"I asked Aaron out."
I stopped mid-la. "You what?"
"For coffee. I asked him to meet me for coffee."
"When did you ask him?"
"Last night."
"He didn't say anything when he came over."
"Probably because he didn't want to embarrass me since he turned me down."
"He did not."
She nodded. "He said he'd love to get together but he had a lot on his plate at the moment."
Okay so I wasn't hot on the idea of my best friend hooking up with my not-really-but-kind-of-boss, but if it wasn't going to happen I wanted to be the reason, not some made up excuse from Aaron. I grabbed my phone. "I'm calling him."
Mel jerked the phone from my hands. "Oh hell no." She tucked it under her leg. "It's not a big deal. He's cute and single and I thought he'd be a great practice date but that's all. I can practice on someone from one of the dating sites. No biggie."
I knew her well enough to know when she was lying through her teeth. "You're full of crap and Aaron's a jerk."
"You don't really think he's a jerk."
"When it comes to hurting my best friend, I do." I picked at a scone. "He's got a lot on his plate right now? I don't know what kind of lame ass excuse that is but I'm gonna find out."
"Please don't. I'm already embarrassed enough and besides, you didn't really want me going out with him anyway."
"It's not that I didn't want you going out with him. I just don't want things to get complicated between him and me. Like how it's gonna get when I smack him upside the head for hurting my best friend. I just didn't want you to date him and then him dump you or something."
She pursed her lips. "So you think he'd dump me if we dated."
In that moment I completely understood how Jake felt when I got emotional. "I don't have a clue what would happen. I'm just saying I don't want you getting hurt. Nick's already done enough of that. I'll get all Italian whoop ass on anyone that hurts you."
"Don't get all Italian whoop ass on Aaron. He has a gun." She grinned.
"I'm not worried. Probably has bad aim."
"Well then it's good he turned me down. If he can't aim a gun, he probably can't aim his wanker either."
"I really don't wanna go there."
"Oh, geez, not that. If he can't find that then I really feel sorry for him. I mean the toilet. I'm done cleaning man pee off my floor." She sipped her coffee. "Geesh. Where your head goes."
My lips curved upward. "You knew what I was thinking, so your head went there, too."
"Good point."
"I still think he's a jerk for saying no but a part of me is relieved. Going out with my boss would be awkward."
"Technically he's not your boss."
"Whatever. I'm sure we can find you a bunch of nice, attractive men on one of the sites. We just have to look harder. Who knows, maybe you'll end up with a boyfriend, when you're ready, I mean."
"I don't really want a boyfriend. I just wanna get laid."
I was suddenly thrilled Aaron said no. "Mel, look at you. You're gorgeous. If all you really want is to get lucky, walk inside. Any guy in there would gladly help you out."
She peeked through a window. "There's two old men, one, two, three women with babies and two without in there, plus the baristas. A plethora of choices."
"You know what I mean but I don't think that's what you want anyway."
"Trust me, I really want to get laid."
"Give it time or don't. Just go to a bar and pick someone. Fill that need and then move on."
"Even if you really meant that, you know I wouldn't."
"You would if you just wanted sex."
"You're right. I'm just frustrated. Vinnie and I have nothing in common. He can't even talk, just hums. And he hates to snuggle."
"Vinnie's such a tool," I said.
"Truth."
"This too shall pass, my friend. Don't be afraid of the changes. They're all going to be good. I can feel it."
"Hi, Pot. My name's Kettle. Nice to meet you."
"Oh please. My issue with change is completely different than yours."
"Seriously? You're way more scared of change than I am. Remember the mascara applicators?"
"No."
"Liar. You bought a case of them when your favorite brand switched to the rubber ones, that's how afraid of change you are."
"The rubber ones make my lashes clumpy."
"Thank you for making my point."
"That's not afraid of change. That's dissatisfaction with cosmetic technological innovations."
"Whatever. I've got more examples. Where should I start?"
"You're just focusing on me to avoid focusing on you. So we're going on that girls' night."
"So subject change then."
"Fine. See, you changed the subject and I'm good with it."
"That's a crock but whatever. So what's next with the girl?"
"Beats me. That's what I was hoping you could help me with."
She pulled out her notepad and pencil. "Okay, here's what we know. Not dead. Inside something made of stone. Arm chained to something. Man calls her Caroline. Man hasn't been back." She tapped her pencil on the table. “Yeah, I still don't get the Caroline thing."
"Maybe he's a Neil Diamond fan?"
She raised her hand, and bounced in her seat. "Oooh, pick me. Pick me."
I rolled my eyes. "Everyone knows that song, but go ahead. Pretend you're a music trivia star."
"Sweet Caroline."
"You're one smart cookie. It was one of my dad's favorites. Growing up, we would sit and listen to Neil Diamond, drink Dr. Pepper and eat Malted Milk Balls." The memory touched my heart and my eyes watered.
"I can't imagine how you feel. I know when my parents die, I'll be a wreck. You've been so strong. It's amazing."
"I don't feel strong most of the time but it helps that I can see my mom. She drives me crazy but I don't care." I swirled the coffee in my cup. "Just wish my father would come around more often."
