Pursuit of the Truth

by K. D. Richards

  A beam of sunlight shot through the space between the closed curtains and illuminated Nadia’s sleeping form. Her soft body snug against his, loose curls falling across his hard chest. Touching her creamy skin set his blood racing to his groin. Another morning, when they had more time and were free of the mess Nate had created, he’d make good on the thoughts running through his head. For now, he had work to do.

  He rose from the bed and quietly made his way into the common area of the suite.

  If Nate was in Atlanta, Ryan wanted to find him fast. He could almost hear the forty-eight-hour deadline ticking away like a detonator counting down the seconds before an explosion. Smith didn’t issue idle threats. If they didn’t turn over Nate, the dynamics of the situation would take a drastic turn for the worse.

  He opened his laptop and scoured the background report on Nate for clues to help them figure out where he might be. He also researched the Delaney Hotel and its employees, giving thanks for the public penchant for oversharing on social media.

  Water ran in the bathroom on the other side of the bedroom’s door, calling his attention to the time. He’d spent the last hour and twenty minutes researching and had gotten a good start, although no concrete leads on Nate’s whereabouts.

  He called down to room service, hanging up the phone just as the bedroom door opened.

  “I ordered breakfast.”

  “Great,” she said, lingering near the bedroom as if she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to come out into the living area.

  “If you’re done with the bathroom, I’ll get washed up before the food gets here.” Ryan strode toward the bedroom. There was only one bathroom in the suite, and it was through the bedroom door.

  “Oh, yes, sorry.” She moved into the living room and took a seat on the couch.

  He ran through his morning routine, quickly showering, shaving and putting on fresh clothes. He reentered the living room just as Nadia closed the door to the suite.

  A rolling table covered with a white tablecloth sat in the middle of the room with silver plate covers over the food and the morning paper perched at its edge. Nadia had moved the vase of flowers that decorated the round dining table in the room to the credenza behind the couch and set the table for breakfast.

  “I should have waited until after the food arrived to shower,” he said, pushing away the irritation he felt with himself. “I don’t want you opening the door to anyone. We can’t be sure who’s on the other side.”

  Nadia froze with the plate cover she’d just lifted in her hand. “You think we could be in danger here?”

  He took the cover from her, putting it aside and removing the covers from the other three plates on the tray. “I think I’m not taking any chances with your safety, so please don’t open the door without me, okay?”

  She nodded and sat, her expression pensive.

  They ate in silence for several minutes.

  “You know way more about how hotels run than I do. If Nate works or worked here, what kind of job would he have?” Ryan asked.

  Nadia swallowed the piece of toast she’d been chewing. “Well, he’s qualified for almost any job. Remember I told you my father made sure we could do just about every possible job at a hotel. But I’m assuming he couldn’t produce references, at least not good enough ones for managerial positions since he can’t use his real name—”

  “A safe assumption.”

  “Then, entry-level positions. Clerk, housekeeping, janitorial.”

  “He’d probably want to stay behind the scenes as much as possible,” Ryan added. At least that’s what he’d do if he was on the run. No telling who could walk up to check-in and recognize the clerk behind the desk as Nathan Shelton. Better not to take that chance, even if he was hundreds of miles away from Manhattan.

  “Um...then janitorial, laundry or maintenance would be the most likely. Also, if the hotel runs the restaurant in the lobby, he might try for a kitchen job like dishwasher.”

  “Okay, then we’ll target staff from those departments,” Ryan said as he finished his omelet.

  Nadia had eaten very little, mostly pushing pieces of egg around on her plate. “That’s not going to be easy. The nature of those jobs has them behind the scenes.”

  Ryan stood. “We’ll play it by ear. First, though, I want to walk around the hotel. Get the lay of the land.”

  They each grabbed a key and headed out the door.

