Broken Trust
Jade Pearson Series Two Book 2
Nora Kane
Broken Trust by Nora Kane Copyright © 2022 by Nora Kane.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission. This book is a work of fiction. Any reference to real people or real locales are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the authors imagination and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
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Prologue
Billy Finch was not a man to be messed with. He was serious and stern and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He walked with a purpose even if he had moths flying around his brain. He liked no jokes but his own, and carried a gun with him wherever he went, even to church, although it had been a few years since he’d attended. He’d had to arrest a bad preacher and that had left its stain on his heart. Billy’s appearance was tough enough to scare a flock of suburban moms on their morning speed walk. He was tall and had long hair and many tattoos. He was quite the figure amongst the normal crowd.
His love life was something else. He was adored by most ladies. It was true that he’d get the usual odd look from the type ready to dismiss anything out of the ordinary, but for those who were rebellious or had a mean streak or simply were curious, he was the man. He was quite the charmer when he wanted to be. But he rarely got along with other guys. Billy Finch always thought himself superior to any other man. He thought himself superior to women too. In truth, he felt superior over the pope himself.
He was thinking these kinds of thoughts to himself as he stalked the streets of Camden. Stalking was a normal part of his job. Tonight, he was after someone in particular, someone who had evaded him for too long. He was out to get paid and make someone pay. After all, such was the nature of his business.
The snow had begun to melt throughout Camden. Listening intensely, he could hear the snowmelt running down the street and into the drains. It was what some people would call perfect weather. Billy didn’t think so. It may have been only late February, but spring was making its move, which made things both easier and harder for Billy. Not that Billy didn’t like a challenge. There were just other things he’d rather be doing right now. And this weather tonight was just making his life miserable.
On a good, clear winter’s night, it’s easy to stalk someone. In the silence that only comes from a cold, starry night, Billy could hear anything, like a wolf on the prowl. He could track his victims through the snow. He could hear their every quivering breath. He liked these kinds of nights. He liked the nights when he knew he was close to a victory and there was no chance of any surprises.
Tonight was not like that. It was clear, but not too cold. The air was muffled with warmth and the streets were barren. The only real noise was coming off of the bay, but the waters were quiet tonight. So was his prey; quiet. Too quiet. Billy paused on the street. Something was wrong. He could sense it. There was a tension in the air. He was close. He just couldn’t see them. So, he did something he had learned a lo ng time ago. Billy closed his eyes.
Taking in everything with his eyes closed, he listened to the night. There came nothing but the water running constantly down the drains. He took a deep breath. It hit him like a truck. The clear smell of something flowery. It reminded him of someone. A good someone.
“That can’t be you,” he mumbled under his breath.
“But it is,” a voice answered from directly in front of him.
Billy opened his eyes, but it was far too late. The knife was plunged into his chest, and he stumbled back, falling to his knees. He looked into the eyes of his attacker before they kicked him, and he fell face-first into the wet street in an ever-growing pool of his own blood. He stayed there, unmoving, watching as the world blurred and as the figure walked steadily away. There was no hope for Billy Finch. He was a dead man.
Chapter One
“Jade, what brings you here today?” Edna asked.
Edna Mann was the head detective of the Camden Police Department. She was quite tall and had dark short hair full of pretty curls. She wasn’t one for nonsense, and she always looked out for those she was close to. She also happened to be Jade’s best friend, and Jade could always rely on her. It had been more than once that Edna had saved her back.
“I’m just here picking up my check. Then I’m taking a couple of days off of crime-solving. This last case was ridiculous,” Jade said.
It had indeed been ridiculous. A circus clown had committed suicide but had left behind a sizable fortune to his best friend. Everyone in the circus had been trying to claim it since the person in the will had gone unnamed. Jade originally had been privately hired by the circus manager to sort things out along with a lawyer. But when the sword swallower had been killed as well, the police had brought her in since she was already familiar with the case.
Jade and Edna had had one hell of a time trying to sort out everything. There was more drama in the circus than a soap opera that aired at noon! In the end, the circus manager had been the one to kill the sword swallower for almost getting the fortune, since the sword swallower and the clown had been best friends since their youth. It turned out that the circus manager was the clown’s brother and was mad that another person would be getting his brother’s fortune.
It wasn’t exactly the kind of case that Jade ever wanted to have to solve again. She didn’t mind the circus, but it had been extremely stressful. And on top of it, the sizable fortune was tied up mostly in antique dolls. Jade hated dolls. They were creepy and
unnatural. She was fine never having to see another doll in her lifetime.
