Brittany glanced at the needle and baggy in her hand, then glanced up. “I can’t say for sure, but the few times I ran into Amber since she started hanging around them, I think she might have been doing something.”
“Do you know what the kid’s name is she’s seeing or where he lives by chance?” Russell asked. “Anything else you can provide will be most helpful.”
Cathy sighed, balled her fingers into a fist, and stepped away from the door. “I cannot believe this. No way she’s doing drugs. Amber wouldn’t do that. That’s not who she is.”
“His name is Shawn Evans,” Brittany replied, regaining her composure. “I’m not sure where he lives, but the Sandman runs his business out of the Lincoln Heights apartments off Grand St. It’s a rough neighborhood with lots of crime. The police avoid the area like the plague.”
“Then we’ll go ask this Sandman character where my daughter is,” Cathy said, angered.
“You can’t,” Brittany shot back. Her eyes widened and her voice squeaked. “He is beyond dangerous and not to be messed with.”
“If he’s had anything to do with Amber being taken, he’ll find out what dangerous is,” Cathy replied curtly. “No one messes with my family. No one.”
Russell looked at Brittany. “How far from here is Lincoln Heights?”
Brittany shook her head in disbelief. “Maybe fifteen minutes or so. It’s not too far if you’re driving.”
Cathy stormed past Max and Clyde, back into Amber’s apartment.
“Thank you for telling us what you know,” Russell said with a tilt of his head. “I realize how hard that must have been.”
“You have no idea about the people you’re dealing with,” Brittany replied, shaking her head and looking at the floor. “They are dangerous and not afraid to kill folks who cross them in the slightest way.”
“We’ll be careful. Thank you again,” Russell said.
Brittany glanced past Russell to Amber’s apartment one last time before pushing her door closed. The deadbolt clicked.
Russell turned away from the apartment and faced Clyde.
A look of concern washed over his face. He scratched at the stubble on the side of his chin. “I’ve never heard of no Sandman before. He sounds like a dangerous character.”
“Yeah. It’s not a good situation at all,” Russell said.
Cathy limped her way out of the apartment, then slammed the door behind her. The dense thud made both men flinch as she limped down the hallway.
Max trailed her, keeping at her side.
Russell and Clyde caught up to her.
“I’m going to see this Sandman. You two can come if you want. If not, it’s fine,” she said, skirting the corner and heading toward the stairwell.
“We’re not going to let you go there alone,” Russell said, flanking her. “From the way she spoke, it’s a dangerous place that the police even try to avoid.”
Clyde remained silent on the matter, though the concerned look on his face spoke volumes.
“I’ll be as cordial as I can, but if he has anything to do with Amber being taken, then all bets are off,” Cathy pushed her way through the entrance to the stairwell.
The back of the door hit the wall. The stark sound echoed inside the stairwell. Cathy limped across the landing toward the stairs without slowing.
“Hold on there,” Russell said, rushing past her and Max. “We don’t need you taking a fall down the stairs and getting hurt more.”
Max led the pack, hitting the landing at the bottom of the stairs. He waited, wagging his tail as Russell trained the light at the darkness.
Russell touched Cathy’s arm to help her down.
Cathy wrenched it away. “I’ve got it. Just keep the light on the stairs, will you?” She took each step as quick as she could.
Russell stayed close, but didn’t reach for her again. The agitation and worry in her voice kept him at bay.
Clyde followed behind, shining his light at their backs.
Cathy hit the landing and paused. She rubbed her leg for a moment, then continued down the next flight.
Max milled about at the exit of the stairwell door on the bottom floor. He groaned, then barked.
“How’s the pain?” Russell asked, studying the discomfort on her face. Cathy gritted her teeth and grunted with each step, but she kept the pace without stopping.
“It doesn’t come close to the pain of knowing that something has happened to my daughter,” she answered. “She’s all I have left in this world. I can’t lose her.”
“You won’t. We’ll find her, and she’ll be all right. I promise,” Russell said, trying to calm her frayed nerves. “We’ll do whatever is needed to make sure you get her back.”
Cathy hit the landing and lurched toward the exit.
Russell skirted past her and opened the door.
Max rushed out into the lobby of the building with Cathy limping out right after him.
“Hey. Do you think we should at least try and notify the police?” Clyde asked in a whisper, trailing Russell out of the stairwell. “There’s no telling how many people this Sandman might have who work for him in that building.”
“With all of the riots and everything else stacked on top of the blackout, they’re going to have their hands full. Besides, she isn’t going to wait. Given what that girl said, the police avoid Lincoln Heights on a good day. I imagine they’ll be keeping their distance right now and working other troubled areas around the city,” Russell replied as they headed for the main entrance to the building.
Both men turned off their flashlights, then stowed them in the pockets of their coats or jeans.
“What do we do then if we get into a bind?” Clyde asked as Cathy pushed her way through the glass door.
Russell shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out if and
