I waited for a long time for him to come back, hours passes it felt like when I heard a knock.
"Hello? Are you going to let me in?"
I jumped up, and ran to the door, then I remembered that I only had on an oversized t-shirt and a pair of shorts, I looked bad but it also was 5:00 I wasn't going out any.
"Yes, I'm coming; I will be there in a sec."
I opened the door and there he was looking just as tired as ever and looking just as wonderful at the same time.
"Hey, nice shirt."
"Thanks, I didn't have time to change, hope you don't mind."
"It's your house why would I mind?"
"I don't know; find anything else out about the case?"
"Yep, that's why I came back, can I come in or you going to leave me in the rain?"
He was right it was starting to rain.
"Oh sorry, come in." I laughed. "Tell me everything."
He walked inside and took of his shoes and sat down on the couch. I sat beside him and folded my legs under me.
"Well, Walter found out about this guy, Shane Williamson, he was a customer at the Corner Café that Caroline worked for, I think they might have been romantic with each other."
"Would it kill you to say boyfriend?" I smiled, "well what about him?"
"I think he may know something, I got an address do you want to get some decent clothes on and go check it out with me?"
"Sure, haven't been out of the house for a while." I jumped up and ran up stairs "Be right back" and watched him as he followed me with his eyes.
-Caroline's POV-
Finally, they had his name, Shane, he was such a great guy, and I feel in love with him ever since I meet him. It was this real cold day and he had come in for some coffee, and I had the privilege of serving him. We hit it off immediately, a week later he asked me out and I agreed, we had dinner and a very nice time. We stayed together for almost two months, people should've been jealous of us; we were perfect, isn't it funny how you don't know who you really are until you're with someone who understands you the best. I though Shane was that person.
-Alex's POV-
I waited at the door before I knocked, I didn't know if Casey would let me in or not, but I had to try it.
Pull yourself together Alex, just go in and tell her what is going on.
I knocked on the door and heard someone inside getting up; the TV was on so I was hoping she had heard me. She opened the door and she looked tired, with her oversized shirt and shorts, I must've got her up.
"Hey, nice shirt." I said
"Thanks, I didn't have time to change, hope you don't mind."
"It's your house why would I mind?"
"I don't know; find anything else out about the case?"
"Yep, that's why I came back, can I come in or you going to leave me in the rain?"
I was right it was starting to rain.
"Oh sorry, come in." she laughed. "Tell me everything."
I walked in and sat down on the couch, she sat beside me and folded her legs under herself, I really liked working with her, she was so funny and very quirky, Lindsey even noticed it, and I thought I was being a little obvious that day she called me freaking out over Riley coming to get her. I had no idea how I was going to tell her that I had never felt this way about anyone other than Greta, and after Lucy she had moved on, and so did I, so why not to her?
I began to tell her the story about Shane and what I thought about them. After a while she seemed interested and responded, "Would it kill you to say boyfriend?"And she smiled, "well what about him?" she continued.
"I think he may know something, I got an address do you want to get some decent clothes on and go check it out with me?"
"Sure, haven't been out of the house for a while." She jumped up and ran up stairs "Be right back" and I watched her as she watched me with her eyes.
I couldn't wait to see her again.
-Casey POV-
I was hurrying as fast as I could trying to get dressed, jeans flew and shirts went everywhere. Finally I found my favorite jeans and a nice looking shirt, threw my hair up in a presentable ponytail and touched up my eye liner, there looking good there girl, I thought to myself, I couldn't wait to see him again.
I ran downstairs and was throwing on my coat when I noticed he wasn't on the couch.
"Alex? Where are you?"
"Out here, I thought I heard something." He was at the window looking out towards Lindsey's house. "You ready?"
"Yes, finally, right?"
"Nah, you didn't take that long, you look good though."
"Thanks, good enough to put someone away?"
"Yea, I think so, let's do this, want me to drive?"
"Yea, since you know where to go."
He opened the door and grabbed his jacket, and led me through the door to his Jeep. The rain was pouring down so we were practically were running to get to his car. The doors were locked and he tried to get them open but nothing was happening, he unlocked mine and then let me jump in, then he jumped in and started the car.
"Let's get some heat going don't you think?"
"Please, that would be very nice."
He reached for it as I did, and we touched. He laughed and I jerked back. This really couldn't be happening could it? we drove for about 30 minutes, and finally, we got to an apartment complex, Alex got out and went up to the tenant building and asked a few questions and then he was making his way back to the car, he got in and started it up again.
