Page 46 of Duplicity

Simon had been pretty much wallowing since then, because of both things.

Now that he’d met Cat, his thoughts had traveled down the relationship road, even speculating if she might be “the one” he had been looking for but was unwilling to admit to himself he wanted.

And she’d just friend-zoned him?

His heart squeezed in his chest so hard he might be having some kind of attack. Apparently, listening to his stories only meant she understood what he’d been through. It didn’t alter her opinion of him as a guy she could care for. Fall for. It just meant she was a quality person who could be a great friend.

And what if that wasn’t what he wanted?

Peter sat down next to him.

Simon shook his head. His brother might’ve felt the reaction he just had, but there was no need to talk about it. Another unspoken agreement to not dissect every tiny thing.

“Did something just happen?” It sounded so innocent when she asked it like that.

He had to play it off. “Maybe. I’m sure Peter will tell us.”

Peter gave him an odd look that Simon ignored. Before his brother could ask him questions, the police commissioner, Russ Franklin, stepped up to the podium in front.

“Okay, everyone. We’ll keep this brief because I know you’re all eager to get to work.” The older man was a former Marshal and was the epitome of the word “grizzled” with his gray hair and gray beard. Hard stubbled cheeks and dark gray eyes. His arms and trunk were thick, and he pressed it all into a five-ten frame that probably hit like a linebacker.

Peter nudged him. Simon waved it off. Cat looked at him.

He let out a long sigh no one heard. The last thing he needed was the two of them digging it out of him. There had been enough confessions recently, and he was ready to get to work instead. Forget the friend thing and fix some things that had been broken for far too long. In him. In Benson.

Didn’t matter.

After that, he could eat a whole pizza by himself and wallow in the fact he was falling for Catalina Alvarez. It was happening despite all the reasons he was a bad choice for her. And she’d just relegated him to “friend.” Maybebecauseshe realized he was a bad choice.

“We have a known suspect and at least four missing girls.” Russ paused, and the silence had a weight to it that hung in the air. “Possibly more.”

Simon’s stomach flipped. Could he help find these girls? He’d been taught he didn’t measure up. Who would with a twin like Peter? He had found his own thing since those awkward teenage years and had done a lot of work on having self-respect in his own right. Without Clare having to send him to a group or give him an ultimatum.

Still, the old insecurities he’d always carried came back to the forefront whether he liked it or not.

Maybe he would never measure up.

Peter nudged him again, not actually sayingpay attention, but that’s what he meant.

Russ said, “The next step is to find any additional connected suspects and find out if there are any more missing girls. Let’s see if we can get any intel on who might be targeted.”

All kinds of ideas popped into his mind.

The police could set up a sting operation if they knew the identity of the next teenage girl target, and they could snap the trap shut and capture suspects. Flip them for the boss’s identity. Risky, but it could yield a result.

If Justice Spears was involved—which seemed likely given the conversation with him and the Hayden person at the garage—this might be the time to move on him. Follow him and see if he would lead them to the suspect. Or pull him in for questioning and find out what he knows.

Dig more into the phone network. Find out if there was chatter about a party.

Russ asked, “Questions?”

Someone asked what the PD was going to tell the general public and if there was a scheduled press conference.

Russ shook his head. “When we know what this is and have it tied up neatly, we’ll make an announcement. Until then, anyone caught passing information to the media or public in any form will be written up.” He barely paused for a breath. “I’ll coordinate with Jasper Hollingsworth at Vanguard.”

Someone cheered, dragging out the name Jasper as if congratulating the man when he wasn’t even here.

Russ smiled. “Tasks will be delegated according to the best use of resources. I want updates every four hours, starting at the top of the hour. So, get to work and find me something, or I’ll have to ask what I pay you for.”

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