Run For Your Life, page 9
Once home and at my computer, I logged on to the people-search database and typed in “Liza Montclaire.” Seconds later, her name, age, and address popped up. I wrote down the address—East Henry. I remembered then what the small bungalow looked like on Google Street View. I shut down my computer, put Gus out, and filled his water bowl. While I waited, I found the invitation that Liza had given me last week. I reread it in hopes that a name or address was on it, but none were. I pocketed it anyway and left one more time after bringing Gus inside. I fired off two more texts, one to Liza and one to Devon, climbed back into my car, and headed out. Liza’s home on East Henry was near Henry S. Truman Parkway, ten minutes away.
When I reached the yellow bungalow, I noticed it didn’t have a garage. There would be no guessing if a car was there or not. After parking along the curb and before going to the front door, I quickly peeked around the house to make sure a car wasn’t parked in back. The backyard was small, unfenced, and barren. No car, no landscaping, no patio—just a steel rear door without a window. I returned to the front, knocked on the door, and waited. As I did, I pulled my phone from my pocket—still no return texts from either of them. I had no way of entering the house short of breaking down the door, but I needed to speak to Royce and get his thoughts and permission before acting on anything.
I called his house as I continued to bang on the door. Even though it was a Sunday—Royce’s day off—he would gladly answer, knowing full well I wouldn’t call unless I had something urgent.
It rang twice before he picked up. “Mitch, what’s going on?”
“I’m not sure, Boss, and I’m sorry to call, but I need your input.”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“I was supposed to go to a scavenger hunt last night with a friend of mine, but considering the circumstances with Marie, I talked Rue into taking my place. I was invited because the proceeds go to charity, and three hundred dollars was pledged from that friend on behalf of the police department. She expected someone from the precinct to be there to represent.”
“Yeah, okay. Continue.”
“Well, like I said, Rue took my place, but ever since this morning, I can’t reach him or my friend Liza. It’s like they both vanished. I’ve been to Rue’s house, and his vehicle is in the garage, but he’s not home. It appeared like he never returned to the house last night.”
“And the woman?”
“I can’t reach her either, and now I’m standing on her front porch talking to you. She hasn’t answered the door, and she doesn’t respond to texts or calls. Should I break in?”
“Shit. Homicide detectives don’t do welfare checks. Give me the address, and I’ll get someone from Patrol over there right away. Call me back as soon as you’ve gone through the house.”
“Roger that.” I hung up, took a seat on the step, and waited. Minutes later, a patrol unit rolled up and parked behind my Corvette. I stood, held up my badge, and gave the officers my name. I nodded. “Go ahead and breach the door.”
The bulkier officer gave the door a hard hit with the ram and broke it from the hinges. We entered cautiously with guns drawn. I called out Liza and Devon’s names but got nothing in return. The officers and I cleared the house in minutes. I looked for something that might give me a clue to Rue and Liza’s whereabouts or where the charity event had taken place, but I didn’t see anything that stood out.
I called Royce back. “They’re not here, sir, and there’s nothing lying around that tells me where they could be.”
“Okay, have the officers seal the house and meet me at the precinct in a half hour. Something is off, and we need to get to the bottom of it right away.”
I drove away with my mind spinning. Not only was my sister unaccounted for, but my partner and a new friend were too. I nearly hit a car as I sped through a stop sign. Horns blared, and I slammed on the brakes and swerved left to avoid T-boning the vehicle.
“Damn it! Get your shit together, Cannon!”
I continued on cautiously with my head back in the moment. At twelve thirty, I pulled open the door of our precinct, marched down the hallway, and entered Royce’s office. He pointed at one of the guest chairs.
“Sit your ass down and tell me everything you know about that woman and the charity event.”
I heaved a hard sigh, my mind at the bursting point. Marie’s disappearance had filled every brain cell I had until the last hour. There was barely room for any more tragedies.
“The woman is Liza Montclaire.”
“And who the hell is she?”
I hated discussing my personal life with my boss, but since she was missing, too, I didn’t have a choice. I told him how I’d recently met her at Alioto’s and that she approached me and struck up a conversation. We’d talked and texted, she invited me to the scavenger hunt—for a good cause, she’d said—and we’d had an actual date Thursday night.
“Just this past Thursday?”
“Yeah. We had appetizers and drinks, and then she said she would pick me up for the scavenger hunt at nine p.m. last night. Because of what’s going on with Marie, I told her that I couldn’t make it but that I might have another idea. After I asked Rue to stand in for me, and he agreed, I told her his name and where he lived. Yesterday when we left work, I told Rue to have fun and to let me know if they finished first at the scavenger hunt. That was the last time I spoke with him.”
“What do you know about this Liza woman?”
I had to admit that I’d done a criminal background check of her name. It didn’t even matter whether I was reprimanded. I just needed to find my partner.
“I did a people search of her. Found out she was truthful about her name and age. I did a Street View of her address—small but tidy bungalow on East Henry, and then—”
“And then what?”
“And then I did a criminal background check on her.”
Royce frowned. “Why?”
“Because I didn’t want to invest any time on somebody who was sketchy.”
“Still, why?”
