by Maria Walton
"I have rights you know," he insisted.
Donovan slammed his fist down on the table, "Not when you fuck with one of our own you don't!"
He stormed out of the interrogation room, slamming the door behind him. I ducked down as he past the room I was hiding in. There was no way to tell how long he would be gone but I'd been given a second chance with Marcus and I was going to miss it. I peeked out the door and saw an empty hallway. Quietly, I opened the door and slipped inside, careful to leave my credit card in the lock so I wouldn't be trapped inside.
"Hey!" Marcus screamed. "Hey, that crazy bitch is in here! Someone help me!"
I laughed at him. "They aren't going to help you! How do you think I got in here in the first place?"
"I'd also like to know that," questioned a voice from behind me.
I flinched and turned around, "Donovan. I can explain."
"Don't bother, I think I know what happened. You started to leave town, just like I told you too and then your car broke down and you got stranded here of all places?"
"Donovan, I can explain. I found a photo in Marcus's house."
"You were in my house again! That's trespassing!" shouted Marcus.
"Not for a federal officer," I shot back.
"It sure as hell is trespassing when you aren't on the case, which is why I told you to leave, Cassandra."
"You don't understand what I found inside! He knows something and I have proof damn it!"
I fumbled around in my jacket, looking for the picture I had found inside his house. To my shock, Donovan grabbed a hold of my wrist and pulled it behind my back. I felt the familiar sensation of metal being locked around it. He was handcuffing me.
"I'm sorry Cass, this is for your own good. I'll let you go as soon as I can get in touch with your dad. Then he can come and get you."
"Have you lost your damn mind, Donovan? He knows where Alyson is and you aren't doing anything to stop him!"
Donovan pushed me outside of the room, "I don't think so, Cass. I never should have let you get this close to the case. Hell, there isn't even a case yet. Alyson is over eighteen. When she is missing for two days then I will open an investigation. Until then, I've wasted enough of my men's time."
He pushed me gently into a cell and shut the door behind me. I held my hands through the bars and he removed the cuffs.
"Now be a good girl," he said sarcastically.
"Screw you asshole. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. You hooking up with Alyson's friend. I have to wonder if you are more involved in this than I originally thought."
He glared at me, "Just for that, I think I'm going to wait and call your dad in the morning. Enjoy your night."
I watched him go and kicked myself for stirring the pot. I should have just kept my mouth shut. Now, I would have to break out of jail.
Chapter Nine
I paced back and forth in the cell, counting the minutes as they ticked by. Donovan had locked me away before doing a thorough search. He'd taken my gun and my cell phone but nothing else. That was a mistake for him, one that I was sure he was going to regret. I heard footsteps approaching, one set with a noticeable drag. As one of Donovan's men pushed Marcus into the cell next to me, I smiled. Maybe my fate wasn't so bad after all.
"I don't recommend getting too close to her," recommended the guard as he walked away.
Marcus glared at me and rubbed his leg. "What you going to do now girl? Talk me to death?"
I said nothing to him. I just had to wait and that was the hardest part. They already had a thin crew for the night. In a little while they would forget all about us and start talking the way 'good old boys' always did. I didn't want to be a part of that. I never had. If I had stayed in town I would have become Donovan's wife and little more. Working on the force would have been a forgotten dream. I didn't fight my way up through training to be held down by any man. Not Donovan, not the other officers, and definitely not Marcus. He would get what was coming to him.
The minutes turned into an hour, then two. I watched him as he tried to get comfy. It wasn't an easy feat with a bullet wound and no medication. A dark side of me enjoyed the pain that he was in.
"So, this is how it's done in the sticks? They lock up their own kind? That's some funny shit."
I rolled my eyes, "I am not one of them, I am a federal officer, you scum."
"Big words for a little girl in a jail cell. How would your federal buddies like you now?"
"I think they would be impressed that I won't stop hunting the men who kidnapped my sister."
"Look where that got you, doll," he said with a wink.
I couldn't take it anymore. I knew that I needed to wait a little longer but the anger building inside of me wouldn't be tamed. I glanced down the hallway one last time before fishing in my pocket for the key that I'd found earlier. This was an old jail with lots of fun little quirks. The toilets never worked right, the building was freezing in the winter, and the cell doors still used a rather universal skeleton key.
"Hey! What are you doing?" asked Marcus.
When I opened my cell door and slipped into the hallway, he backed away from the front of his cell and looked terrified.
"Hey! Anybody there?" he bellowed.
