Girl Nine: Gone

G I R L N I N E: G O N E (A Maya Gray Mystery—Book 9) M o l l y B l a c k Molly Black Bestselling author Molly Black is author of the MAYA GRAY FBI suspense thriller series, comprising nine books; of the RYLIE WOLF FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books; of the TAYLOR SAGE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eight books; of the KATIE WINTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the RUBY HUNTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); of the CAITLIN DARE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting); of the REESE LINK mystery series, comprising five books (and counting); and of the CLAIRE KING mystery series, comprising five books (and counting).An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Molly loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.mollyblackauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch. Copyright © 2023 by Molly Black. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior permission of the author. This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return it and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictionally. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. Jacket image Copyright CreativeAngela used under license from Shutterstock.com. BOOKS BY MOLLY BLACK MAYA GRAY MYSTERY SERIESGIRL ONE: MURDER (Book #1)GIRL TWO: TAKEN (Book #2)GIRL THREE: TRAPPED (Book #3)GIRL FOUR: LURED (Book #4)GIRL FIVE: BOUND (Book #5)GIRL SIX: FORSAKEN (Book #6)GIRL SEVEN: CRAVED (Book #7)GIRL EIGHT: HUNTED (Book #8)GIRL NINE: GONE (Book #9) RYLIE WOLF FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERFOUND YOU (Book #1)CAUGHT YOU (Book #2)SEE YOU (Book #3)WANT YOU (Book #4)TAKE YOU (Book #5)DARE YOU (Book #6) TAYLOR SAGE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERDON’T LOOK (Book #1)DON’T BREATHE (Book #2)DON’T RUN (Book #3)DON’T FLINCH (Book #4)DON’T REMEMBER (Book #5)DON’T TELL (Book #6) KATIE WINTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERSAVE ME (Book #1)REACH ME (Book #2)HIDE ME (Book #3)BELIEVE ME (Book #4)HELP ME (Book #5)FORGET ME (Book #6)HOLD ME (Book #7)PROTECT ME (Book #8)REMEMBER ME (Book #9)CATCH ME (Book #10)WATCH ME (Book #11) RUBY HUNTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERIF I RUN (Book #1)IF I TELL (Book #2)IF I LIVE (Book #3)IF I FORGET (Book #4)IF I RETURN (Book #5) CAITLIN DARE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLERCOME GET ME (Book #1)COME FIND ME (Book #2)COME TAKE ME (Book #3)COME CATCH ME (Book #4)COME SAVE ME (Book #5) REESE LINK MYSTERYBEYOND REASON (Book #1)BEYOND REACH (Book #2)BEYOND REPAIR (Book #3)BEYOND DOUBT (Book #4)BEYOND NORMAL (Book #5) CLAIRE KING MYSTERYONCE HE SEES (Book #1)ONCE HE LONGS (Book #2)ONCE HE TAKES (Book #3)ONCE HE FEELS (Book #4)ONCE HE KNOWS (Book #5) CONTENTS CHAPTER ONECHAPTER TWOCHAPTER THREECHAPTER FOURCHAPTER FIVECHAPTER SIXCHAPTER SEVENCHAPTER EIGHTCHAPTER NINECHAPTER TENCHAPTER ELEVENCHAPTER TWELVECHAPTER THIRTEENCHAPTER FOURTEENCHAPTER FIFTEENCHAPTER SIXTEENCHAPTER SEVENTEENCHAPTER EIGHTEENCHAPTER NINETEENCHAPTER TWENTYCHAPTER TWENTY ONECHAPTER TWENTY TWOCHAPTER TWENTY THREECHAPTER TWENTY FOURCHAPTER TWENTY FIVECHAPTER TWENTY SIXCHAPTER TWENTY SEVENCHAPTER TWENTY EIGHTCHAPTER TWENTY NINE CHAPTER ONE Bret didn’t mind working his beat in the Three Hills area of Chesterford. It was one of the better parts of the town, with a few good restaurants and a smattering of expensive bars and galleries. It was the kind of place where his main job was to be out there, to be seen, and to occasionally deal with a complaint about a stolen wallet.Bret was grateful for that. He was still pretty new on the force, still getting used to what it meant to be a cop in a town like this. He still had the excitement that came with now being a fully-fledged member of the CPD, mixed with a sense of responsibility, because now the things he said and did could have a huge impact on people’s lives. Bret was walking up South Street, the main strip as far as this part of town was concerned, taking it slow, not in a hurry. Around here, a big part of his job was simply to be seen, so that the rich folks felt that they were getting their tax dollars’ worth from the local police department. Bret kept a careful eye out for petty criminals and potential problems as he went. A part of him even wanted there to be trouble, just so he would have more of a chance to prove himself. For now, though, it looked like a boring night, with no chance of—“Officer Sorenson, this is Control.”Bret grabbed for his radio. He should have known better. “Go ahead, Control.”“We’ve had a tip just called in about a disturbance near your location.”“Where?” Bret asked. “Hillside Park, just past the bandstand.”At this time of night, the park would be mostly deserted, but that just made it exactly the kind of place where addicts or the homeless might gather. It was probably nothing, but Bret knew he needed to check it out.“I’m on my way.”He hurried off in the direction of the park. It was just a block over, but even so, it was like stepping into a different world as he passed from a space lit by streetlights and the neon displays of bars to one where the only real light was that of the slowly waxing moon. Bret hurried in through the gates of the park, heading for the old bandstand. He had his flashlight out now, sweeping the area around him for trouble, the beam illuminating the