by Kaylea Cross
“And what about me? When are we going to connect and get out of here? The cops will be looking for us when Kate turns up missing too.”
“I’ll let you know as soon as she’s dead, so have your bags ready, and pack lightly.”
“Okay,” Suki agreed. They moved from the kitchen toward the front door. “Are you going to need my car?”
“I don’t think so. I can pick one up off the street. Can’t have the police knowing what kind of car to be on the lookout for.”
“I went to the bank today and withdrew all my savings, like you asked. I have about two thousand dollars, which isn’t much,” she told him. “How much do you have?”
“I have a few thousand. You don’t have to worry, I’ll take care of you.”
“From your drug sales?” Suki frowned. He had gone to jail once already, and she hated that he went right back to it when he got out.
“Money is money.”
“I guess,” she responded, knowing any further discussion about the subject was futile. “Is that going to be enough, though?” she asked, worry lines once more creasing her forehead. Her savings and his drug money did not seem like enough to keep them very long.
“It will be for now. You just do what I told you to tomorrow, and it’ll all work out.”
“Well, I don’t work tomorrow, but I will need to go check on Whitney again, give her some more sleeping pills.”
“Yeah, we don’t want her dying on us just yet.” Ethan put his ball cap and jacket on, preparing to go back out into the rainy night. He was staying a few blocks away at his usual place, a cheap hotel. “I really gotta go.”
Suki opened the apartment door for him and looked up into his cold, dark eyes. She could see he was bent on killing Kate regardless of the cost to her sister.
“G’night, Sis,” Ethan said as he slipped out the door.
“Night.”
After locking the door, Suki went in the kitchen to put the tea kettle on to boil. She picked up Ethan’s beer bottles, strewn about the living room, and tossed them in the trash as the doorbell sounded. She looked through the peephole, thinking her brother was back for something he’d forgotten, but she was wrong. She saw it was the two police detectives, instead. Did they pass Ethan in the hall?
Pulling in a quick breath, she unlocked the door and opened it. “Yes, can I help you?” she asked, trying to keep her nerves under control.
“Sorry to bother you so late, ma’am, but can we come in for just a moment?” Detective Porter requested.
“Sure, I guess.” Suki stepped aside and let them in. “What’s happened? Did you find Whitney?” she asked, trying to sound hopeful.
“No, not yet, but we have a photo we think might be a clue. Can you identify the people in this picture?” Will held the photo up for her to take a look.
She looked at it for a few moments, realizing it was a picture of her and Ethan, taken several years ago. Her hair was a dull medium brown back then, and she carried a few more pounds. Ethan’s hair was cut short and neat, not the unruly mess he often hid under his hat these days. Her heart began to thump hard, and some of the color drained from her face, struggling not to give herself away.
“No, I don’t think I know those people. Who are they?” she asked innocently, thankful it wasn’t a close-up of them.
“Well, that’s what we’re trying to find out.”
“Oh, silly me. Of course, that’s why you’re here. I don’t know what I was thinking,” she said, putting on her best airhead impression. The kettle began to whistle in the background. “Would you guys like some tea?”
“No, thank you, it’s late. Sorry to have bothered you, Miss Gorman,” Patel apologized.
“No bother. I want to help. Sorry I couldn’t identify them,” she remarked as she opened the door to let them out. “Good night.”
That was close, she thought to herself, as she turned the dead bolt. We’d better move fast once Kate is back, before someone does identify us in that photo and starts putting things together.
Chapter Twelve
Horizon Flight 2269 was on final approach to SEA-TAC. Kate and Ryan had gotten to the airport before sunrise and were arriving in Seattle as the early morning sun was beginning to break, casting an orange glow at the horizon.
During the flight, Kate had been studying the photo on Ryan’s phone, trying to make out the faces, but no matter how long she stared at the picture, it was not big enough or sharp enough to identify the people in it.
Grabbing their carry-on bags as they left, they got off the plane as fast as they could. After making a quick sprint to the parking garage, they were soon on the freeway and headed to the police station. Kate called Detective Patel to let him know their plane had landed and they were on their way to meet him.
“Porter and I are both here sifting through the computer files once more. I’m sorry to say we haven’t found anything new. Hopefully, you’ll be able to identify the people in the photograph, and it’ll give us some direction in this investigation.”
“I hope so, too. We should be there in about twenty minutes,” Kate said, before hanging up.
She caught Ryan glancing at her while he drove. “Raj and Will are already at the office waiting for us,” she told him.
Wrapping her arms around herself, she let out a sigh. “Whitney’s running out of time, isn’t she?”
“Now, let’s stay positive, Kate. We don’t know anything yet. This photo might be nothing. But, on the other hand, it might be a clue that busts this whole case wide open and leads us to finding your sister.”
“You’re right, but…”
“But nothing. We’ll be at the station in just a few minutes, and then you can get a good look at the picture.”
Kate wanted Ryan to be right. This photograph could be the key to figuring out what happened to Whitney and where she was. She didn’t want to think of the alternative.
