Five Minutes

by R. Lanier Clemons

  Jonelle patted the small of her back where her weapon rested against her skin. “Not done yet.” She knew she was close to finding the connection between Lark’s disappearance and this studio but unable to wrap her head around the missing link.

  Her eyes settled on the safe. “Noticed you didn’t open that when you walked in here. Seems like you’d check to make sure nothing was taken. What do you keep in there?”

  “None of your damn business.”

  “So something important, then. Video, stills, SD cards. Stuff that probably means more than money. If the cops examined the contents, what would they find?”

  “Probably find out this loser here is doin’ kiddie porn,” Riley said, entering the room once more.

  “Told you I don’t—”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Riley interrupted. “Save it, Sparky. Lookee here what I found.” In one hand she held a pale green child’s blanket and in the other a sheet of butterfly stickers.

  Jasper looked as if he were about to upchuck his last meal.

  “Where’d you find those?” Jonelle asked. She held out her hands for the items and relaxed when Riley released them without comment.

  The homeless woman cocked her head in Jasper’s direction. “Same place we found him. First time I went back there, I smelled something. Familiar, you know? Couldn’t place my finger on it. Went over to one of those windows and started scrapin’ off that black paint so I could see better. Anyways, I didn’t get a chance to really search that place before you stuck your big head on the other side of the window and nearly scared the crap outta me.”

  “Why’d you let the door close, then? I wanted to see what was back there.” Jonelle bit her tongue. The loony woman got to her every time she opened her mouth.

  Riley’s hands waved dismissively. “Anyways, I went back there ’cause of that smell. It hit me all of a sudden. That’s what they feed you mostly in them shelters. Been eatin’ a whole lot better since I been with Luther. He treats us good. Gets us all to share and—”

  “I agree Luther’s great,” Jonelle said. “What’d you smell?”

  “Cheese.”

  “Cheese?”

  “Yep. Mac and cheese. So I looked around. I’m thinkin’ they stuffed Sparky in there to throw us off from taking too close a look. I found that blanket and stickers behind another false wall.”

  “Show me.” Jonelle made to move past Riley.

  “What about him?”

  “The cops already know about him.” And us, she figured. “Let’s go.”

  Jonelle hurried back down the tight hallway. She allowed Riley to lead her to the spot where she found the blanket.

  “Back here,” Riley said.

  A solid wall appeared behind the spot where Jasper was bound. On closer inspection, the wall didn’t go up to the ceiling. There was a narrow space that wasn’t obvious unless a person looked for it.

  Riley marched to a spot where the back partition met at right angles to another wall. “Watch this.” She pushed against the edge, and the wall opened about a foot.

  Jonelle shoved, slipped inside the wider opening, and stepped into a room with a long counter but no furniture.

  Except. On the floor were several scuff marks. She sniffed. Now that Riley mentioned it, she, too, smelled cheese.

  “It’d be real easy to move stuff around from one place to another. This entire studio is full of furniture and moveable walls. All they’d have to do is rearrange it when they needed this space. And it’s hidden. You can sneak anybody inside. Kids can come and go out the back way at night. The few other businesses are nine to five establishments. No one would see anything. Plus, the surveillance photos I saw were taken from the front only.”

  “What’s next?” Riley asked. Gone was the woman’s crappy attitude. All business now.

  “Where’d you find the blanket and stickers?”

  “On the floor over there.” Riley pointed to the far edge of the room, next to another wall. “Guess they must’ve been in a hurry and left this stuff behind.”

  Jonelle felt around the walls, but unlike the one that allowed her access, this wall was solid. “In a hurry because . . .” Jonelle frowned. Where the hell was Tamora?

  CHAPTER 42

  Getting sick and tired of dragging the little brat from place to place. Gotta find someplace no one would think to look. Need to lay low until I figure somethin’ out. Tried sending emails to a few customers, pretending I was the contact and asking for new customers. Not one person came back with any information. Seems they want the merchandise for themselves.

  So, what if I manage to find some new subjects? What if I check out what else is out there? Got me some money saved. Got me some names. Got me some relatives in the Carolinas that might be willing to help out. Don’t think it’ll take much to convince them of what I want to do.

