Chapter 51
STEPHANIE
“We’ll look into this Jannie woman, Ms. Donavan. Thank you for your cooperation.” Officer Harrison closed his notebook and gave me a swift nod. “Whoever she is, we’ll have to do some digging and see what comes up.”
Without another word, he walked away from me. I stared after him, considering jumping on his back and shaking his shoulders until he started moving faster. Doing something.
At first, I thought he was one of the good ones. After speaking to Jance though, his demeanor had changed entirely. If I thought this morning he looked like he didn’t fully trust me, it was a hundred times worse now.
He might as well have been carrying a sack of salt around with him since every single thing I said to him, he seemed to take with a grain of it. Especially after he asked me some follow-up questions about Jannie, and I couldn’t even give him her last name.
I told him to ask Jance or even Neil, but he just looked at me. I caught him drawing a question mark behind her name when he thought I couldn’t see what he was writing down. I tried asking Neil for it on the spot, but Jance ordered him not to feed into my delusions and led Officer Harrison away from me again.
Just a couple of hours ago, the police cars and news vans were filling up my block. Having done what they came there to do, one by one they started driving off. I stood on the sidewalk watching them leave, shaking in complete shock and disbelief.
That couldn’t be it, but it sure looked like it was. The rookie who went to fetch Jance’s coffee earlier waited while another officer cleared the cones and tape and waited for a tow truck to arrive. When it did, they chatted briefly to the driver, and then Jeremiah’s car was loaded and taken away.
What felt like minutes later, they were all gone. Only a few pieces of glass on the sidewalk remained as evidence of whatever horrible thing had happened to Jeremiah right here.
Even Tiana came downstairs a little while ago and told me she had to get to work. She offered to call in sick, but I wouldn’t let her. There was no point in both of us twiddling our thumbs doing nothing.
I thought I was alone until I heard Neil speak up beside me. “I guess there’s nothing for us to do now but wait.”
He sounded about as thrilled about that option as I was, which wasn’t at all too thrilled. “We can’t just do nothing. This is insane. They just up and left.”
Neil sighed, the corners of his mouth turning down. “I spoke to one of the officers before they left. He assured me there was no evidence left for them to gather here. Apparently, the investigation starts now down at their station.”
“It feels so wrong not to be able to help.” There had to be something I could do. I was going to tear all my hair out if I just had to sit by the phone waiting for information. If they even called me with any, which I doubted given Jance’s hostility toward me.
Neil voiced his agreement, then glanced down at his watch. “I hate to leave you alone, but I have to get back to the office. With the news breaking earlier, there’s a shit storm on its way with all the investors on any project Jeremiah’s even touched.”
“Can I come help you at the office?” It wasn’t what I wanted to be doing, but at least it was something productive. Helping Jeremiah with the work he couldn’t be doing was not only my job but would make me feel useful instead of helpless.
Neil shook his head sympathetically. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. The reports mentioned he was on his way to come get you when he disappeared.”
He must’ve noticed the outrage on my features, because he quickly added, “Not that I think you had anything to do with it or that anybody else will think that. I just know the people we work with. They’ll question your capability to be on the job when you’ve been through something traumatic this recently. They’ll be waiting for you to make a mistake. If you do, they could use it as leverage to withdraw, saying none of us have our heads in business at the moment.”
“You really think they would do that? Use this to push us for advantages or to withdraw completely?” It would be such a vile thing to do. I could hardly imagine anyone trying it.
Neil grimaced. “People use tragedy to their advantage all the time. If we refuse unreasonable demands, they’ll try to blame it on our emotional states even if it means they’ll breach a contract. Then they’ll hide behind the tragedy and blame us for their breach.”
I gave him a sidelong look, noticing how his jaw was clenched and his cheeks were pale. “Are you speaking from experience?”
“Unfortunately.” He dusted off his pants and smoothed his tie. “We’ve been through worse. We just have to guard against giving them any more ammunition than they might already be digging for.”
“Which means I have to stay at home?” People were seriously messed up. I believed Neil though. If my being at the office could cause more trouble, I would stay away for now.
“You’ve been through enough today,” he said. “I know it’s a tall order, but go back to your apartment. Try to relax. I’ll keep you updated if I hear anything.”
He wasn’t saying it, but I heard him loud and clear. He didn’t expect the police or Jance would be giving me any information either.
The thought of going back up to apartment as he suggested made my skin crawl. There was no way I would be able to relax and kick back with a book or a movie. I needed to help. I needed to keep moving. I couldn’t bear to sit around waiting.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen.” My tone didn’t leave any room for him to argue. If the police didn’t need my help, and Neil thought I wouldn’t be useful at the office, I needed to think of something else.
Someone had to know something about Jeremiah and Jannie’s… relationship. He never gave me any details, not that I ever asked or wanted to know. But there might be a clue hidden in those details I didn’t have. Something that could help us find him.
“Do you have Jeremiah’s friends’ numbers?” I asked Neil as he was starting to say goodbye.