“I wonder if Suki would know who the people in the photo are,” Kate said.
“That’s a thought. Let’s ask Raj and Will when we get there.”
“Ugh! I wish I had thought of that last night. They could have gone right over to the apartment and shown it to her. Then Whitney may have been found by now.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it. We’ll ask them in just a few minutes.”
“What a great sister I am. I was so wrapped up in what was going on between you and me last night that it never even occurred to me.” She whipped out her phone again and began dialing.
“Who are you calling?” Ryan asked.
“Detective Porter.” The phone started to ring and Will picked up.
“Kate? I thought you were on your way in?”
“We are, but I was wondering if you thought we should ask Suki if she could identify the people in the photo.”
“Yes, we went over to her apartment last night and showed her the photo, but she said she didn’t recognize them.”
“Oh, okay then. That’s all I was calling about. I guess we’ll see you in a few minutes.” Kate hung up and told Ryan what Porter had said.
“See, they’re on top of it. It’s their job to think of these things, not yours. Don’t be so hard on yourself.”
“You’re right. I’m just so anxious to find her. Can’t you go any faster?”
* * *
Ryan held the door open and Kate dashed into the police station first, heading directly back to the squad room. Patel and Porter were waiting for them, and a print out of the photo lay on the desk.
“Good morning, Kate, Ryan,” Raj said.
“Good morning,” Ryan replied.
“Is this the photo?” Kate asked as she picked it up. “Sorry, good morning. I don’t mean to be rude, I’m just so anxious to see the picture.” She held it up and studied the faces for a moment. Then her eyes narrowed and her head cocked slightly to one side.
“Oh, my gosh,” she whispered under her breath.
“What?” Ryan asked.
“I kn
ow who these people are,” Kate replied, glaring at their faces, stunned by the realization.
“You do?” Detective Porter asked, sounding encouraged that they finally had a lead. “Who are they?”
Kate swallowed hard before responding. A flood of memories rushed into her mind and her heart began to thud. She sat down at the desk, feeling weak in the knees.
“Are you all right?” Ryan asked.
She nodded yes.
“Who are these people?” Porter asked again.
She raised her gaze to him. “Suzanne Henderson and her brother, Ethan.”
“How do you know them?” Patel inquired.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen them. About ten years ago, I was in a car accident with their mother.”
“Is the mother okay?” asked Porter.
“No.” Kate paused, thinking back to that terrible day. “No, she died in the accident. As a matter of fact, it was ten years ago this month.”
“That’s too bad. I wonder, though, why would your sister write ‘Suki & guy’ on the sticky note and the file name?” Porter questioned.
“I don’t know,” Kate replied. She studied the photo again, concentrating on the faces. “She kind of looks like—”
“Looks like who?” Patel asked.
Kate’s eyes narrowed as she focused on her face. “You know, I think the girl is…” Kate’s eyes widened and she stopped breathing for a moment.
“Is who?” Ryan pressed.
“I think she’s Suki! I think Suzanne Henderson is Suki Gorman.”
“The roommate?” Patel asked.
“I thought there was something not quite right about that young woman,” Porter mentioned. “I checked her out, but I didn’t find anything. Probably because I had the wrong name.”
“That’s why Whitney wrote Suki on this picture file,” Kate said. “She figured out Suki was Suzanne.”
“Okay, but what about the guy?” Patel asked.
“Her brother, I guess. I don’t know. I haven’t seen her family since the accident.”
“Why would Whitney question the photo? There was something about this photo that obviously made her suspicious,” Porter mused, trying to think through Whitney’s motivation.
“Oh, my gosh! Oh, my gosh!” Kate hollered as she suddenly put two and two together.
“What’s the matter?” Ryan asked.
“There’s a guy that I think has been following me,” Kate said.
“The guy with the blue ball cap,” Ryan recalled.
“Yes, I think this may be him.”
“What? A fella’s been following you? How come you never said anything to us?” Porter asked, putting both his hands on his hips. “This could be important!”
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t sure,” she apologized.
“What’s his full name again?” Detective Porter asked in an irritated tone, grabbing a pen and pad off the desk to write it down.
“Ethan Henderson,” she replied.
“We’ll check him out, see what his story is. Anything else you haven’t told us?” Porter questioned.
“No, I don’t think so,” Kate said.
“Why do you think Suki and her brother might want to hurt Whitney?” Patel asked.
“I don’t know. I remember that at the time of the accident, their family blamed me for their mom’s death. They were pretty angry, but that was a long time ago. Besides, I was the one driving, not Whitney. She was only fourteen then.”
“Sounds like we need to bring Suki in for questioning,” said Porter. “The press has been putting Whitney’s photo out there, trying to help us find her. Maybe they can make a connection to Suki and Ethan if we put their photos out there, too.”
“Can you do that?” Kate asked. “I mean, she’s not a suspect yet, is she?”
“All we have to do is tell a couple of TV stations we’re bringing someone in for questioning as a person of interest, and they’ll be clamoring outside the station with cameras,” Porter said. “We’ll make a couple of calls and put the word out. We just need to find Suki first so the press is alerted as to when we’re bringing her in.”
