Remember My Name Read online

  3

  Sergeant Major Daniel Adeyemi liked fine bourbon, shiny rifles and pretty women, which was why he zeroed in on Joscelyn Payton the moment he saw her. It wasn’t often that he was able to mingle with the upper classes. They didn’t come to his station, let alone his office. Joscelyn probably got a lot of guys in trouble when she was younger. But it wasn’t just her looks or overt femininity that caught his attention. She intrigued him and he wasn’t sure why. With one glance she had the ability to make his office feel as small as a deck of cards and as accommodating as an outhouse. Through her gaze he saw his worn desk and dusty windows.

  But as he spoke to her, he started to understand the lure. There was something not quite real about her, not mysterious exactly, but as if she wasn’t of this world. Of all of the sisters, he should have chosen the youngest or the pudgy one to interview. They would have been easier to handle. But he always jumped at the thought of a challenge.

  Unfortunately, she was proving to be a bigger challenge than he’d imagined because for some reason he didn’t believe a word she said. He wouldn’t trust her if she said water was wet. He didn’t know why he didn’t believe her story. He’d heard a lot of stories and most of them were as real as a fairy tale. As a cop he was used to getting lied to, but this young woman bothered him. She lied smoothly. Convincingly. He didn’t even know why he felt she was lying, as there was nothing about her manner that hinted at it.

  The tears that glistened on her long dark lashes were real, the slight tremble of her lips and the catch in her voice were touching, but he didn’t like how she swung her foot. Her posture made it clear she wanted to be somewhere else, as if she had better things to do. Or maybe he’d become jaded. That was possible.

  “You spoke to the shop clerk and he didn’t see anything?” he asked again, pretending to look at his notes.

  “That’s right.”

  “Are you sure she went into the shop?”

  “That’s where she said she was going.”

  “And you didn’t care to see if she’d made it inside?”

  “I don’t like what you’re trying to insinuate.”

  “I’m not trying to insinuate anything, it just strikes me as odd that you would let your younger sister go into a shop in a place where you are unfamiliar without making sure she made it there.”

  Joscelyn shrugged. “I made an error in judgment. You’re right, I should have been more careful, but it wasn’t intentional.”

  He pretended to look at his notes again. “Of course.”

  “Are we finished now?”

  “Almost. We’ll look at the security cameras and see where she was last seen. Hopefully that will give us more information.”

  Joscelyn blinked and her trembling mouth tightened a fraction. “Yes.”

  She was annoyed with him or the situation, he wasn’t sure, but she was anxious about something. He looked at her swinging foot again. He knew that the red sole was supposed to mean something, his sister had gone on about them. All he knew was that she’d never get a pair from him. But Joscelyn Payton likely had plenty. She had money and wasn’t used to having her responses questioned. Maybe that was what he was picking up. An entitled little bitch or maybe he was just annoyed that she was wearing enough jewelry to pay for his mortgage for years. But he’d done something right. He’d made her nervous. There were no CCTV cameras. He knew that as far as security was concerned, law enforcement was gaining traction with closed circuit TV, especially in the UK, but it would take time to implement that level of security here, just the thought made people nervous and that was beneficial to him. He was used to liars, but outsiders like her weren’t used to him.

  “Is there anything else you remember?” he asked her.

  “No, but if I do, I’ll let you know. I really hope you find her.”

  Shit, why don’t I believe that? “Of course.”

  “Thank you.” Joscelyn stood and held out her hand. He shook it. It was slender and cold. He held it and met her lovely brown eyes. “And if there’s anything you need to tell me, tell me now.”

  “I’ve told you everything I know.”

  “You’d better hope so, because if I find out you haven’t…it’ll make things very unpleasant.”

  She smiled. “I understand. Don’t worry, I don’t like unpleasantness.”

  That didn’t surprise him. “Really?”

  “Yes,” she said, draping the strap of her handbag on her shoulder.

  “Sometimes you can’t avoid things you don’t like.”

  She walked to the door, her shapely calves catching his eye. “You’re right. That’s why I

  always get rid of things I don’t like.”

  “That sister knows something,” Daniel said when he met with the other officers in the main room.

  “Unless you have evidence to back up that statement keep your mouth shut,” Deputy Commissioner Paul Barewa, a squat little man with a pencil thin mustache, said. Daniel had briefly seen the DC speaking with the Assistant Inspector General. His presence made it clear that the case was to take high precedence.

  “It’s just a feeling, but—”

  “Do I look like a man who cares about feelings? We have a tactical plan of action and we’ll proceed by the book.”

  “She’s not very…likable,” another officer said tentatively.

  Daniel cast him a dismissive glance. The younger officer had only recently joined the force, absurdly proud to be a constable, and Daniel had no interest in learning his name, although he did agree with him. “She knows something. I can feel it.”

  “That’s not your instincts,” Sergeant Perry said with a laugh. “I felt it too when her sister leaned on my desk and let me see down her blouse.”

  Daniel frowned. “That’s not what I mean.”

  “They are pretty-pretty women.”

  “I’m not talking about her looks.”

