“Hey!” she heard Kenzie exclaim.
Samantha practically jumped out of her nude patent pumps when Kenzie bum-rushed the table. She’d been so enthralled with the detective that she hadn’t even noticed the other woman walking back into the bar.
“I am so sorry about that,” Kenzie continued. “My boyfriend is going crazy because I wasn’t home when he got off work. I told him over a hundred times that I had a meeting tonight. I guess he forgot. He is so controlling,” she muttered, more to herself than Samantha.
“No worries. I really appreciate your coming out to talk with me tonight. If you need to leave, I completely understand.”
Kenzie grabbed her backpack and tossed it over her shoulder. “I think I should. I don’t want any trouble out of Alex tonight.”
“Wait. Before you go, I want you to meet that detective I was telling you about who’s new to Gattenburg’s police force.”
“He actually showed up?” Kenzie asked, her eyes wide with surprise.
“Yep. He did.”
Kenzie turned her head to the side and eyed Samantha suspiciously. “Uh-uh, I know that look when I see it. You aren’t crushing on this detective, are you?”
Before Samantha could answer the question, Gregory walked back over to the table holding a mug of beer and Samantha’s wine. He handed her the glass, then turned to Kenzie.
“Hello,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m Detective Gregory Harris. You must be Kenzie.”
“I am,” she replied quietly, placing her limp hand in his.
Samantha noticed Kenzie’s body stiffen, and she suddenly appeared reserved and a bit timid.
Earlier in the evening, Kenzie had mentioned not being too keen on talking to law enforcement, especially someone who reported directly to Chief Wentworth. Samantha had tried to convince her that Detective Harris was cool and on the right side of the law. But Kenzie never seemed to warm up to the idea of talking to him.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kenzie. Thanks for coming out tonight and talking to us about Jacob’s case. I know that couldn’t have been easy, especially considering you two were friends. You have my condolences.”
“Thank you,” Kenzie mumbled before running her trembling hands down the front of her khakis. “I, uh... I need to get going. I’m sure Samantha will bring you up to speed on everything we talked about.”
“I hope I’m not chasing you away,” Gregory told her. “I don’t bite. I promise.”
Kenzie let out a forced, uncomfortable laugh. “I’m sure you don’t. I just have to get home.” She turned to Samantha. “Thanks again for meeting with me. I hope that info I shared with you will help bring justice to Jacob.”
Samantha reached out and gave her a hug. “I hope so, too. Thank you so much. I really appreciate your willingness to confide in me. I’ll keep you posted as things progress.”
“And I’ll stay tuned to your blog. I just love Someone Knows Something. I kinda feel like I met with a famous journalist tonight.”
“You did,” Detective Harris chimed in, throwing Samantha a wink. “I often feel the same way when I’m in her presence.”
“Yeah, right,” Samantha said, blushing while waving them both off. “You two better stop it before I get all bigheaded and whatnot.”
“I doubt that,” Kenzie told her. “You’re way too humble and down-to-earth for that. But anyway, I’m gonna go. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. And it was nice meeting you, Detective.”
“Same here,” Gregory said. “Take care.”
Before Samantha could say her goodbyes, Kenzie scrambled toward the exit.
“Wow,” Detective Harris chuckled, “she really is in a hurry, isn’t she? Was it something I said?”
“I think she’s just a little spooked by the idea of you working for Collin’s father. You know Collin is her boss. Kenzie’s terrified of what may happen to her if word gets out that she’s been talking to us.”
“Well, I hope you have time to stay a little longer and fill me in on your conversation with her.”
Samantha nodded her head and sat back down, unable to control the tingling feeling buzzing through her legs. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt such an intense attraction toward a man. Even though she and the detective were technically out on business, tonight certainly felt more like pleasure.
“I do have time,” she told him.
“Good,” he said, sitting down in the chair across from her. “So let’s hear it.”
Samantha hesitated. She took a long sip of wine, gazing over at the detective. He parted his lips and curled them around the rim of his mug, then took a leisurely swallow. She shifted in her seat and cleared her throat.
Focus, Sam.
She diverted her eyes down toward her glass, setting it on the table and twirling the stem between her fingertips.
“Before we get into my conversation with Kenzie, let me ask you this. What made you come out tonight? You seemed pretty adamant about not getting involved in Jacob’s case.”
Detective Harris took a couple more sips of beer, then peered across the table at Samantha. “I guess you struck a chord while we were out at the crime scene. I saw the passion behind your mission to try and help Ava get justice for her brother.”
“Hmm, interesting,” Samantha said, trying to concentrate on the detective’s words rather than the way his triceps tightened as he clasped his hands together.
“But I have to be honest with you,” he continued. “I can’t promise that I’m going to delve too deep into your investigation. I am still obligated to the Gattenburg Police Department. My loyalty lies with them. But you asked me to come out and meet Kenzie, and after giving it a second thought, I didn’t see the harm in that.”