"He's at the corner café, that's where we have to find him."
We drove until we reached this popular spot and Alex and I got out. We walked into the café and got a table, we looked around until we saw Shane. Alex started to get up. "Wait, let me do it?"
"Sure, you know what to think and what to ask?"
"I think I got a pretty good idea. Got the poster?"
"Yes, it's right here." He handed me the folded up paper and I walked around the back of the table and headed towards the counter where he was sitting.
"Excuse me, I'm sorry to bother you, but have you seen this women?" I unfolded the poster of Caroline and he sighed.
"I did." That was all he said as he sipped his coffee.
"Do you know anything about her, you see I work for the forgotten network and I was wondering if you could help me out on her case."
"The forgotten?"
"Yes, we help identify John and Jane Does."
"Of course I can, I just want Caroline to be safe. She used to work here you know, and I really liked her. I used to work here but I quit after I found out she was going to work here, we couldn't be together if we worked together."
"So you quit to go out with her?"
"Yes, I really cared about her, and we did date for about two months, she was an amazing person I don't know who would do this to her."
"I'm very sorry, and intend to help you the best I can, thank you for your time, if you think of anything else call me at this number."
He took the card from my hand and I walked back over to Alex.
"So did you get anything useful?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I did."
"Well, care to share?"
"Yes, but not here, come on let's take a drive."
He got up and handed me the keys.
He smiled, "You drive, and I'm at your disposal."
"Thanks. But aren't you a little nervous that I might wreck or something?"
"Nope, I trust you completely." He smiled again.
We got up from our table and we headed to the car. It was so cold, the temperature had defiantly dropped. I went to the driver's side of Alex's jeep. I put the key in the ignition and started the car. Alex was settling into the passenger seat when I turned on the heat.
"So can you talk and drive at the same time?" he asked me.
"Yes, ok so when I went to talk to Shane he told me that they had dated for a couple of months. He also said that he had worked there and when she got the job he quit so that they could be together."
"Did he talk about anyone that may want to hurt her?"
"No not anyone, I gave him my number and he said he would call me if he had any information."
"Good thinking, so where are we going?"
"You tell me? Got anything you want to check on? You live here."
"Hey so do you." He smiled at me, and I smiled back.
We stopped at another café, since there were so many and got some coffee, we talked for about an hour and had lost all track of time when my phone starting buzzing.
"Ryan." Routine, answering thing for cops I guess. "Yes, ok, thank you."
"And that was?" Alex looked at me.
"It was Shane, he got some information for me."
"Already?"
"I know, its crazy, so do you want to come with me to check it out?"
"Yea, you want me to drive? Look outside."
"Yes, I wanted you to drive and why?"
"Just do it."
"OK, what am I looking for?"
"What do you see?"
"Nothing, the window is to dark."
"Come out here with me."
I put on my coat and stood up with Alex leading the way out of the café.
"Now look"
"Wait, something is falling, what the heck is this?"
"It's snow, you know frozen water?"
"I know what snow is, I just haven't been in it for a while. I lived in California."
"I knew that, I was just messing with you." He smiled and climbed into the seat of the Cherokee.
I jumped in to avoid the falling white to hit me on the head anymore than it had already. I told Alex where to meet Shane and we set off into the snow. The drive was slower because of the snow but very pleasant. The expanding whiteness was very pretty and the fact that I was sitting next to Alex made it even better.
Finally, we reached the café, Shane was outside in the snow, and we parked and got out.
"Shane, this is my partner Alex Donovan, he's the leader of the forgotten network. Do you mind if he listens in?"
"Yes, that's fine, he will hear about it anyways."
"Really, if you don't want to tell him you don't have to."
"NO it's fine; I think I found someone that may have had a problem with Caroline and me."
"Ok wonderful, do you have his name? Or better yet a picture?"
"He's right inside; he's the manager of this place, Nelson, Nelson McCormick."
"Thank you very much; do you have a way home?"
"No I was just going to ride my bike."
"Alex, can you take him home?"
"Casey, sure I mean but can you handle him on your own?"
"Yes, Alex I am a cop, and I have Grace's number."
"Ok, just be careful, I'll be right back, please be careful. Please?"
"I promise. Just be quick."
"I promise."
He got in the car and began to take Shane home while I went into the café to question this Nelson man.
It was warm and very humbling to be in since the winter weather had started. I walked over to the table that Alex and I had previously occupied and sat down hoping someone would come and take my order. Finally after a while a tiny waitress with a pixie haircut came bopping over to my side.
