Read Online Familiar Lies by Brian J. Jarrett - Free Book Online
Authors: Brian J. Jarrett
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gone. Disappeared.”
“How do you know that?”
“Someone told me, someone who knows her. Someone concerned that something happened to her.”
“She might have run. I hope that’s what she did, at least.”
“Tell me about Gabe Harris.”
“I don’t know much about him,” Vanessa said. “He manages that strip club, though.”
“He doesn’t own it?” Max couldn’t remember if Ruby had told him that or not. It was becoming hard to keep all the facts straight in his head.
“No. Somebody else owns it.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know his name, but I know that I never want to see him again. He scared me.”
“You met him?”
“If you want to call it that. He showed up at my work with two of his goons and a manila folder.”
Max thought of the man in the white suit who’d shown up at the house where he’d found the DVD. “He didn’t wear a white suit, did he?”
“Maybe. I don’t remember.”
“What was inside the folder?”
“Pictures of my family. My husband at the building where he works, getting into his car. And pictures of my son at his school. My son! Can you understand how frightening that is?”
“Did he threaten them?”
“He didn’t have to. He just stood there, holding the photos and looking at me with eyes that were just…cold. Empty and black, like a snake.”
“Did he know about you and Josh? Or Josh and Julie?”
“He must have known something. Why would he have shown up, otherwise? Why would he threaten me like that?”
“So let me get this straight,” Max said. “You had no ties to this club or Gabe outside of Josh.”
“Mr. Williamson, I’m a middle-aged housewife who went through some kind of midlife crisis or temporary insanity or whatever. I had a lapse in judgment and I did something unforgivable with your son. Believe me when I say that there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t hate myself for that. But I can’t change what happened and now I can’t seem to get away from it.”
She took the glasses off and Max could see she’d been crying on the way over to the diner. “Do you want to know what I think happened?”
“Of course.”
“I think your son got caught up with a girl who was in way over her head with some very bad people.”
“So you do think they had something to do with his death?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s possible.” She cast a furtive glance out the diner’s front picture window. “You said you found a DVD. What did you mean by that?”
Max relayed what he’d seen on the video. He watched Vanessa’s face register increasing levels of disgust as he recounted each detail of the scene. She seemed truly shocked.
After Max had finished his account of the DVD, Vanessa sat silently for a few moments, processing the information. “What did you do with the DVD?”
“It’s safe.”
“You kept it?”
“Of course I kept it. It’s evidence.”
“If you get caught with that—”
“I won’t.”
“You need to take it straight to the police.” She thought for a moment on that. “But they’ll ask questions…”
“I won’t tell them about you.”
Vanessa nodded, but she seemed less than convinced that she’d be able to get out of this mess without being implicated. “What you found in that basement and that DVD…it sounds like one of those prostitution rings that you hear about on the news. Human trafficking.”
Max agreed that it appeared so on the surface. “Clearly Gabe and this Caldwell person are involved in something for sure.”
“Maybe Julie found out,” Vanessa said. “Maybe she knew something and they shut her up.” The realization set in fast. “Oh, god. What have I gotten myself into?”
“You need to calm down and think this through,” Max said. “We both do.”
“If Julie knew what Gabe and Caldwell were doing then Josh surely knew too. She would have told him.”
“I think we can count on that.”
“This person you said you talked to, the one who was concerned
“How do you know that?”
“Someone told me, someone who knows her. Someone concerned that something happened to her.”
“She might have run. I hope that’s what she did, at least.”
“Tell me about Gabe Harris.”
“I don’t know much about him,” Vanessa said. “He manages that strip club, though.”
“He doesn’t own it?” Max couldn’t remember if Ruby had told him that or not. It was becoming hard to keep all the facts straight in his head.
“No. Somebody else owns it.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know his name, but I know that I never want to see him again. He scared me.”
“You met him?”
“If you want to call it that. He showed up at my work with two of his goons and a manila folder.”
Max thought of the man in the white suit who’d shown up at the house where he’d found the DVD. “He didn’t wear a white suit, did he?”
“Maybe. I don’t remember.”
“What was inside the folder?”
“Pictures of my family. My husband at the building where he works, getting into his car. And pictures of my son at his school. My son! Can you understand how frightening that is?”
“Did he threaten them?”
“He didn’t have to. He just stood there, holding the photos and looking at me with eyes that were just…cold. Empty and black, like a snake.”
“Did he know about you and Josh? Or Josh and Julie?”
“He must have known something. Why would he have shown up, otherwise? Why would he threaten me like that?”
“So let me get this straight,” Max said. “You had no ties to this club or Gabe outside of Josh.”
“Mr. Williamson, I’m a middle-aged housewife who went through some kind of midlife crisis or temporary insanity or whatever. I had a lapse in judgment and I did something unforgivable with your son. Believe me when I say that there’s not a day that goes by when I don’t hate myself for that. But I can’t change what happened and now I can’t seem to get away from it.”
She took the glasses off and Max could see she’d been crying on the way over to the diner. “Do you want to know what I think happened?”
“Of course.”
“I think your son got caught up with a girl who was in way over her head with some very bad people.”
“So you do think they had something to do with his death?”
“I don’t know for sure, but it’s possible.” She cast a furtive glance out the diner’s front picture window. “You said you found a DVD. What did you mean by that?”
Max relayed what he’d seen on the video. He watched Vanessa’s face register increasing levels of disgust as he recounted each detail of the scene. She seemed truly shocked.
After Max had finished his account of the DVD, Vanessa sat silently for a few moments, processing the information. “What did you do with the DVD?”
“It’s safe.”
“You kept it?”
“Of course I kept it. It’s evidence.”
“If you get caught with that—”
“I won’t.”
“You need to take it straight to the police.” She thought for a moment on that. “But they’ll ask questions…”
“I won’t tell them about you.”
Vanessa nodded, but she seemed less than convinced that she’d be able to get out of this mess without being implicated. “What you found in that basement and that DVD…it sounds like one of those prostitution rings that you hear about on the news. Human trafficking.”
Max agreed that it appeared so on the surface. “Clearly Gabe and this Caldwell person are involved in something for sure.”
“Maybe Julie found out,” Vanessa said. “Maybe she knew something and they shut her up.” The realization set in fast. “Oh, god. What have I gotten myself into?”
“You need to calm down and think this through,” Max said. “We both do.”
“If Julie knew what Gabe and Caldwell were doing then Josh surely knew too. She would have told him.”
“I think we can count on that.”
“This person you said you talked to, the one who was concerned
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