“What about neighbors,friends?—”
“Everyone was interviewed, and everyone was cleared, which is why I want you to look into it.”
It was interesting for sure, but this wasn’t in my jurisdiction. I was no longer in law enforcement. I wasn’t sure I had any right to look over the case and do any investigating.
“Look, Mayor Cameron, I appreciate that you would like my skills on this, but that’s why you have a police department?—”
“The police have marked it as a cold case, and they haven’t bothered to look into it for over ten years. As far as they’re concerned, Dakota Walker’s case is closed.”
Twenty-five years ago was a long time to dig up evidence. I wasn’t even sure I could gather anything useful for her. But there was something else driving her, something that she hadn’t told me.
“If I agree to do this, I need the absolute truth from you. On everything.”
Her eyes twinkled with hope. “Absolutely.”
I held up the file. “Who is this girl to you?”
Mayor Cameron cocked her head at me. “She’s my half-sister.”
Shock rippled through me, but at least it all made sense now. She was adamant about finding the missing girl because it was her own long-lost mystery. How could she possibly find closure for her sister when her murderer was still out there?
I leaned forward in my seat, more interested now than ever before, but if I was going to do this, we had to get a few things straight. “Mayor Cameron?—”
“Jane,” she interrupted. “Please, call me Jane.”
The eagerness in her voice made this even harder. “If I agree to do this, we have to set some boundaries.”
“Of course.”
“I will only share information with you when I deem it appropriate. Which means you will not show up at my house for nightly meetings to find out if I’ve discovered anything. It will take me some time to dig through all the information and verify everything, so don’t expect me to have any updates for you in a week.”
“Of course.”
“You will not interfere with my investigation in any way or try to sway me to look into someone you suspect. I will follow the evidence, and only the evidence. If at any time I feel you’re interfering, I will go to the city council about your ability to do your job. Is that understood?”
Her back stiffened, but she gave a tight nod.
“I know that sounds harsh, but I need to be able to research this from anoutsider’s perspective. If you got involved, it could take longer to find out anything useful.”
“I understand. So…you’ll take the job?”
“I’ll take this job,” I said, holding up the file. “Consider me a private investigator.”
For the first time since we sat down, Mayor Cameron had a genuine smile on her face, and hope filled her eyes. I couldn’t deny that it made me feel good to be back in an investigative role again.
“And I can’t persuade you to take on the other role?”
“Not at this time. I need to get a feel for the town first. I’m sure the people around here would appreciate that as well.”
“Since they’re already planning the world’s largest baby shower, I’m not sure they’ll need much convincing, but I’ll wait for you to settle in.”
Standing, I tucked the file under my arm and reached forward to shake her hand. “I’ll be in touch.”
10
MICHAEL
The bellabove the door of the police station rang, announcing to everyone that I was here. Heads perked up, and I noticed more than one person start to make their way toward me when Bea cleared her throat, scowling at the lot of them.
