Somewhere along the line, their relationship had gotten closer. Maybe it was partly all the playful flirting. Maybe it was the fact that theyd each saved the others life multiple times. Maybe it was partly simple attraction. Shed even noticed that Ray, a notorious ladies man, had stopped mentioning other women, even in jest.
Whatever it was, in the last few months, theyd spent a lot of time hanging out at each others place after work, going to restaurants together, calling each other for non-work conversations. It was like they were a couple in all ways but one. Theyd never made that final leap to consummate their connection. Hell, theyd never even kissed.
So why am I dreading what I think hes about to say?
Keri loved spending time with Ray and a part of her wanted to take things to the next level. She felt so close to the man that it was almost weird that nothing had happened. And yet, for reasons she couldnt find words for, she feared taking that next step. And she could feel Ray about to cross the threshold.
Can I ask you something? he said as he turned left off Culver onto Pershing Drive, the snaking road that led up to the wealthiest part of Playa del Rey.
I guess.
No. Please no. Youre going to ruin everything.
I feel closer to you than anyone else in the world, he said softly. And I get the sense that you feel the same way toward me. Am I right?
Yes.
Were almost to the house. Just drive a little faster so I can get out of this car.
But we havent done anything about that, he said.
I guess not, she agreed, unsure what else to say.
I want to change that.
Uh-huh.
So Im officially asking you out on a date, Keri. Id like to take you out this weekend. Would you like to go to dinner with me?
There was a long pause before she responded. When she opened her mouth, she wasnt entirely sure what would come out.
I dont think so, Ray. Thanks though.
Ray sat in the drivers seat, his eyes straight ahead, his mouth agape, saying nothing.
Keri, also stunned at her own response, stayed silent as well and fought the urge to jump out of the moving car.
CHAPTER TWO
Without another word between them, they turned right off Pershing Drive onto the steep incline of Rees Street and then left onto Ridge Avenue. Keri saw the Crime Scene Unit truck in front of a big house at the top of the hill.
I see the CSU truck, she said dumbly, just to break the silence.
Ray nodded and pulled up behind it. They got out and headed for the house. Keri fiddled with her gun belt to allow Ray to get ahead of her a bit. She could sense he wasnt in the mood to walk side by side.
As she followed him down the walk to the front door, she once again marveled at the sheer physical specimen he was. Ray was a six-foot-four, 230-pound, bald, forty-one-year-old African-American former professional boxer.
Despite the challenges hed faced since retiring from the sport, including a divorce, getting a glass eye, and being shot, he still looked like he could step into the ring. He was muscular but not heavy, with a lithe agility unexpected for a man his size. There was a reason he was so popular with women.
A few months ago, she might have wondered why hed be into her. But lately, despite nearing her thirty-sixth birthday, shed recaptured some of the youthful zest that had made her pretty popular herself.
She would never be a supermodel. But since shed resumed Krav Maga and cut down on the drinking, she had lost almost ten pounds. She was back to her pre-divorce fighting weight of 125, which looked pretty darned good on her five-foot-six frame. The bags under her eyes had disappeared and she occasionally wore her dirty blonde hair down instead of in her usual ponytail. She was feeling good about herself these days. So why had she said no to the date?
Deal with your personal issues later, Keri. Focus on your job. Focus on the case.
She forced all extraneous thoughts out of her head and glanced around as they approached the house, trying to get a sense of the Raineys world.
Playa del Rey wasnt a large neighborhood but the social divisions were quite stark. Down near where Keri lived, in an apartment above a cheap Chinese restaurant, most folks were working class.
The same was true of the small residential streets heading inland off Manchester Avenue. They were almost all populated by the residents of huge condominium and apartment complexes. But closer to the beach, and on the large hill where the Raineys lived, the homes varied from big to massive, and almost all of them had ocean views.
This house was somewhere in between big and massive, not truly a mansion, but as close as one could get without the protective outer wall and the huge pillars. Despite that, it felt like a genuine home.
