Chapter Nine
CHAPTER NINE
T he rest of the day passed in an emotion-filled haze.
Nash walking into her office to be her counterpart investigating these disappearances at the mall had knocked her world off its well-ordered axis. The trio of people in her group—the ones whose trust she needed to win—had all stared at her when she’d returned empty-handed after a full ten minutes in the refreshment cubby with Nash.
Angela lifted her pierced brow. “No coffee, huh? Were you back there getting something other than a steaming cup of java?”
She ignored the woman and went about her day, setting up her computer, her voicemail, and meeting the other important people in her office. But she felt scattered. No, rattled by the thought of investigating so much as a missing paperclip with Nash.
She also hated him jumping into the middle of this dangerous investigation. Which was silly. Or she tried to tell herself it was. His job was dangerous as hell. She’d always known that. It hadn’t bothered her much in the past. He was strong, intimidating, well-trained, and capable. When they’d been together in the past and he’d left on a mission, he had always let her know he would be gone for a few days. He’d checked in when he could and called her as soon as he made it to safety. Yes, to make plans to hook up again, but she’d been able to breathe once he’d assured her he was on his way home.
What was different now? The fact that she knew how perilous this case was…or that she’d finally admitted she was still in love with him?
Her afternoon wasn’t any better. While out at lunch, something had pissed off her boss. He came ranting into the office, slamming doors and rattling windows, growling at a handful of her coworkers to hustle their asses into the conference room. Reluctantly, they complied. Afterward, his wife hid in her office for the rest of the afternoon. Mila seemed so bubbly and sweet that Haisley felt sorry for the woman having to endure Mr. Benedict’s bad mood and verbal abuse.
In the meantime, she dug into the company’s social media and started rounding up the things Nash needed. Reluctantly, she knocked on Mr. Benedict’s door.
“What? This better fucking be important.”
Wincing, Haisley stepped in. “I’ve found the schematics and other associated documents Nash asked for. Is it okay for me to send them on?”
“Nash?” Benedict barked.
“Mr. Scott.”
“What’s up with you two? Today wasn’t the first time you met.”
“We know each other through mutual friends.” Not a total lie…but she didn’t owe her boss information about her personal life, especially when he was in a crappy mood.
“Is that all?”
“We’ve butted heads a few times, but that won’t be an issue here. We’re professionals, and we’ll act accordingly.”
“See that you do. You can start by doing your damn job and sending the operative whatever he needs.”
“Of course, sir.” Asshole .
Yeah, it had been a fab first day.
With a sigh, she unlocked her front door, glad that it was over, and shouldered her way into her bungalow. Ugh. Why the hell was she despondent and weepy? Worried?
She’d love to blame hormones, but Nash was back in her life. He always wreaked havoc on her heart.
What she needed was some girl time to get her mind off him so she could focus on getting her shit in order. Her friends always helped her screw her head on straight.
But when she texted Madison, Matt answered, saying her bestie had a raging case of morning sickness that had lasted all day, so she’d taken her green, vomiting self to bed. She’d call tomorrow. Haisley wished her well, then DoorDashed her expectant friend some ginger ale and ice cream.
Next, she’d reached out to Charli…who had typed back that she couldn’t chat now because she and Daniel were talking. No elaboration, which seemed like code for the couple arguing. With a heavy heart, Haisley told her gal pal to call if she needed an ear.
Finally, she’d tried Gracelyn, who was a glass-half-full kind of girl and saw everything in a far happier light than Haisley’s cynical outlook. She finished dinner and half an episode of some real estate show on Netflix before her optimistic friend texted back that she was “hanging out” with Kane but could chat in the morning.
Yeah. No thanks. She didn’t want to talk to Gracelyn while the woman was cozied up in her lust bubble with one of Nash’s teammates. Talk about awkward.
She thanked her friend for getting back to her and promised to call soon.
But that left her little house too empty, too quiet. Even her feline housemate, Miss Priss, was crashed on the back of the sofa, tuning Haisley out. She felt lonely—and that was dangerous because she was so, so tempted to call Nash and beg him to come over. Hell, before he’d left her office, she’d almost hoped he would kiss her again. He’d certainly looked as if it had crossed his mind.
How the hell was she going to work with him indefinitely without giving into the undeniable pull between them?
Haisley had no idea, but she had to get her mind off Nash now—or she’d do something she would regret. As tempting as it was to invite him to fill her night, nothing good could come of it. Well, other than amazing, incendiary, blow-her-doors-off sex. But by morning, he would be crowding her space, demanding more of her body, and inadvertently prying open her heart.
No. Not happening.
Besides, her secret would always be between them. She didn’t dare give him the opportunity to worm it out of her. The truth wouldn’t do Nash any good, so why bother? Maintaining distance was the only way she could protect him.
