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Val quickly sent the photos she’d taken to Burke and put the phone to her ear to hear him swearing. “They got Noni Feldman?” he exclaimed.
“Fuck,” Kaj swore softly.
“I know,” Val said grimly. “Molly saw shoeprints in the tub, like she’d hidden there. It looks like Noni shoved her coat under the bed before hiding in the tub. The kid next door said that his cell phone stopped working right before he saw two men carrying her out. He thought he was looking at Allyson. They’d wrapped her up in a blanket.”
“Cell phone jammers,” Burke said, annoyed. “If Noni called for help, she wouldn’t have been able to get through.”
“All of your theories make sense,” Kaj said. “But everything just got worse. If Corey and Bobby were there, it means they know that Bella knows about their plans.”
“Which reinforces an NOPD leak,” Burke finished. “André is going to be very unhappy, because this also means that someone he trusts is dirty.”
“You should put your phone back in your pocket now,” Molly said, tilting her head toward the cruisers starting to arrive. A sedan pulled up behind the cruisers, and two detectives got out.
“Stay tuned,” Val said to Kaj and Burke before sliding her phone into her pocket. “I recognize the one with silver in his hair,” she murmured to Molly. “He was at Kaj’s the night Rick was dropped off on the lawn. Name’s Drysdale. One of André’s team. I didn’t talk to him, but he gave Kaj his card and told him to call if he had any problems.”
Drysdale was not smiling as he approached with the other detective. “Ladies,” he said with an undeniable air of superiority. Val wanted to bristle but kept her cool.
Once again, Molly smiled sweetly. It was a deceptive expression that often fooled overly confident people into dropping their guard. “Detectives.”
The other detective stepped forward. “I’m Detective Clancy and this is my partner, Detective Drysdale. Your boss called this in?”
“He did,” Val confirmed.
“And you entered the home?” Drysdale asked, his jaw clenched.
“Only to render first aid if needed,” Molly said. “None was needed, so we left.”
Val had always been impressed with how Molly could lie and tell the truth at the same time. It was truly a gift.
Val pointed to the town house next to Allyson’s. “The boy who lives there saw a woman being carried out. You might wish to speak to him.”
Detective Clancy nodded his thanks, leaving them with Drysdale, whose expression grew even more sour. “You shouldn’t have gone in the house. What if the intruders were still there?”
Molly’s mouth tightened almost imperceptibly at the corners. “We would have been fine. We’re trained for situations exactly like that.”
He was quiet for a long moment. “You seem like nice women. Will you accept some advice?”
Val was curious as to what he’d say, so she nodded. “Sure.”
“Stay away from this investigation. Find a safe job and leave the PI-ing to the rest of Broussard’s men. This is too dangerous for you.”
Molly blinked. “Excuse me?”
Val swallowed a sigh. It wasn’t the first time she’d faced a patronizing attitude from a man. It wouldn’t be the last.
Molly met the man’s gaze head-on. “We’re Marines. We’ll be fine.”
Well, Molly still considered herself one. Val had shucked off the mantle when she’d realized that her military career had been over the moment she’d pushed to press charges against the men who’d raped her.
Still, Val nodded. “Like Molly said, we’ll be fine. But thank you for your concern.”
“Suit yourself.” Drysdale started to turn away, then pivoted back to stare into Val’s eyes in a very aggressive way. “But if three big guys come at you, are you gonna faint?”
Val froze, unsure if he’d meant what she thought he had. “Excuse me, Detective?”
She glanced at Molly, who wore a similar expression of shock.
His lifted a brow. “Just a question.”