  “And you have to deal with this carefully,” DC Barewa said. “The family is very wealthy. We can’t make any wrong moves. The parents are devastated. I don’t think they’re involved. We could be dealing with a kidnapping and ransom. From all that’s been shared here, the three girls’ stories fit. We’re going to do whatever is necessary to find this girl.”

  Daniel felt his heart sink; he had a dreaded feeling that would not happen.”We need to look into the possibility that they could benefit from the girl’s disappearance,” he said.

  DC Barewa sent the Sergeant Major a stern look. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that.”

  “You can pretend what you want. The truth is—”

  “You’re going to tip toe like you’re walking on eggshells. You’ll use kid gloves, no—silk gloves. I don’t care. But you’re going to put your suspicions aside and treat this like a regular case.”

  They didn’t have ‘regular’ cases, everything depended on how influential and powerful the victim and perpetrator were, but Daniel decided to let the remark slide. However, what he couldn’t let slide was his commanding officer’s demeanor. He was too calm when he should be changing his pants after messing them. This was bad news. A powerful, rich man whose daughter’s gone missing and they couldn’t look at it too closely?

  Then he understood. He’d been blind, but now the picture came together as he again thought about Ms. Payton’s expensive shoes and haughty manner. He knew how life worked, that it wasn’t always fair. One had to remember who buttered their bread. Once the meeting had ended, he followed DC Barewa into the hallway stairwell and waited for them to be alone before he said, “Your palms must feel rather smooth now?”

  “What?”

  “How much did she grease them for you?”

  DC Barewa sent him a stern look. “I don’t know what you mean.”

  “Or was it the father? Did he go to the Assistant Inspector General first? Maybe I should go to him—”

  “No need for that.”

  Daniel’s brows shot up, he’d only suspected, he hadn’t thought it would be
true. “So it was the girl?”

  DC Barewa glanced around then lowered his voice. “This is between us.”

  Daniel held out his hand, pleased when he saw the crisp green dollars, they would serve him well. The naira was considerably weak in comparison. “Yes.”

  “Good,” DC Barewa said, putting the rest of the money away.

  Daniel quickly counted the amount. “This will close my eyes, but not my mouth.”

  DC Barewa said something foul, but Daniel only smiled as he saw his little stack increase. “Thank you, sah.” He tucked the notes away and went back to his office. Suddenly the office lights shut off, leaving him in darkness. A minor outcry of annoyance erupted from a receptionist due to the loss of computers and other electronics, but soon the generator picked up, and inside the office things hummed back to life again. But outside, only a few buildings had managed to regain their lights. Night had settled over the city with a heavy cloak and the sunlight was hours away. For many, darkness would be their companion until morning.

  He sat at his desk and briefly thought of the missing little girl. He didn’t know many things. He hadn’t been one of the brightest at his comprehensive school and had gotten this position through the right connections. But he did know one thing: The girl wouldn’t be found because she hadn’t gone missing.

  4

  London, England

  “Stop watching the phone, my dear, it won’t change anything,” Emery said when he found his wife sitting in the living room near the phone. She sat in front of a window where ash-colored clouds slowly moved past and a pigeon settled on the black balcony rail. She’d hardly eaten at dinner and hardly listened to what anyone said. She’d been preoccupied with any sound, rushing to the door if she imagined someone had knocked, when in truth it was likely the wind. He wondered if it had been wise to rent the London suite instead of returning to the States, but she’d been insistent. “I’m not crossing the Atlantic without her,” so he and the girls had extended their holiday, but he wasn’t sure how long that could be.

  Maureen straightened the phone—a gaudy replica of something from the 1890s.”I’m not watching it, I’m just sitting here.”

  “Waiting for it to ring.”

  Yes, she wanted to say. She was willing—praying—for it to ring. She couldn’t bear to lose a child like this. She knew too much time had passed. That the longer it took, the less likely it would be to find her. But she had to try. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t eat or sleep until she knew where Catherine was. Days of not knowing if she’d eaten or where she’d slept. Was she tired? Was she crying alone somewhere scared? Don’t worry my darling, Mummy will find you. If it took her last breath, every strength she had she would devote to bringing Catherine home. “It’s still possible that someone may have news or someone may want money—”

  Emery sadly shook his head and sat in front of her. “It’s been over a month. If they’d wanted a ransom they would have called us by now.”

  “You’re sure all the phones are connected?”

  “Of course.”

  “And your new mobile is changed—”

  “You mean charged?”

  She waved a hand with impatience. “Yes, whatever it needs to be so that we don’t miss any calls.”

  He released a heavy sigh. “It’s been—”

  Maureen ran a finger along the soft green damask trim of her chair. “You’ve already said that. If you’re running out of things to say, stop talking.”

  He leaned forward, reaching for her hand. “I’m not the enemy here and neither are our girls. You’ve cut us out—”

  “We have each other while Catherine is out there somewhere, alone, scared and hoping we’ll find her.” She brushed away an angry tear. “The girls must understand that. We can’t give up. This is just the beginning. We can’t lose faith. We must believe that we will see her face again.”

  Emery leaned back and sagged into the couch. “I can’t keep doing this.”

  “You must try.”

