Cold Case Manhunt
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Jennifer Morey
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16,5K
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18
Harlequin🏰 Historical
HarlequinChapter 1
The soothing pendant lighting and upscale atmosphere of Pinocchio’s in Chesterville, West Virginia, didn’t cast its usual charm without Payton Everett. Sitting on a leather bistro chair with two of her other friends, Jaslene Chabot would never again joke about their Sex and the City bond. They were one woman short.
Tatum Garvey stirred her speared olives in her martini glass. “I think it’s time to let her go,” Catherine Starr said.
“I can’t let her go.” Jaslene missed Payton terribly and she couldn’t live with the torture of not knowing what had happened to her friend, a reporter for a local newspaper with ambitions, fiery red hair and green eyes. She loved reporting on community issues, ranging from Good Samaritans’ deeds to personal injustices.
“I can’t, either,” Tatum said. A tall, stunning blonde, she’d started her own interior design business and had been featured in a popular home magazine. She dressed to match the part without trying. She had an eye for style. “But why haven’t the cops found her yet?”
Payton had been missing for seven months.
“You two do realize that Payton is dead,” Catherine said. “Right?”
The wife of a successful insurance broker, she had two kids and was trying for a third. She wasn’t as tall as Tatum, but she had pretty dark hair and sparkling gray eyes. She had a way of stating what she thought without censor. While Jaslene took offense, she couldn’t dispute the possibility. She just didn’t want to face that yet.
“You don’t know that for certain,” Jaslene said.
“The detective told you the case had gone cold,” Catherine said.
He’d called her to tell her, as if doing so would make her back off. “Yes. I’m going to go see him tomorrow.”
“You’ve gone to see him a lot and it doesn’t seem to do any good.”
Jaslene eyed Tatum in disgruntlement. No amount of pushing made the case move forward. She couldn’t will it to, either, which highly frustrated her. There weren’t any real leads. Payton’s car had been found at a park. Had she gone for a walk and something happened? She was not the type of person who would run off. Something had to have happened to her, something bad.
“If there is no evidence, no detective alive can make it magically appear,” Catherine said.
“So, you both are just going to...give up?” When both her friends didn’t respond, she grew incensed. “How do you think Payton would feel about that? Her closest friends throw up their hands and assume she’s dead and turn their backs and go on with their lives and forget all about her?”
“That isn’t fair,” Tatum said. “We need to go on with our lives. That doesn’t mean we’ll forget about Payton. She’ll always be one of us.” She spread her hand palm up in a half circle from Jaslene to Catherine.
“I will never give up.” Even Payton’s family had stopped looking. They waited for news from Jaslene, but they had lost hope.
Catherine reached over and put her hand over Jaslene’s. “You were always the closest to her.”
Jaslene slid her hand away, not understanding how Catherine and Tatum could give up so easily. She saw her friends from a different perspective. She had always thought they’d stick together. No matter what. Now that Payton was gone, that no longer applied. It was as though she had been the glue that held the four of them together.
“Well.” Jaslene took out her wallet and put some cash on the table.
“Jaslene,” Tatum protested. “We aren’t turning our backs. We have jobs and families. We can’t take a leave like you did and you have no one waiting for you at home.”
She had taken a leave from her job as an environmental geologist and she was single, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t have done the same if she’d been in a relationship.
Jaslene stood. “I suppose there’s no point in continuing these get-togethers.”
“You’re being melodramatic,” Catherine said. “Of course we should keep meeting. It’s not like we aren’t still friends because Payton isn’t here anymore.”
Jaslene leaned forward, putting her hand on the table. “I’m going to find Payton. Dead or alive.” She straightened. “You two don’t have to help.”
“Jaslene...” Tatum protested.
“Don’t go like this,” Catherine said.
Jaslene turned and walked away.
Neither Catherine nor Tatum tried to stop her. Maybe she was overreacting. But all she had to do was think of how Payton must have, or possibly still, suffered and she had no question in her mind. She would not, not ever, give up. If Payton was still alive, her friend would not want anyone to stop looking for her. And while she most likely was dead after being missing for so long, Jaslene had to know for certain. She would not quit until she did.
She would make the police keep looking and she would push and push and push until they worked as hard as they could to find her. The police assumed she had been abducted somewhere in the park, but there had been no witnesses. No one had seen her there and no one had seen her arrive there.
“Chief wants to talk to you.”
Calum Chelsey looked up to see the Chesterville chief of police’s assistant standing in front of him, with a cup of coffee.
“What for?”
“Didn’t say.” She turned and walked away. Alice was a prickly sort, tall and skinny with black-rimmed glasses and hair that was always in a tight, black ponytail. He’d heard she was married and had two kids and hoped she was a different person outside of work. Happier.
