When Kevin had texted him, he had already been planning to vacate his apartment building. It just didn’t seem right to have the detective there. Too risky because of the Alia situation. He had packed up his lab the night before, and everything was now in two trunks in the back of his truck. He had already been practically on his way to the detective’s house when Kevin asked him to come over.
It had all been too easy. Now if he could just manage to pull this off.
CHAPTER 26
NAYA
She was on the twenty-fourth floor. And she was burnt out.
They had been knocking on doors for hours. Some there were no answer, and others a woman would answer. It was the same routine each time someone opened the door, she would explain who she was, show her badge, and ask if anyone else lived there. Most people were cordial, but a few had been standoffish. One woman even verging on rude, she had refused to give any information, Naya had marked her down as uncooperative. According to Atlas’ theory she shouldn’t matter in the long run.
Each floor had at least six separate apartments, some even more if that floor had a lot of studio apartments. Naya had already knocked on so many doors she felt desperate, like they weren’t working fast enough, but there was nothing else she could do.
She raised her hand again and knocked on the next door. A young child answered.
“Hi.” Naya said as she leaned down to the girl’s level. “Is your mom or dad home?” She couldn’t be more than five years old.
“Dad.” A man said from behind the door as he stepped into Naya’s view.
Naya stood and flipped out her badge, “Hello, I’m Detective Naya Largusa from the Denver Police Department. I’m here to find out the names of the adults living in this apartment.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Why?” Of course, he was one of the apprehensive ones.
She kept the smile on her face. “We are looking for someone who lives in this building who has information about a crime.”
“Well, it’s just me and my wife here. She’s at work but will be home any minute.” He listed their first and last names for Naya, which she quickly jotted down.
“Thank you, that’s all. Have a good night.” Naya waved at the little girl as the man closed the door. She double checked her paper to make sure she had knocked on every door on the floor, then jogged down the stairs to floor twenty-three.
After the next apartment her phone buzzed in her pocket. She picked it up without looking at the screen. “Largusa.”
“Hey, I’m on floor ten, and I’m beat. Where are you?”
“Twenty-three. I’m tired too. Should we take a dinner break and pick this back up in an hour? We can eat in the car and change with the patrol guys if they want a break from monitoring the door to knock on doors.”
“Good idea. Meet you in the lobby in five.” Naya slid her phone back in her pocket and looked down at her paper. How had Atlas finished nine floors while she had only done seven and one apartment? Oh well, she would ask him when she saw him.
They had picked up roast beef sandwiches from down the street and were sitting in the car watching as people went in and out of the building. It was dinner time now, so there were lots of delivery men and couples going out to the restaurants nearby. But so far no one tried to enter or leave with a bag which seemed larger than normal.
“Any emails from the apartment company yet?” Naya asked when she was halfway through her sandwich.
Atlas shook his head. “Course not. I bet they’ll respond tomorrow morning.”
“Are we staking out tonight?” In La Junta they had such a skeleton crew that she would definitely personally be doing a stake out, if there was a stake out to do, which was rare. Here, she wasn’t sure what the protocol was.
“Nah, someone will come relieve us at midnight. They’ll need us fresh for tomorrow. I doubt we will get to all of these doors tonight before a decent hour, and I had so many on the lower floors that didn’t answer. At least we will be able to eliminate some when the tenant list comes in.”
Naya was glad she wouldn’t be out there all night. Then at least she wouldn’t feel as guilty. She checked her phone to see if Kevin had replied, but he hadn’t. She really hoped he had called someone, she wished she had Trevor or Sebastian’s numbers, but she had never needed them before.
“The techs called while I was knocking on doors.” Naya looked over at Atlas, pausing between bites to give him her full attention. “Turns out RunTracker was ridiculously easy to hack. They said all it took was the user turning on their Bluetooth connection while using the app, and I guess if you knew basic hacking you could get in while it was running. They weren’t sure if the connection would still be accessible after the run stopped, but they think there’s a chance if you were good enough at programming that you could set something up so you could re-enter the app at any time.”
Naya turned back to her sandwich and took another bite. “I guess that makes sense, but how is he finding these girls initially?”
“I was thinking about that.” Atlas took a bite of his sandwich as well and the car was quiet while he chewed. “And when you showed me the app the other day, I saw that you could connect it to your Facebook. So, I think there’s a possibility that all three of these girls posted their runs on Facebook. Then he was able to use their profile to get enough information to get close enough to them during a run to hack into their Bluetooth connection.”
“Jesus. That is why I don’t have social media.” Naya shook her head. Most people had no idea the amount of information that could be discovered about them from a simple glance at their profile.
“My sentiments exactly. But I was thinking we should give the families a call and see if what I said was true; if they posted their runs on Facebook. Because think about it, most of the runs start and end at their homes. Even though you can’t zoom in, if this guy knew the area well enough, he could just hang out in that area and watch for the Bluetooth connection. And most people just label their headphones with their name.”
