Chapter 5
The glowing phone screen stole Evelyn’s attention from her computer.
She should have shoved it in a drawer. Knowing she had only until tomorrow evening to come up with something amazing to impress Gabriel had lit a fire, and she hadn’t stepped away from her desk in hours.
With her hands still poised on the keyboard, she glanced down, and the number staring up at her dampened her palms.
Detective Mitchel.
A part of her didn’t want to answer. She didn’t want any more reasons to doubt Gabriel. She needed this job. But another part—the part of her jumping in circles from just the thought of him—wondered why he would call her.
Wiping the moisture from her hands on her cotton-clad thighs, she cleared her throat and picked up the phone. “Hello?” She’d try to play it cool. No reason to let him know she’d memorized his number.
“It’s Detective Mitchel.”
His deep voice rumbled through the phone, and she curled her bare toes against the soft carpet.
“Can I help you with something?” She fought the urge to throw in a teasing remark about reporting him for stalking.
Fantasizing about an off-limits cop was one thing, saying anything that could be construed as flirting was another.
“Are you all right?”
She straightened, the force of the movement causing her chair to roll backward.
“Of course I’m all right. Why wouldn’t I be?
” Annoyance coated her words like ants on a sugar cube.
If he’d called her just to hound her more about Gabriel, she’d have to put him in his place. But then again, why else would he call?
A beat of silence pulsed through the phone, allowing the blare of cars and sounds of the city to dominate the line. “Someone broke into my apartment earlier. The timing’s suspicious, and I wanted to make sure nothing happened to you after you left the coffee shop.”
Evelyn glanced over her shoulder and strained to hear Abbie’s bath-time giggles and Lacey’s constant reminders not to splash. She didn’t want to alarm Lacey. Shrill laughter filled the apartment, and Evelyn turned back around. “Oh my God, that’s awful. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. What about you? Anything out of the ordinary happen? Anything that seemed out of place or odd?”
“No, nothing.”
“Have you talked to Gabriel?”
His question was like a fist to the stomach, knocking the air from her lungs. Guilt jabbed its nasty claws in her, but she ignored the unwanted sensation. She hadn’t done anything wrong. “Is that really any of your business?”
A brittle laugh vibrated the speaker and made her grit her teeth. “You’re right. It’s not. But I’m trying to keep you safe, and I can’t if you don’t listen to me.”
“Maybe I don’t have the luxury of listening to you.
Did you ever think of that?” She was tired of being told what to do.
Tired of always needing to listen to someone else’s opinions.
She was a grown woman capable of thinking for herself.
“I’m sorry about your sister, I really am, but I can’t keep having this conversation with you.
I’m not an idiot. I’ll keep what you said in mind. ”
“So you’re seeing him again?”
Jealousy pitched beneath his words, and dammit if it didn’t bring a flush to her cheeks. She didn’t owe him an explanation but couldn’t keep from explaining herself just a little bit. “He wants to talk about a job opportunity I can’t pass up. It could change the course of my career.”
“He wants you to work for one of his companies?”
The idea of working for one of Gabriel’s existing companies was laughable.
As one of the most successful developers in the city, he owned a portion of some of the most contracted plumbing, electrical, and construction companies in the tri-state area.
All businesses where she’d have to actually leave her house and talk to people every day.
“No. I’m a web designer, and he’s starting a new business. ”
“What kind of new business? Why didn’t you mention this earlier?”
Evelyn fought to keep her patience. “I didn’t know I was being interrogated. You hunted me down and told me a man I knew years ago is now a sadistic monster who took your sister, even though you have no evidence. I can’t throw my future away on a hunch.”
“A hunch?” Connor huffed out a breath, and Evelyn could picture his sapphire-blue eyes dancing with irritation. “He broke into my apartment and left me a...”
“Left you a what?”
“I can’t say right now. But I know it was him. The way he looked at me. As if he knew exactly who I was, and there wasn’t a damn thing I could do to touch him. To stop him.”
Evelyn raised her eyes to the ceiling. “How could he possibly know who you are?”
“Are you by a computer?”
She reared her head back. “What?”
“Look up Monica Mitchel.”
“What? Why?”
“Just do it.”
Setting her phone to speaker, she laid it on the desk and opened her browser.
The quiet tink tink of keys floated in the air as she typed the name in the search engine and pressed enter.
Missing person articles filled her screen, and she clicked on one of the links.
The image of a woman with sapphire blue eyes and dark mocha skin popped up.
Tight black curls rained around an oval face with high cheekbones and a narrow nose.
She flashed a wide smile at the camera while holding a novelty keychain with a yellow M&M toward whoever had taken the picture.
She sucked in a breath. “A yellow M&M.”
A sad laugh trickled through the line. “I told you they’re her favorites.
That picture was taken when she finally talked me into going to Times Square.
I hate that part of the city, but she couldn’t wait to see every inch of New York after she moved in with me.
She’s always so serious, but taking her to that candy store and seeing her light up with joy was like witnessing the kid she used to be.
” His voice cracked, and he coughed over the emotion.
Sadness squeezed her heart. “You look just like her.” Her mind flashed back to the moment she’d lost Gabriel’s attention in the coffee shop. Something had changed in his expression, and she’d wondered if he’d recognized someone.