“Don’t think about taking too many days off. We still need you,” Edna said.
It was true that Jade had solved several high-profile cases for the department, but with Edna on their side, Jade was sure they’d be fine without her for a while. She needed a break.
It was then that she spotted Mark Foley getting a cup of coffee. Mark was the police coroner. He worked in the basement of the building where the morgue was. He was tall and, surprisingly, couldn’t really stand violence. Yet, he had to deal with it nearly every single day. He was also Jade’s boyfriend. He was a great boyfriend, and Jade was truly grateful to have him. She decided that she’d go and see him while she got the chance.
“Nice running into you here,” Jade remarked, walking over to Mark.
“Needed some coffee. There’s a body on its way here now. Figured I should fuel up while I have the chance,” Mark replied. He took a big swig of his coffee and then got one for Jade.
She gladly accepted it. She swore that some days coffee was all that kept her sane.
“Anyone we know?” Jade asked.
“Maybe. I don’t know the victim’s name yet,” Mark said.
“But I do,” Edna said, walking over with a piece of paper in her hand. “Jade, you may not be getting those days off.”
“What do you mean?” Jade asked.
“William Finch, bounty hunter, thirty-six years old, stabbed,” Edna rattled off.
“Wait, Billy Finch? He’s dead?” Jade exclaimed.
“You knew him?” Mark asked.
“Yeah. We worked on a case together. Sort of,” Jade said. “I say it loosely. He kept getting in the way of my case, going after his bounty who he was sure committed the crime that I was solving. On top of it all, he was a jerk.”
“I can attest to that,” Edna said. “Every time he saw me, he’d hit on me.”
“And me too,” Jade added, not remembering the memories fondly. “Didn’t stop until I told him I had a boyfriend. Why did he respect a man before he respected me?”
Jade was starting to get angry until Mark piped up.
“Where was I for all of this?” Mark asked, thoroughly confused.
“You were visiting your mom. Remember? She was having hip surgery and you wanted to be there for her,” Jade said matter-offactly.
“You should’ve told me someone was harassing you,” Mark said.
Jade thought that was sweet. Mark was not really a fighter. If he and Jade were to get into a street fight, Jade would be the one dealing out the hits. But she knew that he cared for her.
“But I sure didn’t wish he was dead,” Jade said.
Edna simply nodded her agreement.
“I’d better get down to the morgue. Care to join me?” Mark asked.
Jade took his gentlemanly arm and the pair walked downstairs to the basement.
“Think you’ll get asked to join this case?” Mark asked.
“Maybe. I was hoping to take a break, but I did get to know this guy. If I can be of any help to the case, I’ll come on,” Jade said.
The pair walked into the morgue and separated. Two men were laying out a body on the table. Jade took a closer look. Sure enough, it was Billy Finch. His long hair framed his face. He was almost as long as the table, and his feet stuck out from beneath the cover. His giant bird tattoo could clearly be seen on his shoulder and upper chest, although there was a gaping hole in it now where the blade had gone through.
“Definitely not an accident,” Jade said, stating the obvious.
“Let me take the first look,” Mark replied, putting on his lab coat. He grabbed a flashlight and pulled out his magnifying glass to look at the wound.
“Anything interesting?” Jade asked.
“Just looking at it, I’d say that hole is five inches deep,” Mark said, “and it was a fairly clean blade. There’s no dirt or rust in the wound. I’d say it was from a switchblade, common enough to attain and if it was new, then we’re not going to find much here. Overall,
it’s a clean wound. But not a clean entry point. It’s a little jarred. I can confidently say that someone didn’t have a steady hand.”
“A common switchblade? That’s a great help to the case,” Jade snorted. Anyone over the age of twenty-one could get one with a legal firearms owner’s identification card. And even then, it would be easy enough to get one without a license in today’s world. “Can you tell me anything helpful?”
“And here I thought you weren’t coming on the case,” Mark said playfully.
“With information like this, you’ll need my help,” Jade retorted.
“I can tell you that the attacker was about the same height as Finch,” Mark said.
“How can you tell that?” Jade asked.
“From the angle of the wound,” Mark explained. Using his flashlight as a prop blade, he motioned it hitting the chest, hovering over the stab wound. “The blade was inserted almost straight into his chest. Anyone taller or shorter would’ve had a wider angle on impact.”
