I nod. “It’s starting to seem that way.”
Nick’s eyes widen. “Then you’re in danger, Ace.”
“It’s nothing I can’t handle.”
“Bullshit! You need to get into protective—”
“Nick,” I interrupt, grabbing his hand to calm him down. “I’ll be fine. And I told you, it’s just a theory. I’m not supposed to be working on anything right now either, remember? We can’t run into the office with this crazy theory.”
“I think the captain will gladly look the other way on this if you’re really in danger. You’re one of the best detectives on the force. If someone is after you, then they’re after us. You know we all have your back.”
His words are simple and true, yet feel wrong. If one thing universally pisses off cops, it’s someone targeting another cop. Everyone would jump to protect me…and I’m lying to them. They can’t fight this demon with guns and the law.
They need magic, and they don’t have it.
I can’t lead them to a fight they’ll lose. I can’t, and I won’t.
“I know.” I give his hand a squeeze. “And you know I’m so thankful for that. But for now…there’s no need to worry yet. The last disappearance was years ago. The killer might not be out there anymore.”
“That’s something you’re willing to risk?” he asks skeptically, knowing it’s way out of character for me.
“No, but until we get more evidence, acting too soon could give the killer time to go into hiding.”
“Okay…I’ll agree with you there. But still, Ace, I don’t like the thought of you being alone in that big creepy house Tiffany talks about. You should at least get an officer to park outside at night.”
“I don’t live alone,” I say, feeling a little awkward. Nick is a friend, but I know there was a time when he would have loved to be more than friends. I’m pretty sure I told him I have a boyfriend, but I didn’t go into details about our living arrangements. “I live with my boyfriend, and my friend Gemma’s been staying with me.”
Oh shit. The lie I’ve been telling people is that “my boyfriend” works for the FBI or CIA…whatever they chose to believe. I can still try to pull that with Nick, but it’s not as easy to lie to him about this when he knows how that kind of stuff works.
“Okay, that makes me feel a little better.”
I pull the files in front of me. “The missing kids…what did you find out?”
“This one,” he says, and points to the file on top. “Ran away. She was seventeen and the search seemed to cease on her eighteenth birthday.” He shakes his head disapprovingly. “She’s still listed in the missing persons database, but nothing has been updated since this report was filed.”
“She has no other family looking for her?”
“From what I was able to gather, she had an estranged aunt—her mother’s sister—who offered some reward money for her return, but that’s it. They didn’t have a good relationship. It was assumed by the local police Rachel ran away to avoid going into the system since she only had a year until her birthday.”
I bite my lip as I think. Once the girl’s parents were out of the way, there really wasn’t anyone else to protect her. And even if she was put into foster care, it would be easy for her to slip through the cracks and not be missed.
“What about the missing boy?”
“He was thirteen, and his disappearance is listed as a kidnapping.”
My stomach churns. What did the demon want with them? Before we can go on and look into the other files, the motion sensor on my phone goes off. I pull up the camera view and see a dark SUV pulling into the driveway.
“Motherfucker,” I mumble, heart racing. “I have to go.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I pull twenty bucks from my purse and toss it on the table and get up.
“Ace.” Nick stands, reaching for me. “Whatever you’ve got yourself into—whatever’s going on—you need backup.”
“Did you drive your squad car?”
“No, I rode my bike.”
