Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78631 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Abby sent a questioning gaze to her manager, who lurked a few feet behind. Then the girl flashed another cautious stare Nash’s way.
“It’s up to you,” her manager said, but the woman’s tone encouraged her to say yes.
“Absolutely,” Haisley seconded. “I know you’re scared, and we’re only here to help. If you’re worried about backlash—”
“A little.” Abby fidgeted. “But terrible things are happening to girls my age. I talked to my mom, and I-I really thought about it. I can’t sit back and let it happen just because I want to protect myself.” The girl took off her hat and apron and shelved them under the counter, then turned back to her manager. “I won’t be long.”
“Take your time. This is important. It’s a slow evening anyway.”
Abby nodded, then raised the counter between her and the rest of the food court and emerged before following Haisley to the table beside his. Bless her for understanding that he needed to hear whatever Abby said rather than getting the information secondhand. And she was also smart enough to put Abby as far from him as possible to set the girl at ease.
Nash sent Abby the kindest smile he knew how. “Hi, Abby.”
“Hi, Mr. Scott.”
“Just Nash, okay? I want you to relax. You’re with people who will do anything to protect you.” She nodded nervously, and he gave the girl props for her courage. “Haisley is going to ask you questions. Nothing hard. I’m happy to help or clarify if you need me to, but I promise you’re in the best hands. She’s great.”
Haisley flashed him a surprised glance as she stripped off her coat and hung it on the back of her chair before giving Abby her full attention. “Thanks. I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. I know you’ve been asked a lot of questions.”
“Not really. The detective who spoke to me only asked if I saw any part of the two most recent disappearances. I didn’t work here for any of the others. But I wasn’t scheduled for a shift during the abduction last September because school had just started. I didn’t see anything on Christmas Eve. It was too crowded. Once Officer Haskins heard that, he was done with me.”
Haisley’s face tightened. For a moment, she looked as annoyed as he felt, but she did a great job of smoothing her expression and giving Abby an encouraging nod. “I’m guessing Nash asked you a lot more questions.”
“And the guy he was with, yeah. Ethan? Is he here?” she asked softly, a little blush staining her cheeks.
Nash reared back. Holy shit. Maybe Abby hadn’t been intimidated by him as much as she’d been tongue-tied around pretty-boy Ethan. He hadn’t seen that coming…
“He’s working another angle of the case.”
“Oh.” She looked a little disappointed.
He and Haisley exchanged a glance. Clearly, this development surprised her, too.
Thankfully, she didn’t let that derail her. “Do you remember seeing anything odd recently? Or potentially dangerous?”
“A-a few things. Maybe. I’ve complained more than once that the janitor is creepy. I guess it’s his job to lurk around the bathrooms and clean them. I don’t look on the other side of the food court where the men’s room is, but he doesn’t spend as much time there as he does slinking around the women’s room. I know that doesn’t make him actually guilty of anything, but I’m putting it out there.”
“You’re doing great. Every detail helps. We just want to hear whatever you’ve noticed that caught your eye. Has he done anything you would consider threatening or over the line?”
“Not specifically. He just stares a lot.” She shivered. “Like I said, he’s creepy.”
Abby was right. The janitor’s behavior sounded shady, but that didn’t make him guilty. On the other hand, that didn’t mean he wasn’t a person of interest since he’d come up in multiple interviews. Nash had intended to sit down with him anyway, but now he’d grill the dude.
“I know it can be tough and scary to work around someone who hits your ick button,” Haisley empathized, making the girl feel heard and validated.
“Oh, my god. Exactly! He just gives me the willies, and I can’t even…”
“I get it. But nothing specific that made you think he might be involved with the kidnappings?”
Abby shrugged. “I just feel like he watches all the girls at the mall, especially the pretty ones. He doesn’t actually say anything, but he leers. It’s gross.”
Haisley sent her a sympathetic smile. “Are you ever asked to take out the trash down that hall and through the door to the bins out back?”
“Not anymore. My manager makes the guys do that. Or it stacks up until she can do it. But all the girls around my age know better.”
“When you use that bathroom yourself, have you noticed anyone or anything else that made you anxious or uncomfortable?”