Instead, I asked, “So what do you think she was doing there?”
“I think she was either there to set up Mueller and got double-crossed, or she was feeding him information on the Ashby Organization and that got her killed. If I could figure out which, I’d know who to arrest.”
“Then I guess we better get some answers.” I said.
Beck groaned. “Now you sound like my boss and his boss. And his boss.”
No pressure, Jameson. No pressure at all.
Chapter Thirteen
Madison
“This place is…nice.” I dropped two boxes in what would be the living room of Jameson’s brand new, never before lived in condo, taking in the details with a wistful sigh.
“Nice? You’re the only person I know who can make ‘nice’ sound like a bad thing. You don’t like it?” Jameson fisted his hands on his hips and looked around the two bedroom condo with fresh eyes. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Wrong?” I threw my head back and laughed. “Nothing at all is wrong. This place is great. Hell, I’ve never lived in a place that nobody else has ever lived in before, with brand new appliances, brand new carpet. You did good, Jamie.”
I didn’t know how to explain it so I went for blunt honesty. “I just assumed you’d go for someplace bigger or flashier, I guess. I mean, you can afford it.”
“True and I thought about getting a house that I could grow into over the years with a big back yard, a grilling area, and a pool. All of that.”
“But?” I rolled my wrist for him to spit out what he was getting at.
“But…a rookie cop living in a big house in a nice neighborhood would draw the wrong kind of attention. It’d be a good way for a colleague with a grudge to fuck up my chances at a promotion.”
Jameson shook his head and raked a hand through his thick, dark hair, the frustration he felt rolling off of him in waves.
“That’s a shitty way to live, Jamie. You sure this is what you want your life to be?”
He let out a bark of laughter. “I’m sure. It’s more political bullshit than I thought I’d have to put up with, but so far, it’s been worth it. And I have a small grill on the patio, a weight room and pool over by the clubhouse. It’s a gated community, so it’s all good.”
Jamie had hoped things would change, that his fellow officers would look at him and see more than a biker gang. They probably wouldn’t, but it wasn’t my place to shit all over his dreams like that. “Well I like this place. Maybe I’ll find something as nice for myself.”
“You’re seriously thinking of moving out on your own?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’ll try not to take offense to your tone, Officer Ellison.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Madds, but you’ve been there for a while, and I figured you had your reasons for staying.”
“I did have a reason. Molly. If searching for her is now a one-woman show, then there’s no need to stay. Is there?”
His gray gaze studied me carefully, trying to figure out what was truth and what was bravado. Instead of pushing, which I appreciated, Jamie shrugged off his concerns. “If you need help looking, I’m available.”
“Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind when I start looking.”
His thick brows pulled into a frown. “What’s the problem?”
“This isn’t your concern, Jamie.” He had enough to worry about starting a new job and working with the FBI; he didn’t need my problems piled on top of his.
“We’re friends, Maddie. If it concerns you, then it is my concern. Talk.”
I sighed, defeated in my attempts to keep him out of my messy life. “I make good money as a booker but not enough to get a fancy place and pay for a private investigator. Do you know how expensive those fuckers are?”
I had no idea, but the deposit up front was so much that my knees buckled. “So, I had to decide which is more important, and it was a no-brainer. Finding Molly is the most important.”
He nodded, sympathy shining in his eyes. “I get it.”
“I know.” All I could do was sigh my frustration follow Jamie back to the truck to get another duo of boxes.
“I asked Savannah to see if she could find where Molly was last known to be alive. If I have to search every inch of this fucking state, hell the whole country, I will.”
He smiled over a desk lamp balanced on a box marked “text books.” “I have no doubt about that. Just remember, Maddie, you’re not alone. I have resources and not just money to help.”
I nodded and flashed a quick smile. Jameson had offered to help a few times, but I didn’t want to take him away from his job. But the more time that passed after Mueller’s death, the more I started to wonder if my sister even wanted to be found.