I groaned. “Because she bailed out of Stumpy’s after we had appetizers and drinks.”
“So she expected you to pick up the tab?”
“No, she expected both of us to bail. She said they were so busy they wouldn’t even notice we’d left.”
“Jesus, Mitch. Didn’t that give you pause?”
“Shit, yeah, and that’s why I did the background check.”
“What were the results?”
“She came up clean. Not even a speeding ticket.”
Royce tapped his fingers against the desk, a nervous habit I’d seen him do before. “So they’ve gone missing together?”
“It appears that way, and now it has me thinking.”
“Yeah, about what?”
“That maybe Marie’s disappearance had nothing to do with Ben or his girlfriend. Maybe it’s all about sending a message to me.”
Royce squeezed his temples. “If that’s the case, then Rue, Marie, and that Liza woman could be in a world of hurt. You’ve been a cop for twelve years, eight as a detective, and six with Rue. Any number of people might want to settle a score with you. Meanwhile, we need to burn our candles at both ends. I’ll call SVU, tell them to expedite what they need to do to either arrest Ben and Beth on suspicion of kidnapping or worse or release them without charges of anything. If Marie’s kidnapping is actually about you, then besides stepping out on his marriage, Ben isn’t guilty of any wrongdoing. Same with Beth Lister.”
I nodded. I was champing at the bit to track down Rue and Liza but had nowhere to start other than knowing that Liza had been scheduled to pick up Devon at nine o’clock. The evidence lying around at Rue’s house more than confirmed that he’d gotten ready for the event and likely left with her.
“Damn it.”
“What?”
“This entire situation is turning into a shitstorm of monumental proportions. Liza was supposed to pick up Devon at nine o’clock last night.”
“Why wouldn’t he drive himself to the scavenger hunt?”
“Because only the people who normally attend those events get texts with the directions. According to Liza, it was so nobody could gain an unfair advantage of checking out the facility or location in advance since nobody knew where it would be.”
Royce began tapping computer keys.
“What are you checking into?”
“The DMV database. We need to put out a BOLO on Liza’s car.”
I waved my hands. “That won’t help, and I’ve already checked the DMV website anyway. She doesn’t have a car on record.”
“Well, damn it, then. How the hell was she going to pick up Rue?”
It was my turn to squeeze my temples. “I don’t know, Boss. Maybe she bought a used car and hasn’t registered it in her name yet. I offered to walk her to her car the other night, but she blew me off and got defensive about it, saying something like I just wanted to see what kind of a shitbox she drove.”
“That would be an unusual response from anyone.”
“Yeah. In hindsight, I agree.”
Royce stood. “We find the car, we find them or at least their last known whereabouts.”
“Or not. We’ve had plenty of criminals move vehicles to other places.”
“Right. I’ll contact SVU now, and then we’re heading to Rue’s house.”
“I doubt if it’ll help, but I do have the invitation Liza gave me.”
Royce jerked his chin at me. “Let me see it.”
I handed it over and watched Royce’s face as he read it.
“Pretty vague.”
“Yeah, and if Liza hadn’t have explained why the location wasn’t revealed, I would have thought it was some type of scam just to get money out of people.”
“Humph.” Royce scratched his head and dropped the sheet of paper onto his desk. “It’s useless in helping us find Rue. Let me make that call, and then we’ll leave. Grab Mason and Morrow. They can help us canvass Devon’s neighborhood. Maybe somebody noticed Rue getting picked up last night.”
“Morrow and Mason are supposed to interview the top dogs who orchestrated last week’s murders.”
“Too bad. Those killers are the last people on my mind. They can sit and rot for all I care. Right now, as long as SVU is doing their job, we need to focus on Rue and find out where he and Liza have gone.”
I waited as Royce made the call, then minutes later, we left for Devon’s house with Morrow and Mason following in another cruiser. Royce drove while I wracked my brain for something that could be a clue.
“So you have a key of your own?”
“I do, and that’s how I was able to tell Rue hadn’t come home last night. There were still hangers lying on his bed, and like I said, the car is in the garage.”
“And Liza never told you the names of the people who set up the charity event scavenger hunt?”
“Nope, but she said they have those types of functions every month.”
Royce swatted the air. “Then start searching your phone.”
“On it.” I pulled my phone from my pocket and typed in every search term I could think of to see who ran those types of events and where they took place. “Damn it, nothing comes up. I’ve typed in charity scavenger hunts, fund-raising scavenger hunts, charity events, and just local scavenger hunts. The only type of charity events that are showing are auctions, golf outings, and hospital fundraisers.”
“I thought there was a pledge on behalf of the police department. Nothing is mentioned online about that?”
“Not that I can find. I’m at a loss here and going nowhere fast. We need to talk to Rue’s neighbors about last night and see if anyone saw the car that picked him up, and then we need to go to Liza’s house and ask the neighbors everything they can tell us about her.”
Royce jerked the steering wheel to the right and pulled to the curb. “I want every available detective and officer on this. Whoever organized whatever this is has Marie and now Rue and your friend Liza too. We’ve got to locate them and now. Marie is on her second day, if she’s still alive, and we’ve got nothing. Hand me your phone.”
