Grace Read online

  "My God, you're gorgeous! I have so many things for you,” a woman with long black hair stated, exiting from her position behind the counter, ready to dress up Grace and sell her a plethora of items.

  "I'm sorry, but I'm not here to buy anything. My name is Detective Martin and I'm looking for the owner, Mary Chloe."

  "I'm Mary, who sent ya, honey?"

  Grace studied Mary's face a moment, unsure of her age. She had to be at least ten years older than Celina if Grace had to guess. Makeup covered Mary's face and every miniscule pore of her skin. No feature was untouched and her breasts bulged from her top. Mary just stared at Grace and she suddenly looked suspicious.

  "Jerry, Celina's boyfriend, sent me."

  Mary's eyes widened in surprise.

  "Why would he do that?"

  "He said you can tell me where to locate the underground club Celina was last seen in."

  "I don't know anything about any club. Who are you?"

  "I'm a detective working with the Marquettes to find their daughter."

  "That's a shocker.” Mary's comment was laced with sarcasm.

  Mary leaned against the counter and locked gazes with Grace. Grace watched Mary's line of sight focus on her side arm, then the gold shield attached to Grace's waistband. It was obvious to Grace that Mary questioned whether she was a cop or not. Grace reached into her coat pocket for her photo ID and business card. Mary seemed to accept the identification as authentic.

  "The Marquettes want to find their daughter, and I understand after talking with Jerry that the two of you were pretty close. He seemed to believe you wouldn't hesitate to help in any way. I need to know where that club is and what goes on there."

  "You couldn't handle it even if I could find out what club she was at. Her parents would freak if they knew what their precious daughter was into."

  "What do you mean?"

  Mary appeared hesitant to expand on the comment.

  "Listen, Mary, I understand that the Marquettes don't like you, but my job is to try and find Celina, what happened to her and who's responsible. Now if you two were as close as Jerry insists you are, then there's no reason not to help me."

  "I got a business to run and I don't need a bunch of cops and detectives stopping in and scaring away my customers."

  "My concern is finding your friend and time isn't exactly on our side with cases like this. You know the deal, Mary."

  Mary was hesitant a moment and Grace watched as she placed her hands on her hips and stared at Grace as if she exasperated her.

  "There were two detectives in here already. I wasn't sure if I could trust them."

  Immediately, Grace knew one of them had to be Mathews.

  "We're all trying to help find Celina. Please tell me what you know and maybe a little more about this shop of yours."

  Just then, a young woman came out from the back door and Mary asked her to cover the store while she took a break. The young blonde shrugged her shoulders and sat down behind the desk while she obnoxiously chewed a wad of gum.

  Grace followed Mary through the back door and into a large room. There were a whole bunch of computers set up and about ten women all speaking seductively into the phones.

  "It's a small yet lucrative business, and I couldn't exactly let the cops in on it. I pay enough people off to keep their mouths shut. Let's go into my office."

  Grace listened to the X-rated phone conversations, the moaning and groaning from the ten women. This was crazy and completely unexpected.

  "So was Celina working for you?” Grace nodded in the direction of the phone sex operators.

  "Yes, she was. She knew the rules about not giving out any personal information or making dates with the clients. I really don't think that's what happened to her."

  Mary closed the office door behind them and leaned against the desk.

  Grace stood a few feet in front of her. “So tell me what you do think."

  "If Jerry's right, and she went to one of the private clubs, then there could be a hundred suspects. The guys who are into women like this and who want to engage in more, let's say ... untraditional sexual acts, tend to swarm a new girl. I warned Celina about this, and she started to go more often. Then I think she met someone and they hit it off. I think she was happier with the mystery guy than with Jerry."

  "He told me that Celina was seeing some big shot, rich guy, maybe an attorney. Do you know who this might be?"

  "Honey, there are hundreds of big shot attorneys in the city. You would be shocked to see who hangs out at clubs like those."