Thank god she had CSI. Maybe she should check in on a few of the cases she’d been assisting with. Yeah, and if she was going to do that, why not see if JasperThePrivateDick had made any progress?
Haisley nuked a frozen dinner and poured herself a generous glass of wine, then settled onto her sofa with a recent playlist and her laptop. Two minutes later, she propped her feet on the coffee table and scarfed down her dinner with one hand while logging into CSI with the other. She opened her private chat with Jasper, somewhat surprised to see he was also online.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Hi, Jasper! How was your Monday?
JasperThePrivateDick: Hey, Red! It was a little crazy, but I feel good about my accomplishments. You?
RedHotSavvySleuth: It was crazy for me, too. I don’t know that I feel good about anything I accomplished, but I do have information to share.
JasperThePrivateDick: Same. But before we dive in, do you want to talk about whatever happened?
RedHotSavvySleuth: I appreciate the offer, but I just want to put it behind me and see if we can focus on helping these victims.
JasperThePrivateDick: I completely understand. And normally, I’d agree. But when my mind is full of heavy stuff, I find it really tough to concentrate. We might do these victims more good if we sift through whatever’s upsetting you first. I’m a willing ear…
RedHotSavvySleuth: That’s very sweet, but I doubt you want to hear my BS.
Besides, she barely knew this guy.
JasperThePrivateDick: Don’t assume. I’m rattling around this big house alone tonight, and all I can think about is my beloved. She’s been gone a couple of years, but I still miss her every day. Life has been so empty without her. So if I can focus on someone else’s problems and make any difference at all, you’d be doing me a favor.
His words hit her straight in the heart. OMG, had his wife left? Died? Haisley didn’t want to pry, but… Was Jasper sitting alone, missing the woman, despite the years since she’d gone? He must have loved her so much. His woes were none of her business, but losing a spouse or significant other made her own problems seem paltry by comparison.
RedHotSavvySleuth: I’m so, so sorry, Jasper. I know what it’s like to miss someone you can’t have anymore. Mine was a breakup and not anything as permanent as your loss sounds, but I saw my ex today. At my new job, of all places. Long story short, life is crazy, and not only did I learn that I’m actually working for the man who built and still runs the Oakfield Mall, where these women have disappeared, but my new boss hired my ex to get to the bottom of the incidents. So now I’m going be stuck with him indefinitely.
JasperThePrivateDick: That sounds challenging. How are you handling that?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Not well. But enough about me. I have the schematics of the mall, as well as all the associated permits.
JasperThePrivateDick: Does your ex say or do things that upset you?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Not in the way you mean. He’s just a flirt, and it’s my fault for thinking I meant more to him. But honestly…I’d rather not talk about it. Let’s focus on the case. Before I left the office, I stumbled across a list of all the security measures that have been in place since the mall opened, along with new ones they’ve implemented since the abduction started.
JasperThePrivateDick: Are you at liberty to share all that with me? If you’re not, I completely understand. This is your job and your livelihood. I would never want to risk that.
Funny, before he’d asked her to share, she’d decided not to leak Mr. Benedict’s information to Jasper. But his respect for the delicate situation she was in and his understanding soothed her. Besides, Mr. Benedict behaved like an asshole. Was it possible he’d just been having a bad Monday? Sure. But that didn’t make his barking, growling, unpleasant nature any better.
True, but his crappy demeanor didn’t make betraying the man’s confidence okay, either.
RedHotSavvySleuth: I appreciate that. I’m not comfortable sharing what I have right now. I hope you understand.
JasperThePrivateDick: Absolutely. Maybe if I ask questions, you can answer them, based on your information?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Let’s do that. You found something today?
JasperThePrivateDick: I did. I have a former associate who happens to know someone retired from the Lafayette PD. He called some buddies who still work on the force and were willing to chat.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Wait. You just happened to have a friend in New Orleans who knows cops in Lafayette?
JasperThePrivateDick: I know a lot of people. Anyway, the Lafayette PD officer talked to my former associate off the record about the case. I didn’t get a lot of information, mind you. But he’s willing to let this former associate ask him questions on our behalf, so…hit me with your thoughts.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Really? That’s great. Let’s think about this… Did you find out anything about the case in general? Anything we should pick apart and question? Does Lafayette PD have any suspects?
JasperThePrivateDick: The officer played everything pretty close to the vest, I’m told. But what I did get is that, so far, they’re confounded. Malls are public spaces, so anyone can be there during business hours, which is when all the abductions have occurred. Every victim has been female, between sixteen and twenty-nine. Two were alone. Three were with others. Apparently, there were several more targets who got away.
Since that was something her boss had told her in confidence, Haisley had to admit that Jasper seemingly had a reliable source of information.
RedHotSavvySleuth: That’s my understanding, too. I don’t know anything about the girls who got away, just that they supposedly didn’t see or hear anything before they escaped.
