“Has she done that before?”
“You never know with Jenny.”
Gray turned and gave King a look. King asked, “And that was the last time you saw her?”
“Yes. I’ve been messaging her ever since.”
“And she hasn’t responded?”
Naomi cast her gaze to the floor and shook her head no.
“Has Jenny ghosted you before?”
“No. Never. That’s why I’m worried something bad has happened.”
King asked, “You follow the news, Naomi?”
“No.”
“A girl Jenny’s age is also missing. Megan Hines. She’s also a student at this school.”
“I’ve heard.” Naomi’s brow furrowed. “Do you think the same thing happened to Jenny?”
“We don’t know yet,” Gray said. “But the longer a person is missing, the less likely we are to find them alive.”
Suddenly Naomi felt ill.
“This guy she was texting with,” King pushed off the wall, “do you know his name?”
Naomi felt like Jenny had backed her into a corner. She had no choice but to say, “Jenny never told me his name, but he was older than us and I thought it was only supposed to be a onetime thing.”
“Was it?”
Naomi shook her head no, and whispered, “I think she was planning to sleep with him again.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Leslie Griffin left me with more questions than I’d come with. I watched her step through the doors into a private wing of the office and disappear out of sight. My stomach was tight and I asked myself what the hell just happened?
I reached behind my back and retrieved my cellphone from my back pocket. I called Dawson, my editor at the Times. Pressing the phone to my ear, I walked down the hallway corridor and found myself a private corner where I could talk without concern of anyone overhearing.
The line rang and my foot tapped lightly against the floor, nervous to learn I may have been right about the mayor. How could a body just disappear? I’d never heard of it happening before. Especially not under Griffin’s watch.
When Dawson didn’t answer, I killed the call and thought through my next move.
As I stood there debating my options, Archie Smith’s theory of an active serial rapist-killer came to mind. Was it possible he knew more about this than I did? And what if we were right; what if the mayor and chief of police were hiding last night’s Jane Doe? I only knew what Allison saw and the little of what King told me. As little information as there was, something wasn’t adding up. The body from Park Hill should have been here.
“Can I help you find the exit?”
I spun around and found the security woman from the desk giving me an arched look. My mind was churning. I had no evidence to back up any of my wild claims, but I didn’t want to leave until I knew what happened to Jane Doe.
“Just making a phone call,” I said, pointing to my cell.
Her big round eyes fell to my phone. She continued on her way without another word and I continued piecing together the story unfolding inside my head.
Eva was all I had, and even dealing with her was like walking on eggshells. What if Jane Doe was an escort like Eva? Was that even possible? Could that be why her body seemed to vanish without a trace? I needed to know more about the crime scene, and that meant talking with King. But if I was right about a coverup, then that meant someone with power wanted to make sure their secret remained hidden.
I dialed Dawson again and continued walking.
Maybe if I had let Erin do the talking, she would have gotten a different response from Griffin. Erin didn’t have the same target on her back as I did. But would Griffin lie to me? I didn’t think so. Something kept popping into my head though, making me question everyone.
I recalled what the mayor’s spokesman recently said to me—Stay in your lane, Mrs. Bell. Death is closer than you think. I still didn’t know what was meant by it. Was it a threat or a hint at something much deeper he wanted me to investigate?
Finally, the line clicked over. Without a greeting, I said, “There is no body. According to the ME, Jane Doe doesn’t exist.”
“Calm down, Sam,” Dawson said. “Is it possible this woman was sent to a different morgue?”
“What other morgue?”
“Arvada, Aurora, Westminster, I don’t know.”
His comment was insulting. I told him my plate was full and didn’t have time to search every morgue in the state. Then I caught him up with Eva, Jenny Booth’s disappearance, and told him about my gut feel that Jane Doe could also be an escort.
“Christ, Sam. You weren’t kidding.”
“Can you help me here?”
“I’ll work my sources and see if I can track down your Jane Doe. In the meantime, work Eva’s story. It would be nice to have the exclusive on both these stories.”
“Thanks, Dawson.”
I stiff-armed my way through the exit, needing to know more about these men Eva was dating, what was promised, and what was exchanged. We were going to need all hands on deck if we were going to break through the barriers on this one. Just when I thought about recruiting Archie to help, I saw him arguing with Erin at my car.
Chapter Forty-Three
I jumped off the ramp and hit the ground running. Erin’s face was bright red from yelling, and I knew something bad had happened while I was gone. I looked for Eva as I sprinted to my car, but didn’t see her anywhere.
Archie saw me barreling straight toward him and stepped back just before I plowed him over. Stomping on my brakes, I asked what happened.
Erin jabbed her finger in Archie’s face. “He took a photo of Eva and won’t delete it.”
I glanced into the backseat of my car. Eva had her head down, her face buried inside her hands. She didn’t seem to notice I was back, or perhaps she was too afraid to look, to reveal the fear and shame glittering in her eyes.