“So we’re looking for someone as tall as Finch with a clean switchblade.” Jade sighed. “This is not going to be easy.” She had faced cases with little to no information before, but this was ridiculous.
Mark pulled out a wet rag and wiped the body near the wound to clear some of the blood so he could get a closer look.
“Do you smell that?” Mark asked, holding up the rag.
“Smell what?” Jade responded; not sure what Mark was talking about.
“Something sweet. Like flowers,” Mark mused. He held up the damp rag and sniffed it. Then he held it up to Jade’s face.
She was a little repulsed but leaned in and took in a whiff on faith.
“That’s perfume,” Jade said. “Could it be a woman that killed him?”
“It’s possible. She’d have to be tall though,” Mark said.
“Right.”
“We don’t know if the perfume came from the killer though. It could have been applied earlier. You did say that this guy was always going after women,” Mark added.
Jade nodded. Mark was right. The perfume wasn’t a great clue.
“I can have it analyzed by the lab. If it wasn’t from the killer, maybe someone from earlier in the night was with him and may know something,” Mark continued.
“Thanks,” Jade said, heading back upstairs.
She found Edna working away at her desk, already filling out forms galore for the new murder case.
“Joining the case?” Edna asked, already seeming to know what Jade was thinking.
“Yep. Mark’s got some details on the body already,” Jade said. She continued to explain to Edna everything that she had discussed with Mark about the blade and suspect.
“So that explains a bit about the killer, but I can’t find any reason for why Finch was even in town,” Edna said. “I’ve been through our database a dozen times, and there are no active bounties out right now for anyone in our jurisdiction. I’ve contacted Rockport, Lincolnville, and Hope. I’m hoping one of them will have a bounty out. I’m trying to get permission into the federal database, but I doubt it’s going to help. I’m also going to call the Maine State Prison. Maybe someone escaped and it hasn’t hit the news yet.”
“Just like Lee Burke,” Jade said.
Edna nodded.
Lee Burke had been the victim of a case from quite a few weeks back. He had escaped from prison and less than two days later had been shot. It wasn’t until later that he actually died from poisoning in the hospital at the hands of a scared nurse and an angry friend’s girlfriend. It had been a complicated case; Jade was thankful that it was over.
“I’m not sure I’ll get any answers from the prison,” Edna said. “If there had been an escape, I have a feeling I’d already have heard about it.”
“Right,” Jade agreed. “And I can’t imagine the warden over there letting any bounty hunters go after one of his prisoners.”
Edna and Jade both knew the warden over at the prison. He was a real piece of work and hardly likable.
“You know,” Jade said slowly. “I may just know someone who could help.”
She excused herself from Edna and left the station.
Chapter Two
It was windy out and still a touch cold, but warmer weather was on its way. Overall, it was cloudy, and Jade liked that. She climbed into her car and drove down to the pier. Along the pier was a line of shops. She was very familiar with the pier, having worked different cases here from time to time. She parked in the parking lot and walked down the pier to Johnson’s Bait and Tackle. The owner of the shop was a very interesting man.
Mr. Johnson was always dressed like he was ready to go fishing. His shop was full of shiny hooks and crawling worms. It always smelled more than faintly like fish and Jade was always a little put off going inside. She had never been one for fishing, but Mr. Johnson had become a decent friend to her over the past few cases and had even saved her life. This was mostly due to the fact that he was an ex-FBI agent. He had a ton of connections still; she would bear the fish smell, knowing that he could help.
As she walked inside his shop, he was in his usual spot behind the front desk reading the day’s newspaper. He didn’t have to look up to know it was Jade coming in.
“Billy Finch,” he said before Jade had the chance to say anything. If she hadn’t known the man already, she would’ve asked how he knew that, but she also knew by now that he would likely never explain.
“Can you tell me why he was in town?” Jade asked, getting to the point.
“He was a bounty hunter. Why do you think he’d be in town?” Mr. Johnson asked, still not looking up from his newspaper.
“The obvious answer is that he was after a bounty, but we can’t find any listed in town,” Jade said. “That’s why I’m here, but
you already know that.”
Mr. Johnson finally folded his newspaper down and looked at her.
“I’ve already looked into it,” he said, reaching down into his desk drawer. He pulled out a file and handed it over to Jade.
“Mr. Johnson, you’re amazing,” Jade exclaimed, flipping through the papers inside the file.
