Unseen

by Jana DeLeon

  Grayson shook his head. “I requested you because I think you have the potential to be one of the finest detectives in the department and because our investigative styles complement each other. I don’t want a change. We’ll just have to deal with whatever comes down the pike. And you have to make sure you’re so clean they could eat lunch off of you.”

  “I don’t think we’ll have to worry about this one directly,” Jackson said. “I assume Maxwell will catch the case, being that he took the call when Madison reported it.”

  “You don’t want to request a shift?”

  “Of course. But that’s because I’d like to find this predator before Shaye runs into him. And if she knew that, I’d be in trouble so deep I might never get out of it. So I’m going to do the right thing, even though it’s killing me, and let Maxwell handle it.”

  Grayson nodded. “Okay. I’ll pass up what we know. If the brass wants Maxwell to jump back on it, I’m fine with that. Not like we don’t have four open cases to work right now.”

  “Thanks. And Grayson, thanks for sticking with me. Not a lot of people would.”

  “A lot of people have no backbone.”

  Shaye disconnected the call and put her SUV in drive and headed down the street, mentally calculating the quickest route to Madison’s apartment. Her hands clenched the steering wheel as she drove, and she felt her jaw flex before realizing she needed to take a deep breath as much as Madison did.

  This was so bad.

  The risk that the killer would come after Madison had always been there, but without a police investigation, Shaye was hoping that he’d decide it wasn’t worth pursuing, as witness testimony wasn’t enough to make a case. There were simply too many instances of witnesses falsely identifying the alleged perpetrator for a prosecutor to hinge a case solely on eyewitness testimony, especially only one eyewitness who saw the crime across the street. Even if Madison didn’t have a visual impairment, it would be a hard case to make without any specific identifying markers on the accused.

  But this. This was completely out of left field. In all of the ways Shaye imagined the situation could escalate, she’d never included stalking and taunting Madison on the list. It spoke to a whole other level of evil, and Shaye would be the first to admit that it scared the hell out of her. What kind of mind came up with this sort of thing? And what would he do next? She had to figure out a way to protect Madison, but there was a huge sticking point.

  For how long?

  Even if Shaye managed to identify the killer, without more evidence, there was a good chance he would walk anyway. And there was nothing she could do about Madison’s disorder. Shaye had lived for years with the uncertainty and fear that her captor would come for her, but as more and more years passed, she finally believed that he’d either died, moved away, or decided that her loss of memory kept him protected.

  She stiffened. Maybe that was part of the solution. Her memory loss had been blasted on every news station around the country, making it common knowledge, so her captor had known he was safe. If she could find a way to bring Madison’s condition to the killer’s attention, maybe he’d make the same choice to slip into the shadows, knowing he could never be identified, especially since the police weren’t investigating.

  The problem, of course, was figuring out a good reason for news stations to jump on such a story enough for it to spread and not just have one of those public awareness two-minute spotlights right before commercial that most people had already wandered out of the room for.

  Her cell phone rang, and she saw Jackson’s name come up on her SUV’s display. She pressed the Answer button, wondering why he was calling while on the clock. He sometimes texted her, but actual phone calls were rare when he was working.

  “What’s up?” she asked.

  “Can you talk?”

  “I’m driving, but I have you on Bluetooth. What’s wrong?” The combination of the timing of the call and the tense sound in his voice were dead giveaways that something wasn’t right.

  “A fisherman found Carla Downing on the edge of Lake Pontchartrain this morning. She’d been pulled from the water, probably by an animal.”

  Her stomach rolled. “You’re sure it’s her?”

  “Her prints were in the system for a prior.”

  “Well, then I guess I’ll give up that one percent chance I thought she had of still being alive. I appreciate you telling me.”

  “There’s more.”

  He went silent for a bit, and Shaye wondered if the call had dropped.

  “It was her,” he said. “The woman Madison saw was Carla. Most of the clothes were still intact. The blouse, skirt, shoes…everything was just as Madison described it.”

  “Was her throat cut?”

  “Yeah. The ME will have to do the autopsy, but given the length and depth of the cut, I don’t think there’s any way she was alive when she went into the water.”

  “Are you on the case?”

  “No. I told Grayson about Madison, and he agreed that it was Maxwell’s case.”

  A momentary rush of disappointment coursed through her when she heard that Jackson wasn’t on the case, but she knew his job was more secure if he wasn’t working a case that she was involved in. She had no doubt he’d do what he could to assist and keep up with the investigation, but this way, he couldn’t be accused of using the department to help her clients. After all, Madison had called the police department and given them the opportunity to launch an investigation before she’d contacted Shaye. She didn’t think for a minute that the brass would give a damn about the distinction, but she didn’t care. The facts spoke for themselves.

  “I’m on my way to Madison’s place right now,” she said. “Something happened.”

  She told Jackson what Madison relayed to her earlier, and he cursed.

  “He’s playing with her,” Jackson said. “You know how dangerous that makes him.”

  “I do, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t scare the crap out of me, but she’s terrified and I have to do something. I just haven’t figured out what.”

