Chapter 7
Connor tossed his notepad on the coffee table and leaned back into the plush, leather sofa.
He’d stared at the computer screen for hours, and a sharp pain pierced the center of his forehead.
“We’ve got a ton of names to look into. Hayley was a dating app queen.
I don’t think I’ve been on one site where she hasn’t had a profile. ”
“Pretty girl, too.” Ben rounded the corner from the kitchen. His apartment was so small that only half a wall separated the square living room from the one counter he called a kitchen. “Have you found Gabriel on any of her match lists?”
Annoyance flared Connor’s nostrils. “Not one. I even ran a search for other sites she’s registered on and came up with jack shit.”
Ben set a glass of water on the worn coffee table in front of Connor.
He grabbed his laptop from the couch, plopped down on the sofa, and went into investigator mode.
“He’s got to have an alias. Something he’s using on other sites.
We know he talked to several women on EternalMatch.
Did you write down their names and search other sites they’re on?
Most people prefer to use more than one site if they’re serious about finding someone. ”
“Shit.” How could I not have thought to write down the other names?
He pinched the thick skin between his brows, but it only increased the pain inside his skull.
This was too important for stupid mistakes.
Rolling his shoulders, he prepared his stiff muscles for another long dive into the intricate site of EternalMatch.
He leaned toward his computer, but the shrill ring of his phone had him squinting at the name on his screen.
Evelyn Price.
Excitement and fear collided in his chest as he picked up the phone. “Hello? Evelyn? Is everything all right?”
“I saw Gabriel tonight and I found keys and I think they were your sister’s. I can’t believe this is happening. I thought...I just...I need...”
Her trembling high-pitched voice bolted him to his feet.
He tried to keep his tone gentle as he cut into her rambling, but it was difficult when a million thoughts raced inside his mind.
If Gabriel had Monica’s keys, it would explain how he had broken into his apartment without breaking the lock or alerting any neighbors.
“Slow down and take a deep breath. Where are you now?” If she was still with him, he’d have to quickly find out where, so he could get her to safety.
“In a cab. When the pieces clicked into place I got out of the restaurant as fast as I could. Thank God my roommate came with me. Who knows what would have happened.”
Connor sucked in a deep breath. She was safe—for now—but he needed to find out everything that had happened. “I want you to meet me somewhere. Wherever you’d like.”
He dropped his gaze to his laptop. It’d be easier for her to come to Ben’s apartment, but he didn’t want her to be uncomfortable. His brief interactions with her warned him she’d scare easier than a frightened moth—always flapping around searching for the quickest means of escape.
A beat of hesitation pulsed through the speaker along with Evelyn’s rapid breaths. “We’re headed back to our apartment. The babysitter has to leave soon.”
Babysitter? Did Evelyn have a child? “Did Gabriel leave the restaurant with you? Is there any chance he could follow you home?”
A sharp inhale told him Evelyn hadn’t considered that. “He was at the table when we walked out. He couldn’t beat us back to Queens.” The frantic mumbling of a female voice took up the phone line.
“Sorry. My roommate is freaked out at the possibility of Gabriel following us. Her daughter is home. You don’t think we need to worry, do you?”
Connor cut his gaze to Ben and tipped his head to the door and mouthed, “Let’s go.”
He shoved his feet into his sneakers and returned his attention to Evelyn.
“It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Especially if he thinks you’re a threat.
Text me your address, and I’ll meet you there.
Then call the sitter and verify nothing has happened.
But don’t get out of the cab until I get there. ”
“Okay.”
Her easy acceptance at having him come to her apartment told him just how frightened she was. He clicked off the line and hurried into the narrow hall as he waited for the text to come through. Ben stayed close behind him, and they poured onto the sidewalk.
His phone dinged. Evelyn lived in Astoria, not far from the coffee shop he’d found her in. A sharp pull on his forearm had him screeching to a stop, and he spun around to face Ben. “My car’s closer. Across the street in the parking garage.”
Connor nodded and chased Ben to the dimly lit garage. They raced up two flights of stairs and found Ben’s car a few spots down. The hinges screeched as Connor pulled open the door and jumped inside. Luckily the gate had been open, or Ben would have plowed right through it.
They couldn’t get to Evelyn fast enough.
“Are you getting out, or what?” Annoyance vibrated through the thick Brooklyn accent of the cab driver.
Evelyn peered through the glass at her third-story window. A dull light seeped through the curtains of her living room, the light off in the room Lacey and Abbie shared. Ruth must be sitting by the lamp with a book like she usually did when Abbie went to bed. “Give us a minute.”
Lacey fidgeted with her purse strap and pressed against Evelyn’s shoulder to glance out the window. “Let’s just go. I don’t like the thought of Abbie being up there without me if some psychopath is following us.”
The screech of tires blared from behind them, and Evelyn twisted to glance out the back window. Bright headlights beamed through the glass. The passenger door burst open, and a man leaped from the car and turned in her direction.
