Page 46 of Girl Long Gone

“Yes.” Simon sprung to his feet. “I’ll grab it. We texted. I’ll show you.”

Connor waved the suggestion away. Text messages wouldn’t tell the whole story, not if they’d also spoken on the phone. But he tucked away Simon’s willingness to let him look at his phone in the back of his mind. If he had something to hide, he wouldn’t be so cooperative about handing over his device.

Connor waited a beat before he laid his ace. He took a step forward, locking Simon’s face in his sight. He wanted to catch any sign of discomfort, any twitch, any goddamn indication Simon was lying. “What about your cousin? Any idea where she disappeared to?”

The corners of Simon’s mouth dipped into a frown. “What are you talking about?”

Connor put as much pressure on Simon as possible, hoping he’d crack. “Lynette Nelson. I understand she’s never been found. What happened to her?”

Simon fisted his hands at his sides. “How dare you insinuate I have any clue what happened to my cousin. I loved her. She was my best friend.” A tremor shook his voice.

“It’s a little suspicious. Two women you’ve known have gone missing—one who is now dead.” Connor quirked his lip. “Who else can say that?”

“I’ve missed Lynette every day she’s been gone.” Simon’s voice cracked and he sank against the counter, lifting his hand to cradle his head. “She was so young, so sweet.”

Something was off about his description of his cousin, but he couldn’t tell if Simon’s memories were skewed from time and grief, or if it was deeper than that. “What do you think happened to her?” He softened his tone.

Connor continued. “Sounds like you and Lynette were pretty close. Did anything happen before she went missing? Did she have a boyfriend her parents didn’t know about? Teenage girls tend to hide a lot from their parents. Maybe she told you things she didn’t mention to anyone else.”

Simon glanced at the floor. “I’m sorry. It’s been a long time since I talked about Lynette. It’s never gotten easier.”

Connor bit his cheek to keep from rolling his eyes. He hated to be cynical, but he didn’t have time for compassion. “Take your time.”

“Okay,” Simon said. “Do you want something to drink? I need some water.”

“No, thanks. I’m good.” Connor kept his gaze on Simon as he turned his back to grab a glass and fill it from the sink. Simon was either trying to get his story straight or was genuinely pained by the memories of his cousin.

Simon gulped half the water then placed the empty cup beside him. “Lynette and Gabriel had started dating. No one knew. Hell, I found out by accident. I wasn’t happy about my cousin dating my friend. Gabriel had a temper, and I didn’t trust him to treat her right.”

“Why not tell someone? If you didn’t trust him, wouldn’t the smart thing be to protect your cousin?”

“I wish to God I would have. Maybe it would have changed things for her.” The faraway look came back into his eyes, and he gripped the edge of the counter.

“Do you think Gabriel did something to her?” Connor held his breath.

Simon blinked himself back to the present. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he did. I said as much back then, but it didn’t matter. No one ever found Lynette, and there was never any evidence against Gabriel that I learned of.”

“Was he questioned?”

Simon shrugged. “I don’t know. My parents tried to protect me, and Gabriel and I never spoke about it. But I have a hard time thinking he wasn’t. It was a mad dash back then. They talked to anyone and everyone connected to Lynette.” Moisture clouded his eyes, and he cleared his throat. “But no one ever found her.”

Bile weighed down Connor’s stomach. Lynette had disappeared without a trace...just like Monica.

The dim light hanging in the middle of the room couldn’t chase all the shadows from hidden corners. Gabriel liked it like that—a little darkness always heightened his experience. He filled his lungs with a deep breath, steadying his nerves and quelling a bit of his excitement. He couldn’t get carried away, at least not yet.

His little blue-eyed she-devil sat huddled in the corner, shackles binding her to the floorboards. He knelt in front of her and skimmed his knuckles over her cheekbone.

She flinched but didn’t pull away, her defiant eyes staring straight back at him.

Damn, she was intoxicating. He licked his lips and groaned. Tonight would be fun, but first, he had some business to take care of.

Pulling out his phone, he flew his fingers over the numbers and letters needed to transform his phone number into someone else’s. Laughter bubbled in his throat. The desire to see the stupid look on the asshole cop’s face when the call came in ran rampant in his veins, but it couldn’t be done.

He had other ways to feed his desires.

Pressing send, he waited for the line to pick up, towered over his little pet, and grabbed a fistful of black curls. When the asshole cop answered the phone, his sister’s screams would be all he would hear.

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