A Wanted Man (Cold Case Detectives Book 1)

by Jennifer Morey

  Sorry, she typed.

  No. I want you to catch the man who killed the Wolfe girl. I just have to be careful.

  Not quite the response she expected. Rather than be defensive, he had a good reason for not talking to her about this. Anything he said could be used against him.

  Her phone rang. She started to get up and Kadin held his hand up in a stop sign.

  Sighing, Penny leaned back against her pile of pillows and waited while Kadin went to the phone. When he said, “Send him up,” she knew the concierge had called with a visitor.

  She sat up, swinging her feet to the floor. Detective Cohen had come to the car wreck site and been part of the investigation after she and Kadin had been ambushed. The police had tried to find the shooter with no luck.

  When her apartment bell rang, Kadin let the detective in.

  “Kadin,” Cohen said.

  “Detective.” Kadin shut the door as the man walked in.

  “Penny. Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine.” Just pregnant and keeping that a secret.

  The two came to her. The detective sat on one of the chairs opposite her.

  “Can I get you anything?” Kadin asked Cohen.

  Penny found that odd but charming, since this was her apartment, not his.

  “No. This won’t take long. And I don’t want to keep Penny from her rest.”

  “The only reason I’m on this couch is that Kadin is making me stay here.” She smiled sweetly and earned an answering grin from Cohen. He glanced up at Kadin.

  “You just might be what he needs. Someone to take care of.”

  Kadin’s face froze with the innuendo. He had lost the family he’d cared for before meeting Penny.

  “I’m not the take care of type,” she said, mostly because that was true but also to spare Kadin the speculation that they were a couple. Still, the detective must have picked up on something.

  “What brings you by?” Kadin asked. He had a way of doing that, bluntly steering the conversation right to the point.

  Detective Cohen lost his sociable face and regarded them grimly. “Another girl has gone missing.”

  Oh no...

  They hadn’t caught the pedophile and he’d kidnapped another girl. Penny felt sick to her stomach and it had nothing to do with her pregnancy. Urgency to find the girl overwhelmed her. She saw Kadin go rigid with the news, no doubt picturing his daughter, and fearing as she did that they wouldn’t find this new girl in time. He sat down next to Cohen.

  “She was on her way to a friend’s house. Her mother was the last to see her. She left the family home and rode her bike a route she’d taken numerous times before. Well lit. Populated. There’s a park on the way that’s heavily wooded. The entrance is open, but the bike trail through there is sheltered for a short stretch. That’s where we found her bike.”

  And where she’d been taken.

  “The subject must have gotten her to stop,” Cohen continued. “The ground is disturbed near her bike, suggesting she was forced into the trees. He could have gotten her to his vehicle in the parking area.”

  “Out in the open?” Penny asked.

  “It was after dinner last night. The park empties at that time. We’re talking to neighbors and anyone who may have driven by at that time.”

  Gathering statements would take time.

  Kadin stood up and swore as he walked away, across her living room to the balcony doors. Penny knew that deep down he blamed himself for this. He thought he should have caught the killer by now, and feared he wouldn’t be able to save this next girl. “Her name is Makayla Moore,” Cohen added. “Thirteen years old. Artistic. She draws animals, her mother says. Does good in school. She has lots of friends in the neighborhood. Her mother says she even knows the geriatrics. Brings an old woman cookies every once in a while.”

  “She sounds like a sweet girl,” Penny said.

  Kadin kept his back to them. This had to be so hard for him.

  “Her mother said Makayla had a strange incident a few weeks ago at the Cottonwood Tiny Town up Highway 190.”

  That brought Kadin turning to face them. “Highway 190?”

  “Yeah, that sprang out at me, too,” the detective said.

  The Cottonwood Tiny Town was a popular attraction, with small versions of town buildings, like giant dollhouses set up to resemble a town. Kids could play in the stores and houses that were sized just for them. There was a train that circled the town that people could ride and enjoy the views of both the town and the surrounding mountains.

  “What strange incident?” Kadin prodded.

  “She couldn’t say. Makayla wouldn’t elaborate. Just said she came home early because the place freaked her out.”

  Something had scared her. What had that something been? A man?

  “We should concentrate the search there,” Kadin said.

  Cohen nodded. “Already have teams combing the area.”

  Penny watched Kadin and didn’t have to be inside his head. He wouldn’t leave the search up to others. He’d conduct his own.

  “We talked to one of her friends, but she wouldn’t give us anything. I think she was afraid.” Cohen handed Kadin a small note paper page with the girl’s name and address. “Maybe you’ll have better luck.”

  Something told Penny that he would. Sheer will and determination would make it so.

  Chapter 13

  “You’re going to frighten her with those guns,” Penny said as Kadin parked in front of a beige and white tri-level.

  He reached in the back for his leather jacket and then got out, donning the jacket as Penny came around and took hold of the open sides, tugging down to straighten and check.

  “All hidden?” he asked, unable to keep affection from his tone.

  She looked up with a responding, flirty grin. “Looking good, cowboy.” She pushed the rim of his hat up and rose to plant a kiss on his mouth.

