All In, page 9
"Well, if we could just have a moment of your time, we could explain everything," Nicky said. "Do you mind if we come in?"
Alexander Ross hesitated for a moment, his eyes still fixed on Nicky. "I'm afraid I have a busy schedule today. Perhaps you could come back another time?"
Nicky felt a twinge of frustration. She couldn't afford to leave without any evidence. She decided to play her last card. She hardened her expression, then said, "I understand you're a busy man, Mr. Ross, but I really do think we should talk."
Then she flashed her badge.
Instantly, Alexander's eyebrows shot up. "FBI? What is this?"
"Maybe we should come in to chat, Mr. Ross," Ken said, also flashing his badge.
He eyed them for a long moment, his face growing red, nerves all over his expression. Then, he said, "Okay then... follow me.” He backed more into the garage.
Nicky and Ken stepped forward. Then, before they could react, Mr. Ross slammed the garage door shut.
"Stop!" Nicky shouted, rushing up to the door and smashing her fist against the metal. "Alexander Ross, FBI! Open up right now!"
But no response came.
"Damn it!" Nicky shouted, frustration burning through her.
"What do we do now?" Ken asked, eyeing the garage door.
Nicky took a deep breath and looked around. She noticed a small window on the side of the garage, just big enough for a person to squeeze through. But as desperate as she was, busting in without a warrant wasn't the answer. They'd just have to talk their way out of this.
"Mr. Ross!" Nicky called out. "Come out and talk to us, please. We need to talk about Moira Gray."
Silence. Then there was the sound of birds flocking from a tree overhead; the sun began to set over the house, casting orange hues over the roof. Then, a voice from behind the garage:
"Moira Gray?"
"Yes," Nicky said, "I know you've been calling her. Why don't you come out and we can talk about it?"
"Why does it matter if I've been calling her?"
Nicky glanced at Ken, as if to say can you believe this guy?
Ken just shook his head.
"She's missing, Alexander," Nicky said. "She was taken by the Casanova Kidnapper."
There was a moment of silence before Alexander Ross finally spoke. "I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't been calling anyone by that name."
Nicky raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that? Because we have reason to believe that you might be involved in her disappearance."
Alexander Ross scoffed. "That's absurd. I have nothing to do with it."
"Then why were you so hesitant to let us in?" Ken interjected. "What are you hiding?"
"I'm not hiding anything," Alexander Ross snapped. "I just don't appreciate being accused of something I didn't do. You can stand there and accuse me all you want, but I'm not letting you in."
Nicky gritted her teeth. If he had nothing to hide, then he wouldn't be hiding. And he did call Moira Gray multiple times. They had proof of it. Whatever game he was playing was one he'd soon lose.
Just as Nicky was about to speak again, the sound of tires caused her to look behind her, only to see three cars pulling up, all luxurious and sleek. Their wheels squealed as they ripped up the parking lot, and within seconds, three men in suits were rushing up. For a moment, Nicky almost thought they were bodyguards, and braced herself for a fight.
Until one of them, a tall, skinny, and fairly young man with slicked brown hair, said, "You have no right to question my client!"
She glanced at Ken. Great—lawyers.
But Nicky wasn't deterred. She stepped forward, meeting the man's gaze. "Actually, we do have every right to question your client. Moira Gray is missing, and we have reason to believe that he might be involved. We just want to ask him a few questions."
The young lawyer scoffed. "You have no evidence that Mr. Ross had anything to do with Moira Gray's disappearance. And until you do, I suggest you leave immediately."
Nicky narrowed her eyes. She could feel the anger boiling in her chest. The nerve of this guy. To prove her point, she held her FBI badge up high.
"I suggest you advise your 'client' to come down to the station with us, peacefully," she said.
Nicky took a deep breath and tried to remain calm. This was not unexpected. She knew they would face resistance from Alexander Ross, and his lawyers were just part of the game.