He stood from his desk and walked to the chief’s office, knocking on the open door.
Chief Moran waved him in. “I emailed you a new case.”
Cal stopped before Moran’s desk. Great. Another case to add to his already full workload. He didn’t mind the amount of work; in fact, most of the cases would be easy to close.
“The mayor wants it resolved as quickly as possible. You know Christopher McBride? He owns that coal-to-fuel plant south of town?”
“I know the plant.”
“His son was killed two nights ago. Shot after leaving a bar. I’m putting you on the case. Only work this, no others.”
“What about the missing person case?” That was the only case that interested him. In truth, he’d been feeling under-challenged in the department.
“I’ve reassigned it.”
That came as a shock to Cal, and a huge disappointment. Had the chief done so because it had gone cold the week after Payton had gone missing, or was it because the request came from the mayor? “Why me?”
“You’re the best detective I have. I know I can count on you.”
“Why is it so important?”
“The mayor wants it solved ASAP.”
Cal didn’t like that. He didn’t respect anyone who put a person’s social standing ahead of crime solving, ahead of victims. “In other words, this Christopher McBride thinks he’s more important than Payton Everett and her family?”
The chief pointed at him. “Don’t start with me.”
“I can work the Everett case, too.” Cal turned and would have left.
Chief Moran said, “Only the McBride case.”
This was what he hated about working for a police department: orders. That and lack of integrity. He’d voiced his honest opinions more than once and knew he’d brushed close to getting fired. He was never fired because he was one of the departments top detectives.
Cal slowly faced the chief. He could not back down now. “I’m not going to stop investigating the Everett case.”
The chief stopped shuffling papers on his desk and met Cal’s eyes squarely. “What’s that I just heard?”
“Who’d you assign the case to?”
“Walsh.”
Walsh didn’t have the experience to take on a case like that. “Don’t bother. I can handle both the McBride and Everett cases.”
“This isn’t about what you can and can’t handle, Chelsey.” The chief’s voice rose with his triggered temper. “This is about what the mayor wants. Now go get to work. I’ve already told McBride you were the best man for the case. He’s waiting to talk to you in the conference room.”
Cal didn’t move. A few days ago, he’d received an offer to join a private firm: Dark Alley Investigations. They had just opened a satellite office in Chesterville and thought that Cal would be a valuable addition. They had contacted him in the past as well, but Cal hadn’t seriously considered it until lately. This was the final nudge to push him over the fence.
“Then you’ll have my letter of resignation by the end of the day. I’m working the Everett case.” Turning once again, he left the office with a wave of relief and the sense that this was the right thing for him.
“Chelsey.”
The chief went to his office door. “Chelsey!”
Cal kept going, noticing other workers stop what they were doing to look and see what the commotion was about. He ignored them all. As he reached the conference room, he saw a man in a black suit standing inside. He spotted Cal and walked to the door as though to greet him.
“Detective Chelsey?”
Cal could see the arrogance in McBride’s brown eyes. He didn’t smile and definitely seemed grief-stricken. Losing his son to murder put the darkness there but hadn’t dimmed the aggression.
“Detective Chelsey?” a woman suddenly called.
He recognized the voice and almost closed his eyes in annoyance. They were coming at him from all directions.
“Chelsey’s going to win a popularity contest today,” one of the other detectives quipped.
He heard Jaslene Chabot rushing his way. He turned to see her marching toward him, golden-blond hair flapping behind her sexy body.
“I’ve just been told nothing will be done on Payton’s case. It’s been moved to another detective?”
He doubted she’d been told nothing would be done. She must have made that assumption. “The case has been reassigned, yes. The new detective will work on it.”
“Why not you?”
Cal glanced at Mr. McBride. “I’ve been assigned to a new case.”
“But...it was my understanding that you have the most experience in this department.”
“That’s why he’s working on my son’s murder,” Mr. McBride said.
Jaslene’s pretty blue eyes moved to that man and then back to Cal. “Payton could have been murdered, too. Why is this case more important?”
“It’s not.”
“He’s already said another detective is working your case,” Mr. McBride said impatiently, then turned to Cal. “Now, if we can get started. I’d like to go over my expectations.”
His expectations?
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Jaslene said. He’d gotten to know her fiery side the very first time they’d met. At first he had been struck by her attractiveness and then they had fallen into a professional relationship, with Jaslene determined to find her missing friend and concerned only about that.
Cal held up his hands. “Hold on a minute. First.” He looked at Mr. McBride. “I’m turning in my resignation today.” Then he looked at Jaslene. “Second, nobody’s case is more important than the other. The only people I care about are the victims.” He turned back to Mr. McBride. “I suggest you remember that.”
“What?” Mr. McBride put his hands on his hips. “You’re what? Quitting? You can’t do that.”
