It occurred to her that no one knew where she was. How unsafe could it be to meet in such a public spot? She wasn’t a little girl anymore and could take care of herself. Now, she would have to. Her mother was gone. She choked back a sob and opened the car door. Pull yourself together, Lorelei. You can do this, she thought.
To her dismay, the line snaked out the door. She stepped behind the last person and scanned the small seating area. Was Robert here?
He had said her mother had sent him photos as she grew up, the last one several years ago and knew what she looked like. Lorelei had changed little in the last five years but worried just the same. She checked out the faces of every man sitting down but none of them looked to be the right age or waiting to meet someone.
The line inched forward and her phone beeped with a text message. Her heart pounding, she turned the phone over to read the text.
It read: My car won’t start. I’m sorry, Lorelei. Can you meet me at my home instead? It’s not too much further in Angelino Heights. Here’s the address: 1300 Carroll Avenue. It’s one of those old Victorian homes. I still really want to meet.
Lorelei bit her lip. She knew the neighborhood well enough to know it was secluded and not public like a coffee shop. At all.
“Crap, Crap, and Crap.” She wanted to call Mark and tell him where she was going. How would that sound after telling him the lies she did a few minutes ago? He’d be so hurt.
She would text her friend Lindsay the address just in case. What could go wrong? She was meeting her birth father after all. That was a good idea. She would do that.
She texted: Hey Linds, I’m meeting my real father. I’ll explain everything tomorrow but wanted to let someone know where I was. His name is Robert Larrabee and here’s his address just in case something weird happens. 1300 Carroll Avenue.
She waited in line until she heard the ding of a text message arriving.
The text read: I’m so sorry to hear about your mom, Lorelei. And text me when you’re done with him so I know you’re safe. Linds.
Lorelei smiled in relief. The line moved forward, and she caught a whiff of coffee. She texted Robert back saying she’d be there and with coffees. He took his black the same as she did. She wondered if the similarity between the ways they took their coffees meant anything. Don’t be silly, Lorelei thought. The line inched forward.
Lorelei pulled up to 1200 Carroll Street and marveled at the beautiful lit up Victorian home. She had no idea what Robert did for a living but obviously he was doing well for himself. The house was big, too big for a single man. Could she have brothers and sisters? The thought thrilled her.
She took the coffee tray out of the car and locked it. The loud clicking sound aggravated a neighbor’s dog, and the barking shattered the quiet of the street. The street was dark as some of the streetlights had gone out and she was thankful that she had found parking right in front of the house.
She stepped onto the walk and an arm snaked from behind her. The hand clamped her mouth shut as she opened her mouth to scream. She dropped the coffees and clawed at the arm.
She felt a prick in her neck and she lost all of her will to fight. It wasn’t long before everything went black
20
Mark called Lorelei’s phone one last time. It went straight to voicemail. Either the phone had died or her mailbox was full. He checked the time.
It was eleven in the morning and she was almost two hours late for breakfast. When she hadn’t shown up at his apartment nor called him to tell him she would not be there, he worried. In truth, panic was a better word.
He’d called her every five minutes and left numerous messages. Still no Lorelei. She told him she was staying in last night but he knew that was a lie. Her voice went up several octaves when she described her plans, which was always the sign of a lie. He didn’t want to pry. Her mother had been murdered and Lorelei had every right to act in whatever way was necessary to deal with her pain. He wished she’d trusted him though.
Mark had no experience with violent crime and was unsure of how to handle the situation. But Lorelei was not the kind of person to stand him up. She knew how worried he would be. The only other explanation he could come up with was Lorelei was in trouble.
Before he called the police, he’d try Lindsey, Lorelei’s best friend. He remembered Lorelei’s hesitation about involving the police and didn’t want to muddy up the waters in any way. At least, not yet. The problem was that he didn’t have Lindsey’s number. He cycled through his contacts list in case her name and number might miraculously appear there. No such luck.
