Hell And Back

by Natasha Madison

  Seeing Mick’s name flash on the screen makes me stop in my tracks.

  “Yo.”

  “We just got a call from Lori’s mother. She got a phone call from her today. She is freaking out. Called the precinct looking for you, but they called me first.”

  “I can be ready in ten. Where should I pick you up?” I’m already rushing around my room, changing into my jeans and T-shirt.

  “Um, how about I just meet you at the station in about thirty minutes?” I hear rustling in the background.

  “Station, eh? Should I even ask where you are or are we not getting into it now?”

  “I’ll see you in thirty.” He hangs up without acknowledging my question.

  By the time I make it outside, I’m already running through the details of the case. Lori, age sixteen, started hanging with the wrong crowd, and then one day she just didn’t come home. Her mother hasn’t seen or heard from her since. Until today.

  Friends say she’s been in touch with them. But her mother still filed a missing child’s report. The thing is, she’s seventeen, so it’s hard not to consider this might be a case of a teenager just wanting to be out in the world on her own. Her mother said lately she’d become more distant than usual, and her grades began slipping. When she confronted her, they had a big argument that ended in Lori storming out of the house and not coming back.

  I throw my truck into reverse and start to back out. I try not to look over at her house, but I fail. I see no movement, nothing. I do notice the blinds are up now.

  The place looks so different now than it did a week ago. It went from deserted to looking like it’s coming back to life.

  I smile and take my usual route to work, stopping at Starbucks to get my coffee. Yes, I like lattes, sue me.

  I make it to work at the same time Mick pulls up. I wait for him to get out of his car before I get out.

  He looks like he spent all of three seconds getting dressed.

  “Your shirt is buttoned wrong.”

  He looks down at his shirt and sees it’s longer on one side than the other.

  “Fuck.” He goes about righting his shirt. “I wasn’t expecting to be called in. I was…”

  “You don’t have to explain yourself to me. I just hope you know what you’re doing.” I make my way over to our unmarked car. I know he’s pissed, which means he is going to want to be the one who does the driving, so I head to the passenger side.

  “I know what you’re going to say, so can we just skip this whole bullshit conversation right now?” He pulls into traffic, heading toward the center of town.

  “I wasn’t going to say anything. You’re a grown ass man. You know what you’re doing.” I stare straight ahead.

  “She says she’s leaving him. I have to believe her.”

  “She said that last time, too, didn’t she? Strung you on for four months before she told you she couldn’t do it right then. Then there was your birthday, when she showed up and spent the whole weekend telling you she left him, only to go back home on Monday. Trust me, I remember. It was me who found you after you lost yourself in the bottom of a bottle of Jack. It wasn’t pretty.”

  “She said it’s finally time. She loves me.”

  I shake my head, knowing this is a game Sandie is playing with him. She’s a fucking bitch if I ever met one. They met in high school, and she latched herself right onto his dick. The problem was that she latched herself onto some rich kid’s dick, too. Played them both until she got knocked up. Thank fuck it turned out to be the other guy’s kid. She’s been stringing him along for the last fucking seven years now.

  “I want nothing more than for that to be true. You know this. But it shouldn’t be this hard, Mick.” I want to continue, but knowing that I’m starting to sound a bit too much like Dr. Phil, I back off and keep staring out the window.

  When we pull up to the address on the sheet, Lori’s mother’s house, I’m instantly on alert because we’re now in the projects. The five matching apartment buildings are known as Welfare Avenue.

  A couple teenagers in the corner are trying to be intimidating and letting us know we’re on their turf, puffing out their chests and taking us in. Right in the middle of the group is the leader of the pack. The two I suspect to be his seconds in charge are right beside him, chewing on toothpicks, sizing us up with their cell phones in their hands.

  We open the door, unsurprised the lock is broken, allowing anyone to just walk in. The hallway is dark, with just a few lights working, while most are broken and a few are flickering. The smell of urine burns my nose. We get to the third floor and make our way to the door with the number five on it.

