CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

“This is Danielle…do your thing at the beep.”

Chloe ended the call and set her cell phone down on the bar top. She looked out the window of the bar she had randomly selected. She was drinking alone on a Thursday afternoon, just two days after closing her last case. She was still sore from the outcome, but that was the last thing on her mind. Staring out the window at the late afternoon hours washing golden sunlight over the streets of DC, Chloe was beginning to worry about Danielle.

She hadn’t spoken to her sister in two days. She knew that two days was really nothing to get concerned about but the way things had gone between them lately, she could not help but worry. Besides, it wasn’t just that Danielle had apparently turned her phone off; Chloe had gone by her apartment as well and no one had answered.

Chloe drained her second beer of the afternoon and looked at the clock on her phone. It was 5:17—a full half hour after the last time she’d checked. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt such worry, such a need to constantly keep up with the time.

She was vaguely aware of the bartender approaching her. He nodded to her empty glass and said: “Another?”

She almost said yes. Chloe did not get drunk often but she wondered if she’d stop worrying if she just kept drinking and drinking. Maybe she’d get so drunk she’d take a cab home, pass out, and then wake up tomorrow to realize that she had been worried for nothing.

But this is not like her. This is not like the new Danielle I have been getting to know.

“No thanks,” she said. “Just my tab.”

He went to the register to retrieve it as Chloe picked her phone back up. Her call history was proof of just how much she’d been worrying—especially this afternoon. She’d even gone so far as to call the strip club where Danielle worked as a bartender. And it was then when she had truly started to worry. Danielle’s manager had informed her that Danielle had called in sick two days ago, reporting mono or some sort of sore throat.

But if that was the case, she was not holing up at home. And she was not answering her phone. It didn’t make much sense to turn off your phone when you were suffering from an illness, now did it?

The bartender handed her the bill and she slid her credit card over. As she signed the receipt, she wondered if she should file a missing person’s report. It would be dumb; if someone filed one for a similar situation and she had the run of it, she’d likely roll her eyes and ignore it. Besides…because of Danielle’s history, a missing person’s claim was the last thing she needed. Based on Danielle’s history, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to assume she had decided to just pack up and move somewhere else.

No, not this new Danielle…

Chloe left the bar more frustrated than before. She tried to decide on one particular emotion—worry or frustration—but found they actually worked irritatingly well together. As she started walking toward her apartment, she tried to convince herself that she was being stupid. She hated that she was so convinced that something was wrong. She had never been the worrying type, always looking for some logical reason

not

to worry in any given circumstance. She was sure that as soon as she stopped obsessing over this, Danielle would call and tell her that she’d just skipped town to see some of her old friends up in Maryland or something.

Just as this flimsy reassurance crossed her mind, her phone rang.

He heart leaped at once. She was so absolutely certain it was Danielle that she didn’t even bother checking the caller display. She even had to catch herself from speaking her sister’s name as she answered it.

“Hello?”

“Agent Fine…hey,” said a male voice. It took her a moment to place it and when she did she felt bad for being so disappointed. It was Kyle Moulton. Any other time, she might have been pleased to hear from him, but having been so eager to hear from her sister, it was almost a non-event to hear from him.

“Hi, Moulton.”

“Sorry to call out of nowhere but I had some downtime. They usually let me make calls around this time, about twice a week, and I thought I’d check in to see how you were doing.”

“I’m good.” She paused here, cringing at her own lie and how utterly fictitious her words sounded. “You know what?” she said. “I’m actually struggling right now.”

“Work?”

“No. Personal stuff.”

“Ah, I see. Jeez, Fine. Last time we talked, that personal crap was eating at you, too. Things not getting any better?”

“For someone locked up and unable to support me emotionally, these are some pretty pressing questions you’re asking.”

He chuckled, though there wasn’t much humor in it. “I know. Sorry. But hey, there are wheelings and dealings going on behind the scenes…all legal. Looks like my sentence might be shortened significantly. Though any chance of me coming back to work with the bureau seems very small.”

“Well, here’s hoping.”

He was quiet for a minute and when he did start speaking again, he seemed very somber. “Hey, look…I just wanted to say hi. I didn’t realize all of this personal stuff was still eating at you. I can call back some other time.”

“No, you’re fine. It’s just…it’s been a rough day.”

She nearly told him about her suspicions concerning Danielle, thinking he might be able to offer some valuable advice. But she decided that it was a bit too personal—and that it showed a slightly paranoid side of her that she was not ready for Moulton to see.

“So…can I take it there’s been no resolution with your dad, your sister, and the diary?”

“No…it’s sort of…”

She stopped here—not just talking, but walking as well. Her apartment was just one block away now, but she had forgotten all about it.

“Fine?”

“Yeah…”

I didn’t even think about Dad. I haven’t spoken to him in a while…certainly not over the last few days…

“Moulton…you’ve helped me maybe stumble onto something here. I need to go.”

“Hey, I’m just glad to have helped,” he said with a bit of cheer. “Bye, Fine.”

Chloe ended the call and then pulled up her father’s number right away. She placed the phone to her ear and heard only a beat of silence, followed by his voicemail greeting. She stood there for a moment, trying to make a decision—trying not to overthink things and assume the worst.

But honestly, none of this was adding up. Given how badly her father seemed to want to make amends, there was no reason at all for him to avoid her calls. Sure, it was a stretch to assume that he, too, had skipped town or gone missing, but the fact that she was getting the same response from Danielle…it was too much to ignore.

Chloe pocketed her phone and sprinted the rest of the way to her apartment. Her worry was now morphing into fear and she suddenly sensed that every passing minute could potentially make the mystery even worse.