Danger Zone

by Stacy Claflin

  Zoey blinked back tears. “It was Hiram Ricci. He was the man I interviewed with.”

  “At what looks like a romantic meal?” He pulled out the phone again. “Wine! There’s a wine bottle and two glasses—and yours is practically empty! How could you? Not just against me, but our children. You’re nursing the twins! Did you come home and get them drunk, too?”

  “Alex! That’s not fair.”

  “It’s not? How about kissing Fabio?”

  She blinked the tears, and they spilled onto her face. “His name was Hiram. Well, that was what he told me.”

  “I don’t care what his name is! The important thing is that you two kissed. Looks like a pretty involved one, at that.”

  “Are you listening to me? He kissed me. I shoved him away. End of story!”

  He shook his head. “No, it isn’t! You kept it from me. You’ve had—what?—a week to tell me, but you haven’t. Come on, Zoey. How stupid do you think I am? Really?”

  “You aren’t stupid.”

  “Then give me the truth! I deserve at least that much.”

  “Will you listen to me? So far, all you’ve done is accuse me.”

  He glared at her. “Explain away.”

  “Will you at least sit?”

  “No.”

  She took a deep breath and rose. “I went to the job interview. Remember, I was so excited because he was offering an unbelievable salary for the hours?”

  Alex twisted his mouth, but didn’t respond.

  “He said we couldn’t meet in his office because it was under construction. Now I know that was a lie, just like his name and everything else, but I didn’t then. Didn’t think much of meeting in a busy courtyard. Figured it’d be fine. But then he insisted on wine—which I didn’t drink because I’m nursing. I dumped most of mine when he wasn’t looking. Then he kissed me. I pushed him away, dumped wine on him, and left. I looked into him afterward, but there is no Hiram Ricci. It was all fake, for whatever reason.”

  Alex’s expression tightened. “Seems like a lot of work just to kiss you and cop a feel. Know what I mean?”

  “I don’t know why he did that! He’s gone off the grid. No way to find him. Maybe that’s just what he does. Likes to take advantage of women. I don’t know.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Alex’s expression finally softened a little.

  Tears blurred her vision. “I tried. It was humiliating—especially after everything I’d been through with Dave.”

  “It seems like you’d be more open after all of that. Why do you hide this stuff from me? Even if you aren’t an instigator, it’s still dishonest.”

  “Dishonest? Are you joking me?”

  “You’re hiding something important from me. Yes, that’s dishonest.”

  “I was assaulted. Again!”

  They stared each other down until Alex pulled her into an embrace. “I hate him for doing that to you, especially after what you’ve already been through. But it also breaks my heart that you couldn’t come to me about it. Did you not trust me?”

  “It’s not about trust.”

  “What, then?”

  “It’s hard to talk about—it’s humiliating. Like I should’ve stopped it before it happened or seen it coming or something. But I was too foolish to do any of that.”

  “But you can tell me anything. Anything! Nobody’s made worse decisions than I have. Why do you think I can’t go anywhere near alcohol? I may have it under control by avoiding it, but that doesn’t change the fact that I’m an alcoholic. That’s who I am! The things that’ve happened to you don’t define you. But you have to open up to me.”

  “I wanted to, I really did. It’s hard to admit something like that.”

  “Something that wasn't even your fault?”

  “Yes!”

  He frowned.

  “Ask Macy. I wanted to tell you.”

  Alex gave her a double-take. “You talked to Macy about this, but not me?”

  “She’s my best friend and my counselor!”

  “What am I? Chopped liver?”

  “It isn’t like that!”

  He took a deep breath and stepped away. “I need some air.”

  “Alex—”

  “I don’t want to say something I’ll later regret.” He hesitated, gave her a quick hug. “I love you.”

  Then stormed out of the apartment.

  Zoey fell on the bed and sobbed into a pillow.

  Clue

  Nick filled his mug with fresh coffee and headed over to Alex’s desk. His best friend hadn’t said anything to him all morning, and he looked downright miserable. Halfway there, Deputy Mackey stopped him.

  She arched a brow. “Did you hear?”

  “About what?” There were what felt like ten million active cases at the moment.

  “Your mummy.”

  Great. Now it was his mummy. “You mean that she was a pregnant teenager?”

  “No. Anderson said they not only extracted DNA, but found a relative in Oregon.”

  “Oregon?”

  “Yeah. He’s—”

  “Thanks!” Nick raced over to Detective Anderson, who had been on the force nearly as long as Nick had. They’d been partners before Nick became captain. “DNA match to the mummy?”

  Anderson’s face lit up. “Yeah, a close relative who was arrested for DUI several years ago in Oregon.”

  “Tell me everything.”

  “Don’t know much. Sounds like he’s probably a brother. I was saving it for you. Already emailed you the information.”

  “You’re the best.” Nick hurried to his office and set the coffee on his desk. He no longer needed the jolt of caffeine.

  He quickly found Anderson’s email and read the report sent over from Seattle. The relative was Will Marston, a man in his sixties whose only offense was a DUI shortly after a divorce.

