Page 85 of Desperate Justice

Rafe showed the cell phone photo of Diana. Andy nodded and grinned. “Yeah, she was a little trashed. I offered to let her crash at my place, but I got busy and when I turned around, she was gone.”

Allison’s heart raced. “What else do you remember?”

“I remember her because she was a real looker and she was the only person here driving a car. Everyone else was a biker.”

Allison sat up straight, trying to mask her hopes. “Oh? Did she say anything? She’s my sister. Please. I need to find her.”

The bartender’s grin dropped. “Not much.”

“What did she say?” Rafe asked, setting down his beer.

The bartender averted his gaze. “She said she wished you had let go of her hand that day in the river.”

Allison’s heart raced. Damn it.

Rafe, bless him, didn’t let up. “What else? Where was she headed? And why?”

But the man shook his head. “Sorry, buddy. It was busy.”

Rafe gave a chilling smile. “Busy enough for you not to remember anything other than she was driving a car and wished she’d died in a river? Or how pretty she is and how much you wanted to let her stay at your place? Or what? So you could take advantage of her?”

The man’s mouth opened. “Listen, I would never...”

“Oh yeah?” Rafe slid off the bar stool and leaned on the counter. “Tell me exactly what she said. It’s either here or at the police station.”

Blanching, the bartender gulped. “Um, you a cop? But I can see your bike outside.”

“There’s several of my friends in town who are cops and bikers. I know your business, Andrew Raine. I checked with a few people I know. Your liquor license on this dump expired two months ago and you’re known for hiring illegals to work under the counter and work cheap. You skirt the law, but know this. Unless you start talking, I’ll have all my cop friends storm in here and shut you down faster than you can pour another beer.”

Impressed, Allison wanted to applaud.

“Okay! I’ll talk, just don’t shut down the place.”

The man held up his hands. “There were a few guys bothering her at the bar while she was trying to eat. I told them to get lost, and she thanked me and said she only wanted beer and a club sandwich. She barely ate, was crying too much. When I asked her what was wrong, she said her life was in ruins and she didn’t know what to do next. I was trying to help!”

“By offering to let her stay at your place,” Rafe said flatly.

Andrew grew even paler. “I was only trying to help her.”

“Did she say where she was headed?”

“No. She only said she wished she could return to a happier time in her childhood when the only secret she had was in the tree house where she used to hide to eavesdrop on her sister. I guess that’s you.”

Allison narrowed her gaze. “You’d better be telling the truth, and if my friend here obtains a search warrant, you had better not have Diana bound and gagged in your bedroom.”

“No, no, never! I’m not like that. Sure, I like to hit on a pretty woman, but that’s not my scene.”

“What exactly is your scene?” Rafe asked.

“I’m just a businessman...”

His voice trailed off as Allison walked to a security camera on the wall above a tall cardboard box near the entrance.

“Mind if I check your cameras to see if she left with anyone?” she asked sweetly.

“The cameras don’t work. They’re a decoy. I fell behind in the rent and couldn’t pay for the upkeep.”

She peered inside the box. At least ten tan teddy bears stared back at her. She wrinkled her nose. The bears smelled like stale beer and cigar smoke.