Aiden popped a Tic Tac in his mouth, then jammed his fists into his pants pockets and rocked on his heels as we waited. It wasn’t long before I spotted a woman hurrying down the carpeted hallway, her dark hair trailing behind her, her high heel strikes silent on the beige carpeting.
Startling white teeth gleamed against beautiful light caramel-colored skin as she approached and said, “Lieutenant Holliday?”
“Yes. Ms. Rodriguez?”
“Nya, please.” She shook his hand.
Nya Rodriguez was a beautiful woman. Late thirties to early forties, with high cheekbones, dark intelligent eyes, and ruby-red lips. Her hourglass figure was shown off in a tight-fitting violet wrap dress that hugged her generous curves. She turned her attention to me.
Before I could say a word, Aiden said, “This is my colleague, Lucy Valentine.”
Fortunately, she didn’t reach out to shake my hand—a perk of the crutches, no doubt. Though the extent of my abilities was still being explored through psychic lessons from my mentor, Orlinda Batista, and the other Diviner Whiners, my primary skill was being able to see lost objects via the energy in someone’s palm. When shaking someone’s hand I never knew what would be thrown my way.
Nya tipped her head. “Have we met? Your name and face are familiar.”
“I don’t think so,” I said, not elaborating. I had no doubt she’d put it together soon enough. I’d been in the news frequently over the past year. Until then, however, I didn’t want to volunteer the answer…and have to face the inevitable questions.
“Hmm,” she said, still eyeing me suspiciously.
Aiden saved me from explaining by saying, “Thanks for agreeing to meet us on such short notice.”
“I have to admit your call came as quite a surprise,” she said. With a jerk of her chin, she motioned for us to follow her down the hallway. “You neglected to tell me what this meeting was about exactly, Lieutenant. Has Kira somehow offended the state police?” She glanced back, a wry smile on her lips. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“No,” Aiden said, all business.
She kept a brisk pace, and I struggled to keep up. Aiden stuck by my side as we passed closed office door after closed office door before finally coming to one that stood open. Nya ushered us inside, and Aiden held a chair out for me while I set my crutches aside.
The windowless office was small, barely big enough for her desk and a few chairs. Two diplomas hung on the wall, an undergrad degree from a college in Florida, the other a Master in Film and Television Studies from Boston University. There were a half-dozen family photos crowding her desk, mostly of a pair of grinning children and a sheepish-looking retriever. Other than those, her desktop was clear, her computer screen off, her trash bin emptied. I’d bet money she had OCD.
Nya closed the door before scooting around her desk and sitting in a leather chair. “Then why are you here?”
Aiden unbuttoned his suit coat and sat next to me, his back stiff and his jaw clenched. Although he’d showered and shaved, he still looked like he hadn’t slept in days. His haggard appearance was working for him, though, making him look more formidable. As if the badge and gun weren’t enough.
He didn’t beat around the bush. “We’re actually looking for Ms. Fitzpatrick.”
Nya leaned back in her chair, steepled her long fingers, and said, “You and me both. She’s not returning my calls. Are you looking to ask her about one of her previous stories? Because I might be able to help you with that. Otherwise…” She shrugged. “I’m afraid you’re out of luck. She’s not here.”
There was a steely undertone to Aiden’s voice as he said, “We’re investigating her disappearance, Ms. Rodriguez. She’s missing.”
So much for calling her Nya.
Color drained from her face, leaving her ashen. She leaned forward. “Wait. You’re literally looking for her? I thought you meant you wanted to speak with her. How long has she been gone?”
I saw the instant she went from humoring us to being an interested news veteran.
Aiden said, “A few days. When was the last time you saw her?”
“Thursday afternoon.” Her gaze went to a notepad, and I had the feeling she was itching to take notes. “Where’s Ava?”
“Safe in police custody.” Aiden’s jaw clenched, released.
She let out a relieved breath, a hint of humanity. “Thank goodness.”