  The articles he’d read describing the Delaney hadn’t done it justice. Much of the first floor had been given over to retail establishments, including four restaurants of varying cuisines. The lobby soared four stories and boasted cut glass skylights he hadn’t noticed checking in after dark last night. They walked the hotel for nearly an hour, eventually finding their way to the lower level where half a dozen large conference rooms and twice as many smaller meeting rooms were situated. None of the rooms appeared to be occupied at the moment. Two oversize white doors showcasing the words Staff Only Beyond This Point stenciled in bold red font stood out among the sea of yellow on the walls.

  “Laundry, janitorial services, housekeeping—pretty much the business end of the hotel—are probably behind those doors,” Nadia said, heading for the doors.

  “Hang on.” Ryan grabbed her arm. “Let’s just wait for a bit. See what we see.”

  She gave him a curious look but let him lead her to a sitting area at the other end of the hall where they could still monitor the staff door.

  Hotel employees in black polyester skirts and pants with matching vests came and went through the staff door.

  After ten minutes, Nadia slid to the edge of her seat, her hands twisting in her lap. “What are we waiting for?”

  “If we’re right that Nate would prefer a job that’s out of sight, he’d most likely befriend similar workers. The people going in and out of this door aren’t dishwashers, launderers or janitors—not dressed like that.”

  “You’re right. There’s probably a service hall and elevator on the other side of the doors. They’d use that to get around as much as possible.”

  He studied the doors. “Then, we’re not going to find the people we want to talk to here.”

  Nadia snapped her fingers. “How about the employees’ entrance? I should have thought of that sooner.” Nadia glanced at the watch on her arm. “It’s not quite nine. We could still catch someone coming in.”

  “It’s worth a shot.” Ryan stood, offering Nadia his hand. He pulled her to her feet. They took the elevator to the lobby level and exited the hotel through the main doors.

  The hotel spanned the entire city block, but halfway along the length of the building, a service alley cut the building in two. A gray steel door with an assortment of dings opened into the alley. A black square keypad was mounted next to the door.

  Ryan nodded toward the coffee shop across the street. “Let’s have a cup of coffee.”

  Nadia squinted at him. “We just had a cup of coffee.”

  Ryan took her hand, pulling her across the street. “Let’s have another.”

  He bought their coffee and steered them to a table on the outdoor patio that gave an unobstructed view of the alley and the door. The day was already starting to heat up, so they weren’t the only patrons choosing to take their refreshments on the patio.

  Nadia followed Ryan’s gaze. “Ah, I see. More watching.”

  Ryan shot her an amused glance. “A lot of a private investigator’s work is sitting and watching.”

  She laughed. “I’d be horrible at that.”

  They didn’t have to watch long before the steel door opened. An employee clad in white trousers and a long-sleeved white shirt stepped into the alley and lit a cigarette.

  “Bingo.” Ryan rose, leaving his coffee on the table.

  He and Nadia crossed back to the hotel side of the street. They skirted around a row of dump
sters emitting a vaguely noxious odor despite the closed covers.

  The man blew a ring of smoke into the air and watched as Nadia and Ryan approached. “You’re not supposed to be back here.” The nameplate pinned to the man’s chest read Brian.

  Ryan smiled. “We’ll only be a minute. We’d like to ask you a couple of questions.”

  Brian blew another ring of smoke. “What questions?”

  “We’re looking for someone who might work here or have worked here in the last couple months.”

  Brian threw his cigarette on the ground and snubbed it out with the toe of a scuffed red Adidas sneaker. “I don’t want to get involved.”

  “Please.” Ryan frowned when Nadia stepped in front of him toward Brian. “I’m trying to find my brother. He’s in trouble, and I just want to help.”

  Brian’s eyes roamed Nadia’s body from head to toe, lingering on her breasts. Ryan cleared his throat and fixed the man with a warning glare.

  Brian’s eyes snapped to Ryan’s, a guilty smile twisting his lips.

  “Please,” Nadia said, drawing the man’s attention back to her. “If you could just look at this picture and tell me if he works here?” Nadia held her phone out.