  "Do you go to those places? Can you find out which one she was at last and who she was with?” Grace asked.

  "Do you really think Celina was taken by someone she met at a club?"

  "I'm not sure, but it's a possibility and I want to be positive to investigate every lead thoroughly."

  "I can try if you think it might help."

  "It would help. I want you to be careful because I don't know who this guy is, or if he's even responsible for Celina's disappearance."

  "Then why don't you come with me? You'll see for yourself what's going on. I know the staff at most of the clubs. I can get us in and out in a hurry if necessary. There's this bartender Bill who knows, sees and hears just about everything."

  "Find out what you can. I'll update my commander and the other detectives involved, and we'll determine if an undercover operation is necessary. You have my card, Mary. Call me if you think of anything else."

  "I'll be able to find out which club Celina was at the night she went missing."

  "You do that, and we'll discuss going there to check things out."

  "You may want to wear a disguise. There's always a chance that someone might recognize you. We'll make plans to meet here half an hour earlier, and I'll help you get ready."

  Mary was pushing the undercover gig a bit much. Why did Grace feel this was just an excuse for Mary to dress her up?

  Mary told Grace as soon as she entered the door that the woman had wonderful things for her. Grace caught Mary eyeing her body a few times. The feeling was creepy. God, this was bad, but if the trip to the club was successful, she might have an even better lead.

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  Chapter 5

  "Right now, Jerry, I'm not believing a damn word you've told us. You're holding something back, and I want to know what it is. We know you're into drugs. Did you get Celina involved and maybe you owe someone?” Max eyed Jerry who sat in the interrogation room along with Max's partner, Tommy.

  "I told you everything I know.” Jerry then ran his fingers through his hair. Max wasn't going easy on the kid. He didn't have any leads, any suspects and the fact the kid just appeared to be hiding something was enough to question him. Max didn't believe in wasting time. He was always thorough in his interrogation tactics and had a reputation for making the guilty confess.

  "What did you do with Celina, Jerry? Where is she?” Max yelled into Jerry's ear as he shook the chair Jerry sat in.

  "Do you know about the death penalty? Because if you're responsible for the murder of your girlfriend as well as the others, you're going to die,” Max added.

  Jerry turned his head toward Max, eyes wide in disbelief.

  "I didn't kill her. I didn't kill anyone.” He started to cry.

  "Celina's friend Peggy said that Celina was having an affair. You found out about it and flipped out. Maybe you couldn't handle that? Maybe your jealousy took control and you took matters into your own hands?"

  "No!"

  "It's happened before, Jerry. The boyfriend finds out his precious, perfect little girlfriend is doing someone else and bam, he wants revenge, decides to slap her around a bit, and things get out of hand. You killed her, freaked out, got rid of the body then played the sad boyfriend who just happened to be the first one on the scene."

  "I didn't kill Celina. I love her. I told Detective Martin all about it and the guy Celina was seeing."

  Max paused a moment as
the words sank in. Suddenly, he was angry as hell. Why hadn't Grace informed him? It didn't matter anyway because they had their suspicions after speaking with Peggy. Now Max would have to straighten out Grace Martin, let her know who was in charge of this case.

  "Tell us everything, Jerry, and don't leave anything out,” Max demanded.

  * * * *

  Grace couldn't shake the nervous feeling as she sat at the desk in her office going over everything she had on Celina's disappearance. The Cave and the real business being run behind closed doors only made matters worse. Any number of things could have happened to Celina. The police department felt Celina's case was somehow connected to the three other murder cases.

  Her focus remained on the other cases and the condition of the bodies found, all indicating sexual assault and deviant behavior on the part of the suspect. She also relied on her training, her experience and the information she learned through numerous homicide courses. Geberth had emphasized the importance of ‘Victimology’ during a sex-related homicide investigation. Grace asked the questions, “Who was the victim? What was going on in Celina's life and the others during the time of the event?

