He dropped into a chair in front of her desk with an attitude that showed disdain, all through perfect white teeth and a plastic smile.
“You must be Skye Cree. Harry says you’re the best detective in all of Seattle, that you went a little crazy once or you’d be making it official down at the station. I’m Clayton Spencer.” He looked around the small, packed office. “For some reason, I guess I expected plush digs what with all the cash you guys rake in. And this area is known for leasing to some of Seattle’s premier tech companies.”
One more reason not to like this jerk, Skye reasoned as she plastered on a fake smile. “All the money we bring into the Artemis Foundation goes into finding missing people.” She made a point of handing him one of the missing flyers on Stacey Dysart. “Remember her?”
“Yeah. Sure. Of course.” He twisted in his seat, nervous. “Isn’t Josh Ander joining us? I wanted to tell him how much I loved his games. All of them. And today his launch of Desolation Zone kicked butt. I watched it on TV. I plan on picking it up this afternoon and spending the weekend playing it.”
Skye made a mental note to add Clayton to her supreme BSer category. She looked over at Judy. “Could you call Josh for me and tell him that our two o’clock has finally arrived? Forty-five minutes late.”
“Sure thing.”
Clayton winced. “Oh, well, I got hung up in traffic. You know how it is when you’re trying to find a new place, and it’s downtown.”
“Sure. Would you like some water before we get started?” Skye asked.
“Do you have Perrier?”
“Sorry. We have plain ol’ tap water or bottled, filtered Aquafina. Your choice.”
Clayton made a face. “Aquafina is just tap water. I think I’ll pass.”
“Suit yourself.”
The door opened, and Josh came back in without his suit jacket on. He began to loosen his tie. Josh introduced himself and the two men shook hands.
Skye led them into the conference room where Josh plopped down in one of the chairs and immediately put his feet up.
“Long day,” he stated before unbuttoning the sleeve on his white shirt and rolling up the cuffs. “Since we’ve already wasted almost an hour, why don’t you tell us your side of the story, Clayton? Why do you think the police zeroed in on you as their prime suspect right off the bat?”
“Just like that, huh? Okay.” Clayton leaned back in the chair and licked his lips. He took the time to wipe his hands on his pants nervously before starting. “Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m not involved in Stacey’s disappearance in any way. On the contrary, I had a great relationship with her…in the brief time we spent together. If you ask me what happened to her, I’d say it was her jealous wacko ex-husband you should be looking at. Gordon Grant is who you should be talking to, not me. He should be on the hot seat here, not me. Grant kept screwing everything up between Stacey and me.”
Skye pretended to jot the name down on her legal pad while Josh went into the next question. “How so? How did Grant make the relationship intolerable?”
“You sound like you know Gordon Grant?”
“Oh, I do. We run in the same circles. Have for years. He’s one of Seattle’s foremost tech gurus. That’s why I’m asking you to explain how Gordon screwed everything up.”
“If you know him, then you must know he cheated on Stacey. That’s what ended their marriage. And their divorce was complicated and messy. Stacey wanted her share of what she’d put into the marriage. Gordon didn’t want to give it to her.”
Josh crossed his arms over his chest. “As I understand it, they were going back and forth, arguing over a settlement amount. Gordon finally caved and gave Stacey the amount her lawyers put forth just to get rid of her. But I still don’t understand how any of that interferes with your relationship?”
“Stacey was always too preoccupied with her divorce stuff to focus on us.”
“You mean you?” Skye asked. “Stacey was preoccupied and couldn’t balance having you in her life?”
“Well, sure. She always had to be on her cell phone, texting her friends, especially at night when we were together. The date was never just about me.”
Josh didn’t intend to let the guy off the hook. “Seattle PD seems to think it was you who kept following Stacey around and stalking her. She told her employer and her friends that it was you who kept sending her threatening text messages and going inside her house when she wasn’t at home. Did you do any of that?”
“No!”
