Page 69 of Love From the Ashes

The doorbell rang. Reid went to the door, calling out to Anderson that he’d answer it.

“Good morning, Reid.”

“Keith, I’m glad you’re here. Come in, please.” Reid backed away from the door, holding it open. He motioned toward the parlor. “We’re meeting in here. I’ll introduce you to my mother.” Reid shut the front door and followed Keith into the room. “Mother, this is Keith Vincent. Keith, this is my mother, Virginia Morgan.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Morgan.” Keith reached out and shook her hand.

“Please call me Virginia.”

“Certainly.”

Reid motioned Keith to a chair in front of the coffee table. He and his mother sat on the couch.

Keith set a folder down on the table and opened it, a picture of Sofie attached to the inside cover. “Thank you for sending me the picture of Sofie and the other documentation I needed so quickly.”

“Is there anything else I should be giving you?” Reid said.

“Not at this point. Of course, if you hear anything or think of something else that might help, get a hold of me immediately. Sometimes the smallest detail can be beneficial.”

“No problem. I understand. So where are we with finding Sofie?”

“As we know, she left sometime early Wednesday morning, which puts today at day number four of her disappearance. Currently, I have two investigators showing Sofie’s picture to police at the transit centers and asking questions. Since it’s only been a few days since she left, I’m hoping someone remembers seeing her. Sofie and her deceased husband lived with his brother in Rochester, New York, for a short period, so we’ve contacted him to see if he’s seen her or heard from her. So far, he says he hasn’t. We’re rechecking all the hotels and motels in the city. And we’ll put together a list of shelters for expectant mothers in the Boston metropolitan area. I’ll have someone check those in person to see if she’s there.”

“What about checking the activity on her bank account?” Reid said.

“We can’t check it. Sofie left voluntarily, so she’s not technically a missing person. And you’re not married to her or on her account, which means you can’t authorize us to look at it.”

“I was hoping we could get around that,” Reid’s mother said, looking disappointed.

“Me too.” Reid shook his head.

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do about that.” Keith took two documents from his folder and placed them on the table. “I pulled the arrest and conviction record for Sofie’s mother, Bobbie Stevens. Here’s a copy of it.” He pushed the document toward Reid and his mother. “As you can see, she has a history of convictions for solicitation of prostitution, drug possession, resisting arrest, and petty theft. I found the guy you called Denny, linked to her. His name is Denny James, and he’s fifty-four years old. He’s from Philadelphia and has an extensive rap sheet.” Keith slid the second document across the table. “His convictions include pimping, pandering, human trafficking, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, drug possession, and assault. He’s being released from prison on Tuesday after completing a ten-year sentence for voluntary manslaughter.”

“Shit, who did he kill?” Reid said, the color draining from his face.

“A prostitute named Kesha Allen. She allegedly worked for him. Sofie’s witness statement and testimony in court put him away. Sofie was fourteen when she witnessed Kesha’s murder.”

“No wonder Sofie’s mother threatened to disclose her location to this man. He must want retribution against her,” Reid’s mother said, sounding frightened. She glanced at the photograph of Denny James and put her hand to her mouth. “My God, he looks like a gangster version of that heavyweight fighter, Terrell Banks, with an added scar down his cheek. He looks terrifying.”

“With good reason. Denny James is a dangerous man,” Keith said.

Reid got up and walked to one of the windows facing the street. He stood there with his back to them as he stared out the pane of glass. “Tell me what happened to the prostitute.”

“Kesha’s body was unearthed at a construction site four years after her murder. Police searched missing person reports and discovered Kesha’s mother had filed a report after her daughter’s unexplained disappearance. Dental records and a necklace found with the decomposed body identified her as Kesha Allen. Witness statements linked her back to Denny James. The authorities questioned Sofie several times, and she eventually confessed to witnessing the murder. She said she’d been hiding on the fire escape, so Denny wouldn’t know she was home. He had Kesha with him when he arrived at the apartment, and they argued about money. Denny slapped Kesha, and she pushed him. They scuffled, and Denny stabbed her. Sofie was too terrified to move from her hiding place and saw Denny hide the knife he used behind a vent in the living room. He called someone, and two men showed up to dispose of her body.”

“Why did Denny James only get ten years for such a heinous crime?” Reid’s mother said, her voice rising.

“Because he’d been found guilty of the lesser crime of voluntary manslaughter rather than murder, with the jury determining that Denny had acted in self-defense. Sofie had witnessed their physical altercation, and Kesha had two convictions for aggravated assault on her record.”

Reid turned around, looking completely distraught. He ran his hand through his hair while he paced the floor. Suddenly stopping, he turned to Keith. “We have to find Sofie. God only knows what he’ll do to her if he finds her.”

“I understand, Reid. I do. We’re going to do everything we can to find her. I better get back to the office unless you have additional questions.”

“I don’t have any at the moment. I’ll walk you out.”

“That’s not necessary. I can find my way out. Good day to you both.” Keith stood and made his way to the front door.

Reid waited until he heard the door close, and then he turned to his mother. “I’m sorry. This whole situation is too much, and I need to be alone. I’m going upstairs.” His voice broke as he spoke. The information from Keith was devastatingly painful, almost like a slow and agonizing torture. Feeling anxious, with his stomach in knots, Reid wasn’t sure how long he could keep himself together in front of his mother. He headed toward the stairs with one thought uppermost in his mind. They had to find Sofie before Denny James did.

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