  After all, the money’s good and nobody’s gonna get hurt.

  CHAPTER 43

  Jonelle knew Watkins didn’t go to the apartment building on weekends. After almost dragging out a protesting Riley in front of Luther’s warehouse, she drove around the corner, parked, took a deep breath and turned on her phone. Several text and voice messages were from Rainey—most marked urgent. She frowned. Working weekends was rare. Did she miss something? Initially the voice messages were firm and then got downright angry.

  “If you don’t call Marvin now to explain why you’re not here, I won’t be able to protect you from his anger,” one message from Rainey said. Jonelle checked the time. Over an hour ago.

  Jonelle punched in the agency’s number. The phone was picked up so fast she didn’t even hear it ring.

  “Where the hell’re you? As long as you work for this agency, you’re supposed to make yourself available. You know that, Jonelle. That’s one of your uncle’s strictest rules.”

  She’d never heard Rainey so angry. Jonelle didn’t respond. She wanted her heart to stop pounding in her chest first. She waited for more verbal onslaught from the receptionist. When nothing else was forthcoming, she risked explaining.

  “I’m sorry,” Jonelle said, somewhat surprised she didn’t feel as contrite as she should. “But I was in a dicey situation that called for split-second timing. There wasn’t time to get everything all nice and neat. Besides, I forgot we were working this weekend.”

  “Not asking for ‘neat.’ A little consideration and respect for your status around here is the point.”

  Jonelle clenched and unclenched her hand several times. The silence lengthened. “Is there an emergency?”

  “You were supposed to serve two people who have court dates coming up next week. You promised this case of yours wouldn’t interfere with your work around here. The least you can do is make an attempt,” Rainey said. She lowered her voice and added, “I’ll leave them for you on my desk. They better not be there when Marvin comes in Monday.”

  She murmured she’d take care of everything and sat looking out the window of her Jeep. Why was Rainey so upset about a few lousy summonses? Because Marvin liked control. Well, so did she. The rest of the messages were from Adrienne and a couple were from Piper. Jonelle contacted Piper first.

  “Hey, Miss. We were wondering if you found Lark yet.”

  Jonelle groaned inwardly. “Still looking, but you guys can do me a huge favor. If Mrs. Watkins returns to the apartment, call me immediately, okay?”

  “What d’ya mean? She doesn’t work weekends.”

  “I think I’ve seen her car around, so if she turns up, let me know. Thanks.” Jonelle disconnected before Piper asked any more questions. Too many people wanted too many things all at once. She felt as if she was a lump of taffy being pulled in all different directions.

  Instead of driving to the office, she headed home. Letting herself into her condo, she went in search of Gracie and found the kitten curled up on her kitty bed. She leaned over and kissed the feline on the top of her head. Gracie opened one eye, yawned, stretched, and snuggled back into her original position.
<
br />   Next, she called Adrienne with an update on Playcat Productions.

  “So, you’ve got a new sidekick, huh? Excuse me for saying this, but she didn’t look like she could find a doughnut in a bakery, much less be of any help in finding that little girl.”

  “Truth is she’s a pain in the ass, but she showed me something I don’t think I would’ve found on my own. She threw a fit when I took her back to Luther’s. Kept insisting I needed her help. Fat chance. Honestly, if I never see her again, it wouldn’t hurt my feelings one bit.” She let out a frustrated sigh. “Forgot about going to the office and picking up a few summonses, and Rainey and Marvin are pissed. After the day I’ve had I needed a kitty fix.”

  “What’s the fur ball doing now?”

  Jonelle smiled. She wasn’t fooled. The little “fur ball” had attached herself to Adrienne’s heart whether her best friend wanted to admit it or not. “She’s sleeping. As usual. Even though Marvin’s complaining about my absence, I can’t let Watkins’ trail get cold. When I have time to catch my breath, I want to run something by you. I’m looking at all my, um, professional possibilities.”

  “Sounds interesting. Wanna give me a hint?”

  “Not yet.” Jonelle disconnected feeling a little better. She punched in Burt’s number.