JasperThePrivateDick: Each one of them described leaving the bathroom by the food court and finding themselves alone in the adjacent hallway before someone grabbed them from behind and tried to drag them out the service doors that lead to the dumpster area in the parking lot behind the mall.
That was more information than she’d gotten out of Mr. Benedict. Then again, she hadn’t wanted to risk his wrath on day one and ask.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Did the cop mention any cameras or other security measures they checked for information?
Granted, her boss had mentioned that all his measures failed during the last abduction, but what about the others?
JasperThePrivateDick: When the mall first opened, there were static cameras in public points of entry and exit, and of course in the customer-facing parts of the mall. But areas that were designed for mall staff and other employees? No. Cameras were added in those parts of the facility after the second disappearance. But apparently, they’re proving unreliable for some reason. Entire days have passed where nothing is recorded, including the disappearance of the third victim and the first foiled attempt. The tech was upgraded again after that, but it still goes on the fritz occasionally.
Haisley frowned. On the fritz…or someone intentionally turned it off when they plotted to grab the next target.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Anything else you can share?
JasperThePrivateDick: Not that I can think of. But I have questions about the layout of the mall, since I’ve never been.
RedHotSavvySleuth: What do you want to know?
JasperThePrivateDick: What’s in that part of the mall? I understand it’s the food court, but that’s all I heard.
RedHotSavvySleuth: The design of that area is very odd, at least in my opinion. The bathroom is down a hallway behind one sit-down chain restaurant. If you’re facing the food court itself, that’s on the right side of the area. To the left of the hallway is a pastry shop known for their cinnamon rolls. They do a banner business on the weekends and make a mean hot chocolate. But I digress.
JasperThePrivateDick: Do you like cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Am I female? LOL! Love them. Anyway, the remainder of the restaurant storefronts all fan out to the left of the pastry shop before a nasty pizza place curls back toward the main aisle on the far left.
JasperThePrivateDick: No point of entry or exit by the bad pizza joint?
RedHotSavvySleuth: No. Just more shops. Did your cop connection say any of the other abductions were in a different part of the mall?
JasperThePrivateDick: No. All in the same spot. Which begs the question, why doesn’t your boss do something about that location? Is he not concerned?
RedHotSavvySleuth: He’s deeply concerned. At least that’s what he says. Between you and me, I think he’s mostly concerned financially. He’s worried this will ruin him. But according to him, he’s tried to beef up security to no avail.
JasperThePrivateDick: Besides the parking lot, what’s behind that mall? It looks like a main thoroughfare with several highways close by.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Exactly. So once these kidnappers get someone out the door and into their vehicle, they can be on the freeway, headed to almost anywhere, in less than three minutes.
JasperThePrivateDick: That’s disturbing, but optimal for scum like these kidnappers. I also looked at a county map. I see a couple of private airstrips not too far away.
RedHotSavvySleuth: That’s possible. To be honest, I never paid attention to them. I’m not flying any sort of airplane myself, except maybe paper. LOL!
JasperThePrivateDick: A private airstrip is the easiest way to get a victim out of the area and ultimately anywhere in the world where there’s a waiting buyer.
The idea made Haisley sick to her stomach. Yes, she knew such things happened, but knowing it was taking place so close to where she laid her head every night? So close to a place she’d been shopping? It was deeply unsettling.
RedHotSavvySleuth: So you think they’re being sold rather than being a kill trophy for a single sick perpetrator?
JasperThePrivateDick: Either is possible, but no one has found any bodies. The rate of the abductions and the fact they’re getting more frequent suggests this is likely a burgeoning business model rather than a sick thrill. Of course, serial offenders need their high more and more often, so I won’t take that possibility off the table, but it seems awfully organized for one perpetrator. And correct me if I’m wrong, but the curb just outside those double doors is a no-parking zone.
Haisley had never looked herself, but she opened her scan of the mall’s schematics and verified with the satellite footage available online. It led her to one obvious conclusion.
RedHotSavvySleuth: You’re right. That suggests this guy isn’t working alone. The bricked-off area where the dumpsters are housed protects anyone driving on the street west of the mall from seeing whatever’s going on at the curb. The east side isn’t really visible either since the mall curves around. Even the main drag encircling the mall is probably half a football field away. So unless you’re in that specific area—which almost no one is—or you’re looking at those double doors—which, again, why would anyone do that?—then no one would see a victim being dragged out against their will.
JasperThePrivateDick: Precisely. It almost makes me wonder if the mall was designed with this vulnerability.
Was he suggesting her boss had purposefully designed the building as the perfect place for abductions? She didn’t know Mr. Benedict, and she didn’t like him so far, but being gruff hardly made him evil. It also didn’t make him a saint.
