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And so, I spent the next few hours working with the tech department, trying to trace the mysterious number. It was a long shot, but I had nothing to lose.
They said they'd get back to me, and I hung up and returned to my computer when I heard turmoil coming from downstairs. A loud voice was yelling. I ran down the stairs and saw the woman manning our front desk, trying to calm a woman down. A police officer was telling her to back off.
I recognized the woman right away and exhaled. It was Rachel's mom.
“I demand to talk to the detectives, now!" she yelled.
"You have to wait,” the officer said, "until they have time."
"It's okay,” I said. They all three turned to look at me. "I’ll talk to her. I’ll take care of it."
Chapter16
Icould see the pain in Rachel's mother's eyes as we sat in the small room in the back of the police station downstairs. She looked like she had been crying for hours. I could feel my heart racing as I asked her what was going on.
"Mrs. Johnson, what's going on? Why did you come to talk to us?" I asked, my voice low and steady.
"I have proof that John killed my daughter," she said, her voice trembling. "He was cleaning his house, taking out big bags of trash."
I felt a chill run down my spine. "Really? Proof?" I asked, trying to keep my voice calm.
"Yes," she said.
"What kind of proof?"
She gave me a look of confusion. "I just told you. He cleaned his house."
I leaned toward Mrs. Johnson, staring directly into her eyes. "I understand that you're upset, but cleaning his house doesn't equate to proof of murder," I said, trying to keep my tone gentle.
"But the man has never cleaned anything in his life. Rachel did the cleaning; he never lifted a finger. Why is he suddenly doing that? Don't you find it suspicious?"
I couldn't deny the logic in Mrs. Johnson's words, but I needed more than just a cleaning spree to accuse John of murder. "Mrs. Johnson, we will investigate this thoroughly, but we need more evidence to prove that John committed a crime," I said, trying again to reassure her.
She let out a sigh, "I just want justice for my daughter, Detective. Please, find out the truth."
I nodded, "We will do our best, Mrs. Johnson. But for now, I need you to go home and try to get some rest. We will contact you as soon as we have any updates."
"Is that it?"
I could feel my stomach drop as I realized Mrs. Johnson's evidence was weak. I had hoped there was more to it than that. I really had wanted there to be. I needed a break in this case. But I also needed more than just a suspicion to bring someone to justice. I took a deep breath and leaned forward in my seat, trying to convey a sense of understanding and support to Rachel's mother.
"I know this is a difficult time for you, Mrs. Johnson. But we need to be absolutely sure before making any arrests or even treating someone as a suspect. Do you have any other evidence that might help us?" I asked, my voice carefully measured.
She looked down at her hands, and for a moment, I thought she might break down. But then she looked back up at me with fierce determination in her eyes.
"I don't have any physical evidence, but I know John did it," she said, her voice rising with conviction.
I nodded slowly, taking in her words. I knew that sometimes gut instincts could be powerful evidence in their own right. But I also knew that I needed to tread carefully. If I made any mistakes or missteps, it could derail the entire investigation.
"Mrs. Johnson, we're still doing everything we can to find Rachel," I said, trying to offer her some reassurance. "But so far, we have no idea what happened to her. We need to have concrete evidence before we can make any arrests. Can you think of anything else that might help us?"
She shook her head, looking defeated. "No, I'm sorry. I just want justice for my daughter. I want to know what happened to her. I need closure."
"I understand that," I said, standing up from my seat. "We'll keep investigating and let you know if we find anything that can help."
I could feel the weight of her pain and grief, and it broke my heart.
"All right, Mrs. Johnson. We'll look into this further," I said, leaning forward in my chair. "In the meantime, I suggest you take care of yourself and your family."
