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“For a year and a half at least, maybe longer. I don’t know what became of the investigation. The handling it initially retired at some point, and Lando Bonner took over.”
“What made them stop looking at you as a suspect?”
“A neighbor came forward and said they saw Lyssa get into a green car with a man driving an older model, classic, American-made sports car, like a Dodge Challenger or something similar with a loud muffler. It could’ve been a Camaro. I don’t know. The witness also said it might’ve had Oregon plates on it. At the time, I drove a boring 2000 black Chevy pickup truck. My uncle gave it to me so I wouldn’t have car payments.”
“And you didn’t know anyone who drove that type of vehicle around town at the time?” Lucien pressed.
“Nope. No one that I knew.”
“So the neighbor coming forward got you off the hook?” Brogan tendered.
“Well, yeah. But a few people around town still thought I had something to do with her disappearance. You know how small towns are. People like to talk. I want somebody to look into it that knows what they’re doing. You guys seem to have a solid rep for getting things done. Eastlyn told me how you solved a cold case in Bakersfield that had bugged her for years. I thought maybe you could do the same thing for me.”
“You should know that we don’t actually possess a license for private investigations,” Brogan admitted.
“I know. Eastlyn told me she’s suggested for several months now that you do the paperwork to make your business legit. But the thing is, I don’t care about the license. I just want to see some results.”
Lucien walked over to the coffee pot to refill his cup. “I’ve been working on the application to the state for weeks. They won’t let you send in the paperwork online. They require you show up in person and appear before the county clerk. I think I know why—we need investigative experience—something like thousands of hours. I keep a log now of all our cases.”
“How close are you?” Daniel asked.
“Don’t ask. That’s why we’ve been dragging our feet getting to Santa Cruz. There doesn’t seem to be a point until we have the hours built up. But today, we have a reason to be there. In the meantime, we’ll look into your missing girlfriend.”
Daniel lifted a hip and took out his checkbook. “How much should I write on the check?”
“A thousand dollars should get us started,” Lucien told him, glancing over the rim of his coffee mug, studying the ice cream vendor.
Daniel arched a brow. “I thought it would be more.”
“That’ll get us started on preliminaries. It might be all that’s needed.”
“Really? If you need more, let me know,” Daniel offered, returning Lucien’s stare. After writing the check, he handed it off. “Eastlyn said you guys weren’t the type to rip me off.”
“We don’t scam people,” Lucien assured him. “If we don’t use the entire grand, we’ll even return what’s left to you.”
“That’s fair.” Daniel got to his feet, hesitating, before writing down his email address on the back of his business card. “You’ll keep me updated?”
“We will,” Brogan said. “Either in person at the shop or via your email.”
“Great. Okay. Then I guess I’ll get out of your hair.”
After Daniel left, Brogan turned to Lucien. “What’s bothering you about Daniel’s case?”
“I don’t know exactly, but something seems off.”
“Maybe doing this kind of work is jading you. Surely, he knows we’ll look into his background.”
“That’s just it. A few online searches should reveal details about the case and Daniel’s part in it. Why wouldn’t he look himself? Why would he want us to know that kind of information?”
“Maybe he has and found nothing. Maybe he wants to know what happened to Lyssa Mayfield. Why is that so hard to believe? Instead of sitting around here wondering, one of us could open a laptop and start the hunt.”
Lucien opened his mouth for a retort and decided she was right. “We have a meeting set up with Susan Rescher at two-thirty this afternoon.”
“Great. You start work on the application for the state licensing board. I’ll start the background on Daniel and Lyssa. How’s that sound?”
“You sure?”
“Positive.” To prove it, she marched over and picked up her laptop. “Do you intend to update me on what you and Jack discussed?”
