spoke the word firmly, making sure that Ryan knew she would brook no argument.

  Ryan studied her for a long minute, with Liv staring back, no matter what it did to her stomach.

  “Come in.” Ryan pushed the door open a bit further, allowing Liv in the house.

  Her steps were hesitant, but she stepped through the doorway into Ryan’s house. She took a few moments to stand there and breathe, the memories threatening to assault her.

  Ryan was standing a few feet away, and her eyes were tender now as they looked at Liv.

  Liv wanted so much to reach out and hug her. Kiss her. Smile, and be the person she had been with Ryan at least for a little bit. But those days were long gone.

  “Follow me.” Ryan smiled faintly, almost like a ghost, and then led her to a room off the living room. “I’ve turned this into my office.”

  “Oh you got the cherry wood!” Liv couldn’t help the exclamation. It was something they had talked about years ago, when they were in high school.

  “You convinced me.” Ryan winked, the smile back on her face.

  Liv’s cheeks burned, and she hoped Ryan didn’t notice. Liv had always wanted cherry wood furniture. Not that she had ever really been able to afford it, not with her family’s health problems. But seeing it in Ryan’s house made her stomach go all gooey in a way it didn’t need to be.

  Liv looked at her, her eyes meeting Ryan’s. “I’ve missed you,” she said, the words so soft that they were barely audible. True, Liv had had a few flings here and there during her ten years away, but none of them had compared to Ryan and what had been between them.

  She could see the surprise in Ryan’s face, in her eyes. Then the corner of her lips quirked up with a slight hint. She didn’t answer, but that was enough of an answer for Liv. It sent excitement through her stomach.

  “You want answers, don’t you?” Ryan’s voice caught Liv off guard.

  “Wha—?”

  “Cairo’s case.” Ryan was turning to her computer and pulling up a program Liv didn’t recognize. “I can’t let you have access to the confidential bits, but I want to show you some of the witness reports.”

  Liv stared at her. “What?”

  “I want a second opinion,” Ryan said with a shrug. “And I know how into true crime stuff you were in high school.” Ryan’s lips twisted. “I already talked to my partner.”

  “I don’t understand all the paperwork.” Liv peered at the screen, then looked at Ryan with a furrow between her brows.

  “The patrol officer takes the initial report.” Ryan talked her through the form. “In this case, he noted it looked like a probable suicide.”

  “She didn’t —”

  “I know.” Ryan cut her off.

  Liv stared at her.

  “I just can’t prove it.” Ryan let out a sigh, her hands going to her temple in a display of helplessness. “There’s not a ton that says it’s a suicide, but there's nothing definitive that says it’s not.”

  “Then why —”

  “Did the Chief go out and say it’s a suicide?” There was a wry twist to Ryan’s lips. “Elections are coming up.”

  “Fucking politics,” Liv muttered. She didn’t swear often, but this deserved it. She was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. “What next?”

  Ryan looked at her, seeming to consider her question. “I don’t know.”

  11

  Sunday 2nd October; 10am

  “Have you looked into Cairo’s ex-boyfriend?” Liv tapped the pen Ryan had given her to her lips. It was a gesture Ryan used to do a lot in high school, one Liv had picked up.

  There was a smile on Ryan’s lips when Liv looked at her. That connection was still there, the thing that had pushed them together. But Liv hadn’t let herself change. She was still that person who had pulled them apart, and it wasn’t fair to saddle Ryan with that.

  “Charles?” Ryan flipped through some of the papers. She had taken a copy of her case file notes and spread it out over the desks so they could reference them. “Not yet. According to Steven they hadn’t talked in quite some time.”

  “There’s a rumor Cairo was cheating on Steven with Charles,” Liv said, thinking back to the morning she and River had been hanging out in the coffee shop.

  Ryan’s eyebrows were raised. “Really?” She sounded doubtful.

  Liv nodded. “They broke up a few months before she started dating Steven, but according to the local gossip, they’ve been seen together once or twice.” River had kept her updated.

  “That doesn’t equal cheating,” Ryan pointed out.

  “It doesn’t mean they weren’t,” Liv countered.

  A stalemate hung between them for a moment, then Ryan gave in with a smile. That smile turned to a frustrated frown. “Not that I can do anything with this,” she muttered.

  “You could go chat with him,” Liv suggested.

  “The investigation is closed,” Ryan said with tight lips.

