Stitch by Jaime Lewis (ebook reader online .txt) 📗

since that was the first time we were seeing each other since we had broken up. But what made it even more uncomfortable was that I acted like she was a complete stranger. The people I was with that night are criminals. And if they knew that Mia and I had a connection, they would start asking questions, and it could have led to my cover being blown, and put Mia’s safety in jepoardy.”

“Wait, she was with her boss all night. Are you saying that her boss is one of the criminals you’re talking about?” Ace asked.

“She was with him, but as far as him being a criminal…he hasn’t ever been charged with anything, but he is under investigation which I’ll get to in a minute.”

McDonnell agreed. “I was suspicious of him when I interviewed him. More so when three of his supposed employees showed up while I was there.”

“Who were they?” Agent Larkin asked.

“Marlon Zurek, Oscar Torres and Jules Gudotti.”

Ace saw the tick in Larkin’s jaw. “I know of all three of them. Oscar and Jules do ‘side work’ for several employers around the area, if you know what I mean. It is all about the money for them. Marlon, on the other hand, prefers to reap the benefits from his cousin’s work, without putting in too much work.”

“I saw him talking to Mia right before she left the gala. When I questioned her afterward outside, she mentioned that Marlon wanted her to give Dr. Walters an envelope, and he was adamant that she get it to him that night. I knew something was up. I told her to watch her back.

“I was concerned, so I called a buddy of mine back in Washington and asked him to dig a little deeper into Dr. Elijah Walters. It didn’t take long for him to get back to me. For the last year and a half, Dr. Walters and his clinic have been under investigation for smuggling.”

“Ace, Tink was right. Mia was targeted for human trafficking,” Alex said to him.

But Larkin interrupted. “No, Alex. Dr. Walters isn’t dealing in human trafficking. But he is under investigation for puppy trafficking.”

Alex covered her mouth as if shocked. Ace was aware of people smuggling dogs, but he didn’t realize how big an operation it was until Larkin started explaining. He was shocked to learn how much money is made from an operation as such.

Larkin continued, “After finding out that information, I wanted to talk to Mia. I couldn’t tell her anything because it’s an ongoing investigation.”

“So why are you telling us?” McDonnell interrupted, and Larkin gave him a serious look.

“Because I care about Mia, and I want to find those responsible for hurting her. And I trust you to keep this on the down-low.”

With the nod of the detective’s head, Larkin continued, “The next day, I tried calling and texting Mia to talk to her again, but she never responded. I was concerned and knew she normally goes for a run in the park between six and seven, so I waited to see if she would show. I watched her from afar.”

Ace saw the pain etched in Larkin’s face as he continued.

“I was a couple of blocks away standing next to my car when I saw it all go down. The dude snatched her so fast before he dragged her into an alley. I jumped into my car. I got to about a block away and the van peeled out of the alley. I followed them across the bridge into Jersey. The driver took the exit leading to the docks area. By the time I exited, I had lost them. I kept driving up and down each street, searching for a glimpse of the van. Along the way, I ran into a few individuals who I know from those streets. One of them said he had seen one at the far end within the last hour, so I headed in that direction. That was when I made the call to my supervisor. He warned me to back off before I blew my cover and assured me he would escalate the incident to the NYPD.”

“But you didn’t back off?” McDonnell stated more than he asked.

Larkin looked right into Ace’s eyes as he answered, “No, I couldn’t turn my back on her. On the north end, I made a turn and realized it was a dead end. As I was putting the car in reverse, something moving in the road caught my eye. At first, I thought it was an animal. I flicked the high beams on and moved a little closer, then realized it was a person. She was in bad shape when I got to her. I quickly picked her up and put her into my car.”

Larkin paused and looked as if he was battling with himself.

“I couldn’t take the risk of her knowing it was me. I spoke to her using an English accent, and then I gave her a drug to make her sleep. I feel awful about it, but it was the best for the both of us.”

“Were you the one who left her the note?” Alex asked.

“Yeah. I honestly thought she would head to her family.” He looked at Ace. “I came back later after I took care of a few things, and she was gone. I thought she would head to you. But now you’re here saying she’s missing.”

Ace could sense the concern in both Larkin’s expression and body language. Although he was very grateful for Larkin being concerned for Mia’s safety and diligence in finding her, it still didn’t mean he was letting the douche off easy.

Ace spoke up and looked at Larkin. “Before we go any further with this discussion, I need to know something. Why did you feel you needed to be concerned for Mia when you were unfaithful to her?”

“There are some things I need to explain to her about the night….”

“The night she caught you with your pants down, literally.”

“Ace…”  Alex warned him.

Larkin shook