by Robin Mahle
“Dude, where are you?”
“Where is Rachel? Just tell me. Now!”
“I warned you not to go looking. We need to sit down and figure this shit out. I don’t know where she is. I told you that already. If you’re at her place, you’re crazier than I thought. They could be there, watching you.”
“I swear to God, if they hurt her, they won’t survive and neither will you.” Jacob ended the call. There was only one thing left for him to do. He was going to have to find his old boss, George Hammond.
9
The head of the architecture firm where Jacob was employed until very recently owned a lavish home. And now he knew why. The firm had only been three years old, and when George hired him, he felt like the luckiest man on earth. Fresh out of architecture school and two semesters of internships, and he had been hired on after everyone, including his professors, told him it would probably take another year to land such a lucrative position. Perhaps he should have seen the red flag, but the money and the job were too good to pass up.
Now he found himself sitting in his car in front of George’s large and ornate home with gates at the driveway to keep out the riff-raff, which apparently included him. He pressed the contact button on his phone. “You’d better answer, you son of a bitch.” The line went straight to voicemail. “Damn it!” He peered again at the closed gates. “Screw it.” Jacob jumped out of his car and walked toward the gate, looking for a way to hop over. A column on the left side. That was where he would go. A small electrical transformer that controlled the gate might give him the height he needed to make it over.
With one foot, he stepped up and tried to grasp at the brick column. Missing by a hair, Jacob slipped but regained his footing. He again surveyed the area. “I’m getting in there one way or another.” This time, he gripped it with his fingertips. Luck must’ve been working in his favor because the shoes he chose to wear today just happened to be hiking boots. He could use his legs to climb farther, and it worked. He gained just enough height to wrap his arm over the top edge of the column. Now he had a good hold of it and continued to climb higher until reaching the top of the fence. However, he hadn’t considered what was on the other side. And from where he sat, it looked to be a fairly substantial drop. One that could, at best, twist his ankle upon landing, at worst, break his leg. “Just do it, you wuss.” With a deep breath, he leapt. And with a resounding thud, he smacked hard against the ground. At least it was grass and it had rained fairly recently. Still, he grabbed his right foot, which had taken the brunt of the landing, and cringed. The good news was there was no blood. No bones protruding. It looked like he’d twisted it pretty good, maybe a small fracture, but he would manage. As pissed as he was, he would push through the pain to find George.
Jacob began to hobble, trying to walk it off as best he could. He reached the front door and peered through the large glass insert. It was dark as hell inside and out. If George was here, he was either asleep or his camera caught Jacob rolling up to his house and now he was hiding. He pounded on the door. “George!” It felt as though the pane of glass would give way to his aggressions, but Jacob didn’t care. “Where is she? Where’s Rachel?” he shouted.
He knew the house had a security system and that thought probably should have occurred to him before getting to this point. Because if George wasn’t here, and it was looking that way, he wasn’t going to break in. Not unless he wanted to get arrested. And then any chance of saving Rachel would fly right out the window. “Damn it!” He turned away from the door and considered what he would do next. That was when the door opened. He whipped around, only it wasn’t George who answered. It was George’s wife.
“Kelly. Oh my God, Kelly. Where’s George? I have to see him.”
“He’s gone, Jake. I’m sorry. He took off several days ago.”
“You gotta help me. I’m in serious trouble if I don’t find him. Where did he go? Please. Someone’s life is at stake, Kelly. Please help me.”
“I wish I could. He emptied our bank account and took off. The kids and I are staying somewhere else. I just came back to get some clothes. I must’ve fallen asleep. Who’s in danger?”
He believed she was telling the truth, but feared revealing too much about the situation. “Just someone I care about. Kelly, I don’t know what to do.”
“I think they got to him and that’s why he’s gone,” she said. “I knew it was a bad deal. I should’ve said something. Is that why you’re here? Is that why you’re in trouble?”
“Yes, and I can’t get out of it without his help. I need money, a lot of it.”
“So do I. Like I said, he cleaned us out. Took everything of value in the house. There’s nothing left, Jake.”
It was almost midnight when Riley and Captain Ward arrived in Muncie to check out Chloe’s apartment.
“This is it.” David Dawson retrieved his key and opened Chloe’s apartment door. “I think I’ve only ever used this key twice. Glad to know it still works.”
“Thank you, Mr. Dawson,” Ward said. “Maybe it’s best if Officer Thompson and I go on in first.”
“Sure, I understand.”
Riley followed Ward inside. “Just give us a minute to give the ‘all-clear,’” Ward continued. “Well, are you picking up anything?”
“I need more than thirty seconds,” Riley replied.
Ward shrank back. “Right, sorry.”
Riley continued to study the small one-bedroom apartment of the dead girl who used to live in Owensville and somehow found her demise to be in the very same place, despite her living a couple hundred miles away. Riley had picked up on Chloe back in the parents’ rental home, which was frightening that she was capable of reaching that far into the past. Something that hadn’t happened since she met Carl in his awful dreams about the war. But now, seeing Chloe’s personal belongings here, it did bring with it a certain urgency. Perhaps there was more at stake and she was the one to have to find the answers. What she needed to find was a way to track down Blake Rhodes. If there was any place that would happen, it would be here.
