Page 12 of Catch Me When I Fall

After getting hands on her file, I knew in my gut that Carrie Hale was no longer in St. Louis. She would’ve gotten out of here the second she was free if she was smart, and there wasn’t a thought in my mind that she was stupid.

After reviewing her file and replaying the information that Jeremy gave me last night, I concluded that she’d been planning this for a while.

Planning took time and, most of all, you had to have a certain kind of patience to escape any kind of lockup.

Starting a new life required money—which she shouldn’t have, according to the police reports. All accounts belonging to Robert Hale and her father were frozen, remaining that way for the last year due to Carrie’s mental health. On paper, she had no access to money.

“Yes. Thank you for calling me, Marcy,” I said, making my voice smooth. “I’m with Red Snake Investigations, and we are looking for a young woman. We believe she may have purchased a plane ticket and departed St. Louis last night.”

“Oh. Well—uh—sir, I’m afraid I can’t give you access to that. Unless this is for police business,” she stammered.

She sounded young—inexperienced with men like me. She had no idea what I was capable of. Before I could let my impatience get the best of me, I swallowed it down. I didn’t want to make a mess this early into a case, but there was something about finding the Hale woman that manifested a sense of urgency within me.

Walking out of the bathroom, I went to the bedroom window, my eyes dropping down to the driveway where Amara Harrison was still standing, talking on the phone. “I understand,” I told the girl, my voice even. “However, this is a very important case, and I am asking you to reconsider.”

Marcy was quiet for a moment. “Do you—do you think this girl is in danger?”

My brows rose just a fraction as her question hit me. It was surprising to say the least. “I’m unable to talk about the details of my cases, Marcy,” I told her.

“I was just asking, because a few years ago, my sister…”

I listened to this stranger talk about her older sister having to run from a crazy ex for the next few minutes, not really caring, but I pretended to. Then she asked if this was a similar situation, and of course, the lie fell off my lips so smoothly. “As I said, I can’t go into details, but she could be in danger,” I lied, looking at the bathroom over my shoulder. My jaw jumped. Once. Twice.

It was a lie, but for some reason, I was beginning to wonder if Hale might actually be in danger. The FBI hacker’s words echoed in my mind. There was reason the FBI didn’t want her records unsealed. Her father might have made enemies…

I felt a tug deep down below the darkness, and it had my brows coming together. If she was in danger, it would change everything entirely. This wouldn’t be just a pick up and drop off.

“Okay. I can’t give you access to the camera footage,” Marcy told me, derailing my train of thought.

I shook my head, my jaw tighter than before.

Then, she surprised me once again. “I can tell you that only two planes took off last night due to the incoming storms.”

“Destinations?” I inquired.

“Tokyo with a layover in Denver is the first and the second…” She trailed off as I heard the clicking of her keyboard in the background. “The second was to Portland.”

Fucking hell.

“Thank you very much, Marcy.”

She giggled. “Not a problem, Mr. Grayson. Let me know if there is anything else I can do for you,” she said softly, a flirtatious tone in her voice.

Not on your life, sweetheart.

I ended the call and texted Jake once more.

Me: Pull the airport footage.

Jake: Going by the book doesn’t get you anywhere, does it? ;)

“Apparently not,” I grumbled.

Me: I want that footage in five minutes, Murphy.

Jake: Already pulled, boss. Sending it over now.

I took a deep breath. Of course, he didn’t fucking wait. He never did.

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