by Rick Mofina
“Have you?”
John stared hard at Elsen: “No.”
“Do you think Blake or Grace have abused Riley?”
“No!”
“Are you involved in any way in Riley’s disappearance?”
“No. What is this?”
“Do you think your wife or son may be involved?”
“Absolutely not.”
A tense moment passed with the detectives taking note of John’s reaction. McDowell then asked if he was familiar with the name Eva Marie Garcia.
“No, why?”
“She’s the victim of an unsolved homicide that happened near here a year ago,” McDowell said.
John’s face turned white. “A homicide? And you think it’s related to Riley being missing?”
“No,” Elsen said. “But these are questions we need to ask.”
John let out a long breath.
“We know this is difficult and we thank you for cooperating.” McDowell patted John’s shoulder. “We understand that you have volunteered to let us search your RV for anything that might help us locate Riley.”
John nodded.
“We’ll go to the tow yard after we talk to your son.”
John swallowed and raised his head. “Do you think Riley’s dead?”
Elsen and McDowell exchanged glances.
“John,” McDowell said. “We have nothing to suggest she’s been harmed in any way. We consider her a missing person, and we’re doing all we can to locate her as soon as possible.”
Eleven
Nevada
Blake Marshall kept rubbing his legs and checking for messages on his phone.
Nothing.
This was out of control: Riley missing; the crash; that girl at the pumps who looked like her; that guy pointing a gun at his dad, all the cops with their guns out.
The saliva in Blake’s mouth dried up. He tried to stay calm.
What’s the real reason the police put me alone here in this room?
Voices in the hall. His heart beat faster. A woman and man came in.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, Blake,” the woman said, closing the door. “I’m Detective Michelle McDowell and this is Detective Dan Elsen. We’re with the Missing Persons Detail of Las Vegas Metro Police.”
“Are you all right?” Elsen took stock of Blake as the woman set up her tablet.
Blake swallowed. “I’m worried. Did you find Riley?”
“Not yet, but listen,” McDowell said, smiling. “We’re doing everything we can to find her. More people are arriving to search. Right now we need your help, okay?”
Blake nodded.
“Let’s start with you telling us what was happening in the RV in the time before Riley went missing,” Elsen said.
For several minutes Blake told the detectives everything he could remember about the drive.
“So why lie about checking on her?” Elsen asked.
Blake took a long breath and let it out slowly. “She was so pissed off after the fight she flipped me the finger. I had nothing to do with it. I didn’t want her awake and sitting with me, you know? Not when she was so bitchy.” He swallowed, blinking back tears. “I know it’s stupid but that’s the truth.”
The detectives let a long moment pass.
“So it was clear,” McDowell said, “Riley didn’t want to move.”
“Real clear.”
“Blake,” Elsen said, “did Riley at any time prior to the trip or during the trip confide or indicate to you that she was going to run away, or meet up with Caleb or anyone else?”
“No.”
“Who was she talking to on her phone all morning?” McDowell asked.
“Her friends, likely, I don’t know.”
“Can you give us the names of some of her friends and any contact information?”
“Three I know are Dakota Lawson, Claire Nakamura and Ashley Hernandez. They all go to school together.”
With Blake guessing at the spellings, McDowell noted the information.
“What do you think happened to Riley?” Elsen asked.
“Well, from the security video, she got out of the RV and was in a store looking for us, probably pretty pissed that we drove off. After that, I don’t know.”
“Do you think it’s possible she’s hiding, or tried to get a ride to San Diego as a way of getting back at you guys for leaving her?” Elsen asked. “Maybe meet up with Caleb.”
“No, first because I think Riley would be too scared to try to do anything like that. And second, Caleb and his father went to Algeria.”
“On your way here, your dad said you made a stop in California,” Elsen said. “Where was that?”
“Fontana, at a Chevron.”
“Did Riley stay in the RV?”
“We all went in, used the bathroom, got something to eat. I got a burrito, Riley got yogurt.”
“Did you notice anything unusual like someone watching you, or following you, or trying to talk to Riley?”
Blake shook his head.
“How would you say everyone in your family has been getting along lately?” Elsen asked.
“Okay. All things considered. I think we’re all nervous about the move. Riley didn’t want to leave San Diego, that’s for sure.”
“And how’re you with the move?”
“I’m like, whatever, Dad’s got a big new job, so we have to move. That’s it.”
“And how do you get along with your mom?” McDowell asked.
“With Grace? I don’t call her my mom. I call her Grace.”
“Yes, how do you get along with Grace?”
“Okay.”
“Does she have a temper? Have you ever seen her use physical punishment on Riley?” McDowell asked.
“No, no way. Grace is actually pretty nice. Once I came into our kitchen and Grace was alone crying. She seemed embarrassed. She was sad about her first husband who died. I told her it was okay. I get sad sometimes about my mom and sister. We all understand about losing someone close to you and what it does to you.”