Fidgeting in my seat, I asked, “What time did you last see Kira?” We needed to start piecing together some semblance of a timeline.
“It was around two o’clock.”
Her gaze zipped between the two of us, and I could practically see the internal debate being waged within her about how much to reveal.
Finally, she said, “It was right after she was fired. She left the building with nothing but Ava, her purse, and her laptop. I’ve been calling her practically every hour on the hour since she left. My boss is harping on me to get that computer back as it is company property.”
Aiden’s eyebrows rose. “Fired? Why?”
Wow. If Kira had been fired, she might have taken it badly and left Ava with Aiden as some sort of temporary situation until she got her head together. It would also explain why she’d been angry. But the more I thought of that scenario, the more I believed it unlikely. Being fired wouldn’t have explained her fear for Ava’s safety.
Nya let out a small sigh and said, “Official word is that the higher-ups came down hard on Kira for her inter-office romance with Trey Fisher. Using her to set an example, that sort of thing.”
I recognized the name. Trey “Fish” Fisher, a former hockey player. He’d started at the station as a freelance sports reporter, but had recently been promoted to a full-time reporter. With thick wavy blond hair, sheepish smile, devilish blue eyes, and bad-boy persona it was no surprise that he ranked as high with the female demographic as he did the male. His egotistical playboy reputation only seemed to make him more popular. Not with me. I had a low tolerance for jerks.
“Was Trey fired as well?” I asked. News like that should have made headlines, as both were extremely popular, but I’d heard no gossip. I had to admit, though, that I—along with the rest of the city—had been a little preoccupied during the past week.
“No,” Nya answered. “He received only a warning.”
I stretched out my aching leg, wishing I’d taken some ibuprofen before I’d left the house. “A bit of a double standard.” An understatement to be sure, but I wasn’t ready to go hurling accusations of sexism quite yet.
“Not really.” She adjusted the corner of her mouse pad so it was in perfect line with the edge of her desk. “Everyone around here knows it wasn’t the real reason Kira was fired.”
“No?” Aiden questioned.
Her gaze flicked to the closed door. After a second’s hesitation, she said, “Kira was fired for her work on the McDaniel story.” She quickly added, “You didn’t hear that from me. I need my job.”
Pale eyebrows dipped low on Aiden’s forehead. “Dustin McDaniel?”
Nya said, “That’s right. Kira claimed she was close to cracking his case.”
Dustin McDaniel. Two years old. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Exactly how long he’d been missing from his Randolph home remained a mystery. He’d fallen through the cracks at the office of the Norfolk County Children and Families Coalition, commonly known as the CFC. It was a subsidiary of the Department of Children and Families (DCF), the state’s go-to agency for protecting children. His disappearance had finally been reported by his grandmother six weeks ago when she became suspicious about the evasive excuses her daughter gave as to his whereabouts. His father was in prison. His mother had tragically died from a drug overdose a month ago. He was still missing.
I knew all that because he was next on my docket of missing person cases. Aiden and I were to begin our investigation the following week. It seemed fate had stepped up our timing.
“What was Kira’s theory?” Aiden asked.
 
; “I wish I knew,” Nya said, fussing with a slim watch on her wrist. “Kira never revealed anything to me until she was ready to film. She was a lone wolf, even though it earned her no favors around here. However, it was hard to argue with the ratings she brought in.”
“Why would she be fired then?” It didn’t make any sense. “I imagine cracking the McDaniel case would bring in blockbuster ratings.”
“It would, for certain,” Nya said. “But there are some here that didn’t want to deal with the cost of those ratings. Since she received an anonymous tip about the case two weeks ago, Kira’s been like a dog with a bone. Obsessed is too mild a description. Almost immediately, she began getting pressure from above to drop her investigation. As you probably know, the DCF has recently undergone an internal overhaul to clean up its image after a period of bad press.”
