Girl in Trouble (An Alex Mercer Thriller Book 1)

by Stacy Claflin

  "Half the stuff out there is pure crap, but yeah, I'm one of the people they've questioned." Kellen flipped through the channels and stopped on a cartoon and muted it.

  "That sucks. They should look at the dad. He sounds like a real piece of work."

  Kellen shrugged. What could he say that wouldn't make him look like a jerk? Of course he wished they would interrogate Alex instead of him. He had actually been there when the abduction took place.

  "Okay. So, uh… what wouldn't be awkward to talk about? Sorry man, I don't really know what to say."

  "It's all right. Thanks for calling. No one else has."

  "Do you need anything?"

  A supportive fiancée. To get the FBI off his case. His life back. "No, just have to get through this."

  "It's been forty-eight hours, hasn't it?"

  Kellen glanced at the clock, but then realized he wasn't sure what day it was. "Is it Sunday or Monday?"

  "Monday."

  Crap. He hadn't even called in to work. They had to know why. "Yeah, it's been over two days. She was taken Friday night."

  "Well, if you need to get away for a while, I've got an extra ticket to the Seahawks game this week."

  "I appreciate the thought, but it would look really bad if I went to a game while my fiancée's daughter is missing and I'm already a person of interest."

  "Oh, I didn't even think about that. Well, I can round up a couple of the guys and we can come over."

  "Maybe." Kellen would have to talk with his attorneys about something as simple as having friends over.

  He hated his life.

  "Call me," Trey said. "I'll do all the work."

  "Sure. It's good to hear from you."

  "You, too."

  Kellen ended the call. If only he could go to the game or even just tell his friends to come over.

  His phone rang again. He answered it without looking at the caller ID.

  "You are alive," Zoey said.

  Kellen swore under his breath. "I told you I needed space."

  "We need to be together to get through this."

  "Actually, we don't."

  "Don't do this."

  "I meant everything I said before."

  "Can we talk?" Zoey asked.

  He closed his eyes. "Talk."

  "On the phone?"

  "Unless you meant telepathically."

  "You know what I meant. Come over here."

  "Why do I always have to go to your place?" Kellen snapped.

  "What do you mean?"

  "You never come here."

  "I thought you liked it here."

  He took a deep breath. "This is exactly what I'm talking about. There's nothing wrong with my townhouse, yet—"

  "Why are you arguing with me about this? Can't it wait until later? Ariana's missing. I need you."

  "Exactly. It's all about you—all the time."

  "My daughter's missing!"

  "And now the kid card is more powerful than ever," Kellen muttered.

  "What's that supposed to mean?"

  Like she didn't know. "You bring up Ariana and automatically get what you want because if I say no, then I'm the kid-hating a-hole. You win again. Congratulations."

  "It's not like that."

  "Wrong. It's exactly like that. Welcome to my world of being the wicked stepdad no matter what I do."

  "I can't believe this. My daughter's missing, and this is what I have to deal with. How dare you?"

  Anger surged through him. "And I have to deal with your selfishness being masked by the kid card. How dare you?"

  "That's really how you see it?"

  "I call it as it is."

  "Don't treat me like this if you want my support against the FBI."

  "Support? You call anything you've done supportive?" Kellen laughed. "That's a good one."

  "If you're trying to push me away, it's working."

  "Great. Call Alex."

  "Alex?" Zoey exclaimed. "What does he have to do with anything? And why would I call him? I loathe him."

  Kellen's anger was joined by jealousy. How could she not see what was so obvious? "Stop trying to deny your feelings for him."

  She gasped. "Excuse me? I can't stand that lowlife."

  Kellen squeezed the couch cushion. "Love and hate are two sides of the same scale, Zo. You can't have one without the other. I've tried to look past your obvious feelings for him, but I can see clearly now. Especially after the way you were defending him last time we talked. It's not worth it. I'm not going to be your second choice."