I jumped in front of Archie and blocked his view of her. Our eyes locked and he smirked. Did he think this was some kind of game? It certainly seemed so as I watched the amusement bounce around inside his eyes. It didn’t make sense. I thought he would have already gotten his picture of Eva when he followed King to my house, but apparently he hadn’t. Why? Or was this just an excuse to intimidate her into keeping quiet?
“I just needed to know who she was,” Archie said, showing me his hands.
“Erase that photo,” I demanded.
Archie took a step back. “I can’t.”
“Why the hell not?” I asked.
“If she’s a survivor of the serial rapist-killer the police are trying to cover up, we can expose them for their lies.” His eyes crinkled at the corners. “Don’t you see, Samantha? We almost have them right where we want them.”
Erin waited for me to respond. I hated to even think it, but after what I just learned from Griffin, I knew Archie might be right. Then, in a moment of panic, I thought maybe Archie had followed us to Eva’s and now knew where she lived. But then he said, “Last night’s Jane Doe never arrived. Isn’t that what you just learned yourself?”
Erin asked, “What’s he talking about, Sam?”
Archie said, “We came here with the same question. What happened to Jane Doe? No one knows…well, except maybe her.” He pointed toward Eva.
I stared at Archie and thought about everything Eva had just shared, what she has been through. Though I was worried what Archie might do with the photo, I wasn’t willing to give him the chance he thought he deserved.
Flattening my palms against Archie’s chest, I pushed him away from my car. “You crossed a line by taking that picture.” Archie stumbled back the harder I pushed. “This isn’t how you get your story.”
“What will I have to do to convince you that there’s a serial rapist-killer working Denver?” Archie asked with his hands in the air.
“You can start by producing a body,” I said, opening my car door.
Archie’s smile widened as he
backpedaled away. “Careful what you wish for, Mrs. Bell. You might just get what you want.”
Chapter Forty-Four
I stood with the car door open, my heart pounding in my chest as we watched Archie leave. I wanted to believe his reason for being here, wanted to trust that it was only coincidence and he wasn’t following us with hopes of getting closer to Eva. Either scenario was possible. Until I explained what happened inside with Griffin, I knew Erin wouldn’t see it that way.
“What the hell was that about?” Erin asked over the roof of my car.
Archie’s car disappeared into traffic and I said, “Get in, I’ll explain.”
We buckled in and I started the car. Eva was now sitting upright, lips tight as she retreated into herself. I could see her worried look intensifying the longer we stayed out in the open. We needed to get her to Erin’s quick.
I backed out and turned the wheels west. Several minutes passed before Erin turned to me and said, “He’s following us, Sam.”
We were close to Erin’s, my eyes on the mirrors the entire drive, certain Archie hadn’t followed. Flicking my gaze to Erin, I said, “He’s right, you know? We’re after the same story.”
“What are you saying? He didn’t follow us?”
“I have my doubts.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror and caught Eva’s gaze. She looked away as soon as our eyes met. Archie knew where we all lived and would soon figure out who Eva was. King had left me with an impossible task. I didn’t know how we could protect her, especially if her kidnapper was truly coming back for her like we worried. I never mentioned this to the group because I didn’t want to frighten Eva any more than I knew she already was, but I was certain she’d pieced it together.
Instead, I said, “Griffin had no record of Jane Doe ever arriving.”
The crease between Erin’s eyebrows deepened. “How can that be?”
“I don’t know,” I said, turning into Erin’s neighborhood.
“Let me get this straight. The ME’s office has no record of last night’s Jane Doe, and we still have two girls whose whereabouts are unknown—Megan and Jenny. Is that what I’m hearing from you?”
Erin hadn’t noticed that we’d passed her house when I said, “That’s right.”
I circled the block, needing to make certain her house was safe to use. With everything looking as it should, and confident it was a safe refuge to hide in, I curbed the car out front.
Erin unbuckled her belt and said, “How can a body just vanish from the morgue?”
“I’m not sure it even made it to Griffin.”
“And you think Archie will help you find her?” Erin gave me a skeptical look. “Because that’s what I heard you tell him—to find you a body.” Erin turned and glanced to her house. She was shaking her head when she continued, “Forgive me if I’m confused, but why does it seem like you actually want to work with Archie after what he just did? Aren’t you concerned for Eva’s safety, and don’t you remember the messages we’ve both been receiving? The ones that resemble PQK.”
I lifted my gaze to the rearview mirror and found Eva staring. Her safety was my top priority, but I still had a responsibility to Megan. But was Archie right? Could Eva be the clue to prove there actually was a serial rapist-killer working the Denver area? With Jenny’s disappearance, I was starting to believe he might be right. Eva’s experience certainly suggested it. Was Archie the villain or the hero? I couldn’t decide.
“What if we share the same goal?”
“What if we don’t? He’s writing a book, Sam.” Erin sharpened her tone. “The only thing he has on his mind is getting himself a fat advance.”
I mentioned how I recruited Dawson to also help find out what happened to Jane Doe. With Megan and Jenny also occupying my mind, I knew we couldn’t write this story alone. Archie had the experience we needed to turn this investigation up a notch, but Erin was right in reminding me of his obsession with PQK.