“Now what?” He asked the empty room. He could call Sara Caine. Lorelei had given them that bulging file. What if she was with her and Eva? Could she have been angry enough to offer herself up as bait in some way? That was something she would keep from him, as he would never approve of putting herself in so much danger. His anxiety turned to anger, and he rustled through his wallet until he found Eva Murphy’s card. He punched her number into the keypad, his anger mounting.
“Hello?” A woman’s voice answered.
“Is this Eva Murphy?”
“Yes, who’s speaking?”
“This is Mark Fergus, Lorelei’s fiancée.” Mark took a deep breath. “Do you know where Lorelei is?”
“We haven’t spoken to her since the diner. What’s wrong? What happened?” The fear in Eva’s voice scared him even more.
“She didn’t contact you last night? Offering to help in any way?” Mark asked.
“What happened Mark? Has she gone missing? Have you not heard from her?”
“She sounded very strange yesterday, and she didn’t want me to come over. We were supposed to meet for breakfast this morning and I’ve heard nothing from her. I’ve called her continuously this morning. Her phone wasn’t answering but at least it was on. It’s now going straight to voicemail. I was about to call the police but then I decided to check with you instead. Lorelei was convinced the police had something to do with her mother’s death and I...” he trailed off.
“Lorelei was not telling us everything yesterday. Do you know what she was holding back?” Eva asked.
“I have no idea.”
“I think it’s time for you to call the police and let them know she’s disappeared. They’ll be able to go over to her apartment and put out an APB for her. The faster she’s found, the better chance we have of finding her alive.” Eva said.
Mark clutched his chest. “You can’t be serious?” He whimpered.
“The person we’re dealing with is ruthless and confident. If Lorelei held something back from us in order to investigate on her own, then she could have walked straight into trouble. The police need to find her and they need to find her now.” She said.
“I’m calling them now.” Mark said and hung up on her. The reality check she gave him burned a pit in his stomach. He should have called the police as soon as she didn’t pick up. He’d wasted precious time.
Mark shook the hands of Detective Gutierrez and Detective Martinez at the front door of Lorelei’s apartment.
“You have the keys?” Detective Gutierrez asked. Mark nodded and unlocked the door. Lorelei’s perfume wafted out, and he struggled to keep his tears in check.
“Please stay at the door. We’re checking for any signs of struggle,” Detective Gutierrez said.
Mark nodded. The detectives pulled out their guns and disappeared into the darkness of Lorelei’s apartment. Mark held his breath and prayed Lorelei’s body wasn’t sprawled on the bathroom floor.
Lorelei’s apartment was a two bedroom and didn’t take the detectives long to do a full sweep. They appeared several minutes later, switching on the light in the living room. From the look on their faces, Mark knew they hadn’t found her.
“There are no signs of struggle and the bed hasn’t been slept in. Either she left of her own volition or she didn’t put up a fight.”
“She would have fought like hell if someone had tried to grab her here,�
� Mark said. Detective Martinez nodded and Mark realized he had said that out loud.
“You’re sure she’s missing? She found her mother brutally murdered yesterday. Maybe she went somewhere for some alone time? What were you doing last night?” Detective Martinez asked him.
Mark shook his head. “I had nothing to do with this. I was home, alone. She was acting weird on the phone last night and I thought it was due to grief. Did you find her phone inside the apartment?”
“Not in our preliminary search. We’ll get crime scene investigation in here to check out the place. It looks like her purse is gone as well,” Detective Gutierrez said before Detective Martinez could respond. The older man shot his partner a look and Detective Martinez turned away from Mark to call in the cavalry.
Mark leaned against the doorframe for support, his mind racing. He should have never let her out of his sight. Now, he might not ever see her again. He swallowed down the bile that threatened to erupt out of him. Keep it together Mark, he thought and focused back on the two detectives standing in the center of Lorelei’s living room.
“We need to call them in. You know protocol,” Detective Martinez tried to keep his voice low, but they weren’t far enough for Mark not to hear.
