As I ponder that, my phone rings again. This time, it is the morgue telling me the report on Thea’s autopsy is ready.
I prepare myself to demand that Thea not follow me into that room. Seeing her body with the obvious incisions from her own autopsy would be too much for anyone, and for some reason, I can’t bear for Thea to go through that. Besides, without her being visible to anyone else, I won’t be able to comfort her in there. She’ll be on her own, and I refuse to let that happen.
However, before I can say anything, Jones comes up behind me and taps me on my shoulder.
“You wanted to talk to me in person the other day, Mercer. I’ve got five minutes, so talk.” He sounds tired, and when I turn around to face him, I see the bags under his eyes and the slight glaze over them, as though he’s been constantly yawning.
“You look tired, sir. How’s your triple homicide coming along?”
He grunts, rubbing his forehead briefly before shaking his head. “It’s going. Now hurry up and spit it out.”
I wanted to talk to Jones because I needed to be taken off Thea’s case, given I was seeing ghosts and all, but it is different now. I don’t feel as freaked out about it, and now I need to solve this case myself. I don’t want to hand it off to someone else.
“It’s nothing, sir. It sorted itself out.”
He nods. “Good. How’s the investigation? Got any viable leads?”
“I might have connected Thea’s murder to another woman’s disappearance. I’ve got a suspect who dated both women and is looking good for this. His alibi for the night of Thea’s murder is weak, and I’m hoping I can get something from her autopsy. I’m heading down there now.”
Jones nods again, his eyes peering off into the distance. “I’ve never known you to use a victim’s first name when working a case. Any reason you’re doing it now?”
My eyes widen, and I suddenly feel weary. Where is he going with this? What does it matter if I’m using Thea’s name or not?
“No, sir. I hadn’t really noticed I was doing it.”
“I don’t want you getting attached, Mercer. If this case dries up, you’ll need to focus on a new one. If needed, hand it over to the cold case squad.”
“You’re putting me on a new case?” I react too quickly, and it’s definitely clear to both of us that I don’t want that to happen before I can solve this case.
“Not yet. I want a report from you by Monday. If this suspect falls through and your leads dry up, I will need you to step back. I know it sucks. I know this system is incredibly flawed, but I can’t have one of my best detectives tied up on a dead end case. The guys in cold case have a good record. The asshole won’t be free for long.”
I nod, watching as he turns around and leaves.
“He wants you to either finish up this case by the weekend—which, by the way, it’s Wednesday today—or just forget about this? Is he for real?” Thea understandably sounds upset.
“I know it sounds like he doesn’t care, but he does. The man doesn’t ever switch off. I’m pretty sure he hasn’t gone home in five years. He is always working.”
“It sounds like he works you guys just as hard.”
“He has to. They keep making cuts here—less detectives and less money for overtime—but crime doesn’t stop. I mean, I technically shouldn’t be interviewing suspects without a partner for backup. But, since all that shit went down a couple years back, I haven’t worked with another detective once. We don’t have the manpower.”
“So, when you told me you like to see your family when you aren’t working a case, that’s pretty much never.”
Why does she insist on bringing up my family? Isn’t it bad enough she’s already forced me into a dinner, which will now cut into the time I have to solve her murder?
I glare at her, my voice hardening instantly. “Didn’t I tell you to mind your own fucking business when it comes to my family?” My voice quiets when I notice a couple of the guys glancing over at me. Even if they can’t hear my words, they can definitely see I am talking to myself.
She rolls her eyes. Apparently, my anger is ineffective on her. When did I lose my edge? Was it when I started to see freaking ghosts?
“You have to have more in life than just murder and suspects. You need to live a little. Go to the beach, breathe in some fresh air. Go on a vacation, see Europe. Have a lazy day. Watch a marathon on TV of old eighties TV shows. Go out and meet new people. Date someone.”
“Are you done yet, Mom?” I snap, again realizing I have attracted more attention. I quickly grab my keys and cell, noting the time on my watch as I race down the stairs, heading out onto the street and down towards the morgue.
“Calm down. I don’t understand why you’re so annoyed about me bringing up your—”
“I’ve got five days if I count today, which is already half over, to figure out your case or at least get a pretty fucking great lead, so how about we focus on that, instead?”
She nods, her mood changing from being difficult to upset.
I’m about to see Thea’s dead body and find out the results from her autopsy. I’ll get a definitive answer on whether she was raped and what exactly was done to her prior to her death. Can this day get any worse?
Yes, apparently it can.
***
I’m sitting outside of Hargrove’s house, trying to reign in my anger. Thea has been silently watching me, and while she did abide by my pleas of staying away from the autopsy room, she must know how bad it was.
Not only was she raped, but she was beaten to the point where it would have been enough to kill her, except she was strangled to speed it along. The man who did all that to her is beyond sick and twisted. He needs to be put down.
Since what killed her was strangulation, it is believed Thea was able to get to a phone to dial 911 while she would have been in serious pain from her injuries. Moving would have been torture, but she did it. He must have been around long enough to realize what she had done and then quickly finished her off.
