by Robin Mahle
“I’d say that’s compelling enough to have a chat with him.”
“That’s what I thought. We’ll see you later, Captain.” She returned to the bullpen.
Ethan grabbed his keys. “I’ll drive.”
“Let’s go talk to Justin.” She continued outside and made her way to the passenger door of Ethan’s patrol car. As the locks clicked open, they both stepped in, and when he turned the engine, she continued. “She was in Terra Haute only a week ago and then came here at some point after that. Who was she coming to see?”
“I don’t know. Makes no sense the girl would go to the plant. Unless it was a bunch of them and people were messing around and some God-awful accident happened.”
“Hard to say. You’d think if it was something like that, we’d have heard about it. Someone would’ve made a call. And even if it was an accident, who the hell would think to pour concrete into her mouth? I think this was intentional.”
“Well, if someone’s trying to make a point, seems like they did.” He continued to drive south toward the center of town where the Auto Zone was located. “Are we sure this kid’s working right now?”
“Middle of the day, during the week? I hope so. I’d rather hit his workplace before going to his home. I have no idea if he has roommates and I don’t want anyone else to know about what happened, at least not until Captain talks to the girl’s parents.”
“Sure. This is it up ahead.” Ethan pulled onto the lot and cut the engine.
Riley started to get out but stopped short. “Hey, let’s do our best to pull him aside and talk to him. I don’t want customers listening in.”
“Right.” Ethan followed her to the door and pulled it open. The bell at the top chimed as they entered.
All eyes turned to the officers. And by all, it was really only three people.
“Hey, Riley! Good to see you. What are you two doing here? What, did the place get robbed or something?”
“Mr. Bernhard, nice to see you too. No, everything’s fine. Just here for a quick visit.” She felt his eyes continue to follow her as they walked toward the counter. It was exactly what she had wanted to avoid, but in a small town like Owensville, it was to be expected. “Morning,” she said to the man at the counter.
“Well, hey there, Officer Thompson. What can I do for you both today?”
“Hi, Mr. Hughes,” Ethan started. “We were wanting to know if Justin Rehnquist was working today?”
“As a matter of fact, he is. Everything all right? He’s not in any trouble now, is he?”
“No, sir. We’re just wanting to have a quick word with him is all,” Ethan replied.
“I’ll go get him.” Mr. Hughes walked back into the storage area of the store, and a moment later, returned with the kid. “Justin, these fine officers want to have a word with you.”
The kid looked to be around twenty, same age as Chloe, which made sense if they were in school together. Riley smiled at him to put him at ease because right away she felt his anxiety level rise. No one wanted to talk to the cops, least of all a young kid who probably liked to get himself into trouble once in a while.
“Justin, I’m Officer Thompson, and this is Officer Pruitt. Could we talk to you—outside?”
“What’d I do?”
“You haven’t done anything. We just need to ask you about something,” she added.
“Um, yeah, okay.” A gangly kid, a little gaunt and dirty from whatever work he’d been doing, followed them out to the front of the store. “What is it you wanted to talk about?”
“Do you know a girl named Chloe Dawson?” Riley asked.
“Yeah. Course I do. She’s a friend of mine.”
“And when was the last time you saw her?” she continued.
“Oh, I don’t know, last week. Why? Is she okay?”
“We’re just wanting to find out a little more about her.” Ethan peered at Riley, noting the kid’s obvious anxiety.
“Such as?” Rehnquist folded his arms across his chest and widened his stance.
“We were hoping you could tell us about the last time you saw her. Where, when, things like that,” Riley said.
“Look, if something’s wrong, then please tell me. She’s one of my best friends. Is Chloe all right?”
Riley felt his emotions grow erratic. Telling this kid Chloe was dead before her parents were notified was against protocol, but sometimes, she’d learned she had to break the rules. A quick glance to Ethan and she knew he didn’t want her to say more. But she had no choice. It wasn’t fair to him. “Listen, Justin. I’m really sorry, but Chloe’s dead.”
