Page 33 of All He Sees
The first thing she saw was the picture of him again. He was a big guy, broad-shouldered, a strong jaw, and a shaggy head of hair. He was in his early fifties, and his eyes were intense. He had a wide, flat nose and a thick, rough beard.
Nicky glanced back up at the picture and then down again. There was something about his eyes... This man was capable of cruelty.
Nicky had seen that look before.
She saw the next picture. This one was from a newspaper article on George Fischer. He was shaking hands with an important-looking man in a suit. The article was a profile piece on George Fischer, one of Vale's most successful... businessmen.
Odd. For such a rough-looking figure, Nicky was surprised to see he'd done business with those types. Mostly, he transported goods for them.
Nicky read on.
The article was old, from a decade ago, but it was still a good summary of George's background. He'd been in Vale his entire life, and he was currently the owner of Fischer's Supermarket, one of Vale's most successful businesses.
As Nicky scrolled down the page, she saw George's wife and his three kids. Two daughters, twenty and eighteen, and a son, sixteen.
It said that George Fischer had started out as a trucker, delivering goods to the different companies in Vale. Apparently, he got into it when he was around Nicky's age, and he rode a bike across the country. It was over a decade ago, and he came from a barren town in Kentucky. There was no reason for him to stay in his hometown.
But Fischer had never been convicted of a crime. In fact, when Nicky triple-checked the database, she saw nothing on him at all.
That didn't mean he was innocent. It could just mean he was smart and careful.
Nicky closed the database. She didn't need to read anymore. In the morning, once she was face-to-face with George, she'd get the answers she needed.
Nicky stood up and sighed. The sound of the shower running in the bathroom was soothing. She took a breath and went out onto the balcony. The night was clear and warm, and the sound of the sea in the distance made Nicky feel momentarily at ease.
But the tranquility was fleeting. This was no vacation. Nicky had a girl to save--hopefully three girls.
Just as she was leaning her elbows over the railing of the balcony, Nicky's phone buzzed in her pocket. A call. She took it out, wondering if it was someone work-related--but it was Matt's name across her screen. Nicky frowned. She thought she'd made it clear she wanted to keep their chats casual (and through text). He hadn't called her before.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Hey, Nick," Matt slurred into the phone. Right away, Nicky could tell he was drunk. Made sense with the late-night phone call.
"Matt," Nicky said, "what's up?"
"I just--I've had a few, and I know you said you wanted to keep things really casual, but I just--I can't help it. I wanna see you."
Nicky's stomach clenched with anxiety. This was why she didn't like getting too close to men--dealing with people's emotions, their needs, when she wasn't equipped to properly deliver, made her uncomfortable.
"Matt," she said firmly. "I'm working a case."
"Just--I know you like your space, but can't we spend the night together? I really really really wanna see you."
"I'm working," Nicky said. "I told you that. I'm not anywhere near Jacksonville."
"Okay, maybe we can video chat? We don't have to do anything. I just wanna see you."
Nicky sighed. "I just can't, Matt."
"Come on, Nick!" Matt pleaded. "I've never met anyone like you before. I think about you all the time. We have so much history."
Nicky bit her lip. She didn't know what to say. It was true, they did have history, and Nicky generally liked Matt. But she didn't like this desperate, drunk side of him. She'd never heard him talk like this before, and it was seriously putting her off.
"I just--please, Nick. Please just come over," Matt said. "I'm drunk, and I'm lonely."
"I'm sorry, Matt," Nicky said. "I told you, I'm not even close to you. I can't help you."
"Seriously?" Matt said, sounding hurt. "You're gonna brush me off that easily?"
