Deadly Deception by Alexa Grace Read Free Book Online

way one would ground out a cigarette butt was reprehensible to him and made him that much more determined to get her justice.
     
    He pulled out her cell phone records again, hoping they'd provide a clue as to where Mandy went after she moved out of her boyfriend's apartment and her dormitory.  Where could she have gone?  She had no family to rely on.  He used a yellow highlighter to mark the calls she'd made to the Pizza King delivery then dialed their number.  The kid who answered the phone was clueless so he identified himself and asked for the manager.  He waited a good ten minutes before the manager sifted through his records.  It was worth the wait.  The manager gave him an address on East 19th Street near the Memorial Stadium.  His call to the Chinese restaurant revealed the same address.
     
    He slipped his notepad back in his pocket, grabbed his jacket and left for his car.  He turned onto East 19th Street and noticed a bus stop.  Since Mandy didn’t have a car, this must be the bus stop where she waited for the bus.  He pulled up in front of a newer looking brick apartment building and noticed a woman with a pronounced baby bump pulling a shopping cart filled with packages into the building. 
     
    As he approached, he noticed the building was much larger than it initially appeared, housing at least ten or more apartments.  Mandy Morris' apartment was listed as 3B so he headed up the staircase.  A very pregnant, but tiny woman answered the door.  She couldn't have been more than five feet tall.  She moved back to let him in after he showed her his badge.  She introduced herself as Connie and led him to a small living room where he sat on the sofa.  She slowly lowered herself to a chair nearby and looked very uncomfortable.
     
    "What do you want to know about Mandy?"
     
    "Did Mandy live here?"
     
    "Yes, Mandy was already living here when I moved in.  She was farther along in her pregnancy than me.  Why are you asking questions about her?"
     
    Lane paused for a second, unsure whether to tell the woman bad news like her roommate's murder.  He didn’t want to shock some poor woman into giving birth on the spot. The last thing he needed was to be the one to deliver the baby. 
     
    "I'm afraid I have bad news.  Mandy Morris was murdered and I need your help to find her killer."
     
    "That's terrible."  She paled a little but didn't overreact like he feared she would.
     
    "I'd like to ask you some questions about Mandy."
     
    "Sure, anything I can do to help."
     
    "Did Mandy have any visitors?"
     
    "No.  It was so sad.  I don't think she had any family or friends.  She talked a lot about her boyfriend.  She seemed to think he would show up any day and rescue her.  Of course, the bastard never did."
     
    "So he didn't visit her?"  Dumb question.  Of course, the little self-involved asshole never visited.  He wanted Mandy out of his life.
     
    "No."
     
    "Did Mandy socialize with any of your other neighbors?"
     
    "Sure.  We had occasional pizza parties and she'd talk with the other girls who live in the building."
     
    "When was the last time you saw Mandy?"  He quirked his eyebrow questioningly.
     
    "She stayed here after the baby was born.  I didn't tell the agency."
     
    "What agency?"
     
    "The Forever Home Adoption Agency — F.H.A.A."
     
    "Why would it be their business?"
     
    "They pay our rent until the baby is born, and then we have to find another place to live.  Mandy was so alone that I didn't have the heart to ask her to leave.  I didn't think she had any place to go."
     
    "Did she say anything about her plans?"
     
    "It worried me when she decided she wanted her baby back."  She paused for a second.  "I told her I didn't think that was going to happen because she signed some papers.   Besides, with all the money the agency spends on rent, food, and prenatal care.  It's not likely they'd let her have the baby back."
     
    "Do you know if she talked to anyone at