Page 6

Chapter 6

Cate

T he phone case was typical for a nineteen-year-old. So was the picture she used as a background on her home screen, a group shot of her with her friends at a party.

I half listened as John and Jaden asked questions while I scanned Wendy’s texts.

“Who’s Mr. R.?” The name was mentioned in a text thread by a friend. And Wendy bragged about gifts, including jewelry, a new cell phone, and fancy dinners.

“I don’t know. I assumed it was a nickname for one of her friends.”

“Does she have a boyfriend?” I asked. Mr. R could mean Mr. Right. But why keep it a secret? Older man? Teacher? Married?

“No, she broke up with the last guy a couple of months ago.” I didn’t put much stock in his answer; teenage girls weren’t always forthcoming with things like whom they were dating. Especially if they’re using an initial, even with their friends .

“Do you know his name?”

“Bill, I never knew his last name.” He looked embarrassed, and then defended himself. “They didn’t go out long.”

I nodded as I typed Bill’s name into the contact search bar. Bill McCray was the only result. Not Mr. R.

My gut was telling me Mr. R. had given her a second phone. That kind of behavior didn’t bode well if he also insisted she leave her other phone at home when they went out.

“Are any of her things missing?”

Darling fiddled with his ring finger and avoided making eye contact. “I’m not sure. I didn’t really look.”

“If it’s okay, I’d like to see her room,” I said.

He hesitated but then said, “Of course.”

“Mr. Darling, Meg has some paperwork for you to fill out. I’ll walk you down,” John said as he stood.

“Is that it?” Darling asked.

“For now, we’ll be down in a minute,” I answered.

Meg met Darling outside the door and escorted him downstairs.

“What do you think, Jay?” John asked.

“There’s something he’s not telling us, but I don’t think he knows where Wendy is, or the identity of Mr. R,” Jay answered.

I nodded my agreement. “My gut says Mr. R gave her a phone for private contact. ”

“My gut agrees,” John said. “Go to Fort Worth and check out Wendy’s room before he changes his mind.”

Jaden closed his laptop and rested his heavily inked arms on the table. He looked like he wanted to say something, but I answered before he could.

“Yes, sir.”

“Take Jay with you.” He turned to Jay. “You’re not a PI yet, so it’s Maxwell’s case, but I think it’s a good one to start honing your skills.”

“Yes, sir.” He didn’t sound any happier than I felt knowing we’d be working the case together. His cold stare confirmed my suspicions.

I didn’t know if he was upset because he didn’t like working with me personally, or because he had to learn from a woman.

I didn’t really care. As long as he didn’t do anything to get in my way or fuck things up, I could deal with his shitty attitude.

God knows, I’ve dealt with worse .

“I’m driving,” Jay said as we walked out the door to the secured lot in the back.

“That’s fine.” I could give him that small victory if it soothed his ego.

He turned to me as if surprised, then marched towards his truck. Of course, it was huge and black. I would’ve been shocked to see him driving anything else. The four-door, extra-wide truck had a lock box in the bed and tinted windows.

He entered the address on his navigation system and shoved the truck in gear.

“When we get there, I’ll ask Darling to take us directly to Wendy’s room. I’d like for you to lag behind and-”

He cut me off. “Look for clues. Thanks, but I know how to do my job.”

An exasperated sigh wouldn’t help, so I held it back and forced myself to respond calmly.

“I know that Sheppard. But I’d like for us to be on the same page, and to do that successfully, we need a game plan.” So, calmly, but not entirely without snark.

I waited for a smartass remark but he shocked me by dipping his head once in acknowledgement.

“I think he’ll feel more comfortable talking to me when you’re not around, so give us a few minutes before you come in.” People, especially men, tended to underestimate me. Which worked in my favor. It was amazing how often they’d let important details slip because they’d let their guard down.

“Can you do that?” I asked when he didn’t answer.

“Yes, Maxwell, I can do that.” His answer was so heavy with snark it was practically a third person.

“Don’t go anywhere not on the direct path to Wendy’s room.”

“Follow you like a puppy dog. Got it.”

Sweet baby Jesus this man tries my patience .

“It’d be best if you hover near the door instead of coming in.”

“You want me to just stand there and look pretty?”

“No, Sheppard, I want you to observe Darling while I’m analyzing the room. I need you to see what I can’t.”

“No need to get snippy.” He grinned, goading me into a reaction.

I tapped my fingers on my thigh. I won’t let him get to me . I won’t let him get to me .

“Once I’m done in her room, I’ll ask to use the bathroom.”

“You’re assuming she doesn’t have her own.”

“No. I’m making an educated guess based on his clothes, car, and greasy fingernails.” I held up my phone and turned the screen towards him. “And Google Maps.” Darling was a working class man and the house was far too small for more than one bath.

“It’s not like I could look it up.” He held his hands up and pointed at the dash.

“You do understand the concept of teamwork, don’t you?” I huffed out. So much for not letting his shitty attitude get to me.

“I’m a Raider, a team guy through and through. Or have you forgotten?”