Detective Mitchel.
Another man hurried forward. Her gaze found Detective Mitchel again, and she kept her eyes on him as he approached the idling cab and leaned down to cast a tight smile in her direction.
“Who’s that?” Astonishment coated Lacey’s words.
Evelyn couldn’t stop her chuckle, and for a brief moment the tension of the past hour faded.
Her lips lifted as the tightness around Detective Mitchel’s mouth disappeared and his smile widened.
“That would be Detective Connor Mitchel of the NYPD.” She tossed the words over her shoulder, unable to break eye contact with the man who’d invaded most of her thoughts since yesterday.
The door opened, and a rush of cool air beat into the car, whipping the stale air around the cramped space. Detective Mitchel extended his hand, and she let her palm hover above it for a split second, unsure if she should risk the simple touch. He gripped her hand and helped her from the cab.
“You need to pay, lady.”
The brilliant smile that had sucked her in faded from his face. Detective Mitchel grabbed his wallet from his back pocket and tossed a few bills at the cabbie then stepped back onto the sidewalk with her.
Dark shadows loomed among buildings, and unfamiliar faces passed by. Sweat collected on the back of her neck despite the cool air. Living in New York City meant never truly being alone, but she’d never considered how vulnerable she was. How easy it’d be for someone to hide in the shadows.
For Gabriel to hide not only in the shadows, but in the everyday craziness of the world.
She’d been an idiot to brush off Detective Mitchel’s concern.
Grabbing her keys from her purse, she hurried up the stoop and entered the building. She needed to get inside, needed to escape the constant stream of people. She crossed the empty lobby to the elevator and pressed the up button.
Tension pulsed around the group as they waited for the doors to open.
The man who’d arrived with Detective Mitchel brushed against her shoulder, and she turned toward him.
She offered her hand and a weak smile. “I’m Evelyn Price, and this is my roommate, Lacey.
” She tilted her head toward Lacey before she continued. “And you are?”
The man flashed his dimples and took her hand. His warmth beat back the chill creeping into her skin but didn’t give her the same jolt Detective Mitchel’s had the day before. “Benito DiSalvo, but you can call me Ben. Connor hired me as a private investigator to help find his sister.”
The slight lilt of his words had the side of Evelyn’s mouth hitching up.
A bell chimed and the steel door in front of them slid open. They hurried inside. Her skin itched as if a hundred tiny bugs crawled across her flesh. She usually avoided the elevator. Any confined space brought back too many memories, and a cold sweat trickled down her spine.
The elevator stopped, and Lacey snatched the keys. She ran toward their door. Evelyn cleared her throat and released a pent-up breath as she stepped onto stable ground. She peered up at Detective Mitchel as they came to a stop under the bright lights just outside her open front door.
Intensity burned fire in his blue eyes. She hadn’t had a man inside her home in more years than she could remember, and she was about to be followed in by the walking embodiment of all her ridiculous fantasies.
“How did you know he had Monica’s keys?” Emotion thickened his words.
“You told me you knew what your sister’s favorite candy was and about the day you took her to Time Square.”
He furrowed his brow and nodded. “Peanut M&M’s. The yellow ones for some insane reason. I bought her a keychain to remember the day.”
“I found two sets of keys in Gabriel’s jacket. One only had three keys with a round silver key chain with the initial LN engraved on it. The other had a plastic, yellow M&M and a ton of keys.”
Detective Mitchel squeezed his eyes shut, and the splash of fluorescent light lit his now-pale face. He didn’t open his eyes when he asked, “Did the keychain say anything?”
Regret twisted in her stomach. “To my favorite M&M.”
Pain contorted the lines of his face until a mask of agony consumed him. His shoulders hunched forward, as if bracing himself from his new reality, and tears slid down his cheeks.
Moving on instinct, Evelyn wrapped her arms around his waist. Tingles erupted all over her body, but she stomped down any ridiculous feelings being so close to Detective Mitchel caused.
He needed her support, her comfort. His head fell to her shoulder, and moisture pooled on her bare skin.
“I’m so sorry. But now the police can find her. ”
Detective Mitchel lifted his head and stared down at her. His heart raced against her. “You’ll have to make a statement.”
She sucked in a breath. “Can I give it to you?”
He shook his head. “No. At the station and you’ll have to sign it. Tell them anything you saw or heard that could be viewed as evidence. Combine that with his connection to Monica in EternalMatch, and there should be enough probable cause to secure the warrant.”
A police station was the last place on earth she wanted to step foot inside. But she’d do it. Besides, if she refused, she’d have to explain why.
“Let’s go. He’s dangerous, and we need to stop him.
” She lifted her chin. She was tired of being a victim, tired of slipping quietly into the shadows and watching life pass by.
If she could do something to help a missing woman, she needed to step up and act.
She couldn’t let another woman suffer because she couldn’t help—not again.