It seemed like the FBI had been tracking a man named Jim Crane. He was responsible for several hijackings of armored cars, the kind used to transport money from bank to bank. And committing the murder of the security officers and drivers of the armored cars. He was known for not leaving witnesses. The FBI had been tracking him for quite some time, almost three years, but whenever they came close to catching him, he always seemed to get away. So they put out a bounty on his head and invited the hunters to go after him.
Jade thanked Mr. Johnson once more and left the shop. She held the file close to her against the roaring wind of the bay. Seagulls flew overhead making a racket. Jade ignored them. She was excited to have some answers. She wasn’t starting this case with no clues after all! If she could find Crane, then maybe she could get some answers. If Finch had been getting too close to Crane, then Crane could’ve had him knocked off.
Once Jade got back to her car, she called Edna.
“Head Detective Edna Mann.”
“Edna, I need you to put a bolo out for Jim Crane,” Jade said.
“Wait, Jim Crane, like the FBI’s most-wanted Jim Crane?” Edna asked.
“You know about him?” Jade asked.
“We get an updated file on the FBI’s most-wanted every month. He’s seventh on the list. Wanted for armed robbery and murder. Highly dangerous. Please tell me what he has to do with our case?” Edna asked.
Jade spent the next few minutes explaining the details to Edna. She could hardly contain her excitement.
“He’s got the motive. Finch was after him and he could’ve killed him,” Jade said, finishing her explanation.
“Makes sense,” Edna replied. “But if the FBI can’t find him, how are we supposed to?”
“I don’t know, but we have to at least try. He’s our best lead,” Jade said.
She hung up and went over the file again. Jim Crane was thirty-five years old, wanted for several crimes of armored car theft, and was never married. He was six feet, two inches tall, and weighed roughly one hundred and eighty pounds. He was lithe in the picture and seemed physically fit. He could certainly stab someone without much trouble. But Jade wanted to be sure.
“Mark, what are Finch’s dimensions?” Jade asked, calling him on the phone.
“Six foot three. Two hundred and thirty-four pounds—of course, that’s with some blood loss,” Mark reported.
“Thanks,” Jade said.
So, Crane was tall enough to kill Finch given the angle of the piercing in Finch’s chest. And he had a great motive. Crane was definitely her best lead. If only she could find him.
She looked through the file that Mr. Johnson had given her. It contained a list of aliases: Allen Evans, Alex Eden, Adam Ernest. Jade quickly took note of the initials in the name, A and E. It seemed that every alias on the list followed that pattern. It wasn’t unusual for criminals to follow a pattern in their covers, but why A and E? Jade didn’t know.
Also included in the file were pictures of Crane’s tattoos. A few very gory, fiery birds, a cross, a mechanical heart, and a newer tattoo, on his arm. It was part of a sleeve yet to be finished. Looking at it closely, Jade could see something underneath. Perhaps, the sleeve was covering something else? Something small?
Jade took out her phone and took a picture of the tattoo. She set the file down and zoomed in on the photo on her phone. Changing the lighting and contrast, she could see an outline of a face behind the unfinished sleeve. It was a woman, young and clear enough to get a decent screenshot. She sent the screenshot to Edna and asked her to run it through facial recognition in the hope that the picture was enough to get a match. She knew it was a long shot, but it could help the case if it came through. Jade also texted Edna that she was coming into the station, hoping that by the time she arrived, the facial recognition system would come back with a match.
Jade pondered her next steps on the drive back to the station. She would have to call all the hotels in the area asking if they had anyone under the aliases of Jim Crane. It would take a very long time, and Jade was not looking forward to it. She also thought about just what she would do if she actually found Crane. Obviously, she’d have to try and take him in. After all, he was a wanted
criminal. But would she get a chance to talk to him? Surely, the FBI would come to collect him and interfere with her interrogations. Jade decided it was better to focus on one problem at a time. Finding Crane came first.
She pulled up to the station and headed inside. A small crowd was gathered in the conference room. Men and women in nice clothes and fancy suits. Jade felt very underdressed and wished she was in one of her pantsuits. But she hadn’t really planned on working today, so she was just in a decent sweater and jeans.
“Jade, you’re here,” Edna said, calling her over to her desk. “That’s Special Agent Hess and Special Agent Olsen. They’ve heard that Jim Crane may be in the area.” Edna pointed to two men in suits standing by the conference room door.
“They weren’t here when I left,” Jade said.