  “Send her to Europe with a new identity.”

  “Don’t think the extreme hasn’t crossed my mind, but it still wouldn’t solve the bigger problem.”

  “I know,” he said quietly. “The never-ending fear every time she sets foot outside her apartment.”

  “Yes. Is Detective Maxwell going to contact her soon?”

  “I just spoke with him, and he was on his way to call her. There’s a good chance you two will cross paths at her place here shortly. I’d bet he wants to go over everything with her again, and in light of this new development, I’m glad you’re going to have police resources on this.”

  “Me too.”

  She knew he was hoping she’d drop the case now that the police were involved, but she couldn’t do that to Madison, and she knew he was aware of that as well. She’d started this journey, and if Madison still wanted her to stay on the case, then that’s exactly what she’d do. Even if Madison didn’t want her to investigate any longer, she couldn’t abandon her. Not now.

  “Thanks for letting me know,” she said. “I’m sorry if this causes you any grief.”

  “Don’t you worry about me. Worry about Madison and watch your back. I don’t have to tell you how bad this new development is. Are you working tonight?”

  “I don’t think so. I need to see what Madison wants to do and see what Detective Maxwell has to say, but I think I’m going to need to regroup.”

  “Mind if I come by after work to help?”

  “I’d love for you to. I don’t have homemade lasagna, but I can order up Chinese and I do have raspberry tarts.”

  “Corrine?”

  “Yeah, she’s going to bake me into a bigger size if her foundation doesn’t get up and running soon. I keep coming home to new Tupperware containers on my kitchen counter.”

  “I should be off on time. I’ll let you know if that changes. Gotta run.”

  The ca
ll disconnected, and she stared out the windshield and blew out a breath. The fact that Carla was dead wasn’t really a surprise, nor was it that Madison had been accurate in her description of the event. Shaye’s opinion of her was that she was highly reliable, albeit frightened and stressed. But with Carla’s body being found, Madison was even more of a threat than before. Now the police would launch an investigation. The story would be on the news, and no way would the police want everyone to know that their only eyewitness wasn’t reliable.

  She parked in front of Madison’s building and hurried inside. The security guard was a woman this time, and Shaye gave Madison’s name and waited while the woman called up to get the okay. A couple seconds later, she hung up the phone and looked at Shaye.

  “Is she all right?” the guard asked. “She came through here earlier like a tornado and white as a sheet.”

  “She’s not feeling well,” Shaye said, figuring it was the closest to the truth she could manage without betraying a confidence.

  The guard nodded. “You let me know if she needs anything.”

  “I will. Thank you.”

  Shaye hurried to the elevator and up to Madison’s floor. She must have been standing at the door because it opened before she even knocked. As soon as she stepped inside, Madison pushed the door shut and threw the dead bolts, and then she flung her arms around Shaye and began to cry.

  Shaye held the girl as she sobbed, feeling helpless that she couldn’t have done anything to prevent the situation and didn’t know how to make it better now. Right now, all she could offer was comfort, and what Madison needed were answers. It was a couple minutes before the sobbing subsided and Madison let go of her death grip and took a step back.

  “I’m so sorry,” Madison said. “I didn’t mean to fall apart on you like that.”

  “Please don’t apologize,” Shaye said, guiding Madison into the living room and onto the couch. “You’ve had two terrifying experiences. I’d be more worried if you were calm and collected.”

  “Yeah, I guess at least I’m still firmly rooted in reality. Of course, the reality is I’m totally fucked, but I’m definitely grounded in it.”

  “We’re going to figure this out. I’m not leaving here until we have a plan.”

  Madison looked at her, and the relief in her expression was apparent. “So you’re not dropping the case? When Detective Maxwell called and said he needed to talk to me again, I figured that meant they were going to investigate.”

  “They are, but I can’t tell you anything else. I need you to hear it from him so that I don’t get the person who told me in trouble. But that doesn’t mean I can’t continue with my own work. If you want me to, that is.”

  “Of course I want you to. I’m glad the cops are going to do something, but the more people on this the better. I can’t live like this, knowing he could be standing on the corner every time I exit my building and I wouldn’t know. I can’t hide in here forever or I risk losing my contract and reputation, and I can’t leave and start over for the same reason.”

  “Can you take a vacation? Just a couple of weeks and maybe we could figure something out?”

  She shook her head. “I’m scheduled to deliver the project by year-end. It’s all but done except for some tweaking. I’ve been working on this for six months. The client is happy, and I think I’ll get a referral to another company project out of it. If I bail now, they’ll lose a lot of money because they’ve scheduled all their other upgrades around this one. I know it sounds stupid, worrying about my job when this guy threatened me, but if this ever ends, I still have bills to pay.”

  Shaye squeezed her hand. “I understand. We’ll figure something out, okay?”

  Madison’s cell phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket. “That’s fine,” she said and sat the phone down on the end table. “Detective Maxwell is on his way up. Is he going to cause you problems?”

  “I don’t think so. And besides, I have information he’s going to need. As far as I’m concerned, his main job is finding the killer. Mine is making sure you’re safe. Two different focuses, just with some intersecting lines.”