  Brian sighed. He studied the picture on Nadia’s phone for several seconds. “It looks like it could be Jamal. His head was shaved, and he had one of them skinny beards right here.” Brian tapped the cleft in his chin. “But yeah, I think it’s Jamal. He don’t work here no more.”

  The familiar rush flowed through Ryan; the surge of adrenaline that hit whenever he was on the right track in a case.

  “What’s Jamal’s last name?”

  Brian tilted his head back, eyes turned to the sky in thought. “Fredricks, I think.”

  “Do you know where Jamal works now?” Ryan asked.

  “Nah, man. He left, like, four, five months ago. We weren’t friends or nothing. I just knew him from around.”

  “Was Jamal friends with anyone in particular?” Nadia followed up.

  Brian hesitated, obviously reluctant to share the names of his coworkers.

  “We won’t say how we got the name,” Nadia said.

  Brian hesitated for a moment longer, then shrugged. “I guess it don’t matter since I didn’t give you my name, anyway. Jamal hooked up with one of the girls in housekeeping. Karen Vernon. I don’t think she’s on the schedule to work today.”

  His excitement waned. They didn’t have a lot of time for tracking down people. Hopefully, there weren’t a lot of Karen Vernons in Atlanta.

  “Thanks, man.” Ryan offered his hand, a twenty discreetly palmed.

  Brian grasped Ryan’s hand, taking the twenty without blinking an eye. He swiped a plastic square over the black box on the wall. The locks clicked open, and he pulled the door open.

  Ryan and Nadia turned.

  “Hey,” Brian called before they’d taken more than five steps.

  They turned back, Ryan angling himself in front of Nadia.

  “I think she lives with her mother out in Myers Grove.” Brian went inside without waiting for a response.

  Nadia glanced at Ryan. “To Myers Grove?”

  “To Myers Grove.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Myers Grove was a working-class neighborhood approximately thirty minutes outside of the city. The homes were small and neatly kept. Ryan had called Shawn on the drive and had him run a basic check on Karen Vernon. He’d also passed on the fake name Nate had been using in Atlanta.

  Thirty-two years old, Karen had worked at the hotel for the past seven years, rising to the rank of assistant manager of housekeeping services. With one ex-husband and no run-ins with the law, Karen was the model of an upstanding citizen.

  Ryan knocked on the door of the white clapboard house Karen shared with her mother and ten-year-old son.

  A woman in her midthirties with shoulder-length chestnut hair opened the main door but left the screen door firmly shut. “Can I help you?”

  “Ms. Vernon? My name is Ryan West. I’m a private investigator, and this is Nadia Shelton. We’d like to ask you a few questions about Jamal Fredricks.”

  Karen took a step back, her eyes clouded with suspicion. “Why are you asking about Jamal?”

  “I’m his sister. I need to find him. It’s very important.” Nadia took a step forward, assuming control of the conversation. Ryan let her. He’d interviewed enough people to know when one was close to slamming the door in his face. If tapping into the woman’s sentimental side would help them get answers faster, it was worth taking a back seat.

  “I can’t help you. I’m sorry.” Karen took another step back and began to close the door.

  “Please. The man you know as Jamal is my brother, Nathan Shelton. He’s in trouble.”

  Karen tilted her head and studied Nadia for several moments. “You look like him.” She sighed and unlocked the screen door, pushing it open.

  Ryan and Nadia stepped into the living room. The space was compact but tidy. Karen waved Nadia and Ryan to the couch, where they waited while she made coffee.

  Karen returned with a tray holding three mugs. She set the tray on an ottoman and passed a cup to Nadia then Ryan before settling in the easy chair opposite them with her cup.

  “You don’t seem surprised to learn that the man you knew as Jamal is not who he said he was.” Ryan started the conversation with the obvious observation.

