When a moment had passed, Joanna said, “We can still find her in time before the worst happens.”
There was none of her usual smart-ass attitude or anger in the words. He glanced at her. Hoped to hell she was right.
“We need to find Martin,” he said then. “We know she was connected to Conway. Maybe with his murder she might be willing to talk.”
Joanna sent him a skeptical look. “If she’s not dead already.”
Clinton Road, Macon, 3:30 p.m.
Tony knocked on the door of the duplex and waited for Kayla Maples to answer. Another knock and then another and the dead bolt finally clicked. His frustration had maxed out by the time the door opened. Sean Waldrop, the Wild Things manager, stared out at him.
“What the—” Waldrop tried to close the door.
Tony easily forced it open. “We have a couple of questions for you and your friend Kayla.”
Having just gotten out of the shower, hair wet and a towel wrapped precariously around his hips, Waldrop backed away as Tony and Joanna barged in. “She’s not here. She has class. What the hell do you want now?” He gestured to his face. “If you keep fucking with me, I swear I’m reporting your ass.”
Tony felt badly that the guy was sporting a shiner because of him. He should have been more careful about where he punched him.
Joanna moved close enough to stick her face in his. “I need to speak to Hailey. Now. But she’s not home. Have you seen her?”
Waldrop backed up another step, his head moving adamantly from side to side. “I haven’t seen her in a week. I heard she’s all busted up over Miles’s murder.”
“What do you know about his murder?” Tony asked.
Another shake of his head. “I don’t know shit. I hardly knew the guy. Hailey’s the one you want to talk to about him.”
Joanna took Waldrop by the arm and ushered him over to the sofa. “Why don’t you call your friend Kayla and ask her where we should look for Hailey?”
Waldrop picked up his cell from the coffee table. “Sure. I got nothing else to do.” He glared at Tony. “Except prep a club for opening.”
Tony sat down on the other side of him. “I’m sure your boss will understand your need to do your civic duty.”
The call to Kayla provided a list of nightspots. Joanna entered each into her phone. Tony thanked the little creep and they headed for the first club on the long list.
He glanced at Joanna. She hadn’t said much since her meltdown in that gas station restroom. “You okay?”
“Just dandy.”
“I know what happened to you and to Ellen was unthinkable.” Now might not be the time, but what the hell. He’d spent more time stepping on his dick the past few days than not. “But it feels like there’s something more. Like you’re not being completely forthcoming on what really happened.”
She stared out the window, her face turned as far from his as possible.
“Maybe there’s something you haven’t told me,” he suggested. “Maybe about the girl who died.”
“Carrie Cole.” She glanced at him then. “That was her name.” She exhaled a big breath. “I’ve never told anyone about her. Ellen and I made a pact never to talk about what happened.”
Outrage shot through Tony and before he could stop the words, he hurled them at her. “She was murdered by the people who took you and you never told anyone? You just pretended she never existed. Was it because you didn’t want to get involved with an even more complicated investigation? Or did you just not give a shit?”
The scenario didn’t really fit with his perception of Joanna so far. What the hell was he thinking? He didn’t know this woman. His fingers tightened on the wheel when what he wanted to do was pull over and shake the hell out of her.
“I guess you had to be there to understand. We were afraid to tell.” She glared at his profile then. “Do you have any idea what that kind of fear is like?”
Actually he did. But he hadn’t been eighteen at the time. “Sorry.” He glanced at her, hoped she saw the truth in the word. “I shouldn’t have said those things. I’m certain you did the best you could.”
“Maybe, maybe not, but I did what I had to do.”
It was quite possible he really had gone over the edge the way his former boss had suggested, but he believed her.
Sometimes what you had to do was the best a person could do.
10:30 p.m.
After hitting seven clubs, they had still found no sign of Martin. They’d driven back to her house. Her dog had peered through the door at them. Her Jag wasn’t in the garage, so they’d driven to Wild Things. The club was the only place—according to Kayla—Martin frequented that they hadn’t dropped in on tonight.
The music was way too loud. The crowd was way too young. Tony led the way, cutting through the throng. He corralled the manager in his office. Wouldn’t you know, his friend Kayla Maples was there, too.
“It’s Friday night,” Waldrop warned as he stood from the desk. “I don’t have time for any of your shit.”
Tony waved him off and turned his attention to Kayla, perched on the cluttered desk. “You have her number, don’t you?” He suspected that was exactly why they hadn’t found Martin at any of the locations Kayla had given them hours ago.
She shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “Yeah. I guess I do.”
“Text her. Tell her you got something really important to tell her. You can’t talk about it on the phone.” Tony leaned down, put his face close to hers. “Do it now.”
Kayla crossed her arms over her chest. “Maybe we should call the police, Sean.”
Waldrop glared at Tony. “Maybe so. I think this fed is overstepping his bounds.”
Tony was on the guy before his words stopped echoing in the cluttered little room.
“Look.” Joanna moved between them, pushing Tony back. “Miles was murdered. You two know this, but you don’t even want to know how. It was totally gruesome. We’re really worried about Hailey. We have reason to believe she’s next on the killer’s list.”
The fury on the manager’s face slipped. He and Kayla exchanged a look.
“How do I know you’re telling the truth?” Kayla asked. “Maybe you just want to harass her the way you’re harassing us?”
“If something happens to her and you could’ve helped,” Joanna went on, “you’ll feel like shit. Trust me.”
Kayla heaved a sigh and plucked her cell from her back pocket. “Tell me what you want me to say.”
Joanna repeated the message, watching over Kayla’s shoulder while she typed. Once she’d hit Send, Tony held out his hand. “You won’t mind if I hang on to your phone while we wait for her response.”
She rolled her eyes and slapped it in his palm. “You leave with my phone or fuck with it somehow and I’m calling the police for real.”
They followed the two back out into the fray. Waldrop immediately stormed behind the counter shouting orders at his two bartenders.
Joanna claimed the only stool at the end of the bar and ordered vodka straight up. When the bartender looked at Tony, he declined. He leaned against the counter next to her. The music was too loud for conversation so they watched the mob of bodies moving on the dance floor. The place was full of college-age revelers. Tony wondered how many had fake IDs sporting birth dates that proved they were over twenty-one?
Had Tiffany done this?
Of course she had and lowlifes like Conway and Martin were just waiting to strike.
Joanna elbowed him and nodded to the entrance. Martin strode in as if she owned the place. Tony moved away from the bar and merged into the mass of bodies. He cut across the crowd and came up behind Martin.
She stalled a few feet from the bar. Joanna lifted her glass to her.
Tony moved up beside her, putting his hand at the small of her back to usher her toward Joanna.
Martin took one look at him and bolted.
He went after her.
She was out the door and headed for her car when Tony caught up with her.
“Do not touch me!” She yanked her arm from his grasp.