Tory picked up aPeoplemagazine off the stack on the table and started thumbing through the pages. She wished she had her iPad, which she’d hocked along with her laptop after she’d fled Carlsbad.
Finally, the door opened and a tall, slim man with curly brown hair walked into the room and approached with determined strides.
“You’re here for Lisa Shane?” he asked.
“That’s right.”
“I’m Detective Jeremy Larson. Lisa Shane doesn’t have a sister, so who the hell are you?”
Her nerves kicked up. Beside her, Josh stiffened.
“I’m her best friend, Victoria Bradford. This is Joshua Cain. We just flew in from Texas.”
The detective’s dark eyes swung to Josh. “You’re also a friend of Ms. Shane’s?”
“Never met her. I’m here for Ms. Bradford.”
The detective’s expression said he wasn’t happy about the deception. He pointed toward the door. “Both of you. We need to talk. There’s a room down the hall where we can speak privately.”
They made their way out of the waiting room and along the corridor to a private room with a bleached wood table and four matching chairs. There were desert scenes on the walls. The detective closed the door and joined them at the table.
“How did you hear about Ms. Shane?” he asked, taking the seat across from her.
“Lisa’s friend, Shelly Burman, has been keeping me informed,” Tory said.
Larson nodded, apparently fitting the pieces together. Taking a notepad out of his pocket, he flipped it open and pulled out a pen. “You’re the woman who first figured out Lisa was missing. That correct?”
“That’s right. I called Lisa Tuesday morning, but she didn’t pick up so I called her office. They said she hadn’t phoned in that day and hadn’t shown up the day before, either. That isn’t like her. I called Shelly and asked her to stop by Lisa’s house. Lisa’s car and purse were there but Lisa wasn’t. Shelly and I both thought it was time to call the police.”
“How much do you know about what happened?”
“Not much,” Tory said. “Shelly said the police believe Lisa was abducted from her home. I know she was shot.”
The detective released a slow breath. “It appears Ms. Shane was held prisoner for several days before she escaped. There’s no proof she was raped since there’s no DNA evidence. But she was badly beaten and from what the doctors are reporting of her injuries, my guess is the guy tied her up and sexually assaulted her. Probably wore a condom. I need to know if you have any idea who might be responsible for the attack.”
Her mind started screaming. Lisa had been abducted, beaten, and probably raped. All she could think wasDamon,Damon,Damon. But there was no evidence, no proof it had anything to do with him.
“I don’t . . . I’m not sure.”
“You’re her best friend. You must have talked to her often. Did she mention anyone? A guy at work she was having trouble with? Someone following her? A guy she met in a bar? Anyone like that?”
Damon,Damon,Damon.
“Tell him, Tory,” Josh softly urged.
She swallowed. “There is someone . . . a person who might do something that terrible. But I don’t have any proof.”
Larson clicked the top of his pen. “What’s his name?”
“Damon Bridger. He’s . . . he’s my ex-fiancé.”
The detective stopped writing. “Your ex was involved with Lisa Shane?”
“No, but . . .” She took a fortifying breath. “Damon knows she’s my closest friend. He’s been stalking me for months. If you check your police records, you’ll see he was arrested for assaulting me last year.”
“He beat her, put her in the hospital,” Josh said darkly. “The bastard ought to be in prison.”
The detective eyed him a moment, then turned back to Tory. “Tell me about Bridger.”
