Page 75 of Investigate Away
“Absolutely. Thanks, Jag.”
“For what?”
“For believing in me.”
“What are good boyfriends for?”
“Christ, did I really just agree to be your girlfriend?” she asked, tongue-in-cheek. “Don’t answer that. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you, babe.”
“Right back at you.”
16
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Jag slammed his fist down on the steering wheel as he swerved his patrol car to the side of the road.
“I’m sorry,” Albert said. “I wish it wasn’t true.”
“You’re sure it was Ivy Thompkins body we found in Beverly Beach.”
“All the medical records prove it,” Albert said. “And the medical examiner pins the time of death at three in the morning the night of Ajax’s party.”
“Callie and Kara blew into town the day before.”
“And supposedly Kara rolled right out of town the next day,” Albert said. “When was the last time Callie saw either of them?”
“We both saw Kara the day the Trinket Killer left a note for Callie at the Langley Inn, but I only got a glimpse of Kara the night of the party, and I believe that was the last time she’s seen Ivy, but she’s spoken to Kara on the phone numerous times.”
“But not Ivy,” Albert interjected.
“Seeing as though she’s dead, no. It’s always just been Kara or Carol.”
“Yeah. Armstrong. That’s a fucking blow, man. If what you and Callie are saying is true, Armstrong has been covering for her daughter for years.”
“I’m thinking you might want to have someone take a closer look at her suicide.” Jag glanced in his rearview mirror as a four-door sedan came barreling down the road.
“Already on it.”
“Fuck. I’ve got to go. Some asshole is doing like eighty in a forty and coming up on a school zone.”
“One more thing you need to know.”
Jag kept his gaze on the approaching vehicle that didn’t bother to slow down, even when Jag hit his siren and flashed his lights. “What’s that?”
“We got a call from John Armstrong last night. His wife didn’t come home. I pushed the missing person through even though it hasn’t been twenty-four hours. I’ve put out a person of interest bulletin for Kara, and I’ve contacted the locals in the town you mentioned she and Ivy were supposed to be staying at, just to see if they even went there at all, but I’m sure it’s a dead end.”
“Well, we have to cover our bases.” Jag gripped the steering wheel, ready to punch the gas. He’d call Callie after he dealt with this motherfucker.
At least he didn’t have to worry about Callie leaving the house and meeting with Tina anymore.
Nope. He just had to worry about fucking Kara walking onto his island, if she wasn’t already there.
“Can you order a checkpoint at the ferry?”
“Done,” Albert said.
“All right. Stay in touch.” Jag tapped his cell and peeled out onto the street in hot pursuit. He lifted the mic. “Isabelle, this is the chief. I’m pulling over a light-blue Sonata for doing eighty in a forty. Washington plates of ERI 778. Can you run them for me?”
