Be Mine Forever (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“I don’t remember much when I drink.” Turner started to rock again. “But she was always complaining I did this or that.”

“I see.” Kane gave him a long, considering stare. “Is there anything you need to tell us about, Dr. Turner? You’re a psychologist and still practicing, so I assume your wife never had you charged with abuse?”

“She wouldn’t dare.” Dr. Turner gave a smug smile. “The court ruled her as an unfit mother and if anything happened to me, Laurie would be placed in foster care. She wouldn’t want that, now would she?”

“I guess we’ll have to find her and ask her.” Kane turned his attention to Jenna. “Laurie could have broken down along the highway. Maybe we should head out to the high school and retrace her steps?”

“Yeah.” Jenna nodded. “Would you mind if we take a look at her room? Does she have a laptop?”

“Okay but her bed hasn’t been slept in.” Turner stood. “She changed the linen yesterday and it’s in the wash. Her room is as neat as a pin.”

How convenient. Jenna frowned. “So, the laptop then, it gives us a better idea of who she’s in contact with on social media.” She forced her lips into a small, calming smile. “You sit down and direct me to her room.”

“Up the stairs, first on the left.” Turner dropped onto the chair. “Take whatever you want.”

Jenna stood. “Thank you. I’ll need permission from you in writing to check her phone records as well. Deputy Kane will give you some paperwork to sign. I’ll need you to complete a missing person’s report and sign a brief statement about your circumstances. Including the fact you don’t have contact with your wife or know her whereabouts.”

“Is all this necessary, Sheriff?”

Jenna wanted to roll her eyes at his lack of cooperation. “What information you give us now, means we can concentrate on finding Laurie rather than chasing down people who are no longer involved in her life.”

“Oh, very well.” Dr. Turner’s nostrils flared with a snort of anger. “Give me the paperwork.”

She headed up the stairs and found the room. It was spotless. She checked through the bedside drawers and found photographs of cheerleaders, with Laurie front and center, but no journal. She slid the laptop into an evidence bag and was heading back down the stairs when she noticed the bolt on the inside of the door. Taking out her phone, she took a few images of the door and room before hurrying downstairs.

As she walked into the family room, she tucked the laptop under one arm and turned to Dr. Turner. “Before we go, I’ll need the contact details of her ex-boyfriend and does she have a best friend? If so, I’ll need her details as well.” She looked at the distraught man and handed him her card. “If you hear from her call me. I’ll be contacting the media and putting out a BOLO on the pickup. As soon as we have any news, I’ll call you. Just sit tight, Dr. Turner. We’ll do our very best to locate your daughter.”

They climbed into the Beast, and Jenna looked at Kane. “This is going to go two ways, if we can’t find the truck, I figure she’s run away or heard from her mom and went to see her. If the truck shows up then something has happened to her because from the look in her eyes in that picture, the truck means one hell of a lot to her. She wouldn’t leave it behind.”

“My gut tells me something’s not right.” Kane stared at the house.

Jenna held out her phone toward him to show him the image of the bedroom. “She has a heavy-duty bolt on her bedroom door.”

“If he was violent, I’m not surprised.” Kane snorted. “I can’t tolerate men who hit women.”

Jenna clicked in her seatbelt. “What’s your take on him? His mood changed from distraught to angry like flipping a switch and it’s always a red flag when a person won’t look you in the eyes, right?”

“Yeah and I’m seeing a ton of reasons why a kid would want to get out of a situation like that. Her father drinks and beats on his wife and maybe her as well.” Kane rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Giving a decked-out hotrod to a sixteen-year-old, when he just admitted his wife cleaned him out, seems a little overindulgent.” He sighed. “Most parents start out with a safe but less expensive choice. It seems like a pay-off to me. Nothing he said is sitting well with me right now.”

Concerned, Jenna turned in her seat toward him. “I figure he might be involved but if so, why call us and report her missing?”

“It’s not unusual for someone involved in a crime to try to insert himself into an investigation, it’s all part of the thrill. They usually believe they have an iron-clad alibi. He’s already pulled the blackout card as an excuse for his behavior.” Kane started the engine. “Say he fell asleep in front of the TV at ten, he’d be sober in the morning and it would be unlikely she wouldn’t wake him on her way out. That pickup would be loud when it started.” He turned onto Stanton and headed toward the high school. “If he did do something to her last night, he’s had all night to hide her body and make the necessary calls. Contacting us could just be part of his plan.”

Three

In normal circumstances, Jenna would have search and rescue out as soon as a missing person’s report was filed, especially in the case of a sixteen-year-old, but something wasn’t sitting right with her. Before they organized a search party, she had to confirm the girl was missing. Establishing a timeline and identifying the last person to see Laurie, was following procedure. They would need to know where to concentrate the search. Of course, once the media release hit the news, townsfolk would come forward and with the help of the forest wardens, and search and rescue, they’d be scouring the forest and surrounds in well-organized teams.

Jenna contacted Maggie and Walters to take the hotline calls. With everything set, she could focus on the investigation. She leaned back in her seat and looked at Kane. “I’ll hold off with a search until we check with the boyfriend and best friend. If things weren’t so good at home, Laurie’s friends might be covering for her. We should split the questioning; the girlfriend is more likely to confide in me and the boyfriend in you.”

“Maybe.” Kane drove into the high school parking lot. “Well, look what we have here.”

Jenna couldn’t miss the fire-engine-red hotrod pickup sparkling as if it had just emerged from the carwash. “Oh, it’s going to be a shame to dust that for prints.”

She peered inside as Kane pulled up beside it, then slid out and took a better look. “Empty. How do you get into this thing, there’s no lock on this side?”

“They open on the passenger side. Why is it here?” Kane climbed out his truck and walked to her side, snapping on surgical gloves. “The doors are locked, and she must have the keys, so what happened to prevent her driving it home?” He went to the hood and pushed his fingers inside the grill. “Ah, got it.” The hood popped and he lifted it and peered inside.

“Sabotaged.” He pointed into the engine. “Someone pulled off the battery cable.”