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

for Janssen, even if she had crossed the line, going against Janssen’s instructions.

“Sugar Daddies. That’s what it’s called,” she whispered and watched Janssen for any sign of recognition. “Did you guys even check out the clubs around the district as soon as those girls started disappearing?” Madeline asked bravely, not wanting to overstep the line, but she had to know.

Janssen took a deep breath and looked away from her gaze. Her silence was answer enough.

“Thought as much.” Madeline tried to remain cool. “What? You didn’t think it was worth the hassle? Detective,” she said, her voice rising. “How could you all overlook this? Ana’s been missing for over eight months.”

“Hey, keep your voice down,” Janssen snapped, her booming voice bounced around the office.

Madeline shrunk in her chair.

“Don’t come into my office shouting the odds at me.” Janssen leaned over her desk again and pinned Madeline with a look that could kill. “I only have so much manpower. And we’ve had a lot to deal with around the city.”

She sat back in her chair, put her feet up on her desk, then picked up a copy of De Telegraaf, snapping it open.

“Have you had any responses to your little appeal you put out today?” Janssen dropped the newspaper on her desk.

Madeline froze in place. She had gone head-to-head with Janssen before on several petty crime scenes in the past. And on each one, the detective tried to shoo her away.

But this is different, she thought. Janssen is pissed.

“Well, I asked you a question, Madeline,” Janssen snapped again.

“I’ll have to check when I get back to the office.” She paused a moment to steel her voice. “Will you follow up on this? On the Sugar Daddies site, and the girls’ online use or accounts, please?” Madeline met Janssen’s gaze. “It’s vital information, Detective.”

Janssen pulled out a notepad from her desk drawer. “Leave it with me. What’s the name of the club you went to, and who did you speak with?” Her pen remained posed and ready.

“I went to Erotica in the Red Light District. I uhm, I never got the name of the girl I spoke to there. But I did talk to a girl called Dolly where Suzy worked. I didn’t wanna ask too many questions. She was there on Wednesday night at around nine and had a pink wig on, white girl, about my height, slim build. While I was in the lady’s room, I overheard a couple of girls talking about it too.”

“What time did you leave?”

“I was out of there by about ten.”

“Okay.” Janssen finished taking down all the information. “And this website, Sugar Daddies, you say?”

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Thanks. Let me know if you get any responses from your article.”

Madeline got to her feet and headed to the door. She could still feel how pissed Janssen was, and took it as her cue to leave.

“Ms. Sloane,” said Janssen. “The Red Light girls are just as important as every other case this department has to deal with. Don’t think they’re not.”

Madeline placed a hand on the door knob.

“Prove it then, Detective,” Madeline responded over her shoulder, then slammed the door closed behind her.

She made her way back to the reception area. And as she exited the station, a feeling of unease settled over her. One that she couldn’t shake.

There’s a link between all the girl’s disappearances, their murders, and that website, she just knew it.

Slowly, she made her way back to the train station, heading back to work with a heavy heart.

Once back at her desk, Madeline opened her inbox, and she gasped at the amount of unopened mail.

I’ve only been gone just over an hour. Damn, she thought, scanning over the new incoming mail and subject lines. She clicked on the first one and started to read.

Hello Ms. Sloane,

This is Jenna Van Snitt. I read your appeal this morning, and this contact email was at the bottom of the article. I’ve used the Sugar Daddies web site before. I contacted a man named Noah. And he was asking me a lot of unusual questions. The guy came on very strong, so I backed off.

He asked me if I worked as a Red Light Girl. I found this strange. And when I told him no, he said that was a shame. After that, he never responded to any more of my emails. I still have my profile on the website, but I’ve not used it since.

Thank you,

Jenna Van Snitt

Madeline pressed forward, she couldn’t give up or stop now, not with the information she just read.

She entered Detective Janssen’s email address, and then added a simple message.

Detective Janssen,

Follow up on this! —Madeline

Her finger hovered over the keys of her laptop. After a couple of seconds, she hit enter, and sent the email on its way.

Damn, who am I? Telling a detective what to do, she laughed to herself.

At the rate these girls had been dropping dead around the city, someone had to. Clearly, they were not a priority, but they should be.

She clicked on another email farther down the list.

Hi Ma’am,

I’ve used that site. I am still using it now. I have plans to meet one of the sugar daddies for dinner. I work in the District. I’m one of the window girls. Please don’t judge me. I need to change my life! Anyway, this man is keen to meet with me, and he seems really nice.

Thanks,

Lucy Hanssen

Madeline hit reply without delay and typed out a message.

Lucy,

Thanks for coming forward. When is the date? And what’s the name of the man? Do you have any other information?

Sincerely,

Madeline Sloane

Madeline forwarded Lucy’s message to Janssen too, then sat back in her chair with an uneasy feeling again. Her eyes moved down the list of unopened emails. Scanning the content, she jumped forward for a closer look.

Her eyes stopped on a familiar sender’s name. It was the same one that had sent her the threatening email, the one she deleted.

What do we have here?

She pushed