“Not yet. We can try to control the situation before the circus comes,” Detective Gutierrez hissed back.
“She’s flying in today. We need to call them.”
Mark suddenly realized whom they were talking about. Geraldine Richards was a junior state senator and Lorelei’s grandmother. The FBI would get involved. With all of their resources, they’d be able to find her faster than the LAPD could. He withdrew his cellphone and checked his contacts. Geraldine Richards’ personal number flashed on the screen. Lorelei had given him Geraldine’s contact number because her grandmother wanted to help with the engagement party. He dialed.
“I’m calling Lorelei’s grandmother now. Let her know what’s happened,” Mark said. Both detectives froze as the phone rang. Mark should have thought of Geraldine in the first place. The case would explode but that’s what was needed. The only thing he cared about was finding Lorelei, LAPD be damned.
21
Eva Murphy stepped into the Ray Bradbury building in downtown Los Angeles and gazed up at the wrought iron gates and soaring interior glass roof.
“They knew how to build things in my time,” Anderson said to her.
“Yes, they sure did. Although, wasn’t the Bradbury building built about forty years before your time,” she thought back to him.
“You’re right,” Anderson said. “It’s breathtaking, isn’t it?” She nodded and checked her watch. FBI agent Kate Harper had called her several hours before as a professional courtesy. Eva Murphy doubted that that’s what it was especially after Sara’s disastrous interrogation with the LAPD.
“Sara doesn’t belong in this business,” she thought.
“Yes, she does belong. Help her embrace her talents,” Anderson said loudly enough that she imagined him standing next to her.
“Sara lied to the police,” Eva said.
“She made a mistake. You made a few, haven’t you?” Anderson argued.
She felt as trapped as the glass elevator housed by the wrought iron cage in front of her. She watched the elevator shudder to life and climb to the third floor. Eva was relieved the FBI offices were on the second floor because she wouldn’t step foot into that elevator. She headed for the stairs.
Eva breathed in deep on arriving at the landing. She knew the FBI’s Regional Terrorism Unit was housed here but Agent Harper and her kidnapping unit must also be here.
Eva hadn’t told Sara about Lorelei Richards’ disappearance and felt guilty over that. Not enough to include her, however. She didn’t trust Sara Caine and a girl’s life was at stake.
She waved hello at the camera above the door. The door buzzed open, and a receptionist smiled pleasantly at her.
“You must be Eva Murphy,” It was a statement not a question. Eva nodded. The receptionist picked up the phone and dialed.
“Agent Harper. Your eleven o’clock is here to see you,” she said and hung up. “She’ll be with you in a moment.”
A woman strode through the sea of cubicles towards her. She seemed young to be an FBI agent, but she had that FBI sharpness about her. Her dark chestnut hair was pulled back into a ponytail, not a hair out of place. Her face was free of makeup and she wore an expensive black suit with a white shirt underneath.
This woman meant business and Eva wondered yet again if she’d made a mistake leaving the LAPD. She enjoyed the uniformity and precision of the FBI. But now with the kind of record she had, she was out of the running for those kinds of jobs.
Agent Kate Harper held out her hand. “Thank you so much for coming, Ms. Murphy.”
“I’m not sure how I can help you.” Eva said.
“Let me be the judge of that,” Agent Harper said and led Eva to a small office. Eva eyed the row of neat cacti lining the edge of the desk and knew this was Agent Harper’s office.
“Being a former cop, you know the first forty-eight hours are critical in finding a missing person. We’re going under the assumption Lorelei Richards is still alive. I called you down here to give me a rundown of the case you’ve been working on as it stands now.” Agent Harper sat down behind her desk and gave her the once over. “It says here you’re a former LAPD detective.”
“That’s correct. It’s been six months since I left the force.”
“And you started a detective agency?” Agent Harper asked.
“Not exactly. I’ve been doing some insurance fraud cases and some skip trace. This particular case was a favor for a friend.”
