I glance at Dalton, who’s already taking the skeleton key from his pocket. When Neil leaves, Dalton hands it over and says, “Go have a look. And take…” His gaze barely starts to scan before Kenny says, “I’ll escort Casey.”
Under normal circumstances, a welfare check doesn’t require backup. Considering Jolene isn’t a fan of law enforcement, it’s wise to have backup that can also serve as a witness, if things go wrong.
I tell Dalton I’ll be back as soon as I can, and then Kenny and I head for Jolene’s place.
* * *
Jolene’s apartment is in the same building as Ted’s. She lives just above him, and opening the door into her place, I’m reminded of his. The layout is nearly identical. Will we change that in the new Rockton? Or does having the same layout mean no one gets pissy because someone has a layout they prefer? One thing Dalton and I have discussed is having fewer apartments and more multi-resident homes, with private bedrooms and shared living space.
And that has nothing to do with this welfare check on Jolene.
I hope it isn’t food poisoning. Neil said his was a food-storage issue, but it’s still the last thing we’ll need.
I push my head through the open door. “Jolene? It’s Casey. Detective Butler. I’ve been asked to check in on you.”
When no one answers, I step just inside the door and try again. “Jolene? I’m just checking that you’re all right.”
Still nothing. I turn to Kenny. “Can you follow me inside, please?”
“Watch your back?”
“More like bear witness that I don’t disturb or damage or swipe anything.”
“Ah. Got it. Yeah, Jolene can be…” He trails off before saying more, his gaze going inside, as if remembering she might overhear.
We continue inside. The living room is a mess. That’s the first thing I see, and I pull up short, tensing. The place looks as if it’s been ransacked. On closer inspection, I’m not so sure. There’s a blanket on the floor, a dirty mug and plate on the table, and clothing strewn about. That could all be messy housekeeping. There are also open drawers, a spill, and what looks like … Is that blood on the wall?
I yank my gaze from the wall and turn toward the bedroom instead. “Jolene?” I call. “I’m coming into your bedroom.”
I rap on the half-closed door first. No answer. I push it open to see the room in equal disarray. The bed isn’t just unmade—half the sheets hang onto the floor. Occupants have the choice of a double or single bed. Single makes it harder to have overnight guests. Double, though, takes up the entire small room. Jolene opted for a single bed and a dresser, and the drawers are open, contents spilling out.
One thing is clear. Despite the disarray, Jolene isn’t here. By now, of course, I expect this. Or I’d been hoping for it, because after all my calling, if she was here, she was either unconscious or dead. I still do a quick check of the tiny bathroom and kitchenette. Both look like a tornado struck, but it’s obvious Jolene isn’t here.
“She sleeps out a lot,” Kenny says.
When I turn, he lifts his hands. “That’s an observation, not a judgment. I slept out a lot too in my first year and … er, that’s more than you need to know.”
“Yes, but I catch your drift, and I’m not judging either way. Plenty of that going on here. I presume Jolene is popular.”
“Uh, have you seen the town stats, Casey? All the women are popular. Even—” He cuts himself off. “And it would be rude to say more. Point is that any woman who wants to be popular will be, especially when there are plenty—like Petra or April—who don’t want anything to do with that side of the social scene. Or you and Isabel, who already have someone. Hell, these days even Jen—” He stops. “And I’m putting my foot in it again.”
“Straight men vastly outnumber straight women,” I say. “And many of those women aren’t into hooking up, so those who are—like, perhaps, Jolene—could probably go their entire two years and never spend a night in their own bed.”
He chuckles. “Yep.”
“Any thoughts on who Jolene has been seeing?”
“I can share names on the understanding they didn’t come from me. I don’t go looking for that kind of information, but the kind of guys Jolene prefers aren’t the kind who stay quiet about it. She seems fine with that, but it still feels wrong sharing it.”
“Got it. I’ll take a list then. Lovers and friends if you know names.”
“Not so sure on the friends, but I can make a start on the lovers.” He pauses. “I’m not on the list. Just in case…”
I look over, as innocently as possible. “In case what?”
His cheeks redden. “I know you discuss cases with April, and I, uh…”
“One, my sister wouldn’t care if you’d slept with Jolene. She’d simply say that sex is a natural instinct and if done safely and respectfully, it’s a healthy outlet. Two, if the fact you’re no longer ‘sleeping out’ has anything to do with April, you might want to make an actual move on that.”
His mouth opens. Shuts. He busies himself looking around. “Jolene’s apartment is a bit of a mess, huh?”
“Yep.”
“Any chance … Well, I hate to think anything happened to her, but it is a mess.”
“Exactly what I’m thinking. Would you stand guard while I run and talk to Will? I want to take a closer look around, but I’d like the militia to start knocking on doors, seeing whether Jolene is behind any of them.”
* * *
I’m trying not to overreact about Jolene. I don’t want to declare her missing, and half of that is just the damned inconvenient timing. We wrapped up the case, and with that, I declare my work as Detective Butler done. The others will need help with a million things over the next couple of weeks. We absolutely cannot afford to have a missing resident.
On the way back to her place, I stop at both the stable and the laundry—where she normally works—and chat to her coworkers. They all say she’s not exactly employee of the month, but she doesn’t skip out either.
It seems Jolene shared a few things in common with Conrad, besides jumping on the “Anders is evil” bandwagon. She got the temporary stable position because she has livestock experience, and I don’t know what exactly it is, but I’m guessing something like a veterinarian or horse-farm owner. Something relatively prestigious, because she’s made it very clear that the laundry service is beneath her.
Unlike Conrad, Jolene didn’t try to shirk her duties. She understood that her skills weren’t useful here, so she just made sure everyone knew she’d been “someone” down south, while otherwise sucking it up and doing the work.