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

True to the detective’s word, a couple of men followed her to the newspaper building, then stayed. Several times, she peeked out the window to check, and the officers remained in the same spot. She continued her day at work as usual, and worked late at six thirty that evening, she powered down her computer and slipped into the toilets to change, and get ready for her date.

Her phone buzzed, and she checked the screen, noting the time. It was the detective.

Knowing her, she’s gonna tell me to go home, she thought, but I need to know.

Is it Chris, or someone else?

Madeline slipped out the back of the newspaper building and made her way to the waystation. Dusk brought with it, the dim light of night. A crowd of people, some heading home and others just going to work, lined the streets, sidewalks, and other parts of the city.

She made her way along the foot path next to the station not quite sure where she was headed. Stopping, she pulled out her phone, and checked for messages. Other than a pissed off message from the detective, there was nothing else.

Pulling the website chat app where she met Noah, she tapped out a quick response.

I’m here.

Where are you? Where shall we meet?

Several responses from the app came back within a few seconds. She lost count after the third one. Her stomach muscles tightened, and she focused on staying calm.

It’s the right thing to do, she coached herself. I gotta give the working girls a voice.

Make your way towards me. I’m running a little late.

Exit the station. Then head down Stratz Avenue. I’ll meet you halfway.

I am coming.

Madeline looked down at the responses and chewed her lip, nerves built up within the pit of her stomach again. She pushed the feeling to one side and focused on the task at hand.

I have to find out who this is, she reminded herself.

Glancing around her, nothing seemed out of place. Commuters made their way along the footpath and the evening seemed to be as it usually was at this time.

She doubled back toward the station then took the turning for Straz Avenue. The road was less busy that the main street she was just on. None the less she held her head high to remove the fear of who she was about to meet and kept walking.

What the hell am I doing? Why have I even done this? This could be an innocent guy looking for love. But if he’s not, what do I do? What if it is… her imagination ran wild. Then again, maybe it’s not?

Her thoughts moved back and forth, and she tossed doubt around in her mind.

As she ascended down the path, she noticed the noise of the main road disappeared behind her. The only audible sounds became the leaves that crunched under her feet and the hammering of her heart.

A lone car cruised by her, then turned out of sight, leaving her on the narrow side road in the dim light.

Footsteps drummed lightly behind her, so she turned to see who travelled the same stretch of road she did.

As she turned to glance over a shoulder, a hand cupped the lower section of her face, covering her mouth and part of her nose. And an arm wrapped around her waist, nearly lifting her feet off the ground. Twisting and turning, she clawed with her nails at the hand over her mouth.

“Get off me,” Madeline screamed. “Let me go!” But his hand covered her mouth once again, stifling her cries.

A sharp edge poked her spine, and she came to a standstill.

“You just couldn’t keep away,” whispered a man, “could you?”

His breath had a rancid odour of stale cigarette smoke, and telltale signs of bad oral hygiene.

“What do you want? I don’t have any money,” Madeline’s muffled whines struggled to be heard by anyone within earshot.

“Money? You think I want money?” He tightened his grip on her. “Keep moving. Walk, you dumb bitch.”

Madeline did as she told. She shuffled along the road, one foot in front of the other. She tried to steal a glance at the man, but she could only turn her head so far under the force of his hand.

He stumbled, allowing her just enough movement to partially face him.

“Mr. Fitz? Is t-that you?”

His fingers gripped the back of her head, then clasped a fistful of hair.

“Keep moving.” He forced her forward, toward a car parked a few paces away. When she slowed, he jabbed something against her lower back again, which she assumed to be a knife.

“Stop no, please! Someone—”

Madeline’s cries were drowned out by the sound of sirens. An unmarked car approached them from behind, and another was coming head on. She forced her head to turn toward the closest car and glanced over her shoulder.

With the car still moving, a man jump out of the passenger side. He was a tall black man, handsome in a rugged way. He lowered his hood and flashed his badge.

“Let her go and don’t move,” he yelled out in Dutch.

The force of the man’s hand, and the sharp object held to her spine, both disappeared. She grabbed her neck and gasped for breath.

Mr. Fitz had taken off on foot, abandoning the car he had tried to push her into.

Two more men jumped out of cars and followed him on foot, while another one jumped back behind the wheel and screeched off with the sirens blaring.

Madeline was frozen in the same spot Mr. Fitz left her, wide eyed and breathless.

What the fuck just happened?

She looked around and hurried back the way she had come from. An official Politie marked car rounded the corner at the top of the road.

Narrowing her eyes into thin slits, she watched it speed down the road toward her, then screech to a halt.

“Madeline, are you okay?” a uniformed officer called out to her. “Get in.”

Her throat was dry, and she swallowed hard, she tried to control her erratic breathing.

Glancing up and