  "You're not—and especially not to Alex." She took a deep breath. "Obviously, we're both emotionally charged. Why don't we meet somewhere and discuss this over a meal? Have some wine and talk like civilized adults."

  A wave of sadness washed through him. He hated the wild range of emotions that had been running through him the last couple days. He just wasn't himself—especially with all the rage and jealousy he'd been feeling. He was turning into a person he didn't recognize anymore. The last thing he wanted was to keep going down this path and turn into someone he didn't like.

  "Did you hear me?" Zoey asked.

  He took a deep breath and hated himself for what he had to say. "I'm sorry, Zo. I just can't take all this stress anymore. I'm not the person you need me to be."

  "Wait. Are you saying we're over?"

  "I wish everything could go back to the way it was, but it can't."

  "You can't be serious."

  "If we don't cut it off now, we're going to tear each other part. We're going to wind up hating each other, and I don't want that. We've had so many good times. Let's remember those times."

  "But we—"

  "I'm really sorry, Zo." His voice cracked. "Goodbye." He ended the call before she could talk him out of the breakup. It really was best for both of them, and that was all that mattered. For once, he didn't care what anyone else thought.

  Crash

  Alex's mind spun as he researched the cold cases. The anonymous tipper had been onto something, and it did appear the older, out-of-state cases were the same. A girl around the age of twelve or thirteen disappears about a week before Halloween and then is found in a lake on or shortly after Halloween—and each time one is found after, it had been determined that she was drowned on or close to the holiday.

  If only he and Nick could look at all this together, but there had been a string of robberies resulting in physical injury, so he had to focus on those and let the team focus on Ariana's case.

  Alex wanted to wring the FBI agent's neck. How could she keep ignoring the fact that Flynn was the kidnapper? But Nick had been sure that if they could gather enough evidence pointing to the new cold cases, that would be enough for the woman. That was why Alex was taking meticulous notes, going over each case painfully slowly.

  Knock, knock.

  "Come in."

  Mom entered with a steaming cup of coffee. "I thought you could use some more."

  "Thanks, Mom."

  She set it next to his mouse pad. "Do you have enough to take to the FBI agent?"

  "I hope so. Nick wants me to email him everything at the end of his shift. If it is enough, he's going to show it to Williams and insist she put their resources into the lead."

  "What do you have?" She pulled up a chair.

  Alex sipped the hot drink. "There are eight cases, all exactly the same in Oregon. Before that, six in Idaho. There are even a few in Montana. Flynn must be moving around every time someone gets too close."

  "And they all… end on Halloween?" Mom's expression tightened.

  "Yeah. Every single one."

  She closed her eyes. "That's just sick. What if the FBI still won't look at it?"

  Alex clenched his fists. "Then that Williams bi—chick will have to deal with me."

  "Don't do something to get yourself into trouble, Alex."

  "If it'll get them to find Ariana, I don't care what happens to me. Halloween is getting closer too fast."

  "
I know." Her voice cracked. "When are you supposed to email Captain Fleshman?"

  He glanced at the clock. "About an hour and a half."

  "Do you need any help? I've got to do something other than clean. I'm going crazy, too."

  "You can help me search for more cases online. You'd be surprised how much is out there—I was, at least."

  "Okay. I'll—"

  Alex's phone vibrated and Mom's phone played music. They exchanged a curious expression and both looked at their screens.

  He had a text from Luke.

  Call me now.

  Mom gasped. "What's wrong?"

  "I don't know. Call him."

  She slid her finger around the screen and put the phone to her ear. "Busy."

  "Let me try." Alex called his brother-in-law.

  It rang.

  "Alex?" Luke sounded out of breath.

  "What's going on?" He put the phone on speaker. "Mom's here, too."

  "Macy was in an accident."

  Mom cried out. Alex put an arm around her shoulder.

  "They're taking her to the hospital now," Luke continued.

  "Is she okay?" Alex asked. "How bad is it?"

  "I don't know yet. They called me at work. I'm leaving for the hospital now."

  "You don't know anything?" Mom shook.

