Deceived by Mary Keliikoa

Author:Mary Keliikoa [Keliikoa, Mary]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery. On the verge of exposing misdeeds inside a women’s shelter, PI Kelly Pruett hopes to coax a resident out of hiding; but when another girl goes missing and the bodies pile up, Kelly will be forced to face her long-buried grief to bring the girls home alive.
Publisher: Epicenter Press Inc.
Published: 2022-01-06T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

While the girls were off getting facials, I’d get a face to face with Bernie Sokol. The man had lied to me, withheld evidence, and I’d been attacked because of whatever it was he was covering up. He owed me.

I dialed Carla. She picked up on the third ring. “Yes?!” That wasn’t how she answered the phone.

“Carla?”

“Yes? Who is this?”

An argument raged in the background: one man, one woman. No prizes for guessing who they were. I strained to hear the conversation, but Carla must have had her hand over the mouthpiece.

“I have to go,” she said. “Things are crazy around here.”

“Carla. Give me one second. I need time on Bernie’s calendar.”

She snorted. “Not going to happen. You’re persona non grata around here.”

What? I was the outcast? When did that happen? “He has to listen to me…”

“Oh, he listened all right and now there’s hell to pay.” She dropped her voice down to a whisper. “He fired Gordon.”

“He did?”

There were more raised voices in the background. “Gotta go.” Carla hung up before I had the chance to say another word.

Bernie fired Gordon. I had a rush of adrenalin before my headache redoubled its efforts to knock me back. No rest for the weary. The drug dealer was out on his ear. Fantastic—it was exactly the break I’d been waiting for.

The image of Gordon running his hand down that woman’s arm kept replaying in my mind. I was eighty-percent certain Gordon was the dealer; just had to nail down a few details to be sure. That being the case I should probably get Kyle in on the interrogation. He wouldn’t want me to go in there swinging and questioning a suspected drug dealer by myself, especially if I was right and the scum bucket had been involved in the death and disappearance of those young women.

I scrolled through my contacts list. My finger hovered over Hot Stuff’s number, then carried on down to google. Problem was, I didn’t have any solid evidence, only scraps of data and the occasional stolen glance. Kyle was in training and busy. If I brought him in about Gordon, I’d have to tell him the rest of what happened last night…which I would. Perhaps his words that I was a danger seeker still stung. I didn’t want to prove him right even now, but I could take care of Gordon if I had to. I’d gather more info and then give Kyle that call.

But damn…what was Gordon’s last name? I tapped my foot while I racked my brain. Ah… I didn’t need it. There would be a directory on Loving Grace’s website. Surely he’d have a friendly headshot and some PR BS about how much he cared about the homeless women of Portland and why he’d dedicated his life to dealing drugs and making a quick buck off them.

With a few keystrokes on my phone, I was proven right. There he was, grinning like the proverbial cat: Gordon Stradlock. I hopped over to the White

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