“I do. And I appreciate you telling me.”
The pair gazed at one another silently before the buzz of Gregory’s cell phone interrupted the moment. He pulled it from his pocket and stared down at the screen, then jumped up from the couch.
“I cannot believe this!” he exclaimed.
“What’s going on?”
“One of the detectives just texted me. He received word that the bodies of the three missing Westman’s workers were found up in Galena in the Tapley Woods.”
“Ugh,” Samantha moaned, gripping her stomach. “Did he say how they died?”
“Apparently from a drug overdose. Whatever was in their systems was very potent and very lethal.”
“That is such devastating news...” Samantha stood up and slowly approached the detective. “Gregory, you know how I’ve been saying we’ve got to figure out what’s really going on inside Westman’s Automotive Factory?”
“I do.”
“Well, I think I have. And I believe it’s directly linked to those men’s deaths.”
“Okay. Let’s hear it.”
Samantha took a deep breath as the pair sat back down on the couch. “I think Westman’s is doubling as a drug lab. And Collin’s testing his product out on the employees who are addicts. If that’s the case, I wonder how long he’s been in business and what Jacob knew.”
Gregory stared up at the ceiling. “Maybe Jacob found out that Collin was selling drugs and threatened to turn him in. Or what if Jacob was actually in business with Collin and got caught up in a deal gone wrong?”
“I can’t see that being the case,” Samantha refuted. “Jacob supposedly went to talk to Collin about the Westman’s workers after they went missing, remember? If they were in business together, I highly doubt he would’ve bothered to inquire about their disappearances.”
As Samantha spoke, Gregory realized he was more focused on her lips than the words coming through them.
Get your head in the game, man, he told himself. He grabbed the drug ledger and thumbed through the pages in hopes of finding specific instructions on exactly how Collin cooked up his product.
“You know what?” Samantha continued, hopping up from the couch before bending down and grabbing her injured leg. “Ouch!”
“Are you okay?” the detective asked. “Do you think we need to add a couple more bandages to your wound?”
“No, I’m fine. I just need to take it easy and avoid making any abrupt moves. But anyway, I was going to say that I think Collin was using those poor Westman’s employees as guinea pigs. He was probably testing the drugs out on them in an effort to try and find the perfect combo before selling them on the street.”
Gregory nodded his head in agreement. “I could definitely see him doing something like that. And because he isn’t that bright, I’m sure his measurements were way off.”
“I have got to talk to Kenzie. I just need to figure out a way to get her to speak with me again. I have to convince her that I’d never reveal her identity.”
“Yeah, that would be great if you could get a conversation going with her again. I have a feeling she knows a hell of a lot more than what she’s shared so far. If we could get some concrete evidence from her, I could definitely build a more solid case against Collin and Chief Wentworth and present it to the district attorney.”
Samantha pointed at the detective. “And,” she began slowly, “maybe Kenzie could somehow find a way to get me inside Westman’s after hours so that I can see what’s really going on inside that elusive concrete jungle. Because I’m thinking that if he does have some sort of underground drug lab set up in there—”
“Samantha,” Gregory interrupted, “you are not, I repeat, not going to break into Westman’s Automotive Factory under any circumstances. And I mean that. Not only is it against the law, but it’s beyond dangerous. Look at what happened to you today when you broke into Collin’s house. He could have killed you!”
“But he didn’t.”
“But he could have. And because you unlawfully entered his home, he would’ve gotten away with murder after pleading self-defense. I don’t know what I’d do with myself if something happened to you. So moving forward, let’s go about this the right way. The legal way. Are we clear on that?”
Gregory braced himself, expecting Samantha to snap back with some sort of snarky comment. He was pleasantly surprised when she looked directly at him with a softened expression.
“Yes,” she whispered. “We’re clear.”
He watched as her eyes searched his face, as if there was something more she wanted to say. He held his breath, waiting for her to speak. But she remained silent.
“Okay, then,” Gregory said. “So we’re good.”
“Yes, we are. I’ll give Kenzie a call first thing tomorrow morning. Hopefully she won’t ignore me.” Samantha stretched her arms over her head, then rubbed the back of her neck. “I am so exhausted...”
Detective Harris opened his mouth to speak. But nothing came out as he watched her cropped sweater rise above her stomach, revealing her smooth, taut midsection. When she threw her head back and ran her perfectly manicured hands through her wavy hair, he stared down at the floor and rubbed his temples rigorously.
“So while you try and get ahold of Kenzie, I’ll start digging around in some of the files down at the station,” he told her, determined to focus on the mission at hand rather than his feelings of sexual excitement. “See if I can find information on drug busts that have occurred in the past year or so. There might be a statement buried in a report made by a drug dealer or addict that could provide us with some clues. You never know.”
“I think that’s a great idea. And in the meantime,” Samantha said, inching toward the kitchen, “I think we deserve a treat for all that we’ve been through today.”
“Oh yeah?” Gregory couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her sweet, mischievous grin. “What did you have in mind?”
“I don’t know,” she shrugged coyly. “Maybe two cups of Hannah’s Heavenly Hazelnut coffee and a couple of her frosted cinnamon rolls. What do you think?”
