Lost in the Dark, page 8
part #1 of Camden Point Romantic Suspense Series
“What about their anniversary?” Nate asked.
She tried that, Hailey’s birthday and her dad’s, then she tried Hailey’s mom’s and bingo. The phone unlocked. They inspected the call log and text messages, which led them nowhere except to confirm Austin’s story of trying to reach her with no luck last week. Unfortunately, the same password didn’t get her into Ashley’s email account. Who password protected their email on their phone? Someone with a jealous boyfriend. Austin might have an alibi, but he still wasn’t in the clear as far as she was concerned. Ash watched as the tech bagged a few hair samples—most likely Hailey’s. After another hour of biding her time and biting her tongue, she turned to Nate.
“Standing here is getting us nowhere. Time is slipping by and with each minute, Hailey’s chances are getting slimmer and slimmer.”
“I agree. Let’s go check out where they found the car. See if we can find someone who saw something, anything.”
As they drove the short distance from the impound lot to the bridge, Ashley studied Nate from the corner of her eye. He drove with both hands on the wheel at ten and two. His gaze flicked from in front of him to the rearview mirror to the side mirrors and back. He kept the volume on the radio low and the chitchat to a minimum. He was all job. As a work partner, she knew she could count on him to be fully present. But she had to wonder what was he like outside the job. Who was Nate Daines when he took off the badge at night? Was he still a buttoned-up, by-the-rules guy, or did he cut loose and let his bad boy out?
And she didn’t mean in the bedroom.
She already knew the answer to that question.
A memory from their last time together surfaced. Nate, shirtless, and planning to use the cuffs he carried for something not sanctioned by the department… on her. It was enough to make her struggle to swallow as heat crept across her cheeks.
She reminded herself that getting involved—emotionally—was a bad idea. New York called her name, and she wanted more than a part-time lover.
But did she want it all?
Shared bathrooms and checking accounts? Lifelong promises? Pets? Kids? Someone to share her darkest secrets?
Before she could put more thought into her relationship with Nate, they pulled off into a dirt lot under the bridge. Battered wooden fences lined two sides, separating the homes from the empty lot. Scrub brush and trash littered the area. Someone discarded a pile of old mattresses and a broken-down dresser toward the back corner.
“According to the report, Hailey’s car was between that pile of junk and the fence, which is why no one saw it for several days,” Nate said.
Nate scanned the general vicinity before he slipped out of the car. Ashley followed suit. She wasn’t as familiar with the towns surrounding Camden Point, but she knew every town had their problem areas. This might be one of them. The houses along the road leading up to the bridge were older, some in need of some serious TLC and others not so much. There were a few businesses kitty-corner to the lot, but nothing directly across the street, which meant no security footage. She walked around the lot slowly, just getting a feel for the place. A distinct lack of streetlights up and down the road didn’t surprise her. It made for the perfect dumping site.
As she walked toward the back of the property, she caught sight of a few discarded needles, along with broken beer bottles. This was not a place for anyone on the right side of the law to hang out, especially at night, and Ashley wondered if Hailey had gotten caught up in something dark and dangerous. Possibly a drug deal gone wrong? Even good people broke at times. Work, school, and her mom’s death made Hailey a prime candidate. Another thought reared its ugly head. What if Hailey was involved in something else? Something like prostitution? While the lot wasn’t an ideal spot for picking up dates, it would give them privacy for business.
“What are you thinking?” Nate asked as he scanned the area again.
“Nothing good.” She hated expressing her thoughts out loud, as if just saying them besmirched Hailey’s reputation, but she’d seen too much in her time on the force to ignore any possibilities. “I’ve seen a lot of dump sites like this down in the city. Maybe Hailey wasn’t the wholesome girl next door everyone thought?”
“Yeah, I was wondering the same thing and hoping I’m wrong.”
Together they walked the lot until they came to the street. Nate moved in next to her, protectively blocking her from anything threatening that could come her way. It was adorable and irritating at the same time. Both stared across the road at the water. With an unconscious agreement, they crossed and walked along the river’s edge. Thankfully, she didn’t see any drag marks or signs of a struggle.