"Your client was calling Moira Gray before she went missing," Nicky said, her voice steady. "We have evidence of those calls."
The young lawyer sneered. "My client has nothing to do with Moira Gray's disappearance. You have no right to accuse him without evidence."
"We have evidence," Nicky repeated, holding up her badge again. "And we have reason to believe that he may be involved in the kidnapping."
The lawyer shook his head. "I'm sorry, but we cannot allow you to enter the property without a warrant."
Nicky glanced around, assessing the situation. Even with Ken by her side, they were outnumbered, and as much as she hated to admit it, they were right too. Once lawyers were involved, there wasn't much Nicky could do other than try to get them to bring him in so they could talk to him.
"Fine," she said, lowering her voice. "But I suggest you tell your client to cooperate with us. Because if we have to come back with a warrant, things will get a lot messier."
The lawyer hesitated. Then, finally, a voice from behind the garage again:
"Everyone, it's okay..." Slowly, the garage door opened, and Alexander revealed himself once again. A more sheepish look took over his face. "It's okay, everyone. I'll talk."
"Sir–" one of the lawyers began, but Alexander held up his hand.
"It's okay." Alexander met Nicky's eyes. "I truly don't know anyone named Moira Gray, but I have been talking to plenty of women during a study for the dating app I'm working on, and some of them, I talked to multiple times. I'm a software developer, you see, so if this Moira person had signed up for the app, then there's a chance I talked to her. But I didn't ask them for their names, and I think most of them used aliases if they did provide a name, since dating is such a personal thing."
Nicky thought back to the notebook in Moira's room. The random names she'd written down. Could she have been trialing aliases? And was she really using this so-called dating app?
Nicky knew that they needed to verify Alexander Ross's claims. It was possible that he was telling the truth, but they couldn't take his word for it. She decided to take a different approach.
"Mr. Ross," she said, her tone softening. "We understand that this might be a difficult situation for you, but we need your cooperation to find Moira. If you truly don't know anything, then there's nothing to worry about. But we need your help to confirm what you've just told us."
Alexander Ross looked hesitant, but Nicky could see a glimmer of warmth in his eyes. Maybe he wasn't completely heartless after all.
"Okay," he said finally. "What do you want me to do?"
Ken stepped forward. "We need you to give us access to your app. We want to see if Moira ever used it and, if so, under what name."
Alexander Ross nodded slowly. "I can do that. But I need to be there to walk you through it."
Nicky hesitated. She wasn't sure if she trusted Alexander Ross yet. But they didn't have much of a choice at this point. They needed to find Moira, and if this was the only lead they had, they needed to follow it.
"Fine," she said.
"We'll follow your lead. But if we find out that you've been lying to us, Mr. Ross, you will face the consequences."
Alexander Ross nodded, and led them into his house.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The lawyers trailed behind them, still muttering under their breaths. As Nicky and Ken followed Alexander into the mansion, Nicky beheld a breathtaking sight: rich mahogany floors shone in the moonlight, crystal chandeliers hung from the vaulted ceilings, and fine silk curtains draped the large windows. Bronze statues stood guard at each corner while an ornate carpet ran a path to the grand staircase. Nicky wanted to ransack the place, but the lawyers were breathing right down her neck, a reminder that anything done off the books would land her in hot water. Still, she kept an eye out for anything suspicious but found nothing. Even as Alexander led them into what appeared to be his home office, Nicky saw no sign of the girls and no sign of any illegal activities.
Alexander logged into his computer and opened up the dating app. Nicky and Ken leaned over him, the lawyers shadowing them.
"Now, let me see," Alexander said, scrolling through the app. They had a developer's view of it. "Not many people were using it. As I said, it's in development. But we can scroll through the users, and if you see this Moira, you can let me know."
