The Detective (6 page)

My three sharp knocks on the door triggered the nerve-shattering yelps of Baby Dog who was no doubt lying in wait for me inside the apartment. Even through the thick metal door, I could hear her growling.

The door opened a half a foot, and Shannon was using her leg to barricade the dog inside. Satan was losing her shit, head-butting the back of Shannon’s calf as she tried to charge me.
 

“Your dog hates me!” I shouted over the incessant barking.

She reached down and picked her up. “I’m so sorry.” She backed away from the door so I could walk inside.
 

Baby Dog bared her teeth viciously.

Shannon tried to soothe her ruffled fur. “I’m not sure what’s gotten into her!”

I laughed and shook my head, dropping my bag at the door. Shannon carried the dog down the hall and locked her in the bedroom. She was still barking.

I ran my fingers through my frost-covered hair. “Is she like this with everyone or am I special?”

Shannon sighed. “She hates men.”

I rolled my eyes.
Great. A cock-blocking canine.
 

My nose detected the scent of roasting meat.

“It smells amazing in here. Did you cook?” I asked, unzipping my jacket.

Shannon reached to help me. “Here, let me take your coat.”

Surprised, I let her pull my jacket off my arms.
 

Her blonde head tilted in the direction of the kitchen. “I figured you didn’t take time to stop and eat, so I made dinner. I hope you like beef stroganoff.”

“I like beef anything.” I straightened my shirt as she hung my coat by the door. “Thank you.”

It was then that I noticed the effort Shannon had put into my visit. The table was set with more plates than we needed. There were candles and a bottle of wine in the center. The apartment looked like it had been professionally cleaned. And Shannon, well… even though she was just wearing jeans and a sweater, Shannon looked like she had just walked off the cover of a magazine.
There could be worse things than having a girlfriend, I suppose.
I stretched my hand toward her, and she blushed as she took it. I pulled her close and kissed her.
 

She smiled and put her hands on my chest when I pulled away. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.”

The next morning, I awoke to a blonde head on my shoulder and snow on the ground outside. It felt good. Damn good—the blonde, not the snow, that is. The snow was cold, very cold, but it wasn’t quite deep enough to prevent a trip out to the Bryson’s house. Shannon was in the passenger’s seat, a spot I was getting used to seeing her in.

When I pulled into the driveway, I surveyed the modest two-story home. “Is there anything I should know?”

She thought for a second. “They still get pretty emotional sometimes talking about Leslie is all, but they are nice people.”

I nodded and reached in the back seat for the files I had brought.

Shannon led the walk to the door, and I stood back while she pressed the door bell with her mittens. She looked cute in mittens and earmuffs. I smiled and winked at her.

The door opened and a woman—fifties, plump, and gray—ushered us in out of the cold. “My stars!” she exclaimed, grabbing Shannon by the jacket and tugging her inside. “I expected you two to cancel on account of the weather!”

Shannon slipped off her boots in the foyer, and I did the same.
 

“Nathan has four-wheel drive.” Shannon gestured toward me. “Caroline, this is Detective Nathan McNamara.”

I stuck out my hand, and she shook it. “It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Bryson.”

“Please, call me Caroline,” she said. “I’m sorry I didn’t speak with you the last time you were in town.”

I shook my head. “Don’t worry about it.”

She cleared her throat. “It’s just that a lot of people have talked to us about Leslie over the years, and it’s always the same thing: we get our hopes up and get disappointed.”

“Ma’am, I completely understand.” And I did.

Shannon hung up her coat on a rack near our shoes and then took mine.
 

“Shannon said you were a friend of hers, so I changed my mind.” She turned toward the living room behind us. “Come on in. Y’all want some coffee or some iced tea?”

I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”

Shannon sat next to me on the floral print sofa in the living room. Caroline sank into a rocking chair across from us. “How can I help you, Detective?”

I leaned forward and rested my elbows on my knees. “I’ve been investigating two disappearances out of Raleigh that happened about twelve years ago.”

She blinked with surprise. “Pardon my bluntness, but you don’t look old enough, Mr. McNamara.”

I smiled. “I’m not. I’ve only officially been on this case for around eight years.”