“Riley, can I give them the okay to come inside?” Ward asked.
“Just let me take a look in her bedroom. Give me one minute.” Riley walked along the hall and toward the only bedroom. Inside, the room was pretty typical of a young woman just starting out in life. The bed was made. The floor was clean. That alone suggested she was a fairly organized woman and unlikely to succumb to chaos brought to her by a close friend or loved one. “Jackpot.” Riley spotted a laptop on the dresser. “Captain?” She started back out toward the living room. “We need to take this.”
He eyed the computer. “Absolutely. Anything else strike you as odd in there?”
“Not really. It feels like she’s fading away. I thought the energy in here would be substantial, but it isn’t. Like maybe she hadn’t been here in a while.”
“A long while?”
“It’s possible.”
“Okay. We need to let those folks inside now.”
“Yeah, okay.”
The long drive back to Owensville had taken its toll on both of them. Ward spotted the station ahead and pulled into the lot. He stepped out and waited for Riley to join him. “Why don’t you get that laptop checked into evidence and go on home. It’s damn near 2am and I’m sure you’re exhausted.” He continued inside. “Looks like I need to light a fire under Abrams and Decker. They should be out patrolling, not sitting in there yakking.”
Riley continued behind him and entered the station.
“Evening, Abrams, Decker,” Ward began. “Why aren’t you two out hitting the streets? Dispatch can hold down the fort.”
“We were just about to head out,” Decker began. “We got a call about some kids vandalizing the park.”
“Better get on out there, then.” Ward continued into his office but stopped short and turned to Riley. “Thompson, get that logged in and go home. That’s an order.”
“But, Captain, if I could just tak
e a look now.”
“Riley, there’s nothing more you can do tonight. We’ll hit it first thing in the morning. Go home. Get some sleep.”
She was reluctant because she felt that something would turn up on that laptop. Did six hours of sleep really matter? To her it did. That meant six more hours Chloe Dawson’s killer was on the streets. And she couldn’t stand that idea. “Fine. I’ll get this logged into Evidence and then I’ll leave, if that’ll make you happy.”
“It will.” Ward closed his door.
Riley walked to her desk and waited for the other officers as they started out the door.
“Hey, Thompson,” Abrams began. “Better do what Daddy says.” He laughed. She didn’t. “I’m just busting your balls. Geez. Decker, let’s get the hell out of here and pick up those little shits.”
“Night, Thompson,” Decker said.
“Night.” She peered through the window and watched as Decker pulled out of the parking lot. She eyed Ward’s office and the laptop. “No one will miss it.” She snatched her car keys and walked out the door.
Riley pulled onto her driveway and turned off the engine of her patrol car. She usually parked it inside her single-car garage, but with an unknown vehicle driving slowly in her neighborhood, newly installed cameras, and Jacob, who’d taken pictures of said vehicle, Riley thought it best to make it clear she was a cop.
One of the cameras was tucked beneath the front porch in the left-hand corner and could capture anyone approaching the home. Another camera was positioned on the right side of her garage and could spot vehicles passing by. The system would alert her to movement and send a notification to her cell phone, neither of which she’d received today. Although she would check the website anyway because perhaps, having traveled out of town, a notification hadn’t made it through.
And there was still the issue of Chloe Dawson’s laptop, which Riley had tucked under her arm as she approached her front door. Inside, her schnauzer jumped with excitement on her legs. “Get down, CJ! I’ll get you some dinner. You must be starving.” She placed the laptop on her kitchen table and poured a bowl of food. “Here you go, boy.”
Riley opened her own laptop and viewed the website for footage that might reveal who it was trying to intimidate her. That was what this felt like, intimidation, likely for the homicide investigation, but at this point, she wouldn’t rule out any scenario.
The website loaded and she keyed in her username and password. She could search for times the cameras had been activated from movement, which would speed up the process. Riley watched the footage. Nothing that resembled the car she’d seen and Jacob had photographed. “Damn.”
CJ nudged her arm. “Okay, okay, I’ll let you out.” Riley walked to the sliding glass door leading to the backyard and opened it. It was in that moment she recalled missing her visit with Carl. “Oh no.” She’d promised to bring him sodas and snacks and it was the first time she’d ever missed a visit. She would have to stop by in the morning and make amends, not that he would hold it against her. He knew she was working a case, but it would not relieve her own guilt.
CJ began barking in the yard, but Riley couldn’t see the reason for the disturbance. “CJ! Come!” She stepped onto the patio and called out for him again. “CJ, get over here, boy!” It was late and her neighbors would be awakened if he kept this up much longer.
When he still hadn’t returned, a wave of emotion surged through her. Unable to identify the source, fear coursed through her veins. “CJ! Where are you, boy?”
The dog emerged from the darkness, gleeful and oblivious. “Geez, you scared me. What the heck is out there?” He rushed back inside. Riley placed her hand on the butt of her gun, which was still strapped to her waist. Something felt off and her stomach turned. She continued into the yard, along a flagstone path she’d installed herself, which led to a small fire pit. As she reached the pit, she spotted embers burning. Someone had been here. It was warm, but not hot, like it had been a few hours since something was set ablaze.
