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A wave of anger swelled Kay’s chest. She darted one glance at Elliot to see if he was on her side. His eyes glinted with frustration. “Barb, let me make this abundantly clear: as far as law enforcement is concerned, that site is considered child pornography. Mention it on the ten o’clock news, and you’re going down for distribution of kiddie porn. Ask your legal department if you don’t believe me. I’ll be coming for you myself.”
Silence fell so heavy Kay thought she might’ve muted the line on her end. “You drive a hard bargain, Detective,” the reporter eventually said. All sarcasm and giggles were gone. “We’ll remove it. Can we at least say there’s a warrant out for Gavin Sharp?”
“BOLO too, Barb. Run with it. As of this morning, when I called you the first time, he’s a wanted fugitive, and the search for Kendra Flannagan still continues. Got to go now, thanks,” she added, before ending the call with one tap on the media center screen. She’d barely remembered the old landline phones from her childhood, but she missed the cathartic effect of slamming down the hell out of a receiver.
Elliot laughed. “You got a few tricks in your saddlebag, partner. Whew… ha!” He made the gesture of cracking a whip, a gesture that seemed natural to him; he might’ve had his days in the rodeo circuit, although he didn’t seem the type to seek the limelight. Maybe he used to work on a cattle farm. “You drove that point right across, I’d say, louder than Grandpa’s Sunday tie. Got Logan off your back too.”
She nodded in thanks for the compliment, hiding her amusement with his choice of words.
A few moments later, she rang the doorbell to the Keaney residence.
Distant voices came through the door, pitches raised in a passionate argument. Then the door was open by a teenager dressed in a miniskirt that barely covered her butt, a lacy top, and four-inch heels. She was wearing heavy makeup and jingled at every move, both her wrists weighed down by layers of bangles and charm bracelets. Long earrings mixed several strands of fine silver chain with her blonde hair.
“I told you already, better leavesomethingto a man’s imagination. Do you really want to come across as desperate?” A frustrated, shouting voice came from inside the house, but the girl holding the door impatiently and chewing gum with her mouth open didn’t seem to care.
“Yeah,” she said, tapping the heel of her shoe impatiently. “What?”
“Alana Keaney? Detective Sharp with the FCSO, this is my partner, Detective Young,” Kay said, flashing her badge. “We have a few questions, if you don’t mind.”
“Who is it?” the voice inside the house asked.
Alana glared at Kay and propped her hands on her hips. “Really? I don’t have time for this right now. I have a date. It’s almost eight already.”
“I understand,” Kay replied. “You either answer the questions here or at the precinct. Your call.”
Footsteps approached quickly from inside the house, clacking loudly on the hardwood. A woman appeared in the doorframe. She could’ve been Alana’s older sister. Slightly older.
“I’m Alexandria Keaney, Alana’s mother,” the woman said.
Kay stared at the two women, at a loss for words. They were almost identical, the mother’s youthful appearance replicated to perfection by the daughter in hairstyle, skin tone and complexion, eye color, makeup. Even their gestures matched, and they spoke with similar tonality and choice of words.
“What is this about?” Alana asked. “And how long will it take?”
“This is about your friends, Jenna Jerrell and Kendra Flannagan,” she replied. “You knew them both, didn’t you?”
A shadow clouded Alana’s eyes. Kay thought she saw the glimmer of a tear, but the girl breathed that away, shielding her eyes for a while until the sorrow was gone. Probably remembering she had a tough persona she had to uphold, she glared at the detectives again, although her gaze softened a bit when she looked at Elliot.
Like mother, like daughter.
The mother’s eyes had landed on her partner’s body and had not moved away since, browsing up and down from head to toe, then landing on his face, so intently Elliot was becoming uncomfortable.
“How long, again?” Alana asked, taking out her phone and texting something quickly. Her thin fingers tapped sideways because of her long nails. “Twenty minutes or so?”
“As long as it takes,” Kay replied quickly, her voice stern, impervious to the display of hostility.
“There’s an Alexandria in Tennessee,” Elliot said calmly, his eyes on Mrs. Keaney. “Nothing much but farmland and cows, but beautiful. Is that where you’re from?”
Kay had to bite her lip to keep a straight face.Way to go, partner.
Livid, Alexandria crossed her arms at her chest and stopped undressing him with her eyes. “No, that’s not where I’m from. I’m named after the one in Egypt. Doubt you’d know about that one.”
He grinned. “The one with the library and the lighthouse? No, I don’t know anything about that one.”
Humiliated, Alexandria lowered her gaze and decided to shut up.
Alana’s phone chimed. Reading her screen upside down, Kay could see she’d texted Nick about being late. That was a name she’d grown familiar with during the investigation, Alana’s boyfriend by everyone’s account. He’d replied simply with a thumbs-up emoji.
“When’s the last time you spoke to or interacted with Kendra Flannagan?” Kay asked.