“If you want my services, you’re going to have to go through Dark Alley Investigations.” With that he turned and walked away.
He reached his desk and sat, ready to begin typing his resignation. Jaslene appeared at his desk. She looked contrite.
“Why did you quit?”
“I haven’t yet.” He poised his fingers over the keyboard. “But I’m about to.”
She sat on one of the two uncomfortable metal chairs on the other side of his desk. “Why?”
“Because I’m going to solve the Everett case.”
“Don’t I have to hire you for that?”
“DAI is a nonprofit organization. I can do what I want. The main purpose is to catch killers.”
“But I can still hire you.”
“Yes.”
“I will, but only if you let me help you.”
He could see the determination in her eyes and in the way she held herself, legs crossed, back straight, hands stacked on her leg. Deceptively prim. The thought of working with her every day both gave him a sexual spark and made him wary. Aside from being quite demanding in the search for her friend, she was also standoffish. There were moments when he sensed her attraction to him but she always reined it in before anything progressed into something acknowledgeable—the other side of her fiery spirit. What would he find underneath her ice queen shell?
“You don’t have any experience,” he said.
“I want to be involved.”
“Don’t you mean you want to boss me around?” he half teased.
She sighed in exasperation. “I’m not normally like that. Payton is my friend.”
She never let him forget that. He thought her tenacity was actually refreshing, almost as appealing as her prettiness.
He wouldn’t encourage her, though. “You’ve made that abundantly clear...on many occasions.” He started typing. This would be a short letter.
Alice appeared beside his desk. “The chief wants to see you again.”
“I’m sure he does. Tell him I’ll be there in five minutes.”
When Alice left, Jaslene sat back against the chair, her posture not so rigid anymore. “Look, Detective Chelsey, I know I’ve been pushy. It’s just that...” She sighed and looked away. He thought he saw moisture gather in her eyes before she blinked the emotion into submission. “Last night I met my friends for drinks and they told me I should let Payton go. They don’t think Payton will ever be found. They think she’s dead. They’ve been saying for a while now that they think it was her stalker.”
“Riley Sawyer?”
She nodded, still visibly upset.
Cal had checked Riley out early on, having read in the police report that he had dated Payton for almost a year. When she ended the relationship, he began following her everywhere and parking outside her house, looking into windows. She had gotten a restraining order against him. Things had escalated, with him breaking into her house and pleading for them to get back together. At the time, Payton had been on the phone with Jaslene, who’d called the police. Riley had been arrested. That was the last time he’d attempted to see Payton.
“He is still a person of interest in my mind,” Cal said. “He had a weak alibi and he had motive. But there’s no concrete physical evidence tying him to the crime, as you know.”
“Too well.”
There had been no sign of a struggle, no blood, no prints, nothing broken. Nothing. That had been the frustration with this case all along.
“My friends have given up. I haven’t,” she said.
“They’re probably concerned over how obsessed you are over the case.”
“I wouldn’t call it obsession.”
Cal refrained from comment, but Jaslene watched him and must have picked up on the general direction of his thoughts.
“I’ve known Payton since high school. We went to the same college, where we met two other friends and rented a house together. Payton and I did a lot together. We were going to get married on the same day in the same church and have kids the same age. Tatum and Catherine don’t understand. They haven’t known her as long as I have.”
“Well, I understand.” He understood about not giving up on the missing. Not giving up on the dead.
Her eyes softened, full of relief and gratitude. Her mouth lifted in the most tender smile, and he was enraptured.
“Have you eaten lunch yet?” he asked.
“No.”
“Why don’t we go grab something and talk about how we’re going to proceed?”
Her smile broadened, snaring him further. “Okay.”
“I just need to resign first.”
She laughed. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Jaslene did not expect Cal to turn out to be such a warmhearted soul. Whenever she met him before, he had always been professional and only focused on the case. Today his demeanor seemed...more personal. Maybe being freed from the police department had done that. She had always thought he was the best detective for Payton’s case. He had done more than anyone else in searching for her.
She believed him when he’d said he only cared about the victims. He also showed compassion for her. She hadn’t expected that, or the sudden flash of attraction that had come over her. She’d thought he was a good-looking man from the very beginning, but she had been so intent on finding Payton that it hadn’t mattered.
Now Cal had quit his job and was joining a private investigation agency, taking Payton’s case with him. He’d become her champion.
He came out of the station with the same hard set to his eyes she’d always found so unreadable. Now he just looked sexy. Six-four with dark hair and blue eyes a shade lighter than hers, he dressed in slacks and a suit and tie. When he’d first introduced himself he’d said, I’m Detective Calum Chelsey, but call me Cal.
“There’s a good deli just up the street,” he said.