“Understood. Now if I may be honest with you, it seems as if there’s more to you not wanting to get involved in this than just the Gattenburg PD. You’ve said you’re a by-the-book man, that you respect the chief. I get that you don’t want to make waves. But I sense there’s something else keeping you from getting in too deep. Am I wrong?”
The detective propped his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands.
“No. You’re not wrong,” he admitted. “Let’s just say that I got burned back when I was working for the Chicago PD. I got a little too wrapped up in a case, and before I knew it, bam. I was in way over my head.”
Samantha observed how the detective’s eyes darted anxiously around the bar. He appeared to be in his head again, reliving whatever it was he’d gone through.
“I’m really sorry to hear that, Detective. But obviously you came out of it unscathed, right?”
“Barely,” he mumbled, finally making eye contact with her. “I’m telling you, that time in my life was crazy. It all went down right before I moved to Gattenburg. Actually, that experience was the primary reason why I moved the Gattenburg.”
“Really? It was so bad that you had to leave town?”
Detective Harris drained his mug of beer, then swiped a napkin roughly across his mouth. “Yep. It was. But enough of all that. Let’s get back to Kenzie. What did you find out?”
The mood between the pair suddenly shifted. Their warm, flirtatious energy had been replaced by an air of cool standoffishness. Samantha couldn’t help but wonder whether the situation in Chicago involved a woman.
She was dying to press the detective for more information. But judging from his expression, which was now twisted in frustration, she decided to leave it alone.
“Well, first of all,” Samantha began, “I have to tell you that Ava gave me the names of several Westman’s Automotive workers she thought I should talk to. I reached out to all of them. Kenzie was the only person who agreed to speak with me. I found that interesting.”
“That is interesting. But it could just be that they don’t want to get involved in J
acob’s case for fear of losing their jobs.”
“Or they have something to hide,” Samantha rebutted. “But anyway, Kenzie shared with me that she and Jacob worked side by side on the production line, so that’s how they’d become such good friends. But check this out. Kenzie is also Collin’s ex-girlfriend.”
Detective Harris cocked his head to the side. “Is she? Now that puts a different perspective on things.”
“Yes, it does.”
Gregory sat back in his chair and straightened his hunched shoulders. Samantha could sense that he was coming out of the funk he’d fallen into after talking about Chicago.
“Would you like another beer before we really get into this?” she asked him.
“No, thanks. I’m good for now. Let’s keep going. I really wanna hear this.”
“Cool,” Samantha said, encouraged by his enthusiasm. “So Kenzie and I discussed Westman’s second-chance drug rehabilitation program. She told me that most of the employment opportunities go to people with felony drug convictions, especially those who’ve recently been released from prison. But the thing is, three of the former addicts who were hired went missing shortly after they completed the program.”
Detective Harris’s mouth fell open. He leaned into the table and squinted his eyes curiously. “Wait, what do you mean, went missing?”
“Exactly what I said. These workers just disappeared without a trace. Months ago.”
“Well, does Kenzie know anything about what came of the investigations into their disappearances?”
“When I asked her that question, she replied with a resounding nothing. Apparently, the missing men had been ravaged by drug addiction and all the trouble that comes along with it. So their families and friends had written them off and no one was keeping tabs on them. These men were hoping to turn their lives around through Westman’s program. But before they really had the opportunity to do so, they just up and vanished.”
Gregory reached into his jacket and pulled out a small notebook and pen. Samantha was pleasantly surprised when he opened it up and began taking notes.
“Old-school, huh,” she joked. “Most of us living in the modern world take notes on our cell phone apps. But don’t mind me. Do your thing.”
“I will,” he quipped before quickly turning serious again. “So did Kenzie mention how the other employees at Westman’s reacted after the employees went missing?”
“She did. The crazy thing is, they really didn’t even have a reaction. According to Kenzie, none of her coworkers gave the disappearances a second thought because of the employees’ backgrounds. Everyone just assumed that they’d reverted back to their old ways and didn’t want to work anymore.”
“Wow. That’s pretty sad.”
“It is, isn’t it? But there is one person who was extremely concerned about the missing men and willing to speak up about it. I’ll give you one guess as to who it was.”
“Jacob?”
“Bingo.”
“Oh boy,” Detective Harris sighed as he rigorously wrote in his notebook.
Despite the unfortunate circumstances they were meeting under, Samantha couldn’t help but feel an exhilarating thrill at the idea of the detective’s involvement in Jacob’s case. He may have gotten burned in Chicago, but it certainly appeared as though he was rising from the ashes now that he was in Gattenburg.
“But here’s where the story really gets deep,” she continued. “Right before Jacob was found dead, he’d decided to talk to Collin about the missing employees. A few of them worked on Jacob’s assembly team, and he’d gotten to know them pretty well. So he was happy to see them turning their lives around and getting back on their feet.”
“You know, the more I hear about Jacob, the more I realize how decent a guy he was.”
