Page 49 of Obsession (Temptation 4)

Lachlan

Within minutes, the entire campus was locked down while police swarmed the area. We’d told them Imogene wasn’t here, that she’d been abducted, but they refused to listen. Until a search of every last inch of the campus turned up empty.

While the football game was canceled, no one was allowed to leave until they were questioned by the police. When I heard some of the cops complain about having to interview hundreds of people, I lost it, screaming that there was a teenage girl missing and the mild inconvenience of having to interview everyone here in the hopes someone had seen something was a small price to pay if it ended up saving her life.

Just as I finished tearing into one of the uniformed cops to stop bitching and do his damn job, a voice I really didn’t want to hear cut through.

“Well, well, well. Good to see you’ve worked on that anger issue since the last time I had the pleasure of being in your presence, Mr. Hale.”

I whirled around, glowering at Detective Walker as he nonchalantly strode toward where I stood with Julia, Nikko, and Naomi. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed.

He was the absolute last person I wanted to see right now, or ever, especially considering the last time I saw him, he more or less implied I intentionally killed Piper and stabbed Claire on the night of that home invasion. To say my confidence in him actually being able to help find Imogene was low was an understatement. At least I had Nikko and Agent Curran on my side, both of whom I knew would do everything they could to bring her home safely.

“Pleasure to see you, as well, Mr. Hale. Although, I must admit, it’s a bit surprising. Is there a reason you’re at a high school football game?”

I wrapped my arm around Julia’s shoulders, pulling her closer. Despite her breakdown in the locker room earlier, she’d shown amazing strength, answering questions with a clarity I didn’t think myself capable of at the moment.

“Imogene, the missing girl…” My voice briefly caught. I paused, not wanting to show this bastard a hint of emotion. “I’m dating her mum, Julia.”

He glanced Julia’s way. “Is that right?”

“Yes,” she answered, head held high. “That’s right.”

He studied her for a beat before lifting his analytical gaze to me. “Why is it that people around you tend to end up dead?”

Julia inhaled a sharp breath, body tensing. “What are you saying?” she asked shakily. “Is Imogene—”

“I apologize, ma’am,” Detective Walker interjected quickly. “I shouldn’t have said that. I assure you. I have every reason to believe your daughter is perfectly safe.”

I snorted. “Safe. Abducted by a serial rapist and killer, but sure. That sounds perfectly safe to me!”

He gave me a warning glare before looking back at Julia, his smile congenial. “I’m Detective Walker with Major Crimes here in Atlanta. We’re going to do everything we possibly can to bring Imogene home safely. I’m sure the uniformed officers have already asked you what she was wearing, but if you don’t mind coming with me to answer a few more questions…” He glanced my way, then added, “Alone.”

Julia met my eyes, uncertain. “But—”

“I must insist,” Detective Walker interrupted. “Right now, everyone here is a potential suspect.”

“Lachlan was with me the entire time Imogene was supposed to be in the locker room. He—”

“If you want to find your daughter, I just need a few minutes.”

She nodded, blowing out a breath. “Of course.”

“I’ll be right here,” I promised her, sensing she needed my assurance that I wouldn’t disappear on her, too. Then I brushed a soft kiss to her temple before dropping my hold, watching as she followed Walker several yards away.

I kept my eyes trained on them as I sidled up beside Nikko.

“I don’t bloody trust that guy,” I muttered, glowering at him.

“Cool it, bruh. Let bygones be bygones. He didn’t want to look into Claire’s death because all the physical evidence, including the ME’s report, indicated she committed suicide. So what? He’s not the only one who didn’t want to reopen the investigation into these supposed suicides. They’ve all based their decision off the evidence present at the time. Just like my lieutenant did.”

I tore my eyes toward his, brows scrunched. “What are you talking about? Your lieutenant did reopen the investigation. Didn’t she? You said you were going to speak with her.”

“And I did. But after I presented what I knew, she decided to leave it alone, at least for the time being. Said she needed more than some tenuous theory. Much like Curran’s superiors at the Bureau told him.”

“No.” I vehemently shook my head, stomach churning. Something wasn’t right. Something seemed…off. “Walker came over my house not even two weeks ago. Claimed a Detective Marshall with HPD had been trying to reach out to me.”

Nikko looked at me quizzically. “We do have a Detective Marshall, but—”

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