“I think that sounds delicious.”
“Good. Follow me into the kitchen?”
“I’m right behind you.”
Gregory stood up and let Samantha lead the way, forcing himself not to eye her curvaceous backside as she sashayed in front of him. “But let me help you.”
She spun around and gave him a wink. “Oh all right, if you insist.”
“I absolutely insist.”
As the detective entered the kitchen and pulled two mugs down off the shelf, he mentally rewound the day’s crazy developments. From the moment he’d heard Samantha’s frantic voice mail message to finding out she’d broken into Collin’s house to learning that Collin and Chief Wentworth were running a drug ring together, it had by far been his wildest day in Gattenburg.
But now, Gregory was just glad that he and Samantha were on the same page and had come to an agreement on how they would proceed with their joint investigation.
Joint investigation.
Those were two words the detective had never thought he’d speak again when it came to partnering with a woman. Yet here he was, finally ready to move past his painful experience in Chicago and take on the investigation of a lifetime with Samantha by his side.
Chapter Eleven
Samantha was so irritated that she could literally feel her skin crawling.
She had called Kenzie several times, leaving voice mails then following up with text messages, making it clear that she really needed to talk to her. But Kenzie still hadn’t responded.
Whether Kenzie was avoiding her or not, Samantha was determined to share with her the new developments in the investigation of Jacob’s death and see if it would help shake loose any other information. So much so that she’d driven down to Wes
tman’s Automotive Factory and was sitting inside her car, waiting for Kenzie to come outside for lunch so that she could make one last-ditch effort to speak with her.
Samantha craned her neck and stared out the window from her discreetly parked car, which sat half a block away from the factory. Her eyes were glued to the back door that led out into the parking lot.
Kenzie usually left the factory sometime between eleven and noon to head over to Victor’s Café for the all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. Samantha’s plan was to follow Kenzie to the restaurant, delicately approach her before she went inside and ask if they could sit down and talk.
Samantha’s stomach turned as she anticipated Kenzie walking out the door at any given moment. She knew she was probably doing too much by showing up at her job unannounced. But Samantha wasn’t too proud to admit that she was getting desperate. She and Gregory were getting too close to cracking Jacob’s murder case and busting Collin and Chief Westworth to turn back now. Samantha just hoped she could convince Kenzie to spill whatever information she may have been holding, which could ultimately help solve the entire investigation.
She peered in her side-view mirror and noticed a white van coming toward her. Flashbacks of the incident at Hannah’s flooded her mind. Samantha’s heart began to beat so furiously that she could feel it in her pulsating temples. She quickly slumped down in her seat and turned away from the window, hoping that whoever was driving the vehicle wouldn’t notice her.
When the van sped past her, Samantha emitted a deep sigh of relief, not realizing that she’d been holding her breath the whole time. She slowly sat back up and noticed the back door to the factory open. Her cell phone buzzed, but she ignored the call and kept her eyes glued to the exit.
Several men walked out into the parking lot. Samantha peered through the windshield, looking to see if Kenzie would follow them. But the door slammed with no sign of her.
“Ugh,” she moaned. “Will you come out already?”
Samantha glanced down at her watch. It was after twelve o’clock. She’d been sitting in that spot for over an hour, and her body was tweaking with impatience.
She jumped at the sound of her cell phone buzzing again. Samantha pulled it from her handbag and saw a text message notification from Ava displayed on the screen.
They hadn’t spoken since running into one another at Hannah’s. Samantha wasn’t planning on telling her or Kenzie that she’d gone into Collin’s house and found the drug ledger. She would just have to figure out some other way to let them know she’d discovered his drug operation.
Samantha swiped the security code into her cell phone and tapped on Ava’s message.
“Please have some good news for me...” she said aloud. Her voice trailed off as she began reading the text.
Are you available to meet up? We need to talk ASAP! I just spoke to one of Jacob’s old friends at Westman’s and found out Kenzie is missing! I’m really worried about her, especially after hearing that those missing workers were found dead...
Samantha inhaled sharply as her eyes stung with unshed tears. “Wait, wait, wait,” Samantha uttered, scanning the message over and over again as if she’d misread it. “This isn’t happening. This can’t be happening!”
She tightened her grip on the phone as her hand began to tremble and anxiously dialed Ava’s number. The call went straight to voice mail.
Before she could leave a message, the phone vibrated against her ear. Samantha pulled it away and checked the screen. Another text from Ava popped up.
Sorry, can’t talk. In a meeting. Can you meet me at Hannah’s in 30 minutes?
I can, Samantha replied. I am sick to my stomach right now after hearing that Kenzie is missing. I’m actually sitting outside Westman’s. I was hoping to run into her and get more info on the factory. Is it okay if Detective Harris meets with us, too? I want him to hear everything about Kenzie’s disappearance.
She sent the message, then looked back up at the parking lot. Collin’s huge pickup truck was parked crookedly across two spaces. She glared at it, imagining herself smashing the windows and lights out with a baseball bat.