She blinked again. “I’m afraid they don’t give cases that old much attention around here.”

I shook my head. “Most of my work is done on my own time.”

Her eyes narrowed in question.

“One of the victims was my younger sister, Ashley McNamara.” I opened the file folder and pulled out a picture of my sister. “She was kidnapped after a football game my senior year of high school.”

Caroline took the photograph, her mouth gaping and tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “I’m so sorry, Detective.”

“Call me Nathan.” Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Shannon’s wide eyes. I sat back and draped my arm across the back of the couch behind her. “Caroline, I believe that your daughter and my sister may have been abducted by the same person. In fact, I believe Leslie’s disappearance is linked with ten other cases.”

She covered her mouth with her hand. “Ten others?”

I nodded. “Counting Leslie, there have been eleven girls between here and Raleigh who have all disappeared under similar circumstances. They’re all around the same age, and they were taken from public places with no signs of foul play.”

She handed the picture back to me. “What does this mean?”

I tucked the picture back into the folder. “I believe that I have enough evidence now to put pressure on the FBI to begin investigating these as a serial case.”

Caroline sat forward. “Like a serial killer?”

I sighed and turned my palms up. “It could be a possibility."

Caroline withered in her seat. My heart truly hurt for her.

“Mrs. Bryson, I’m not going to try and fill you with false hope that I can bring your daughter back.” I leaned forward again. “But I am asking you, as my sister’s brother, to help me not let these cases be cold anymore.”

Her face softened. She sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt. “What can I do to help you, Nathan?”

“Be vocal,” I said. “That’s really it. Families still have the most influence with local, state, and federal agencies, and the more families we have insisting that these cases be looked into, the better chance we have of someone in authority taking action.”

She took a deep breath. “OK.”

I smiled. “Thank you.” I pulled a business card out of the folder and handed it to her. “This has my cell phone number on it. Feel free to call me anytime.”

She accepted the card and smiled. “Thank you for everything you’re doing.”

“I made a promise to my mother, ma’am. And I don’t break promises to my mom,” I said.

Caroline pointed at me and smiled at Shannon. “I like this boy. Have your parents met him?”

My blood pressure kicked up about forty points. I could feel my jugular beating against the collar of my shirt.

Shannon giggled and rubbed my back. “No, but I know they would love him.”

Caroline stood up. “Well, he has my endorsement, for sure.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “Would either of you like some lunch?”

I shook my head as I stood. “No, thank you. I’ve really got to get back to Raleigh.”

Shannon whined and gripped my arm. “No, you can’t!”

I laughed. “No?”

She poked out her pink bottom lip. “No.” She reached for my hand. “You can stay one more day.”

I was sure Lieutenant Carr would argue otherwise.

After a moment, I nodded. “OK. I’ll stay.” I smiled at Caroline. “Lunch would be great.”

SEVEN

ONCE MY MOTHER learned that I had spent another weekend in Asheville, I was summoned to dinner on Monday night for a full report. On my way out of the office, I passed Reese in the lobby. Skidding to a stop, I looked down at my watch. “You’re late for work, bro.”

He laughed. “Just getting back from securing warrants for the homicide in Wendell.”

“It’s going down tonight?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah. You coming?”

“Do you need me to?”
 

He shook his head. “Nah. You just usually like in on these things.”

I sighed and jerked my thumb toward the door. “I’m headed to Mom’s for interrogation about my weekend.”

He grinned. “How is the girlfriend?”

“Smoking hot.”

“Oh yeah?” He crossed his arms over his chest. “No more arguing with me, huh? It’s official?”

I shrugged as I zipped up my coat. “Surprisingly, we didn’t talk about it. I think she’s coming back up this weekend though.”

He pointed at me. “I want to meet her this time.”

Shaking my head, I pulled my keys out of my pocket. “I don’t think so.”

“C’mon, man. I promise I won’t try and charm the pants off her or anything.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes. “Sure you won’t.”

He looked down at his watch. “I’ve gotta get going.”

“Stay safe tonight,” I said as he walked past me.

“Always.” He turned back before crossing through the back office door. “Say ‘hi’ to your mom for me.”

“Will do.”