Naya felt her eyes widening. That was definitely the name of her earphones. “But wait, none of the girls had wireless earphones in when we found them.”
“Bingo. I bet whatever hacking he is doing on these Bluetooth connections would show up if we found the devices.”
She finished the last bite of her sandwich and crumpled the wrapper. “This brings up the fact that the man we are chasing is probably highly intelligent. When we get the apartment building tenants lets have your tech guys or someone comb them for prominent people in technology. Even if this guy isn’t famous, sometimes these people can be in scientific papers or magazines for their discoveries or designs.”
“True. Alright, you ready to go back in?” Atlas glanced at her empty hands and she noticed he had also finished his sandwich.
“Yep. Let’s do this.”
CHAPTER 27
MARK
It was done. He had poisoned Vance.
It had been much easier than he anticipated with the soup. Vance had eaten almost all of it. About an hour later, when he had started not to feel well, Mark had helped him to his bed.
That had been hours ago.
Mark wanted to look in on him and make sure he really was dead, but he also didn’t want to miss Naya returning. The minute she was almost to the door he would have to get his rag soaked in ether and get into a position where he could get it over her mouth before she could fight.
She was a cop. And she was armed. This would be his most difficult abduction yet.
It was almost midnight and he knew Kevin had called him because she would be back late, but he was starting to get a bit anxious and wished he knew just how late.
Whatever. It would be fine. After all, luck had been on his side so far. Kevin had not been here tonight for the first time. Then again, Kevin had no reason to not trust him.
Well, not yet.
After he got Naya in the truck he would need to restrain her. Tape her mouth. Get her on th
e floor so she couldn’t signal. Then he would need to ditch his phone. He had another set of plates in the cab for his truck, he would put them on before they crossed state lines.
He already had another Airbnb lined up in Kansas.
Now, all he was missing was his specimen.
CHAPTER 28
NAYA
It was midnight and they had reconvened in the car.
“Anything?” She asked, exhausted.
He shook his head. “According to both of the RunTracker runs, he had abducted the women by now. But I don’t think we missed him.”
“Remember he took Alia on Tuesday morning.” Naya closed her eyes and leaned against the headrest for a second.
“Yeah, but I feel like that was an opportunistic victim, not one which he selected. But maybe I’m wrong.”
“Good point.” Naya felt her eyes becoming heavy and quickly snapped them open again before she could fall asleep.
Atlas still noticed. “As soon as the night watch pulls up, we will head for the station.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes, both beat from having knocked on doors all evening. Eventually Atlas started the car.
Their welcome call came over the radio. “There they are.” Atlas quickly pulled forward so they could take the spot he and Naya had been occupying, once the radio call came confirming that they were officially on watch Atlas pulled away, headed for the station.
“I know it’s late, but what do you say to a seven-a.m. start?” He asked as the city lights blurred outside the window. Naya hadn’t been this tired in a long while.
“Sure. I’ll just grab a shower and a couple hours of sleep and come right back.” As long as she got four to five hours, and about a gallon of coffee, she would be good to go. She felt bad that she wouldn’t have time to spend with Vance, but he would understand. Once they caught this guy, he would have all of her attention for a couple of weeks.
When they got to the station they switched from the squad car to their personal cars, wishing each other a safe drive and headed home. Naya was so tired she was a bit scared to drive, but she kept some candy in her center console for this exact purpose, and quickly popped a few pieces in her mouth to chew to keep her mind awake.
When she pulled up in front of her house, she noticed a truck parked right out front. For a second she was excited, thinking it looked a bit like Kevin’s, but after a closer look she realized it was Trevor’s instead.
So, something really was bothering him then. Him avoiding her seemed so out of character for what she knew about him. She was going to have to confront Vance and find out what their talk was about.
She unlocked the door and stepped into the front hall. The house was quiet, she assumed Vance was in bed and Trevor must already be passed out on the couch. She leaned down to slip out of her work boots.
Before she understood what was happening and react there was a body pinning her to the ground and chemical smelling rag over her mouth. Her mind immediately sprang into action to figure out what was going on, her body started running on autopilot and she tried to move her arms to reach for her gun, but whoever was on top of her was strong and had a size advantage, they had her completely pinned. So, she stopped breathing.
She struggled feebly for a few seconds to no avail, they wouldn’t budge.
When the air ran out in her lungs she was forced to breathe again, knowing full well what was about to happen. She tried to make out the identity of whoever was on top of her, but he was purposely keeping his head out of headbutt range. He knew all the self-defense tricks.
That was the last thing she thought before sliding into unconsciousness.
CHAPTER 28
KEVIN
He could hear his phone buzzing on the bedside table.
It was probably work. He had called out for the entire week, but they had spent all of the previous day calling him for approval and instructions for random things.