“Let’s pray she didn’t end up in there.” Ashley referred to the Thames River that washed out into Long Island Sound.
Nate’s phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his pocket to read the message. “That was the tech team. It’s too soon to tell us much, but they found traces of blood in the back seat on the door. Someone wiped it but did a piss-poor job of cleaning. They’ll let us know if it’s a match for Hailey as soon as they can.”
Ashley swore under her breath. They were following the steps, following protocols, but they were heading down a blind path. A person didn’t just vanish into thin air with no witnesses. Especially not in today’s world, with cell phone cameras and home and business security systems. They just needed a kernel of information, a sign pointing them in the right direction, anything to tell them which way to go.
If she missed living and working in New York for any reason—besides the food—it was the fact that someone always had a camera. Be it an innocent bystander, a tourist, or an idiot thinking they wouldn’t get caught. There were cameras everywhere in the city. But not out here. Here, they needed to go back to the basics.
Ash pointed to the house next to the vacant lot. “Time to knock on doors. Someone had to have seen or heard something at some point.”
Two hours later, they were back in Camden Point, not a whole lot closer to answers than they’d been that morning. The residents of the adjacent house couldn’t tell them much other than the lot was a community eyesore, with trash being dumped there all the time, or a hangout place for teens looking to party. One person at a nearby business remembered seeing a dark-colored truck pull into the lot late Thursday night. He didn’t stick around to see anything else, figuring it was healthier for him to mind his own business.
“Did you check to see what Austin drove?” Hailey asked on the way back to the car.
Nate’s hand froze on the door handle. “A black pickup. We really need those convenience store tapes. I’ll give the New Hampshire police a call. Ask them to put a rush on the request.”
She nodded. What else was there to say except that red tape was a bitch? Hopefully, the techs got more than some hair samples and blood. A fingerprint would be good. Preferably one that was in the system and wasn’t Hailey’s.
Ashley reached for the door, intent on saying good night, but she hesitated. Her gaze went to Elsie’s Diner and her stomach grumbled. She’d skipped lunch. She could go back to her place and whip up some pasta, but honestly, she was beat, and she really didn’t want to be alone. But it wasn’t just anyone’s company she wanted.
“You know what sounds good right about now?” she asked.
“You mean besides finding out that Hailey Sweeney is home safe and sound?” Frustration and dread filled his voice. Not that Ashley blamed Nate. This case was taking too damn long to solve. Somewhere out there, a scared young woman waited for them to find her and time was ticking away.
“That’s a given. But I was thinking that one of Miss Elsie’s bacon double cheeseburgers and a big plate of fries sounds like heaven.” Maybe with food in her system, she could think better. She had to be missing something.
“Is that a dinner invitation?” Nate’s face lit up as he cocked a brow and the corners of his mouth lifted.
She leaned forward, searched his eyes before brushing her lips across his. She shouldn’t have done that. Shouldn’t have kissed him, not even an innocent wisp of a kiss, but it had been instinct, habit, want, need. So she did.
“Nate, will you have dinner with me? It’s my treat.” After the disappointing day they’d had, surrounded by dirt, despair, and the desolate reminder that life could be wiped away at any moment, she was ready to take a chance and let someone in. A little. It was just dinner, after all. She’d see how things went before taking it further.
“You’ve got a deal, but I’m buying.” He held up a hand when she started to argue. “Trust me. I’m doing you the favor because I’m ordering the burger, extra fries and one of her famous slices of pie. I’m so hungry, I might order one of everything from the menu.”
As they got out of the car and made their way down the street, Ash laughed, which felt so good and so wrong at the same time. Right as they reached the diner door, Officer Gary Wyman called out to Nate to wait up.
They stepped to the side, so they weren’t blocking the door, and waited for him. Wyman scrubbed a hand over his face. “We got a call in. Someone discovered a woman’s body. Early twenties, blonde hair. I’m on my way over to see if she’s Hailey Sweeney.”
