Page 99 of Stay Awake
His shrug was her answer. “There’s a bodega across the street. Liv’s a regular there. The delivery guy sometimes walks her home when she gets disoriented. They might know where you can find her.”
Lavelle handed the bartender his card. “If you remember anything else, call us.” He and Halliday turned to leave.
“Hang on,” the bartender called out. He scrambled around in his wallet, searching for something. After a moment, he took out a business card and handed it victoriously to Halliday.
“Liv’s friend Ted gave it to me,” he said. “He’ll help you find her.”
“Thanks,” said Halliday, looking down at Ted Cole’s name and contact number embossed on the glossyCultura Magazinebusiness card. “Unfortunately, it’s not much use to us.”
“Why not?” asked the bartender, wiping a spill on the bar.
“Because Ted’s the man who was killed overnight. Liv Reese is wanted for his murder.”
Chapter
Fifty-Six
Wednesday 10:15P.M.
I move deeper into the doorway as my call to the police hotline is answered.
“I’m calling with information on Liv Reese,” I whisper nervously.
“Go ahead. What information do you have?” a man asks.
“I know where she is.”
“How do you know where she is?” From his skeptical tone, he thinks I’m a crank caller.
“Because IamLiv Reese.”
Silence follows as he digests my comment. “I’ll transfer you to someone. Stay right there.”
Hold music blasts for a few seconds. It cuts out when a woman’s voice comes on the line. “This is Detective Halliday.” It’s hard to hear her over the background noise.
“My name is Liv Reese. I think you’re looking for me.”
“Liv?” she says after a pregnant pause. “We’ve been so worried about you.” She sounds like she cares. My eyes prick with tears. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t remember things. Lots of things. It’s very confusing.”
“You must be feeling very alone.”
“I am.” My mouth trembles, this time from emotion more than the cold. “I saw on the TV that the police are looking for me. Why?”
“It’s hard to explain on the phone. It’s better if we talk in person.”
I can see the entrance to Nocturnal clearly from the doorway of the Korean restaurant. Near the patrol cars, a slim woman with shoulder-length hair talks on the phone amid a huddle of police She’s dressed in a dark suit with a teal shirt. I’m certain that she’s Detective Halliday.
“Where are you, Liv?”
“I’m near a bar called Nocturnal,” I say, watching closely for a reaction from the woman on the phone to confirm my suspicion.
The woman taps the shoulder of a man in a charcoal suit and gestures to him. Within seconds, there’s a flurry of activity. Police spread out along the street. I enter the Korean restaurant in a panic and wait behind a bamboo partition near the cash register, pretending to study a take-out menu. I feel sick to my stomach with fear. I should hang up, but I stay on the line.
“There are a lot of police out here tonight,” I comment.
“They’re looking for you. Liv, tell me where you are. I’ll come to you,” Detective Halliday says. “We’ll talk. Just the two of us.”
