Moth(46)

Chapter 15


“We know you f*cked her.” I expect this from Renner. He and House are both sitting on the sofa when I walk in. The home we’re working out of is a foreclosure, but it’s not been cleaned out by the bank yet, so we’re taking advantage of the furniture and resources it provides, like ample chairs and two beds for the guys to sleep in. The other bedroom is full of junk I’m not going to begin to go through. We don’t anticipate being here that long.

“Bullshit. I took her somewhere safe. Just because I spent time alone with her doesn’t mean we f*cked. Get over yourselves. Maybe you need to get laid so you can shut the hell up about me. Enough about me. Were you able to find anything else out?”

“Guess you were too busy doing nothing to read your texts?” House assumes.

I pull out my phone and look at it. I’m still too high on the sex to come back down and get my head back where it needs to be. I begin with the first message.

Cross checked the list of students with those majors. Fourteen students are female with the names beginning with N. We’re referencing DMV records now to see if we can match an identity. If we come up with a dead end do you want us to call Malone? – House

No results match your girl as far as college search, but we got another hit from social media when we ran it against the facial recognition program. It’s a few years old, but we’re sure it’s your girl. - House

Hope you’re alive and knee deep in *. By the way, her name is Nina Corsivo. We need you to call us ASAP. We’ve hit a snag you need to hear about. – Renner



Nina. The name fits the face. I want to smile, but become aware I’ve slept with someone whose secrets are too dangerous to overlook. With this new information I have to move forward with the investigation. “Okay,” I say as I lean on the edge of the couch. My legs are sore from the sex so I do my best to be comfortable. “Give it to me straight. Does she have a record? Why didn’t she come up on facial recognition? How did you find her?”

House and Renner look at one another before House answers. “We had to cross reference the name with social media accounts, and even that was difficult. She doesn’t have anything, but five years ago she was tagged with some friends in Washington D.C. It’s the same girl. Her appearance has changed, but it’s the same face.”

Renner hands me a laptop he’s been holding. Sure enough the image is of a younger fake Windy, AKA Nina. She’s got a short bob style haircut with blonde highlights throughout. She’s wearing glasses and hugging her two girlfriends with a huge smile on her face. The caption reads Congrats Nina!

“Congrats for what?”

I hand Renner back the computer. “We don’t know. There was nothing else. The chick that posted this lives in Arkansas now. She’s married with four kids and a hefty mortgage. We backtracked to discover they graduated from the same high school and both went on to study law. That’s when things get weird. She drops off the face of the earth for several years. The paper trail goes dry. There’s nothing, not even a credit check. We’re thinking maybe she got sick or had a family emergency. Maybe she was kidnapped and forced to turn tricks in a child trafficking situation Alizar has his hands in. Whatever the case, she resurfaced as Windy and the rest is history.”

I’m not able to fathom her working alongside Alizar. She’d be damaged if that were the case. Something isn’t adding up with this information. “So there’s no criminal record? No parking tickets or speeding violations?”

“None. It’s like she was just born. It’s too clean. We looked up her social security number and she hasn’t made a purchase in her name in more than two years. There’s no residence listed. Her mail goes to a PO box here in Richmond. She’s on the title of a two thousand and thirteen Ford Explorer, and apparently makes the payments on time, but we aren’t seeing it on Windy’s bank account. We’re looking into accounts she holds under her name, but it’s going to take a little while to access them.”

House chimes in. “What about you, Moth? Did you find out anything else about her while you were in close proximity?”

“She admitted she wasn’t Windy, not directly, but in conversation. She said she’s tired of living the lie. I’m telling you, she seems scared. Whoever is holding something over her head has threatened her life.”

“You didn’t break cover did you?” Renner asks.

“Hell no. She thinks I’m Monty and it’s going to stay that way.”

“You still think we need to focus on her? She could be running from the same thing your brother was.” Renner has a valid point.

“Regardless, she still holds answers. I need to stay on this route. With a little more time I’ll get a name. If I have to keep her in protective custody I will.”

“Are we going to know where you’re keeping her?”

“I told you I took her to a local hotel, but I’m thinking we need to get her out of town. If she’s close enough to walk to her apartment she might try to go there. The people who are after her cut her brake lines. They want her dead or at least severely injured.”

“What do you need from us, Moth?” House asks.

“Keep monitoring her house and any suspicious activity at the pharmaceutical company. I have an idea of a place I can take Miss Corsivo, but it’s thirty miles out of town, so I’m liable to remain there. I’ll have little phone service, but make sure I check in daily. In the meantime, you two keep researching those missing years and see if you come up with something. There has to be a connection to Alizar. An innocent woman doesn’t get involved in the drug trade for no reason. We’re missing something.”