7
With nothing more to do other than drive aimlessly, that was exactly what Jacob did. He was caught somewhere between his old life and a new life he’d desperately wanted to start. But what to do in the meantime? How was he supposed to make that leap? First of all, he had to tie up loose ends back in Indianapolis. Things were said, things were left behind, and if he wanted to start anew, he couldn’t have those strings pulling him back.
Jacob stopped at a traffic light and picked up his cell phone. He pressed the contact button that had been at the top of his favorites list for the past three years. Hardly seemed fathomable they’d been together for that long, but time flew when one was busy trying to climb the ladder of success. And Jacob had already slipped a rung or two.
The line rang through on his Bluetooth and the traffic lights changed. He drove head-on into the intersection of uncertainty and resolution. She answered.
“Hey, it’s me.”
“Jacob? Where are you?”
“I had to get away. I’m sorry I left the way I did. But I wanted to talk to you about…”
“Look. You have to come back, you hear me? You have to come back now!”
“What? Why? Rachel, what’s going on? Are you okay?” He heard the line crack and static come through as though she’d dropped the phone. “Rachel? Rachel? Hello?”
“Jacob Biggs. How are you?”
A voice he didn’t recognize sounded on the line. “Who is this? Where’s Rachel?”
“Lucky you called when you did. Your girlfriend here wasn’t answering our questions, so we’re hopeful you can.”
“What questions? Who the hell are you? I swear, you’d better not hurt her.” Jacob hadn’t realized it, but his foot pressed down harder on the gas and his speed picked up along the lonely road.
“Where’s the money, Jacob?”
“What the hell are you talking about? What money?” His foot pressed down harder.
“Rachel really needs you now, Jacob. You don’t want to let her down. Where is the goddam money?”
“I promise you, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Maybe this will jog your memory.”
Screams sounded through the speaker.
“Rachel! Rachel! Stop! Don’t hurt her. Please!”
Another crackle of the line and the man was back. “Then you’d better speak up, kid.”
“Okay. Okay. I don’t know where it is—right now. But I can get it to you. I swear it.”
“You better not be lying because if you are…”
“I’m not. I’m not lying. I—I just need some time. A day or two, that’s all. Please don’t hurt her. I’ll get you the money.”
“Suppose I’ll have to give you the benefit of the doubt, Jacob. This time. You have forty-eight hours.”
“How do I…” But the line went dead before he could finish. And as he stared at his phone, wondering what had just happened, the car veered right and smashed into a sign post. “Shit!” He slammed on the brakes, but the sign folded like a deck of cards.
Jacob turned off the engine and stepped out, walking toward the sign post. “Son of a bitch.” He looked around for anyone who could help, but the road was empty. He’d just passed through most of the town and was on the outskirts, not realizing he’d gone that far out of the way. His cousin lived two miles back. “Damn it.” Not only did he have no i
dea what money he owed these people, or who they were, but he didn’t know how much, how to get it, and was now staring at a public property damage charge. Worst of all, Rachel was in danger.
The last person he wanted to ask for help from was Riley. But this was something bad—really bad—and he was going to need help. He knew she was already dealing with a homicide. Her hands were full. But what would happen if he didn’t come up with this money this guy said he owes? Would they hurt Rachel? Or would they kill her?
“Damn it!” he yelled at the top of his lungs. Jacob truly had no idea what was happening. But before he went to Riley, there was someone he could call first who just might know what was going on.
Jacob pulled his cell phone from his pocket and pressed the button. “Hey, look, man. I need your help. And I need you to be honest with me.” He started back toward the driver’s side of the car. “I just got a call from some scary-ass dude who says I owe him money.” He sat down inside. “I have no idea who the hell he was, but I’m guessing you might. Dude, they’ve got Rachel. They’re going to hurt her. So you’d better tell me what the hell is going on and I mean now.”
