Hidden - Laura Griffin Page 0,33
he first met her. But today was worse, and memories of her soft mouth kept running through his mind.
Jacob couldn’t get involved with her. Full stop.
It would be beyond stupid to get involved with a reporter covering one of his cases. He’d never be able to trust that she was with him for him, and not for the information he could give her.
The thing was, she didn’t seem like a user. She seemed genuine. Yes, she was persistent about her job, but who could fault her for that? If she weren’t, she wouldn’t have the job in the first place. Jacob was good at judging people, and Bailey seemed trustworthy.
Still, there was no getting around the fact that she was a reporter. And if he couldn’t get things back on a professional footing, he was going to have to stop seeing her altogether.
The thought depressed him way more than it should have.
Jacob slid from his truck and walked half a block to Red Pagoda, which occupied a narrow storefront between a dry cleaner’s and a day spa. Parked in front of the restaurant was a motorcycle with a small red cooler mounted on the back.
Jacob opened the door and was hit with the smell of egg rolls. All six tables in the restaurant were empty. A row of brown take-out bags lined the top of the counter. Jacob approached the smiling man behind the register. Short black hair. Fifties. Jacob introduced himself, and the man’s smile disappeared. Jacob took out a photo of Dana Smith that her employer had given Kendra before the FBI swooped in and took over the investigation.
“This woman placed an order here last week,” Jacob said. “Do you happen to remember her?”
“No.”
“Probably Thursday or Friday? Take a look.”
He glanced down at the photo for maybe a nanosecond. “No.”
“Are you sure?” He held out the picture, hoping he’d look again, but the man shook his head.
“We get lots of orders. Hundred a day.”
The man’s clipped tone told Jacob he had zero interest in talking to a cop. Jacob glanced around the restaurant for a security camera, but he didn’t see one, so he thanked the clerk for his time and left.
Jacob waited in front of the dry cleaner’s, and it didn’t take long for a teenager in a helmet to exit the restaurant with a paper bag in each hand. He loaded the bags into the cooler on the back of the motorcycle.
Jacob approached him and flashed his creds. The kid looked wary but curious.
“This woman placed an order here sometime last week.” He held out Dana’s picture. “Maybe a delivery?”
The kid cast a look over his shoulder at the restaurant before taking the picture. “The apartment on the corner. Lakeview Court.” He handed back the photo.
“You remember the delivery?”
“Yeah, it was Thursday night. It was raining, and she gave me a good tip.”
Jacob studied the kid’s face, gauging his credibility.
“Did you deliver to her door, or did she meet you in the lobby?” Jacob asked.
“She buzzed me up.”
“Do you remember if she was alone or if there was anyone else in the apartment?”
“No idea, man.”
“How did she pay?”
“Cash.”
“Was she a regular customer, do you know?”
“I don’t know. Maybe once every few weeks?”
“And did you ever see anyone in her apartment?”
He cast another glance at the restaurant before moving for the bike. “I don’t think so.” He threw his leg over the seat. “She was nice, though. Good tipper.”
The kid fired up the bike, and Jacob stepped back to let him leave. Surveying the block again, he noted the day spa.
REJUVENATIVE TREATMENTS. FACIALS, BOTOX, TATTOO REMOVAL.
Jacob walked over and opened the door. Cold air wafted out as he stepped inside and let his eyes adjust to the dimness. The air smelled like tropical flowers. He approached the counter, where a white candle burned beside a bowl of smooth gray stones with words etched on them. RELAX. LOVE. POSITIVITY.
A woman stepped through a gray curtain. “May I help you?” she asked with a smile.
“I hope so.”
She wore a purple sports top and black yoga pants. Her face was perfectly smooth, but Jacob put her age at fifty.
“You guys do tattoo removal?” he asked.
“That’s right.”
He flashed his creds, and her smile faded.
“I’m investigating a case, and I wanted to see if this woman might have been a customer.” He held out the picture of Dana.
The woman took it. She had a pair of reading glasses hooked into her cleavage and she put them on. “I remember her.” She handed