Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Oh, absolutely.” Jenna scanned the GPS. “Ravens Way lies parallel to Stanton. I call this the creepy part of town. I wouldn’t go near those alleyways after dark. I wonder why there are no streetlights on this stretch of Stanton?”

“I guess the town council hasn’t caught up with the growth of the town.” Kane turned right and then instructed by the GPS, took the first left. “There are streetlights here. It’s a newer area.” He pulled up outside a brick house with a white picket fence. “This must be the place.”

Jenna led the way through the gate and along the driveway. She knocked on the door and it flew open straight away. She stared at the disheveled man, his eyes wild and with his comb over hair hanging over one ear. “Dr. Turner?”

“Yes, that’s me.” Turner scowled at her, obviously agitated. “What took you so long?”

Ignoring the smell of alcohol on his breath, Jenna lowered her voice and used a calming tone. “My ranch is out on the other side of town and I had visitors. I left the moment you called. May we come inside and talk to you?”

“I guess.” Turner eyed Kane suspiciously.

Jenna followed his gaze. She had to admit, dressed all in black, with his Stetson pulled down low over his eyes and wearing his weapon on one hip like a gunslinger, Kane at six-five and over two hundred and fifty pounds of muscle, didn’t resemble a law officer. “Ah, this is Deputy Kane.”

“Okay, come in but you should be out looking for Laurie.” Turner walked down a short passageway and into a family room. “Someone might have kidnapped her.”

“Why would someone want to kidnap her? Has anyone contacted you?” Kane pulled out a notebook and pen.

“No, no one has called.” Turner’s eyes flashed with anger. “I’d tell you if they had.”

“Is there any chance she just ran away? Have you had any arguments lately?” Kane was pushing the man hard.

“Only the usual things.” Turner sat on a sofa and held his head in his hands, staring at the floral carpet. “She’s only had her driver’s license for a few months and she drives way too fast. I should never have given her the Ford for her birthday. She could be lying in a ditch somewhere.”

The poor man was beside himself with worry and Jenna exchanged a look and a shake of the head with Kane to make him back off a little. “Do you have a photograph of Laurie we could use?”

“Yeah.” Turner stood and took a framed picture of a girl standing beside an old red Ford pickup from the mantle. He looked at it for a beat and then handed it to Jenna. “I took this on her birthday.”

Jenna took out her phone and used her camera to capture the image. “Is this her vehicle? Was she driving last night?”

“Yeah.” Turner sighed. “It’s not a long drive to the school from here.” He attempted to correct his hair, running his fingers through the oily strands. “As there was no game on this week, the cheerleaders decided to practice. They use the school gym and usually finish around eight-thirty or nine at the latest.”

“How come you didn’t notice she hadn’t come home?” Kane lifted his head from his notes. “She should have been here by at least ten.”

“I fell asleep in front of the TV.” Turner couldn’t sit still and rocked back and forth. “I’ve fallen asleep before and she usually leaves me here. I’m bad-tempered when woken sudden.”

“I see.” Kane dropped his gaze back to the notebook. “Do you like a few drinks before bedtime?”

“Yeah, I’ve taken to drinking more than I should since my wife left me.” Turner avoided meeting Jenna’s eyes. “But I’m stone cold sober now.”

“Okay.” Jenna leaned forward. “So, what time did you notice she was missing?” She frowned. “It was a little after three when you called me.”

“I figured she’d gone out before I came down for breakfast.” Turner looked at her, his eyes red-rimmed. “I called her to bring home milk and she didn’t pick up. I’ve been calling all day. Then I called her friends.”

“What time was this?” Kane sat, pen raised, looking at him.

“Around eleven.” Turner picked up a cushion and held it to his ch

est, squeezing it. “When I called her friends, no one had seen her since she left the school. One of the girls mentioned she sometimes hangs out at Aunt Betty’s Café so I went there and asked the manager if she’d seen her. The nice woman took me to the back room to show me the CCTV footage and there was no sign of Laurie. It’s as if she’s vanished.”

“It would be hard to hide a 1950 red Ford pickup.” Kane raised both eyebrows. “Maybe she went to visit her mom?”

“We don’t know where she is living.” Turner clasped his hands in front of him. “I came home from work and Jeanette was gone, no note. She cleaned out our bank account and vanished. That was six years ago. I obtained full custody of Laurie and since then, we haven’t heard a word from her.”

“You didn’t report her as a missing person?” Kane’s gaze hardened. “Aren’t you worried about her safety?”

“No! She’s not missing.” Turner became agitated. “She told me if I didn’t quit drinking, she’d leave me and never contact me again. She took her clothes, her car, and our money.” He glared at Kane. “I’d say she’s just fine.”

“Did you hit her?” Kane’s face showed no sign of emotion. “Or your daughter?”