Nicky narrowed her eyes as she watched Alexander's fingers move over the keyboard. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was hiding something from them. She glanced at Ken, who seemed to share the same suspicion.But as Alexander scrolled through the users, the tension in the room grew. Nicky was about to give up hope when a name caught her eye, along with the photo of a woman who looked a lot like Moira.
"Stop," she said, pointing to the screen. "Go back. That one. Alice."
Alexander stopped and looked at the screen, then back at Nicky. "Alice," he repeated. "Yes, I remember her. We talked a few times."
Nicky leaned in closer, her eyes fixed on the screen. This was definitely Moira's picture. She glanced at Ken, who nodded at her. Moira had been using the app under an alias. Alexander's story checked out. But it didn't clear him. Still, Nicky was drawn in by this new lead, so she asked, "Is there any way to see her messages?"
"Of course not," Alexander said. "They're encrypted. I would never include anything to breach my user's privacy. This isn't my first app, you know."
"What about her matches?" Ken asked.
"Those, we can see," Alexander said, clicking on Moira's profile.
Nicky watched as Alexander scrolled through Moira's matches.
"How about this guy, William," he said, pointing at the screen. "They matched two weeks ago. He's been inactive for a few days, but I can give you his profile information."
Nicky nodded, feeling a spark of hope. Maybe this William guy knew something about Moira's whereabouts.
"Please do," she said. "In fact, if you can give me this entire list, it would be helpful. What information is stored on them?"
"Only the name they enter and the email they use to sign up," Alexander said, opening another application on his computer. "I can compile them into a spreadsheet here."
Nicky nodded. She had to admit, Alexander was being very accommodating. It could be to conceal his own guilt, but she found herself less threatened by him by the second. And this dating app lead—it made sense.
"Thank you," she said, passing Alexander her card, so he could forward the information. She watched as he put it all into a spreadsheet and sent it to Nicky's email. She felt her phone buzz in her pocket, confirming the list was now hers. She had seen it all with her own eyes, so she knew the names and photos were legitimately from the site.
As they were about to leave, Nicky turned to Alexander. "What about the women you talked to multiple times? Can you give us any more information about them?"
Alexander's face clouded over. "I'm sorry, but I really can't. My users' privacy is important to me."
Nicky understood his stance, but she couldn't help feeling frustrated. They were so close to finding Moira and the other girls, and yet they were hitting dead ends at every turn.
"Well, thank you for your time," Nicky said to Alexander. As they were leaving the room, she turned to his lawyers and said, "And we're going to need a confirmable alibi for your client's whereabouts last night. Can you get that to us?"
"Of course," one of the lawyers said. "Mr. Ross is innocent in all accusations. As you can see, he's been generously offering his help."
Nicky and Ken made their way out of Alexander Ross's mansion and into the chilly night air. She pulled out her phone and opened up the spreadsheet that Alexander had sent her. The list of names and profile pictures was long and could all be fake profiles, for all she knew. But they were potential contacts that Moira had made.
Ken was silent beside her, probably lost in thought like she was. It was a lot of information to process, but they couldn't afford to waste any time. They had to find Moira and the other missing girls before it was too late.
They both breathed a sigh of relief when they got into their car and shut the doors.
"Well, it's a start," Nicky said, turning on the car. "You think he's innocent?"
"Honestly, he could be," Ken said, "but he definitely has a lot of people on call for damage control. They were there quick."
"Well, he's a public figure in a way," Nicky said as she kept driving. "But we should cross-reference this list of names. Maybe one of the other girls was using a dating app too. Maybe Brianna was."
Ken nodded. "If we see a match with any of the others, then we could have our guy."
Nicky nodded, feeling a sense of renewed determination. They were making progress, and it felt good. But they still had a long way to go.
As they drove through the deserted streets, Nicky couldn't help but think about Moira and the other girls. What had they been forced to endure? Were they still alive? Some of them had been with him for months, enduring only God knew what kind of torture. The thought made her shiver. She couldn't bear the thought of another innocent life being taken away. And she knew first-hand that one could be kidnapped and then recovered if given the chance. As many challenges as Nicky had in her life, she would still take it over being killed by that man ten years ago any day. She just hoped she could say the same for Rosie, that her sister was out there, somewhere, still alive.
