“I’ve been bailing Samantha out of trouble for what seems like forever. After we graduated from high school she went her way and I went mine.”
Arden paused, nervously blowing her bangs off of her forehead with a quick burst of breath. “I hear from her whenever she decides to surface. The last time she found me overseas. She needed cash and needed it fast. I wired it to her somewhere in Dallas and haven’t seen or heard from her since. That was three, maybe four years ago.
“ Bottom line, Sheriff, my sister is a user, and she wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to hit me up for something besides my car.” The voice she delivered her speech in was hollow, missing even the basest emotion. What she didn’t know was that her eyes said it all, conveying embarrassment, confusion, and most of all, hurt. “I heard on the radio that you’ve got a serial killer on the loose. Could this connect to Samantha in any way?”
More than a little curious, he answered candidly. “To be honest with you, I don’t know. The discovery of your car and the circumstances surrounding it are certainly unusual. With what you’ve just told me, who knows? We’ll definitely be on the lookout for your sister though. I don’t suppose you brought a picture with you, did you?” He asked hopefully.
“ I brought one, but I don’t know how much good it will do you. Like I said, I haven’t seen her in years, so I don’t know how accurate this one is. I only got this one when my folks passed away, they saw her more than I did.” She passed him one of those Glamour Shots that usually looked nothing like the person in question. He looked down at it, struck by the similarity between the two sisters. He could also see, even in this enhanced photo, that Samantha Henning had possessed that indefinable quality that made her something special, made her one of those women men would do just about anything for. He couldn’t really picture the woman looking up at him begging for money from her sister. No, she would demand it.
He was surprised that Captain Arden Jones gave it to her. He glanced up and saw Arden looking at him with a sad smile in her eyes. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She always has been.”
Bill carefully put the picture down, framing it between his hands and thought of the best way to answer. “Yes, she is. But if you don’t mind my saying, she’s also got that look that says ‘I could chew you up and spit you out.’ I was on LAPD long enough to see that look, that attitude on a hundred different women. Did you know your sister’s telephone was registered to an address in Hollywood?”
Arden couldn’t disguise the surprise that flickered through her eyes, just as she couldn’t control the mask that descended mere seconds later. She’d been doing it for far too long.
“ No, I didn’t. Maybe I misjudged Samantha. She knew I was in L.A., and she knew I worked with entertainment types in my job. I’m surprised she didn’t show up the day I transferred in.” She looked down at her hands, grimacing at the way they compulsively clutched at the coffee cup. Enough of this. She looked back up at him, her back straightening. “Well, Sheriff, I guess that’s neither here nor there, is it? What else can you tell me? Can I turn my rental in and collect my car or is it still impounded?”
Ashton shrugged, squirming a little in his chair. “I’m sorry you came all the way up here from L.A. for nothing, Captain Jones. I’m afraid we’ll need to keep your car for at least another day just to have the lab go over it. Then I can release it, but it’ll still need to be repaired. The folks down at the Chevron station said it blew a radiator hose.” He shifted again, uncomfortable with what he was about to say.
“ I’m sure you’re concerned about your sister, but as I said before, we found absolutely nothing that would indicate any foul play with the exception of the discovery of her cell phone and the sports
Arden paused, nervously blowing her bangs off of her forehead with a quick burst of breath. “I hear from her whenever she decides to surface. The last time she found me overseas. She needed cash and needed it fast. I wired it to her somewhere in Dallas and haven’t seen or heard from her since. That was three, maybe four years ago.
“ Bottom line, Sheriff, my sister is a user, and she wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to hit me up for something besides my car.” The voice she delivered her speech in was hollow, missing even the basest emotion. What she didn’t know was that her eyes said it all, conveying embarrassment, confusion, and most of all, hurt. “I heard on the radio that you’ve got a serial killer on the loose. Could this connect to Samantha in any way?”
More than a little curious, he answered candidly. “To be honest with you, I don’t know. The discovery of your car and the circumstances surrounding it are certainly unusual. With what you’ve just told me, who knows? We’ll definitely be on the lookout for your sister though. I don’t suppose you brought a picture with you, did you?” He asked hopefully.
“ I brought one, but I don’t know how much good it will do you. Like I said, I haven’t seen her in years, so I don’t know how accurate this one is. I only got this one when my folks passed away, they saw her more than I did.” She passed him one of those Glamour Shots that usually looked nothing like the person in question. He looked down at it, struck by the similarity between the two sisters. He could also see, even in this enhanced photo, that Samantha Henning had possessed that indefinable quality that made her something special, made her one of those women men would do just about anything for. He couldn’t really picture the woman looking up at him begging for money from her sister. No, she would demand it.
He was surprised that Captain Arden Jones gave it to her. He glanced up and saw Arden looking at him with a sad smile in her eyes. “She’s beautiful, isn’t she? She always has been.”
Bill carefully put the picture down, framing it between his hands and thought of the best way to answer. “Yes, she is. But if you don’t mind my saying, she’s also got that look that says ‘I could chew you up and spit you out.’ I was on LAPD long enough to see that look, that attitude on a hundred different women. Did you know your sister’s telephone was registered to an address in Hollywood?”
Arden couldn’t disguise the surprise that flickered through her eyes, just as she couldn’t control the mask that descended mere seconds later. She’d been doing it for far too long.
“ No, I didn’t. Maybe I misjudged Samantha. She knew I was in L.A., and she knew I worked with entertainment types in my job. I’m surprised she didn’t show up the day I transferred in.” She looked down at her hands, grimacing at the way they compulsively clutched at the coffee cup. Enough of this. She looked back up at him, her back straightening. “Well, Sheriff, I guess that’s neither here nor there, is it? What else can you tell me? Can I turn my rental in and collect my car or is it still impounded?”
Ashton shrugged, squirming a little in his chair. “I’m sorry you came all the way up here from L.A. for nothing, Captain Jones. I’m afraid we’ll need to keep your car for at least another day just to have the lab go over it. Then I can release it, but it’ll still need to be repaired. The folks down at the Chevron station said it blew a radiator hose.” He shifted again, uncomfortable with what he was about to say.
“ I’m sure you’re concerned about your sister, but as I said before, we found absolutely nothing that would indicate any foul play with the exception of the discovery of her cell phone and the sports
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