by Geri Foster
David, Lincoln, and Lucas all shared a look.
“I hadn’t thought of that, but she might be right,” David said, straightening. “What if one guy’s killing these girls and discarding them on the roadside and our original killer is sticking strictly to his MO and we just haven’t found the bodies? Mia’s got an excellent point there, Lincoln. That’s exactly what might be happening.”
Lucas let out a frustrated breath. “Well, I can’t say that makes me feel any better. Damn, we could be having double murders and we don’t even know about it. We have to wait until we find another burial site? Is that ever going to happen?”
Lincoln patted Lucas on the shoulder. “Have you talked to Austin?”
“No, not yet. But I have a message from him on my phone. I just haven’t had a chance to read it yet.”
“Let me save you a little trouble. Mia is officially bait. Meaning, since this guy tried to kill her once, the FBI has decided to give him another chance.” He held up his finger. “Oh, yeah, but she’s protected by a flak jacket now.” Sarcasm dripped off of every word he said. “And yes, before you ask, she volunteered. This was all her idea, and Austin went along with it.”
David moved closer. “Lincoln, I can tell by your tone you don’t like that, and you don’t approve. I don’t blame you. I don’t either, however, we’re left with very few options in this situation. Lucas and I have never worked a case with so little evidence in our entire careers. We talked about it this morning in the office. We don’t even know where to look, what we’re looking for, or what to do if we corner the guy.”
“I think,” Lucas said, gazing at Lincoln, “Austin might be right. However, I go on record as being against Mia’s life being laid on the line for this. I’d rather it was one of us, but she knows what she’s doing. And as long as we’re there to back her up, to cover her, to make sure she stays safe, we might just get this bastard.”
Lincoln shook his head, a look of disgust covering his face. “You have a lot more faith in this than I do.”
David looked at them. “But, Lincoln, you were the one who said the guy tried to kill her. You suspected the Wise County Child Killer was the one who shot at her. Do you no longer stand by that?”
“Of course I do. Who else would want her harmed? My problem is that we’ve chosen Mia to be the bait.”
“Lincoln, the killer chose Mia. Not Austin, not you, not me, not Lucas. None of us,” David reminded him. “The man who’s going around killing all these little children, he’s the reason. It’s not us and it’s not like we have a choice. She might just force the guy out in the open. And that’s the one chance we need.”
Lincoln scoffed. “As long as he doesn’t kill her in the process.”
“We’re not going to let that happen,” Lucas said confidently. “It’s all of our jobs to keep her safe, and we intend to do it. We’ll be watching her twenty-four hours a day. No exceptions.”
Mia folded her hands across her chest. “Oh, I’m going to love that. Sounds like I’m going to get no privacy at all. Too bad you guys aren’t all girls. That would be more fun.”
Lincoln shook his head in disgust. “See, she doesn’t even take it seriously. Thinks we’re all overreacting. She really believes that vest is going to save her ass when we all know differently.”
“Let’s just see how it plays out,” Lucas said. “If I see that this is too dangerous for Mia, I’ll shut it down. FBI or not. This is my town, these are my people, and it’s going to be my way.”
The ME pulled up along with a couple of other FBI agents. Lincoln left the talking to Lucas since he was the first one on site. He’d found the body and knew more than Lincoln did at that time.
He looked over at Mia, and she smiled back. It was damn hard to argue or get mad at a woman who could smile your pants off. She was beautiful, and she had such a sense of humor that made him want to be around her all the time. Right now, he wanted to choke her and make love to her at the same time, but not in the kinky kind of way. He didn’t play those games.
“Okay, partner. What next?”
“Well, I’m out here in the wide opened spaces, and he’s not doing anything. I don’t know if it’s nerves or what, but I feel like someone’s watching me. I know he wouldn’t be stupid enough to take a shot at me now, surrounded by police officers and FBI agents. But I know he’s here somewhere and probably has his eyes on me.”