  She had interviewed Celina's parents, and they had a different view of their daughter's lifestyle. That wasn't so uncommon. The fact they didn't know their daughter was definitely hanging out with Mary Chloe made Grace wonder what Celina was into. Then Jerry of course was unaware of Celina's secret job and perhaps Mary was right and Celina preferred her secret rich guy over her current boyfriend. What a blow that was to Jerry. The more Grace spoke with him and investigated him, the more she came to realize he was just some poor sap caught in the middle.

  Grace needed more evidence to point her in the right direction and the conversation she had with Celina's friend Megan indicated a small connection with the secret clubs. Megan wasn't exactly cooperative and had a chip on her shoulders from the time Grace walked into her place of employment. Grace didn't give a rat's ass whether Megan was annoyed or embarrassed. Her mission was to find out everything she could about the life of Celina Marquette with hope that some detail, even the smallest, would lead her closer to finding a motive and the suspect.

  Grace wondered if Max Mathews followed the same trail. They could be working together, but here it was a week later and still he hadn't returned any of her calls.

  Whether Grace liked it or not, she would have to straighten things out with Lieutenant Mathews. It was the professional thing to do. One final call after she looked over the notes she made from the interview, and then Max Mathews could take a hike.

  * * * *

  Grace's thoughts were interrupted as someone came barging through her office door.

  "Well, Detective Martin, I should knock you on your pretty little ass for interfering with this case and withholding possible evidence!” Lieutenant Mathews yelled, pointing his finger in Grace's face.

  Grace stood up from behind the desk. “Won't you come in, Lieutenant? It's so nice to see you."

  She tried to act unaffected by Max's abrupt entrance by walking past him and closing the computer office door. But not before she let Barry know everything was fine.

  As Grace turned back toward Max, she found him standing very close and in her face talking down to her.

  "You knew that Celina was seeing someone else and that she and Jerry were having problems. Jerry told you he lied about where Celina went the night she had gone missing. You paid a visit to her friend Mary, as well. Now I want you to tell me everything you know."

  Grace brushed by him, hoping to put some distance between them and stay in control. Max was definitely intimidating, pushy and obviously used to people giving into his demands. She wouldn't reveal her nervousness.

  Grace leaned against the front of her desk, crossing her arms in front of her. She eyed Max from head to toe just as he had done to her the other day at the courthouse. However, this time, she wound up affected by him.

  He was handsome, mean and angry at the moment. The sparkling, flirtatious eyes she recalled from their last encounter now seemed to be emitting spears at her.

  Max stared in return, just waiting for some sort of response. Grace refused to allow him to control the conversation, or her for that matter, despite his use of an incredibly mean look. After all, he was the one who abruptly entered her office yelling at her rudely.

  The way he stared at her, remaining silent as if it were some quiet contest of who would back down first, angered and annoyed her. The heat reached her cheeks, and she prayed they weren't the same color red as the sweater she wore. As he continued to stare at her, she shifted her position against the desk and cleared her throat. “I have attempted to call you numerous times...."

  "Bullshit. Ron said the cases you were investigating had nothing to do with mine.” Max placed his hands on his hips, giving Grace a clearer view of the black holster and revolver as well as his trim waist.

  "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'd like to resolve this, so we can move on with the case together,” Grace suggested.

  Max gave a slight laugh. “Together, huh? I don't think so. You see, I'm the lead detective. You're going to be answering to me."

  Grace stood up straight, also placing her hands on her hips, prepared to go round for round with the lieutenant.

  "How is that, Lieutenant Mathews? The way I see it is we can find Celina together or we can continue this unnecessary battle between us. I'm willing to forget how you ignored my calls, pushed meeting me off to some idiot who had little knowledge of the case and was told to withhold info from me and ... about the sexist way you acted at the courthouse."

  "Now hold on, Detective. It was you who ran into me and held on,” Max countered.

