Page 40 of Wicked and Ruthless

RedHotSavvySleuth: I’m so, so sorry, Jasper. I know what it’s like to miss someone you can’t have anymore. Mine was a breakup and not anything as permanent as your loss sounds, but I saw my ex today. At my new job, of all places. Long story short, life is crazy, and not only did I learn that I’m actually working for the man who built and still runs the Oakfield Mall, where these women have disappeared, but my new boss hired my ex to get to the bottom of the incidents. So now I’m going be stuck with him indefinitely.

JasperThePrivateDick: That sounds challenging. How are you handling that?

RedHotSavvySleuth: Not well. But enough about me. I have the schematics of the mall, as well as all the associated permits.

JasperThePrivateDick: Does your ex say or do things that upset you?

RedHotSavvySleuth: Not in the way you mean. He’s just a flirt, and it’s my fault for thinking I meant more to him. But honestly…I’d rather not talk about it. Let’s focus on the case. Before I left the office, I stumbled across a list of all the security measures that have been in place since the mall opened, along with new ones they’ve implemented since the abduction started.

JasperThePrivateDick: Are you at liberty to share all that with me? If you’re not, I completely understand. This is your job and your livelihood. I would never want to risk that.

Funny, before he’d asked her to share, she’d decided not to leak Mr. Benedict’s information to Jasper. But his respect for the delicate situation she was in and his understanding soothed her. Besides, Mr. Benedict behaved like an asshole. Was it possible he’d just been having a bad Monday? Sure. But that didn’t make his barking, growling, unpleasant nature any better.

True, but his crappy demeanor didn’t make betraying the man’s confidence okay, either.

RedHotSavvySleuth: I appreciate that. I’m not comfortable sharing what I have right now. I hope you understand.

JasperThePrivateDick: Absolutely. Maybe if I ask questions, you can answer them, based on your information?

RedHotSavvySleuth: Let’s do that. You found something today?

JasperThePrivateDick: I did. I have a former associate who happens to know someone retired from the Lafayette PD. He called some buddies who still work on the force and were willing to chat.

RedHotSavvySleuth: Wait. You just happened to have a friend in New Orleans who knows cops in Lafayette?

JasperThePrivateDick: I know a lot of people. Anyway, the Lafayette PD officer talked to my former associate off the record about the case. I didn’t get a lot of information, mind you. But he’s willing to let this former associate ask him questions on our behalf, so…hit me with your thoughts.

RedHotSavvySleuth: Really? That’s great. Let’s think about this… Did you find out anything about the case in general? Anything we should pick apart and question? Does Lafayette PD have any suspects?

JasperThePrivateDick: The officer played everything pretty close to the vest, I’m told. But what I did get is that, so far, they’re confounded. Malls are public spaces, so anyone can be there during business hours, which is when all the abductions have occurred. Every victim has been female, between sixteen and twenty-nine. Two were alone. Three were with others. Apparently, there were several more targets who got away.

Since that was something her boss had told her in confidence, Haisley had to admit that Jasper seemingly had a reliable source of information.

RedHotSavvySleuth: That’s my understanding, too. I don’t know anything about the girls who got away, just that they supposedly didn’t see or hear anything before they escaped.

JasperThePrivateDick: Each one of them described leaving the bathroom by the food court and finding themselves alone in the adjacent hallway before someone grabbed them from behind and tried to drag them out the service doors that lead to the dumpster area in the parking lot behind the mall.

That was more information than she’d gotten out of Mr. Benedict. Then again, she hadn’t wanted to risk his wrath on day one and ask.

RedHotSavvySleuth: Did the cop mention any cameras or other security measures they checked for information?

Granted, her boss had mentioned that all his measures failed during the last abduction, but what about the others?

JasperThePrivateDick: When the mall first opened, there were static cameras in public points of entry and exit, and of course in the customer-facing parts of the mall. But areas that were designed for mall staff and other employees? No. Cameras were added in those parts of the facility after the second disappearance. But apparently, they’re proving unreliable for some reason. Entire days have passed where nothing is recorded, including the disappearance of the third victim and the first foiled attempt. The tech was upgraded again after that, but it still goes on the fritz occasionally.

Haisley frowned. On the fritz…or someone intentionally turned it off when they plotted to grab the next target.

RedHotSavvySleuth: Anything else you can share?

JasperThePrivateDick: Not that I can think of. But I have questions about the layout of the mall, since I’ve never been.

RedHotSavvySleuth: What do you want to know?

JasperThePrivateDick: What’s in that part of the mall? I understand it’s the food court, but that’s all I heard.

RedHotSavvySleuth: The design of that area is very odd, at least in my opinion. The bathroom is down a hallway behind one sit-down chain restaurant. If you’re facing the food court itself, that’s on the right side of the area. To the left of the hallway is a pastry shop known for their cinnamon rolls. They do a banner business on the weekends and make a mean hot chocolate. But I digress.

JasperThePrivateDick: Do you like cinnamon rolls and hot chocolate?

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