Lincoln put his arm around her. “I just can’t tell you how happy that makes me.” He stared at her hard. “Just standing here in the middle of the road, waiting for somebody to take a shot. Life doesn’t get much more exciting than this.”
She punched him in the chest. “You are a royal pain in the ass. You’re not going to like this no matter what happens or doesn’t. You’re just determined —"
A shot rang through the air and Lincoln shoved Mia to the ground and covered her body with his before he could take the next breath. Pulling out his weapon, he searched the perimeter, looking for who took the shot. He saw nothing, and they were in a flat, wide open area. How could the guy hide out there?
“Keep down!” Lucas screamed. “David, what do you see? Did anybody see anything? Any movement in the area at all?”
“Nothing, boss. And out here you can see a ground squirrel from a mile away. Unless he’s using a high-powered rifle, he should be visible.”
Lincoln held Mia down. “That didn’t sound like a rifle shot to me. But he could have a high powered .45 caliber gun. That’s the only thing I can think of.”
“That’s my train of thought,” Lucas shouted back. “Mia, did you get hit?”
“No, I don’t think so. However, Lincoln has all his weight on me and I can barely move.”
“The bullet landed about four feet to her left. I can see the casing from here,” Lincoln reported. “That tells me either he’s a bad shot, his sight is off, or he’s just trying to get some attention.”
“If he had the perfect opportunity to shoot her,” David said, his voice taut, “then why in the hell didn’t he do it? If his intention is to kill her, why not now?”
Lincoln dragged her behind Lucas’s cruiser and propped her up against the vehicle. He searched her for any wounds, knowing in advance he wouldn’t find any. He looked at Mia. “Maybe he’s not trying to kill you.”
“What?”
“This guy may be just toying with you. He’s had two chances to kill you and, both times, he didn’t. I’m beginning to wonder if you’re a target or if something from the past is driving this man to get your attention.”
“Well, he certainly has my attention, if that’s what he wants. And I hope and pray to God that is all he wants.”
* * *
Mia felt like a human guinea pig. Now that Lincoln had raised the question about why the man hadn’t killed her yet, she thought back to the past. To the day her sister was murdered. To the time she wasn’t there when she had been needed.
Lincoln finally stood up, reached down, took her hand, and pulled her to her feet. He brushed the dirt from her clothing. Again, he made sure she was all right.
“I don’t know about you guys,” Lincoln said, “but I’m all for getting Mia out of the open. This is inviting trouble.” His phone signaled a text. He looked down then ran to the car. Mia jumped in with him.
His foot on the accelerator, Lincoln sped down the dirt road. Mia grabbed a hold of the dashboard. "I don't know what the big rush is," she said, her voice a rumble. "You're going to kill us before we get wherever we’re going.”
"Gabe sent me a text saying he found something, and it might be important. I want to check it out. I'm not letting anything get past us.
"Did he tell you what it was?"
"He just said he might have a possible lead for us.” Lincoln glanced at her quickly before swinging his eyes back to the road. “It might be the break we’ve been looking for."
They arrived at an intersection according to Gabe’s direction and, just as they pulled up, Gabe stepped out
of his vehicle and met them on the side of the road. Lincoln opened the door and he and Mia got out.
Gabe pointed to his left. "Follow me."
They walked for what seemed half a mile to Mia before they stopped. Fall had long past and most of the brush, short and crunchy beneath their feet, sounded like crumpled wrapping paper. She kept looking around, trying to find something that stood out. She didn't see anything and wondered if Gabe had led them on a wild goose chase. Something she had no time for.
They reached a line of trees and Gabe motioned for them to take cover. In a very dense area, she barely made out a brown, late model pick-up, with a camper on the back. Mia moved closer to Lincoln. "What’s somebody doing way out here?"
"Hiding," Gabe answered quietly. "I heard the shot and followed where I thought it came from. It didn't take me long to stumble upon this area. While there's no one in the vehicle that I can detect, we need to approach with caution. We know he's armed."