“They just arrived. They’ve taken over the whole place and most of our resources,” Edna explained. “Even the coffee is running low.”
“Are they joining the Finch case?” Jade asked, sure that if they did, they’d just get in the way. She had worked with special agents before, and she’d never had a good experience with them.
“Not exactly. They’re mainly here to search for Crane,” Edna said.
“If they find him, we need to talk to him about the Finch case,” Jade said.
“The Chief and I have been trying to reason with them. They say if we find him first, we can talk with him. Otherwise, it’s not happening,” Edna said.
Jade nodded, understanding. This was a race against the feds and the clock. They had to get to Crane before he ran from Camden and before these agents could get their hands on him.
“We’ve got to call the local hotels—” Jade started.
“—Already did. No one under any of Crane’s aliases has shown up,” one of the suited men interrupted, walking over. Clearly, he’d been eavesdropping.
“Special Agent Adrian Hess. Don’t bother looking for Crane. If anyone’s gonna find him, it’s gonna be us,” the man said, introducing himself. He was tall, suave, and clean-shaven.
His buddy, Olsen, tagged along beside him. Olsen was shorter, broader, and looked a bit like a giant ape, especially with his beard.
Jade resisted the urge to roll her eyes at the pair. It wouldn’t do well for the police-FBI relations.
“Edna, can we talk to Mark about the Finch case?” Jade said, turning to her friend and ignoring the FBI man completely. It would do better to discuss this matter away from prying ears.
“Yep,” Edna said, “Gentlemen, if you’ll excuse us.”
The pair left the agents behind and walked quickly down to the morgue, knowing exactly what the other had in mind.
“Didn’t expect to see you here so soon. I’m afraid I don’t have much for you yet,” Mark said, seeing the women enter. He set down his tools and covered the body back up.
The room reeked of death and alcoholic cleansers. The same bloody rag from before was sitting on the table next to the body.
“We just needed to get away from the brass upstairs,” Edna said.
“What a jerk,” Jade said, not holding back this time.
Edna didn’t say anything but gave a look that said she definitely agreed with Jade. Mark just shrugged, knowing that they were probably right, and also knew he was lucky that he’d rarely ever have to work with those types of people. If anyone of importance were going to come to the morgue, it’d probably be a high-ranking or military doctor. In which case, Mark would be nothing less than polite. Jade, on the other hand, usually had a problem keeping her mouth shut for these kinds of situations. He was surprised she wasn’t saying more right now.
“So, we’re going after Crane, right?” Edna asked, leaning up against the wall.
“Yep. I don’t care what those agents say. We’ve got to talk to him,” Jade said.
She was persistent. She knew deep down that those agents were going to mess around. They had access to more tech and contacts than they did. And if she was going to talk to Crane, it had to be now.
“How are we going to find him? They’ve already looked into all the hotels,” Edna said, “Hess said so himself.”
“We could always double-check,” Jade suggested.
“I don’t think they were lying,” Edna said.
That’s true, Jade thought. They hadn’t been lying. They’d been bragging. Jade knew she needed a different approach.
“Did you get a match on that face I sent you?” Jade asked.
“No. Nothing. It just wasn’t good enough or whoever it was wasn’t in the system,” Edna said, disappointed.
It was actually pretty common that a lead or suspect wouldn’t show up in the system. Most people go through their whole lives without getting a file in a police department. The same couldn’t be said about federal systems and documents. The agents upstairs definitely had the advantage here.
“That’s too bad. I really thought that could be a lead,” Jade said.
Without an identification to that face, Jade was really left with nothing. She’d have to start looking into possible places Crane’s aliases would’ve shown up; that would take forever and might not even yield any results. Camden was a small town, but still had a lot of restaurants and hotels—places he’d have to use a name and a card to get into.
If she didn’t find anything under his aliases, she’d have to go back to square one, which had no clues other than a clean switchblade, a shaky hand, and a tall person that might wear perfume. That could be half of Camden. At this point, Jade was feeling hopeless.
That’s when Mark had a brilliant idea.
“If they’re dead, they could be in my system,” Mark spoke up.
All eyes turned on him.
“Doesn’t that only include people within our jurisdiction?” Edna asked, confused.
“Our local system, yes,” Mark said, pulling off his latex gloves and heading to the computer. “But I have access to the National Death Index. Don’t ask how I got that. It’s got records of pretty much everyone who has ever died in the United States. Most of them have pictures. We can run your picture through the NDI and see if we get a match.”