  “If I go with you, it’s just a friendly chat.” Liv warmed to the idea. “I’m a civilian, so you’re not investigating.”

  Ryan opened her mouth as if to protest, then stopped. Liv could tell she was considering it.

  “We need to find proof that she was murdered.” Liv’s voice was honest. They had to. If they didn’t, then Cairo’s death was going to be ruled a suicide and fade into the dust.

  “Or prove it’s a suicide,” Ryan pointed out.

  “Or that,” Liv allowed. But she doubted that was going to be the case.

  Ryan paused. “Are you okay?”

  Liv looked away. She had dreamt of Cairo last night. “Yeah.”

  “Liv.” Ryan’s voice was gentle.

  Liv sighed. “I don’t think I’m supposed to be okay.” Her gaze was distant. “Do you ever get used to that?”

  Ryan shook her head. “If I ever get used to death, I’ll quit my job.”

  Liv looked up at her, surprised. Ryan was looking back at her, still close in their chairs. Liv could feel herself leaning in, her body thrumming in time with Ryan’s.

  Then she caught her foot on one of the chair feet and almost fell into Ryan. “Oops.” Liv flushed.

  “It’s okay.” Ryan helped her sit back up.

  “We should go,” Liv said in the awkward silence that followed.

  “I’ll drive.” Ryan picked up her car keys.

  “Not your patrol car.” Liv looked at her.

  “My regular car,” Ryan said with a hint of exasperation. “I do drive it on occasion.”

  “Is it…” Liv trailed off, following Ryan as they headed out of the house. She hadn’t been paying attention when she got there, but there was the dark blue Jeep sitting in the driveway. “That car is still running?”

  Ryan reached out and patted it. “I take good care of it.”

  Liv tried not to look at the backseat before she got in the front. There was plenty of things they had done in that car.

  Would she really be able to move on from Ryan if she was constantly surrounded by reminders from her past? Not that she had a choice. But Ryan had looked at her like that, and there was still something between them.

  Maybe it was just wishful thinking.

  Ryan started the drive without speaking. Both of them knew where Charles lived. It was about a ten minute drive, which was both not long enough and forever.

  “Did you meet Cairo’s cousin?” Ryan was the one that broke the silence.

  Liv looked at her, startled. “Who?”

  “Veronica.”

  The named jarred Liv’s memory, and the blonde-haired woman rose in her mind. “Oh. Her.”

  “Was she around when we were little?” There was
a cautious curiosity to Ryan’s words.

  “Not that I remember. Why?” Liv was curious now. Was it something to do with the case, or was Ryan asking for other reasons?

  “She owns the bar now,” Ryan said.

  That did surprise Liv. “She didn’t say anything.” Liv frowned. “I don’t remember seeing her around much.”

  “She seemed to hide in the back a lot.” There was the same skepticism Liv felt reflected in Ryan’s voice.

  Before they could continue the conversation, Liv pointed out Charles’s house. Despite the unkempt state of the inhabitant, the little grey house was well-kept with a lush lawn and cobblestone pathways.

  “Here we go,” Ryan muttered under her breath.

  Liv hid a smile. She led the way up to the front door, pressing the doorbell and hearing it echo inside the house. Her heart was starting to beat faster and her palms were sweaty.

  The mystery-book reader in her mind remarked that was why people left fingerprints. Had someone been worried enough about Cairo’s murder that they left any? Or had they been wearing gloves? Liv made a note to ask Ryan.

  The door lurched open, its movements jerky as if the person didn’t have a good hold on the door. Charles stood there, his brown hair sticking up in all directions and his muddy green eyes rimmed with red. Liv could smell the alcohol, even from five feet away.

  If the rumors were true, even if they weren’t officially dating, Charles must have cared for Cairo. “Whatcha doing?” Charles looked at them, his eyes squinting. Then his eyes widened and he nodded. “It’s the lesbians.”

  Liv rolled her eyes, then she and Ryan exchanged a look. The town had been relatively accepting, but neither Ryan nor Liv were stupid and had overheard the whispers that went on for months. ‘The lesbians’ was one of the more flattering things they’d been called.

  “We’re here to talk about Cairo.” Liv kept her voice gentle and apologetic. She didn’t want to scare him off, even if he was totally smashed.

  Sorrow flashed across Charles’s face, and his eyes darkened. “I love her,” he said, looking through them as if they weren’t there. “I loved her.”