Riley listened as Justin Rehnquist relayed his final exchange with Chloe Dawson. She sensed he’d begun to calm down, although his eyes were still clearly pained. “And you hadn’t heard from her at all after that night?”
“No, ma’am. Since she and her folks moved away after we graduated, we don’t get to see each other as much. And so when she’s nearby, we do our best to meet up.”
“Her parents live in Muncie now, isn’t that right?” Ethan asked.
“Yes, sir. Muncie. It’s not too far a drive to meet in Terra Haute. There’s plenty to do there and we always have—had lots of fun.”
“What about another girl, um, Heather Gallagher?” Riley continued.
“We were all friends, but I haven’t seen her in a long time. She went off to Kansas State. I think her parents still live here, though.”
“I’m so sorry to have to give you this news, but I have to ask, because Chloe’s parents are going to be here in a few hours to ID the body. Technically, I wasn’t supposed to tell you what happened, so I’m going to ask that you please not say anything to anyone. At least give us tonight so her parents can have some privacy.”
“I won’t say anything. Can I see her too?” Rehnquist’s eyes pleaded with hers.
“It’s usually just family, but I can pass along your contact information so the family can get the funeral arrangements to you.”
“Okay. I understand.”
“Thank you, Justin. Again, I’m so sorry. Chloe seemed like a really great girl,” Riley said.
“She was the best.”
Riley placed her hand on the young man’s shoulders. A man who really wasn’t much younger than she was, but Riley was an old soul in any case. “Thank you for your help.”
They began to walk away when Riley stopped and turned back. “One last thing, you and Chloe were just friends, right?”
“Yes, ma’am, since we were kids.”
“In that Instagram post of you two in Terra Haute, there was a man in the background. Did either of you know him?”
“He dated Chloe on and off. Mostly off.”
“Do you know his name?”
Justin replied with certainty. “Blake Rhodes.”
“Did he go to school with you guys too?” she asked.
“No, ma’am. He’s a little older. I don’t really know him. He was kind of tagging along that night. Just wanted to get into her pants, as usual.”
“Okay. Thank you, Justin.” Riley continued to the patrol car and waited for Ethan to unlock the door.
“I know that look.” Ethan stepped inside. “You want to do some digging on this Blake Rhodes guy.”
“Yeah, I think we should. But there was something else. I couldn’t quite see it. His grief overwhelmed his state of mind.”
“Like what?” Ethan started the engine and pulled away.
“I’m not sure. I’ll give it a few days. He might settle down enough for me to see what else he knows because I’m pretty sure he knows more.”
Within minutes, Ethan turned the corner and the station house came into view. “Looks like your ex is back.”
“Huh?” Riley looked up from her phone. “Oh, geez. What’s he doing here again?”
“Probably wants to ask you to dinner. I mean, he got a yes the first time. Might as well give it another shot.”
“Okay, okay. Look, you’ve made your feelings about Jacob pretty clear. Feel free to let it go now.”
“Sorry. Just don’t know why he keeps showing up.”
“Yeah, well, neither do I. Guess we’ll find out when we get inside.” Riley stepped out of the car and started toward the door. She noticed his car had some damage on the front bumper, something she was sure wasn’t there before.
“Well, this should be interesting,” Ethan said as he opened the door.
Jacob and Ward turned at the sight of the officers’ arrival.
“Good. You’re back,” Ward began. “Jacob here was just confessing to a crime.”
“What?” Riley asked.
“I ran over a stop sign. Figured I should come here and let you all know. Wouldn’t want it to be down for long and cause an accident.”
“How did you manage that?” Ethan asked.
“Guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
“Good thing you didn’t hurt anyone.” Ethan made his way to his desk. “So, Cap, are we taking down a report?”
Ward eyed Riley. “No. Just call street maintenance and put in an emergency order for a new sign.”
“Sure. We’ll cut the tourist some slack.” Ethan started on the order.
“I thought I spotted damage to your car,” she said.
“A couple of scratches on the front bumper. No biggie.”