“Mark, you’re brilliant!” Jade exclaimed. She gave him a quick hug and sent him the picture of the tattooed woman on her phone.
He hovered at his computer for a minute.
“Okay,” he said, uploading the photo to the search engine, “Give it a few minutes and we’ll see if we can come back with a match.”
The trio talked for a while, discussing what they should do. Jade talked about her file and her discussion with Mr. Johnson. The other two agreed that Crane was their best lead. He certainly had a motive. She also discussed what she might do if the photo came back with no leads.
“That profile fits half of Camden, half of the world,” Edna said.
“I know. That’s why I’m hoping this comes back with a match,” Jade said.
Just then, a small ding came from Mark’s computer. They all rushed over and saw a familiar face on the screen.
“It’s a match!” Jade said, surprised and a touch relieved.
“The name is Frannie Crane. She died five years ago at the age of eighty-four,” Mark said aloud, reading her file.
“She’s obviously a relative of Crane,” Jade said.
“But how does this help our case?” Edna asked.
“I’m not sure. There’s nothing in this file that says anything about Crane’s relatives or known associates. He only works with a crew once before splitting ways and picking up a new one, so it’s difficult to track him or anyone attached to him,” Jade said, “Mark, does it say anything else about Frannie Crane?”
“She died in New York. She died of skin cancer. There’s not much more,” Mark said.
Jade looked at the picture of Frannie again and sighed. “I was hoping she’d be more help. Does it say where in New York she died? Maybe she had a friend or someone she talked to about her family?”
“That’s a big leap, Jade,” Edna said. “And that’s gonna be like looking for a needle in a haystack.”
“I know, but I’ve got to try. She’s got a personal connection to Crane and that could lead us to him,” Jade said.
“She died in Queens at Long Island Jewish Forest HillsNorthwell Health,” Mark said.
“So, we could guess that she was Jewish?” Edna asked.
“Maybe, if she were getting treated for cancer, then she might want a hospital according to her religion,” Jade said. “We can contact the hospital and ask for any records they may have. It’s been five years, but hospitals have records for everything.”
“I should make that call. They’re more likely to talk to me because of my practice,” Mark said. He looked up the number and the room went silent while he talked on the phone.
Jade kept thinking. She knew what she was doing was a long shot. That there was little to no chance it would come back with anything useful to the case, but she had to try. Especially now with those arrogant FBI agents upstairs.
“Thank you so much,” Mark said, hanging up the phone.
“And?” Jade asked anxiously.
“They have records of her and are emailing them to me now,” Mark said. A little ding came from his computer again. “And there it is.”
“What’s it say?” Jade asked. She hovered over Mark as he sat down at his computer.
“It’s mostly records of her treatment,” Mark said clicking through files.
There were quite a few pages. Apparently, she’d been battling cancer for three years before her death.
“What’s that?” Jade asked, pointing at a file in the email.
Mark opened it. “It’s a list of her belongings that she left behind at the hospital. Her grandson had come to collect them a couple of weeks after her death.”
“Does it say who the grandson is?” Jade asked, already with suspicion in mind.
“No, but it does say that she had a journal belonging to Anya Elilis,” Mark said, reading the page.
“Elilis, that’s a Greek name,” Edna piped up, “I had a friend with that name. Her parents had immigrated here from Greece.”
“Makes sense. She lived in Queens. There’s a fair-sized Greek population there,” Mark said.
“She could’ve immigrated here and then had her name Americanized,” Jade suggested.
“Anya to Frannie?” Edna asked.
“More like Anya to Annie to Frannie,” Jade said.
“Let’s say you’re right,” Edna mused, “How does the name Anya Elilis help us find Jim Crane?”
“Anya Elilis,” Jade repeated to herself. “A. E.! His aliases! It would match the pattern of his aliases. I bet Crane uses this one in emergencies or special occasions or something like that. We need to call the hotels searching for an Anya Elilis.” Jade explained herself to her friends and the three began making phone calls.
It took them over a half hour to call all of the local hotels. Camden was definitely a tourist destination and there were several hotels along the bay. But finally, there came a match for Anya Elilis. It was at the Grand Harbor Inn. Jade had worked a case there once. The hotel had given the best clue of the whole case. And had brought back decent memories.