It was Skye’s turn to grill the guy. “Stacey had been out of her marriage to Gordon for almost a year, all seemed square with those two. They’d both moved on or tried to. But you were the new guy added into the equation. Her coworker told the police that you cheated on Stacey with her best friend, Missy Holloway. After only three months…that’s cold.”
“Look, Stacey and I weren’t really headed anywhere. I knew that. On the other hand, Missy and I really hit it off. Things like that happen all the time when a relationship just isn’t meant to be.”
Josh took Clayton through the answers again and this time studied the man’s body language.
After going over his story a second time, Clayton started to sweat. His bleached white smile dried up. With a dry mouth, he swallowed hard, licked his lips. “On second thought, I think I will take a bottle of that Aquafina.”
“Sure thing, we’ll take a break,” Skye said as she got to her feet and headed into the kitchen.
Josh followed her. “What do you think so far,” he asked in a low voice.
“He’s hiding something. I’m just not sure what it is. My gut tells me he really doesn’t know what happened to Stacey. But there’s an underlying subterfuge that I can’t quite place.”
“Plus, he seems awfully quick to blame her disappearance on someone else,” Josh said. “I just don’t have a good feeling about him.”
“I echo that. The file says Clayton didn’t even want to participate in searches for Stacey. He didn’t even volunteer to put up posters or make phone calls.”
“Gordon did help with that,” Josh stated. “And he has an alibi for the night Stacey went missing. He was at a fundraiser where he had to give a speech, seen and heard by five hundred people.”
“That doesn’t get him off the hook, though,” Skye pointed out. “Gordon could’ve had her killed. But why? He’d already settled the divorce six months earlier. He won’t ever get that cash back.”
She let out a sigh. “I guess the only thing left to do now is go back in there and ask Clayton to explain what happened in college.”
But when they left the kitchen, they found Clayton had come back into the main office. He was standing near Skye’s desk, staring down at the open Mathison / Collins file. It was apparent Clayton had been reading the contents of the folder. The papers were scattered and in disarray.
“What are you doing?” Skye demanded as she handed him the water and began retrieving the papers, shuffling them back into the folder in the proper order.
“What case is that?” Clayton asked. “Is that another disappearance?”
“Yes, and it’s nothing you need to worry about. We’re here to focus on Stacey’s disappearance. Don’t get sidetracked. In fact, I’m curious as to why you were reluctant to help in the search?”
“Look, it felt awkward to be there with the rest of her friends. They knew I wasn’t interested in Stacey. They didn’t like me. And nobody’s making a big deal out of Missy not helping.”
“But you did harass Stacey, didn’t you? After she found out you were cheating with Missy, she flat out told you it was over.”
“It was all a misunderstanding. Sure, I followed her a couple of times after work, but I was trying to get her to understand it from my point of view. I just liked…”
“Missy better?” Skye finished for him.
“Well, Missy and I just clicked. I wanted Stacey to understand that it wasn’t personal.”
“Right. And what about the
texts?”
“I got drunk one night and texted her maybe twenty times, that’s all it was.”
Skye threw him off balance with the next question. “What about this assault that happened in college?”
“That? It was nothing. No charges were ever filed. It was a ‘he said, she said’ type thing.”
Skye exchanged a look with Josh. “The police report states specifically that you struck a female student in a fit of rage at a frat party.”
For the first time since entering, Clayton’s demeanor changed. His eyes went dark, but only for a brief moment when they flashed with annoyance, only then did he let his guard down. “Look, it happened like this. I accidentally bumped into this woman at a party in the dorm, and she started yelling and pushing me. I just lost it and decided to push back. She ended up falling over a coffee table. Her friend was right there and called the cops. It was blown way out of proportion.”
This time it was Josh who sent Skye a look of revulsion. “I have to tell you, Clayton, nothing we’ve heard so far makes you come off smelling like a rose. In fact, in the eyes of the police, I see why you’re a suspect. You show zero empathy for Stacey. Do you at least have an alibi for the night she went missing?”