"We'll find them," Ken said as if he could read her thoughts. "We won't stop until we do."
Nicky glanced at him and nodded. She knew he was right. They had to keep going, no matter what.
As they drove into the night, Nicky made a mental note to crosscheck the list of names with their database. Maybe they'd finally get a break in the case.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
At the precinct, Nicky requested all the possible data she could from the previous victim's phones, but without their actual devices, it was hard to pinpoint much other than their call and text history. Precisely what dating apps they were using, if any at all, remained locked in their phones.
So Nicky did the next best thing: she began calling people known to each victim so she could find out if there were any verbal accounts that the other girls were on dating apps too.
In the briefing room, she went through a list of each victim's contacts. So far, she'd called a few people and had no hits. She was about to call Amy Bishop's roommate when Ken walked in, his suit jacket open to reveal his white shirt, slightly unbuttoned. Nicky had to admit, he looked damn good, but she quickly wiped that from her mind.
"Any news?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said, "lawyers were able to send a verifiable alibi on Ross's whereabouts at the time Moira went missing. He's not our guy."
"Damn," Nicky said, although she had figured as much. Alexander Ross had seemed like the perfect suspect--until his story had made sense, opening Nicky's mind to the theory that Moira wasn't the only one on some sort of dating app.
Still, she had no proof of it yet.
"I'm just about to call Amy Bishop's roommate and see if she knows anything," Nicky said. She pushed the list of numbers, scribbled down on a notebook, toward Ken. "Feel free to keep going through."
"Got it," Ken said, sitting down with a sigh.
Nicky pressed her phone to her ear and listened to it ring as she waited for Amy Bishop's roommate to answer. She tapped her foot impatiently, hoping that this lead would bring them closer to finding Moira and the other missing girls.
"Hello?" a voice answered finally.
"Hi, this is Agent Nicky Lyons with the FBI. Is this Flora Montgomery?"
"Yeah, this is me," the voice said. "Is everything okay?"
"I'm calling about your roommate, Amy Bishop?"
"Oh my god!" Flora exclaimed. "Did you find her?"
Nicky's heart sank, wishing she didn't have to let the girl down. "I'm afraid not. But I am looking into it. I'm trying to gather as much information as possible regarding Amy's disappearance. Would you happen to know if she was using any dating apps or if she mentioned anything about meeting someone she met online?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone before the roommate responded. "I don't know about any dating apps, but she did mention a guy she had met online, and I think they were planning to meet, but never did. I think she must have been using dating apps, though, because where else would she have met him online?"
Nicky's heart raced. This was the lead they needed. "Do you happen to remember his name, or what app she was using?"
The roommate hesitated. "I don't know about the app, but I remember his name. It was… Blake, or something like that."
"Last name? Anything at all?"
"Well, she did show me a picture," Flora said. "I remember thinking he looked pretty cute. It was right before she disappeared, to be honest. I told the police, but because I only had a first name and really knew nothing about the guy, they didn't seem to take it seriously."
Of course, they didn't, Nicky thought bitterly but pushed it aside.
If this Flora girl had seen the picture of the guy Amy was meeting, she could be an eye-witness.
Nicky quickly jotted down the name in her notebook. Blake. He could be on the list. "Thank you so much for your help. We have some names and photos of potential suspects. Do you think you could come in and look at them, let me know if any of them match Blake?"
"Yes, of course!" Flora exclaimed. "I can come in right away. Anything I can do to help find Amy!"
"That's great. Thank you."
Relieved, Nicky hung up the phone, feeling a renewed sense of hope. They finally had something to go on, a lead to follow. Nicky turned to Ken and saw that he was still going through the list of contacts, his face scrunched up in concentration.
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