  “I was about to call you,” Burt said, picking up on the second ring. “I assume Adrienne’s already given you the lowdown on her interview. Am I right?”

  Now that she heard his voice, she wasn’t sure what to say next. So she plowed on through. “Yeah. She wanted me to make sure I thanked you—these are her words—properly for all you’ve done.”

  His deep chuckle came through the line. A slight tug pulled at Jonelle’s heart. Burt was such a good guy. Why couldn’t she—

  “What’s up?”

  She bit her lip. “You won’t like this, but I have to give you a heads-up. My face might appear on more surveillance photos. Along with a scruffy-looking white woman whose name I’d rather not give you.”

  The silence stretched on to an uncomfortable level. “Guess I should be thankful for the alert,” Burt said. “Truth is we’ve already seen your face—and that other woman’s—today. I already warned everybody you weren’t gonna let this drop, so nobody was surprised. Though I’ve gotta tell you I’m starting to wonder about the company you’re keeping these days.”

  Jonelle relaxed. “She’s a friend of Luther’s—”

  “Figures.”

  “—and since she used to be an ex-cop, I didn’t see the harm in her snooping around.”

  “Did you say ex-cop?”

  “Yeah. Don’t know the story on that, yet. Anyway, she found a child’s blanket and butterfly stickers in a hidden room near the back of the studio. If those people are dealing in anything worse than weed, you better check the safe in the office.”

  The only sound that came through the phone was Burt’s breathing.

  She took his silence as permission to continue. “I think these people might be dealing in kiddie porn. The beginning stages, at least.” She stopped, waiting for Burt’s reaction. When none came, she asked, “You still there?”

  “Yeah.”

  “We, that is the other woman and I, discovered Jasper—the owner slash producer—tied up in a hidden room. He claimed Lorraine Watkins knocked him out and tied him up. But that doesn’t make sense. If he wanted to untie himself, he could have. His wrists were wrapped in duct tape in front of his body, not behind, leaving his hands free. I watched Watkins leave, but I haven’t seen Tamora.”

  Jonelle debated whether or not to tell him more of her suspicions, but his silence unnerved her somewhat. “I saw a list of employees, and Jelani Hill’s name was on it as part-time. Jasper, the owner, says Jelani works as a part-time videographer. Are you gonna say anything, or would you rather I keep rambling on?”

  “Where are you now?”

  Finally.

  “Home. But I have to swing by the office first.”

  “Where’re you going from there?”

  “Not sure. Watkins isn’t going back to the apartment building anytime soon. If she goes back at all. She’s spooked. I’m gonna fax Langford Tamora’s movie poster to let him know his client is not as innocent as she claims.”

  Papers rustled in the distance.

  “He already knows,” Burt said. “He called to tell us he suspects Tamora Phelps may be involved in her child’s abduction. He wants permission to try and contact her first so he can bring her in voluntarily. Guess he plans on using you for that.”

  Damn. In spite of everything, she still didn’t want to believe the young mother was involved. “What tipped him to Tamora’s involvement?”

  “You, actually. When you reported about her losing her jobs and appearing in adult movies, he tried to reach her. For the past several days, with no results. He’d also like to hear from you ASAP.”

  Jonelle felt bad she hadn’t been providing as many updates on the case as she should. Things were heating up, and she didn’t want to take the time to report in. “I’ll give him a call as soon as I hang up from you.”

  “Would it be too much to ask you to let me know if you find Tamora first?”

  The sarcasm wasn’t lost on her. She chose to ignore it. “I’ll call. Heck, I’ll even bring her in if you want. Save you guys some time.”

  “Don’t be shitty,” Burt said, his voice tight.

  “Sorry. My rubberband of a life is stretched in different directions, but all I care about now is finding Lark. Oh, um, by the way . . . Now, I don’t mean to tell the police how to conduct their investigation—”

  Burt groaned.

  “—but I think it’d be better if you watched Jelani Hill and Shawn Mowerby, instead of Playcat. Think I may have spoiled that studio for you. Not that I meant to, of course.”

  “And what makes you think we’re not watching them?”

  “Are you?”