“Good. Well, we’ve got a lot going on here, so if you don’t mind, I need to have a word with the captain.”
“Oh, sure. Yeah. I’ll um, I guess I’ll just head out then.”
“I wouldn’t leave town anytime soon,” Ward added. “Not until we get you the bill for the new stop sign.”
“Sure. I’ll get it taken care of. Thank you, Mr. Ward—Captain.” Jacob started out the door.
“So what’d you find?” Ward stood with his hands on his hips. “That friend of hers have any info?”
“Yes and no,” Riley started.
“How about we start with the ‘yes’ portion of your story, then?”
“Justin Rehnquist had been with Chloe at a bar in Terra Haute last Wednesday night. He said he didn’t see Chloe all that often, but the two made the trip. Anyway, he said there was a guy there.”
“What guy?” Ward pressed on.
“Sounds like he was her on and off boyfriend, by all accounts,” Ethan replied.
“That’s a start. Did he give you a name?”
“Blake Rhodes. That’s all he knew. Didn’t know where the guy lived or where he worked, just that he saw him sometimes with Chloe,” Riley said. “I think he was hiding something too, but I couldn’t pick it up. I would like to revisit that soon, though.”
“Okay. Start looking into Rhodes until then. No luck with the other friend?”
“Not really. She went off to college in Kansas or something. He said they hadn’t spoken in a long time and didn’t think she talked to Chloe much either,” Riley added.
“Okay. You two get to work on finding Blake Rhodes.” Ward checked his watch. “Chloe’s parents are due here in another hour. Riley, you’ll be okay to come with?”
“I will. No problem.”
“Thanks.” Ward returned to his office.
“Your boy is still out there,” Ethan said.
“What? Jacob?”
“Who else? Follows you around more than CJ, by the looks of it.”
“Give me a minute. I’ll go tell him we’ve got too much happening right now and I can’t waste any time.” Riley continued ou
tside and approached Jacob. “Hey, you’re still here?”
His face wore a concerned expression. “Look, I know how busy you are with this investigation. It’s just. Well, I guess I wanted to show you something. It’s about that car you saw at your house last night.”
“Did you see it again?” She expressed renewed interest.
“I think it was the same one.” He retrieved his cell phone and opened the images. “Looks like it to me anyway. I was at the diner this morning having breakfast when I saw it driving by. It was going slowly and that’s what really drew my attention. Then I started looking and thought…”
“That’s the same car. Please tell me you got a plate?” Riley pleaded.
“Not from where I was. I’m sorry.” He swiped through a couple of images. “When it had gone past, I couldn’t zoom in enough to see the plates clearly.”
“Looks like Indiana plates though, but tough to make out the numbers. You mind texting that to me?”
“Um, I don’t have your number anymore.”
She relayed the information. “Thanks. Look, I need to get back inside. We’ve got a lead and I need to jump on it.”
“Sure. Okay.”
“Is there something else on your mind, Jacob?” She sensed his apprehension.
“What’s that? Oh, no, nothing else.”
“Okay. Thanks for coming in and confessing to the damage. Most people would’ve just taken off if no one had seen them.”
“You know I’m not like most people. I’ll see you around, Riley.” Jacob made it back to his car and slipped into the driver’s seat.
She watched him pull away, feeling there was something else but again unable to decipher it. Maybe she was losing her touch. The stress of the investigation and Jacob in town weighed on her. Could it have been throwing her off her game too? She walked back inside. “He’s gone.”
“For good, I hope,” Ethan replied.
Jacob drove for over an hour before reaching his destination. He would be meeting with the man who had to know what that frightening call was all about. Keeping it from Riley about killed him. He didn’t want to bring any more problems for her than she was already facing. And if he hadn’t distracted her thoughts with the pictures of the car, she’d have seen his turmoil. Jacob had learned, to a certain extent, how to hide his feelings from her. It wasn’t easy having a woman like her in his life, knowing his every emotion.
