There was another guy behind Randy, dressed in plain clothes as well. I looked to Mallory who reached for my hand. When I looked back at him, I frowned. I knew him from somewhere but couldn’t put my finger on it.
“This is Captain Jonathon Miller. He’s my boss, and he oversees the special investigations division,” Randy said as they both moved farther into the room. “When you mentioned Mallory wanting to file a report, I thought it would be best to have him here as well.”
We each stood and shook Captain Miller’s hand, with Mallory being the last to do so. She sat back down next to me.
“Do you want to tell me what’s going on?” Randy asked as his gaze moved around the room. “You look like someone just told you Santa wasn’t real all over again.”
Captain Miller shot Randy a confused expression.
He shrugged. “For the longest time, when they were younger, Liam and Bubba refused to believe Santa wasn’t real.”
“I’m not sure if what I have to say is important or not,” I said, as Billy brought over two chairs from the dining room table.
“Do you mind if I record you?” Captain Miller asked, looking directly at Mallory.
“No,” Mallory and I both said at the same time.
I glanced at Randy. “I know you told him about the kidnapping, but did you tell him it was Mallory?”
“Yes, he knows everything I currently know.”
Captain Miller nodded, then focused on Mallory. “I wish you’d filed a report when it happened. There might’ve been crucial evidence that’s now lost.”
Mallory looked down at her hands. “I was scared, Captain Miller. No. I wasterrified, and I wasn’t sure who I could trust.”
Miller’s eyes softened. “Please, call me Jonathon. Randy told me you believe your kidnapper, or perhaps a friend of his, works in our police department?”
Mallory nodded. “I’m not sure. He said he knew a lot of people and that the cops wouldn’t help me.”
I cleared my throat. “Chad came by today, and although it appears he’s never seen Mallory before, and she’s pretty positive he isn’t the man who took her, he was in Chicago at the time we think Mallory vanished.”
Randy sat up straighter and asked, “Chad? You think your brother might have had something to do with this?”
I shook my head. “No, but I don’t know. It’s just too coincidental that he was in Chicago and now he’s going back.”
Jonathon cleared his throat. “I think I can help with this.”
All eyes turned to the captain as I asked, “How so?”
He smiled. “I was with Chad, in Chicago, about a month ago. He had work to do there, and I was going for a job interview.”
“What?” Randy asked, clearly surprised. “You’re leaving Lewistown?”
“No, but I wanted to explore things, and for a little bit I thought maybe working in a larger city would be something I liked. I instantly hated it. But, besides my interview, I was pretty much with Chad the entire time. We stayed in the same hotel, went out to eat, partied a few times, your brother hooked up with a girl one night, and I hung out at the bar while they…”
Jonathon’s words trailed off.
“He cheated on his pregnant wife?” Mallory asked in a shocked voice.
With a shrug, Jonathon said, “I’ve been best friends with Chad for a long time, it didn’t surprise me.”
“That’s where I know you from,” I stated. “You were Chad’s best man at his wedding.”
Jonathon smiled. “That was me, indeed.”
Mallory leaned forward and stared at Jonathon, causing him to clear his throat. “Even if I told him what he was doing was wrong, he wouldn’t listen to me. Chad’s always been about…Chad.”
“I can confirm that,” I added.
