The Red Light Girls (Unsolved Mysteries Book 2) by Kim Knight (most romantic novels TXT) 📗

his chair in, then crossed the room to place his mug on the other table.

“Cool. I’ll be in my office if you need me.” He headed to the door.

Once he left, Janssen rewound the tape to the morning of Ana’s disappearance. She rose and placed her mug in the microwave to heat up her mint tea. Once done, she slumped down into her chair and allowed the footage to play.

She kept an eye on it and opened up Gibson’s discarded paper. Flipping through the day’s news, her jaw fell open on page sixty-five. It was obvious to her that Gibson had not read that far into the paper. She continued reading.

Red Light Girls: Appeal For Information

Official sources can confirm the following women were all working girls of the Red Light District at various clubs.

•Ana De Jog: missing for over eight months.

•Lotte Van De Berg: found dead a month after Ana’s disappearance.

•Fenna Bakker: missing for six months.

•Zoe Van Dyk: missing for five months.

•Suzy Chan: found dead this week at Amsterdamse Bos.

It has been confirmed Suzy and Ana contacted an unknown man via the website Sugar Daddies—a site dedicated to matching Amsterdam’s wealthy men with women seeking love.

This is an official appeal for witnesses or users of the website to contact De Telegraaf with any information they may have. All information received will be treated in the strictest confidence.

18

You’ve Got Mail

Madeline Sloane

Madeline exited the train station, took a left to make her way to the Politie Bureau in Amsterdam Centraal. As she walked along the pavement, she stopped to pick up a copy of De Telegraaf newspaper from a street vendor.

Turning to page sixty-five, she scanned the section for the article she wrote, following her research at club Erotica. It was due to appear in this morning’s paper.

She smiled down at the short piece. Pleased with her national appeal for information, she closed the paper, folded it up, and then continued to walk as quickly as she could in the direction of the police station.

Glancing down at her watch, she noted it was early afternoon. Detective Janssen had seen the appeal by now. She thought to herself as she hurried along.

Yeah. There’s no doubt, she mused, pleased with her decision to run the appeal.

Even if the police had not seen it first, Fleur—her boss, and the editor of the De Telegraaf, welcomed what information she had to share with the world and told her it would be printed.

At the top step of the station, Madeline pushed open the heavy doors, then stepped inside.

Sitting at the reception desk, a uniformed officer focused on his screen.

Madeline crossed the threshold and cleared her throat loud enough to catch his attention.

The officer glanced up at her, not pleased with the interruption.

“Hi, there,” she said. “Is Detective Janssen available?”

The officer looked in her direction, giving her a good once over—taking her in from head to toe as if trying to figure out who she was with her smart, business appearance.

“Your name, Ma’am. Do you have an appointment?”

“Ahh, no. But it’s urgent, I’m Madeline Sloane.”

“What’s this regarding, Ms. Sloane?”

“Suzy Chan and her murder.” Madeline waited impatiently.

“Okay.” The officer nodded his head slowly. “Maybe I can help you,” he said. “Do you have any information that would help us?”

“I really need to speak to Detective Janssen. Please let her know I’m here. It’s urgent.”

Madeline slid her work ID badge from under her coat, then placed it in front of the officer’s face.

“I see. The local paper.” The officer inspected the badge. He dropped his pen, then pointed over to the waiting area. “One second. Take a seat.”

Madeline did as she was instructed and sat down on the plastic bench opposite the reception desk. She watched closely as the officer picked up the phone and punched in some numbers. Straining to hear, she listened in on the officer’s one-sided discussion, as he let whoever had answered know, that she was there.

A few moments later, a stone-faced Janssen thew open a door next to the reception area, then stepped out.

“Ms. Sloane, I told you this is official police business. You had no right to get involved with that article you wrote.”

Janssen waved a copy of the De Telegraaf paper in the air.

Madeline rose to her feet and approached the door. She looked Janssen up and down and could feel the rage as it radiated off of the detective.

“Detective.” Swallowing hard, she found her voice. “I have some information. Please, just hear me out.”

Janssen stood firm for a moment, keeping her hazel eyes locked. She tipped her head to one side, then said, “This better be good. Otherwise, you’re wasting my time.”

The detective held the entrance open wide enough for Madeline to pass through. The moment she stepped over the threshold, Janssen slammed the door shut.

“This way.” The detective gave her a two-fingered wave to follow.

Madeline’s heels clicked against the concrete floor. She turned a corner, then continued down a narrow hallway.

“Inside.” Janssen motioned for her to enter an office.

“Take a seat.” Janssen sat behind a desk. “What did I tell you at the crime scene?” The detective’s voice rose.

“Detective Janssen, please just hear me out.”

“I clearly recall I told you, the media aren’t to get involved where they’re not wanted—at all. What part of that was unclear?”

Madeline ignored Janssen’s fury. “I went to the club Suzy worked at earlier this week, and I got talking to one of the waitresses.”

Janssen widened her eyes and glared at Madeline. “And what?” she demanded, impatiently.

“Ana was using an online website, and Suzy too. The last time a barmaid saw her, which was a week before her murder, she had a date, possibly with a man from that site.”

Janssen leaned forward on her desk, clasped her hands together in prayer position, then looked Madeline dead in the eye. “What website?”

Madeline felt the anger and intimidation bouncing off of Janssen. Especially since she knew the detective wasn’t a push over. The woman took her job seriously.

Hell, Madeline had a lot of respected