It could also be Naya, but it was only about seven in the morning and he figured she would just be waking up if she was awake at all.
Kevin felt bad for stonewalling her, he really did, he just wasn’t quite ready to talk yet. But he was feeling better today than he had the day before, maybe he could go over and at least visit with Vance today before Naya got home. He would face her later this week. His chest physically hurt at the fact that he was probably hurting her right now, but he just needed some time to process.
It was so hard knowing he was going to lose his best friend. And he felt like if he didn’t deal with the emotions now, he was going to really lose it when Vance actually died.
Maybe he was being dumb. Maybe he should just call Naya, at least make sure Trevor had checked in on Vance.
Yeah, that was a good idea. He would do that in an hour or two when it was a decent time.
He couldn’t deny that his feelings were rapidly growing for Naya. She was beautiful, smart, and she had such a caring heart. He kind of wished he could see her in action at work, he imagined she was quite sexy.
He really hadn’t planned to fall in love with her, it had just sort of happened. He had volunteered to help with Vance because he was his best friend and when Vance had mentioned his sister had moved to town, he never dreamed that she would be the girl he’d been waiting for all these years.
The first time he had seen her, he couldn’t even explain it. Watching her try to be kind and cook food for all of them in that small kitchen. Biting her lip when she realized there wouldn’t be enough. Something within him had changed in that moment. He knew she was different, and he had needed to know more.
So, yeah, he was definitely an idiot for ignoring her right now, but she had said the case had just broken. So, maybe she was happy to have a little break from having to worry about him? His excuse sounded weak even to his own ears.
He closed his eyes fulling intending to take advantage of his rare day off from work when his phone started buzzing again. Okay, even for work they were calling a bit early. Maybe it was an emergency.
He blindly reached for his phone and brought it to his face. It was a number he didn’t recognize, but a local area code. It was probably a sales call. He silenced it.
Not even a minute later the screen lit up again. The same number. Dammit all.
“What do you want?!” He answered angrily. He was pissed and wasn’t about to be cordial.
“Hey Kevin, this is Atlas, Naya’s partner, she was supposed to be here at seven. I’m guessing she slept through her alarm and I was just seeing if she was with you?”
What. The.
“How did you get this number?” As far as Kevin knew, he had only met Atlas once and it was in passing, without so much as an introduction, at the hospital. The guy couldn’t know more than his first name.
“Dude, I’m a detective. It’s not that hard. But seriously, is she with you?”
He was annoyed. Maybe he would feel better if she was here, now that he thought about it. He really was being stupid. “No, she’s not here. You should probably call her number.”
“I’m not an idiot, I already did. Straight to voicemail.”
Kevin thought for a moment about how Naya’s phone battery was always low. “Her phone probably just died and that’s what she uses as her alarm.”
The phone line was silent for a minute. Clearly Atlas wasn’t buying it.
“This isn’t like her, I’m going to have an officer go to her house.”
As much as he wanted to hole up in his room, Kevin knew that if cops showed up at her door, Naya would be embarrassed. Decision made he spoke up.
“No, no, I’ll go over there now. I have a key.”
“Okay, have her call me as soon as you wake her, please.”
“Will do.” Kevin grumbled as he got out of bed and pulled on clothes. Maybe this was good. Clearly avoiding Naya wasn’t going to solve his problems, he just wished he’d had more time to think.
He spent the entire drive grumbling about how bright the sun was this e
arly in morning. Man, even for him he could admit he was being grouchy.
When he pulled up in front of her house, grimy from not having left bed the previous day, he wished for a moment that he would have at least had the forethought to shower before he came over here. Oh well, Naya would probably run right out the door after he awoke her anyway.
He parked right behind her car and walked up to the door. He pulled his keys from his pocket, slipping them into the keyhole only to find the door wasn’t locked.
That was odd.
The moment he walked in the door he knew something was wrong.
“Naya?” He called out as he stepped over the rug, which was bunched in the doorway. “Vance?”
There was no answer from either of them. He glanced at Vance’s door but it was closed, and since it was still early he decided he would check on Naya first. He walked up the stairs and peered around the corner into the loft to find her bed empty. Not just empty, but it was made. He headed back down the stairs and poked his head in the bathroom. Empty. He roamed through the kitchen and living room. There was no sign of anyone. It was definitely time to wake Vance.
He knocked on his door. “Hey, it’s Kevin, you up?”
He waited for an answer, but when none came he turned the knob and opened the door.
What he saw would be burned in his memory forever.
“Vance?” Kevin stood there in shock.
It took another second for his mind to flip into gear and for him to cross the room, he reached for Vance. The minute he touched Vance’s arm; he knew.
He was cold.
He backed out of the room. He could feel himself panicking. He tried to search his mind for what to do and found himself blindly pushing redial on the number that Atlas had called from earlier that morning. He stumbled out onto the front porch, gasping for air.
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