Andi’s senses came alive the moment she stepped inside the police station.
She sensed the stale tang of long hours and longer cases, layered with the faint hum of fluorescent lights that never quite shut off. The lobby contained scuffed tile floors, a few hard plastic chairs bolted together, and a bulletproof window that separated the public from a uniformed officer who looked like he’d already had a long day—and it was just past nine o’clock.
She lifted her chin as she approached the officer. “I’d like to speak to someone about a missing person.”
She kept her voice even and professional, tapping into the attorney side of her—the part who knew the law and didn’t fear law and order.
The officer didn’t look up right away. When he did, his gaze slid past her to Duke.
Suddenly, he straightened and seemed to take her a little more seriously. “Name?”
“Andi Slade.”
The whole being taken more seriously as a man thing really irked her. But she wasn’t going to change his mind by pointing it out now.
“Have a seat.” He nodded to the chairs behind them. “Someone will be with you.”
A few minutes later, they were waved down a short hallway and deposited at a metal desk scratched with years of use.
The man behind it looked like he’d been carved out of granite and left in the rain too long.
Gray hair cropped short. Deep lines etched around his mouth and eyes. A tie loosened half an inch like it had lost that battle hours ago. His nameplate read: DETECTIVE HAWKINS.
He leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “You want to report a missing person?”
“That’s right,” Andi said. “Her name is Gina James.”
“I recognize the name.” His voice sounded gravelly and unimpressed. “All right—who are you two, and what do you think is going on?”
Andi leaned back in her seat, hoping they could convince him.
CHAPTER
FOURTEEN
Andi let Duke start.
She got the same vibes from Detective Hawkins as she did the officer at the front desk. The detective seemed like the kind of man who respected people of his own gender more than he did women. Another reality she wished wasn’t true, but this wasn’t the time or place to address it.
Besides, Duke was very adept at handling himself—and he was so very attractive when he took charge.
“My name’s Duke McAllister. This is my colleague Andi Slade. We understand Gina’s sister reported her missing, but that a case was never opened. Is this correct?”
The detective nodded slowly. “I suppose you could say that.”
“We’ve been reviewing circumstances surrounding her disappearance, and there are a few things that don’t sit right,” Duke continued.
Hawkins’s brow twitched—just slightly, almost as if he were amused by their conclusion. “Is that right?”
Duke visibly bristled. “Just to give you a little background, I’m a former Army CID investigator. I do have experience in law enforcement.”
“CID, huh?” His gaze slid to Andi. “And you’re qualified to investigate because . . . ?”
Andi held her head higher. “I’m an attorney. And a podcaster.”
The eye roll came a half second later—small, dismissive, and well-practiced as if the man was searching for a reason not to take them seriously.
“Ah.” Hawkins nodded slowly. “You’re part ofthattour. Where the Trail Went Cold or something. There’s been a lot of hoopla about it around town. Too bad people don’t get that excited over the crimes we solve here every day. Maybe if we added more entertaining narrative to it, they would.”
