April bit her lip. She checked the ECG monitor’s readout before nodding. “I’ll allow this. Every second counts, Mr Rogers, but I’ll keep a check on you, and if I find any sign of distress, this ends.”
“Between you and Nurse Teagan, a man is well looked after,” Darren soothed with a heavy dose of charm.
April snorted. “That doesn’t work on me.” She pivoted to me, and anger and hatred flashed across her face. “Donotupset him. Am I clear?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” April turned and went away.
“You seriously affect that woman,” Darren said.
“Definitely, she loves to hate me,” I replied and laughed. But it hurt deep inside the way April looked at me.
“Love’s the flip of hate.”
“Don’t go there, Darren. Let’s continue. What happened after breakfast?”
???
An hour later, I left Darren. I’d wrung everything out of him possible for now. Darren had given me Jabari’s address and phone number, as well as the details of the four girls Julie hung out with. I spotted Detective Emilio Hawthorne and his partner Phil Gold standing by the nurse’s station and headed over.
“What are you doing here?” Lio asked.
“Interviewing Darren Rogers about his daughter…”
“Julie. She’s been gone for six months,” Lio finished.
“You’re aware of the case.”
“A kid like that goes missing, we certainly are. We’ve tracked every lead down possible and got nothing. I hope you have better luck and find her. Darren’s a decent man and a good dad,” Lio said.
“Anything you can tell me that might help?”
Lio and Phil exchanged a glance. “We’ve got a Jane Doe. She’s thin, has bruises that show she’s been imprisoned for a while and shows signs of rape. Historical and recent rape.”
“Trafficking,” I guessed.
“Possibly. Girl’s barely an adult. I wouldn’t place her at more than twenty,” Phil said.
I winced. “Same age bracket as Julie.”
“Yeah. I’m hoping this isn’t that shit, but if it is, Julie may be a potential victim,” Lio replied.
“Can you keep me updated if it is trafficking?”
“As much as possible. I hope you find Julie. I really do,” Phil stated.
“Fingers crossed, because Darren deserves some peace and answers.”
“I’ll check in with you in a few days, once I’ve spoken to everyone, maybe compare notes, and we can jog something loose.”
We exchanged nods, and I headed outside, walking smack into April.
Shit.
Chapter Six.
April
