For Old Crime's Sake (Chase Charley Mystery Book 1) by Rose Pressey

track Michael Hook down. I wasn’t sure how I would uncover details, but I would give it my best shot. I had a few secret methods that I used for my reporting, so that was where I would start. If those tricks didn’t work, I would have to reevaluate and devise a new plan. It shouldn’t be too hard to find names, but once that was done, I would have to find out more. That was when it would get a lot tougher.
    “If this woman is Michael Hook’s wife and your friend knows her, then where is she now? Did they go on vacation or was that one of them I saw in the cop’s trunk?” I asked.
    Courtney cranked the engine and pulled away from the curb. “That’s a scary thought.”
    There was no sign of Doug or Russ. I hoped that they had disappeared for good. “Yes, it is. But’s it’s a real possibility.”
    “I’m glad you got away from that cop, but it’s scary to think he showed up at the restaurant. He’s not a very nice man to say the least.”
    “You can say that again. I’ve seen rattlesnakes that looked like Bambi compared to him. I can’t believe he has me looking over my shoulder now.”
    “Better to look over your shoulder than to let him sneak up on you,” she said. “My friend did mention something odd. She said she’s been tried to contact the woman for a long time and never gets an answer. She even went by and no one answered the door.”
    “I wonder what’s going on with them.”
    Courtney blew out a deep breath. “It’s frightening to think about.”
    After a few moments lost in thought, I asked, “Where are the homeowners?”
    “If they’re missing then we need to find them,” Courtney said.
    “You’re right. It just makes my stomach turn to know what this cop did.”
    Courtney glanced over at me.
    “What?” I asked.
    She stared at the road ahead, and said, “Are you one hundred percent sure about what you saw?”
    I frowned. “Of course I am sure about what I saw. Why don’t you believe me?”
    “I believe you,” she said. “I just thought maybe it was something else and you just thought it was a body.”
    “No way. There was no mistaking that it was a body,” I said.
    “I would have freaked out. So what other plans do you have?”
    “While we’re driving I should call Marc,” I said.
    “On a first-name basis, I see. At least you get to talk with the handsome cop again.” She smiled.
    “That is the furthest thing from my mind.” I pulled out my phone.
    “Whatever you say, but I know you are not blind to his good looks.” She merged onto the highway.
    I tried to hide my smile. “Yes, he is good-looking and I know it. Now can we change the topic?”
    “Sure we can, but you won’t forget how hot he is when you are talking to him on the phone.”
    “Yeah, thanks to you I will be thinking about it the whole time.”
    “That’s a good thing,” she said with a wink.
    I dialed Marc’s number. My stomach flipped as I waited for him to answer. I wasn’t exactly sure why my anxiety spiked so much just from dialing his number. It rang several times and I thought about hanging up. Marc would probably recognize my number on his missed calls though, so that was pointless.
    Just as I was about to hang up he picked up the phone. It was too late to turn back now. Did I even know what I was going to say to him? I was accusing his partner of some very bad things. I hoped it didn’t make him mad at me.
    “Officer Marquez,” he said.
    I hated that every time I called him was because I wanted his help. “You are going to get sick of me calling every time I need something.”
    Marc laughed. “Hey, that’s better than you not calling me at all.”
    If Courtney had heard his comment she would have said he was flirting with me. Maybe he was. If so, I certainly didn’t mind. If it wasn’t for all the craziness in my life maybe I would even go out on a date or two with him. The first dinner definitely hadn’t been a date.
    I couldn’t worry about dating right now. There were