I have been fuming since I read the report. My hands have been in a constant state of balled up fists that made driving interesting. I drove through three red lights to get here.
Even given the space between my present location and Thea’s dead body, I am no more relaxed. I have not calmed down, and if I want to question Hargrove without killing him first, I need to.
But I can’t.
I’m furious at what was done to her and know I’m in no state to speak to Hargrove again. I’m likely to just beat the shit out of him. Then I will give him a reason to get a lawyer, and he will use it to form a lawsuit against not only me, but the police force. We do not need that type of publicity.
Therefore, even though it pains me to do it, I drive away from Hargrove’s without actually getting out of the car and head home. It is already getting late, and I need a change of scenery.
“Are you okay?”
“Do I look okay?” I snap, angry all over again.
I know I shouldn’t, but I take my frustration out on Thea for the rest of the night, even when she cooks me pasta for dinner.
“Was I…? Was it bad?” Thea finally breaks the tense silence between us.
“Yes.”
“How bad?”
“Bad. Please drop it, Thea. You don’t want to know, trust me.”
She stares at me, her eyes searching mine, while I prepare myself for a fight. There is no way she will let this go. She will nag the crap out of me until I reveal what that bastard did to her.
“Okay.”
“Thea, I told you I—wait, what?” My mouth drops open, an attractive look with the pasta still in my mouth, I’m sure.
“I do trust you, at least about this. You said before there was a good chance I was raped. I know you would have told me immediately if that wasn’t the case, which means it is true. I don’t think I can even comprehend how that makes me feel right now, let alone whatever other things that monster did to me. I know enough. I have enough
to deal with.”
Her words not only lead me to feel more anger towards the bastard who did this to her, but also guilt at how I have been treating her.
“I’m sorry, Thea. I promise you, he won’t get away with this. I will make him pay.”
She nods her head, her eyes sad as she hugs her arms around herself.
“I hate that I can’t remember, that my body was unprotected around a monster. I don’t want to think about it, but it is all I can think about. I know you will find him and make sure he can’t do this to anyone else, and not just because I will probably nag you forever if you don’t, but because you hate him being out there as much as I do.”
I nod at her that I agree. I loathe that Hargrove keeps breathing free air, while Thea and most likely Audrey have been killed by the hands of that monster.
I won’t stop until I catch him, and if it isn’t him, then I will not stop until I find the man who did this to her.
I consider going back to the precinct to look over the remaining footage, but given the blur to my eyesight and already present headache, I decide to allow myself some sleep before getting an early start tomorrow.
I have four full days to figure this out or risk getting taken off the case.
I can do this.
***
“I thought you said we needed more evidence before we spoke to Nate again?” Thea is no longer staring at Hargrove’s house nervously. Instead, she appears angry.
“We do, but I can’t find any. A day and a half wasted interviewing your co-workers and neighbors again and then searching through that surveillance has come up with nothing.”
“But you got more today to go through.”
“It’s a waste of time, Thea. Audrey’s ex-coworkers and ex-neighbors have given us no new leads, either. I don’t have time to keep chasing my tail. He might slip up and say something if I can rattle him.”
I stare over at the quiet and unassuming house and take a deep breath. Not only did nothing turn up on Audrey, but nothing suspicious turned up on Hargrove, either. His financials are sound, and the business he is running has become incredibly successful. No doubt, that is how he can afford to leave the office early. On Tuesday, he was home by lunch time, and while it is a little later than that today, his car is parked in the driveway already.
Why come home so early to an empty house when your fiancée is apparently away on a business trip? Frustratingly enough, the trip did check out. There is a conference, and Nate Hargrove was on the list to attend along with a plus one. Unfortunately there wasn’t an attached hotel for the attendees to stay at and no hotel charges were made to his credit card, He had all of his answers worked out last time. That is why this needs to go well, because this might be my one chance at catching him off guard. One visit is expected, especially since he dated Thea. A second visit is a surprise, and then he will realize I consider him a viable suspect and be prepared.
“So, are we just going to sit here all day, then?”
“No.” I let her words jolt me into action and climb out of the car.
“Wait, shouldn’t you call for backup in case he causes you trouble?” Thea’s worried voice follows behind me.
“I’m not here to arrest Hargrove, just to talk. I need him to slip up, give me a lead I can chase down. Of course, I wouldn’t stop him if he decided to confess...”
I stop at the door and knock loudly, not needing to go for a second knock to be heard this time.
Hargrove answers the door, smirking at me, not appearing all that surprised to see me. He’s definitely not worried.
“Detective, what can I do for you?” He keeps his front door close to him, preventing me from seeing in.
“Can I please come in? I have a few more questions for you.”
“Of course. I assume you remembered to bring a notepad and pen this time?” As he smiles smugly at me, it takes everything in me not to punch his face.
“I think I’ll be fine.”
He leads me back into the same living room; however, I remain standing. I quickly assess the photos laid out along the walls and within the bookcase to the side. It is clear he and Audrey definitely dated.
