Chapter 29
Parker
Holy fucking shit. I knew that car. I’d seen it in the parking lot of the police station. It was unmistakable. Even though it was a common black color, the car had red pinstriping down the side. I didn’t know who it belonged to, but I had a gut feeling that someone very close by would know.
“Do you mind?” I asked, as I reached for the phone, my fingers betraying my excitement as they trembled slightly.
“No, go ahead,” Carly said as she passed the phone to me. I immediately handed it to Officer Blake.
“Please write down that make and model as well as the license plate number,” I asked quietly as I eyed him.
He got the message I was trying desperately to send him.
We didn’t need Carly knowing that the person who had her friend and was likely the same man who’d murdered several other women before her was a cop.
As soon as he was done, I handed the phone back to Carly, then I stood up.
“I appreciate you coming in. You’ve been a real help.
We will call you if we have any more questions.
If this is an actual kidnapping and Melanie just hasn’t overslept, you will also be asked to return for a formal interview.
Okay? It will be just like what we did here today, but expect to be asked even more questions.
They will want to know every single detail you can remember to help build a case against the person who took your friend. ”
Carly left out a sob into her tissues but stood. “Thank you, Special Agent Parker. You’ll find her, right?” Her watery eyes stared at me with hope that I hated to crush. All I could do was give her words to placate her, just like I had been trained to do.
“We’ll do everything we can to find Melanie.” I watched as her shoulders sagged. Carly was a smart girl. I reached out and touched her arm briefly, unable to help myself. “Have faith, okay?” I said softly. She smiled, then walked out the door with Officer Blake.
I stared down at the clipboard he’d left behind, reading the description of the car and the license plate number. Officer Blake walked back into the room, his jaw tight. No one liked knowing that one of their own was a potential killer.
“Who owns that car?” I demanded quietly.
“Detective Morris.”
I closed my eyes. Of course it was. I should have seen it. I had seen it but ignored every instinct that had screamed at me that he was bad news. I had chalked it up to just being a raging asshole. “Fuck,” I muttered. I opened my eyes and inhaled through my nose. “Do you have his home address?”
“No,” he said, anger still blazing from his dark eyes. “But I can get it.”
I nodded. “Good. I need a car.”
“I can come with you.”
I shook my head. “No, I’m sorry. I wish I could bring you Officer Blake, but I can’t take responsibility for your well-being.
” I couldn’t even take responsibility for mine.
My ass was going to be on the line for doing what I was planning.
I removed my service weapon from the holster under my arm.
I checked the chamber before popping out the magazine and checking the bullets.
Then I slammed it back in with the heel of my palm.
Sliding the gun back in place inside my holster, I eyed the man.
“It’s important that I go quietly. Don’t tell anyone about this.
He’s a cop, Blake. If he has anyone on his side, Morris could be tipped off. ”
Officer Blake looked furious as he eyed me, but gave a jerky nod. “I understand. But it’s still dangerous to go alone. No one will know where you’ll be.”
“You’ll know,” I said. “Give me your number. I’ll call you if I run into trouble. If I find the girl, I’ll call everybody.”
He sighed, but looked resigned. I heard the rattle of keys as he fished around in the pocket of his slacks. He held the keyring out to me. “Red Prius parked towards the back.”
I eyed the good looking black man. He was tall and lanky, and I couldn’t help but wonder how he fit inside such a small car. The tips of his ears turned red.
“It was a graduation gift from my grandmother,” he mumbled.
I grinned. “That was sweet of her.”
“I couldn’t say no. It would break her heart.” I nodded and took the keys.
“Thanks, Blake.” I wanted to say more, but there was no time. A girl needed to be saved.
“Be right back,” he muttered.
I paced restlessly as I waited. I knew I needed to call my superior officer.
I was duty bound to report what I knew. It was also dangerous as fuck to go into an unknown situation alone.
But I couldn’t risk letting the information get out and getting back to Morris.
There was a young woman’s life on the line.
Unless he had completely changed his M.O.
from his previous victims, she was still alive.
Blake came back into the room holding out a sticky note and a grim look. “Look, I know why you’re doing this, and I’ll have your back as much as I can when everyone finds out what you did, but call me immediately if shit goes south.” He paused. “Is there anyone else you trust?”