  “I can’t try any harder!” he said, shocking her with the force of his despair. “I’ve gone back seven times in one month! I’ve spoken to more generals, civilians, businessmen, and market women than I can count. Maybe I’m not as strong as you, but I can’t go back one more time.” He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his lap. “Can’t you see that my heart is already broken? I have no strength left for hope. I can’t think of her anymore. I can’t think of how I am not able to protect her. That I’ve failed her.”

  “We will find—”

  Emery surged to his feet. “Your words are like daggers to me. Empty words. I need you to think about your girls. I can’t be strong enough for them. They need their mother.”

  Maureen’s tone turned cold. “Are you saying that Catherine isn’t my child?”

  “You know that’s not what I’m saying. Don’t you see?” He fell to his knees, burying his face in her lap. “I miss her every second of the day,” he said his voice shaking with tears. “I think of her with every heartbeat and it’s killing me. No, I’m already dead. I breathe but I don’t live.”

  “So you want me to be strong so that you can fall apart?” Maureen said in a quiet tone as she stroked his back. “Even though we need you? I need you? Is Catherine the only family you have? Was it a mistake to marry you?”

  Emery shook his head in misery, but didn’t lift it, as if afraid to face her. “My dear—”

  “No, you don’t think I didn’t see it? Was it all for show? Not that you hid your favoritism very well. You didn’t know how to be subtle, but I let it pass. I loved you and I loved the family we had, but now you’ve made it clear that was all a lie.”

  “It wasn’t a lie. I love you and the girls.”

  “But not enough.”

  “I will provide for you, but don’t expect more from me right now.”

  Maureen stopped stroking his back. “Don’t make me hate you.”

  “How can I stop you from what you already feel?” he said, used to the stinging of harsh words and unfazed by them. His father had been a strict headmaster at an elite boarding school before becoming an education inspector. He’d been a man with a caustic wit who hated his son’s soft-spoken, quiet ways and made his disgust known. His father demanded obedience and preferred to fire someone than ever admit he was wrong. Like his father, Emery could take his wife’s anger, but not her delusions.

  Maureen gasped surprised by the truth of his words. “I don’t…I just need you to be strong. Forcing a child to carry the weight of your heart is cruel. How will Catherine feel when she returns and—”

  He lifted his head and met her eyes. “Seven times—”

  “May not be enough. Maybe it needs to be eight or ten or seventeen. We must try until—”

  “She could be anywhere right now! Nigeria is a country of millions with more than 200 ethnic groups, numerous states and a topography as vast as three nations. And who’s to say she’s still there? How easy it is to leave and cross into Ghana or get to Benin or—”

  “We can only hope—”

  “Hope strips me bare each day and leaves me empty. I cannot face another day of hope that ends in heartache. How long are you going to keep the girls out of school? How long are you going to pretend that a tragedy hasn’t befallen us? When will you allow us to grieve?”

  Maureen adjusted the phone again. “When we have a reason to.”

  “We need to go home.”

  Maureen stared at his bowed head, hating him for his surrender. She wanted him to rage at her, to fight her. She turned away because she didn’t want to be disgusted by him. She couldn’t bear the sight of her husband falling apart. She wanted to pound his chest for stealing away her sanctuary. She wanted to find comfort in his arms, to shed her own tears and share her fears, but he would not be that rock for her. She would carry this pain alone. She’d forgiven him his doting ways on his only child, Catherine, because he’d been so kind to her daughters and they needed a male in their li
fe. Someone who cared about them. But now he’d abdicated that role and she had to somehow protect them.

  The acid tinge of anger coursed through her, leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. “Will you force me to bury another husband?”

  He looked up at her. “I’m doing my best to get us through this, but—”

  “Then be strong at least a little for me. Whatever love you have left over, whatever crumbs you have left to spare, give them to me. And I will ask nothing else from you until we bring our child home. Promise me at least that.”

  He stood. “I will try.”

  Maureen stood and poked him in the chest with her finger. “You will not try, you will do it and—” A surge of pain gripped her, causing her to gasp.

  Emery looked at her alarmed. “Are you okay?”

  No, she wasn’t. After three daughters, she knew what a contraction was, but it was too strong and too soon. She took a deep breath. She had to be calm. She couldn’t get too upset. She slowly walked over to a chair and sank down into it.

  “Is it the baby?” he asked rubbing his hands together. “Should I—”

  “I just need to rest.”

  “Yes, rest.”

  She gritted her teeth. Did he have to sound like a puppet? Couldn’t he have a suggestion of his own? She took another deep breath, wishing his look of worry didn’t annoy her. She wanted him to calm her, to tell her that everything would be okay. It was his fault that she even…she bit back a moan as another grip of pain swept through her.

  Emery rushed to the intercom and hit the family room. “Marie, come! Your mother needs you.”

  Maureen rolled her eyes in annoyance. “You don’t need to get them involved.”

  “You don’t look well.”

  “I’m fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Mom, are you okay?” Marie asked, rushing into the room.

  Maureen released a long breath, then forced a smile. “Yes, my darling. I just need to go lie down. Help me up.” She looked at her husband. “Get me a hot water bottle. I’ll be in the bedroom.”