Just as her phone buzzed again, Collin came strolling out the door. Samantha’s eyes narrowed in disgust at the sight of him spinning around arrogantly and high-fiving several of his cronies who’d walked out behind him.
She stifled a sob, watching while he threw his head back and cackled loudly as if he didn’t have a care in the world. He and his boys jumped inside his truck, and Collin turned the music up full blast, revved the engine, then sped out of the lot.
The familiar sound of that thunderous roar caused her body to shake in a fit of anger.
“You animal!” she yelled while hot tears burned the corners of her eyes.
Samantha checked her phone and saw that Ava had responded to her text, confirming that she was fine with Gregory joining them.
Okay, thanks, she wrote back. I’m heading to the coffee shop now. See you there.
She started the engine and sped down the street, fighting off the urge to catch up to Collin’s truck and ram her car into it.
* * *
SAMANTHA FELT AS though she were in a daze. She was sitting at a discreet back corner table in between Gregory and Ava, staring straight ahead at nothing in particular.
The coffee shop was fairly packed. Gregory had suggested that they meet elsewhere so not to be seen by law enforcement or one of Westman’s workers. But Ava was in between conference calls and needed a quick, convenient place to talk.
Hannah sat the group as far away from the front windows as possible. Once she assured Gregory that her shop was too bougie for the automotive factory workers and too short on doughnuts for the Gattenburg PD, he agreed to stay.
As convincing as Hannah had been, however, Samantha still found herself jumping out of her seat every time the front doorbell jingled and a customer entered the shop.
There was a frigid chill lingering in the air. Samantha was still wearing her hat, coat and scarf but couldn’t seem to warm up. Not even the piping-hot mocha latte she’d been sipping on could stave off the cold.
Hannah swore she’d turned the heat up full blast and even started a fire in the wood-burning fireplace. But Samantha knew that it wasn’t the coffee shop’s temperature that had her blood running cold. It was the news of Kenzie’s disappearance chilling her to the bone.
“So this friend of Jacob’s you spoke to,” Gregory said to Ava. “Did he mention the last time he’d seen Kenzie?”
She took a deep, wavering breath. Her shifting eyes and downturned mouth were a clear indication that she was terrified.
“He did, actually. It was over a week ago. They work on the same assembly team, so of course her not being at the factory stood out to him.”
Gregory slowly nodded his head before taking a sip of his double shot of espresso. “Did he ask anybody around the factory whether they knew anything, or if she was out sick or on vacation?”
“No, unfortunately. Those factory workers aren’t stupid. They see what’s happening around there. Plus, they’re all afraid of Collin. They know what he’s capable of. And they also know that Chief Wentworth is going to have his son’s back no matter what. So no one wants to risk putting that type of attention on themselves.”
Samantha’s left eye began to twitch uncontrollably. She felt as if she was about to implode. “We have got to do something about this. What’s this guy’s name you’ve been talking to?”
“Taylor. Hudson Taylor.”
Gregory quickly pulled a notepad and pen from inside his bomber jacket and wrote the name down.
“Did Hudson mention whether or not Kenzie’s family has reported her missing?” Samantha continued.
Ava lips twisted in clear frustration. “So here’s where the situation gets murky. Hudson is friends with Alex, who you all know is Kenzie’s boyfriend. Acco
rding to Alex, Kenzie sent him an email a little over a week ago claiming that life was getting to be too much for her. She just wanted to get away from it all. Ditch Gattenburg and start a new life elsewhere.”
“Oh please,” Samantha grunted, rolling her eyes at Ava. “I hope Alex didn’t fall for that. Does he actually believe that email was sent to him by Kenzie?”
“He doesn’t have reason to think otherwise. Kenzie never shared with him her issues with Collin, or Westman’s, or the missing men who turned up dead. All Alex knows is that Collin’s her ex. Which in turn means he hates him. So she went out of her way to never bring him up.”
Gregory continued writing notes furiously in his pad before looking up at Ava, his forehead crinkling with concern. “Is this the same boyfriend I’ve heard about who’s allegedly very controlling?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” Ava responded, “it is.”
“Umph,” the detective grunted. “Well, I need to start by checking to see if a missing-persons report has been filed on Kenzie’s behalf.”
“I seriously doubt it,” Ava said. “Kenzie is estranged from her family. She’s been in and out of trouble over the years. Her volatile relationship with Alex was the final straw. Between his substance abuse issues and erratic behavior, her family refused to stand by and watch her ruin her life again after she’d gotten clean.”
“I didn’t realize Kenzie was dealing with all those issues,” Samantha said. “That is really sad.”
“It is,” Ava agreed. “And Alex seems to believe that email really came from Kenzie. So as far as he’s concerned, no crime has been committed.”
Samantha felt a burning wave of anger wash over her. “You know, as crazy as he may be, I seriously doubt that Alex has anything to do with her disappearance. This is about Collin, Westman’s and what she knew. So I hope that law enforcement doesn’t try and put this off on him.”
Samantha suddenly felt her body beginning to overheat. She tore off her hat and scarf, then glanced over at Gregory, waiting to hear what he had to say. He nodded his head at her and pointed at Ava.
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