I wanted to say, ‘could have fooled me’, but let it slide. I’d never seen a Special Forces guy so reluctant to work with or trust others.

I bet someone seriously fucked him over .

“Then act like it,” I said.

“Yes, ma’am.” He saluted with two fingers .

God, I hate it when he does that . I didn’t care that I was a First Lieutenant in the Marines and he was enlisted. We were civilians , which meant he did it to annoy me.

Jaden parked on the street, giving us a chance to observe the neighborhood and yard as we approached the front door. The house fit in with the rest in the neighborhood. Darling had a clean yard but no landscaping, and the house could use a coat of paint. Unlike the others, there were two cars in his driveway.

Was one Wendy’s?

Darling opened the door before we knocked. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” Jaden stepped back and held his hand out. “Ladies first.”

He was working the plan in the most irritating way possible.

“Thank you.”

Did he just fucking wink at me?

I made a mental note to stop at the gym before going home. Hitting a bag would work off my frustration. And help me keep my sanity .

After leading us down the short hall to Wendy’s room, Darling stepped back. I observed the room from the doorway to get a general feel for her environment and mindset.

Unfortunately, the only thing that stood out was how little her room stood out. If she’d left for the weekend voluntarily, she would’ve taken her phone, clothes, and makeup, and maybe her laptop.

But she hadn’t .

There were a few posters on the wall—Wendy had a thing for Taylor Swift—but nothing else. The floral comforter was pulled up to the pillows, but the bed wasn’t made. Dirty clothes were piled up in the far corner, near the closet. Her small desk was cluttered with her closed laptop, a reusable water bottle, a pink make-up train case, and at least a dozen bottles of fingernail polish.

Wendy’s room was disorganized, but not dirty.

“Mr. Darling, have you moved anything?”

“I looked around her desk when I heard her phone alarm this morning, but I haven’t touched anything else.”

“Was the door open or closed?”

“Closed, why?”

“Just curious.” If she’d left it open, he probably would have noticed she was gone sooner. By closing it, she’d bought herself some time. If she left voluntarily .

“Are you okay with me looking around?”

He looked to Jaden then back to me before answering. “If you think it’ll help.”

I put on rubber gloves and got to work. I started with her small closet. It was packed to bursting with shirts, dresses, costumes, and a cheerleader’s outfit.

“Was Wendy a cheerleader?” I asked.

“All four years of high school.” His pride filled the room.

“Did she have plans to attend college?”

“She did. She took this year off to work and save money.”

I nodded. “Thanks.”

The necklace compartments of her jewelry box were full. I pulled out a few pieces and examined them. Given the cheap clasps and tarnished metal, I figured the stones were fake. The top two drawers were more of the same, only with earrings, rings, and bracelets.

The bottom drawer was completely empty.

Interesting .

Usually, I dictated my notes, but not wanting Darling to overhear, I typed them into my phone.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Jaden leaning against the hall wall. To an untrained eye, he’d looked like he didn’t have a care in the world, but I could tell he was watching Darling. At least he’s doing what I asked .

I opened the dresser drawers and looked inside.

“What’s she looking for?” Darling asked Jaden.

“Maxwell is a profiler, she’s looking for clues about Wendy’s state of mind.”

I couldn’t have put it better myself . Thanks, Sheppard.

There was nothing to note in Wendy’s dresser so I moved on to her desk.

“Sheppard, can you give me a hand?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said, exaggerating his southern drawl.

And he’s back .

“What do you need me to do?” He asked as he slipped on a pair of large rubber gloves, snapping the wrists of each one.

“We need to look through her trash, and read the notes.” Her floral bin had a lot of crumpled up scraps of paper. I’d expect to see that in John’s office, he was old school, but not in the bedroom of a nineteen-year-old.

“Good times.” He didn’t sound thrilled but he didn’t hesitate to get on his knees and start grabbing slips of paper from the small can.

“Take a look at this.” He handed me a small slip with nothing but a street address. “No city, but if it’s in the area it shouldn’t be hard to narrow down.”

He was right. “Bag it.”

I moved on to the desk while he finished looking in the bin.

It didn’t surprise me to find out her laptop was password protected.

“I’d like to take Wendy’s laptop back to the office.” I left out the fact we’d have to hack into it before I could start my research. “This and her phone are the best options we have for finding her.” I’d scour her phone while Doug unlocked her laptop.

“What if she comes back?”

“Call us and we’ll return it to you immediately. I promise you, we’re not looking for anything other than clues to were she might be,” I reassured him. Or whom she’s with .

“Okay. Will I get a receipt like they do on TV?”

I held back my laugh. “Yes, would you like it on paper or electronically?”

“Paper is fine.”

Electronically was easier and faster, but for some reason people always wanted paper.

I grabbed the laptop and put it in a large plastic bag.

“Sheppard will write you a receipt for the phone and laptop?” I asked, handing him the bagged items .

“Can we go to the kitchen?” Jaden asked as he exited the room.

“Sure.”

“Is it okay if I use the restroom?” I asked as I snapped off my gloves and put them in my pocket.

“Of course, it’s just down the hall.”