  I knock on the door twice, taking a step back while Mick looks over his shoulder, making sure we aren’t going to be ambushed.

  We hear the locks clicking open, but neither of us is prepared for the sight we are met with.

  A tiny girl, maybe all of five foot one, opens the door, wearing tight booty shorts and a tank top that has seen cleaner days. Brown hair that is at least clean sits in a messy bun on the top of her head.

  “Are you the cops?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Are you Marissa, Lori’s mom?” I say, flashing her my badge. “May we come in?”

  She stands away, holding on to the open door, ushering us in. I’m shocked. Inside it’s completely neat and clean. The furniture looks almost new, and a television sits in the corner. There is a small kitchen with no table, just two stools.

  Two bedrooms open to the living room, both rooms looking clean with beds and little furniture. I can tell one is obviously a teenager’s from the posters hanging on the wall.

  “Please have a seat. Can I get you anything?”

  She’s nervous. I know this because she is wringing her hands.

  “We’re good, thanks.” I go to sit down while Mick stands by the kitchen, leaning against the wall.

  “So you called in and said Lori got in touch with you?”

  “Yes, I got a call on my cell phone sometime after ten a.m. I was asleep, but the minute I heard her ringtone I flew out of bed.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said she was fine and to call off the dogs.” She looks between me and Mick.

  “You weren’t here when she went missing, right?” Mick asks from his side of the room.

  “I was here when she left, but when I got home from work at three a.m. I noticed she hadn’t returned.” She looks down at her hands. “I was working. She usually just texts me, but since we got into a fight the night before I just thought she was pissed off.”

  “You’re a stripper, right? Is there any way she got ahold of your drugs or saw something she shouldn’t have?”

  I whip my head around to glare at Mick with a clear ‘what the fuck’ expression on my face.

  Marissa’s shoulders go back like she’s gearing up for a fight. “Yes, I’m a stripper, but no, I’m not on drugs. You want, we can take a piss test right now and ease your mind, Officer.”

  “Won’t be necessary.” I look over at her, then return my glare to Mick, hoping he takes the hint and shuts the fuck up.

  “A seventeen-year-old sees her mother as a stripper. You don’t think she’ll follow in your footsteps?” He doesn’t shut up.

  “I don’t know, I think her knowing you have to work for things isn’t such a bad lesson. Considering her father left me with his bookie debt of eighty grand and the only way he wouldn’t take it out on us was if I agreed to work for him. I think it’s good showing her you don’t run from your obligations, like her weasel father did, but instead you keep fighting and working to earn the things you want. So, if you came here just to pass judgment on me and my job while not taking my daughter’s disappearance seriously, I think we’ve both wasted our time.” Marissa goes to stand up, her hands shaking.

  I grab her wrist, stopping her.

  “I’m going to apologize for my partner and his mood today. Please know finding your daughter is very important to us.”

&n
bsp; She looks, or rather glares, at Mick, waiting for him to say something, but he just shrugs his shoulders.

  “I asked around at work and there’s a new guy who has been coming in. I don’t have his name yet, but he’s been in a couple of times. He is also in scumbag, Bentley’s, crew. Owns a pawn shop, isn’t fair, and sells whatever you bring to him to the first person who wants to buy it before you even get a chance to get it back yourself. He also doesn’t care how you get his money just as long as you do.”

  “I need you to not try to do anything on your own and let us handle things.”

  “Oh yeah, it looks like you guys are really handling things. She’s been missing for a week,” she whispers and a tear escapes her eye, rolling down her cheek.

  “We are working on it, Marissa, but if you’re interfering, it’s just going to create extra work for us. So, please, if you hear anything or see anything, call us first. Don’t just go charging in, call me first.” I take out a card and hand it to her. “My cell number is on there, so you can call me whenever you think you need to.”

  She wipes her face with the back of her hand. “I’m doing all of this for her. So I didn’t uproot her and take her away from everyone and everything she knew.”

