Haunting Lies

“Glad to see you had a change of heart, Detective Hastings.”

Miranda simply nodded as she strapped on her badge and gun.

“Well, now that that’s settled, take a seat and we’ll begin,” the captain said, his voice dripping with authority.

“This morning we received a phone call from Mayor Hoffman’s wife stating that their daughter had gone missing on her way to school.”

“Were there any witnesses?” asked Kayser.

“The only witness we have is the victim’s friend. Apparently, she went up ahead to greet her friends on the street corner and left the victim behind.

“When she turned around, Jayla was already gone.”

“Did she notice anything suspicious? Were they being followed?” Barnes asked.

“Not that she saw, but I’ll leave the questioning up to you four. Both the victim and the witness’s addresses are located inside the file.

“Detectives Kayser and Barnes, you two will head down to the witness’s residence.

“Detectives McDowell and Hastings, you two will head over to the victim’s residence to receive their statements,” he said.

Detective Kayser grabbed the manila folder off the captain’s desk and flipped through it, handing Miranda a piece of paper that had the victim’s address on it.

“Thanks,” she mumbled.

She was about to follow Ryan out the door when Westbrook called her back. Instead of punching a hole through the door in frustration, she took a deep breath and walked back to his desk.

“Miranda, I know this is hard for you, but I honestly believe you can do this. I would not have assigned you this case if I didn’t.”

She nodded, her throat raw with the need to cry, but she would not break down, not here in front of her new boss.

“I assigned Ryan to work with you because he knows you well. He is a professional, and he will act accordingly.”

“I know,” Miranda said, her voice coming out in a choked whisper.

“Good,” Westbrook smiled. “Now go out there and do what you do best, Miranda.”

The detective nodded, giving him a half-hearted smile that didn’t reach her brown eyes.

Without another word, Miranda left the room, closing the door quietly behind her, leaving the salt-and-pepper captain alone.

As Miranda and Ryan walked around to the back of the building to the parking lot, she was aware she was looking over her shoulder.

She didn’t know if her paranoia had taken over or if someone was really watching her.

Ryan opened the passenger door of the Suburban and looked at her expectantly. “Are you getting in?” he asked.

“I figured I’d be the one driving.”

“No. I’ll drive.”

“Something wrong with my driving?” She crossed her arms and regarded him with faux indignation. “I hope you know that I scored a perfect score on my driving test.”

“Just get in the car, Miranda,” he snapped angrily.

She rolled her eyes and slowly climbed in, and just when Ryan was about to close the car door behind her, she grabbed the handle and jerked it out of his hand.

Bang. The door slammed in front of Ryan, and he nervously glanced around at the other officers in the lot, noticing several of them staring and grinning.

***

Ryan could feel himself getting hot under the collar. His neck and ears seemed to have heated up more than would be expected on such a nice day.

He made his way around to the driver’s side door, keeping his head down so as not to make eye contact with anyone.

Ryan unlocked his door, took a big breath, and flopped into his car before setting off into traffic as Miranda stared impassively out the window.

Ryan knew broaching conversation would not be an easy one, but they had been traveling for nearly fifteen minutes, and she hadn’t uttered a word since they left the precinct.

A thick and uncomfortable silence had settled around them, broken only by the rumble of an occasional passing vehicle.

He had expected the vibe between them to be different than when they were together in the past, but he hadn’t expected her to clam up completely.

It was becoming apparent she wasn’t about to initiate conversation about anything, and so he would have to make the first move.

“So, how’s your mom?” Ryan asked, breaking the silence. “I would ask about your dad, but, you know, he’s such an asshole.”

“I really couldn’t tell you,” she mumbled. “I haven’t seen or talked to her in over half a year.”

His eyes widened in shock. “What? But you and your mom were close. What happened?” he asked, incredulous.

“Were, Ryan. We aren’t anymore,” she whispered.

“Must be incredibly lonely,” Ryan said.

Miranda shrugged and glanced out the window. “Doesn’t really bother me. Things are fine just the way they are.”

He turned and gazed at her briefly before his eyes were back on the road. She was different. She seemed cold and distant. No longer the happy, smiling woman she once was, and it worried him.

What was the most disturbing, however, were her eyes. They seemed glazed, dull, lacking the spark of life that was usually in their golden depths.

“How long have you been a detective for the NYPD?” she asked, interrupting his thoughts.

“Six years,” he answered. “I went straight into the academy after you broke things off between us.”

“Nice to see you took my advice for once.”

“You always did say I had a knack for this kind of stuff.” Ryan shook his head sadly and then smiled. “What about you? Did you ever make it to the DEA?”

“I did.” She nodded. “I was a special agent for over five years. It was a good job, but it just wasn’t my cup of tea.”

“So you came down here to downgrade yourself to a homicide detective?”

“Money and rank aren’t an issue, Ryan.” She sighed. “I was just looking for a change.”

“Or are you just running away from your problems?”