I passed my phone to Royce and stared out the window as he called Sid Riley, the weekend homicide sergeant in charge.
“Sid, it’s Royce. I need you to call in all available detectives and officers who can lend a hand. We’ve got two missing civilians and a detective. Department protocol and who’s in charge of this or that is out the window. I want all hands on deck to help out wherever needed. Got it? Cannon and I are en route to Rue’s house as we speak. I want five more units there within fifteen minutes, and I want the same number at Liza Montclaire’s home on East Henry. I don’t care what department they’re coming from either. Tell them to canvass the neighborhood and find out as much as possible about her, her doings, and who she knows. We’re all law enforcement agents who were trained the same.” He hung up and pressed the gas pedal to the floor as we continued on to Rue’s house.
I thought about Liza and tried to replay every second, minute, and hour I’d spent with her. Was there anything I missed? Had she said something that I hadn’t paid attention to? Did she mention a name that I’d forgotten? Did anything other than her willingness to walk out of the restaurant without paying the tab raise a red flag? I couldn’t think of anything. The only thing that didn’t make sense was the lack of vehicle ownership, yet she’d said she would pick up me and then, later, Rue.
“Shit!”
“Now what?”
“I was the target, not Devon. Somebody is or was watching Liza with me, but why? They heard her invite me to the scavenger hunt, and that’s when they hit, but it turned out to be Rue instead of me.”
“And it doesn’t matter. They have your sister and now your partner. One way or another, they knew they’d draw you in.”
“Liza does run with a strange crowd, and she damn near admitted as much. They’re edgy, sketchy, and fearless people. Somebody had to overhear her call me Detective Cannon and ran with it. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
Chapter 22
We arrived at Devon’s house and waited for the rest of the team to show up. Once they did, Royce briefly went over the most imperative details and what he wanted from each officer and detective. He, Morrow, Mason, and I would thoroughly search Rue’s house for any indication that Liza had gone inside. The rest of the team would hit every house on the block and find out if the homeowner had noticed a car in Detective Rue’s driveway or along the curb at nine o’clock. Those results could propel the case forward, but without them, we were stuck.
I wondered where Devon and Liza were, if they actually had been abducted, and if so, whether they were being held at the same location as Marie.
Or maybe they had an accident last night, went off the road, and nobody has found them yet. Still, that doesn’t explain why they wouldn’t call for help unless they couldn’t.
We did a careful search of each room but found nothing that wouldn’t usually be there. I reviewed the text messages I’d received from Liza over the last week to see if anything raised a flag or could help our investigation. All the back-and-forth messages were normal. I was at my wit’s end. I needed to think hard about the time I was with her at Alioto’s and again at Stubby’s. Could someone have been following us, maybe someone who looked suspicious? I sighed. If someone was, even as engaging as Liza was, I would have noticed, wouldn’t I?
I stepped outside. I needed to get air and make a quick call to see how everything was going at Meg’s house.
“Hey, Sis,” I said when she answered right away. I imagined she had her phone in her hand at all times.
“What’s the latest? Has Ben or his piece-of-shit girlfriend fessed up?”
I groaned. “No, and there’s the chance that Marie’s abduction has nothing to do with either of them.”
“Mitch, I can’t take much more of this. I don’t know what to say to the kids anymore. They keep asking when Mom and Dad are coming home. So, what are you actually saying?”
“My partner, Devon, and a friend are both unaccounted for now too.” I moved the phone away from my ear when she cried out.
“Marie is dead, isn’t she?”
“Meg, I’m not going to go there, and I’m sure as hell not going to tell you that. We’re thinking there’s a possibility that somebody is trying to get to me for something by going after my family.”
“Then what about Devon?”
“I was supposed to be the one who went to an event last night. Devon went in my place, and now he’s MIA along with the friend he went with.”
“Jesus, Mitch. There could be any number of people who hate you and want to make you suffer.”
“Thanks, Meg.”
“I’m serious. Are the rest of us safe? What about Jeff? Should he even be going to work?”
“I don’t know. My brain is fried, and of course Marie is my top priority, but I don’t work in that department. I know SVU is doing their damnedest to find her, but tracking down a red car in the entire county is like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
I listened as my sister cried into the phone. “I swear, if Marie is dead, it’ll kill Mom too.”
“Please don’t go there. Pray if that’ll help, and take care of Mom and the kids. I’ll call you back this evening.” I hung up and wiped my eyes. Somehow, some way, we needed a lead.
Royce joined me on the porch. “There’s nothing in the house that’ll help, but you knew that already. I’ll call the others back in to get updates. They’ve likely covered half the block by now.”
I nodded. The problem with the neighbors seeing a car pull into Devon’s driveway at nine o’clock was that they wouldn’t be able to tell us the color of the vehicle. Even knowing the color and seeing doorbell camera images, we would find it nearly impossible to catch anything other than very poor and grainy footage at night.
The group was heading down the sidewalk from all directions as they returned to Rue’s house. An unknown man walked alongside Prentice. “Boss, check it out. That man could have witnessed something.”
“It’s about damn time we get information from someone.” Royce cupped his hands around his mouth. “Prentice, get the lead out.”