I swallowed and nodded. He was Morris’ partner, but I trusted him explicitly. Ry had nothing to do with this, and even if he helped Gage with the crimes he committed, I knew he’d never condone the killing of innocent women. “Ryu Nakamura.”
Blake blinked, then shook his head with a frown. “That’s Morris’ partner. Why him?”
I sighed, then headed towards the door. “Just trust me. If you need to call anyone, call him. If I give you the word, call Ry.”
I quickly walked through the parking lot and spotted the little red car.
Shaking my head, I unlocked the car and sat down.
“What the fuck?” I mumbled. “I’m in the backseat.
” It took three business days holding down the button to adjust the seat.
I swore I heard elevator music in my head as I slowly moved forward, then shifted to another button to raise the seat off the floorboard.
Blake’s grandmother was a sweetheart, but what was she thinking getting such a large man a clown car to drive?
Once I could finally see over the steering wheel, I immediately put the car into drive. I glanced down at my phone, where I’d put the address into the GPS app, and pulled out onto the street, heading left away from the police station. I gritted my teeth as I thought about SSA Walker.
If I told him, he might order me to stand down. The Lazy 8 bar was another thirty minutes out of town. If I did what he wanted, it would just be a further delay, putting the girl at risk. Plus, Morris could still be with him. “Damn it,” I cursed. I was probably going to lose my job for this.
I decided a partial truth was better than the whole one, or nothing at all. I picked up my phone and called SSA Walker. After two rings, he picked up.
“SA Parker, what is it?” he asked, sounding irritated.
“Sorry for bothering you, sir. I wanted to let you know that after speaking with the victim’s friend, I might have a lead. I’m following up on it now.”
There was a pause as I held my breath. “You’re leaving the station?” he asked quietly.
“Yes, sir. I’ll let you know what I find out.” Please let that be the end of it.
“Where are you headed? I’ll meet you there. Detective Morris has already left with the footage we captured of the unsub. We’ve talked to whom we can from the bar and are wrapping up here.”
My breath caught at the news. If Morris had the evidence, then it would likely disappear before he ever made it back to the station with it.
I tried to keep my voice steady. “No need, sir. Is Detective Nakamura with Detective Morris?” I asked, hoping that a change of topic would divert his attention from where I was headed.
There was a sound that resembled a low, irritated growl. “Nakamura is still here, talking to a witness. Why are you asking about him?” he demanded. “Is there something going on between you two I should know about?”
“Sir,” I began calmly. “If there was, it wouldn’t be your concern. You’re my boss, but you don’t have a say on who I sleep with.”
“You’ve fucked him?” he hissed into the phone. “I thought we had an understanding, Parker. If you need to fuck, you come to me!”
Forgetting for a moment that I was driving, I stared down at the screen, watching the call timer in shock. The audacity. The delusion. “Supervisory Special Agent Walker. I am your subordinate, not your girlfriend. I’m hanging up now.”
“Don’t you—”
Hitting the end call button was satisfactory, but it would have felt a hundred times better if I’d been able to slam the receiver down.
I gripped the wheel tighter and gritted my teeth.
No matter what the outcome was, after today, I was leaving the man’s team.
There was no way I could continue to be under his direct supervision.
The GPS showed that I had one minute to my destination. Making a quick decision, I made a second call.
“Detective Nakamura.” Ry’s voice was calm and professional, nothing like how he usually sounded when he spoke to me.
“Ry,” I said quietly.
“Pretty girl.” Just like that, his voice became softer, sounding happy.
“Ry, just listen, I don’t have much time.
” I drove past a small house in a suburban neighborhood.
It had a plain yard that should have been mowed two weeks ago.
Next to all the neatly trimmed yards with fences and swingsets, it looked neglected.
It was a house for a bachelor in the middle of a neighborhood of families.
Or a place for a serial killer to lay low.
“I have evidence that Morris is the unsub. I am heading to his house right now. Do what you can to keep him from heading home, okay?”
“Parker!” he called out, sounding panicked.
“Please, Ry,” I paused and lowered to a whisper as I parked on a side road. “I like you, Ry. Tell the guys that I-I like them too.” I cut off the call as Ry tried yelling out to me again.