Hunting Malice by Alexandra Ryder

Author:Alexandra Ryder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Alexandra Ryder
Published: 2024-05-21T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 24

The address Moretti gave us was in an apartment building in a poor neighbourhood.

We went up to the third floor and rang the doorbell. A plain woman in her mid-forties opened the door.

“Mrs. Murphy?”

“Yes! And who are you?”

‘I’m Detective Liv Olsen, and this is my partner, Detective John Freeman.”

“Any news about my husband?”

“The police are doing everything to find him. Can we come inside? We want to ask you a few questions.”

“Of course.”

“When was the last time you saw your husband?” I asked.

“Three days ago. He came to have breakfast with our son.”

“What do you mean he came? He doesn’t live here?”

“No. After the foreclosure of our house, we separated. He rents a small apartment on the second floor. He wanted to keep a close relationship with our son.”

I exchanged a look with John: Moretti hadn’t given us this information.

“Have you checked if he’s in his apartment?” asked John.

“That was the first thing we did. My son has a key.”

“Have you noticed a change in your ex-husband’s behaviour lately?”

“Nothing that would have caught my attention. But I don’t talk to Logan much. It’s his fault that we live in this dump. I stay in my room while he has breakfast with our son.”

“What does your ex-husband do for work?” I asked.

“He’s an accountant.”

“We need his work address.”

She scribbled something on a piece of paper and handed it to me.

“Mrs. Logan, accountants get good salaries. Can you tell me how you got a foreclosure on your house?” I asked.

She seemed a bit annoyed with my question.

“Well, Logan was a compulsive gambler. I had no idea until we lost the house.”

“Do you know if he owed anyone money?”

“Not that I know of. Why? You think his disappearance has something to do with an unpaid debt?”

“It’s a pretty solid motive,” I said.

She put a hand to her brow and sighed heavily.

“Oh, God! He promised our son he would never play again.”

“Look, Mrs. Murphy, we’re just trying to find a reason for your ex-husband’s disappearance,” I said.

“I just need to know what’s happening, or I’ll lose my mind thinking how it will affect my son.”

“Is your son here?” asked John.

“He’s in his room.”

“Do you mind if we talk to him?”

“I’m afraid he’s not going to be much help.”

“You don’t know that.”

“All right.”

She crossed the living room and knocked on the door on the left. The young man who opened the door looked at us warily.

“Billy, these are Detectives Olsen and Freeman,” Mrs. Murphy said. “They would like to ask you some questions about your father.”

“Aren’t you supposed to be looking for him instead of being here?” asked Billy. “I read that if you don’t find a missing person in the first 48 hours, the chances of finding them alive drop by 50%. Is that true?”

“Yeah, it’s true,” I said. But there is an even chance that he will be found.”

“Was there anything unusual about your father’s behaviour lately?” asked John.

Billy shook his head.

“No. He was his usual self.”

“When you saw him last time, he didn’t mention that he would be gone for a while?”

“No.

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