“So, if Jonathon was with Chad the whole time…” Billy stated.
“Did you fly back together?” I asked.
Jonathon nodded. “Listen, Liam, I get it, you want to find this guy, but you’re looking in the wrong direction. Let’s get Mallory’s statement down so that Randy and I can start a formal investigation on this.”
Nodding, I said, “Right. You’re absolutely right.”
Mallory went over the story again so that Randy and Jonathon could take it down as an official statement.
“Do you think you would know who he was if you saw him?” Jonathon asked. “We could have some rather sketchy people come in for a line up.”
Randy looked at his boss with a confused expression.
Shrugging, Mallory said, “I’m not sure. It was dark in the basement, and truth be told, I used to close my eyes and pray he’d just go away. I think one time he did have something over his face, but it might have been a scarf or something.”
Jonathon nodded. “Anything at all that you remember that you might be able to identify him.”
Mallory cleared her throat. “The man who held me captive had this laugh…I couldn’t forget that laugh if I tried. It’s haunted my nightmares since the day I escaped.” She closed her eyes andtook a deep breath, slowly letting it out before she focused back on Jonathon and Randy. “If I hear that laugh, I know it will be him.”
Pushing his fingers through his hair, Jonathon said, “The problem is, I can’t arrest someone because you think he’s the guy because of the way he laughs.”
Mallory looked down at her hands. “I’m sorry I’m not more helpful.”
I squeezed her hand. “It’s okay, Mallory. You’re trying.”
“What about searching some of the ranches around this one?” Billy asked.
Randy shook his head. “We would need probable cause for a warrant. And to be honest, I’m afraid hearing someone’s laugh isn’t going to get us that warrant. I’m sorry, Mallory.”
Mallory sniffled and softly said, “I understand.”
I stood and started to pace. “Idon’t need a warrant to search.”
“No,” Randy said, standing. “The last thing we need is for you to stumble upon a crime scene and risk tampering with evidence.”
“What are we supposed to do, Randy? We’re nowhere closer to finding this guy than we were a couple days ago.”
Randy turned to Jonathon. “We need to check rental cars. If Mallory was kidnapped in Chicago, the only way to get her to Montana is to drive her.”
Jonathon pulled out a small notebook and wrote something down. “I’ll get on that as soon as I get back to the station.”
Glancing back to Mallory, Jonathon asked, “Mallory, do you remember anything at all before waking up in the basement?”
She slowly shook her head. “No, I’m sorry. I don’t remember anything.”
He smiled kindly. “It’s okay. I’ll check with all the rental companies in the Chicago area. And also Great Falls, Billings,and Bozeman,” Jonathon said. “If he rented a car in Chicago, those would be the closest places to return it.”
Jonathon looked at Mallory. “Okay. Mallory, may I suggest something that might help with your memory?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Do you have anything from your past that you found when you went back to Illinois?”
“We found a storage room that was filled with things like pictures and books and some antique furniture,” Mallory replied.
I added, “I paid to have it all packed up and shipped here. It should be arriving any day now.”
Jonathon stood. “Good. I want you to comb through everything. Any tiny little thing could trigger the repressed memories.”
