From Darkness (Hearts & Arrows Book 3)(70)

“Thanks, man. The sooner, the better. Every day that passes hurts our chances of finding him.”

“I’ll do whatever I can.”

They said their goodbyes, and Jon headed for the subway.

He had Jimmy on his side and was comforted by the notion that finding Rhodes was less of a long shot than he’d initially thought. He only hoped something came of it.

Rhodes had disappeared like vapor and mist, and a rush of uncertainty shot through Jon at the thought that the man could be impossible to trace, that they might never find him.

But mostly he worried over what that would mean for Josie.



Gravel crunched under Josie’s boots as she stepped out of her car and made her way to the office of the salvage yard. She was somber and tired, weighted by futility that hung over her like a thundercloud.

She’d spent the morning at Rhodes’s workplace in an effort to sniff out anyone who might have been connected with him, but she’d walked away with a big, fat zero. His coworkers had been shocked that he was a murder suspect, said he’d seemed so normal, if not a little weird. He’d occasionally gone out for drinks with everyone but always kept a distance, never making any real friends at his workplace.

Just another dead end.

As Josie approached the office of the salvage yard, Billy walked out with a smile, wiping his hands off on a red rag.

“Hey, Josie. What can I do for you, kid?”

“Hey, Billy. I have a favor to ask.” She handed him a flyer she’d made on Rhodes with his picture, stats, and the police contact information. “Have you seen this man? He would have bought a car with cash some time in the last five months or so.”

His gray eyebrows rose, and he pulled off his cap, scratching the back of his head with his full hand as he inspected the flyer. “Any idea what he bought? Know what he might have been in the market for?”

“I was hoping you could help with that. I’m not sure where he was headed, but it’d probably only need to get him one way.”

“Hmm, I don’t know.” There was no denying that Billy thought it was a lost cause, which it probably was. “I haven’t seen him, but if you want, I can ask around.”

“That would be great. I know it’s a needle in the hay.”

“It is, but I’ll see if I can dig something up.”

“Thanks. It’s important.”

“All right, kiddo. I’ll give you a call if I hear anything.”

He gave her a pat on the shoulder, and she turned to go.

A thousand thoughts tumbled around her head as she drove home.

They pinged and popped in her brain as she trudged up her stairs.

They caught fire and burned as she sat on her couch and stared at her evidence wall—the tangible product of her work and her pain. That wall and its contents were her only connection to Rhodes. The familiarity of it gave her comfort, something she desperately sought as she grappled with the realization that there was nothing left to be done. Every lead she’d found was either a dead end or hung on help from someone else.

It was out of her hands. And her hands ached with the emptiness.

But there was another option, one she didn’t want to consider. It existed all the same.

She could call Jon.

Fresh eyes could help, an outside perspective, someone smart, someone whose mind worked the way hers did. And, if it were anyone else, she would have called in a heartbeat.

She let herself imagine it for a moment, let herself daydream about Jon sitting there with her, poring over the case, finding something she hadn’t seen, some connection she’d missed. Finding something. Anything.

What was the worst that could happen?

But she knew the answer before she even asked herself. She would let him back in; she wouldn’t be able to stop it. She would fall again, and this time, she didn’t know if she would get back up.

Josie picked up her phone and called her dad, hoping he had something to recharge her hope. Because hers was gone.

Hank answered with a, “Hey.”

“Hey, Dad.”

“That bad, huh?”

“Please tell me that you’ve got even a whiff of a lead.”

Hank sighed. “It’d be a lie. His bank and credit card accounts have all been dormant, and every lead we’ve found is a dead end. It seems that not a single person called him a friend. In fact, I think you might know him better than anyone.”

“That is so messed up,” she said.

“That also means that if you don’t know where he is…”

She ran a hand across her forehead.

“Do you have any connections you can call in?” Hank asked.

Jon’s face flashed in her mind.

“Not really. I’ve kind of been a loner lately, if you haven’t noticed.”

“Yeah, but surely there’s someone, right? You need a resource, someone fresh. I think we’re all too close, honey, and a new perspective could be the thing that makes a difference. What about Landreaux? He’s a smart kid. He could be a real asset to you.”

“I’m sorry, what?” she asked, not certain she’d heard him right.

“What do you mean, what? You need help, and he can help you. I can’t be there for you on this like you need. Maybe Landreaux will have some insight.”