Nameless (Sinister Secrets Book 1)

by Candle Sutton

  Although her smile never slipped, Kevyn sighed on the inside. Why did people think it was okay to be rude to retail and restaurant workers?

  “I couldn’t help but notice your accent.” A woman’s voice, also accented, came from behind Kevyn.

  Turning, Kevyn found a wisp of a woman with straight black hair and three piercings in her dark eyebrows standing there. A nametag identified her as a fellow employee. “Yes. I’m from Straya.”

  The girl stared at her. “Straya?”

  Kevyn shook her head, the movement slightly exaggerated to send her blond curls bouncing. “Sorry, mate. Old habits. Australia. Straya is what we Aussies call it.”

  “Straya.” The girl tried the word out, a slow smile spreading. “That’s rockin’. I’m from Thailand.”

  Hmm. Thailand was known to be a human trafficking hotspot. Could this girl be a scout for their unsub?

  “I’m Karen.” She smiled at the girl, her eyes quickly darting around, noting the people within earshot.

  A mother and young daughter looking at bras. Three women wandering independently. A young woman digging through the underwear table Kevyn had straightened not ten minutes ago, while her bored-looking boyfriend scrolled on his phone. A thirty-ish man looking at lacy negligées.

  None of whom appeared to be listening to their conversation.

  Still, she couldn’t waste any opportunity.

  “I’m Malee. I’ve only been in the country for about three months. I came to go to school. Nursing at UW.”

  UW. So Malee had already picked up on the local nickname for the University of Washington. “I’ve been here about eight months. My mum died so I came here to find my dad.”

  Malee tilted her head. “Did you?”

  “Yeah. Well, his grave anyway. He passed several years ago.” Kevyn sighed deeply, as though it was hard to discuss. “I used all my funds trying to find him, so I’m working to save enough to fly back home. There’s nothing for me here.”

  Malee nodded. “It’s so hard to make friends.”

  “Doesn’t seem like it should be so hard, does it?” Kevyn agreed.

  They chatted for a few more minutes before Malee moved on.

  Well, she was pretty sure Malee wasn’t who they were looking for, but she might make a good target. Their unsub had yet to abduct someone who wasn’t white, but aside from that, Malee fit the profile.

  Worth keeping an eye on her. To make sure she was safe.

  And that she wasn’t involved.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  “That Jimmy Mays is one shady dude.” JD plopped into a chair across the conference table and looked at Dak.

  Felicia nodded her agreement. “Definitely hiding something.”

  Interesting. Could the owner of the fish processing factory have something to do with Paula Lennox’s death? “Any idea what?”

  JD shrugged. “Nope. Might not even be related, but he couldn’t get us out of his office fast enough.”

  “It’s worth digging into a little deeper. Let me know what you find out.” Dak’s conversation with J.J. Trane replayed through his memory. The man had been a little too sure of himself and much too smooth for Dak’s liking. “You know, Trane didn’t seem too concerned with the whole matter. He quickly passed me off to his foreman, who gave me the runaround.”

  In fact, the foreman had pointed him in too many directions, almost as if trying to throw him off.

  “Wait, did you say Trane?” Sid sat up straighter. “As in Trane Imports and Exports?”

  “One and the same.” Dak leaned back in his chair and studied Sid. “It mean something to you?”

  “That’s where Ava Esterson’s father worked. He was fired a day before his daughter disappeared.”

  “How did we miss that connection?” He looked from Sid to JD to Felicia and back again. If he’d known that, he would have asked Trane and the foreman about Esterson.

  “Don’t think I heard the name of the place you were going.” JD lifted his hands helplessly. “I just knew Felicia and I were goin’ to that fish place.”

  Sid shrugged. “Man, wish I hadn’t had that court appearance this morning. I coulda gone with you.”

  Well, what was done was done. He should’ve asked his team if they’d heard of Trane’s operation before.

  Coincidences were something defense lawyers liked to use to create doubt. This, this was no coincidence. “Do we know why he was fired?”

  “When I talked to Trane–”

  “Wait.” Dak held up his hand, stopping Sid mid-sentence. “You spoke to J.J. Trane?”

  “Oh yeah. Arrogant silver-spoon jerk if I’ve ever met one.”

  Interesting. Why wouldn’t Trane have mentioned speaking to the FBI? “What did he have to say?”

  “Said Esterson was fired for intoxication and attendance issues. He claimed not to know anything about Esterson’s personal life and passed me to the foreman.”

  Dak clenched his teeth. A trend was emerging where Trane was concerned. “Let me guess, the foreman gave you a lot of useless and irrelevant information before practically shoving you out the door.”

  “You got it.”

  There had to be a connection. The fact that the latest victim showed up on a dock that Esterson used to work regularly meant something. It had to.

  Esterson clearly couldn’t be the unsub – he was sitting in a jail cell – but could their unsub have some connection to Esterson? Or to one of the businesses that used that dock?

  From the number of workers he’d seen at Trane’s warehouse, that would be a lot of employees to check. Combine it with the fish processing plant, and he was probably facing hundreds of employees.

  Way too many to investigate each one.

