Shadow Of Pretense (Margot Harris 2)

“I just needed to talk to Mick. I’m leaving so you can have your driveway all to yourself.”

“Talk to Mick about what?”

Margot decided if he was going to do more than bark at her, he would have gotten to it already, so she let go of the gun and dug out one of the pictures of Chrissie. She held it up where Tommy could see it.

“When’s the last time you saw her?”

Tommy didn’t hesitate. “Never.”

“You sure?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Thanks for your help, Tommy,” Margot said as she walked past him to her car. Tommy was either being obstinate or he had something to hide.

She got in her car and drove away, keeping an eye in her rearview mirror as she left the neighborhood. She figured she’d be back later, maybe with Mal, since Tommy seemed like the type who might appreciate a little violence.

Chapter 5

Margot went home and spent the time before Detective Radcliff was going to take her to dinner checking Chrissie’s social media accounts for Danielle. Since she had only one person named Danielle on any of her accounts, she was easy to find. She called Mal while she was scrolling and told him about Tommy.

“Sounds like an asshole. It doesn’t make sense that he’d lie but the others wouldn’t.”

“I thought the same thing. After I maced his pal and parked in his spot, I’m assuming he’d be hostile to a round of follow-up questions.”

“You saying you’d like some back-up?”

“Yeah, though just your presence should be enough.”

“It always is, until it isn’t. We could go now, maybe grab some dinner first.”

“How about tomorrow morning? I’m betting these guys aren’t early risers.”

“You thinking they’ll be more compliant if they’re sleepy?”

“I am.”

“We could still grab some dinner.”

“Actually, I’ve already got plans.”

“Like a date?”

“Yeah, you sound surprised.”

“With who? Anybody I know?”

“Not really.”

“Well, have fun. You thinking nine o’clock?”

“Yeah.”

Margot ended the call and started thinking about Danielle. Once she figured out her last name, the rest of her information was easy to find. Whether or not she knew anything was another question. If it was still just a matter of finding a runaway teenager, her friends would be the best place to look, but this wasn’t that anymore. Assuming Chrissie wasn’t the one bleeding, she and her mom were on the run from someone looking to do them serious harm.

If Jennifer ran to family, Randy and his mom would probably not hire Margot to track down Chrissie. That left either just running without involving anyone else, which would be the smart play, or seeking help from a friend. Margot picked up the phone and called Randy.

“Do you know any of Jennifer’s friends?”