Riley drew her weapon and aimed it at the shadowy trees that lined her rear fence. “Is someone here? I’m an armed officer.” No one answered. No one emerged from the shadows. The silence filled her ears. There were no crickets, no leaves rustling. Nothing but utter silence. She collapsed to the ground and her gun discharged.
Time stood still and in her mind’s eye, Riley was back at the plant, standing in front of Chloe Dawson’s body encased in concrete. Only she was still alive, gurgling, trying to speak, the concrete oozing from her mouth. She’d seen Riley and reached out to her.
Riley tried to grab her hand, but her fingers kept slipping, unable to get hold of them. “Chloe!” It was as though her own legs were cast in the concrete because she couldn’t move them. She couldn’t get closer to the girl, who was dying in front of her, begging for help. “Who did this to you? What happened?” Riley’s head spun at the sound of people nearby. Her eyes frantically searched for where the voices were coming from, but she could see no one. “Who’s there? Help me! She’s dying!”
“Riley? Riley?” Ethan jostled her as she lay on the ground. “Come on, wake up!”
Her eyes finally clicked open and Riley saw a hazy vision of Ethan hunched over her.
“Jesus, Riley! What the hell happened? Are you okay?” Ethan helped her to sit upright.
“What are you doing here?” Riley’s vision gradually returned to normal.
“Your gun.” He pointed to her weapon that lay inches from her hands. “You fired your weapon. One of your neighbors called the station, said they heard a gunshot. Decker called me to check on you. He knew I could get to you before he could. We’re all freaking out, Riley.”
“I’m fine.” She began to rise. “I don’t know how my gun discharged. I—I don’t know.”
“You’d better figure it out because Ward’s going to have a shit fit about this. You can’t just fire your weapon with no reason.”
“I know that. Don’t you think I know that?” She pushed him away.
“I’m sorry. I was just scared, scared out of my mind. Come on, let’s get you inside.” Ethan helped her back into the house and closed the glass door, ensuring it was locked.
“Where’s CJ?” she asked.
“Right here.” Ethan pointed to the dog as he ran toward her. “He’d been barking the whole time, according to the neighbor. My God, Riley, I thought you’d been shot.” He ushered her to the sofa. “Let me get you some water.”
Riley searched for answers. Why had she been taken back to the plant only to watch Chloe die? And who were those voices coming from? It had been years since she’d found herself in this situation, having been whisked away by someone else’s powers. Only this time, that person was dead, which made this all the more confusing.
“Here, drink this.” He handed her the glass and sat down. “Now, do you want to tell me what happened?”
It was 2am and Jacob had returned to the road. With no answers from George’s wife, he didn’t know how he was going to help Rachel. But it seemed he was running out of options. Betrayed, framed, and on the run was a place he never believed he would find himself. But more importantly, what would happen to her? Come tomorrow afternoon, they wanted to collect, and the odds of him getting his hands on sixty grand were astronomical.
Blake said they could work through it together. Maybe this wasn’t his fault. Maybe George was really to blame for all of it. As much as he hated to admit it, Jacob would have to return to see his former colleague. If he stood a chance in hell of getting Rachel out of this, who else could he turn to? Bringing this back to Owensville didn’t seem like a good plan. Riley would want to help and what if something happened to her? It was a thought he had to banish from his mind because it would be unbearable were it to come to fruition.
Jacob turned around and headed back, back to the city and to Blake Rhodes’ apartment. As he saw it, there was no other choice.
Within about an hour, Jacob had returned. He was exhausted, fri
ghtened beyond anything he’d ever experienced before, and was about to ask for help from someone he no longer knew if he could trust and suspected he couldn’t.
Jacob knocked on the door. Blake opened it. “Well, you look like shit. Come in.”
“I need you to help me find her.” Jacob shed his coat and fell onto the couch.
“I told you we could work through this together. You’re not in this alone. This is George’s fault and maybe mine too. But I’m sure we can convince these guys neither one of us had a part in it. Look, man, I know you want to get Rachel back. Hell, I do too. This shit shouldn’t have landed in her lap, but the first thing we need to do is cooperate.”
“How am I supposed to do that? I don’t have sixty grand and you know it.”
“I do know that, but your folks could help.”
“Oh no. Not a chance. I am not getting my parents involved in this. Besides, they’d have to put up the house or something. No. There has to be another way.”
“Then we’re going to have to hold them off until we can find George and the money he stole.”
“How are we going to do that? Do you know where he is, Blake? Because if you do…”
“I don’t know where he is. I guess I thought, in the end, maybe you did. But I can see I was wrong. We’re going to need help, brother,” Blake said. “Whatever help we can get.”
“I still can’t figure out how your weapon discharged,” Ethan said. “I’m just glad you’re okay and no one got hurt.”
“What do you think the captain’s going to do?” Riley asked as she sat on the edge of her sofa.
“I don’t think he’ll do anything. Look, no one was hurt. It was an accident.”
“Ethan, I’m a cop. This isn’t the kind of accident that’s okay. You know that.”