Nate didn’t bother trying to talk Ashley out of coming with him to the morgue. It would have been pointless. They made the drive in silence, neither one looking forward to the task ahead. Thankfully, Nate hadn’t had to do a lot of death notifications in his career. Back in the day, when he lived and worked in Los Angeles County, he’d had a few—mostly car accidents. If he never had another, he’d never complain. He knew what it was like to lose a loved one. To have his entire world ripped away.
When he’d lost Mara, he’d fallen into a black hole. Unable to get out of bed, days lost in the bottom of a bottle, until his father-in-law had hauled him up, threw him into the shower, and dragged him to a support group. It had taken weeks for Nate to share and then months to accept that his life had changed. He now knew he owed it to his wife, who had embraced every day with a purpose, to go on living. He hoped that whoever was lying on that cold steel slab had gone quickly, like Mara.
When they arrived at the hospital where the body awaited transfer to the county medical examiner, Nate turned off the car but didn’t move to open the door. He stared at the neon light. Ashley reached over, laced her fingers through his, and squeezed.
“You okay?” she asked.
He swallowed. No. “Yeah, just taking a moment. You know.” How could she know unless she’d lost someone? Man, he hoped Ashley had never been where he’d been. He wouldn’t wish that kind of loss on anyone.
“Yeah, I do. However this turns out. If that’s Hailey in there or not, we keep working the case. We either bring her home safe or we find justice for her and her dad.”
Nate nodded, squeezed her hand back, and got out of the car. Quietly, they walked inside and he led the way to the elevator down to the lower level. Wyman had filled them in before they left. They found the woman fifteen feet off of a favorite hiking trail on city property when the guy had stepped away to take a leak.
Probably scared the piss out of the poor guy.
According to the first reports, there was no obvious sign of death. She was, thankfully, fully dressed. Nate would follow up with Chief Cohen, who had responded along with Swanson. Tomorrow, he’d also look at the scene for himself. First, he needed to find out if that was Hailey lying inside that room.
Nate showed the attendant his badge and explained why they were there. He led them into a waiting room and left them alone while the guy got the body ready. Ashley took a seat on one of the old leather chairs, her arms wrapped tight around her waist. Nate couldn’t sit. He ran dialogue through his head—what he’d tell Preston Sweeney. They only had to wait a few minutes before the tech returned, but during that time, neither Nate nor Ashley said anything.
The tech walked over to a table where a young woman rested. They had folded the sheet back. Nate pulled up his phone with the pictures of Hailey Sweeney. Both women had blonde hair and a similar face shape, but this one had a scar across her collarbone.
“Chief Cohen said she had no ID on her when she was discovered,” Nate said out loud, more to himself than anyone else.
“It’s not her.” Ashley exhaled. “It’s not Hailey.”
Grief and relief flooded Ashley’s voice. Tears glossed her eyes, yet she held her ground. Nate got it. He wanted to pump his fist in the air because they potentially still had time to save Hailey, but his heart hurt for this girl, for her family, for her friends. He would see that she found justice.
“I agree, which begs the question. Who is she and what happened?”
“Did the first responders have any idea?” Ashley asked, as she tilted her head and studied the woman.
“Wyman states no physical signs of trauma that would cause death, but she had multiple bruises on her wrists, and you can see the one on her cheek.” Nate thanked the tech, and he and Ashley left. “Most likely drugs, but those marks say something else was going on. Maybe her boyfriend got too rough? Maybe a client? The autopsy will tell us more.”
Ashley pushed the front door open and took a deep inhale of fresh air. “So young. Too young, and now she’s gone. Will they assign her case to you, too?”
“Not sure. Depends on the chief. He might call Rafe back or he might call in backup. Camden Point isn’t a hotspot for murder, if that’s what this was. But I’m doubting that girl back there got those bruises on her own.”
“If I can help in any way, just name it.” Ashley opened the car door, but stood staring at the same neon light as he had earlier. “What’s next?”
