“Does she know why she’s here?” Jake asked. “That would add more stress, but she has to be careful who she talks to and lets into her room.”
“I’ll watch her today,” said Kate. “If the man from yesterday comes back, I’ll ask for ID, and I won’t let him in the room alone with Hannah.”
“All right. I’ll talk to her friends at the coffee shop and see what I can find out. I’ll also call my dispatch and find out where she lives. Maybe stop by there and pick up some clothes for her?”
“I’m sure she’d appreciate that. The paramedics cut up what she was wearing yesterday, so she’ll need something eventually.”
“Let’s meet back here after lunch then, say around one?” The doctor checked his watch.
Jake was tired but used to running on low amounts of sleep. Thankfully, he was heading to a coffee shop and could fuel up there. He was unsure about leaving Hannah alone, but trusted Kate to watch out for her. She didn’t seem like she’d take shit from anyone. Plus, the likelihood of the man returning seemed low. It would be risky as hell for him to show up here again, in broad daylight, knowing people were suspicious.
Jake drove to the coffee shop and ordered an extra-large coffee. All the Grinder’s employees who were on duty that morning took turns talking to him. They all worked the same shift as Hannah, and all said the same thing. Hannah was friendly and nice to everyone but extremely private about her personal life. She wasn’t on social media and no one had ever heard her mention her family. He did find out she had a best friend named Holly, but she lived in Spokane. Hannah’s friends verified what Jake had already known about her last boyfriend. His name was Zach, but the relationship ended months ago. None of them had ever met him and no one knew his last name.
When he asked about the man with the red hat, they’d all noticed him and each said the same thing. He would show up, wander around the front of the shop for an hour or so, and then leave. They’d never confronted him and didn’t have any details about who he might be in relation to Hannah, but they also said he hadn’t been back since the incident. Jake made it very clear that he was a person of interest in Hannah’s accident and that if they saw him again to call the police immediately.
Asking about whether they knew anyone that could take care of Hannah was a bust. One gal offered a couch, and another gave an only slightly better offer of a futon in the living room. No one had an actual spare bedroom, nor could anyone afford to take time off from work to be with her all day. It was understandable. They were young, single women living in tiny apartments and working full time. He jotted down Holly’s phone number, but the mere fact that she lived on the other side of the state was problematic.
He called Holly from the parking lot and found out she had two young children. She couldn’t come to Bellevue, but if Jake could get Hannah to Spokane, Holly would be happy to take care of her there. Jake thanked her for the offer and let her know he’d run it by Hannah. When he asked whether she thought Hannah would want Jake to find her parents, was hesitant.
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” she hedged. “Hannah never revealed everything that went down with them. Just said she didn’t want anything to do with them. I don’t even know their names.”
“Okay. I don’t know who they are either, but I could find out if Hannah wanted me to. I’ll let her decide about that, I guess. Thanks for the help.”
Except for the coffee, the shop had been a dead end. He called his dispatch, got Hannah’s address, and headed there next. He stopped by the office on the main floor and told them what had happened. Handing them a business card, he asked if someone could let him into her apartment for some clothes.
The super escorted him to Hannah’s fifth-floor apartment, but when they arrived, it was obvious they wouldn’t need a key. The lock had been broken, and the door was ajar.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jake waved for the super to get behind him and pulled out the Glock he kept strapped to his ankle. Nudging the door open with his foot, he called out, announcing he was a police officer. When there was no response, he shoved the door open and entered the small apartment.
Gun leading the way, he advanced from room to room. There was only a bedroom and a bathroom that weren’t visible upon entry, so it didn’t take long. He quickly cleared each one and told the super he could come in, but not to touch anything. He used his cell phone to call the Bellevue PD detectives that were handling Hannah’s case. Detectives Bruce Townsend and Ryan Grossman were the same officers who had handled the investigation of the shooting at Sam’s, so he was well acquainted with them and had their numbers in his contacts.
Jake told them about the break-in at Hannah’s apartment and asked that they come right away. While it was possible someone had heard Hannah was in the hospital and used that as an opportunity to break in, they all agreed it was more likely something to do with Hannah’s attempted murder.
“We’re at the hospital now, but because of her memory issues, talking to Hannah isn’t helping much. We’ll say goodbye and head over now. It won’t take us long,” said Bruce. Jake hung up with the detective and took a slower walk around the apartment.
The place wasn’t trashed, but it had clearly been searched. Drawers were open, and a small file cabinet had papers strewn all over the floor in front of it. Jake had never been to the apartment and had no way of knowing if anything had been taken. Unfortunately, Hannah, in her current state, probably wouldn’t know, either. That would make it nearly impossible to do a burglary report.
“The police will be here soon, and they’ll be handling the investigation, but do you have a way to temporarily lock up after they leave? Or could you have the locks changed today?” Jake asked the super.
“Sure, I’ll see to it.”
“Great. Once the PD gets here, I’m going to grab some clothes for Hannah and then let them take over. If Hannah’s feeling up to it, I may bring her by once they release her tomorrow. Will you be here to let us in?”
The super handed Jake his card and told him to call when they needed to get in, and he’d make himself available. Jake thanked him, and he left to make the arrangements for the new lock.
Careful not to disturb anything, Jake entered Hannah’s bedroom. The mattress on her bed was askew as if someone had moved it, trying to get between the mattress and box spring. Clothes lay scattered on the floor near the closet. Of course, that could just mean Hannah was messy. He noticed a place on the closet shelf that was oddly empty. There were things stacked on both sides, but nothing in between. It looked like a box of some sort had been there. Maybe a small safe? He took a few pictures with his phone, thinking they might jog Hannah’s memory.
Once the detectives arrived, they immediately started giving Jake a hard time.
“Geez, bro. You go searching for trouble? Or does it just seem to find you?” Bruce asked with a smile.
“Lately, it seems like the latter,” Jake said with a shrug. “Be sure to check the shelf in the closet. It seems like something there is missing. Other than that, I have no idea what someone may have taken. I plan to bring Hannah by in the next few days, and I’ll see if she can tell if anything is missing. But until she gets her memory back, I’m not sure she’ll be much help.”
“Yeah, that’s definitely making things difficult,” Ryan said.
“I’m gonna pack up some of her clothes and then get back to the hospital. You want to look around before I touch anything?” he asked.