  I stand up, making notes in my head about this fresh new face out there, thinking we need to pay Bentley another visit. It’ll be the fourth time this week.

  “Thank you for calling us with this update.”

  I walk out the door with Mick following right behind me. He’s barely in the hallway before the door is shut right behind him, almost bouncing against his head.

  “What the fuck was that bullshit in there? Since when did you become such a judgmental asshole? Spewing bullshit like that to a victim’s mother, what the fuck, man?”

  He doesn’t even answer, just walks away.

  He makes his way to the car without saying anything. The door isn’t even closed before he peels off from the curb and slaps his hand down on the steering wheel twice.

  “FUCCCKKKK!” He pulls over one block down. He whips the door open and jumps out, slamming it shut before he kicks it.

  “I’m going to go out on a limb here and say your head isn’t in the fucking game today.”

  “That was fucked up. I’m on edge about Sandie, and I totally let that poor woman have it. Jesus, I’m surprised she didn’t try to have me killed by the time I got to the car.”

  “We have a whole night ahead of us. Why don’t we head over to see Bentley? Let’s hear what he has to say about this new player in town. But you pull that shit again”—I point back in the direction we came from—“I’ll fucking kill you for her.”

  He doesn’t say anything and just nods as he gets into the car. I follow him. The rest of the night is a blur of us chasing a fucking ghost. From one side of town to the other, all empty leads, all leading back to this fucking new guy.

  By the time I make it home, it’s almost four a.m. I’m ready to face plant into my bed. Making my way up to my room, I manage to shed my clothes in record time before falling into bed. I’m asleep before my head hits the pillow, dreaming about running around town searching for a faceless guy.

  Except every time I think I’ve got him in my reach, it’s Bella and Lilah I see, and they disappear before I can grab them.

  Chapter Twelve

  Bella

  It’s almost noon, and we have already baked muffins and cookies, and we’re now working on banana bread. This is what happens when your nightmares just play on a constant loop in your mind, even in sleep.

  The whole night I was being chased by some faceless guy. I knew when I saw Jackson, I was safe, but before I could get to him, he’d just disappear. After waking twice from the same dream, I decided to get up and start my day.

  By the time Lilah screamed my name in fear because I wasn’t in my bedroom, it was almost eight a.m.

  The minute she saw the mixing bowl, though, she got super excited. When Brenda knocked on the door ten minutes ago, I had already made up my mind I would bring over some muffins and cookies to Jackson as an apology and a thank you.

  While I made a fresh cup of coffee, I told Brenda I was going to be right back.

  Walking across the street, I’m a nervous wreck. My hands shaking, almost spilling coffee on myself, I finally ring the doorbell. When he doesn’t answer after one ring, I ring again. I’m not ready for what I see when the door opens.

  He answers the door in a pair of loose, athletic shorts hanging low on his hips. As if that wasn’t enough, he’s also shirtless. I cannot stop myself from taking in his broad shoulders and his wide, smooth chest. His abs are cut and defined. But it’s the tattoo on one side of his chest, under his collarbone, that draws my attention. He also has some trailing down his shoulders with a red rose that is red. So vibrant, I want to grab them so I can get a better look at the artwork and maybe trace the images with my finger.

  His hair is sticking up all over the place, and he has only one eye open. The other one must be sensitive to the sun since he is keeping it shut.

  “I’m so sorry, were you sleeping?”

  He grunts at me, not really answering.

  “It’s noon.”

  “I was working till four a.m. Is that coffee for me?” He points to the coffee cup in my hand.

  “Yes,” I say, handing it to him. “We also made muffins and cookies.” I try to hand him the basket, but he just turns and heads for the kitchen.

  “Come in, Bella,” he shouts from inside. Turning to watch the house, I see Lilah is still at the counter mixing with Brenda.

  “I really should go.” I make my way to his kitchen, leaving the door open, in case I need to run out of here.

  His kitchen is newly renovated with all stainless steel appliances. The chestnut color of the cabinets stands out against the light caramel slate countertops.

