The trio met back at the precinct. "She had a dating app on her phone," Marcus said. "She had a date with a guy called Ryan Mitchell. Ran a background check on him. He's currently in the middle of a divorce and works as a carpenter. Did you get anything from David?"
Harper nodded. "She might have told Michael Larson."
"Michael fucking Larson," Marcus growled. "He ruined my last case, following me and getting himself caught by the suspect. Having a degree doesn't make you a journalist."
"Yeah, yeah," Harper said, waving a hand. "Have you checked with Ryan?"
"No, I haven't. I'll go check him out. You guys deal with Michael. I might beat him up if I see him."
Marcus took his car and drove to Mapleleaf Street while Harper and Lopez headed to the Daily News office.
When Marcus reached Mapleleaf, he heard the sound of wood being sawed. He knocked on the door of Ryan's house.
"Hello, how can I help you?" Ryan asked, opening the door.
"Hello, Mr. Mitchell. I'm Detective Marcus Bennett. I need you to come with me to the station for some questions," Marcus said, his tone firm.
Detective Marcus Bennett sat across from Ryan Mitchell in the interrogation room, the harsh fluorescent light casting stark shadows across their faces. Ryan was nervous, his hands fidgeting on the table. He had been identified as Sarah Thompson's last date from a popular dating app.
"Ryan," Marcus began, his tone measured and calm, "I need you to tell me everything about your date with Sarah Thompson."
Ryan swallowed hard, glancing around the room. "We met through an app. We had dinner at a nice place downtown. She was... she was really nice."
"And how did the date end?" Marcus pressed.
Ryan hesitated, his eyes darting nervously. "We... we went for a walk afterward. Then I walked her to her car. She said she had to get up early for work the next day, so we said goodnight."
"Did anything unusual happen? Did she mention anything about feeling threatened or worried?" Marcus asked, leaning forward slightly.
Ryan shook his head vigorously. "No, nothing like that. She seemed fine, a little distracted maybe, but nothing that stood out."
"Ryan," Marcus said, his voice firm, "your alibi is shaky. We checked your timeline, and there are gaps. We need you to be completely honest with us."
Ryan's face paled, and he looked down at his hands. "I... I didn't want to get involved in anything messy. After I left Sarah, I went to a bar. I didn't want to say because I was with someone else, a... a girl I met at the bar. I didn't want Sarah to find out."
Marcus raised an eyebrow. "You understand how serious this is, right? You need to give us the name of this other girl and the bar."
Ryan nodded, his voice shaky. "It was at The Rusty Nail. Her name was Jessica. We were there until closing."
Marcus made a note of the information. "We'll check it out. In the meantime, stay available. We might need to ask you more questions."
Ryan was dismissed, leaving the interrogation room visibly shaken. "He's hiding something," Marcus texted the conversation to Harper and Lopez. "We need to confirm his alibi and see if this Jessica can corroborate his story."
Meanwhile, at the Daily News office, Detectives Alex Harper and Maria Lopez were greeted by the sound of clacking keyboards and ringing phones. The bustling newsroom was a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of the interrogation room.
Harper and Lopez approached the reception desk, flashing their badges. "We're here to see Michael Larson," Harper said.
The receptionist, a young woman with a headset, nodded and pointed them towards a row of cubicles.
"He's in the third one on the right."
As they walked towards Larson's cubicle, Lopez whispered to Harper, "Remember, he's had run-ins with Marcus before. Let's try to keep this civil."
Harper nodded. "Got it."
They found Larson hunched over his computer, typing furiously. He looked up as they approached, recognition and a hint of irritation flickering across his face. "Detectives," he greeted them, leaning back in his chair. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"Michael, we need to ask you some questions about Sarah Thompson," Harper began, keeping his tone neutral.
Larson's expression softened slightly at the mention of Sarah. "I heard about what happened. It's awful. I'll help in any way I can."
"Good," Lopez said, taking a seat beside Harper. "We know Sarah was investigating some irregularities at her firm. She might have told you something that could help us."
Larson sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Yeah, she was looking into some financial discrepancies. She thought someone was embezzling funds. I was helping her dig around."
