Page 48 of Guess Again
“When was the last time you were in Milwaukee?” Maddie asked.
“About a month ago. Portia and I went out to dinner. It was the last time we were together. If you want the exact date, I’d have to check my credit card.”
“What happened that night?”
“We had steaks at Mo’s in the city, and I stayed at her place.”
There was a short pause.
“What’s going on?” Blake asked. “Something happen to Portia?”
“No one’s seen her since Saturday morning, June twenty-eighth,” Maddie said. “Didn’t show up to work all week. Her fiancé called to report her missing on Friday, July fourth.”
Blake Cordis slowly closed his eyes.
“And you saw my number in her phone and think I had something to do with it.”
“It’s a reasonable suspicion,” Ethan said.
“This is the first I’m hearing about Portia being missing.”
“You don’t seem particularly concerned,” Maddie said.
“I hope she’s okay, but I didn’t know her all that well. We dated for a few weeks and slept together a few times. That’s the extent of it.”
“You’re just over thirty years old,” Ethan said, “and in that short lifetime, you’ve now been, at the very least, acquaintances with two women who have gone missing. You’ve either got a terrible track record with women, or it’s really dangerous to know you.”
“Okay,” Blake said, exhaling a cloud of smoke and nodding his head. “I get it. You guys did some poking around on me.”
Ethan stood up. “Sure did, pal. Blake Cordis was a first-year history teacher and the head coach for Cherryview High School’s girls’ volleyball team in 2015 when another girl went missing.”
“I’m not doing this again,” Blake said.
“The DCI has reopened the Callie Jones case and put me in charge of the investigation.”
Blake stubbed out his cigarette and also stood. “Am I being arrested for anything?”
“Not yet,” Ethan said.
“Then I’m going to ask you both to leave.”
“You don’t want to answer any more questions about Portia?” Maddie asked.
“Not unless you’re arresting me, and then not without my attorney being present.” Blake smiled. “Are we good?”
“Don’t plan on traveling anywhere,” Maddie said. “Just in case we need to talk some more.”
A few minutes later, Ethan and Maddie pulled through the cast-iron gate and sped away from Prescott Estates.
“What do you think?” Ethan asked.
“I don’t know,” Maddie said. “He seemed surprised to hear she was missing.”
“Agreed. Or he’s a really good actor.”
Maddie looked at Ethan as they turned onto the lonely country road. “One thing is for sure. We’re not going to get any information from Blake Cordis, which means you have to ask Francis what he wants. And you have to do it soon.”
CHAPTER 44
