Harlequin Intrigue April 2021--Box Set 2 of 2 by Carol Ericson (beginner reading books for adults .txt) 📗

bump from Brandon. “Hey, thanks to your team, Brandon. We give you something to do and you deliver every time.”

The kid puffed out his chest a little. “Anything we can do to help. That’s why we’re here.”

Billy asked, “I suppose you tried calling the number again after last night?”

“Same thing as before.” Brandon shook his head. “The phone’s dead, doesn’t even go to voice mail.”

Jake rolled up the paper and tapped Billy on the chest. “We’re going to track down this Rachel Blackburn and find out the location of her phone—if she knows.”

Fifteen minutes later, Jake had talked to Rachel’s mother and gotten Rachel’s place of work. Mrs. Blackburn had informed Jake that her daughter lost her phone yesterday. If she wondered why an LAPD detective was interested in her daughter’s lost cell phone, she didn’t ask.

Billy grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. “Where does Rachel work?”

“Clothing shop on Melrose.” Jake draped his own jacket over his arm and logged out of his computer.

“Right up my alley.” Billy laced his fingers and cracked his knuckles.

“A women’s clothing store.”

“It’s still on Melrose. Let’s go, partner.”

As they reached the door, Jake dug into his pocket and tossed the car keys to Billy. “Start the car and get the AC going. I have to ask Brandon something.”

He watched Billy cruise down the hallway and turned back into the room. “Brandon, did Captain Castillo ask you to set up a workstation for Kyra Chase? She’s our victims’ rights advocate.”

“Yeah, he did.” Brandon leveled his finger at a desk in the corner. “That’s for Ms. Chase.”

“Has she been here yet? You know who she is, right?”

“Yeah, I know Kyra. She hasn’t been around today, but I’ll let her know which desk is hers when she shows up.” Brandon’s brow furrowed. “Do you want her somewhere else? I could move her station to the other side of the room.”

“That’s all right. Leave it.” Jake stalked from the room. His distrust of therapists had even reached the tech department. He’d gotten a handle on his anger after the incident with Lizbeth Kruger when she’d used him and information about a case to get a lighter sentence for a killer, but if something similar happened with Kyra he didn’t know if he could trust all his deep breathing exercises to get him through his rage.

As he stepped into the parking lot, Billy cruised forward in the sedan. Jake got in, tossing his jacket in the back seat.

Billy dialed up the AC and pulled away from the station. “Is Rachel expecting us?”

“Her mom said she’d call the shop and let her know. I guess Mrs. Blackburn thinks the LAPD tracks down all lost cell phones because she didn’t seem all that curious.”

“Really?” Billy slid him a look from the corner of his eye. “The way you come across sometimes, people are afraid to ask questions.”

Jake lifted one corner of his mouth into a smile. “That’s why I bring you along. You’re the good cop, and I’m the very, very bad cop.”

They battled the traffic into West Hollywood and nabbed a parking space at a meter a block away from Rachel’s store.

They walked to the shop, conspicuous in their suits while dodging hipsters with hats and facial piercings. Jake let out a breath when he ducked into the cool, dark shop.

The musky scent tinged with roses and lilacs enveloped him, and he gave himself over to its soothing qualities. Aromatherapy always made more sense to him than talking therapy.

A young woman behind the counter glanced up at their entrance, her heavily lined eyes widening. She held up one finger to them and continued talking to her purple-haired customer at the counter.

“Hey, look at this.” Billy elbowed him. “They do nipple piercing here.”

“Knock yourself out, brother.” Jake leaned past Billy to read the sign. “They also do nose piercing. Maybe we found a connection to this shop.”

The young woman with the purple hair left the store, and Rachel came from behind the counter, her black Doc Martens clumping on the wood floor. “Are you the detectives my mom called about?”

“Yes, I’m Detective McAllister and this is Detective Crouch. You’re Rachel Blackburn?” Jake stuck out his hand, and she grabbed it, the tattoos on her arm marching from her wrist to her shoulder in a colorful sleeve.

“Yes, sir.” She gave his hand a firm, professional squeeze and turned to Billy. “Nice to meet you, although I’m not sure why my missing cell phone is cause for the LAPD to pay me a visit.”

At least she had more curiosity than her mother. “Is there someplace we can talk privately?”

“Sure.” She cupped her hand around her red-lipsticked mouth. “Gustavo, can you come out front for a bit?”

A beaded curtain in the back of the store clacked and stirred, and a young man with a shock of platinum hair growing out of the top of his head like the feathers of some exotic bird emerged. “What do you need, chica?”

“I need to talk to these two detectives in private. Can you handle the customers while I’m busy?”

“I sure can.” Gustavo strutted across the floor. “She didn’t do it, officers. I can vouch for her.”

Rachel rolled her eyes. “Don’t mind him. You can follow me.”

She sailed through the beaded curtain and held it open for them. Flinging her arm to the side, she said, “This is where we do our piercings, but everything’s sterile.”

“We’re not from the health department.” Billy sat on the chair that looked like it belonged in a dentist’s office, and Rachel sat on the chair next to his. Jake remained standing.

“I take it you haven’t found your cell phone yet?”

“I haven’t. It’s dead because it doesn’t even roll to my voice mail, and when I texted it from my friend’s phone, the message wasn’t delivered.” She hunched forward, brushing wispy black bangs from her eyes. “Why are you interested in my phone?”

“Whoever stole it or found it used your phone to make a call.” Jake loosened his tie. “And