I opened his cell door and pounced. He was stronger than me and I didn't want to knock him out like I had his lackeys. I needed him awake enough to answer my questions. His bum leg worked to my advantage as I leaped into action and wrapped my arm around his neck. He slammed me backwards into the bars, knocking the wind out of me but I didn't loosen my grip. When he started to go down, I jumped away from him and put all my weight onto the wound in his leg. He screamed out in pain.
"You're fuсking psycho! Jesus bitch!" he screamed.
"Tell me about Fabian and Ryan!" I yelled back at him.
"He will kill me!" he hollered.
"I don't give a rat's ass, tell me what you know or this is just the beginning. I will never stop, I will track you down and keep coming until I find out what happened to my sister."
"Fine! I don't know anything about Ryan but we had a tail on McDermont. Word on the street was that he was looking to branch out of the mob business. No one knew what he was getting into but we were all curious."
"What the hell does this have to do with Ryan? Where was this picture taken at?"
"Down at the lake! My boys followed Fabian to a meeting and they were just as surprised as I was when we saw he was with your sister's boyfriend."
"What did they talk about?"
He shook his head, "I don't know."
I raised my leg to drive my heal into his wound again but he lifted up his arms, "I swear to God, I don't know! I told my boys to get the shot and get the hell out of there. Fabian is bigger than me, I know when I'm outmatched."
"Why do you think Ryan would meet with him then?"
"Best I can figure, he was looking for a bigger shark to pay me off," he shook his head. "I tell you what, he didn't owe much more though."
"How many times did they meet?"
"Just the once. We saw Fabian around more but Ryan never met him again. I'd say the kid got scared and backed out."
Nothing was making sense. Fabian was too big for a small hit like Alyson. He was a very bad man and this little town didn't have much to offer. Why wouldn't Ryan tell us about meeting with Fabian before? If he was willing to hide that from us, what else was he hiding. Ryan hadn't told me much about himself the more I thought about it. He was a great conversationalist but always managed to turn the conversation back around on the other person.
"Where do I find Fabian at?" I asked him.
Marcus shook his head, "I wish I knew. The man is a ghost."
I wanted more of an answer but the sound of approaching footsteps needed my direct attention. I let go of Marcus and quietly bounced back into my cell, locking both doors as I went. By the time the Daniel's twins walked in to check on us in matching uniforms, I was curled up on the sparse bed with my eyes closed.
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br /> "Cass, your dad is here," said Dillion as he opened my cell.
I gave them my best acting skills as I rolled over and rubbed my eyes. "Oh, okay. What time is it?"
I glanced over at Marcus who was still nursing his wound. I knew that he wasn't going to say anything. If he did, I wouldn't have thought twice about holding true to my word and hunting him down. Granted, I doubt if I could ever kill a man for something so petty but I could certainly put the fear of God into him.
"Little past one in the morning, let's get you out of here," said Derek.
I nodded my head and looked properly chagrined as I followed them out of the holding area. My dad came back behind the reception desk and wrapped me in his arms. He held out his hand and shook hands with both Daniel's brothers.
"Thanks guys. I won't let her out of my sight," assured my father.
"No problem Cliff, Donovan didn't book her or anything so you are good to go," said Derek before turning to me, "Try and stay out of trouble this time, k?"
Dillion laughed and held the door open for us. When we were halfway across the lot, my father cleared his throat.
"So, have you got anything?"
Chapter Ten
"I'm telling you Dad, something isn't adding up here. I just can't seem to get all the pieces in the right places."
"Then take a step back and look again. I know you will figure this out, you are closer to Alyson than anyone else in this world."
I frowned, "I know, I just wish I had gone home with her that night. She wanted me too but I couldn't wait to get out of this town."
He put his arm on my shoulder, "Now don't be doing that to yourself, Cassy, this isn't your fault."
"I just wish I had found her."
"We can start fresh tomorrow. Your mom has your old room ready and we will keep lookout for a while. You need some sleep."
"Dad, if you make me go back to Mom's now I'm going to have to waste a ton of time sneaking back out and getting back into town. Can we please just skip the part where we both pretend like I'm going to listen. This is too important. We don't have the time."
He sighed and looked over at me, "Alright. Where am I taking you?"
I smiled at him, "Thanks, Dad. Can you take me to Alyson's apartment? Or is it too early?"
My father looked down at the clock on the dash, "This would be way too early for Jenna but as luck would have it, she's working nights over at the factory between semesters."
"Awesome, then take me there. I need to find out more about Alyson and Ryan's relationship."
He nodded his head and pulled into a residential area. My sister and Jenna lived in one of the quiet suburbs where the apartments were amazing but you paid a hefty price. I had to wonder how my sister could afford such a nice place. I knew that she was on a student's income. Sometimes I thought that she had to be doing something unsavory. I cringed at the idea.