“He really was a good man. And what’s sad is that Kenzie tried to warn him against confronting Collin. But Jacob did anyway, thinking that Collin would talk his father into opening a serious investigation into the disappearances.”
“Clearly that didn’t go over too well,” Gregory retorted.
“Not at all. The day that Jacob was scheduled to meet with Collin was the last time Kenzie saw him alive.”
“Whoa,” Detective Harris uttered, tapping his pen against the notebook. “Did Kenzie happen to give you the names of the men who went missing?”
“No, she didn’t.” Samantha grabbed her cell phone. “I’ll shoot her a text message right now and ask if she can send them to me.”
“Good. I’d like to run them through the missing-persons databases and see what comes up. I can also casually ask around the station and see if any of the other detectives have looked into their cases.”
Once her text message was delivered, Samantha grabbed her glass and held it to her lips, hoping it would hide the look of elation spread across her face. As much as the detective tried to fight it, he just couldn’t seem to stop himself from delving deeper into the investigation with her.
Samantha glanced down at her watch. It was already after nine o’clock. She didn’t want the night with Detective Harris to end. But she was eager to get home and knock out the edits on her article for Elevate, then update her blog with all the explosive new information she’d received.
The detective reached across the table and nudged her hand playfully. “You’re already writing out your latest blog post in your head, aren’t you?”
“Oh, so you’re a psychic now?” Samantha laughed, grabbing her handbag and slipping her phone inside.
“I wouldn’t say all that. It’s just written all over that determined, impassioned look on your face.”
His intense gaze caused her cheeks to burn self-consciously. Samantha drained her wineglass and swallowed hard. “Well, you’re actually right, because yes, that’s exactly what I was doing.”
“I can understand that. I’m not gonna lie, this case has piqued my interest. Especially now that you’ve told me about those missing employees. Make sure you send me their names as soon as you get them.”
Samantha was once again hit with a heady feeling of excitement knowing that Detective Harris was getting more involved in the case.
“I won’t forget. Trust me.”
“And hey, can you do something for me?”
“Of course. What do you need?” Samantha asked.
“I need you to stop calling me Detective Harris and start calling me Gregory.”
She gazed at him. She could feel a shift in their rapport. It was taking on a much more personal tone, and she was savoring every second of it.
“I think I can do that for you, Gregory.”
“Good. Now, may I walk you out to your car?”
“Yes, you may. Thank you.”
The detective stood up and threw on his leather jacket. Samantha diverted her eyes, struggling not to gawk at his athletic physique. When they strolled through the bar and outside to the parking lot, she found herself resisting the urge to slide her hand into his.
Just as they reached her car, Samantha’s cell phone buzzed.
“Oh, good!” she exclaimed after checking her text messages. “Kenzie just sent me the names of the missing Westman’s employees. I’ll forward them to you now.”
“Great. I’ll look into those as soon as I’m in front of my computer. And once you go public with that information on your blog, I’ll have a good reason to be searching for them.”
“Thank you again for doing that. And for coming out tonight. I hope you know how much I appreciate it.”
“I do. And you’re welcome.”
The pair stared at one another silently for several seconds before Samantha interrupted the intimate moment.
“I guess I’d better get going.”
“Yeah, me too. I’ll be in touch soon with whatever info I’m able to find on those missing employees.”
“Sounds good, Detecti—I mean, Gregory.”
“All right then, Samantha.” He smirked. “Talk to you soon.”
He waited as she climbed inside her car and pulled away. Samantha glanced in the rearview mirror, waving before turning out of the parking lot and speeding off into the night.
Chapter Four
Samantha’s eyes shot open. The sound of shattering glass jolted her out of sleep. She blinked her eyes to clear her blurry vision as she stared into the darkness of her bedroom.
But now, as she raised her head and peeled back the comforter, complete silence filled the air.
Maybe I was dreaming, she thought, slowly sinking back into the pillow. She glanced over at the clock. It was almost three in the morning.
“Ugh,” she moaned, patting her chest in an effort to ease her pounding heartbeat. She listened. Nothing. It had to be a dream. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, willing herself to fall back asleep.
Just as she felt herself drifting off, the crackling sound of shattering glass once again invaded her consciousness.
She gasped, sat straight up, gripped her comforter and pulled it farther up her body. Her watery eyes widened with fear. When silence once again filled the air, she reached for her cell phone and crept out of bed.
Her bedroom door was cracked open. She didn’t know whether to go out into the living room of her two-story bungalow and see what was going on or hide out and call the police.
Boom!
Samantha screamed as she heard her lamps crash to the floor out in the living room. She ran inside her bathroom and locked the door, her hands trembling as she dialed 9-1-1.
“Nine-one-one, what is your emergency?”
“Yes, my name is Samantha Vincent, and someone’s trying to break into my house!” she hissed into the phone.
“What is the address, ma’am?”
Cold Case True Crime Page 4