  Damn.

  He almost drew her against him, but she moved back and the heels of her boots clicked on the sidewalk. In another pair of sexy jeans and a bodice-fitting blouse that dipped just enough to get his blood warming, he watched her a moment before catching up.

  The young girl’s mother let them inside and went to sit next to her daughter and clasped her hand with hers. Something had this family spooked and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was merely the parents being paranoid. Nobody wanted to be involved in a major crime.

  “You don’t have to be afraid,” Penny said kindly. “This man is only trying to help. He’s just going to ask you a few questions, okay?”

  The girl nodded tentatively.

  Her mother bent her head to study her face. “Honey, if you know something, tell this man. He needs to find that missing girl.”

  The girl looked sheepishly at her mother. “But...I don’t want to get Michael in trouble.”

  “Michael?” Her mother looked up at them. “That’s my son.”

  “Where is your brother?” Kadin asked, growing impatient.

  “He and his father went to the store,” the mother said. “They should be home any moment. I should warn you...my husband is sensitive about police coming to our house asking questions about a possible murder victim. He thinks our justice system convicts too many innocent people.” She then turned to her daughter. “Tell us what you know, honey. It’s all right. No one’s going to arrest Michael.”

  Penny glanced at Kadin, who met her questioning look and confirmed what he thought. Michael would be in trouble if he had anything to do with Makayla’s disappearance.

  “Makayla is his friend.” Those young, shy eyes slid up to Kadin. “He was supposed to meet her at their favorite place. That golf place. He said he was scared, after she went missing, that her parents would thin
k he did something.”

  “There’s a fun center with games and go carts and putt-putt golf near Old Miner’s Park where her bike was found,” the girl’s mom said. “It’s on the way to the fun center, a shortcut.”

  “She could have lied about going to her friend’s house,” Penny said to Kadin.

  “Did Michael ever mention his relationship with Makayla and her family?”

  The mother shook her head. “He’s two years older than Makayla. I suppose her parents might have restricted her, but he never told me.”

  Kadin looked at the daughter. “What about you? Did Michael ever say anything to you?”

  “He called her mom a bad word.” The girl’s face turned bashful.

  “Did he see Makayla the night she disappeared?” Kadin asked.

  The girl shook her head. “She didn’t show up at the fun center.”

  “But he talked to her.”

  The girl turned to her mother, who said, “It’s okay, tell them.”

  Facing Kadin, she said, “Yes. I heard him. Then he said for me to tell Mommy where he was going.”

  “Did you?” Kadin asked.

  “No.”

  “By the time I got home from work, Makayla had already gone missing.”

  “Michael told me he was afraid,” the girl said.

  “You did the right thing by telling me this,” Kadin said. “You’ve been a big help.”

  The girl smiled, her timidity fading.

  Just then the front door opened and father and son appeared, the father’s laughter stopping short when he saw Kadin and Penny. Michael looked at his little sister as though she’d betrayed him.

  “Come on, pumpkin.” The girl’s mother took her hand and led her from the couch to go up the bi-level stairs, pausing to say something low to her husband.

  The man looked at Kadin as the mother and daughter went upstairs.

  Kadin went to offer his hand in greeting. “Kadin Tandy. And this is—”

  “I know who you are. We heard about you on the news. Are you working with the police? Because we already talked to them.”

  Protective dad. Penny gave Kadin a look, indicating she’d let him handle this delicate situation.

  “Michael, I’m not a policeman. I help parents find their missing children. Your sister told me that you’re friends with a girl I’m trying to find. Makayla Moore?”

  The boy, who was nearly as tall as his dad but skinny, looked up at his father.

  “Like I said, we already talked to the police, so unless we need to hire an attorney, I’m going to ask you to leave,” the man said.

  Why wouldn’t they want to help? Kadin understood Michael fearing the appearance of guilt, but he looked guiltier by not talking.

  “Please.” Kadin ignored the man. “If there’s anything you know. Your sister said you were supposed to meet her at a fun center the day she went missing, but she didn’t show up.”

  “His sister is just a young girl. Now, Mr. Tandy—”

  Tired of him getting in the way just because he was paranoid about the legal system, Kadin stepped in front of the man, taller by a good three inches and in much better shape. He wore his cowboy hat today, and the gentleman gave him a wary look.

  “Let the boy talk.”

  “He’s my son!”

  “I’m not a cop, Michael.” Kadin paid no attention to the father. “You won’t be in any trouble. As long as you had nothing to do with Makayla’s disappearance, no one’s going to hurt you. But if you refuse to talk to me, I’m going to have to report to the lead detective that I believe you did have something to do with her disappearance because you seem to be hiding something.”

  “I don’t have nothing to hide,” the boy shot back, frightened. Had his parents frightened him into not talking? Why? Overly overprotective? Kadin had never been that way with Annabelle. He’d wanted her to feel free to explore any adventure, as long as it wasn’t life-threatening. She’d been well on her way to discoveries when she’d gone missing.

  “You’re scaring him,” the father said.

  “He should be scared. If he knows something, he should do the right thing and tell me.” Kadin put his hands on the boy’s shoulders. “I need to find Makayla. We don’t have much time.”

