Page 1 of Fate's Unseen Shadow

1

“It’s been four weeks, and still no sight of the owner of Cassin Systems, billionaire Elizabeth Cassin. If you remember our last report, she is wanted in connection to the murder of her stepbrother, Theodore Williams, CEO of Cassin Systems. Authorities believe she is still in the United States. They offer a $100,000 reward for any tips leading to her capture.”

Damon Vargas paused the video, his screen filled with the picture of Elizabeth Cassin. Not much in the news these days surprised him…but that sure as hell had.

He rubbed the back of his neck, studying the picture. He’d spoken with her exactly twice in his life. The first had taken place about two months ago. She’d requested his help with a suspected stalker. During their brief conversation, she’d admitted the police never found any evidence of her being stalked. But it didn’t matter, since those weren’t the type of cases he and his colleagues accepted.

The second time had been a month ago.

That conversation still haunted him. She’d said she thought the same man stalking her had also been watching herstepbrother, Theodore Williams, and was the real murderer. And for a second time, he’d turned her down. Solving adults’ murders wasn’t where they spent their resources. He’d advised her to go to the police.

And now she had disappeared.

Was she already dead?

Damon shook his head, grabbed his keys, and left his apartment. He hated the situation. But after solving that case of the eight-year-old little girl made the national news four months ago, they’d set up a website to give the public a way to contact them. They never expected to be flooded with thousands of pleas for help. But the choice ofwhothey took on as a client was an easy one.

Kids.

That was their focus. Children who were kidnapped or had run away.

Billionaire Elizabeth Cassin and her potential stalker weren’t a priority when the day she called an eight-year-old girl had been abducted while walking home from school.

His phone rang as he slid onto his black leather seat. “Headed out now,” he answered.

Xavier Kennedy lightly laughed. “Glad I caught you before you drove out here. They canceled. I’m driving back now. I’ll relist the property on our website once I get home.”

“I can’t say I’m surprised when they offered to pay us cash each month for rent.” Damon changed direction. “I’m headed to Cager to work.” And hopefully drown out the guilt from declining to help Ms. Cassin. “Call me if you need me. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“Unless something else pops up.”

“Let’s hope not. It’s been a busy May already.” They’d tracked down six kids in the past three weeks. All were still alive, a few physically injured, and all mentally scarred for life.

He turned on the radio, already set to the news station.

“As the search for Elizabeth Cassin enters its fifth week?—”

He turned it off.

“Shit,” he muttered, dropping his head back against the headrest. Five weeks? The odds of her being alive were slim, and that guilt would linger in his conscience.

2

“That total comes to $6.66.”

Perfect. The last year of her life summarized by the worst number possible. Even better, no matter how hard she stared at the five-dollar bill in her wallet, it wouldn’t morph into something more.

“Please take off the water,” Ella Cassin said, too exhausted to be embarrassed after the month from hell. Maybe Satan had personally orchestrated this entire shitshow.

Her stomach rumbled loudly, and the young cashier frowned. He pulled his wallet out and laid down two more dollars. “You look like you need something stronger than water, but I’ll cover you.”

Hating the charity, Ella passed him the five. “Thank you.” She made a mental note to send the cashier something nice when she had access to her bank account again. Exasperated, she shook her head and kept to the shadows alongside the drug store before darting to her car. The idea that this temporary situation would be over soon had motivated her to keep moving forward. But now, without a penny in her purse, she’d hit the end. The term “temporary” had started to lose its meaning.

Things would be different if Damon Vargas had helped her the first two times she’d requested it. Teddy might still be alive, and she wouldn’t be living on protein bars while hiding from the police. Although neither of those were really his fault. She’d reached out to a few other agencies, and they’d told her the same thing: go to the police. Look where that got her. Homeless and penniless in a matter of four weeks. Or was it five now?

A small, pitiful laugh escaped as she sat down in her luxury sedan. It had cost over six figures, and driving these days felt a little ridiculous. Selling the car had occurred to her, but then she’d lose her transportation and her bedroom. But if her next plan didn’t work, she’d sell the car and her jewelry and then regroup. She was pragmatic enough to realize that “things” didn’t hold the memories, but her watch, necklace, and earrings were the last pieces her father had given her before he died and the only things of worth she’d had on her when she’d run away.

But, for now, being out of money meant she was out of options. Waiting for the police to try to find the real killer seemed hopeless at this point. And if Mr. Vargas wouldn’t take her case over the phone, maybe he would in person.

---