Harper leaned forward. "Did she mention David Carter?"
Larson nodded. "He was her prime suspect. She was convinced he was behind it. She had some documents that were collected by a private detective she was going to show me , but we never got the chance to meet up."
"Do you have any of those documents?" Lopez asked.
Larson shook his head. "No, she had everything. I just have some notes and emails she sent me."
"Can you share those with us?" Harper asked.
"Of course," Larson replied, turning to his computer. "I'll forward everything to you."
As Larson began to compile the information, Harper's phone buzzed with a message from Marcus. He quickly scanned the text and showed it to Lopez. "Marcus thinks Ryan Mitchell is hiding something. We need to verify his alibi."
Lopez nodded. "Let's split up. I'll go to The Rusty Nail and find this Jessica. You stay here and get those documents from Larson."
"Sounds like a plan," Harper agreed.
Lopez left the newsroom, her mind racing with the potential leads they now had. As she headed to the bar, she hoped that Jessica could provide the missing pieces to Ryan's story and help them inch closer to the truth about Sarah's murder.
Back at the newsroom, Harper received the forwarded emails and notes from Larson. As he reviewed them, he noticed a pattern in the financial discrepancies that pointed more clearly towards David Carter. But something still felt off.
"Michael," Harper said, looking up from the screen, "do you have any idea why Sarah was so adamant about not going to the police sooner?"
Larson hesitated. "She was scared. She thought she was being watched. She didn't want to go public until she had solid proof."
Harper's mind raced. The pieces were starting to come together, but the puzzle was far from complete. With every new lead, the mystery deepened, but so did their determination to find Sarah's killer and uncover the truth behind the web of deceit.
---
Lopez arrived at The Rusty Nail, a dimly lit bar with a rustic charm. The bartender, a burly man with a thick beard, eyed her curiously as she approached.
"Can I help you?" he asked, wiping down the counter.
"Detective Maria Lopez, Chicago PD," she said,flashing her badge. "I'm looking for a woman named Jessica who was here a few nights ago." while showing a photo of Jessica they got from Ryan
The bartender nodded slowly. "Jessica... yeah, I remember her. She comes in here pretty often. What's this about?"
"Just following up on some questions regarding a case," Lopez replied. "Do you know if she's here tonight?"
"Yeah, she's over there," he said, pointing to a woman sitting at a corner table, nursing a drink.
Lopez thanked the bartender and made her way to Jessica's table. "Jessica?" she asked.
Jessica looked up, her eyes widening slightly. "Yes?"
"I'm Detective Lopez. I need to ask you a few questions about Ryan Mitchell. He said he was with you here a few nights ago."
Jessica nodded. "Yeah, I remember Ryan. We hung out here until closing. Why? Is he in some kind of trouble?"
"Just routine questioning," Lopez assured her. "Can you confirm the exact time you were here with him?"
Jessica thought for a moment. "We met around 10 PM and stayed until the bar closed at 2 AM."
"Thank you, Jessica. You've been very helpful," Lopez said, standing up. "If you remember anything else, please give me a call."
Lopez left the bar, her mind buzzing with the new information. Ryan's alibi seemed solid, but something still felt off. She texted Marcus to let him know Jessica confirmed Ryan's story, then headed back to the precinct to regroup with Harper and Marcus.
As she walked into the precinct, she found Harper and Marcus deep in discussion over the new emails from Larson. Harper looked up as she approached, his expression serious.
"Jessica confirmed Ryan's alibi," Lopez said, taking a seat. "He was at The Rusty Nail until closing."
"Okay," Harper said, nodding. "But we still need to figure out who sent that threatening email to Sarah and how it ties back to Carter."
Marcus leaned back in his chair, a thoughtful look on his face. "And we still have Larson's notes to go through. There's something we're missing."
Lopez sighed, feeling the weight of the case pressing down on them. "We'll figure it out. We're getting closer."
As the detectives delved deeper into the evidence, the web of deceit grew more intricate, but their resolve only strengthened. They were determined to uncover the truth and bring Sarah's killer to justice, no matter how tangled the path might be.