"I know you do. Sucks that he doesn't."
I listed out the theories Ma and I came up with the night before.
"All of those are possible but basically we still don't know anything."
"Pretty much." I pointed to Mel's lap. "Can I have my phone?"
"You're not gonna call Aaron are you?"
"Yes, but I promise I won't say anything."
"Cross your heart?"
I crossed my heart.
"Hope to die?"
"No, I don't hope to die but give me my dang phone, woman."
She tossed it across the table. "So testy."
Aaron answered. "Hey, what's up?"
"Did you get a chance to check your database yet?"
"Not yet. It's not really on the top of my to-do list right now."
"I know but I saw her again last night and it's bad, Aaron. She's locked inside someplace with stone walls and she's really weak. I gotta do something."
"How 'bout you come and go through missing persons again but this time, change what you're searching for."
"Change what?"
"You were looking for a blond teenage girl, right?"
"Yes."
"Maybe she's not blond, or her hairstyle is different now. Often abductors change the appearance of their victims so they're not easily recognizable. If she was abducted, that is. You don't know how long she's been gone. Maybe she was abducted when she was younger. She'd appear different now. And you can search for Carolines too. Maybe make a connection to a current case or something."
I hadn't thought any about that.
"You can scan through the database again, but under different alerts, for missing and runaways," he said.
"What did you have me look at before?"
"Honestly, I don't remember. I was more focused on Tevin. I'll have you scan through both this time."
"Can we come now? Me and my best friend, Mel?" I enunciated that last sentence for effect. I glanced at Mel and mou
thed, "Do you need to get prettied up?"
She gave me the finger.
My snark sailed right over his head. "Yeah, come on over."
"Great. See you in a bit."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
AARON MET US at the front desk. On the way to his cubby, neither he nor Mel said anything about his rejection. Instead they were both witty and entertaining, like they were actually on a date and I wasn't trailing behind, holding in my vomit from the cheesiness of it all. Mel's hand grazed over his arm every time he spoke and he laughed at each of her replies. We made it to the cubby without a splatter of puke from me but it was close.
He clicked open the database, pulled out the chair, and told me to sit, so I did.
"Any other suggestions about what I should pay attention to or check for?" I asked.
Aaron wasn't listening. His eyes were stuck on Mel's. They both ogled each other like tweens.
I jumped out of the seat and in-between them. "Aw, for cryin' out loud, I nearly yacked on the way in here. You trying to make me nauseous again?"
They both blushed a matching shade of red.
I poked Aaron in the chest. "What's this I've got a lot on my plate right now crap anyway?"
He wouldn't make eye contact, choosing to examine his shoes instead.
"Listen." I bent down and pushed my face between Aaron and his plain black loafers. "From the way you've been leering at my best friend, I'm guessing you really do want to have that coffee with her. Am I right?"
Mel whistled.
I kept my eyes glued on Aaron. "Well?"
"Can we talk about this later?" he asked.
"I could use a Diet Coke." I glanced at Mel. "How 'bout you?"
"Actually, I need to use the restroom." Her eyes shifted toward Aaron. "You gonna be okay alone with her?"
His mouth curved up. "I have a gun."
"How's your aim?" she asked, winking at me.
I couldn't help but laugh.
As she walked out of the cubby Mel said, "I didn't ask her to do this."
"She didn't." I punched him lightly in the arm. "Why'd you reject my friend, you big jerk?"
He scratched the back of his neck. "I didn't."
"Uh, yeah, you did and I don't get it because it's obvious you're interested in her."
"I have a lot on my plate right now."
"That's what she said you said but I call BS on that."
"I'm your boss."
Oh. I didn't realize he'd thought that way, too.
"Technically speaking, no, you're not."
"I just don't want things to get awkward between us if something happens."
I leaned onto his desk. "Yeah, I thought that, too."
"So you don't want me to go out with her?"
"I do and I don't."
"I need something more definitive than that please."
"Mel thinks you're…" I struggled to find words that didn't reduce me to a middle-schooler too. "Interesting. And she's definitely at a point where she's ready to get out and live a little. Am I thrilled that the person she's interested in getting out and living a little with is you? Not exactly but I'd rather she took that first step with someone I trust and respect than a stranger."
"That still doesn't really help me."
"Okay, if I weren't in the picture would you have said yes? I mean, obviously you're interested in a relationship, so I'm assuming you would."
"Why do you think I'm interested in a relationship?"
Oh crap.
"Uh, you told me once?"
"I'm pretty sure we've never discussed my interest in a relationship."
"Your grandma told me?"
"Try again."
"I'm psychic, remember?"
"According to you, you can't read minds."
I bit my lower lip.
"You saw my dating profile, didn't you?"
"I really like your profile picture."
"Did Mel see it?"
"Yup."
"Jesus."
"What's the big deal? You're on a dating site, so what. Half the world is these days. It's perfectly acceptable."
He shook his head.
"So answer my question."
"What question?"
"Would you go out with Mel if I weren't in the picture?"
