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I didn’t want her to live like that.
Having it plague her mind.
Because I knew that feeling far too well.
The what-if-I’d-done-it-different feeling.
“I’m going to try her social media,” Karl said, getting up out of the armchair opposite my desk. “Then maybe her work.”
“Thanks. I should be done soon. I’m waiting for some things from Martha. You should go get Valen and take her home.”
He nodded. “Will do.”
I’d had a buddy of mine do a background check on Chad, including who his family was, where he grew up, his job, the company he worked for, what kind of employee he was, and his criminal record.
The only things that had come up were some sealed records from when he was a minor. There was no way to see inside them and no indication of what the crimes could have been or whether he was charged with anything. It was interesting, to say the least.
Records for juveniles were sealed so they wouldn’t have to report their criminal record to landlords or employers. A lot of us do stupid shit when we’re young, but then we grow up, and this way, thankfully, those people don’t have to constantly pay for actions they took when they were young, dumb, and not able to comprehend the consequences.
None of this helped me any, though.
I still had no fucking idea what kind of psycho I was dealing with.
As far as anything I’d found, Chad was an average guy. Didn’t leave the house much, didn’t make waves, went to work, came home. He visited family every couple of weeks. He didn’t have any crazy hobbies—Valen said he was a little obsessed with online gaming, but that wasn’t exactly out of the ordinary for young guys these days.
I honestly didn’t know what to think.
Like the feeling he gave off was that he was this normal guy, but in reality, he had women tied up in his basement. I mean, at least I knew he didn’t have a basement.
But the key to all of it was finding Jade.
I may not like the woman all that much, but even I was starting to believe Valen’s theory that something wasn’t right.
“Reed?” I looked up from my desk as Martha walked in, holding a handful of papers. “That confirmation email came through, but I don’t think it’s what you’re expecting.”
I sat forward as she placed the papers on my desk. Quickly, I pulled them toward me and scanned the front page, my eyes sweeping at speed over the email—a response to one I’d had Martha send earlier today.
I read it once.
Then again.
Thinking maybe I had missed something the first time.
But I hadn’t.
I looked up at Martha. “Are we sure this is the right person?”
Martha’s eyes saddened, and she nodded to the papers. “Flick to the next page. I found it online.”
So I did.
What I saw was confusing in many ways, but in one, it made me want to go home and wrap Valen in my arms and never let her go.
MADELINE “MADDIE” DUNHAM
May 3rd1999 – November 4th2017
Madeline Julie Dunham, affectionately known as Maddie, age 18, passed away suddenly on November 4th2017.
