Thirty Nine
Ash
Sitting in the parking garage at a building in Queens, I waited for my PI to arrive. I couldn’t stop thinking about poor Amber. She must be so scared. God only knew what that monster was doing to her. She’d been through so much I just didn’t know how much more she could take.
I heard wheels screaming echoing throughout the garage. An old blue Buick Century pulled up beside me.
“I know, I know. The car sucks. But it’s inconspicuous.” A tall, burly guy in his mid-fifties with a shaved head emerged from the car laughing.
“Hey, I’m not one to judge. I just need you to find my partner.” I walked over to his car.
“I’m Sal. Get in.” The guy motioned me inside his car. The interior was even rougher than the outside of the car. The seats were torn up and the dashboard was sticky with old coffee.
“I live out of this fucking car, I apologize. So, tell me about your partner. Amber, right?”
I nodded. Quickly, I filled him in on all the details.
“So, this guy Ayden has her? You’re sure?”
“Yes. He called me this morning.”
“Is that your phone?” He gestured to the bulge in my pants pocket.
I nodded handing it to him.
He typed several things into the phone. “It’s an app I use. It will trace any call coming into this phone.”
“What if it’s private?”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. Look, this app isn’t for the general public. A little something I got from my days at the Bureau. It tracks via the cell phone towers, etc. Very technical.” He continued punching codes into my phone. “So he said he’s going to call tonight?” Sal asked, handing me back my phone.
“Yes. He…he’s been violent in the past.” I struggled to get the words out. God, Ayden could kill her. Who knew what he was capable of?
Sal nodded. “A domestic. You said he’s a former boyfriend. Guys like that…man, I’d like to say it’ll be okay, but in all honesty, I can’t. This Ayden, if he’s obsessed with her and it sounds like he is, he could do anything. Particularly if he feels he’s got nothing left to lose. Do you know if he just lost his job? Wife? House?”
I shook my head. “I don’t know much about him except he really hurt Amber years ago. He broke into her house and the police thought he intended to kill her. Went to prison for a few years for it. He got out recently and just started following her again.”
“What about you? Is Amber your girlfriend or what?” Sal asked, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Not really. It’s complicated. She’s very close to me. I’ll do anything, anything at all to get her back. Money-it’s no issue.”
Sal nodded. “Well, keep your phone on at all times. If he calls, we’ll get him. If not, I’ve got some guys to call in. They’re all former agents, so chances are we’ll find her. Let’s just hope it’s not too late.”
My heart nearly stopped. I couldn’t let anything happen to Amber.
“I’ll be in touch.”
Walking back to my car, I sat there for several minutes in a stupor. Where could she be?