Had he recognized Detective Mitchel? A shiver danced down her spine, and the sliver of doubt from earlier grew.
“Will you stay away from him? At least until I have more information?”
“I can’t. But I’ll be careful.”
Connor mumbled something she couldn’t make out, but she could guess at its meaning. “Fine. Program my number in your phone. Call me if anything happens. I’ll be in touch.”
Evelyn disconnected the call. Her gaze stayed glued to the woman staring back at her, and a vise tightened around her throat, trapping the words there that tickled her. No, no, no.
Just because Connor was nearly identical to Monica didn’t mean Gabriel was guilty. Did it? No. It meant Connor was frantic to find his sister and ready to pin it on the natural smug look Gabriel always wore.
“Who’s that woman, and why do you have to be careful?”
Evelyn turned at the sound of Lacey’s tight words. Abbie sat high on Lacey’s hip. A pink princess towel swallowed all but her small face, which rested on Lacey’s shoulder. Water dripped from her blond curls, soaking Lacey’s blue shirt. Her pinched lips spoke of her concern and annoyance.
No way Lacey would let this go. So much for not telling her the truth of what she’d learned today. Evelyn sighed and leaned back in her chair. “Why don’t you finish getting Abbie ready for bed, then we’ll talk.”
Lacey nodded and walked past her toward the room she shared with her daughter.
Evelyn stood and made her way into the kitchen for a bottle of wine and two stemless glasses. It was going to be a long night.
Connor scooped Porkchop off the sidewalk and sat on the concrete stairs at the front of his apartment building.
The dog trembled in his lap, and he rubbed a hand up and down his spine to calm him.
The dog had been through enough tonight, and Connor didn’t need to let his temper roar and scare him even more.
“Well, that didn’t sound like it went well,” Ben said and took a seat beside him.
Connor scooted over, his gaze fixed on his phone while disbelief ricocheted around his head. “I don’t get it. Why would she risk it? You said she came from money, right?”
“Yeah, a lot of it. Both parents are dead, and she has no siblings. I didn’t trace the money, but I assumed it all went to her.”
His new Italian friend had learned a lot in a short amount of time.
Connor just wished the information made sense.
The scent of garlic and oregano wafted in the air, causing Connor’s stomach to scream in hunger.
Food had been the last thing on his mind since Monica went missing, but he could use a small break and some sustenance if he wanted to keep going.
“Wanna head to the pizza shop across the street? We can brainstorm and eat. Grab a table on the patio with the dog, and I’ll get us a couple slices. ”
He grunted in agreement, and Connor held Porkchop to his chest as he weaved in between the cars waiting for the light to change.
Square tables crowded together on the busy sidewalk. A red and white awning stretched over them, blocking out the lamplight shining above. He grabbed a seat at the closest empty spot to the door.
Connor settled against the back of the chair while Porkchop whined behind him. A piece of crust landed on the ground and skidded to a stop beside Connor’s chair. Porkchop laid down and licked the bread like a bone.
His mouth’s been on a lot worse today. What’s the harm?
“I got a whole pie. Pepperoni and banana peppers.” Ben set the pizza down and tossed a bottle of soda across the table.
“Okay,” Ben said as he unscrewed the top of his soda. “I need to take a deeper look at Evelyn. Why would a well- to-do woman ignore your warning? Could she know more than she’s letting on?”
Connor shook his head and swallowed the hunk of pizza in his mouth.
“I don’t think so. At least not where Gabriel’s concerned.
As much as I hate to say it, her hesitation makes sense.
She doesn’t know me, she knows him, and I’ve got jack shit for evidence.
Hell, even my buddies on the force think I’m pointing a finger at the wrong guy. ”
“Did she give you any clue what his new business is?”
“Nothing. Wouldn’t he continue to use the same people for web design? Why bring in someone completely new?”
“I don’t buy it. A guy with his resources wouldn’t even be the one taking meetings to hire someone like her. Why’s he taking such a personal interest?”
A picture of Evelyn with her soft waves and plump lips came to mind. He wouldn’t mind taking a personal interest in a woman like Evelyn Price, but was Gabriel’s interest in her motivated by work, her looks, or something much more sinister?
He cleared his throat and pushed the image of her away.
He needed to focus. “So much information is spinning around in my head. I have to write it down. Make a spreadsheet, do more digging, try to make the pieces fit enough that I can get more men looking into Gabriel. I’m going to grab my laptop and head over to my friend Mark’s place for the night.
If it’s all right with him, I might stay there until this nightmare’s over. ”
“I won’t get any sleep tonight if you want to crash with me. Might be easier if we’re working on this together.”
A text alert sounded on his phone, and he scrambled to read the message. Mark’s ears must have been burning, because the text was from him.
Didn’t hear it from me, but they ID’d the hand. Belongs to Hayley Teller. She’s a government employee, so her prints popped up right away.
Finally, something he could use to hopefully get some answers. He cut his gaze to Ben. “I might take you up on your offer. At least for tonight. We’ve got another lead to follow.”
His stomach contracted. Just because they had a lead to Hayley, didn’t mean it was a lead to Monica.