Page 66 of Merciless Obsession

I started to tell her no when something clicked for me. This wasn’t the first time I saw that one of the girls was connected to the community center. I thought back to when my sister wastaken. She wasn’t in the big sister program but she did go there for tutoring when she started failing reading.

“Look, I need to get ready for work. Do you need anything else?” Ms. Henry asked, pushing up from the table.

“Um, no I think that’s it.” I stood as well. “Sasha, I’m glad you got away.”

“Do you think you know who tried to take her? The cops think it was random and told us not to worry. But with all the other girls being around my daughter’s age, I’m not convinced,” Josh mentioned.

“I have an idea, but until I have proof it’s just a thought. I don’t believe it was random though. I would keep an eye on your daughter and make sure she doesn’t walk anywhere alone.”

After saying my goodbyes, I left the house and was heading down the driveway to where my car was parked on the street when a familiar face came walking toward me.

“Ms. Lambert. What are you doing here?” Police Chief Hugh Bolden asked.

The two of us had history. He was number one on my shit list, after the lead detective on my sister’s case. I felt neither of them did enough to catch therealpredator. More than once Bolden threatened to throw me in jail for obstructing a police investigation.

“Just came to talk to Sasha Henry.”

He narrowed his eyes. “I hope you’re not here causing trouble and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Squaring my shoulders, I matched his annoyed demeanor. “I hope you’re here to actually solve a case for once.”

His lips pressed together tightly. “Go home, Ms. Lambert, and leave the policework to the police.”

“If the police did their job properly then I would.”

“Your sister’s killer was caught. We did our job.”

My skin ran hot and my stomach churned. My hands balled at my sides. “Your police fucked up and he was able to walk free! Speaking of, I saw Detective Watz kicked the bucket. Hopefully the new one you assign isn’t as sloppy as he was.”

Hugh’s jaw ticked. “Go home, Ms. Lambert. You’re not helping anyone by sticking yourself in the investigation. Why don’t you go home and cook something or fold some laundry.”

He brushed past me.

I had to take a couple deep breaths to calm myself. My short nails dug into my palm. My jaw hurt from how hard I was clenching it.

Chief Bolden was a big pain in the ass. The only cases he cared about were ones that would make him look good, like big drug busts. Missing girls from rough upbringings weren’t high on his list. He was a misogynistic old prick.

When I got to my car, instead of heading east to go toward the bridge, I headed for the community center. I never hung around the center. I was too busy trying to make money to help me and my sister get away from our parents. Outside of tutoring I thought the community center was the best option for my sister because it kept her away from home when I wasn’t there. I didn’t know Ms. Rubin personally, but my sister always spoke highly of her. We spoke a couple times when I stopped by the center to get my sister and she seemed passionate about what she did.

When I got to the community center, the parking lot was empty. I checked the time and saw it was a little past four. If I remembered correctly, it didn’t close until six.

I parked in front of the building, keeping my car running, I unbuckled my seat belt and climbed out of the car. When I got to the door I saw a note taped to it stating the center was closed for the rest of the week due to plumbing issues.

I grabbed the doors and attempted to open them but it was locked.

“Fuck.” I closed my hands on the door and moved my face close to it to look inside through the glass. It was dimly lit inside. The hallway lights were on overhead, but the rest of the place looked dark.

Sighing, I knew I would get no further here, at least until next week when it was open again.

Spinning on my heels I headed back for my car. I checked the time and knew it was time to head back across the bridge. I agreed to take a job at The Den with Inaya tonight. She was working the bar and convinced her boss Wise to let me serve drinks. Apparently, the guy who frequently came and flirted with her would be there. Once a month The Den hosted an all-in pot where high rollers came to play big. The buy-in was bigger than any other night and the stakes were high. This wasn’t the first time I worked at The Den, but this was the first time I was on a mission.

____

I was on my way out the door to meet Inaya at her house so I could carpool with her to The Den. I was required to wear a white, short-sleeved button up shirt that hugged my chest, a tie, and black, high-waisted shorts with black suspenders. My hair was half up in a ponytail with the rest cascading down my back and I painted my lips with dark red lipstick. My goal tonight was to capture this guy’s eye and hopefully get him to talk to me. Inaya said he loved a pretty face and nice ass and I had both.

As much as I wanted to look into the community center and the connection with the girls, I didn’t have time. I did text Emmet a list of names so he could see if they were connected in any other ways. On my way home from The Sticks I also called Lucas and asked if his friend was connected to the center.He mentioned her cousin did volleyball camp there before and also joined the big sister program when she moved with her grandparents to help the void of her parents not being around. That wasn’t a coincidence.

I grabbed my black crossbody, making sure my phone, recorder, and taser were inside before walking to the front door. I slid my feet in the black Chanel tennis shoes. Inaya got them for me last year on my birthday. I hardly ever wore them but tonight seemed like a good time to bring them out.