“So, what can I do for you now?”
“I wondered if you remembered yet which hotel your fiancée is staying at.”
“You came all this way to check up on Audrey? Is Thea’s case boring you?” His smug smile remains, and I hear a slight growl from behind me. “Don’t worry, she was quite the bore to me, too.”
Thea cusses and I have to remind myself to remain calm.
“I just don’t like to leave any loose ends. You understand, of course.”
“Well, I don’t see what business it is of yours, but the answer is no. I spoke to her yesterday, but it must have slipped my mind to ask her.”
“Then I insist you call her up again and ask her, now.”
“What is this really about?”
“There is a missing person’s report on Audrey. I wondered why that is.”
“Ah, okay. Now I understand this. Give me a second.” He pulls his cell out from his back pocket, and I watch his hand carefully, aware that Thea gasped when he reached behind him. I assume she feared he was reaching for a weapon, but I had already noted he wasn’t carrying one when I followed him in here.
He taps along the cell phone, and then I hear a woman’s voice coming through a loud speaker.
“Hey, babe. I wasn’t expecting you to call now. Is everything okay?”
“Yes. I have a detective here asking about you. He is concerned I’ve killed you because of that woman I used to know being murdered. Can you speak to him and tell him you are, in fact, alive.”
“Woman he used to know? Is he kidding?” Thea snaps from behind me.
Hargrove turns the phone to me, and I see an image of either Audrey or someone who looks a lot like her on the screen. He’s video-chatting her.
“I’m sorry. What is this about?” She appears to be in shock. Even though I should be relieved to find her alive, I feel disappointed this won’t lead me any closer to nailing Hargrove for murdering Thea.
“Hello, Ms. Hines. My name is Detective Mercer, and I’m investigating the murder of Theresa Bell. During my investigation, I came across a missing person’s report and wondered if you would tell me why there is one out on you when you are clearly not missing.”
“Oh, that. That is just my parents being overly cautious.”
“They haven’t heard from you for months. Care to enlighten me on why you went from phoning your parents twice a day to not a single call since February? You do appear to have a working cell phone.”
She winces. “I don’t really like to talk about it.”
“Well, I’m insisting that you do. Right now, your fiancé is at the top of my suspect list, and this mysterious development is not helping his case.”
“A suspect? Nate? No way. He wouldn’t hurt a fly. He’s the sweetest, most caring person I’ve—”
“Ms. Hines, please, can you just explain to me why your parents believe you are missing?”
“My parents are heavily religious. I had a strict upbringing, and after years of pleading, I was finally allowed to leave their clutches and move away. Even then, they were suffocating me. They assumed I would only be gone a few months, a year at most. They thought the world would scare me, make me realize their way was the right way.
“I admit, I almost did go back, but then I met Nate. He helped me see the world differently. I fell in love and knew my parents wouldn’t understand. They were already talking about marrying me off to some stuffy old man they knew. I couldn’t live in their world any longer; I couldn’t be trapped like that. I knew they’d never accept Nate, so I left. I know it’s not a very nice thing to do—to make them think such awful thoughts—but I haven’t felt confident enough to face them yet.
“I’m sorry if this has caused any problems. I did explain myself to a young policeman who came looking for me when they first filed it. He said he
understood and he would make sure the report was left alone.”
“I cannot force you to speak to your parents, but a simple phone call to assure them you are alive won’t hurt.”
“I know. I’ve been thinking about it more and more lately, especially with the baby on the way.”
“Baby?” Thea is gaping now.
“I believe that is all. Thank you for speaking with me.” Already, my mind is racing ahead to the police officer who filed the report. I will need to confirm this with him, but I don’t see this coming to anything now.
“That is fine. I’m sorry if I caused you any problems. But please, Nate didn’t hurt anybody. He broke up with that woman almost a year ago—”
Hargrove takes the phone off me before quickly saying goodbye and hanging up.
“I assume that answers everything?”
“Yes.”
“Did you need to write any of it down?”
I narrow my eyes at him, annoyed that he feels comfortable enough to take a dig at me.
“Listen”—he stares down at his feet, his hand scratching the back of his neck. For the first time, he appears nervous— “I’ve been thinking about the other night a bit more, and I recall going out of the house that night. It completely slipped my mind when you were questioning me earlier.”
“Yes?” I prompt when he pauses. Could this be the lead I’m hoping for? Is he going to at least admit to being in the area?
“I was out visiting a … friend. You know how it is when the misses is away…” He shrugs, like it is no big deal. “There ended up being a bit of a miscommunication, and I didn’t end up being able to see her.”
“So, there is still no one to corroborate your alibi?”
“Not an actual person, no. But I did use an ATM while I was in Sherman Oaks. I can show you the receipt. It was about nine-thirty, I believe. I assume it has a camera, which can verify, too.” Reaching into a nearby waste basket, he searches through the trash until he pulls out a small, crinkled receipt.
“And you’re only just remembering this now?”
Haunted Love Page 10