Page 44 of Every Which Way

“I think Maizie’s laptop probably has more information on it than any person we can ask.” She reached over and dragged it out of the footwell on the passenger’s side. “We need to run everything on the victims. Figure out where they went during the last couple of weeks before they were taken and see if we get any matches.”

If each of the victims used a particular gas station or visited the same location, it would be a big clue as to how the perpetrators were selecting them.

“There’s someone I need to talk to. See if they have more information than they want to admit.” And bonus, they were a couple. “Call me if you figure anything else out.”

“Got it.”

The line went dead.

She sent a message to Detective Langford, then to Ramon about what she was doing and got a thumbs-up in return. A second later he texted.

They’re treating her now.

And looking at me like I did this to her.

Kenna replied that she would get the case file number for him from the police since that was where she was headed. Fifteen minutes later, she pulled up at the police station and went to the front desk. She showed her ID and asked for Detective Langford.

She didn’t have to wait long before Langford came through a side door and waved her over. “This way.”

Kenna went with her and was led through a series of halls to a bullpen area. She spotted Davis across the way, a few other detectives, and through the glass window on the side, an older woman she presumed was their superior officer standing up while on the phone, gesturing wildly.

“Figured you’d be at the hospital with your friend,” Davis said.

“She’s covered.” Kenna wasn’t going to explain about the ambulance. It wasn’t relevant to their search for Roxanne, and despite how it had shaken out, she didn’t actually want to get the resistance, or Amara, in trouble.

She had Davis give her the report number from the crash so Ramon didn’t have to deal with a social worker or the staff calling the cops thinking Maizie had been beaten. Then she said, “Can I have a word with the couple from the motel?”

“Serious charges.” Davis leaned back in his chair.

Langford sat at her desk opposite his. That left Kenna to sit in the chair a suspect would use at the end of their desks. She pulled it out and turned it to face them, effectively blocking the aisle. But no one would confuse her for the criminal in this situation.

Langford’s lips curled into a slight smile.

Kenna asked, “They have priors?”

Davis nodded. “She has a couple of arrests for prostitution. He’s got some assault and battery charges. Five years of time served between them. Neither is going to skate out from under this.”

“Are they talking?”

Langford said, “The DA won’t offer them a deal, even if they have information that would lead us to the woman who tried to take your friend. You know who she is?”

Kenna said, “Sort of. I know the group she belongs to. I met some of them overseas. They’re pretty hardcore. Like they think they’re assassins. She’s trying to find the victims of the motel kidnapping, but she’s going about it by every means except actually looking for them.”

Langford looked at her partner, a question in her expression, and when Davis indicated she proceed she slid a file over the desk and held it out to Kenna. “We finally got a match to the man’s DNA. It hasn’t officially been logged into the case file yet because the minute it gets inputted, someone is going to see it, and the word will get out. Right now, we need to figure out how to control the fallout.”

Kenna said, “You know who he is.” And the information was significant enough the public would certainly react—likely with an uproar. Whoever the guy was, the fact he’d been taken was newsworthy.

Langford said, “We know who he is.”

Kenna opened the cover of the file folder and looked at the image. His name. “Oh boy.”

ChapterTwelve

Langford hung back by the wall. Kenna approached the interview table and pulled the chair out and sat down. They’d run it by their lieutenant, but she didn’t have a lot of leash here. She wasn’t a cop, and they hadn’t opted to bring her on as a consultant. If the district attorney found out Kenna had interfered, things wouldn’t go well.

“You’re more than welcome to have your lawyer come in and be here for this.” They were recording, so Kenna figured she’d make this as official as she could. “It’s up to you. This is all voluntary.”

Ms. Miniskirt Tube Top from the motel had been given a cup of coffee and a sweater that was far too big for her. She turned out to be Sally Morris from Aurora. Nineteen and she’d already done two years in county lockup. She sniffed, holding the coffee cup with one hand on the table in front of her. “What do I care?”

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