“What about your dad?” Elsen said.
“What about him?”
“Does he have a temper? Does he get angry? I understand he lost it at the pumps when he thought he saw Riley.”
“I wouldn’t say he has a temper.” Blake thought a moment. “I know he’ll always be angry at himself over the accident when we went sailing and got caught in the storm. I know he’ll never forgive himself for that.” Blake brushed a tear from his face.
“Do Grace and your dad ever argue about anything?” McDowell asked.
“No, not really.”
“They have any stress about finances, bills, debt?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Any issues with drinking too much or using illegal drugs, or gambling, or having affairs?”
“I don’t think so, nothing that I would know, except the issue with Caleb Clarke.”
“Tell us more about that,” McDowell said.
“They didn’t like the idea of him dating Riley, especially Grace. She didn’t like that Caleb was my age and too old for Riley and they kept pressuring Riley to break it off. Grace even tried calling Caleb’s father. He’s divorced and Caleb lives with him.”
“What happened?”
“Not sure. I heard Grace tell my dad that Caleb’s dad said he would talk to Caleb about it, but I don’t know if he did.” Blake shrugged.
“And Riley’s reaction to it all?” Elsen asked.
“She hated the idea of Grace trying to get her to break up with Caleb.”
“She kept seeing him.”
“Yes.”
“She was defiant?” Elsen asked.
“Yes.”
“So Caleb’s nearly eighteen and he’s dating yo
ur fourteen-year-old stepsister,” Elsen said. “How’d that sit with you?”
“Not well.”
“You ever meet or confront him?”
“A couple of times. I said, ‘Dude, find someone your own age. Riley’s too young for you.’ And he goes, ‘Riley and I are in love.’”
“So with the move to Pittsburgh, the relationship was going to end?” McDowell said.
“That’s right,” Blake said. “A couple of days before we left San Diego, my folks threw a big farewell party at our house, invited all their friends. Riley and I invited all of our friends. Grace wasn’t happy that Caleb came, but since Riley was supposed to break it off with him that night, she kind of went with it. I mean we were set to drive across the country, and he and his dad were flying off to Algiers.”
“So how did it go for Riley and Caleb at the party?”
“I saw them in a corner of the yard, hugging and kissing, crying, too. I think they were both upset about it.”
The detectives let a moment pass before Elsen resumed.
“How do you get along with Riley?”
“Maybe not as good as I should. Maybe I should try harder. Dad, too.”
“What do you mean by that?” Elsen crossed his arms.
“I know Dad expects her to be more like Courtney, my older sister, which doesn’t go over well.”
“What do you mean?”
“Riley misses her dad and will never accept my dad as her father.”
“So there’s a little tension there?” Elsen said.
“A little but it’s getting better over time, in my opinion.”
“And you? How’s your relationship with Riley?”
“Okay. I guess I’m still having a hard time adjusting to our new family and having her as my sister because I miss Courtney.”
“Do you argue with Riley?”
“Not really. If she argues, it’s with Grace about clothes, curfews, Caleb, mom-daughter stuff like that.”
“Has Riley ever run away before?”
“No, not since we’ve all been together.”
Elsen leaned closer to Blake. “I’m going to ask you something and I want you to be honest, Blake.”
“Okay,” Blake said.
“Ever look at porn?”
Blake swallowed, his face reddened and he shrugged. “Sure, who hasn’t? It’s online everywhere.”
“Do you know if Riley’s ever looked at it?”
“I don’t know, but likely.”
“Has she ever sexted?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you suspect she’s sexted with Caleb?”
“Likely.”
“Had sex with him?”
“Probably.”
“She ever tell you any of her secrets?”
Blake shook his head.
“Does she use drugs, alcohol, anything like that?”
“Maybe she’d tried stuff at parties, like most kids do.”
“Does she have a burner phone?”
Blake shifted in his seat. “I don’t think so. I know she lets Grace see her phone, but she uses self-deleting apps because once she had some kind of problem with her phone and asked me to help her fix it. I saw she hid some apps, or tried to hide them in a folder.”
Elsen drew even closer to Blake. “You ever strike Riley or abuse her?”
“No!”
“Do you know what happened to her? Where she is?”
“No.”
“Tell us the truth, are you in any way involved in her being missing?”
Feeling the full weight of two unsmiling detectives on him, a sweat droplet webbed down Blake’s back before he answered.
“No.”
Twelve
Nevada
After interviewing the family, McDowell and Elsen set out to talk to the staff member who had seen Riley Jarrett just before her shift ended.
Walking through the busy complex, McDowell said: “What’s your read on Grace, John and Blake?”
“They’re anxious. But we never get the whole picture first time around.”
“Maybe. I don’t know,” McDowell said. “I’ve got a bad feeling.”
“We’re too early into this to know what we have.”
