Page 73 of The Liar

“I can understand that.” Mixing my work and home lives hadn’t always gone well. Obviously.

“When did you last see Portia?” Joanna asked, picking up the line of questioning. “Was she here yesterday?”

Sapphire shook her head. “She was scheduled to work at her other job. But she was in the night before last.”

Joanna pulled out her phone and entered something into it. Perhaps a note to follow up with the brothel. I might need to remind her that if Portia is missing because of Ortez, then alerting his staff that someone is looking into her disappearance isn’t necessarily the best idea for her continued wellbeing.

“Did you notice anyone paying particular notice to her that night?” Joanna asked, looking up.

Sapphire started to say no, but then she paused, a furrow forming between her eyebrows. “Actually, yeah. There was a guy. He wasn’t one of her clients. He just kind of stood near the back of the club until the end of the night, but I saw him going over to her as I was heading out to change.”

The back of my neck prickled. My instincts told me we were onto something here.

“What did he look like?” I asked, trying to keep my tone level.

She squeezed her eyes shut.” Uh… maybe in his fifties. Stocky. A bit overweight. Thinning gray hair. Actually, come to think of it, I’m pretty sure he was the other detective with you last time we talked.”

Joanna and I exchanged a glance. Detective Hanson. But what did it mean that he’d been here?

“That’s helpful. Thank you. Do you have any idea where Portia would go if she needed to lie low?”

“I don’t know, sorry.” She adjusted her long legs in the cramped back of the car. “Before, I’d have said to Sasha, but now, I have no idea. I could be overreacting though. Maybe she’s at her apartment.”

“We’ll check there,” I assured her. “In fact, we’ll go there now. Can we give you a ride anywhere first?”

She pursed her lips. “I’m due back on the floor in a few minutes. Good luck though.”

“Thanks for calling.” Joanna smiled at her. “That was brave.”

Sapphire exhaled roughly. “It’s the right thing to do. I’d better go.”

She pushed the door open and clambered out, then quietly clicked it shut. She shivered as she crossed the parking lot. I didn’t blame her. The outside air was bitter, and her legs were almost bare.

“You have Portia’s address, I assume?” Joanna asked.

“Yeah. I haven’t been there, but I was sure to take note of it in case I ever needed it.”

I plugged the address into the GPS, started the engine, and pulled out of the lot.

The drive was longer than I’d expected. I’d assumed Portia lived nearby, but she was a couple of suburbs over, in a solidly middle-class area with tidy apartment buildings and a few standalone houses.

“Do you think there’s anything Hanson might have wanted to talk to Portia about?” I asked Joanna as we made our way inside.

Joanna cocked her head in thought. “There would be legitimate reasons to question her about our case, but none of the dancers mentioned her when we visited the Red Door together, and he hasn’t said anything about other leads. Of course, there’s a good chance he didn’t tell me because he doesn’t trust me.”

“Or that he’s up to his neck in this.” The words fell between us like bombs. I didn’t want to say it, but I had to, and from Joanna’s expression, I knew she understood.

“It’s a possibility,” she allowed as we entered the foyer. “Stairs or elevator?”

“Divide and conquer?”

She grimaced. “I’d prefer not to separate, but we don’t want to miss anyone coming the other way. Stay armed at all times. I’ll take the stairs.”

I grinned. “My legs thank you.”

She rolled her eyes. “You think I don’t know how fit you are?”

I just laughed and crossed to the elevator. I pushed the button for the fourth floor and waited for the doors to close. The elevator rose slowly, and by the time the doors opened, and I stepped out into a corridor, Joanna was already striding toward me, panting.

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