The Test

Chapter Twenty-Five

Derek

One month. That's how long Layna had been missing and even though we worked tirelessly to try to find her, it was proving to be futile.

She had basically disappeared without a trace. The coffee shop had one camera inside and although we managed to get a picture of the lady Layna was with, we hadn't been able to identify who she was yet. We had managed to narrow it down since she was dressed in scrubs but that left quite a lot of possibilities.

Greene had been going to all the hospitals, nursing homes, palliative care units, and clinics even dentist's offices trying to found out if they knew Leila. So far his search had turned out useless.

Humphrey and the team alternated between their own cases and Layna's, flying back and forth when they were able to. I had been on leave since I was in no way able to help anyone on the state that I was in.

So basically there was nothing I could do. I was useless. There were no clues, no evidence, and no one who could be blamed for her disappearance.

Tom was a complete mess, and I wasn't that far behind. In a matter of a week, he had lost his husband and his daughter. About two weeks after Layna disappeared, he had convinced himself that she was never coming back. He had lost all hope and that night when my mom came back from work she had found him in bed, a picture of him, Layna, and Steve cradled against his chest.

He had overdosed on my mom's sleeping pills and had died with a smile on his face.

I had to have hope though; I had to keep thinking that she was alive and well and that any day now she would come back or else I would go insane. I had almost lost her once, and I don't think I would be able to go through that again, especially since she was carrying my child. Layna was alive and so was my baby.

They had to be.

***

The incessant ringing of my cell phone woke me up from a restless slumber. I reached over to the night table and answered my phone without looking at who was calling. There was only one person that would be calling me at this hour, and he always had a reason.

"Hello?" I said gruffly into the phone while I sat up and turned on the lamp with my free hand. The files that I had been going through before I fell asleep were scattered all over my bed, and the floor.

"Derek we found the mystery woman," Detective Greene said and I froze.

"What?" I asked, my brain slowly trying to comprehend what he had just told me.

"We found her," he repeated, and I could hear the relief in his voice. After a month of searching, we had finally found a lead, something that allowed us to come one step closer to finding Layna.

"She's a nurse at Forest Brooke Asylum and her name is Leila Jones," Greene continued.

"The same place Timothy's at?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Yeah," Greene replied, "Before you go on a rampage and do something you regret, you should know that she wasn't assigned to the area that he was in so we don't think they had any contact. But, just to make sure I'm going over there tomorrow to interview him, as well as the supervisor there."

"I'm coming with you," I said, my voice firm. There was no room for argument in this; I didn't trust Timothy at all and I wanted to be there personally to face that bastard.

"I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm emailing you a copy of what we have on Leila so far, so feel free to check it out. Just make sure to get some sleep Derek, you haven't slept properly in a month."