Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Next on their list was Fallon’s ex-boyfriend, Mark Sullivan. At a small apartment on the outskirts of town, Sawyer rang the doorbell, and after a brief pause, the door opened to reveal the man in question.

His eyes widened when he saw Sawyer and Cam on his doorstep. “Can I help you?”

“Mark Sullivan?” Sawyer asked, even though he already knew the answer.

“That’s me.” The man stared at them warily. “What’s going on?”

“We’d like to ask you about Fallon Ray.”

“Fallon?” His brows drew together first in confusion, then worry. “What happened Is she okay?”

Cam tipped his head. “Do you mind if we come inside for a minute?”

Mark nodded, stepping aside to let them in. The space was the controlled chaos of a bachelor: minimal decoration, empty food cartons and beer bottles on the coffee table. “We’re investigating her disappearance, and we wanted to ask you a few questions.”

Mark’s expression shifted from curiosity to shock. “Disappearance? What do you mean? Is she missing?”

Sawyer nodded, watching Mark closely for his reaction. “She hasn’t been seen for a couple of days, and we’re trying to piece together what might have happened. When was the last time you spoke to her?”

Mark ran a hand through his hair, clearly unsettled. “It’s been over two months. We broke up after… well, I’m sure you heard about that if you’re here. I hadn’t heard from her for a couple months now. God, I had no idea she was missing.”

Sawyer exchanged a glance with Cam before continuing. “We need to confirm your whereabouts two nights ago. Can you tell us where you were?”

Mark hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “I was out with my girlfriend, Julie. We went to a restaurant—La Trattoria, downtown. I think I still have the receipt.”

Without waiting for them to ask, Mark hurried into another room. Sawyer and Cam exchanged a look, both thinking the same thing—if Mark was telling the truth, he’d be ruled out quickly. But they couldn’t afford to leave any stone unturned.

Mark returned a minute later, holding a small slip of paper. “Here it is,” he said, handing it over. “The receipt from La Trattoria. It should have the date and time on it.”

Sawyer took the receipt and examined it. The timestamp showed Mark and Julie had been at the restaurant during the time in question. It was a solid alibi.

“Thanks,” Sawyer said, skimming the receipt before passing it to Cam, who also gave it a quick once-over.

Mark let out a breath, relief washing over his face. “I hope this helps. I really hope you find her. Fallon… She’s a good person. We didn’t end on the best terms, but I never wanted anything bad to happen to her.”

“Do you mind me asking why you broke up?”

Mark sucked in a sharp breath, then ran a hand over his short-cropped hair. He was quiet for a long moment before speaking. “I was an idiot. I… cheated on her, and she found out.”

Sawyer nodded. “One more thing—do you happen to still have a key to Fallon’s place?”

He shook his head. “I never did. There’s a small stepping stone in the landscaping by the steps—she used to leave a key under there. If I ever needed to get it, I would just use that.”

“We appreciate your cooperation, Mark. Is there anything else you can tell us? Anyone she might have been in contact with, any changes in her behavior before you broke up?”

Mark shook his head, his brow furrowed in thought. “No, not really. She was more withdrawn, but I think that was more because of our relationship problems than anything else. I really don’t know who she’s been spending time with since we broke up.”

Cam stood, signaling that the interview was coming to an end. “Thanks for your time, Mark. If you think of anything else, no matter how small, please don’t hesitate to reach out.”

Mark nodded, still looking troubled. “I will. I just hope she’s okay.”

As they left Mark’s house, Sawyer couldn’t shake the feeling that they were still missing something crucial.

“We’ve ruled out Mark, but that doesn’t mean we’re any closer to finding Fallon,” Cam said as they walked back to the car.

“No, it doesn’t,” Sawyer agreed, his mind already turning over the next steps.

Back at the station, Sawyer and Cam reviewed the information they had gathered. The timeline was beginning to come together, but there were still too many gaps. They needed to explore further into her personal life, any recent conflicts or threats, and see if there was anyone who might have had a motive to harm her.

"Everything seemed normal," Sawyer said, frustration creeping into his voice. "She left work, drove home, and vanished. No signs of a struggle, no known threats. It's like she just disappeared into thin air."

Cam rubbed his temples in frustration. “We’ve got a lot of pieces, but no clear picture yet. We need to dig deeper into her personal life and find out if there were any other issues we haven’t uncovered.”

They were running in circles, and every new lead seemed to take them back to where they started. Mark Sullivan’s alibi was ironclad, as was his girlfriend, Julie’s. They were seen together at a restaurant across town, time-stamped receipts and all. Everything checked out, at least on the surface.

A knock at the door drew their attention, and Deputies Evan Landry and Tony Webb stepped inside.

Evan spoke first, his voice steady but tired. “We’ve wrapped up with the neighbors, but no one heard anything unusual the night Fallon disappeared.”

“One neighbor across the street said she saw Fallon’s car parked in the driveway that night,” Tony added.

Cam made a face. “Well, I guess someone at least placed her at home. Too bad we don’t have a lead on whoever abducted her.”

“If she was abducted.” Sawyer shrugged. “She’s an adult; there’s nothing to say she didn’t leave on her own.”

Cam nodded. “True. She could have taken the garage door opener on her way out and used it to close up.”

Sawyer scrubbed a hand over his face. It was a possibility, but he didn’t like the odds. The resemblance between Lindsey and Fallon’s kidnappings were a little too similar for his liking. He wanted to exhaust every resource before throwing in the towel. “Let’s hit her friends houses and see if we can dig anything up that way.”