The detectives saw Riley’s face and information displayed on the big advertising screens. The public address call for her continued, echoing in the air that carried the aroma from the food outlets along with the pings and whirs of slot machines in the casino. All the while, they scanned the crowds for a young girl in a white Friends T-shirt until they arrived at the store where Riley was last seen in the footage recorded by a security camera.
The Silverado convenience store.
Carl Aldrich, the operations manager, met them there with an update on his security people’s search of the truck stop.
“Nothing so far but we all know she was here and we’re actively looking for her.” Aldrich led them to a woman behind the counter at one of the registers. She was about twenty and wore a Silver Sagebrush golf shirt. She had a silver nose ring and was looking at her phone. Her name tag read “Skylar Brown.”
“Skylar,” Aldrich said. “This is Detective McDowell and Detective Elsen. Skylar’s shift ended but we called her back.”
McDowell flipped to a new page in her notebook. “Thanks for coming back, Skylar.”
“No problem.”
“Go ahead. Tell us what you know.”
“That’s definitely her.” Skylar raised her phone and pointed to Riley’s picture on it. “And she was definitely here walking around the store, came right by me at the counter then she left.”
“Did she speak to you?”
“No.”
“Was she with anyone?”
“No one. But a little while later, say five or ten minutes, she was back walking around as if she was looking for someone. Then she left a second time and I never saw her again.”
“Did it appear as if anyone followed her?” Elsen asked.
“Not that I could tell.”
“So she entered and left alone?”
“From what I could tell, yes.”
“Did you see her talk to anyone?”
“No.”
“What was her demeanor?”
“Like she was a little scared and a little ticked off, I guess.”
“Did she buy anything?”
“No.”
“Approximately what time was it when she walked out the second time?”
Skylar thought. “I know it was right when a woman bought a lucky dice key ring. I’ll check the receipts.” She began tapping on the register’s keyboard. A moment later, Skylar gave McDowell and Elsen the time and they finished by taking down Skylar’s name, address and contact information.
“Thanks,” McDowell said. “Carl, I think the family will want to talk to Skylar then resume searching with your people. Can you help with that?”
“Absolutely.”
In an effort to retrace Riley’s steps, the detectives then followed the most likely route through the complex to the nearest exit. They talked to staff in every outlet along the way before leaving and taking the most direct path across the huge lot to the spot by the palms where John Marshall said he’d parked the RV. While the detectives assessed the lot and heavy volume of traffic flowing in and out of the truck stop, McDowell’s phone vibrated with a message.
“Okay,” she told Elsen while looking at her phone, “they’re sending the mobile command center with more bodies. They’ll set up an incident command post. They’re also bringing in the Search and Rescue Unit.”
“Things are ramping up,” Elsen said.
“Yup.” McDowell scrolled through her phone. “Aldrich and Nate Rogan will keep us posted on the family.”
“Have
we got gloves and shoe covers in the trunk?”
“I put more in yesterday.”
“Let’s go take a look in the RV to see if anything was left behind to indicate where Riley Jarrett went.”
* * *
Driving to Las Vegas through the desert and mountains, McDowell glanced at Elsen.
“Dan, if it’s an abduction, then we know what the numbers tell us.”
Elsen looked ahead at nothing. “She’d be killed within hours.”
“She could’ve met someone who gave her a ride to the city, to the Nugget.”
“We’ll call Nugget’s security and send them info,” Elsen said.
“The Silver Sagebrush is a mega truck stop, and you said it yourself—it’s got high-volume traffic second only to McCarran. There’s the possibility of human trafficking, and we can’t forget the Garcia case,” McDowell said.
“We can’t rule anything out. But right now, we have no evidence connecting this to Garcia, nothing at all pointing to a criminal act.”
McDowell said nothing as the road rushed under them.
“What we have,” Elsen said, “are statements, a few facts and circumstances. All indications are that, in the time leading up to Riley Jarrett going missing, there was tension in that RV.”
“I just don’t know.” McDowell tapped her fingers on the wheel.
“The family’s upset. They had a lot going on before this happened,” Elsen said. “But there’s no evidence of a crime, nothing to suggest the family are bad people. Right now, nothing about them seems off to me. They volunteered their daughter’s phone, and that’s valuable to us. We’ll get our tech team to see what they can extract from it. And the family’s signed off on letting us search their vehicle. They’re cooperating. We need to maintain good relations with them. In case things take a turn.”
McDowell exhaled and nodded.
“And we’ll run background on the family in San Diego,” Elsen said. “We’re just getting started.”
McDowell looked to the desert, thinking of Eva Marie Garcia as they neared Las Vegas.
Thirteen
Las Vegas, Nevada
Willing & Able Towing was at the southern edge of Las Vegas in a light industrial section along with Arkall’s Golden Storage facility, Sonik Zebra Electronics Warehouse and a tack shop.