"Do you want me to go up with you?" asked my dad.
I shook my head and opened the door, "No thanks, I work better alone but I will tell you if I find anything, okay?"
"Okay honey, be safe," he said with a smile. "I'm not kidding, don't let your anger with Donovan get you killed. You promise me that you will call him if things get too rough, okay?"
I nodded my head and jogged up the steps to the top floor apartment and knocked on the door. My father had been right, Jenna answered with her uniform still on and a cup of coffee in her hand. When she saw me she almost dropped the cup and jumped into my arms. It was always shocking how much Jenna looked like Alyson. They were always being mistaken for sisters.
"Oh my God, Cass! I was wondering if you were going to come over here. What can I do to help?"
I smiled at her, "Nothing really. I just wanted to talk to you about Alyson and Ryan and maybe see her room."
"Okay, want some coffee?"
I nodded my head and sat down on the plush couch. "So, Alyson hasn't ever done this before?"
Jenna handing me a steaming cup of coffee. The first sip tasted like heaven. I had been awake for far too long and I knew that I was starting to lag. I needed to be on my game if I was going to keep hunting down Fabian.
Jenna shook her head, "No, never. I mean sure, she is a flake sometimes but she always tells me where she is going. Plus, she never would have missed our appointment, even if she was skipping town!"
"That's what I thought, how can you guys afford this place with her only working part time?"
Jenna blushed, "I pay my half but I think that Ryan pay's Alyson's to be honest. I've seen him giving her money before and in no small amounts."
"Do you think she was doing anything illegal to get the money?"
She shook her head adamantly, "No way. Alyson was on the right path. Her grades were good and it seemed like she was really getting her life together. I think Ryan was just doing it to be nice but I don't know."
Looking away from me, I noticed her eyes and body language change ever so slightly as she mentioned Ryan. It was subtle but enough to catch my attention. There was something she wasn't telling me and I needed to find out what. Of course, I couldn't do what I had done to Marcus to get answers from her. I set down my coffee and took her hand in mine.
"Jenna, anything you can tell me, no matter how small you may think it is, could be important. How did you feel about Ryan?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. He seemed nice enough but always a little bit distant. Like he had some dark secrets that he wasn't going to share. I don't know if this means anything but before they went to meet you at the bar they had an argument. Something was wrong, when I tried to talk to Alyson about it, she just brushed me off."
"Any idea what they were fighting about?"
"Money I think, which doesn't make any sense because Ryan seemed to be loaded!"
"I wouldn't be so sure. You were right about him having some secrets, I just don't know if I've discovered all of them or not. Do you mind if I take a look around her room?"
She shook her head, "Absolutely not, go ahead. I just want to find her."
"Thanks," I said with a smile.
"One more thing Cass," said Jenna, looking nervous, "Donovan and I."
I smiled, "I know, I'm happy for you. He deserves a good woman and you are one. I don't have any hard feelings, okay?"
"Thanks," she said grinning.
I was about to turn away but I froze, "One more thing Jenna. If you could avoid telling Donovan I came by, just for a little while, I would really appreciate it."
Jenna laughed, "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me. I saw him last night and how upset he was. I'll make sure you have one hell of a head start before spilling."
"Thanks Jenna, I'll let you know if I need anything else."
I turned and walked down the narrow hallway to my sister's room. Opening the door was like a flashback in time. She hadn't changed much from her place at my mother's house. The same posters hung on the wall with the same bands she'd always loved. A stack of papers sitting on a small desk drew my attention right away. I sat down and started looking through everything. She had different bills that were all paid in full, another oddity considering my sister's income.
Taking a deep breath, I considered the dead end that I had found. I took one more glance around my sister's room and decided that I had been wrong. Maybe Ryan wasn't a bad guy and I was just jumping to conclusions because it was my sister that was missing. I tapped on her laptop absentmindedly. The screen came to life.
"Huh," I looked confused at the computer.
Staring back at me was my own image. My sister had left the camera on her computer on and better yet, it was recording.
"What were you trying to capture, Alyson?" I asked myself as I started to navigate her files.
She had left me a trail of crumbs and I was going to follow it to the very end.
Chapter Eleven
"Alright, let me think," I whispered to myself.
I scrolled through the recordings until I saw the day that
she went missing. There was only one entry for that day and it was right before I had met Ryan and her at the bar. I clicked on it and jumped. The volume was deafening. I quickly turned it down and heard a knock at the door.
"Hey, I'm going to go out for a while, will you be okay by yourself?"
I nodded my head, "Thanks Jenna. I'll lock up before I leave too."
She smiled, "Take your time. All I want is to find her. Nothing else matters."
"Me too, be safe out there," I said to her.