Clayton shifted in the chair, a look of astonishment on his face. “Look, I went out bar hopping that night and got pretty messed up. I ended up sleeping it off in my car, I don’t know where I went or who I was with, I guess I got so drunk I blacked out.”
“So, no one can verify where you were or place you at any of these clubs?” Skye asked.
Clayton moved his head from side to side. “Am I really in trouble here? The friends I went out with said that I left them around ten or ten-thirty and they didn’t see me again until the next afternoon.”
His bright, fake smile flashed across his face like a light going off over his head. “But you can find someone who will alibi me, right? That’s what you’re great at, right? Harry said the two of you would take care of everything.”
Tired of the way this was going, Skye stood up. “We don’t do that, and Harry knows it.” She pushed a pen and yellow legal pad across the desk. “Give us a list of the friends you were out with and the list of clubs you might have gone to so we can follow up. That’s all we can do for you for now.”
With that, Josh walked Clayton out of the office and to the elevator, but he quickly returned and angled toward Judy. “Did you get in touch with Reggie like I asked? Did he get the tracking device attached to Clayton’s Audi?”
“He sent Brayden to do it.” Before Josh could object, Judy added, “The kid wanted to help. He’s pretty good at it, too. Brayden zip-tied the device securely to the Audi’s frame. Reggie supervised. Nice car, by the way. The guy drives a convertible worth more than my house.”
Another bout of loathing hit Josh. “Since when does Harry vouch for assholes?”
Judy made a derisive sound in her throat. “Maybe he thinks Clayton’s worth it.” Holding up her phone, she added, “Reggie says Leo already has the tracking software up and running so we know it’s working. Brayden and Winston volunteered to tail Clayton around town first. Then Leo and Reggie will take over at midnight. I’m not happy about that last part. I had planned to go to the last Farmer’s Market of the season. I wanted to go with Reggie. Now, I’ll probably end up going by myself.”
“Sorry, Judy,” Skye said, patting her friend on the shoulder. “Welcome to our world.”
“No, it’s all right. Finding Stacey is much more important than my Saturday morning vegetable shopping. Although there’s a vendor there with the best locally grown tomatoes. Reggie uses them to make spaghetti sauce.”
“Maybe send me that recipe,” Skye suggested. “I’m always looking to improve my sauce. It’s always way too runny.”
“Ladies, could we focus?” Josh said, trying to wrap his brain around a bunch of still-churning possibilities. “You did make sure to tell the guys that it was okay if they got spotted, right? We want Clayton to see that he’s being followed.”
“Yes,” Judy answered beginning to lose patience. “I told them all that. I relayed your exact words. Make the tail so obvious and see if Clayton tries to shake them. If he does, that means he’s trying to hide something. And if he’s trying to hide something, Leo will see to it that we keep track and don’t lose him.”
Skye grinned. “I like it when Leo works his magic. If this stunt actually works, then hopefully Clayton will lead us to Stacey.”
“That’s the plan,” Josh muttered aloud. “I love it when we go from gaming to sleuthing for real.”
“What happens if he doesn’t try to shake the tail, though?” Skye asked.
“Then we’ll need to start checking out those clubs and the friends he ditched.”
“Don’t forget we check out the ex,” she added. “It could still be Gordon. We cover all the bases, remember?”
Judy looked sad. “It’s so awful that murder is usually committed by those we know and trust.”
“Unless it’s random,” Skye tossed back. “I realize the percentages are with you. But part of me thinks Clayton is just a jerk who clearly puts himself first above anyone else. I don’t see a motive in making Stacey disappear. Ditto with Gordon. I studied Harry’s notes while we rode the ferry this morning. Why didn’t the little chihuahua make more of a fuss?”
“Because the dog knew him?” Josh supplied with a shrug.