"You think this is the guy who shot at Mia?" Lincoln asked, his gaze never leaving the camper. "This is quite a good distance from where we were."
"That's why I think the place is deserted,” Gabe said, his instincts on alert. “If he was on foot, he hasn't had time to make it back. Let's just sit here and wait a few minutes."
"Good idea," Mia said, gazing at the vehicle. "This is very much like something we suspected. A place where he could safely store the children until he got to his destination. If he tied them up back there, I doubt they would have had a way to escape."
“How do we know he will come back here?” Lincoln asked Gabe. “He may have a car hidden somewhere. He might be headed in the opposite direction.”
Gabe stepped closer. “You want to go in there and check the place out?” He nodded toward Mia. “You two go in, see what you can find. I’ll stay out here and keep guard. I see anything out of order, I’ll whistle.”
Lincoln and Mia shared an agreeable glance. “There’s only one way we can find out what’s in there,” Mia said. “I know it might be dangerous, but this is as close as we’ve come to an inkling of what’s going on.”
“I agree completely.” Lincoln took out his weapon and checked his ammunition. He nodded to her. “Let me go first. Stay as close to me as possible. If anything happens, shoot first, we’ll ask questions later.”
As they approached the door, Lincoln lifted his gun and allowed it to lead the way. When they got to the vehicle, he glanced inside. The windows were so dirty Mia couldn’t see anything. Lincoln looked up at her. “There’s no one in the truck.”
He flicked his gun toward the trailer. At the small door, he waited on one side, and she waited on the other. He tried to turn the handle and found it locked. “Cover me for a second.”
He reached in his back pocket and took out a small case where he removed several small picks. Within seconds, he had the door unlocked and wide open. Not a sound emanated from inside.
“Well, Lincoln,” she said softly, “if you don’t make it as an FBI agent, you can always turn to a life of crime.”
He grinned down at her. “I’ve been able to pick locks since I was five years old. One of the fine traits my daddy taught me.”
He took the two steps that led him inside the darkened interior. Mia stayed close behind. It reeked of liquor, stale cigarette smoke, and unwashed bodies. “This place is rank.” She wrinkled her nose. “And could use a strong disinfectant.”
“Look for anything that might tie the owner to kidnapping the little girls. If this belongs to the killer, there has to be evidence somewhere.”
“The place is so cluttered and such a mess. I don’t know how we’ll find anything.” She moved further into what one could describe as a kitchen, but not one she’d ever eat out of, and there, she found a pair of pink sneakers. Her heart moved up to her throat, and she could barely speak. Those once belonged to an innocent little girl who had done nothing wrong. Tears stung her eyes.
“Lincoln,” she said softly. “I… I think I found something.”
He looked back at her. Following her gaze, he spotted the little girl shoes. Silence ricocheted off the walls of the filthy interior. She and Lincoln were both chilled to the bone.
Lincoln took her arm. “Let’s leave them and get out of here. Lucas needs to check this out.” Just as they went to exit the camper, a shrill whistle traveled over the breeze. Lincoln grabbed Mia tighter and moved her quickly behind a large oak tree. Since they had no idea which direction anyone would be coming from, they froze.
Mia slowly backed away to a fallen tree. There, she laid down on her stomach and waited. Lincoln was unsure about the oak tree. As she was moved toward the back exterior of the camper, Lincoln had his gun ready.
They remained absolutely silent and still, waiting for anyone to approach. It seemed to take hours, but before long, a man appeared. Mia couldn’t get a good look at his face, but he was of small stature, with dark hair, and in need of a bath.
Lincoln jumped out just as the man put his hand on the latch to open the door. “FBI! Put your hands where I can see them.”
The man hesitated, looking for a way out. Escape was the only thing on his mind, but he was caught like a rabbit in a snare. David came up behind the suspected perp, his gun drawn. “Don’t do anything stupid.” He nodded to Lincoln, took out his handcuffs, pulled the man’s hands down, and secured them with cuffs.
