Hearts and Aces (Kelsey's Burden Series Book 7), Kaylie Hunter [guided reading books TXT] 📗

greeting. “Casey, it’s good to see you. I didn’t know you were back at work.”

“Laurie kicked me out for a few days. Said I was smothering her.”

“How’s she doing?”

Laurie’s real name was McKenzie Griffith. We’d recently rescued her from her psycho ex-husband.

“Good. For the first time in years, she doesn’t have to watch over her shoulder. I never got a chance to thank you for your help. When Wayne said you needed someone for a case, I figured this was the best way to repay the favor.”

“Not necessary, but I could use someone to accompany Trigger to Indiana. I’d go myself, but I don’t want to leave Nick while Grady’s out of town.”

“What’s the mission?”

“Cold case of a missing teenager. Tech’s theory is someone picked her and her bike up along the side of the road and drove away. We’ll need the neighbors interviewed, and boots on the ground to follow any leads.”

“Kelsey wants you to live-stream the interviews,” Tech said. “I’ll get the equipment ready.”

“I’ll pack and meet up with Trigger.” Casey turned to leave as Trigger was entering.

“Trigger, good timing,” I said. “I’m having Casey accompany you to Indiana so you don’t do anything stupid. Understood?”

Trigger laughed but didn’t say anything as he followed Casey out the door.

Tech smiled wickedly at me. “You really think Casey can keep Trigger from doing something crazy?”

I shook my head. “It’s a coin toss.”

Tech laughed as he left to get the equipment ready.

“This is much more entertaining than geometry lessons,” Beth said, grinning.

Bridget tapped Beth’s monitor again.

“Right. Focus, Beth,” she said to herself.

I needed to take notes on the suspects, so I printed the summary page of everyone Tech had researched so far with a vehicle large enough to transport the bike. On each, I made notes of questions to ask and any details from their files that stood out like employment, family structure, or hobbies. I had ten suspects to interview within the first hour alone. And those were just the ones who lived close. Anyone visiting the area could’ve been involved.

The case application listed the names and numbers for friends and family members. Allie’s best friend Kristyn was listed with a current phone number and a current address in Indianapolis. Though she was likely at work, I opted to call, anyway.

“Hello?” someone answered.

“Hi, is this Kristyn?”

“It is. May I ask who’s calling?” She seemed annoyed, and I heard people talking in the background.

“My name is Kelsey Harrison. I work as an investigator for Silver Aces Security in Michigan. I’ve been hired—”

“Please don’t tell me you’re another private eye out to steal the Jacobs’ money. They’ve been through enough. The case went cold years ago, and despite how I wish differently, Allie’s dead.”

“First of all, I know the Jacobs can’t afford our services. I offered to look at the case pro bono. Second of all, tell me why you’re convinced she’s dead.”

“It’s been five years,” she said, exhaling slowly. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to sound so cold, but I work in the city with runaways. I know what the odds are.”

“You’re right, and I agree. It still doesn’t hurt, though, for me to take a look at the case. So can you tell me about the day she disappeared?”

“She didn’t show. I’m not sure what else I can say. When I called her cell phone, she didn’t answer. I called several times over the next hour before calling her mother to see if maybe she was grounded again.”

“Was that normal? Did her parents ground her a lot? Take away her phone?”

“Not any more often than mine did,” she said, laughing humorlessly. “Our parents were best friends. Any one of our four parents could ground us or take away privileges. Since Allie and I were the only kids who lived in that neighborhood, we were always together when we got into trouble.”

“What about the fight she had with her parents about curfew?”

“About curfew? I heard they argued, but Allie wouldn’t have run away if it was about our curfew. That was a game.”

“What do you mean?”

“As I said, our parents were best friends. If I had a nine o’clock curfew, so did Allie. But we knew if either of us could get it extended, then the other’s parents would extend theirs. We’d both been harping on our parents for days to get the time changed. The night before she disappeared, we joked about how stubborn they were being.”

“Was that the last time you spoke to her?”

“I called her the next morning to tell her I was riding with my mom into town to buy a new backpack.”

“What time was that?”

“I’m not sure. I was a teenager, so likely mid-morning. We agreed to meet at my house at noon, but when I got home, she wasn’t there.”

“And you were home on time? Before noon?”

“No, actually. We were running late. I remember whining to my mom, but she said Allie had a key.”

I flipped through the detective’s notes. “I don’t see anything in the police file about you not being home.”

“I don’t think anyone ever asked. They asked me if I’d seen her, and I said no. The police searched the house and the property. They even looked into my dad, but he was driving semis back then and was somewhere out west.”

I found the notes on Kristyn’s father’s alibi and circled the date stamp of a gas station surveillance photo. “Was there anyone else who frequented your house or Allie’s house? A family member? Friend of the family?”

“Wow, um, let me think. Allie’s grandma visited a lot. Her mom’s friend Patty was around every summer to help with the flower nursery that Allie’s mom ran. My uncle had visited, but he left the night before to head back