“I need to head back to the station. Talk to the chief. I also want to see the scene where they found her. Take a look myself. It’s too late in the day to call the lab on the car.”
“Doubt they’d have anything this quick anyway,” Ashley said.
“I asked them to put a rush on things, but you know how that goes. What about you? Are you calling it quits for the night?” He would have loved to clock out for a few hours, have that dinner with Ashley, and just chill for a bit. But he had one missing woman in his town and another found dead. His earlier appetite was gone. Besides, he had work to do.
“I’m going to go see Preston Sweeney. Make sure if he’s heard the news, he knows that the woman lying in there isn’t his daughter.”
They headed back to Camden Point, bouncing ideas off of each other as to where next to head in their search. If only they could find a clue. An anonymous tip. A fingerprint. Something to lead them in her direction. Nate felt it in his gut that it wasn’t too late for Hailey, but time was slipping by. Somewhere out there, Hailey Sweeney was lost in the dark, just waiting for them to save her.
Chapter 6
Vinnie held Marilyn’s hand as they strolled down Camden Point Beach enjoying the sunset. He looked over at the woman next to him and still couldn’t believe he’d had to die to find the love of his life. Well, technically, Marilyn was the second love of his life. He didn’t think of Eveline often. It was too painful. He could only hope that she’d moved on, found some nice guy who wasn’t mixed up with the wrong crowd, and had a good life. He tried not to think about her with that other guy—it made him want to rip the man’s throat out—nor did he think about the kids they’d both wanted to have. Some memories were better left in the past.
He was more of a here-and-now type guy, anyway. And right then, he had a beautiful stacked blonde babe at his side who loved him. Him… Vincent Mattetuci. A guy with a questionable past. A tendency toward the shadier side of life. But that too was behind him. Now he toed the straight and narrow—most of the time—working as a private investigator and keeping an eye out on his girls. They might not be his by blood, but they held his heart in their hands, even if they didn’t know it. And now that he had Marilyn, he felt like his life was full. Not complete. He still had unfinished business. He wasn’t heading toward any light anytime soon.
“You’re awfully quiet tonight.” Marilyn snuggled up closer as they walked. They had ditched their shoes, but she was still in her beaded dress and headband and he in trousers and a buttoned-up shirt from their earlier visit to a speakeasy. Hey, the afterlife wasn’t all meditation and reflection. If only the old gang could see him now. “Are you missing Lexi and Kat?”
“Maybe a little.” He kissed the back of her hand, smiling down at her beautiful face. “But I got everything I need right here. You, the sunset, and we’re alone on the beach. What more could I need?”
Marilyn chuckled as she shook her head. “You’re not fooling me, Vincent. You miss those girls, and you miss solving cases with them.” Marilyn was the only one who called him by his full name, or rather the only one in a long, long time.
“Yeah, sure, I miss the action, but I’m enjoying my vacation and spending time with you.” He wrapped her in his arms, loving the feel of her. “You’ve been spending a lot of time in the studio with Babs.” Babs was the human Marilyn lived with. Technically, she was a relative, like Marilyn’s great-great-great niece or something.
“She’s sick, Vincent.” Her voice quivered with sorrow.
“You think she’s not going to make it?”
“Maybe, and if she doesn’t, she’ll cross over. I’ll miss her.” Tears sprung to Marilyn’s eyes, making the blue even more vibrant.
“Will you follow her? She’s the last of your family, right?” A thread of fear spread throughout his body. He couldn’t lose Marilyn now. They’d just found each other about seven months ago. They still had an eternity together, if she wanted.
Marilyn sniffled, but smiled. “And leave you alone? Who would keep you out of trouble?”
Relief flooded through his veins. “Good, because I’m not ready for you to…” He stopped as he spotted something down the beach. No, not a something, a someone. “Che diamine?”
“You’re not ready for me to… What the heck?” Marilyn pulled away from him, laughing. “Vincent, have you lost your mind?”