“Maybe. Those kinds of dogs usually bark their heads off at the slightest sound. But when the cops canvassed the neighbors, they said they never heard the dog making a fuss. At all. Not once. Why wasn’t the dog kicking up a fuss? You’d assume it was because the dog knew the perp, but what if the dog had been around the guy before? The report says Stacey had told her coworkers someone had been in her house, multiple times and moved things around. She believed that he kept taking small, inexpensive stuff and messing with her. What if the dog had gotten to know the guy during those visits and wasn’t upset about him being there that night? The neighbors also said they never heard the dog bark during the day. If Stacey were being messed with inside her own house, you’d think that dog would’ve carried on every time he showed up, including all the daytime visits. But he didn’t. Why is that?”
“Maybe the guy sprayed himself down with dog repellant,” Judy offered.
“Does that stuff really keep a dog from barking?” Skye wondered.
Josh shook his head. “No idea. That’s why we should really try to get into Stacey’s house, take in the scene for ourselves. I’ll try to work that angle with Harry.”
“Harry doesn’t have that kind of pull anymore. Plus, he won’t be that popular with his former buddies after dragging us into a hot case like this. So I wouldn’t count on getting cooperation from the cops. Active case. Thin ice.” She tilted her head to study her husband. “What is it specifically that you don’t like about Clayton?”
“Maybe because I’ve seen his type before in college. The popular frat boy who struts around in his polo shirts, his collar turned up, wearing the khaki pants or the two-hundred-dollar pair of jeans. They usually run in packs, like jackals looking to hassle or torment some poor slob who’s different. I’ve seen enough of that type to last a lifetime. Why would I want to lift a hand and help one, even get him off the hook?”
Skye linked her arm through his. “Because you promised Harry and we adore Harry. Besides, we aren’t like those assholes, we have heart and compassion.”
Four
As Clayton breezed around town running errands, Winston and Brayden were hot on his trail, obvious but not too obvious. Josh had even okayed a rental car for them to use. Giddy over getting to do fieldwork, after much discussion, Brayden had nudged Win into picking out a black SUV like a Fed might drive.
“I’m pretty sure this is what FBI agents tool around in,” Brayden said with pride in his voice.
At twenty-three, Winston was less eager than the teen sitting in the passenger seat. Fieldwork wasn’t exactl
y his thing.
But Brayden made up for Win’s lack of enthusiasm. “Let’s hope Clayton spots us. Because I’ve wanted to do this since I first started helping Josh and Skye solve cold cases.”
Winston spared the teen a glance. “You don’t exactly have a track record solving cases. When I was younger, I used to beg them to let me do something other than tech stuff. They said I had to get my driver’s license first, though.”
Brayden’s eyes widened. “You mean you didn’t have one? But you’re like, old.” He couldn’t imagine not having wheels, especially since he’d recently acquired his own pickup truck, a gift from Skye and Josh for passing his GED.
“The point is, I do now.” Studying Clayton’s Audi three cars ahead of them, zipping in and out of traffic, Winston let out a sigh. “This guy acts like he’s oblivious to our presence.”
“So I noticed. Look, the guy’s headed into that residential neighborhood.”
“Must be where he lives,” Winston grumbled. “This is known as Maple Grove, a brand-new subdivision squeezed into the trendy section of Ballard.”
Sure enough, they watched Clayton pull his car into a driveway and hit the remote control to lift up the garage door. It was a pricey, modern home too large for a single guy to own by himself and much too expensive for a day trader to buy on his own.
Winston pulled to the curb and watched as the garage door shuttered to a close, blocking off their view.
“Probably Mommy and Daddy’s money,” Winston said under his breath as he turned off the engine.
“Maybe this is too close,” Brayden suggested. “We’re practically sitting in his living room.”
“Josh said he wanted Clayton to know we have eyes on him. All the guy has to do is look out the window to see that. We’re staying where we are.”
But after an hour of watching and playing games on their phones, Brayden grew restless. “Why don’t we call someone at the office and have them pick us up a couple cheeseburgers, fries and shakes from Dick’s Drive-In? I’m getting hungry.”
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