  “I told the police all I know,” Michael insisted.

  “Did you? Did you really?”

  The boy could see he’d caught on to the lie.

  Kadin decided to push. “Did you go to the Cottonwood Tiny Town with Makayla Moore?”

  Michael tried to step past him. “I told you all I know!”

  Kadin took his arm and brought his face down over Michael’s. “Your parents have you scared, Michael. Just tell me if you were there with her.”

  “We went there a lot.”

  “What happened the last time you were there?”

  “Nothing!”

  “Did she see someone? A man?”

  The boy’s mouth fell open and he glanced at his dad, who’d stopped protecting him, seeming surprised that his son might know more.

  “Go on,” the dad said, “tell him.”

  Michael slowly looked up at Kadin. “She said there was a boy watching her. He scared her because he wore a sweatshirt with the hood up over his head. He stood there just staring at her.”

  That sounded like their man. Kadin kept his excitement from showing. “Did you see the boy?”

  Michael nodded. “There was something weird about him. The way he stared. But when we noticed, he turned and walked away.”

  Kadin let go of his arm. “Why do you think he was a boy?”

  Michael shrugged. “He was tall, not curvy. I didn’t really get a good look at him. He could have been a man.”

  A man, not a boy. That perception intrigued Kadin. His phone rang and he answered, mouthing, Cohen to Penny. He moved away from Michael and his father.

  “Kadin. You’re going to want to meet me just past mile marker twelve. Dane Ballard was killed this afternoon.”

  * * *

  Kadin parked on the side of the highway, not far from where he’d wrecked his Charger. He got out of the car, Penny after him, seeing Dane’s Mercedes upside down on the banks of the stream, at the base of a steep slope. He walked toward Detective Cohen, who stood with other officers on the side of the road.

  “How’d he end up down there?” Kadin asked as he shook the detective’s hand.

  “A witness saw a black Jeep behind the Mercedes just before he went over,” Cohen said.

  “He was driven off the road?” Kadin asked.

  “Looks that way. The witness said he had to veer out of the way. The Mercedes was ahead of the Jeep and they were driving fast. The witness came around the turn back there and saw the Mercedes in the ravine. He stopped and called 911.”

  “Did he get a look at the Jeep driver?”

  “No. but he did get a plate number, and we just learned the Jeep was reported stolen.”

  “Not Jax’s?”

  “No,” Cohen said. “Definitely wasn’t his.”

  Kadin tapped a finger against his chin, thinking. The killer had stolen Jax’s vehicle in Sara Wolfe’s case. Fibers matched those found in Jax’s home. Whoever had done this knew the Ballard family, and maybe had it out for them. Or had Dane begun to get too close to figuring out why Jax’s truck had been burned in the barn? He’d driven up here before. Where had he been headed?

  “Dane’s wife couldn’t say why her husband decided to drive up this highway tonight,” Cohen added. “He usually takes I-80 when he goes to see his brother in Park City.”

  “This is not adding up,” Penny said, looking up the highway and then down at Dane’s Mercedes. “There has to be something off this highway.”

  “We’re loo
king into that.”

  But were they looking close enough? Kadin stared up the highway as Penny had done. What if Makayla was here somewhere? They could be so close and not know. She could be suffering and they could save her...if they only knew where to find her. A familiar wave of helplessness came over him. So many similarities between the past and the present. The way Annabelle had vanished so close to home...all of that unspeakable violence being carried out while he’d searched blindly for her. Lack of knowledge had cost him her life. Hiding information had been her killer’s powerful secret weapon.

  More than anything, Kadin wanted to take that power away from Sara Wolfe’s kidnapper.

  There had to be something. Some clue that would open this case wider. Lead them to a demented killer. Save a child.

  No, there was something he wanted more than taking power away from a dangerously warped criminal. He wanted to save Makayla. He needed to save her. No more children could die on his watch.

  “What about the previous owner of Jax’s property?” Kadin said.

  “I’m not following you. What would he have to do with this?” Cohen asked, lifting an inquisitive brow. “We checked him out. He doesn’t live here anymore.”

  “He didn’t move far. Fifty miles from here.” Kadin began to organize his thoughts.

  While he did, Cohen studied him as though impressed. “You’ve been conducting your own investigation.”

  Of course he had. That was why Cohen had welcomed him onto his team. That was why Sara Wolfe’s parents had asked for him by name. He respected Cohen and his ability as a detective, but he wouldn’t stand idly by and wait for the law to deliver him clues. He’d investigated the previous owner of Jax’s property as soon as suspicion turned toward him. While nothing he found implicated the man, he had never been far from his persons of interest list.

  “What makes him suspicious to you?” Cohen asked.

  “Jax’s stolen truck, the trapdoor in the abandoned house. What if he initially used the basement for the girls?”

  Detective Cohen pondered that a moment, rocking on his heels with his hands on his hips. Then he nodded. “Okay. I’d buy that theory. He used his old house and when Jax bought it, got mad and stole his truck. He wouldn’t care if Jax was implicated in the crime.”