  A knock sounded at the door, and Shaye jumped up to get it. Detective Maxwell didn’t look surprised when he saw her.

  “Ms. Archer,” he said and nodded.

  Shaye motioned him inside. “Can I get you something to drink, Detective?” she asked.

  “A glass of water would be nice. Are you staying for this?”

  “If you don’t mind. Madison needs the support, and I also have some information for you.”

  Maxwell nodded and headed into the living room, taking a seat in a chair next to the couch. Shaye hurried into the kitchen to retrieve a glass of water for Maxwell and noticed the glass on the counter next to a whiskey bottle. She poured a bit more of the whiskey and took both glasses into the living room before taking a seat next to Madison on the couch.

  Maxwell waited until she was seated, then looked at Madison. “Ms. Avery, I’m here because there’s been a development. A fisherman found a young woman in Lake Pontchartrain this morning who fits your description of the woman attacked across the street.”

  Madison’s eyes widened. “Was she…was her…”

  “Her throat had been cut,” Maxwell said. “I’ve opened a homicide investigation and wanted you to be aware. I also wanted to see if there’s anything else you remembered about that night. Anything at all that might give me a direction to pursue.”

  “I told you everything,” Madison said, “but Shaye has been investigating.”

  Maxwell looked over at Shaye. “Have you discovered anything?”

  Shaye filled the detective in on the conversations she’d had and her search of both Carla’s and Mitzi’s rooms. Maxwell sat focused and silent until she finished.

  “There’s another woman missing?” Madison asked.

  “Maybe,” Shaye said, not wanting to upset Madison even more than she already was. “I don’t know for certain.”

  She looked at Maxwell, and he gave her a slight nod. “There’s a bigger problem though,” Shaye said, and motioned to Madison. “Tell him what happened to you today.”

  Madison took a deep breath and began to recount her story. Her voice was shaky, and the panic she felt came through as the story progressed to the finger across the throat part. Shaye watched Maxwell’s expression as Madison talked, and although he did a good job of containing his feelings, she saw his jaw flex and knew that he was as deeply disturbed by this development as she was.

  When she finished, Maxwell leaned forward. “I know you’re frightened,” he said, “and I don’t blame you. I believe there is a specific threat against you. I can request an increase in police presence in the area. More patrols. More eyes on your building.”

  He leaned back again and blew out a breath. “I’m going to be honest with you. I have no idea how long it will take to find this guy, which makes it completely unrealistic to ask you to stay inside your unit until it’s all over. But I will ask you to make changes to your routine, especially if it involves walking in areas that aren’t crowded.”

  “I don’t have to leave very often,” Madison said, “but I have a meeting every week with my client, and I’ll probably have several next week because I’m delivering the product.”

  “At the same time and location?” Maxwell asked.

  “The regular meeting is. The rest, I don’t know.”

  “See if you can change the time of the regular meeting, at least. If he can establish a set time and place for your movements, he has a far better chance to come at you. But he can’t sit outside of your building 24-7 waiting for you to appear. Not without someone noticing.”

  Madison nodded. “I can do that.”

  “Do you walk to that meeting?” he asked.

  “I used to, but I won’t anymore. I used Uber to get home.”

  “And you’re okay with that?” he asked.

  Madison looked down at the floor for a moment, then shook he
r head. “I check the car for the sticker and make sure the make and model is right, but I probably wouldn’t know if the driver was the man shown on the app unless there’s something specific about his hair.”

  “I have a solution for that,” Shaye said. “Corrine and I use a car service sometimes. One owner and she’s the driver. She’s driven employees from my grandfather’s corporations for years. I trust her, and she has long black hair and a butterfly tattoo on the back of her left hand. She’d be easy to identify and happy to help. You’d just need to plan a little ahead so she’s available.”

  Madison’s relief was apparent. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”

  Maxwell rose from the chair. “I promise you that I’m going to put all my effort into this. Given the threat on your life, it will be the only thing I’m working on. I’m in between partners right now, but I’m sure I can get some more resources assigned. If you think of anything else or see anything else, call me. Do you still have my number?”

  Madison nodded.

  “Then I’m going to get back to the office and get all this down.”

  Shaye rose and followed the detective out of the apartment. “I don’t want to step on your toes,” she said, “but Madison has asked me to stay on the case.”

  “I figured as much, and given the situation, I don’t blame her. The truth is she could use someone looking out for her, and you know better than most what that entails. I can’t promise you that I’ll keep you updated because my hands are tied by the brass, but I’ll share what I can, especially if it’s relevant to Ms. Avery’s safety.”

  “And if I find out anything else, I’ll contact you immediately.”

  “I’d especially appreciate it if you hear any more from the working girls. They’re not likely to talk to me. This other girl who’s missing, Mitzi. Do you have a description?”

  “Yes. Tall, blonde, and thin.”

  He frowned. “And Madison not only witnessed the murder, she fits the profile. I really hope this isn’t what it looks like. This town doesn’t need another serial killer.”