  Nick took a deep breath and readied himself for the phone call. At least the news of his sister wouldn’t come as a shock. If she was his sister, she’d have gone missing decades earlier as a teenager—even if there was a significant age gap between the siblings.

  He called the number provided. It rang twice.

  “Hello?”

  “Is this Will Marston? My name is Captain Fleshman from the—”

  “The police?”

  “Are you Will Marston?” Nick repeated.

  “Yes. What’s this regarding?”

  “Do you have a sister who went missing years ago?”

  Silence.

  “Will?”

  “Yes, I’m here. Did you find Daisy?”

  Nick’s stomach knotted finally having a name for the mummy. Daisy. He took a deep breath and wrote the name down. “Yes, we believe we found your sister based on DNA evidence.”

  A long, drawn-out breath sounded on the other end of the line. “I only wish my mom was here and my dad wasn’t senile. They’d wanted answers more than anything. What happened to her?”

  “That’s still under investigation.”

  “It’s probably impossible to tell from just bones.”

  “Actually, she was mummified. We’re able to gather a lot more information than we would otherwise.”

  “Some crazy fool turned Daisy into a mummy?”

  “We believe it happened naturally.”

  “In Oregon?” Will exclaimed.

  “Washington, actually. But yes, it happened naturally in the Pacific Northwest.”

  “Unbelievable.”

  Nick jotted a few more notes. “What can you tell me about her disappearance? Did she run away? Was she abducted?”

  “We never knew. She just disappeared one day out of the blue.”

  “Did her pregnancy have anything to do with it?”

  “She was pregnant?”

  Nick wrote Will’s reaction. “Early on, but yes. Do you think she ran away because of that?”

  “Our parents believed an out-of-wedlock baby was a disgrace. They would have lost their minds if they knew.”
/>   So, she probably did run away. “How long ago did she disappear?”

  “Over forty years. Who killed her?”

  “It’s an active investigation.”

  “Where was she found?” Will demanded.

  Nick felt for the man. “We can’t discuss the details, but if you’d be willing to come up for a formal interview, that would help speed along the process.”

  “I want to see my sister!”

  “That can be arranged.”

  They worked through the details of Will traveling up to discuss the case and view the body then ended the call. Nick took in the news and could hardly believe that body had been sitting in his house for more than four decades.

  Now that he had a name, he searched for records on Daisy Marston’s disappearance. Everything lined up with what her brother had told him. She’d disappeared and nobody knew why. They didn’t think she had any reason to run away—except that she never told anyone about the pregnancy.

  Daisy did have a boyfriend, and he’d been questioned but nothing more. He surely would have been looked at more closely if anyone knew about the baby.

  What was the connection between Daisy and the previous owner of his house?

  Nick needed to speak with the boyfriend. He took a closer look at the file for his name.

  It took the breath from his lungs.

  Colin Hawkins. The televangelist’s son who had sold them the house.

  He called the number.

  Disconnected.

  Hopeless

  Alex rubbed his eyes and read the report for the third time, still not able to focus. His mind wouldn’t stop replaying the argument with Zoey. Wouldn’t stop pulling up the picture of Zoey that was now burned into his memory. He’d slept on their couch, and Zoey had left with the twins while he was in the shower. She wasn’t answering her phone.

  How had his life come to this? Sure, things had never been perfect—and he would never expect them to be—but this … everything falling apart … It was impossible to deal with. What was he supposed to do? Now he couldn’t even talk to Zoey.

  He kept going over the confrontation. It replayed over and over. How could she keep something like that from him? He didn’t know what hurt more—Ariana’s treatment of him or Zoey keeping something like this from him.

  “You okay?”

  Alex looked up to see Nick standing there. He just shook his head no.

  Nick motioned toward his office, and Alex dragged himself out of his chair and followed his friend.

  “You look like death warmed over,” Nick said after closing the door behind them. “What happened? Is it Ariana?”

  “No. Well, I mean, nothing’s changed there. But everything’s falling apart with Zoey.”

  “What?” Nick exclaimed. “You and Zoey? What happened?”

  Alex slunk onto the couch, dug out his phone, and showed him the photo.

  “This isn’t doctored?”

  “Nope. She said the guy forced himself on her—at exactly the same time as someone snapped the picture.”

  Nick looked between the phone and Alex. “If she isn’t seeing him, what’s the problem?”

  The words felt like a slap to the face. “Are you serious? Some dude kissed and groped her, and she didn’t tell me! That’s what’s wrong! Then someone texted me that picture, and I’m just supposed to be okay with it all. She had a good week to bring it up but never did. Told Macy all about it, though.”

  “I can definitely see your side, but—”

  “But I’m wrong. Right? It’s all on me. I shouldn’t be angry or hurt. Shouldn’t be mad that she kept something like that from me?”

  Nick frowned. “That’s not what I was going to say.”

  “What, then?” Alex’s stomach churned acid.

  “I don’t blame you for feeling betrayed, given the way you found out. It’d have been a lot better if she’d told you herself.”

  “Thank you.”

  “But I also think you might be more on edge than you normally would because of everything going on with Ariana. I did ask Ava if she knew anything, but she hasn’t mentioned anything. I can have her talk to Ari tonight. That would be one less thing weighing on you.”