She frowned and looked out the window.

He arched a brow. “So you are, aren’t you?”

“Oh, shut up. What the hell do you know?”

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Even if I was running from something, not saying that I am, it has nothing to do with you. So do us both a favor and mind your own damn business.”

***

Why’d he have to ask about Mom and Dad? He might pester her until he found out, and she wasn’t ready for that. She hadn’t seen or talked to either of her parents since Mia’s funeral.

That night, her father had a little too much to drink and blamed her for the death of Mia.

As much as she needed their support, they blew her off. Since then, they hadn’t spoken a word to each other.

A few more minutes of silence passed between them, and just when Miranda hoped he would finally leave her in peace, he spoke again.

“Listen, I don’t like this any more than you do.

“But you know what? We’re stuck with one another. And if we’re going to make this partnership work, we’re gonna have to get along, understood?” he said.

Miranda let out a humorless chuckle.

“What’s so funny?”

“This,” she said, motioning, “us. It’s ironic. It’s like we switched places with our old selves.”

Ryan closed his eyes and nodded as though he knew the truth in her words. “I just need to know that you have my back when we’re on the field. Can I trust you?”

She paused. “Yes.”

“Okay then.”

***

“Talk about fancy.” Ryan whistled as they walked up the steps of the two-story Victorian home. “I didn’t know the mayor made so much money.”

Miranda pressed the doorbell. She heard the sound of rushing footsteps. A lady in her early thirties opened the door.

From what Miranda could see, the woman was worried sick, but what parent isn’t when their child mysteriously vanishes?

Miranda immediately flashed her badge and introduced herself. “Mrs. Hoffman, I’m Detective Hastings from the NYPD, and this is my partner Detective McDowell.

“Do you mind if we come in and ask you a couple of questions about your daughter’s disappearance?”

“N-no, please come in,” she said and gestured to them to follow her inside. She ushered them to the living room, where Mayor Hoffman stood anxiously for their arrival, and they all sat down.

“Would you like anything to drink or eat?”

“No, ma’am. We don’t want to inconvenience you at such a difficult time,” Miranda said softly.

She slowly nodded her head then reached over to the end table, grabbing a frame with a photo in it and handing it to Miranda. “This is Jayla.”

Miranda glanced at the photo. She noticed Jayla was about Mia’s age. She had dark brown hair and green eyes; she was precious. She passed the photo over to Ryan.

“You’d said Jayla left for school with a friend this morning?” Ryan asked as he placed the photo back down onto the coffee table.

Mrs. Hoffman nodded, her eyes glistening. “That’s correct.”

“I cannot stress how much time is of the essence here,” Ryan said, glancing between the two parents. “Have either of you noticed anyone hanging around the neighborhood, talking with children?”

“Nothing comes to mind,” Mayor Hoffman replied.

“No.” The woman sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. “Oh—I don’t know.”

“Mrs. Hoffman? Do you want to take a break?” Ryan asked.

She exhaled. “I think I need a drink.” She blew her nose with a tissue and left the room without a word. She returned with a bottle of wine in one hand and a wine glass in the other.

Mayor Hoffman gave her a concerned look. “Carol, it’s not even eleven o’clock.”

“I couldn’t care less,” she muttered.

Miranda cleared her throat. “Ma’am, I understand that this is a lot…”

“Your daughter is missing as well?” she interrupted her. “What a coincidence.” She met Miranda’s gaze with a heated glare. “Do you even have kids?”

Miranda lowered her gaze to her folded hands.

“Mrs. Hoffman, both Detective Hastings and I are not parents, so we couldn’t possibly understand how incredibly hard and terrifying this is,” Ryan said.

“Rest assured we’re doing everything we can to find Jayla.”

“Thank you,” Carol said hoarsely, staring at the two detectives, the tears springing into her eyes once more.

Closing the front door behind them, Miranda and Ryan made their way down the steps of the Victorian house.

“Well, that was a complete waste of time. We have no suspects, no leads, not much of anything to go on.” Miranda threw up her hands, exasperated.

“Something is bound to pop up. You just gotta have a little faith and patience.”

“I don’t have that kind of faith, Ryan.”

“Faith isn’t something you have. It’s something you do.”

“As time goes on, the chances of Jayla returning home safe get slimmer. The first seventy-two hours are crucial.”

“I know.”

“What if we never find her?” she asked.

As if sensing her distress, Ryan drew closer and put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Hey,” he admonished softly, “don’t think like that. We’ll find her.”

She had forgotten how soothing his touch was after all this time, and she found herself beginning to relax.

Ryan’s phone rang, interrupting their moment.

“Yeah, McDowell,” he said. “Okay. We’re on our way.” Ryan hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket and glanced at Miranda.

His eyes were suddenly wary, but oddly, he looked relieved too. “That was Kayser; he said to meet them back at the precinct. There’s a break in the case.”

When Miranda and Ryan made it back to the station, Captain Westbrook gestured them into his office.

