Page 73 of Twice Missing
"Abel Davis."
"The guy who slapped Selena?"
He nodded.
"But…"
" Yeah. He was older than her. But Kayla began to have this theory that Selena had stumbled across something related to the solar project they were running in the area and so just like the way she spent time with Marcus, she connected with Abel Davis through the annual Pow Wow."
Noah nodded. "Who do you think is responsible for her disappearance?"
Jacob scoffed. "To me it's obvious. That shit Marcus. He's a good-for-nothing, low-life drug user. He was feeding Kayla drugs."
"So how did you wind up in his trailer?" Noah asked, turning to Jessica.
Jessica looked uncomfortable but answered after taking a sip of her drink. "I figured he knew more than he was telling. He kept saying some crap about how he could make people disappear if he wanted to. I..."
"She takes drugs," Jacob interjected bitterly. "There you go. Fits with the stereotypical idea you have of us, doesn't it?"
Noah tried to keep the conversation on track. "Look, I don't begin to know or understand. I just want to find answers."
"As did I,” Jessica said, continuing her story. “Marcus caught me searching through his belongings. I figured he had something...”
"Like, Kayla's phone?"
"Did you find it?" Jacob asked. "Because I called it multiple times after she went missing but never got an answer."
Noah didn't want to admit anything as they hadn't established that one of the phones was hers. It could just be another burner phone; however, based on the police report, Kayla's phone was missing at the time she went missing. "Did you find anything?" he asked Jessica, sidestepping Jacob's question.
"Nothing that would indicate that he was involved in her disappearance. He ended up getting angry with me and beat me and handcuffed me to his bed and…" she trailed off, not wanting to say any more.
"So the fire?"
“I came knocking. I heard her inside scream. I reported it to the cops but they did shit all. Why? Because of Oates."
"He's the cousin of Marcus."
"Yeah. Now you can see how complex it is. Why people don't say anything even if they do know." Jacob took a deep breath. "I think Marcus caught wind of me reporting him to the cops and he set my place on fire thinking I was inside. I was working that extra shift otherwise I would have been dead."
"And so after they arrived, they had no choice but to go over to Marcus' place."
"Exactly," Jacob said. "Too many heard my accusation."
The pieces were falling together. Of course accusations could be substantiated. Volatile situations had a way of drawing out the worst in people and forcing people to point fingers. Still, a wider picture was beginning to form, one that saw more players involved, different motives, and reasons for covering up. The question though was how did Emily Carter play a role in all of this?
As the conversation wound down, Noah stood up. "Is there anything else you want to add that you think might help?"
"None," Jacob replied curtly.
Noah thanked them and assured them he would do his best to find answers. As they approached the door to leave, McKenzie, in his usual tactless fashion, made a comment about Jacob's potential jealousy over Kayla seeing other men. "I imagine finding out that your ex was seeing other guys must have rubbed you the wrong way."
Jacob's reaction was immediate and angry. "What are you implying?"
“Oh shit,” Noah said under his breath. He turned around and took hold of McKenzie's arm. "Let’s go."
"What? I'm just saying that the situation certainly could provide a reason for her disappearance. I can't imagine I'm the only one that has thought about it."
Jacob stood up. "I had nothing to do with Kayla's disappearance. I loved her. I wouldn't have?—"