The grass on the front lawn was a little long and it was littered with toys, including a plastic slide and a tricycle that was currently lying upside down. The path they took to reach the house was covered in colored chalk designs, some clearly the work of a six-year-old. Other sections were more sophisticated, done by a preteen.
Ray rang the bell and stared straight at the peephole, refusing to glance over at Keri. She could feel the frustration and confusion emanating from him and chose to stay quiet. She didnt know what to say anyway.
Keri heard the rapid footsteps of someone running to the door and seconds later it opened to reveal a woman in her late thirties. She was dressed in slacks and a casual but professional top. She had short dark hair and was attractive in a pleasant, open-faced way that even her tear-stained eyes couldnt hide.
Mrs. Rainey? Keri asked in her most reassuring voice.
Yes. Are you the detectives? she asked pleadingly.
We are, Keri answered. Im Keri Locke and this is my partner, Ray Sands. May we come in?
Of course. Please. My husband, Tim, is upstairs gathering pictures of Jess. Hell be down in a minute. Do you know anything yet?
Not yet, Ray said. But I see our crime scene unit has arrived. Where are they?
In the garage theyre checking Jesss things for fingerprints. One of them told me I shouldnt have moved them from where I found them. But I was afraid to just leave them on the street. What if they were stolen and we lost any evidence?
As she spoke, her voice got higher and the words started tumbling out at a frenzied pace. Keri could tell she was barely holding it together.
Its okay, Mrs. Rainey, she assured her. CSU will still be able to get any potential prints and you can show us where you found her things later.
Just then they heard footsteps and turned to see a man walking down the stairs holding a stack of photos. Skinny, with a birds nest of unruly brown hair and thin wire-rimmed glasses, Tim Rainey wore khakis and a button-down shirt. He looked exactly as Keri imagined a tech industry executive would.
Tim, his wife said, these are the detectives here to help find Jess.
Thank you for coming, he said, his voice almost a whisper.
Keri and Ray shook his hand and she noticed that the other hand holding the pictures was shaking slightly. His eyes werent red like his wifes but his brow was furrowed and his whole face looked pinched. He seemed like a man overwhelmed by the stress of the moment. Keri couldnt blame him. After all, shed been there.
Why dont we all sit down and you can tell us what you know, she said, noting that his knees seemed close to buckling.
Why dont we all sit down and you can tell us what you know, she said, noting that his knees seemed close to buckling.
Carolyn Rainey led them all to the front sitting room where her husband dropped the pictures on a coffee table and slumped heavily onto a couch. She sat beside him and put her hand on his knee, which was bouncing up and down wildly. He got the message and sat still.
I was walking to meet Jess after school, Carolyn began. We have the same routine every day. I walk. She rides her bike. We meet up somewhere in between and come back together. We almost always connect around the same spot, give or take a block.
Tim Raineys knee started bouncing again and she gave him a gentle pat to remind him to collect himself. Once again, he stilled. She continued.
I started to worry when I got two-thirds of the way to school and hadnt seen her. Thats only happened twice before. Once was because she forgot a textbook in her locker and had to go back. The other time she had a bad stomachache. Both times she called me to let me know what was going on.
Im sorry to interrupt, Ray said. But can you give me her cell number? We might be able to trace it.
I thought of that first thing. In fact, I called her as soon as I saw her stuff. It started ringing right away. I found it under the same bush her backpack was in.
Do you have it now? Keri asked. There might still be valuable data to gather from it.
The crime scene people are dusting it too.
Thats great, Keri said. Well look at it when theyre done. Lets go through a few basic questions if you dont mind.
Of course, Carolyn Rainey said.
Had Jessica mentioned anything recently about having a falling out with a friend?
No. She did change who she had a crush on recently. School just started up again this week after winter break and she said the time off had made her see things differently. But since the first boy never even knew she liked him, I dont think that matters.
Still, if you could write down both their names, it would be helpful, Ray said. Did she ever mention seeing any unusual people either at school or on her way there or home?
The Raineys both shook their heads.
May I? Keri asked, pointing to the photos on the table.