  "They won't say. Meet me there. I gotta drive."

  "Okay. We'll be right down."

  The call ended.

  Mom turned to Alex with tears in her eyes. "How much more heartache can I take?"

  "I'm sure she's fine. Probably a sprained wrist or something. Let's just get down there and give her a hard time for worrying us." He helped her up and then went to the staircase. "Dad!"

  He appeared below. "What's going on?"

  "Macy was in an accident. We have to get to the hospital."

  Color drained from his face. "Is she okay?"

  "Nobody knows."

  "I'll start the car."

  Alex hurried into his room. Who knew when he'd get back? He needed to email Nick what he had now.

  "I'll be right down," he told Mom.

  She nodded, looking dazed, and went into her bedroom.

  Alex uploaded everything he had into an email and sent it off to Nick, explaining what happened to Macy.

  He grabbed his jacket from the bed. A yellow scrap of paper floated to the floor.

  The note from his locker.

  It had warned Alex that Macy would be next.

  Blind fury surged through him. Whatever injuries his sister had incurred, Alex would inflict on Flynn.

  "Are you coming?" Mom asked from the doorway.

  Alex took a deep breath. "Just a minute."

  "Hurry, please."

  "Okay." He picked up the scrap of paper, snapped a picture, and sent it to Nick.

  Hospital

  "Mom, sit down," Alex said. Her pacing made him dizzy. His mind already raced between Macy's accident and all the new info he'd found on the cold cases.

  "What's taking so long?" Mom played with her hair. "The surgery was supposed to be done an hour ago."

  Luke rose and helped her into a chair. "We have to stay optimistic for her sake."

  Alex shook his head. Like that would help anything.

  "I'll see if they can tell us something." Dad rose and headed for the nearest desk.

  Luke spoke quietly with Mom in soothing tones.

  Alex checked his phone to see if there were any updates from Nick. He was probably going over the information Alex had sent or he was talking to the agent. Or maybe she said no again, and Nick didn't want to bother Alex with the news while he was in the hospital with Macy.

  It was a good thing Alex didn't have Flynn's address. If he did, he'd march over there and let him have it for what he'd put his family through.

  Dad came back. "They can't tell us much, but the surgery is going longer than expected. A scan showed internal abdominal bleeding due to the rib fractures." He sat and took Mom's hand.

  Alex got up. "I'm going to see if I can find out more about the crash. Sitting here isn't accomplishing squat. Text me when you hear something."

  He made his way back to the parking lot, and leaned against his car. He didn't want to sit any more. It was so tempting to pull out a cigarette.

  Why had he quit?

  He needed something. If he had either a drink or a pack, he'd dig in right there on the hospital property. Instead, he texted Nick.

  What's up?

  Hopefully, he had some news on something.

  Going over Macy's collision report.

  And?

  Alex's phone rang.

  "What does it say?" Alex demanded.

  "You really want to know everything?" Nick asked.

  "Don't hold back. I need to know how bad it is."

  "Her car was destroyed almost to the point of being unrecognizable," Nick said.

  Alex took a deep breath. He'd been expecting that. "And?"

  "They had to cut through the roof to get her out. She was pinned between the seat belt and airbag, hanging sideways. The medics on site reported multiple broken bones. Macy was lucky her spine and neck weren't injured. She'll recover. It won't be easy, but she was really lucky."

  Alex took a deep breath. Now he wanted a smoke more than ever. "What about the guy who did this to her?"

  "Some kid was delivering pizza in a tricked-out oversized truck."

  "Let me guess," Alex said. "Walked away without a scratch." Probably paid off, too.

  "Pretty close," Nick affirmed.

  "Can I see the report?"

  "How about you focus on your family? I'm going to talk to Williams about the stuff you sent over about those other cases."

  "You think it's enough?"

  "It better be. I don't see how she can turn a blind eye to thirty years of the same exact cases."

  "Hey, did you get that picture I sent you?"

