Home > Dark Highway(2)

Dark Highway(2)
Author: Lisa Gray

Jessica noted the woman’s careful use of the word “is” rather than “would have been.” There were three of them around the table—Renee, Jessica, and another private investigator called Matt Connor—and none of them were willing to address the elephant right there in the room with them, namely the fact that Laurie Simmonds may not still be alive. Even so, Renee’s hazel eyes shone with a sort of fierce defiance that said she wasn’t giving up hope just yet.

Jessica held up the photo. “May I hold onto this one?”

“Of course.” Renee hesitated. “Will you be working the investigation too?”

“Yes, I will. Is that a problem?”

“No, not at all.” Renee turned her attention from Jessica to Connor, the owner of the agency and the one whose name was on the front door. “It’s just that, when I spoke to you on the phone yesterday, I was under the impression this was a one-man operation.”

“Jessica is new,” Connor said.

Renee’s eyebrows lifted a fraction in an unspoken question.

“She has a ton of experience,” he added smoothly. “Especially with missing persons cases.”

Talk about an understatement. What he didn’t say was that Jessica, herself, had been a missing person, snatched from her home as a toddler. The kid on the side of the milk carton. Completely unaware that people had been looking for her for twenty-five years until she had stumbled upon the truth about her tragic past last year.

It was while working the case in Eagle Rock, a neighborhood in northeast Los Angeles, that Jessica had first crossed paths with Matt Connor. Over the few days they’d spent together, she’d found him to be equal parts infuriating and arousing. He was also one hell of a liar and Jessica still didn’t know if she could trust him. But, with no plans to return to her native New York any time soon, she needed to keep clocking up the hours required for a California PI license and Matt Connor was her best hope for a quick and easy solution. Hell, at least she’d get to hang out at the beach all day and call it work. She’d tracked him down to a bar in Venice the night before and asked him for a job.

Today was her first day as an official employee of MAC Investigations. She had a pretty good idea what the “M” and the “C” stood for but, so far, not the “A.” She just hoped it wouldn’t turn out to be “Asshole.” What she did know was that she was pumped about this case. As they’d shared a couple of Scotch on the rocks the night before, Connor had told her what little information he’d had at that point: Laurie Simmonds was an artist who lived and worked in Venice, she was single, in her early twenties, and hadn’t been seen or heard of since her VW camper van was found abandoned by a roadside in the desert.

Jessica set the photo aside, turned to a fresh page in her yellow legal pad, and wrote the date at the top. Connor did likewise and she let him take the lead with the questions.

“Let’s start off with a little more background on Laurie,” he said. “She’s an artist, right?”

Renee nodded. “She shares a creative space with another artist, a sculptor by the name of Elizabeth Mann—that’s Mann with two ‘N’s—down near the Boardwalk. It has the triple purpose of being a studio, gallery, and retail space. They’re best friends, as well as working together.”

“She lives alone?”

“Yes, in a two-bedroom apartment on Speedway, not far from the studio.”

“Two bedrooms but no roommate?”

“No, she likes her own space. She paints there too. Often late into the night. Being on her own suits her.”

“When we spoke on the phone, you mentioned she was single at the time of her disappearance.”

“That’s right. No boyfriend.”

“She wasn’t dating? You know, something more casual?”

“If she was, she never mentioned it. But it’s possible, I guess.” Renee smiled sadly. “We’re close but I suppose daughters don’t tell their moms everything, huh?”

The question was directed at Jessica. She smiled back, like she understood. Even though she didn’t. Her own mother had been murdered when Jessica was three years old, the night she was abducted. She’d never had those girl talks with her mom or anyone else. Even if she had, she sure as hell wouldn’t have told anyone about any guy she was casually sleeping with. She figured Laurie Simmonds would be much the same.

“But she’d tell you if she’d fought with someone?” Connor asked. “Like a girlfriend, maybe?”

“Sure, but she didn’t mention any arguments. Didn’t seem upset about anything. Elizabeth said the same thing. Honestly, Laurie is just the sweetest person. I can’t imagine her pissing someone off enough for them to hurt her.”

Jessica looked up from the pad where she’d been furiously scribbling her notes. “What about money troubles?”

“No, none.”

“She’s a successful artist, then?”

“She’s very talented.”

“So, she’s making a good living from her work?” Jessica pressed.

A pause. Then Renee said, “Well, no, not exactly. Laurie’s father and I help out with the rent on both the apartment and retail space. I know it bothers her, relying on handouts from her mom and dad. But, like I said, she’s got real talent and she’ll get the recognition and money she deserves one day. I’m sure of it.”

Jessica smiled. “I’m sure she will.”

Connor said, “Speaking of Laurie’s father, I was under the impression he’d be here with you today?”

Renee’s mouth pursed into a tight line of disapproval. “Trey had to work. Trey always has to work.” She sighed, her features softening. “That’s not fair. This whole business has hit us both really hard. I guess throwing himself into work is his way of dealing with things. If you need to speak to Trey, you can arrange a time to stop by the house.”

“Sure, we’ll do that.” Connor paused a beat. “Okay, Renee, this might be tough but now we need to ask you about the day Laurie disappeared.”

Renee gulped down a mouthful of coffee from the chipped Dodgers mug Connor had handed her when she’d first arrived, leaving a peachy-pink lipstick smear on the rim. The coffee must have been cold by now and she winced slightly before continuing.

“It was just like any other day,” she said. “Laurie went down to the beach to do some sketching in the morning, something she did often for inspiration. She’d usually be back at the studio by lunchtime. On this occasion, she sent a text asking Elizabeth if she’d be okay to look after the shop for the rest of the day, said she had some stuff to take care of. They weren’t busy so Elizabeth was happy to hold the fort, didn’t quiz Laurie on what her plans were.

“I speak to Laurie on the phone most evenings and I received a text from her that afternoon saying she was super busy with work stuff and she’d give me a call tomorrow. Of course, she never did. Her van was found on the shoulder of the Twentynine Palms Highway, out by Joshua Tree National Park, the next day.”

Connor got up from the table and walked over to a map of Los Angeles and the surrounding areas Scotch-taped to the wall. A yellow pin was stuck in the Westside next to a patch of blue, presumably the location of the agency. He traced his finger from the pin to the spot where Laurie’s vehicle had been found. Turned to them both with a frown. “That’s a hell of a distance. Must be, what, a couple hundred miles?”

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