  “Let’s dig into both businesses. See if they have any unusual cash flow, in or out.” Once they’d checked into that, they could begin digging into the workers, starting from the top down.

  Whatever the connection, they’d find it.

  And maybe it would lead them to their missing victims.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  By the time her shift ended at seven, Kevyn’s feet throbbed and her calves ached.

  More than that, she felt they were no closer to identifying the unsub.

  Not that she thought they’d get that lucky on her first day, but she’d hoped. Retail was hard work. When she’d left that field after graduating college, she never dreamed she’d return to it one day, even for the sake of undercover work.

  Yet here she was.

  After collecting her purse, she caught the bus and rode it to a stop two blocks from the FBI offices.

  No sign of anyone following her.

  Just to be certain, she circled the block and cut through a few alleys.

  Still nothing.

  She pulled her badge and let herself into the secured building.

  Dak, maybe the whole team, was waiting for her upstairs. Not that she had much to brief them on.

  Slipping out of her heels, she padded barefoot across the empty lobby and pushed the button for the elevator. Her stomach grumbled.

  With any luck, they could keep this briefing brief. She was tired, hungry, and sick of dealing with demanding and cranky customers. All she wanted to do was go home and put her feet up. Maybe soak in her newly installed jetted tub.

  Yeah. She could mentally review everyone she’d come into contact with while she soaked.

  All she had to do was make it through this briefing.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  Jax pounded at the keys on the piano, the music swirling around him.

  How could it be so hard to find a suitable replacement?

  He’d been in Nobles every day and no one had caught his eye. No one!

  He’d acted rashly with the last one and look how that had turned out. He’d even botched getting rid of the body. If he had to do it over again, he’d have found a better place to leave the body, but he’d panicked.

  That’s what happened when he didn’t have a plan.

&
nbsp; No room for screw-ups this time. The replacement had to be perfect. And he had to execute his plan precisely.

  He knew the type he was looking for. When he saw the right one, he’d know.

  In some ways, he was tiring of Ebony.

  He would never get rid of her. That wasn’t how you treated family.

  Besides, Ebony was the glue that held this place together. He knew it. Just like he knew he couldn’t afford to lose her. Ever. Her devotion to him was unparalleled. He’d never find someone to take her place.

  But that didn’t mean he couldn’t add a new woman to the household. Role undetermined.

  All he needed to do was find the right one.

  Maybe tomorrow would be the day. He’d make sure to spend several hours at Nobles, check each department. Including the restaurant.

  She was there. Somewhere.

  All he had to do was find her.

  Eleven

  Her feet still hurt from yesterday.

  Kevyn pulled a pair of well-padded, sensible flats out of her closet and slipped her feet inside. Barefoot would feel better, but she couldn’t exactly show up to work – either job - barefoot.

  She brushed some lint off the A-Line black and coral patterned skirt and fingered the silk top before shrugging into a sweater.

  How many days would she have to live two lives?

  Yes, it had been her idea, but the long days would wear on her very quickly. Plus, she couldn’t wait to get back to a slightly more casual dress code.

  Still, if it helped them stop the unsub before he claimed another victim, it was worth the effort.

  Snatching her keys and purse, she left her house and began the tedious commute downtown.

  “Ready for day two?” Dak greeted her as she walked into the office.

  “Absolutely.” She smoothed her shirt as she sat down. “Anything new from the coroner?”

  “Nope.” Dak shook his head. “I doubt we’ll hear anything for a while.”

  No surprise there. “I thought I’d do a little research on a few of my new coworkers before going in.”

  “If you need to give some of that to the analysts to dig into, remember that we have them at our disposal.”

  She glanced at the time on her computer. “I might have to, but I’d like to do what I can first.”

  After identifying a few people of interest, she’d gone to HR yesterday. Vivian had been hesitant to release anything, but Kevyn had managed to convince her to at least furnish full names.

  She’d start with the security guards.

  While none of them had been overly suspicious, they were in the perfect position to observe and choose potential victims.

  What she was looking for specifically, she wasn’t sure. Hopefully she’d know it when she saw it.

  She glanced at her list of names. At least a dozen. No way she’d get through them this morning, but hopefully the data analysts could work them all today.

  If not, she’d work them tonight. Time was not on their side.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  “So, Paula Lennox.” Dak looked at the team surrounding him, feeling Kevyn’s absence more than he expected. She’d only been part of the team for four days, but in some weird way, it felt like she’d been with them for longer.

  And so far, true to her word, she hadn’t pushed the rules or lied about anything. Maybe she was okay, after all.

  “We got the warrant, so the dating website released her contact data. She’d had about a dozen guys reach out to her, but only communicated with five of them. I reached one of them yesterday and he said they’d never met in person.” Felicia shook her head slowly. “Not completely sure I believe him, but it’ll be hard to prove either way. I left messages for the other four guys, but never heard back. I’m going to try them again today.”

  Dak gave a single, decisive nod. “If you don’t reach them today, take Sid with you and pay them a visit in person.”

  “Will do.”

  “Paula’s finances show she blew through money like she consumed alcohol. Several thousand in credit card debt.” JD shoved some papers across the table. “A whopping five bucks in her savings account, which never grew to more than thirty dollars. Most of her spending was at Nobles and bars.”

