Free Murder in the City: Blue Lights by Clare Tatum

that Julie was being forced to say this. They’d established that word a long time ago as a tip if something was going on that Julie didn’t want to go along with.
    They’d been talking about peer pressure and how Lainey could come get Julie and drag her home, forcing her to comply with house rules, but not having to take the heat from friends or school mates for being a spoil sport.
    “Julie, are you okay?”
    “I’m fine. I’ve got to go.”
    “Julie, don’t hang up.”
    There was no reply. Lainey looked at the phone face. They were disconnected.
    A spiraling silent scream filled her body, aching to escape.
    Brice reached for Lainey’s phone and hit recall for the last call. He shook his head and hit end. “Went straight to voice mail. He must have turned it off.”
    He picked up his cell phone, punched in a number, and gave Julie’s number to someone on the other end. He described the situation then hung up.
    “They’re gonna see if they can get any information on where the call was pinging from.”
    Lainey heard him, but barely, as if from a long way away.
    He reached over and took her hand. “We’re gonna find her, Lainey.”
    She nodded. Julie, her little Julie, was in the hands of a monster. A monster that would terrorize children for his own purposes.
    Brice wrapped his arms around her like a large warm blanket enveloping her, pulling her into his embrace.
    “We’ll find her, Lainey. And she will be brought home safe.”
    “It happens sometimes.” She nodded vaguely, trying to reassure herself, clinging to any hope. “That little runaway daughter of the banker, she came home.”
    Brice pulled away to look down into her eyes, something registering there about her comment.
    “Let’s go talk to the mayor’s usual driver, then maybe later the banker and his daughter.”
    “You think they could be connected?” She swiped at her eyes, pushing back the tears that begged for release.
    “Don’t know. But you mentioned her in the same breath as your sister and the mayor. Don’t that many little girls go missing in one week and be heard from again afterwards. Could be some connection. There was something funny about that case. I remember the detectives who handled it thought there was something off about it.”
    Looking at him, for just an instant, she believed everything was going to be okay. If Detective Mark Brice put his full attention to something, he would solve it.
    And, she’d be right there beside him, making sure of that.
    Julie is coming home. Julie is coming home. Like a mantra, she chanted it silently. Nothing would shake her from that belief.
    She sat up straight, pulling away from Brice’s embrace. Slowly, he let his hands drop from her shoulders.
    “Let’s go talk to that driver. He’s a cop, right?” she said, intent on following every lead in order to find Julie.
    “Oh, yeah. All the mayor’s drivers are cops.”
    “I can’t believe this happened. That some car just pulls up and the mayor’s little girl is allowed to jump in, sight unseen.” It was incredible.
    “People get lulled by routines. Every morning at that time, the car pulls up and she jumps in.” He shrugged. “Who would even believe something like this could happen?”
    She swiveled suddenly to look at him. “And now, this demand. That the cops get taken off furlough.”
    Brice turned on the radio just as the noon news started. The top item was the mayor’s daughter.
    “We’re going straight to the mayor, who is giving a news conference at this moment,” the newscaster said.
    Lainey leaned forward and turned up the volume.
    “Immediately, I am suspending the furloughs of police officers. A benefactor has come forward to supplement the city’s budget to provide the money needed for their pay for one year. By then, we should be back into the black and can continue with our regular schedules.”
    “Already!” Lainey’s attention jerked to Brice’s face. “Already, the mayor has met the