"Hi! I'm Stella; I will be helping you this evening. Can I get you anything to drink?''
"No, I'm actually a friend of your manager, and I really wanted to talk to him about something, can I speak with him?"
"Yes, hang on one second I will be right back." I saw her walk over to a man behind the corner with a dish towel, lean into his ear and whispered something very quickly, his head snapped up and he threw the towel over his shoulder, now was the time I was wishing Alex hadn't left, this guy wasn't small, he looked about 6'3". I was scared, but I had a job to do and I was going to take care of it. His face lightened up when he saw me though, he knew he didn't know me and I didn't look like a cop today, my badge was covered by my jacket.
"Hello, I'm Nelson McCormick, and you are?"
"Casey Ryan. It's a pleasure to meet you I hear this is the best place to have coffee in this town."
"Well, you must've heard that from a local, they love it here, I mean it's the perfect family place hardly anything happens here."
He was taking the bait I was laying out for him, I would have him cracked by the time Alex walked through that door.
"Nothing? Wow, that's great, I love your coffee. But I do have one question for you, my best friend works with you and I was wondering if you could tell her I was in town."
"Sure, can you give me a name?"
"Caroline Carlise."
"Oh well she is no longer employed with us. I'm sorry."
"Oh that's funny, because she did tell me this was where she worked."
"She did, but I let her go a couple of weeks ago."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Well her friend said he quit to let her stay here. Shane? I think you know more than what your telling me." I flashed him my badge.
"You're a cop? I would've never guessed, and unfortunately you are wrong I don't know anything about this girl."
"I think you do, and I want to know what you know, so I believe you better sit down and get to talking, or I will take you in, with two other people that can get you talking."
He sat down and thankfully Alex had returned.
"This is Alex, and we work for a network that identify John and Jane Does, which until last week, was Caroline, we got her name, now we need her story. So I think you should tell me what you know."
Alex pulled a chair up beside me, he was sporting a hey good job getting him to sit look. We were waiting for Nelson to talk.
"Ok, ok, I know her. She came in about three months ago looking for a job. I told her that I had only one opening and she took it. she worked very hard until one of my other waitresses had to leave to have her kid, it was their first so I knew she may not have come back, so I put an ad out. Shane, picked it up and came in for the interview, they were walk ins. We're not no big company so I run things a little different. I love all of my staff and I pretty much let them do whatever. There was only one thing I didn't like, inter-office relationships, I thought they were distracting, so I tried to keep people who fancied each other away from each other."
I looked at Alex and he looked at me.
"So you didn't like the fact that Caroline was interested in Shane?" he asked him.
"As a boss no, but as a friend, yes. She never really let him get in her way until about two months ago. About that time she disappeared. He wanted to get things into high gear, if you will, he was talking trips and marriage and all this, they liked each other a lot, but I don't think she was ready for all of that. Her work started to suffer so I gave her an alternative, she could leave or I could fire Shane, I said the same thing to Shane, they were both such good workers, I didn't really want to let ether of them go."
"So threatening their jobs was a good alternative?" Alex said again.
"At the time yes, but then after that meeting Shane came to me and told me he had found a job elsewhere. I agreed to let him go and that was the end of it. Caroline was furious that I made her boyfriend quit, I told her that he did it on his own accords but she continued to blame me."
"So, with all this hate surrounding you and your café, would you consider yourself enemies with her?"
"I believe that would be correct."
"Did you dislike her enough to kill her?"
"I don't feel comfortable with answering that question, I loved her like a sister, I was the only family she had, her mother died when she was 10 and her father has been in prison every since she was 15 years old. I promise you I am telling you all that I know."
"Did you ever feel more strongly for her than just love like a sister?"
"Are you asking me if I was in love with her?"
"That would be correct."
"I worked with her for a month, I was getting to know her, I liked her sure and she was very pretty, I guess you could say a crush might have been developing, but I knew she was in love with Shane so I didn't get my hopes up, don't you fall in love?"
"Yes I have and we got married and had a daughter. She was taking away from us and then she left now I'm alone."
"I'm sorry for your loss, sir."
"Please, its fine."
Alex didn't show any remorse about saying this out in the open. But he had said only once and that once was with Greta. No one else, there went my hopes of getting him for myself. It didn't really surprise me that he had said it like that, but now that I could focus on the case without the constant threat of flirtation with him I thought that I could possibly get more accomplished. That's what I was going to do.