she blurted: “Have you heard the news today?”
“No.” Her client’s voice became scared. “Why?”
“There’s been a homicide. The reports suggest it was a prostitute, but—”
“It can’t be Lisa!”
“But you don’t know where she is.”
“She’s not a prostitute!”
“I know that.” Kate tried to be gentle, yet she needed her client to see the urgency in this. “But the news report could be wrong. You need to contact the police.”
“I’m going to wait until Hope calls. Lisa may have tried calling her this morning.”
Clutching at straws. It was clear her client could not consider the alternative. That the unthinkable might have happened. Kate glanced at the clock. It was 10:33. Judge Carson should be calling soon. “All right, then. When Judge Carson calls, tell her if she hasn’t heard from Lisa, then she needs to call the police. Or your lawyer will.”
Kate hung up the phone. She knew, without a doubt, she had made the right call.
What she didn’t know was if she had made it too late.
Kate found out twenty minutes later. Marian called her back. Her client could barely speak. Lisa hadn’t called. ButHope was dismissive of Marian’s suggestion that the homicide victim could be Lisa. She wanted Marian to track down some of Lisa’s old friends.
“It’s a waste of time,” Marian said, despair weighing her voice. “Lisa hasn’t spoken to them for years.”
“Why won’t she call the police?” Kate asked. It seemed incomprehensible that a criminal court judge could not put two and two together when her daughter was missing and a dead girl had been found.
“Because then she’d have to admit to the police that she had no idea where her daughter was,” Marian said bitterly. “She doesn’t want to involve them until she has to. She said she wanted to look for her first ourselves.”
“It’s too late to be worried about what the police will think. If Lisa is not—” Kate paused at the sound of Marian’s sudden sob. “I’m sorry. But Lisa’s safety is paramount. Someone just killed a girl. If Lisa is still unaccounted for, we need to make sure she’s safe.” Kate picked up her pen. “I need a description of her I can give to the police.”
Marion gave her the details in a numb voice, swallowing hard at the end. “You’ll call me as soon as you know something?”
“Of course.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered.
Kate knew exactly how her client felt. She’d said the same thing fifteen years ago.
She hung up the phone and dialed Ethan’s number before her courage failed her.
“Detective Drake.” His voice was terse.
“Ethan. It’s Kate.”
“Jesus.” He didn’t hide his shock. Nor his anger. “This is a bad time to call, Kate. I’m on a homicide investigation.”
“I’m not calling about what happened on Friday night,” Kate said quickly. “I’m calling about the prostitute who was found murdered this morning. Is that the case you’re on?”
“I’m investigating the homicide, but who said it was a prostitute?”
“That’s what the media is saying.”
“It’s unclear.”
Kate’s heart lurched. If it wasn’t a prostitute, then could it be Lisa? She took a deep breath. “Look, my client’s granddaughter went missing yesterday.”
Ethan’s voice sharpened. “What’s her name?”
“Lisa MacAdam.”
“What does she look like?”
Kate read off the description: “Fifteen years old, five-foot-four, one hundred and ten pounds, dark brown hair with a blond stripe down the middle—”
“How do we reach next of kin?” Ethan asked abruptly.
“Oh, my God.” Kate swallowed. She clutched the phone against her cheek. “Is it her?” Please say no. If there is a God, please let Ethan say no.
“Sounds about right.” There was an unnerving mix of adrenaline and somberness in his voice. “Who are her parents?”
“Robert MacAdam and—Ethan, this is going to be a minefield—her mother is Judge
“No.” Her client’s voice became scared. “Why?”
“There’s been a homicide. The reports suggest it was a prostitute, but—”
“It can’t be Lisa!”
“But you don’t know where she is.”
“She’s not a prostitute!”
“I know that.” Kate tried to be gentle, yet she needed her client to see the urgency in this. “But the news report could be wrong. You need to contact the police.”
“I’m going to wait until Hope calls. Lisa may have tried calling her this morning.”
Clutching at straws. It was clear her client could not consider the alternative. That the unthinkable might have happened. Kate glanced at the clock. It was 10:33. Judge Carson should be calling soon. “All right, then. When Judge Carson calls, tell her if she hasn’t heard from Lisa, then she needs to call the police. Or your lawyer will.”
Kate hung up the phone. She knew, without a doubt, she had made the right call.
What she didn’t know was if she had made it too late.
Kate found out twenty minutes later. Marian called her back. Her client could barely speak. Lisa hadn’t called. ButHope was dismissive of Marian’s suggestion that the homicide victim could be Lisa. She wanted Marian to track down some of Lisa’s old friends.
“It’s a waste of time,” Marian said, despair weighing her voice. “Lisa hasn’t spoken to them for years.”
“Why won’t she call the police?” Kate asked. It seemed incomprehensible that a criminal court judge could not put two and two together when her daughter was missing and a dead girl had been found.
“Because then she’d have to admit to the police that she had no idea where her daughter was,” Marian said bitterly. “She doesn’t want to involve them until she has to. She said she wanted to look for her first ourselves.”
“It’s too late to be worried about what the police will think. If Lisa is not—” Kate paused at the sound of Marian’s sudden sob. “I’m sorry. But Lisa’s safety is paramount. Someone just killed a girl. If Lisa is still unaccounted for, we need to make sure she’s safe.” Kate picked up her pen. “I need a description of her I can give to the police.”
Marion gave her the details in a numb voice, swallowing hard at the end. “You’ll call me as soon as you know something?”
“Of course.”
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she whispered.
Kate knew exactly how her client felt. She’d said the same thing fifteen years ago.
She hung up the phone and dialed Ethan’s number before her courage failed her.
“Detective Drake.” His voice was terse.
“Ethan. It’s Kate.”
“Jesus.” He didn’t hide his shock. Nor his anger. “This is a bad time to call, Kate. I’m on a homicide investigation.”
“I’m not calling about what happened on Friday night,” Kate said quickly. “I’m calling about the prostitute who was found murdered this morning. Is that the case you’re on?”
“I’m investigating the homicide, but who said it was a prostitute?”
“That’s what the media is saying.”
“It’s unclear.”
Kate’s heart lurched. If it wasn’t a prostitute, then could it be Lisa? She took a deep breath. “Look, my client’s granddaughter went missing yesterday.”
Ethan’s voice sharpened. “What’s her name?”
“Lisa MacAdam.”
“What does she look like?”
Kate read off the description: “Fifteen years old, five-foot-four, one hundred and ten pounds, dark brown hair with a blond stripe down the middle—”
“How do we reach next of kin?” Ethan asked abruptly.
“Oh, my God.” Kate swallowed. She clutched the phone against her cheek. “Is it her?” Please say no. If there is a God, please let Ethan say no.
“Sounds about right.” There was an unnerving mix of adrenaline and somberness in his voice. “Who are her parents?”
“Robert MacAdam and—Ethan, this is going to be a minefield—her mother is Judge
Similar Books