Lincoln took the man by the arm and they led him toward the SUV. He looked at Gabe. “Thanks for your help. We couldn’t have done this without you.”
Gabe held up his hands. “My pleasure. I’ll see you around.” He turned to leave. “Do you need me to follow you to the office?”
“No, thanks. Mia and I have this. But do me a favor. Call my boss, Austin, and ask him to meet us at Lucas’s office.”
“Will do,” Gabe said, waving. “See you around, Lincoln.”
“Yeah. I guess I owe you a beer.”
Gabe chuckled. “You’re damn right you do.”
Mia and Lincoln got the man to the SUV. No one had said anything. She wondered how this could be the man who had murdered all those young girls. He didn’t look thirty years old. That would mean he would’ve been ten when her sister was kidnapped. It didn’t add up.
She didn’t say anything, but inwardly she thought perhaps they had the wrong guy.
Chapter 16
Lincoln wondered who the man was that they had captured. He sat in the back seat, his mouth sealed tight as waterproof boots. Lincoln planned to ask their prisoner a lot of questions. He preferred to wait until Austin and Lucas were present, though. That way, there would be no mistakes, and everything would be verified.
They pulled up in front of the police station, and Mia slid out of the passenger side and waited on the sidewalk for him. Lincoln saw Austin’s car as he reached in and took the prisoner by the arm, guiding him out of the vehicle.
He kept a close eye on their surroundings, because Lincoln honestly thought there was another man involved in this. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to realize this wasn’t their first killer. He wasn’t the one who had kidnapped Mia’s sister. Way too young.
Inside the station, Lucas, Austin, and David watched as he marched the prisoner to the interrogating room to their left. Lincoln sat the man down, shackled him to the metal table then stepped back.
The other men joined him and Mia. For a moment, they all stared, and if Lincoln was correct, they were wondering how in the world this could be their man. While he couldn’t have been the killer of twenty years ago, they all knew damn well that he could be the man kidnapping young girls and throwing them on the side of the road.
Austin sat down, his gaze latched onto the perp. “What’s your name?”
Silence.
“Where you from?”
The perp simply smirked and glanced away.
David leaned against the table. “You’re sitting there all smug thinking you don’t have to say word. I figure any minute now you’re going to ask f
or a lawyer. But that’s not going to do you any good. Not here. Not after what you’ve done.”
The skinny man with stringy hair looked up and smiled at Mia. She moved closer to Lincoln.
“You don’t know what I’ve done.” The man smiled up at Lucas. “You don’t have one ounce of evidence that I ever stepped foot in this town. Because if you did, it would be spread out in front of me.” He looked at the table as if surprised. “Funny there ain’t a damn thing on it. That means you got nothing.”
Mia stepped forward and threw the evidence bag with the pink sneakers on the table. It made a sickening thud. “We’ve got this,” she said gruffly. “And we also have a team of forensic specialists going over that camper with a fine-tooth comb.” She leaned down, looking him in the eye. “We all know they’ll find something that will put you away for a long time.”
She straightened and backed away, allowing Lincoln to take the lead. He pointed to the evidence bag. “Those will lead us to some little girl you kidnapped and murdered. And when it does, you’re going to be charged with killing up to twenty young girls.” Lincoln grinned. “Here in Texas, buddy, that’s a needle in your arm.”
“I didn’t kill twenty kids. And every one of you knows it.”
Lucas shrugged. “Okay, then tell us who did. Then the courts may go lighter on you for cooperating.”
The man laughed. “There ain’t gonna be no mercy for me, so don’t try feeding me that line of shit. When the results come back from your DNA lab, I’m a goner.”
“Then why not cooperate?” David asked, moving closer. “Get this over with. Help us find the man responsible for all those young girls who never had a chance to live their lives.”
“If you think I have any pity for them, you’re barking up the wrong tree. The way I figure it, they all had it coming. I ain’t done nothing I’m ashamed of.” He leaned forward. “And I ain’t gonna cooperate. You’re not gonna to get a damn thing out of me, so stop wasting your time.”