He nodded.
"Then do it. Just promise me if you decide you're not interested, you won't be a jerk about it and will keep it separate from us."
"Can you make the same promise? She's your best friend."
He had a point. "I can promise you that if you're not a jackass, I won't let this screw up our stuff, yes. If you're a jackass, well then all bets are off."
"I can live with that."
"Good. Me too."
"And, Angela?"
"Yeah?"
"Never mention the dating site again."
"Yessir." I turned back to the desk and stared at the computer screen, satisfied and ready to get on with finding the girl in the white gown. "Okay, so tell me again what to search for?"
"Like I said, she might have been younger when she was abducted or her hair's different, that kind of thing, so pay attention to every photo, not just the ones of blond teenagers."
"Got it."
Mel peeked around the cubby wall. "So, everything good here?" She shifted her eyes toward Aaron. "You're still in one piece, so that's a good sign."
"We're good," he said.
"You two go get me that Diet Coke, please." I coughed and patted my chest. "I'm parched."
***
The girl in the white gown's face peered at me from Aaron's computer screen. "This is her!" I screamed loud enough for the whole department to hear.
Mel and Aaron appeared from the other side of the cubby.
"You found her?" Mel asked.
"I think so. Tiffany Stark, missing since June of 2012. Thirteen at the time she went missing."
"She's blond, too."
"Yup."
"I remember this case," Aaron said. "Peachtree Crossings PD was on the news about it. No foul play but the parents insisted she was a happy, well-adjusted teenager and had no reason to run. The department did their due diligence and started a file, but after a few weeks it fell off the news, so my guess is the case went cold."
"What teenage girl is well-adjusted?"
Mel chuckled. "Not yours."
"Exactly." I leaned my head back toward Aaron. "It's been two years. Would there still be an active investigation?"
"No missing persons case ever really closes," he said. "But after this long, the person is usually considered lost." He paused. "Or dead."
The thought of Emily or Josh missing like that made my stomach churn. "So the parents are left with nothing? No closure? No idea what happened to their daughter?"
He nodded. "Unfortunately we can't solve every case and missing persons are the toughest." He took the mouse from me and clicked through to another screen. "Says here Tiffany left for school on the morning of June 18, 2012 and was marked present for every class but never came home that day." He scrolled down. "Interviews state she didn't ride the bus home and none of her friends' parents gave her a ride either. She lived close enough to walk, so it's possible she was abducted while walking home." He scrolled further down the screen. "They scanned the area and interviewed people on the streets she'd most likely walk, but no one saw her that day."
"It's like she just disappeared into thin air," Mel said.
"I need to talk to the parents," I said.
Aaron dropped his chin toward his chest. "I knew that was coming."
"If I can talk to them, I might be able to get something to help me figure out where she is."
"I don't think you should go there alone."
"I won't be alone. I'll have Mel."
"You know what I mean."
"So can you come with us?"
"There's procedure to follow. I can't just leave my jurisdiction, travel to another city and butt into someone else's investigation."
> "I'm sure I can get their address online. I can't believe I don't remember this case."
"Uh, you've had a lot going on you know," Mel said.
That was an understatement.
"I'll tell you what. I'll make a call to missing persons and talk with the person handling the case and see what I can find out. That work for you?"
Mel fidgeted with her phone.
"Do I have to have approval to talk to the parents without you?"
He shifted from one foot to the other. "No, but what're you gonna do? Walk up to the door and tell them you're a psychic who talked to their daughter and oh by the way, you don't think she's dead?"
He had a point, and I didn't like it. "No, but I…" I didn't know what I planned to do, actually. "I guess you're right. I can't just walk up to her parents and tell them that."
Mel stuffed her phone back into her purse. "It's okay. Go ahead and call them. Maybe you can email some of the information on her file to Angela so we can look it over?" She pulled on my arm. "We should go. I've got to get my kids."
"But you said—"
She interrupted me. "Nick just texted. He changed his plans." She touched Aaron's arm. "I'm glad we talked."
She dragged me away from his desk, down the hall and out the door. "What's going on?" I asked as we made our way to my car.
She held up her phone. "Can you use this?"
I squinted to read the tiny words. "I can't even read it. How come the words are so small?"
She rolled her eyes. "It's Alan and Sheri Stark's address. You really need to get your eyes checked."
"Oh you little stinker. You don't have to pick up the kids, do you?"
"Seriously?"
"I love you."
"Remember that when I tell you what sex is like with your hottie detective."
"Good grief."
"So we gonna do this or what?"
"With traffic it'll take an hour to get there. Maybe we'll spend an hour tops, talking to her parents and then an hour back, unless traffic is really bad."
"This is Atlanta. Traffic is always bad."
"I have to be at Pam's tonight."
"Really? I'm shocked."
"Me too, but I don't think I really had a say in the matter."
"Can I come?"
"Was counting on that."
"Think we can make it?"
"I think if we're a little late then Pam and her friend can chill and wait for us." I clicked the unlock button on my key fob. "Let's go."
Uncharted Territory (An Angela Panther Mystery Book 3) Page 17