Once things died down, Erin got out and conducted a quick sweep of her house just to be sure there weren’t any surprises waiting for us inside. While she was away, Eva asked, “Who was that man and why is he so interested in me?”
“He’s a reporter, just like me.”
“I don’t want my picture in the paper.”
“I don’t either.”
“Then what is he planning to do with it?”
“I don’t know,” I said, pulling the mirror down to fit more of her face in the frame. Then I asked, “Eva, is there any chance that was the man who took you?”
Eva opened and shut her mouth. I could see she was struggling to decide on an answer. Just as Erin gave us a thumbs up, Eva said, “Maybe.”
Chapter Forty-Five
As soon as I stepped inside Erin’s house, I set my tote at my feet and texted King.
Where are you? Just stopped by the morgue. You won’t believe what I was told. Call me.
Erin told Eva to sit on the couch. I was still asking myself if Archie was her kidnapper. Was it possible we were making her an easy target? I didn’t want to believe it, but until we could prove otherwise, we had to remain vigilant. We were also targets, working a story we’d been thrown into without warning. Now it was up to us to save her.
“How long will I have to stay?” Eva asked.
“No one is forcing you to stay here,” Erin snapped, her tone jagged with annoyance.
I gave her a look that said, Easy. This is what we told her to do. Erin was losing her patience, and frankly, so was I. Instead of placing the blame on Eva, I started up with the questions.
“Eva, can you tell me more about Lewis Stark, how you met him and when the last time you saw him was?”
Eva was surprised by my question. When she wasn’t quick to respond, Erin said, “You better start talking and let us handle your story before someone like Archie writes it for you.”
I held up my hand, getting Erin to back off. Eva didn’t need further pressure from us, and I preferred to keep her tongue loose by building rapport. But the clock was ticking.
I said, “Eva, she’s right. We don’t know what he’s going to do now that he has your picture, and it won’t take him long to find out who you are.”
Eva’s eyes stung with tears. “Could he really be the man who…took me?” Her voice quavered with fear.
“Chances are he wasn’t, but I don’t know,” I said, pulling out Archie’s book on PQK from my tote. I was glad I had brought it with me. My conversation with Erin in the car had me once again thinking about PQK and how the similarities of his crimes related to the cases we were investigating. I wanted Eva to see it, too.
Erin said, “That’s why we’re asking about the men you were dating. It’s important we clear their names before we go slinging around new accusations.”
“I don’t know what these men do, and I only know where Lewis lives.”
I had Eva write down Lewis home address before asking, “Are they married?”
“I never asked because I didn’t want to know.”
“We know about Stark, but who was the other guy?”
Eva let out a heavy sigh before she said, “Oliver Carr.”
I asked Eva to write down both their names to be sure I had the correct spellings. Then I asked, “Did you meet him the same way you did Stark?” Eva nodded. “And how was that?”
“Through a dating website.”
“Show us,” Erin said, motioning for Eva to follow her into her home office.
Over the next several minutes, Eva logged in and walked us through the website she used to pick up dates. Erin scrolled through Eva’s profile while I looked over her shoulder. Her pictures were professionally done and she looked incredible; this was no typical dating website. Eva was an escort, pimping out her offerings to clients who paid a hefty monthly subscription fee for access.
“And how much does it cost you?” I asked.
Eva said, “Nothing.”
I shifted my focus back to the screen. I could see wh
y men reached out to her. She was young and vibrant and had a smile that promised a good time. Over the course of an hour we got a quick education into the life of sugaring. As I listened to what Eva had to say, I kept asking myself if it was possible Jane Doe also found dates through a website like this.
“Can we browse other profiles? Maybe we’ll find the other girls on here,” I said, wishing I knew what our Jane Doe looked like.
We scrolled, searched, and clicked but were unable to match our missing persons to names listed on the website. There were dozens of women here, a perfect place for a predator to select his prey. Soon we jumped over to the men’s side and did the same thing. In their profiles they gave reasons why they were looking for dates, things they were into, the typical questions that helped women decide whether they were a good fit or not. There was nothing creepy about it and security measures were in place for both parties, but still there was room for error.
I leaned against the back wall and thumbed through Archie’s book. I wanted to find a connection but, during my quick scan, I found nothing about dating websites. The closest thing was talk about how PQK lured in his victims online by pretending to be someone he wasn’t. I mentioned it to Erin just as my cellphone vibrated in my pocket. It was King. I gave the book to Erin and took the call in the hall.
“How is Eva doing?” King asked. “Is she talking?”
I glanced into Erin’s office and said in a hushed tone, “Where should I begin?”
“That good, huh?”
I told King about Jane Doe never arriving to the morgue and asked what he knew about Jenny Booth. King mentioned he was leaving South High and said, “It’s better we talk about this in person.”
I liked that idea. He told me where he was, and I said, “Meet me at my house. We can talk there.”
Chapter Forty-Six
Daniels made a promise to Susan, and he intended to keep it. Their lunch date ended sooner than he would have liked, but he couldn’t miss the opportunity she’d presented. Susan shared details he knew were hard to come by, and now he was working to verify their legitimacy.
MAD AS BELL Page 11