Jade had stayed there at the Grand Harbor Inn in her youth. Her grandmother had lived in Camden and insisted that she visit. Her mother, however, did not like this and tried to keep Jade away. When her grandmother was dying, she snuck away to say goodbye and stayed at this Inn. It was a nice hotel and Jade was surprised that Crane would have chosen it for his hideout.
Jade and Edna headed out of the station. Slipping past the FBI men, they tried not to attract any attention. Luckily for them, it seemed like the agents were in a meeting of some kind, perhaps a strategy meeting for tracking down Crane. Jade had no intention of telling them that they were on their way to find Crane now.
They successfully made it out of the station and into Edna’s car. They discussed what they would do when they found Crane. The plan was to grab him quickly and hopefully keep him calm. All they really wanted to do was talk to him. Bringing him in came second, at least in Jade’s eyes.
The women drove down to the Grand Harbor Inn on the bay. Jade took a few deep breaths. She wasn’t sure what to expect. Would Crane be alone, or would he have a crew with him? Most crucially, would he put up a fight?
Chapter Three
They rolled up to the Inn and walked through the lobby to the front desk. The lobby wasn’t shabby like some old hotels in Camden. It was well lit and furnished nicely. It was obvious that this was an expensive place and the man behind the counter looked the part.
“Can I help you?” the man asked. He sounded pleasant but tired.
The hotel wasn’t particularly busy like it would be during the summer. Most likely right now the Inn was being used by businesspeople traveling through town or heading to fishing conferences.
“We’re looking for a guest, Anya Elilis,” Edna said, holding up her badge.
“Okay,” the man said, perking up after seeing the badge. “They’re in room 202.”
Edna and Jade nodded and headed up the stairs.
They headed down the hallway and realized quickly that they were going in the wrong direction. They turned around and soon enough they found room 202. Jade gave a small knock.
They could hear whispering inside. Crane wasn’t alone. That definitely wasn’t in the plan. Jade gave Edna a small look that said to be ready for anything. The door opened and revealed a woman.
“Hello?” she asked. She was dressed in a nice robe and had her hair pulled up in a towel. A wet toothbrush was clutched in her hand. She was not exactly what Jade was expecting to see from a master criminal’s room.
“What’s your name?” Jade asked.
“Amelia,” she said, confused. She took a small step back into the doorway.
“Amelia, you’re gonna have to come with us,” Edna said as calmly as possible.
Jade knew what she was doing. She was trying to get the woman out of harm’s way should a fight start.
“What?” the woman asked. She immediately looked back into the room and then at Edna again.
“She’s not going anywhere,” a voice called out from the back. It was grim and full of strength and arrogance.
A man appeared in the doorway. He was tall and lean and covered in tattoos, including the half-finished sleeve. It was him. Edna didn’t hesitate.
“Jim Crane,” Edna said, flashing her badge, “You’re coming with us.”
He swore loudly and pushed past the women. Jade sprinted after him. He ran down the empty hall and turned sharply down the carpeted stairs. By the time Jade got there, he was halfway down. She took a quick look over the banister and came to a conclusion. She jumped over the banister and landed right in front of him. It was a miracle she hadn’t broken anything.
He tried to push past her again, but she didn’t let him. She grabbed onto him tight and tackled him to the ground. Even threatening to bite him if the need arose. Edna rushed down the stairs after the two of them with her handcuffs out. In a matter of seconds, Crane was handcuffed and up against a wall. Jade and
Edna gave each other a small nod. Edna wondered where Jade gets all this strength from.
Everyone in the lobby was quite shaken up. They had seen everything happen since the stairwell was a central part of the room. Edna quieted them down along with the hotel manager who had come out of the office. She didn’t explain what was going on, but in the meantime, Jade began to talk with Crane.
“Jim Crane, you are a very wanted man,” she started still slightly out of breath.
“And you are a bounty hunter?” he asked, puffing himself.
“Nope. I’m a private detective.”
“Still after the money though.”
“Wrong again,” Jade said. “I’m after information.”
“You’ll never get anything from me,” Crane spat. She knew she probably wouldn’t, but she had to try.
“Maybe. Maybe not,” Jade said, taking a pause before continuing, “I want to know about Billy Finch.”
The man looked confused. His entire body loosened up and he leaned back against the wall more relaxed. “Why would you go to all the trouble of tracking me down to know about a man like Finch?” Crane asked. “He’s a no-good bounty hunter. Been after me for quite some time.”
“I ask because he was after you and now, he’s dead.”
“He’s what?” Crane asked, “I swear it wasn’t me.”