  "Yeah, and I have one of my best guys on it. Look, I have a meeting in two minutes. Let's talk a little later."

  They said their goodbyes and Alex wished he still kept beer and cigarettes in the trunk for emergencies. He took a deep breath and headed back inside, stopping at a little coffee stand outside the cafeteria. He carried a little tray of four espressos back to the waiting room. His parents and Luke were all in the same seats as before. He handed them all a cup and sat down with the last one.

  "Thanks," Luke said.

  "I talked to the police captain. He said Macy's car was pretty bad."

  They all grimaced, not that anyone was surprised given how long Macy had been in surgery.

  "She's got a lot of broken bones but was lucky it wasn't more serious."

  "How could this have happened?" Mom exclaimed. Tears ran down her face.

  Because a kidnapper thought he could control Alex with threats. Alex didn't see how saying anything would help.

  A balding guy in scrubs came over to them. "Luke Walker?"

  "That's me." Luke rose and shook the doctor's hand. "These are her parents and brother."

  He introduced himself and shook hands with them all and then took a seat.

  "Why did the surgery take so long?" Mom asked.

  The doctor spoke in technical terms that made Alex's head spin. He'd ask Mom or Dad for a translation later, but the gist was what Nick had said—that Macy was lucky based on the severity of the accident. Not that it was an accident.

  Alex followed the conversation with his eyes, but his mind was far away.

  He was trying to figure out how to get his hands on Flynn Myer.

  Convincing

  Nick looked around his office and rubbed his temples. He really needed to get some solid sleep tonight. But first, he needed to show the load of information to Williams and convince her that it was in the FBI's best interest to focus their resources in that direction. Hopefully she would be in an agreeable mood.

  Mentally, he went over the major points. He had to be convincing—they needed to find Ariana and this had t
o be the same serial killer. There were simply too many similarities to be a coincidence. He'd seen people brought down with a lot less proof.

  Knock, knock.

  "Come in."

  Williams entered, eating takeout. Nick's office filled with the smell of spiced chicken. "You wanted to see me?"

  He motioned for her to sit. "I have some new information about the kidnapping case you need to see."

  "What is it?" She sat and continued eating.

  "It's the cold cases. They—"

  "Why are you so hung up on them?"

  "Just hear me out. This will help us find the girl."

  "All right. You have my full attention for the next ten minutes."

  Nick would have to talk fast. He glanced back down at the computer and then to her. "I believe this criminal has been getting away with these abductions and murders for the last thirty years in at least four states."

  Williams froze, her fork midway between the container and her mouth. "Come again?"

  "Thirty years, thirty girls, four states."

  She put the fork down and set the food on the chair next to her. "All the same MO?"

  "Let me show you." Nick spun the laptop toward her and went around. "It appears to have started in Montana, unless there are earlier cases I can't find." He brought the information he had on the first case. "Look, this girl bears a startling resemblance to Ariana Nakano, wouldn't you say?"

  Williams narrowed her eyes and leaned closer to the screen. "A little older, but yes, there are similarities."

  "Similarities?" he exclaimed. "These girls could all be related."

  "Really?" Williams scrunched her face. "This one has fiery red hair. Look at those curls. And this other one—she's Hispanic. The only thing she has in common with the Ariana is brown hair and eyes. Did you notice they're all two years older than Ariana?"

  Nick wasn't surprised she was clinging to those discrepancies. He'd seen it coming. "Ariana's tall for her age—that explains the age differences. Also, the redhead was wearing a brunette wig at the time of her abduction."

  "And the Hispanic girl?"

  "Brown eyes and hair! Same height!" Nick glared at her.

  Williams studied the pictures again. "It's a stretch, Fleshman. Our resources are already tight. I can't allocate more resources on something this thin."

  "They were all taken within eight days of Halloween! All found after Halloween, dead near lakes. Drowning victims. Taken from parks. There are too many similarities to ignore." Nick clicked from one case to the next, enlarging each photo. "Look at how much these girls look like Ariana!"