  Grace huffed and tried to move away from the front of the desk, toward the door, when Max grabbed her arm to stop her. With his other hand, he stuck his finger in her face again.

  "You tell me everything you know right now."

  "You tell me everything you know and you have a deal,” Grace responded.

  Max appeared furious. Grace thought he probably wondered, Who the hell does this woman think she is? She's not intimidated by you, buddy.

  Grace's cell phone rang, but she didn't move to answer it, and a moment later, Barry walked in concerned about the scene unfolding in the computer room.

  Max took a step away from Grace as Barry entered the room.

  "Sorry to interrupt, Grace, but that was a Mary Chloe on the phone. She wants to know if this Friday night at 9:00 p.m. is all right?"

  Grace looked toward Max, who immediately gave her another dirty look, knowing she was up to something.

  "Tell her that's fine. I'll call her back in a little while."

  Then Barry left the room.

  Max took a deep breath, leaning against the desk.

  "Do you really want to do this the hard way?"

  "Are you going to play fair or what?” Grace replied.

  Max took another deep breath, eyeing Grace. She was stubborn and not easily intimidated. She had dealt with enough cops like Max Mathews in her career. There was no way she would start backing down now.

  He reached out his hand. “Hi, I'm Lieutenant Mathews and you are...?"

  Grace hesitated a moment, then smiled and shook his hand. “Detective Grace Martin. It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant."

  Max still didn't smile, nor did he let go of her hand. The blood rushed to her cheeks, and she was instantly nervous.

  Max appeared to feel a similar response as she noticed his cheeks turn a shade redder. It was an odd moment, an instant attraction entwined with annoyance and anger. He was an attractive man, in a rugged, no-nonsense type of way.

  "I'm in charge and everything goes through me first. I'll share everything I have, and you will do the same. I'll clear it with the commander, got it?"

  "Yes,” was all Grace could say. She didn't want to say too much out of fear her voice would sound as shaky as she felt.

  Max let go of her hand then took
a seat on the edge of her desk. His confident take-no-shit attitude was all street cop. She stood her ground even though her inner voice told her to run and cower behind her desk.... No way!

  "So tell me what you have so far and what your meeting with Mary Chloe Friday night is all about.” Max crossed his arms in front of his chest, as if absorbing Grace's every feature and not out of habit. He didn't take his eyes off of her.

  Grace moved around the desk to take a seat, so she would appear more at ease with the lieutenant's questioning tactics. His staring, however, was a different story.

  She explained about Celina seeing some attorney and that she believed they may have met at her parents’ house during a party, and then later at some sort of underground club where the patrons engage in not-so-traditional sexual activities. Max's eyes widened.

  "Did this information come from Mary Chloe?"

  "Yes, and there's more."

  "We spoke to her and she was unwilling to tell us anything,” Max added, appearing annoyed that Grace was able to get Chloe to talk.

  "It's all about attitude and being engaging, Lieutenant. Haven't you ever heard the expression ‘You get more bees with honey?’ Mary is Celina's best friend and Jimmy had confided in me."

  "I still don't trust that kid, and as far as the parents’ attitude toward Mary Chloe, I can understand that, as well.” Max focused on Grace.

  "Well, Mary didn't want to talk to you guys because she didn't trust you. Apparently, she has to pay a few people off to keep her business in that neighborhood as well as the secret one she's running in the back."

  "She mentioned something about a payoff for the month, but I just figured it was some kind of modern day organized crime racquet. I wasn't there about that. Now what's this about a secret business?” Max asked and Grace told him all about the 1-900 numbers and the kinky-sex-call business Mary ran.

  "This opens the case up to even more suspects."

  "It gets worse. You see, there are these underground clubs. Apparently, Celina went there often and had met this attorney guy she was seeing. It's a pretty intense place and according to Mary, by invitation only. They can spot a cop from a mile away. Mary also said you have to go to three separate locations to be checked first before you're given an address to the club's location."