“Director O’Leary, yes, sorry. I was thinking about a case I’m working on.”
“Which case would that be?”
“MacKenzie’s,” I say sheepishly, then I rush on so that she doesn’t think I’m wasting time. “I think I may have found something, but I wanted to run it by you first.”
“MacKenzie’s case? Let me hear what you have.” She moves around to the other side of my desk and sits in the seat across from me. Crossing one long leg over the other, she sits back and crosses her arms across her chest.
“Well.” I begin with a deep breath. “I found a name that keeps showing up in everything I’ve been researching. It’s a name that I recognized but couldn’t remember from where. So, I went through my notes from the past nine years and found it.”
“Okay.” She eyes me curiously, waiting for me to continue.
“The name is Mick Ryan. It didn’t click at first, but that’s because he went by Micky when I knew him. He was Mac’s boyfriend at the time of her disappearance. I remember how he was around all the time and then how strange it was that I didn’t see him but a time or two after Mac went missing. Now, I think I know why.”
Director O’Leary doesn’t say anything but I could tell that the name was familiar to her. I decide to continue with the rest of the information I had garnered over the years and see if she would let me put my plan into motion.
“Mick’s name keeps popping up. He has a long list of breaking and entering, possession with intent to sell drugs, as well as firearms. Yet, as far as I can find, he’s only done two years on a drug charge.” I search through the paperwork on my desk and pull out a folder and hand it to her.
“What is this?” she asks, opening the folder and flipping through pages.
“It’s a timeline of when Mick’s name pops up for the last few years, where he was, what he was arrested for, who he was associated with. Which brings me to the other name that keeps recurring around the same time as his… Murphy O’Hare.”
“Drop it, Barrett.” Director O’Leary tosses the folder onto my desk and stands from the chair suddenly.
“Drop it? But Director…” I stand as well, looking at her with surprise.
“You heard me, Camryn. Drop it. Mick Ryan is dead. There are no leads here.” Her voice firm, she starts towards her office, leaving me confused and frustrated with her sudden turn of interest in my information.
“Dead? Director, Murphy O’Hare is…”
“The step-son of the leader of Donnely’s gang. I know who he is.” She turns back to look at me. I see her soften just a bit before she continues. “Listen, Camryn. I sympathize with you and your desire to find what happened to your sister, but it was eight years ago. Let it go. If she got caught up with Ryan and Donnely’s gang, she’s not going to be found.”
Before I could say anything in return, Director O’Leary turns and walks away. What now? I sit down at my desk and pick up the folder that she had tossed back on to my desk. Opening it, I read over the report, noticing the last time I see Mick’s name is a year ago, here in Sunnyville. I open my laptop and start to sign into the N-Dex system. I want to cross-reference Mick’s name with Murphy O’Hare’s, and any possible mentions of Donnely’s gang from the last date noted in my report. But before I could input either of their names, my phone rings.
“Special Agent Barrett,” I say into the phone. “Stay put for now. I’ll be there in twenty minutes to take over.” So much for my plans. I close my laptop, grab my jacket from the back of my chair, and head out of the office.
Pulling out of the station, I head towards the industrial area of town to do a stakeout on an abandoned building that is a known hangout for Donnely’s gang. Getting close, I pull off to the side of the road where I have a good visual of the building and put the car in park. I flash my headlights once, count five seconds, and then I flash them again to let Gene know I was there to take over. Gene is an off-duty security guard that is helping me keep track of the comings and goings of Donnely’s Gang. He doesn’t ask to get paid; he just wants justice for his son that got caught up in a heist gone wrong. He flashes his lights once and pulls off, leaving me to watch the building on my own.
I sit there surveilling the building for over an hour but there’s nothing. No comings or goings or any activity of any sort. Frustrated, I pull away from the curb and do a quick U-turn to head back towards the office.
I pull up on a four-way stop and when I notice no one else is waiting, I quickly roll through the stop, needing to cut time getting back to the office. Within seconds there are red and blue flashing lights behind me.
“Fuck!” I curse myself, knowing I should have known better, and pull off to the side and grab my license and registration.
I watch in my rearview mirror as the officer steps out of the car and my heart stops. Owen. I watch as he strides towards my window, taking the chance to let my eyes roam over him. He looks so different, yet the same. He has the same beautiful green eyes that could make me melt with just one look, the same perfect lips that are now accentuated by a nicely edged up five o’clock shadow. He’s stockier and more muscular, and it fills out his uniform in a beautiful way. Reaching the back of my car, he runs his hand over the trunk and the back door as he peeks in the back window before getting to the driver’s window. I swallow hard and do my best to look unaffected as I roll down the window, and as the realization hits him, he takes a step back.
“Cam…” My name falls from his lips a breathless whisper. The urge to reach out to him, tell him I’m sorry for everything, comes over me but I can’t. I can’t afford any distractions, especially when I’m so close to finding MacKenzie.
“What can I do for you, Officer?” I ask, doing my best to ignore the way he’s looking at me.
Owen regains himself, then leans into my window. “You could start by telling me where the hell you’ve been for the last eight and a half years, and why you just left without saying anything to anyone.”
“I don’t owe you, or anyone else, an explanation for anything. Besides, I did leave you a message.”
“A fucking text! We had plans, Cam. We had our future all planned out and you just left.”
“Plans change, Owen. People change. Feelings… they change. I’m not the girl you knew eight years ago. She died when Mac disappeared. Just please, either ticket me for the rolling stop or just let me go.”
Owen doesn’t move, he just stands there, leaning in my window staring at me. I don’t say anything else as I stare out of the windshield of my car. I dare not glance at him, afraid that I will cave and break down. Frustrated and without a word, he takes a step back and waves me on, letting me know I’m free to go. I chance a quick glance at him as I throw my car in drive and start to pull away; the expression on his face breaks my heart all over again.
Chapter 4
Owen
Sitting in front of my computer, I type in Camryn’s name and hit enter, praying something pops up. Anything that will lead me to her. But, like it’s been for the past couple years, nothing comes up. No social media. No arrests. No deaths, thankfully. Nothing. It’s like she has disappeared with no trace of ever being. I decide to do a reverse phone number search to see if she at least still has the same number, but it comes back registered to someone else. Why would she just disappear without saying goodbye? I don’t understand it. I slam the laptop closed in frustration then cringe, hoping I didn’t break it. Getting up, I walk into the kitchen and grab a beer from the fridge, twist off the top and toss it in the garbage, then I lean against the counter and chug it down.