  “Instead of telling me what you think I should do, I suggest you check in with the attorney. You’re still working for him, right? ’Cause if not, well, you know the drill.”

  She sure did. They’d warn her to stay away from the investigation. Therefore, she couldn’t afford to get fired from Langford’s team. That was her only excuse for being on the case in the first place.

  As soon as she disconnected from Burt, she drove by the office.

  The reception desk was vacant.

  Voices from the back proved Ben and Omar were working. Ashamed she felt only a smidgen of guilt, she snatched the summonses and left. Next, she called Langford’s office and left a message telling him everything she’d found out at Playcat Productions and the involvement of Watkins, Jelani, Shawn, and Randy. She omitted mentioning how the kids and Riley helped her and the fact Piper, Grayson and Fred were keeping an eye out for Lark. She advised him she hadn’t found Tamora but would keep searching.

  Instead of going to the apartment building, she hustled over to Tamora’s sister’s house. Evelyn Clifton had to know the whereabouts of her baby sister. Plus, what better place to hide a small child than among several other small children.

  She drove by the daycare, noting the lack of activity outside as well as the lack of available parking spots near the front of the home. Just as well. Unlike her first visit, Jonelle didn’t want to announce this one.

  She turned down the next street over and searched for a parking spot. Finding none, she steered the Jeep back to Evelyn Clifton’s street. She braked hard when a familiar SUV skidded down the narrow road in front of her and pulled up to a stop. A tall figure sprinted out of the passenger side.

  From where she sat in her vehicle, Jonelle couldn’t make out who it was but was fairly certain the person was male. And alone.

  Was Tamora somewhere inside?

  A car honked from behind. She put her arm out the window and waved the person on.

  The SUV sat there, double parked near the entrance.

  “C’mon,” Jonelle urged. “I need to know if
my hunch is right and Tamora’s inside.”

  Her phone buzzed with a text message.

  “Hey, Miss,” the text stated. “Smthng’s hpng. Hurry.” Piper had added three exclamation points.

  “Wl b thr soon,” Jonelle replied.

  “K.”

  The silver SUV continued idling.

  Jonelle moved her Jeep as close to the curb as possible while keeping an eye on Clifton’s house.

  Her phone buzzed again. Before she could check the screen, the person with the same body type as Shawn returned with a duffle bag and slipped inside. The SUV sped off.

  Instead of following, Jonelle double parked in front of the daycare, set her emergency flashers, and got out. She walked up to the door and knocked.

  The door flew open. “Now what? Oh, uh, thought you were someone else.” The lines in Clifton’s brow deepened.

  “I’d like to speak to Tamora,” Jonelle said.

  “She ain’t here.” Clifton made to close the door.

  Jonelle slipped her foot between door and frame, glad she’d thought to change into her cross trainers. “What about Lark? She around here someplace?” She swiveled her head in an attempt to see beyond the woman’s body but couldn’t.

  Clifton blinked several times and glanced behind her shoulder. She quickly turned back to Jonelle. “Don’t know what you’re talking about. If you don’t get off my porch, I’m gonna call the cops.”

  “Go ahead. See, I talked to a detective friend of mine a little while ago, and they’ll probably be paying you a visit any time now. Before I leave, who was that just now? Shawn? Didn’t get a very good look.”

  “Get off my damn porch. Right now,” she said through clenched teeth. She slammed the door.

  Jonelle took her time settling inside her Jeep. She checked her phone. Another text from Piper: “U cm now Miss. Miss Maxine nds u.”

  Maxine? Jonelle had dismissed the elderly woman when she’d concentrated on Watkins. She responded with “coming” and aimed toward the apartment building.

  A scant half hour later, Jonelle targeted Watkins’ spot near the front of the apartment building. Instead of an empty slot, the silver SUV sat in its usual assigned space. In order to make sure it was the same vehicle, Jonelle slipped out of her Jeep and placed her hand on the SUV’s hood. Not only was it still warm, but the faint ticking sound still emanated from the engine. The “Reserved Maintenance” spot was vacant. Jonelle slid in and parked. The heft of the weapon against her lower back reassured her somewhat.