“This friend would be Sara Caine?” Agent Harper asked.
Eva nodded. “You have to protect her,” Anderson said from the deep recesses of her mind. She pushed him away and focused back on the agent.
“I’ve only met Lorelei once. I’m not sure how I can help you.”
“I wanted to speak to you alone. As a former detective, you know how we work. Your friend’s case was about missing UCLA students from ‘92 and ‘93?” Eva nodded. The FBI hadn’t yet made a connection between the missing women now and the missing women from back then.
Eva took a deep breath. “I must be straight with you. My case was not the missing UCLA girls but more current missing persons. Specifically missing actresses who have not resurfaced as of today. The death of Janice Hollebeck led us to a dossier of twelve missing girls she’d been looking into at the time of her death. We contacted Madeleine Richards because of her relationship with Sara’s father. He was murdered in ninety-three. Apparently, Madeleine Richards was obsessed with finding those missing UCLA girls along with Sara’s father. I’m bringing it up because there is a connection but I haven’t found it yet. I believe whoever was snatching those actresses could have Lorelei.”
“Why didn’t Lorelei tell the police about this current investigation the moment she found her mother strangled?” Agent Harper asked with a raised brow.
“I don’t have an answer to that. I didn’t see the connection between the disappearances at the time of Madeleine’s death. The victimology was completely different. Some of the missing actresses were low-risk victims. They were struggling, some of them had done some nude photo shoots, and some of them had gone into the valley to do porn shoots. Definitely more at risk behavior. The UCLA students were all very high-risk girls. One was studying to be a psychiatrist, one was pre-med, and the other one was pre-law. And, this happened twelve years ago.” Eva explained.
“What are you not telling me?” Agent Harper prodded.
“We have a film reel.” Eva said.
“A film reel?”
“A snuff film really. It features a woman that disappeared about seven months ago. Her body has never been found. The film reel was in Janice Hollebeck’s possession and we received it from her. The film reel led us to Madeleine. As you might know, she was the foremost authority on silent film
preservation and this film reel was filmed on a nitrate film stock.” She watched as Agent Harper scribbled furiously.
“Let me reiterate the story you’ve told me. You have two dead bodies, one of Janice Hollebeck, the other of Madeleine Richards, and now Lorelei Richards is missing. You’ve uncovered two separate cases of missing girls spanning ten years. There is also a snuff film featuring one of the missing girls. Is that all?”
Eva nodded.
“I’m not sure if you know this but Lorelei Richards’ grandmother is Senator Geraldine Richards. We’re using every available resource to find Lorelei. As you can imagine, there are certain protocols in place in the event of such a disappearance.”
“Yes, I’m aware of them. This doesn’t have anything to do with Senator Richards. I can assure you. This is about those missing girls.”
“Thank you for your candor. I will need to share this information with the detective in charge of the Madeleine Richards homicide.”
“I’ve shared. Your turn.” Eva said. “Do you have any leads on Lorelei?”
“No. We’ve traced a call to a burner cell and a text message setting up a meeting at a home. She was grabbed right outside of it. The homeowners are a nice old couple and check out. Her trail ends there.”
“You ratted Sara out,” Anderson said. Eva nodded.
He was right. But a woman’s life was at stake and she, Eva, wasn’t going to have another death on her conscience. She didn’t want to lie to the police or the FBI. She wanted to be clean.
Eva heard his sigh. His habit of listening in on her inner thoughts infuriated her. She focused back on Agent Harper. “As I said, we weren’t sure if the two cases were connected and the missing girls were just missing girls. No bodies have turned up. We have a friend tracking records down but they’ve disappeared, never to be seen again. If we hadn’t discovered the snuff film, I would have assumed the actresses took on another name, dropped out of Los Angeles, Hollywood.”
Silent Death: A Chilling Serial Killer Thriller (A Caine & Murphy Thriller Book 3) Page 8