“Were you able to find anything?” Detective Barnes asked.

“No, nothing, unfortunately,” Miranda replied. “How about you two?”

“Well, after we got the witness’s statement, we went to the victim’s school,” Kayser said. “That’s where things start to get a little interesting.

“We interviewed staff around the school and asked if they saw anything out of the ordinary. Apparently, the janitor, Theo Sparks, didn’t show up for work this morning.

“They also claimed that he had slight altercations with the younger students. Some staff even claimed to see him peeping around the female locker rooms by the gymnasium.”

“That’s a red flag right there. What are we waiting for?” asked Ryan.

“All right, I want you four to find this suspect and bring him in for questioning. Now go, you’re burning daylight,” Westbrook said.

They quickly left the office and rushed to the suspect’s residence. Hopefully, this was their guy.

They pulled up in front of Theo Sparks’s residence and got out of the vehicle. Detectives Kayser and Barnes were first up the steps and knocked on the door.

“Who’s there?” a female voice said through the door.

“NYPD—open up!” Detective Kayser shouted.

Miranda’s eyes narrowed when she heard whispering coming from inside the house, followed by a moment of silence. She took a step back and said, “He’s going to make a run for it.”

“What? How do you know?” Ryan asked.

“Just a hunch.” Miranda pulled her gun from her holster and tiptoed around back. She turned the corner just as the suspect ran out the back door.

“Hey! NYPD—freeze!” she called, but the suspect ignored her and continued down the sidewalk. She muttered a curse under her breath and began pursuit.

Her calves were coiled springs, propelling her forward with every step.

In the distance behind her, Miranda could hear someone calling her name. Probably Ryan, but she wasn’t going to stop for anyone, not when she was this close to finding Jayla.

Her lungs screamed in pain as she gasped for breath.

She glanced over her shoulder and noticed Ryan catching up to her. She turned down an alleyway where a nine-foot fence blocked her path.

“Miranda, stop!” Ryan shouted from somewhere in the far distance.

Miranda ignored him. She climbed over the chain link fence with determination she never thought she had. Once she landed on her feet, she made a mad dash down the dim alley.

She let her eyes skim around her surroundings, frantically trying to find the suspect. She saw Sparks climbing a fire escape ladder that led to an abandoned warehouse.

“He’s going to the roof!”

Miranda leaped onto the dumpster, grabbed the ladder, and followed the perp to the roof. He attempted to evade capture by jumping across the alley to the adjacent building’s roof.

“You son of a—” Miranda mumbled. She stopped for a brief moment to catch her breath and then went back to get a running start.

Ryan arrived on the roof at the same time.

“You must be out of your damn mind if you think you can make that,” Ryan rebuked, but Miranda ignored him.

“Miranda, don’t!” Ryan called after her, but it was too late; Miranda jumped across in an attempt to catch him, rolling free and propelling herself after the suspect.

“Shit!” Ryan growled and turned to leave for the adjacent building.

She ran like a linebacker through an offensive field, dodging this way and that, trying to keep away from the clothesline sheets obscuring her view.

She could see the top of the door fling open, reached it on Spark’s heels, and made a flying tackle.

She hit Sparks square across his midsection, and they both went down, skidding and twisting on the paved roof.

The older man struggled, lashing out with his hands and feet, but Miranda had the upper hand.

She rolled Sparks beneath her, facedown, and straddled him, her elbow pressing hard into the nape of his neck while she yanked at the pair of lightweight handcuffs from her back pocket.

Sparks bucked, trying to throw her off.

“Stop resisting,” Miranda barked. She hauled the man’s wrists together and cuffed him, then sat straddling his still-flailing legs.

Suddenly, the roof’s door flew open, and Ryan rushed out, followed by Kayser and Barnes.

Miranda moved off Sparks, and Kayser reached down and pulled the suspect to his feet.

“I’m innocent!” Sparks yelled. “I’m innocent!”

“Are you now? Because that stupid stunt you just pulled proves otherwise,” Kayser shot back as he hauled him away.

“Not bad for your first day, detective,” Barnes said with a smile and clapped her on the shoulder before walking off after her partner, leaving her alone with Ryan.

“That was really stupid, do you know that? What the hell were you trying to prove?” he snarled, staring down at her.

“I couldn’t just let him get away. He was our only lead to finding Jayla.”

“You could’ve died just now, Miranda!”

Miranda stood up, wincing at the sudden pain in her leg. “But I didn’t, so there’s that,” she said simply, dusting herself off.

He blinked at her, as if at a total loss, then ran his hands through his hair. His angry expression turned to wide-eyed bewilderment.

“Well, you are one crazy, fucked up woman. I don’t even know who you are anymore. You’re not the Miranda I once knew.”

“You’re right, I’m not. The Miranda you once knew died a long time ago.”

With that, she turned and limped her way toward the others. Stunned, Ryan stared at the closed door, her words ringing in his ears.