Carolyn nodded. Keri picked up the stack and began to go through them. Jessica Rainey was a perfectly normal-looking twelve-year-old girl with a broad smile, her mothers twinkly eyes, and her fathers wild brown hair.
Were going to follow every possible lead, Ray assured them. But I dont want you to jump to any conclusions just yet. Theres still a chance that this is just a misunderstanding of some sort. We havent had a report of an abducted child in this community in well over two years, so we dont want to make any assumptions at this point.
I appreciate that, Carolyn Rainey said. But Jess isnt the sort of girl to just run off to a friends and leave all her stuff lying by the side of the street. And she would never willingly part with her phone. Its just not her.
Ray didnt reply. Keri knew he had felt obligated to suggest other possibilities. And he was usually far less likely to leap to the abduction theory than Keri. But even he was having trouble coming up with legitimate reasons why Jessica would abandon all her things.
Is it okay if we take a few of these photos? she asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence. We want to circulate them among law enforcement.
Of course. Take them all if you want, Carolyn said.
Not all, Tim said, pulling one out of the pile. It was the first time hed spoken since they all sat down. Id like to hold on to this one if you can do without it.
It was a photo of Jessica in the woods wearing hiking gear, with a way-too-big-for-her backpack strapped to her back. Her face was smeared with what looked like war paint and she had a rainbow bandanna tied around her head. She was grinning happily. It wouldnt help much for identification purposes. And even if it had, Keri could tell it was very special to him.
Keep it. Weve got more than enough, she said softly before getting down to business. Now there are a few things we are going to need from you and all of it in short order. You may want to write this down. In situations like this, time is crucial so we may have to sacrifice your feelings for information. Are you two okay with that?
They both nodded.
Good, she said before diving in. So heres whats going to happen. Mrs. Rainey, were going to need you to show us the route you took to meet your daughter and her usual route from that point to the school. Were going to want to look through her room, including any computers or tablets she might have. As I mentioned, well also look through her phone when CSU is done with it.
Okay, Mrs. Rainey said, writing it all down as Keri continued.
Well need the contact information for every friend you can think of and any kids she might have had issues with during the last year. Well need the principals number. We can get teacher and guidance counselor contact information from the school. But if you already have it, that would be great.
We can get you all that, Carolyn promised them.
Well also need the names and numbers of any coaches or tutors she has, Ray added, as well as those names of both the boys she was crushing on. Detective Locke and I will split up to maximize time.
Keri looked at him. His voice sounded completely normal but she could tell that there was more than simple professional expediency at work.
Dont take it personally. Its a good idea.
Yes, she agreed. Why dont Mrs. Rainey and I walk the route to school before it gets too dark out? At this time of year, the sun will be setting in less than an hour. You can give me those contact numbers on the way.
And Mr. Rainey, Ray said, you can show me Jessicas room. After that, I recommend you go get your son. Whats his name?
Nathaniel. Nate.
Okay, well, CSU will be gone by the time you get back so there wont be so many people around. Youre going to want to try to keep things as normal as possible for him. That way, if we need to ask him questions, he wont shut down.
Tim Rainey nodded absently, as if hed only just remembered he had a son as well. Ray continued.
When you go, Ill head over to the school to talk to the folks there. Well also check to see if theres any video that can be helpful. Mrs. Rainey, Ill meet you and Detective Locke at the school and drive you back home.
Are you going to put out an Amber Alert? Carolyn Rainey asked, referring to the abduction messages sent out to the general public.
Not yet, Ray said. Its very possible that well do that soon, but not until we have more information to share. We just dont know enough yet.
Lets get moving, Keri said. The more quickly we check off all these boxes, the better picture well have of what might have happened.
They all stood up. Carolyn Rainey grabbed her purse and led them to the front door.
Ill let you know if we learn anything, she said to her husband as she gave him a kiss on the cheek. He nodded, then pulled her in for a long, tight hug.
Keri glanced over at Ray, who was watching the couple. Despite himself, he glanced over at her. She could still see the hurt in his eyes.
Ill call you when we get to the school, Keri said quietly to Ray. He nodded without replying.