  In the middle of the kitchen is a high, square brown table with eight chairs around it. He pulls out one, throwing himself into it, reaching for the basket I’m still holding in my hand.

  “Oh, sorry, here it is. We baked. Well, actually I baked them this morning when I couldn’t sleep, but Lilah did help with the cookies.” I laugh nervously as I babble. “Although she ate more cookie dough than she actually got on the baking sheet.” I shake my head, thinking of her face with her eyes practically popping out of her head at the sweetness of cookie dough batter.

  “Why couldn’t you sleep?” he asks me as he pulls a muffin out and eats half in one bite. He chews and sips on the coffee as he waits for my reply.

  “I had a nightmare.” I shrug. “I kept waking up, and when I’d fall back asleep, I’d go right back to it. So I just got up and baked instead.”

  “Sit down, Bella.” He motions to the chair.

  “I really shouldn’t. Brenda is with Lilah, and she might need me.”

  “She knows you’re here. If she needs you to come back, she’ll just come and get you. Besides, you left the door open so she wouldn’t even have to knock.” He finishes one muffin and starts on another.

  “How did you kno—”

  “I’m a detective, Bella. It’s my job to notice everything, but most especially the things other people don’t notice. Like the fact you’re scared.” He leans back. “I won’t hurt you or Lilah, not now, not ever. You have my word on that. So, since you woke me up, you can sit down and keep me company while I eat these muffins. Hopefully, that little girl of yours wants her mom and comes over, so you can relax and enjoy getting out of the house. Besides, I have a play set in the backyard, which by the way, you’re welcome to use.”

  I look over his shoulder at the window behind him. I see a huge play set with a slide, a couple of swings, an obstacle course, a climbing wall, and a sand pit. I walk farther into the kitchen, stopping beside him to stare at this playground Lilah would love.

  “You have children?” I ask him, not sure why this bothers me so much.

  “Nope, not yet. It came with the house when I bought it. I never
had the heart to tear it down.”

  “Heeellllloooo, is anyone home?” The unfamiliar female voice has me jumping in response, and Jackson reaches for my hand to calm me down.

  “It’s just my mom.” He pulls me close to him and whispers in my ear. With him sitting on the chair and me standing, we are almost the same height.

  “Jackson, you left your front door wide-open.” I hear the voice entering the room. “Oh, dear, I had no idea you had company! I’ll go. I just came to drop off—”

  “Mom, this is my neighbor Bella. She’s Nan’s granddaughter,” he says while I eye this beautiful lady.

  She has short, silver gray hair perfectly styled. Startling blue eyes just like her son, she stands at about five foot five and is wearing a pretty, white summery sundress with a royal blue, short-sleeved cardigan. Her sandals are low-heeled, strappy wedges. She looks like she stepped out of a catalogue.

  “Oh my goodness, aren’t you beautiful.” She comes over and hugs me tightly. Jackson never lets my hand go. I don’t know why, but I squeeze it just to make sure he’s still there. He reassures me by squeezing my hand gently in return.

  “I’ve heard so many stories about you. I feel like I know you already. You’re all Nan spoke about!” She lets me go long enough to take in my appearance. I’m sure it isn’t lost on her that her son’s fingers are intertwined with mine.

  “Um, thank you, ma’am,” I answer her.

  “Oh, none of that ma’am crap, you can call me Nancy.”

  “Is anyone home?” Brenda’s voice echoes through the house.

  “What is this? Let’s visit Jackson day?” His frustration makes me giggle.

  I finally let go of his hand when Lilah runs into the room yelling, “Momma.”

  “Hey, love bug, I see Ms. Brenda let you eat more cake batter,” I say as I eye some of it dried up on her nose.

  “No,” she says while nodding yes.

  “You little devil, I said secret,” Brenda says from the kitchen entrance. “Oh, Nancy, I thought I saw you coming in here.” She goes right to Nancy and greets her with a hug and a kiss on the cheek.