“Okay.” She walked with him, feeling self-conscious of her appearance. Did she look good enough? Why did she worry about that when she was with him?
“Are you from here?” he asked on the way.
“Yes. My family lives here. You?”
“No. I’m from Texas. I like not being close to my family.”
“Black sheep, huh? My family is very close. I’m the second youngest of four very different people who all got varying professional degrees.” Talking eased her nerves. Why was she nervous anyway?
At the deli, they ordered and found a table next to the window. Although a clear day, it was chilly and she could feel the cold air radiating inside. Winter had set in early this year. She saw snowflakes and dead leaves blow across the street, whipped up by passing cars.
“What about you?” Cal asked. “You said you were a geologist but what do you do?”
“I’m an environmental geologist. I work with renewable energies at a consulting firm.”
“Interesting.”
“I’ve always loved earth science. At the risk of sounding insensitive, in college, I was not very interested in the environment but those were the hot jobs at the time. I care about the environment, but as a science it isn’t very fascinating. I need that kind of stimulation. I don’t do meditation well. Sometimes I think I should have gotten into seismology or something.”
“You would have had to move away from Chesterville. Not much earthquake activity here.”
She smiled. Moving away had never occurred to her. She enjoyed being with her family, especially her parents. She couldn’t imagine not being able to stop by for tea in the sunroom with her mother. They could talk for hours.
“Why don’t you like your family?”
“I like them...well, sort of.” He grinned. “My dad loves the NRA and ranching. He’s ex-military, so he was always very strict. That I didn’t mind so much. Guns have their usefulness but being an NRA fanatic goes too far in my opinion. My younger brother loves guns, like my dad, and capitalism. They are both executives at the same oil company. Corbin followed in Dad’s footsteps. They are both very successful. I never wanted to be an executive. I wanted to make more of a difference than a ton of money. My dad and I had a lot of arguments about my career choice.”
“What about your mother? Surely you like her.”
He chuckled briefly. “Of course. She didn’t have to work, but the ranch keeps her busy. She always let Dad make all the big decisions when it came to us. I guess I resented her for that, but not anymore. She was a great mom.”
He seemed to like his family more than he let on. He might have a rift with his father and maybe his brother, but what family didn’t have their differences?
“Is it just you and your brother?” she asked, wondering why she was so curious. They had never talked like this before.
“I have a little sister. She is the ranch manager. I’m probably closest with her.”
“And you’re a homicide detective.” Jaslene pondered that a moment. “Why?”
“My grandfather was murdered. He was in a convenience store when some robbers arrived. He tried to stop them and one of them shot him. I was very close to him. It changed me. Losing him that way.”
“I’m so sorry.” She could feel his sorrow. Even after all these years he still missed his grandfather. Jaslene averted her gaze as she thought of her own loss. Her husband had been murdered, too. Before that all-too-familiar pain overtook her, she smothered it as she usually did.
“It made me want to go after every thug who hurt anyone,” Cal said. “I still do. Joining DAI will allow me to help more people who have nowhere else to turn. That will give me the most gratification.”
She had sensed that in him early on, his determination to catch criminals. He had gone after Payton’s missing persons case with an aggression she had not seen in other officers. She had never doubted him when he said the case had gone cold. She had despaired numerous times but had never had any reason to fault him. He had left no stone unturned.
As they finished and left the restaurant, Jaslene marveled how much things had changed in less than a day. This morning she hadn’t thought much of Cal Chelsey. Now she saw him in a completely different way. Maybe it was his understanding over the way she felt about losing Payton. Maybe it was his devotion to victims of violent crimes.
“This is my car.” She stopped at her sage-green Jeep Renegade.
“I’ll call you when I have an office set up,” he said.
This felt like the end of a really good date, connecting on a more personal level than they had ever before. She wondered if he felt it, too. He stood a little close to her, just outside the driver’s side door. His blue eyes sort of twinkled as he took in her face.
“Okay,” she said at last, looking at his lips.
When she lifted her eyes, she saw his flare with unmistakable desire. Hot tingles spread through her in instant response. Flustered, she dug in her purse for her keys and dropped them when she lifted them out.
He bent at the same time and their heads bonked.
Laughing and holding her head, she let him pick up her keys, hearing his deep chuckle. He unlocked her door and opened it for her.
Holding out her hand, she waited for him to drop her keys there. He did, his rougher fingers brushing hers and stirring more hot tingles.
She climbed into her Jeep and he shut her door. She looked at him through the glass, watching him back up and then step onto the sidewalk, then started the engine, needing to catch her breath.
As she backed out of the parking space and began to drive away, she wondered what had just happened. Why him and why now?
She didn’t have an answer, but she began to look forward to his call. Then she remembered her husband.