  Karen sighed. “I guess you already know Jamal and I dated for a while or you wouldn’t be here.” Karen placed her mug back on the tray and lowered her fingers. “The minute we met, Jamal—Nate and I connected. My mother thought we were moving too fast, but sometimes the attraction, not just physical stuff but something deeper, it just hits you.”

  Ryan caught Nadia’s eye. A current of electricity sizzled between them.

  Karen’s gaze bounced from Ryan to Nadia, her mouth turned up in a half smile. “So you two do know what I mean.” Karen’s smile fell. “A few weeks after we started seeing each other, Jamal told me the truth about who he was and why he was in Atlanta.”

  “And you stayed with him?” Nadia said with surprise.

  “Everyone makes mistakes and deserves a second chance.” Karen shrugged. “And we love each other.”

  Ryan set his coffee aside and pushed to the edge of the sofa. “Do you know where Nate is now?”

  Karen’s eyes drifted up and to the left. “No.”

  “It’s important we find Nate as soon as possible. The men he told you about know he’s alive,” Ryan said.

  Concern coursed across Karen’s face. “He thought someone was watching him, following him. That’s why he left Atlanta.”

  “When was this?” Ryan asked.

  “About a month ago.”

  That matched up with the dates on the photographs Smith had given them. Nate’s instincts had probably saved his life, but his luck wouldn’t hold out forever.

  “Please, if you know where Nate is, tell us so we can help him,” Nadia implored.

  Karen sighed. “I don’t know for sure. He calls at least once a week, but he’s careful not to give any specifics. We use burner phones.”

  He read between the lines. “You don’t know for sure, but you have an idea where he is.”

  Karen sighed again. “I drove him to the bus station and purchased his ticket for him. The bus lines only ask for identification when you purchase the ticket.”

  “So even if someone got a passenger list his name wouldn’t appear.” Ryan was glad to see that Nate wasn’t completely oblivious about how to fly under the radar. Hopefully, it would be enough to keep him safe until they could get to him.

  “Where was the ticket to?” Nadia asked.

  “DC.”

  Another big city where the addition of one more person wouldn’t be noticed by many.

 
Ryan rose and pulled out his phone to call Shawn and get him started on tracking down any Jamal Fredrickses in DC or the surrounding areas. They couldn’t be sure he was still using the name Jamal, as doing so would be a huge risk, but good fake identification was expensive. Since Nate wasn’t sure he was being followed, he might have considered it worth the risk. They couldn’t even be sure he’d taken the bus all the way to DC, but it was a place to start.

  The hum of adrenaline he’d felt after talking to Brian earlier had risen to a drumbeat. They were getting close to finding Nate. Their luck just needed to hold for a little longer.

  * * *

  THEY THANKED KAREN for her help and promised to let her know when they found Nate. Ryan drove them back to the Delaney while Nadia thought about what Karen had said. Had her brother really been in love? It seemed impossible that her confirmed bachelor of a brother had found love in the midst of the chaos that was his current life, but stranger things had happened. That he’d told Karen the truth about who he was and what he’d done went a long way to showing that maybe he had found love. She just hoped they could figure out a way for him to live long enough to enjoy it.

  Ryan’s phone rang as they entered the hotel lobby. “Shawn, what’s up?”

  He pulled Nadia into an alcove off the busy lobby and held the phone so they could both hear.

  “No Jamal Fredricks in DC, but I checked the next biggest city on the bus route, Richmond, Virginia, and found three. Only one recently applied for a Virginia driver’s license, though,” Shawn said.

  “I’m not even going to ask how you got that information so fast,” Ryan replied.

  “I’ll shoot you what I have and keep digging. Are you guys going to head to Richmond?” Shawn asked.

  Nadia glanced at her watch. It was still early in the afternoon, and Richmond was only an hour and a half flight.

  “Yes. I’ll let you know if that changes.” He ended the call and turned to Nadia.

  “So we’re headed to Richmond now.”

  Ryan nodded. “I’m going to call the pilot now, and then I’ll let the front desk know we won’t need the room another night.”