AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Why? Because no one’s going to believe a teenage whore?”
She was all too right. Even if she’d never sold herself, no one would believe that now. “The more witnesses there are, the more solid the case, no matter who those witnesses are.”
“I wanted to ask Billy a question, but when I saw the man, I hid behind the door.”
That explained why she wasn’t taken. “If I showed you a picture of the man, would you recognize him?”
She nodded.
“Could you describe him to an artist?”
She waved the gun around again. “I’m not letting you take me anywhere.”
“I need your help to catch this man.”
“I can’t let you take me. I can’t be penned up.” Her voice shook and so did her hand.
“Were you penned up some other time?”
Tears began to fall again. “I can’t talk about that. I don’t ever talk about that.”
Gray held up his hand. “All right. You don’t have to. Where are you going to go now that Andreas is dead?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Like you said, not everyone is as good to work for as he was. I could help you find a place to stay.”
“No, I’m fine where I am.”
“I need you to talk to an artist so we can get a sketch. I’ll also show you some pictures of Andreas’s associates. That’s all. I’m not going to arrest you.”
Her gun hand was shaking even more now. “This man didn’t work for Billy. He hated Billy, hated everything he did.”
“Do you think the man will kill again, or is it over because Andreas is dead?”
She shook her head. “He said we all have to die. That’s why I have to keep hiding. I’m leaving now, and you need to stay right there. I don’t want to have to hurt you.”
“At least let me ask a few more questions.”
She shook her head. “I’ve been out too long. They could be tracking me. I’ll call you. Meet you again later.”
“I can protect you. If you come with me, I’ll find a safe house for you. You won’t be in a cell, I swear it.” Gray took a tentative step toward her.
Her aim steadied. “Don’t move. I mean it.”
“I want to help you.”
“You seem all right, but I don’t want anyone’s help.” She backed out of the picnic hut.
Gray contemplated his chances of getting her gun and neither of them getting hurt. They were slim, so he had to let her go.
As soon as she turned and started to run, he dialed his backup. “Jenna is on the run and she has information we need. She’s in dark clothes just leaving the park on the Orange Avenue side. She’s armed with a handgun. Do not use force. Do not spook her.”
He took off after her then. She didn’t have much of a lead, but she seemed to have completely disappeared. Finally, he saw a flicker of movement a few houses down the road from the park entrance. The figure disappeared into a side yard.
He ran, trying to be quiet, not wanting her to hear his feet hitting the pavement. By the time he got there, she was gone. He looked for a few more minutes, but neither he nor the patrol officers who’d come as backup saw her again. Eventually, he was left with nothing to do but pray she’d call him again and go see if he could manage not to fuck things up worse at home.
11