The department had been plagued with troubles, mostly from being understaffed. It was one of the reasons why the county branches of the department were added—to help with the overflow of caseloads. The CFC handled low-risk families so the DCF could focus their time and energy on high-risk children. It was a partnership that was proving successful.
“Rumor has it that certain people within the state government were concerned that Kira’s investigation would reopen old wounds and undo the recent accomplishments of DCF and CFC.”
“Would it have?” Aiden asked.
“Like I said, I don’t know for sure.” Nya bit her lip, leaving a red lipstick stain on her front teeth. “But my guess is yes. Even though the boy’s mother remains the number one suspect in his disappearance, no one is denying that his caseworker, and therefore the CFC, was negligent. But it’s never been revealed to what extent. Everyone wants this case to go away. If Kira uncovered something that proves how badly the CFC screwed up, then all hell could break loose because both that agency and the DCF have been bragging about their accomplishments.”
“How high up did the pressure go?” Aiden asked.
“High,” she said gravely. “I don’t know exactly how high, but it has to be way up there for management to behave this way.”
Governor? Senators? It would take only one call from someone of that status to put pressure on station sponsors. Although this station was in the business of reporting news, they were also a business intended to make a profit. At the thought of losing money, they would bend to the pressure like a reed caught in a windstorm.
“The computer,” I began, “are her notes about the case in it? Is that why your bosses want it back so badly?”
I wondered if I could get a reading on the laptop’s location, but I doubted it. In order to do so, I’d need to find who the computer truly belonged to, and in a corporation like this that would be nearly impossible.
“They think so,” Nya said, “because they obviously don’t pay attention. Kira always kept her information on a flash drive. She didn’t trust anyone enough to leave her notes where they could be compromised.”
“Then why take the computer with her?” Aiden asked.
“All I can think of is that she hadn’t had time to transfer her notes from that morning. Kira had been working on them when she was called into our supervisor’s office. Earlier that day she’d met with someone about Dustin’s case and was practically vibrating with excitement. She said she was close to cracking the case wide open and it was a shocker. When word reached management, she was called in and given an ultimatum. Either drop the case or she would be let go. She left. And before you ask, no, I don’t know who she met with.”
“Did she have an electronic calendar? Or paper planner?” Aiden asked.
Nya shook her head. “No. Her appointments were kept on her Blackberry.”
Undoubtedly, that phone was still with her wherever she was. I shifted in my seat. “You said she took Ava…is there a daycare in the building?”
“Second floor,” Nya said. “Ava’s been attending since she was born. On the occasions that Kira had to work late, a neighbor friend picked up and cared for the baby. Morgan something. The baby wasn’t left alone, was she?” Her anxious gaze darted between us. “Kira would never have done that willingly.”
“Not alone,” I said.
“When? Where?” Nya threw another glance at her notepad.
“We can’t divulge that information at this time,” Aiden said. “We’ll need to speak with the daycare staff today,” Aiden said. “Could you let them know we’re coming?”
“Sure, I’ll give them a call.”
I refused to look in Aiden’s direction as I said, “You mentioned Kira was in a relationship with Trey Fisher. Is he Ava’s father?” I knew he wasn’t, but I wanted to learn how much Nya knew.
“No,” she said. “She was born long before Kira started dating Trey.”
“How long have they been a couple?” Aiden asked.
“Not long. Maybe two months? At least publicly.” Her eyebrows went up. “Two months ago is when his divorce papers were filed.”
Had Kira broken up the marriage? If so, it would be wise of us to talk to Trey’s soon-to-be ex-wife. Women scorned were notoriously vengeful.
Aiden couldn’t quite hide his wince. “Where can we find Fisher?”
She glanced at the clock. “He’s at the Sox game right now, prepping to report from the field for the afternoon game.”
Aiden slid his card to her. “Have him get in touch with me.”
“Absolutely,” she said. “This is unbelievable. Has she been officially reported missing?”