RedHotSavvySleuth: I don’t know. That seems like a big leap. I mean, it would still be hard to take someone from that area without anyone hearing. Victims surely screamed… Did your cop contact say anything about witnesses hearing cries for help?
JasperThePrivateDick: No. But I didn’t ask specifically. Our conversation was cut short since he got an urgent call. I’ll add that to my list for what I hope will be our next conversation. You make a good point, though. My guess is that, with road noise and whatnot, it’s a noisy area in general, so any screaming might get drowned out or ignored. And that assumes the victim isn’t being gagged or drugged as she’s being hauled into the offenders’ vehicle.
RedHotSavvySleuth: True. And if I were doing this, I’d use some sort of industrial vehicle that looks like a delivery van or trash truck—something most people would never question.
JasperThePrivateDick: Yes. That would also explain why some of these abductions have been in broad daylight during very busy times, but no one saw anything.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Exactly. Did the cop say he’d talked to any of the regular food-court employees?
JasperThePrivateDick: It’s not actually his case, but he hears things… I’ll add that to my list. I’m sure they have but who or what was asked, I don’t know.
RedHotSavvySleuth: If we could get our hands on that information, it might be really helpful.
They filled the message screen for another ten minutes before realizing they’d hit something of a dead end with the information they currently shared. Questions had few or no answers, and they could speculate themselves in circles, but that helped no one, least of all those poor women who had been abducted and had now been missing anywhere from eighteen months to ten days.
JasperThePrivateDick: I wish we knew more.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Me, too. I feel helpless. I really want to drive out there and poke around. They don’t close for another couple of hours. Maybe I can find some security guards or restaurant employees to ask our questions.
JasperThePrivateDick: No! It’s too dangerous. For all we know, the assailants are watching and waiting for either another opportunity or anyone who could thwart them. I’ve gathered from your profile that you’re female, and I’m going to guess that you fit into the victims’ age range. Am I right, Red?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Yes, but I can take care of myself.
JasperThePrivateDick: Do you think there’s ever been a victim of such a crime who didn’t feel the same way?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Point taken. You sound a lot like my ex. He forbade me to do anything even slightly dangerous.
JasperThePrivateDick: I don’t know if I like being lumped in with someone stupid enough to let you get away. And before you read that as any sort of flirtation, I promise you my heart is too broken to pursue anyone else. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m here to fill my time, and if I find a friend…I’m happy about that. If we just solve a case, I’ll be happy about that, too. All that said, I think your ex might be onto something. Besides, you may only get one opportunity to interview these people. You want to do it when you have enough facts to ask the right questions. Not on a Monday night when you’ll be rushed and you’re still grappling to understand what’s going on. Not to mention the fact you don’t know whether they’re working today. Or hell, if they’re working there anymore at all.
RedHotSavvySleuth: You have valid points. Sometimes, I’m impulsive and it gets me into trouble. When I see something that needs to be done, I tend to want to do it right this minute and cross it off my list, you know? Or am I the only crazy one like that?
JasperThePrivateDick: I’m all for getting things done, but I tend to be somewhat measured. But maybe that’s age. I seem to recall a few years ago—well, maybe more than a few—that I was fairly gung ho, too. But I do agree with your ex on one thing. You need to stay safe. You can’t do anyone any good if you’re hurt—or worse.
He wasn’t wrong, Haisley supposed. She wasn’t trained for interrogation, much less combat. If someone needed a boost to their Instagram, she was the woman for the job. Sure, she liked investigating murders…from the safety of her living room. She wasn’t afraid of life, but she wasn’t stupid, either. She knew her limitations.
RedHotSavvySleuth: Point taken. I’ll stay in tonight. It’s not like I don’t have a lot to think about.
JasperThePrivateDick: Got your ex on your mind?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Yeah. I mean, I’m thinking about this case, too, but I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. All of a sudden, he’s popped up twice in the last few days. I wasn’t braced to see him either time.
JasperThePrivateDick: You in love with him?
RedHotSavvySleuth: It’s complicated. And pointless to dissect now. I was just a fun convenience for him.
JasperThePrivateDick: Are you sure it wasn’t more?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Positive. The feelings were all one-sided, but whatever. When he figures out I won’t be his anything with benefits again, he’ll give up…and that will be that.
JasperThePrivateDick: From where I sit, you deserve more than to be someone’s occasional toy. Are you sure he’s not more serious about you?
RedHotSavvySleuth: Trust me. But the good news is, we’re both dedicated to solving these abductions, so we’ll work well together. Thanks for listening.
Now if I can just figure out how to keep my feelings out of it …
JasperThePrivateDick: Anytime. But one piece of advice? Don’t write him off yet. Take it from someone who would give everything to spend even another moment with his beloved. Cherish every day. You never know what tomorrow will bring.