  Alex rubbed his temples. “I hope she can get something from her because she isn’t saying a thing to me.”

  “Do you want to take the rest of the day off?”

  Alex just stared at his captain. “But I have so much to do, and O’Brien already called in sick.”

  Nick rested a hand on Alex’s shoulder. “This is more important. And if a huge emergency arises, I might call you. Get this resolved, okay?”

  Alex frowned and started to protest, but then nodded. “Thanks, Nick.”

  “Let me know if you need anything. Not sure what we can do, but we’ll do what we can.”

  “I appreciate it.” Alex forced himself up, then went to his desk and gathered his things. Barely muttered goodbyes on his way out. Slunk into the driver’s seat. Didn’t bother putting his key in the ignition. Rested his head on the steering wheel.

  Seriously, could things get any worse?

  His phone buzzed with a text. He dug it out of his pocket, hoping it was Zoey.

  It wasn’t.

  Stalker420: Having fun yet?

  Was he watching Alex? He sat up and looked around the parking lot. Didn’t see anyone inside or outside of any cars.

  Stalker420: Things are gonna get worse until you comply.

  Alex stared at the last text, realization hitting him. Stalker420 was behind the fake interview. It had all been a set-up from the beginning. The man forcing himself on Zoey, having someone ready to take the picture. It was all because of his blog.

  Blind rage pulsated through him. It was a good thing he was too infuriated to tap out a text. The things he wanted to say could be used against him in a court of law if he actually sent the text. Not that anyone in their right mind would disagree with him.

  Alex released an animalistic scream and punched the steering wheel. Didn’t even care if Stalker420 was watching. If it took all of his self-control, Alex would make sure he didn’t respond to another text from him.

  The first thing he needed to do was blow off some more steam. He started the car, peeled out of the parking lot, and headed for his parents’ house. His mom’s car and a minivan were parked in the driveway. That meant she was probably with a client.

  He grabbed his gym bag, went inside and said a quick hello, then changed into workout clothes before beating Dad’s punching bag until he was too exhausted to keep going. Thankfully, Mom was still with her client when he was done. He waved to them on his way out. Glanced over at his house. Zoey’s car wasn’t there. He didn’t feel like going inside and seeing his in-laws. Didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

  Except one person.

  He climbed into his car, drove to a nearby lake, and parked under a tree where there was a view of the water. A group of seagulls chased a lone smaller bird. Was life cruel at every level?

  Two more texts came in from Stalker420, but Alex ignored them and found the number for the private investigator Wu had given him.

  He answered on the fourth ring. “Paul Winters, PI. Who’s calling?”

  “Alex Mercer. Sergeant Wu gave me your number.”

  “Yes, he said I might hear from you, Officer Mercer.”

  “You can call me Alex.”

  “Wu told me a little about your situation. I’d like to hear it from you, though.”

  Alex drew in a deep breath and raked his fingers through his hair before telling the whole story of Stalker420 as briefly as possible.

  “Your blog is to help find missing kids?” Paul asked.

  “Mostly kids, but also some adults.”

  “Okay. I’m going to need you to text me some info and half my fee through the link I send you. Then I’m going to see what I can find. Chances are, I’m going to end up on the Dark Web.”

  Alex’s stomach knotted. “You think that’s wha
t we’re dealing with? Something that sinister?”

  “Given everything you’ve told me, yes. We’re dealing with someone who clearly benefits from children being abducted and who was able to pull off something so complicated as luring your wife into that situation. This isn’t someone who stumbled into crime and is fumbling his way around. We’re dealing with a professional, someone who has dangerous resources unavailable to the general public. If I were you, I’d conceal carry everywhere you go, and make sure your wife and children are aware of this very real danger.”

  Everything spun around Alex. “This guy is that dangerous?”

  “I believe so. Once I’ve found all the information you need, you’ll need to take it to your superiors. Possibly the FBI. I’m not sure who will cover the case, but this isn’t something you’re going to be able to handle on your own.”

  A thought gutted Alex. “Could this guy go after my fourteen-year-old daughter? I mean, something as covert as what he pulled on my wife?”

  “He’ll do anything to stop you.”

  Alex’s stomach lurched. He explained his troubles with Ariana. “Could he be behind it?”

  “This change in behavior has been since his threats for you to close your blog?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s a possibility. I mean, she is a teenager, but if she’s acting significantly out of character then you could be right.”

  Alex swore. “It’s not just out of character, it’s a complete one-eighty.”

  “I’m going to text you everything I need. Send it to me as quickly as possible.” The call ended.

  Alex jumped out of his car and vomited into a trash can.

  Desperate

  Alex checked his phone for the fiftieth time. Nothing from either Paul or Zoey. Just more texts from his stalker. He refused to engage. Only read them to make sure he hadn’t made any specific threats against him or his family. So far, just more demands to shut down his blog.

  It was tempting to close it down now that he knew the extent of what the psycho was capable of, but he wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. No, he would let Paul figure out what was going on. Then from there, hand it all over to Nick or the FBI or whoever. Alex didn’t care who, as long as the man behind all this ended up behind bars.