“Yes.” Aiden narrowed a stern gaze. “However, we’d appreciate keeping her disappearance off the news for the time being.”
“But,” she tipped her head, “if it helps locate her…”
Aiden leveled her with a hard glare. “We have to think of Ava’s safety right now as well.”
After a brief hesitation, she said, “I won’t say anything, but I can’t make that promise of anyone else.”
Aiden didn’t look too happy about her statement. Before he lost his temper, I asked, “Did Kira mention anything happening in her life lately that was unusual? Anyone bothering her? That kind of thing?”
“Nothing I can think of. Are you thinking she met with foul play?”
Apparently ready to leave, Aiden stood. “It’s too early in the case to make any presumptions.”
Suddenly, her head jerked up. “I just thought of something that had been bothering Kira. You might want to check with Danny Beckley in the station’s garage. There was some sort of incident down there with Kira’s car a few days ago.”
I reached for my crutches. “What kind of incident?”
“A flat tire on Wednesday. Kira was upset by it for some reason.” She shrugged. “I didn’t think it was that big of a deal. Everyone gets flats, but now, in light of her disappearance…”
“Danny Beckley, you said?” Aiden asked.
She rose to see us out the door, which was completely unnecessary considering the size of her office.
“Yes,” she said. “The garage is around the corner on Boylston. You can’t miss it.”
Aiden gave a sharp nod. “Call me if you think of anything else that might be important.”
“I will,” she promised. “This is so upsetting.”
We said our goodbyes and left her in her office as we headed down the hallway. I had to wonder how upset Nya truly was…versus how much she wanted the scoop on the story.
In my opinion, she’d spoken volumes about her relationship with Kira when she revealed she hadn’t thought the incident with Kira’s car had been a big deal. If she’d been a true friend, she would have cared simply because Kira had been upset.
Aiden said, “Kira’s disappearance will be on the six o’clock news.”
“You’re being generous,” I said. “I was thinking the noon broadcast.”
He smiled a humorless smile and glanced at the elevator bay. “Stairs?”
“Yes, please.” Navigating steps with crutches was never fun, but it was infinitely be
tter than getting back into that elevator.
As we headed for the daycare on the second floor, all I could think about was Kira’s tagline. Uncovering the truth on what matters.
The truth.
If there was one thing I knew about the truth it was the great lengths evil would go to keep it hidden…
4
The visit to the daycare had proven rather uneventful. It turned out that the providers hadn’t thought anything of it when Kira had collected Ava early on Thursday afternoon and figured Kira had simply forgotten to tell them of upcoming vacation time when the little girl didn’t return Friday morning. Not a single employee had noticed any unusual behavior from Kira in the previous weeks, and everyone seemed to genuinely care for the well-being of mother and daughter.
Ava’s records revealed no additional leads. There was no father listed for a contact; the medical information was the same as in the folder Kira had left with Aiden; and her emergency contact was Morgan Creighton, the neighbor we already planned to visit.
The daycare employees had repeated that it wasn’t unusual for Morgan to pick up Ava on occasion, and with that news, Aiden seemed to pull even farther into himself. I could only imagine the thoughts going through his head. The emotions. Wondering why Kira had never told him of his daughter. He could have been the one picking her up.
As we exited the Channel 3 studios, heat haze rose from the sidewalk, and I squinted against the bright sunshine.
“You doing okay?” Aiden asked.
“Fine,” I said, lying through my teeth. “You?”
He eyed me as though wise to my Pinocchio ways. “Fine.”
We were both decent liars.
“Let’s interview the garage guy,” he said, “then find some lunch before we head to Needham.”
Needham. To Kira’s house. Where we’d hopefully find some answers—and not more questions.
Lunch sounded like a great idea. My stomach was starting to make gurgling noises so loud they could startle passersby. I should have had something more to eat instead of all that coffee this morning. Refueling would be necessary to finish what was going to undoubtedly be a long, long day.