“I don’t think you should go back to the apartment until they have her in custody, Kate,” Ryan warned.
She was glad he’d come to the police station with her. It gave her some comfort to hear him being so protective of her.
“I agree,” said Porter. “Can you keep her with you, Ryan?”
“I think I can handle that,” Ryan replied. “I just need to check in with my office and see what’s going on there, and then I’m all hers.”
“Do you think Suki is at home?” Patel asked Kate.
“I don’t know. I haven’t been there since yesterday. Let me give her a call and see,” Kate offered.
“That’ll work,” Patel said.
Kate dialed Suki’s number and listened to it ringing.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Suki, this is Kate.”
“Hi, Kate,” Suki responded.
“I just wanted to let you know I’m back in town,” Kate said, glancing up at Ryan.
“I’ve been wondering what happened. What did you find out in Boise? Was it Whitney?”
“No, fortunately, it wasn’t her.”
“Oh, I’m so glad to hear that.”
“I’ll be coming back to the apartment a little later. Are you there now?” Kate asked.
“No, I was just leaving to go by my work for a little while, but I’ll be back this afternoon.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later, then,” Kate said, trying not to give anything away. She hung up her phone and stuck it in her pocket. “Suki’s on her way to work, she said.”
“Where does she work?” Porter asked.
“The Underground Tour. You know, that place that shows where the original Seattle streets use to be.”
“Oh, yeah, yeah, I know that place. I went there once,” Patel said.
“We’ll pick her up there,” Porter decided. “I’d like to be waiting for her when she comes out, no sense trying to track her down in the maze of the underground city. When does she get off?”
“I don’t think she’s actually going to be working today. It sounded like she just had to stop by there for some reason, like picking up her paycheck or something.”
“Maybe we can hurry and get there before she does. Then we can pick her up before she goes in,” Patel suggested.
“That’s a good idea,” agreed Porter. “We’d better get going if she’s already on her way.”
“Do you want us to wait here for you?” Ryan asked as the two detectives headed for the door.
“No, we don’t need you for now. You guys go do something for the rest of the day, away from the apartment, and we’ll call you when we know anything,” Detective Porter told them.
“Johnson!” Porter called to a young uniformed officer in the next room.
Officer Johnson sprinted into the squad room. “Yes, sir?”
“I need you to call the local TV stations and let their news directors know we’re bringing in a person of interest in the Whitney McAllister disappearance. Tell them they have about twenty minutes to get their crew over here and set up. I want them already in place when we bring her in.”
“Will do, sir.” Office Johnson hurried back to his desk to jump on his assignment.
“Kate, Ryan, don’t worry. We’ll call you when we know something,” Porter assured them. “Let’s go, Raj.”
* * *
Suki boarded the bus to Pioneer Square to check on Whitney one last time. Ethan assured her he would take care of Kate today. After that, they could get out of Seattle for good. She hoped she could find a way to let someone know where Whitney was, once she and her brother were safely out of the state.
She called her brother, as promised, when she knew for sure Kate was back in Seattle.
“Ethan, this is Suki. I just heard from Kate and she’s back in the city.”
“Did she say where she
was?”
“No, but she said she’d meet me at the apartment later this afternoon.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m on a bus going to my work. I need to check on you-know-who,” Suki told him, keeping her voice down and looking around to make sure no one was listening.
“Call me when you’re on your way back to the apartment. I’ll meet you there. We’ll both be there when Kate comes back. I can take care of her then.”
“I don’t want to be there. I couldn’t stand it.”
“I’ll take her back to Whitney’s room. You won’t have to watch.”
“But, Ethan…”
“Hey! You said you wanted Kate to pay for what she did to Mom just as much as me. So stop your whining and let’s get this over with. Then we’ll grab our stuff and get out of this place.”
“All right. I’ll call you when I’m leaving to go back home.”
The bus reached the Pioneer Square stop and Suki got off. It pulled away, leaving Suki standing on the sidewalk. She put her gray scarf over her head and scurried across the street to the Underground Tour building, approaching the main entrance. Her mind was set on what she had to do, hoping to sneak in and out undetected one last time. As she reached out to put her hand on the door handle, two men stepped up to her.
“Suki?” Detective Porter said, coming up to her on her right side.
She stopped cold, recognizing his voice. She looked up at him, then over to Detective Patel, who was now on her left.
“Hello, Detectives,” she said, attempting to stay calm.
“We have more questions for you, so we’d like you to come with us,” Porter said.
“I have to go to work right now. Can’t I come down to the station and talk to you a little later?” Suki responded, trying to sound casual.
“I’m afraid not,” Porter said, taking hold of her arm and leading her to the black unmarked police car they left parked at the curb just around the corner.
“But, you don’t understand. I need to—”
“You need to what?” Porter cut her off in midsentence.
She couldn’t explain to him what she needed to do without giving herself away. “Never mind,” she relented. If they were only going to question her, she thought, she would be out of there in an hour or two and then she could check on Whitney.