  “Anything noteworthy on her spending?”

  “Not so much. It looks like budgeting wasn’t her strong suit.”

  That was an understatement. Dak skimmed the documents JD had given him, which showed that her monthly spending almost always outweighed her income. She’d been in the red and getting deeper each month.

  Could that be a key? Obviously not for Ava, but for the rest of their victims? “How does that compare to our other vics?”

  “Susan had a little debt, but both Oliver and Wendy are responsible with their finances. Wendy’s only debt is her car and Oliver has zero debt.”

  So much for that theory. Which left them with Nobles as the only obvious connection.

  “Have we talked to the landlord yet?” Dak glanced between them.

  “Yep. Said she always paid her rent, usually on the first Friday of the month. Normally a few days late, but within the grace period.” Sid rarely needed notes, as his short-term recall was excellent. “Said he never had any noise complaints from her place.”

  “Did he ever notice anyone else coming or going?”

  Sid shrugged. “The occasional guy, but no one who was regular.”

  Naturally. Those were the kind of people their unsub favored. “Have we identified any of her friends at work?”

  “I spoke with the other ladies in her department – and saw Kev, by the way.” Felicia grinned. “She pretended she didn’t know me. Anyway, the other ladies said Paula was friendly, but they never hung out. They said she really didn’t hang with anyone at work, so we’re still working to figure out who her friends are.”

  “Her landlord let me into her apartment.” Sid’s voice drew Dak’s attention. “Found a tablet. Our analysts are working on getting past her security so we can see what’s on it. We know she was active on social media, so it’s a matter of accessing her accounts.”

  “Has anyone reached her father?” Sure, the man was a workaholic and distant, but he had to care that his daughter was dead.

  “He’s out of the country. Mexico. Either has his phone off or is ignoring calls.” JD’s lips curled down. “We’re not sure if the trip is business or pleasure, to be honest. His secretary says that he and his assistant went down there and aren’t expected back until next Tuesday. She hinted that this is a favorite trip of theirs, if you catch my drift.”

  Oh, he got it all right. While Paula’s dear old dad was off disconnecting, she was lying cold in the morgue.

  “We left him a message to call us asap. Not much more we can do at this point.” JD grinned. “Unless you want to send me down there to find him. I’d volunteer for that mission.”

  “You’re not getting a vacation that easily.” Dak surveyed the rest of them. “What’d we learn about the fish processing plant and Trane Imports and Exports?”

  “That fish processing plant is interesting.” JD flipped open another file folder. “Jimmie Mays is second generation owner. His father started the business almost forty years ago and handed it off to Jimmie just before the recession. The recession hit it hard, but they pulled through. Business really took off about three years ago, with massive expansion and round-the-clock crews.”

  “So, there was a crew working there the night Paula Lennox died?”

  “A skeleton crew, but yeah. Shipments only go out during the day. There’re no windows on that building, so unless someone was outside on a smoke break or something, no one could have seen anything.”

  “Let’s check on the smoke break angle.” It was a slim shot. Dak knew it. Heck, they all knew it.

  But on rare occasions, those slim shots panned out.

  “Both buildings, as well as the dock, are owned by Trane Imports and Exports.” Sid offered. “Jeff Trane Sr. bought the buildi
ngs fifty years ago when he started his company. He leased the smaller building to Mays.”

  “How’s business for Trane?”

  Sid passed over another folder. “According to the IRS, good. The company turns a solid profit every year, employs a hundred and ten people across two shifts, and pays decent wages and benefits to those employees.”

  Somehow, he’d wanted to hear something that would make him suspicious. “So, nothing stands out?”

  “Nope. But I’ll keep digging. Sometimes those skeletons are buried deep.”

  The group fell quiet. Dak surveyed each one briefly. “Anything else?”

  When no one volunteered anything, he gathered the papers they’d all brought in and snapped the folder closed. “Then let’s get back to it.”

  While they continued to track the other victims, he was turning his attention solely upon Ava. JD had tracked her movements the day she disappeared, but he wanted to take it back further.

  Something told him she was the key.

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  That creepy feeling of being watched wouldn’t go away.

  Kevyn folded what felt like her thousandth panty as she surreptitiously glanced around. No sign that anyone was watching her.

  So why did she feel like she was in someone’s spotlight?

  The pomegranate avocado salad she’d had for lunch roiled in her stomach. Was it one of those guys from lunch?

  She’d had one guy ask to join her and one guy pull out a chair and sit. Until she’d told him, in no uncertain terms, to get lost. Either of them could have kept an eye on her and followed her down here.

  Maybe one of them was the unsub.

  Or maybe they were nothing more than lonely guys. Discovering which option was harder than it seemed.

  She sensed someone approaching and looked up, fake smile pasted in place.

  “Excuse me.” A guy wearing a dark blue hat, with curly blond hair dusting his forehead, offered a dazzling grin. “I’m trying to pick out some lingerie as a surprise for my girl, but I’m not sure what size to get her. I hope you don’t think I’m too forward, but she’s close to your size…?”