When I arrived in Durham, I was greeted at the door by my mother who was wearing a smile that was almost wider than her face. “Hi, Noot.”
 

I kissed her on the cheek. “Hi, Mom.”

“You’re late.”

I glanced at my watch. “Three minutes.”

She took my coat when I slipped it off and hung it by the door before looping her arm through mine and tugging me toward the kitchen. “So, tell me all about her!”

I laughed. “Can I not even sit down first?”

“You’ll have time to sit when I’m dead.” She pulled on my arm. “How did it go?”

My dad, who looked like me in twenty-five years, was sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen when we walked in. “Hey, Dad.” I walked over and shook his hand. “Long time, no see.”

He nodded and put down the newspaper he was reading. “It has been a while, son.”
 

I sat down across from him and took off my hat. “I know. How was the game last week?”

Mom was practically dancing with anticipation beside me.

Dad leaned his elbow on the table. “It was a good game. The team is looking really good—”

Mom squealed, cutting him off. “You can talk about sports later!”

Dad chuckled. “Nate, I think you’d better tell your mother about the weekend before she has a stroke on us.”

Using the toe of my boot, I pushed a chair out for my mother. “Sit, Mom. You’re making me nervous.”

She plopped into a seat with wide-eyes and a perma-grin. “Is she just wonderful? Do you love her?”

Laughing with disbelief, I tossed my hands in the air. “No, I don’t love her! I hardly know her.” I laughed. “Help me out here, Dad.”

Dad shook his head and sipped his glass of iced tea. “No can do. She’s been planning the wedding since Friday.”

I groaned. “There’s no wedding.”

Mom pinched my arm. “Not yet.”

I rolled my eyes.

“I Googled her on the computer this afternoon,” Mom said. “She’s stunning.”

With that I couldn’t argue. “She is really pretty.”

Mom covered her mouth with her hands. “Don’t be mad at me.”

Uh-oh.

“Why?” I sat forward on my seat, recognizing my mother’s guilty tone. “What did you do?”

She sucked in a breath through her teeth. “I emailed her at the news station.”

My mouth fell open. “You what?”

She turned her palms over. “I couldn’t help myself.”

I looked to Dad for help. His lips were pinched together in an effort to not burst out laughing. Finally, he shook his head. “I couldn’t stop her.”

“When?” I grabbed Mom’s arm. “What did you say?” My mind was racing. I covered my face with my hands. “Oh god, Mom. What did you say to her?”

She shook her head and flattened her hands on the table. “Nothing bad, sweetheart.”

I dropped my face back toward the ceiling. “Of course not.”

“I just invited her to come to dinner soon,” she said.

I let out a heavy sigh. “Of course you did.”

She gently shoved me in the shoulder. “Well, if I didn’t, you never would! You never bring your girlfriends over to visit us!”

I held up my hands. “And this is why! I hardly even know this woman, Mom. I’m not ready for her to meet my parents.”

She sat back and folded her arms indignantly. “Well, you’d better get over it because she’s coming to dinner on Saturday.”

I dropped my forehead onto the table. “You’ve got to be shitting me.”

She smacked the back of my head. “Language, Nathan!”

My phone was buzzing in my pocket. I angled sideways and wrenched it out. “That’s probably her now, calling to discuss baby names and china patterns.”

Dad’s shoulders shook with silent laughter.
 

It was the station.

I pressed the phone to my ear. “McNamara.”

“Nathan, you’ve got a 10-65 in progress that sounds like your guys,” Bernie Davis said quickly on the other end.

I stood up so fast, my chair toppled backwards. “Where?”

“Near Allen Creek Country Club.”

“On my way.” I disconnected the line. “Sorry, Mom. Gotta go.”

She pouted. “But I made your favorite pork chops.”

I kissed the top of her head. “Sorry. It’s that robbery case I’m working. I’ll call you later.”

She huffed. “OK. Fine.”
 

I pointed at her as I crossed the kitchen. “But this isn’t over. No more contacting Shannon or anyone else I might be dating.”

She followed me out of the kitchen. “Nathan Gabriel McNamara, you’d better not be dating anybody else! We raised you better than that!”