"I'm worried. Each time that guy has stepped up his game. And it was as if Lydia knew she was prime for him."
"What the hell does that mean?"
"At lunch yesterday, we were talking about it. She's the right height, right hair, and she has a tattoo on her wrist."
Gerald shifted another glance her way. "What tattoo? She doesn't have a tattoo."
"She does now. It's new. An infinity symbol with a single little heart. It's on her wrist."
"Damnit. It's like she led herself right to this guy."
The tears dried quickly, and Ella brushed away the ones that lingered on her cheeks. "You think she set herself up for this? You're crazy. Lydia wouldn't do anything like this on purpose."
"You think I mean on purpose? God, what's wrong with you?"
And with that, the tears were back. What was wrong with her? Jealousy weirdly surged through her.
Gerald drove straight into town and directly to the police station. Eric must have known a short cut because he and Phillip had pulled in right before them.
Gerald's cousin Jake was already standing at the door. "Any more news?"
"No. But we're going to kill him," Gerald grumbled through gritted teeth. "He thinks he's messing with weak girls, well he messed with the wrong one."
Tyson Morgan, Lydia's brother, and Pearl's husband sped into the parking lot and jumped from his truck. "I'm going to kill whoever did this."
Ella felt compelled to reach for him. "Lydia will kill him first. You have to believe that."
"Oh, I do. I've seen her take down six-foot men." He lifted his eyes to Phillip. "What's the plan?"
"Um. We have to get our information. See what they found." His voice shook as he turned from them and walked into the station.
Tyson's cheeks filled with color. "What in the hell is wrong with him? He should have the entire state looking for her. What a pansy little…"
"He's beside himself," Ella confirmed. "They're moving already. Whoever did this took two other women as far as we know. The two other men, besides Gerald, who were targeted for their trucks and matching descriptions, had their trucks stolen last night and the trucks were found at the houses of the other missing women."
Tyson lifted his stare to Gerald. "Is this because of you? Is this because of you and Lydia at Ben's wedding?"
"Nothing happened between Lydia and me at Ben's wedding."
"Social media said otherwise. I saw the kiss you were taking in on the street. I know you spent the night at her house."
Gerald's shoulders pushed back, and he took one step toward Tyson. "Then you know how it played out too. Your sister isn't stupid, and she doesn't take unnecessary chances. So she took a night off, and I made sure she was okay. End of story."
"And now some maniac with your truck has her."
"And we're going to find her and the other women. This isn't about me now. It's about whoever devised this sick and twisted plan."
Phillip stood just beyond them now, his uniform on, his hat low on his brow, and his face stern. "Les Martin. That would be our sick and twisted bastard."
"Who the hell is Les Martin?" Tyson asked.
Gerald winced at the name. "The man I bought the trailer from. Lydia introduced us."
Phillip walked toward them. Whatever time he'd spent inside had brought back the serious-minded Phillip, and from the look of him, he was ready to go after Lydia.
"Les Martin is a registered sex offender from Oklahoma. Abby McCarrey just identified him from a picture. One of our officers is there with her now. Records show that he sold you the trailer and each of the other men their trucks. He had keys for everything."
"Not my truck," Gerald offered. "I have the only keys to my truck."
"Did you have one in your trailer?"
"The only spare, yes."
Phillip clucked his tongue. "And he had a key to your trailer."
"Son-of-a-bitch!"
"Athens police are starting an in-depth search of the area since his other victims end up there. We've traced his ex-wife to Athens, so it's a lead."
Gerald rubbed his jaw again. "He's making a point to her?"
"Maybe. They're headed to her now. At this point, he's getting sloppy. Usually, they want the glory of getting caught."
"But he has Lydia. Sloppy isn't what we need. We need Lydia back."
"And we'll get her," Phillip promised. "You're all witnesses to this. If I get my hands on the man, and he's done anything to Lydia or harmed her in any way, this badge comes off. I'll serve justice myself."
Tyson reached out his hand to shake Phillip's. "We'll have your back. Let's go."
Chapter 24
Ella's phone blew up with text messages from the girls at the Bridal Mecca and Abe at her office.
Audrey remembered the man who had sold Gerald the trailer. He'd been a walk-in at the salon on three different occasions. She'd taken him one time, and he had creeped her out. He'd come in one evening when Nichole was closing up, but all she had recalled was that the boys were there too and they were so wild since she'd taken on an extra client, she hadn't paid too much mind to the man. One of the other stylists remembered him quite well.
He's not a fan of blondes, Audrey's text read. He told her so, and it made her hurry and get him out of the chair.
Pearl had never seen the man. Sunshine, Phillip’s niece who worked for her, remembered seeing him walking past the window slowly. However, he'd never gone into the store.
Bethany was thrilled to have missed out on all the action. She figured the few times he'd been around the Bridal Mecca she must have been gone, or redheads were not his thing. Besides, she'd texted the group, I've already dealt with one crazy man who thought I was my mother—his ex-lover. I'm over crazy.
Gia was particularly spooked and had even closed her shop and locked herself in Pearl's back room for the day.
I remember him, she texted. He came into the store a week ago. Walked around for a long time and asked a million questions about Italy, and then about me. He liked my hair. Thought I looked nice in my apron. Then asked if I had a tattoo.
Ella read the text to Gerald who let out a disgusted grunt. "He's sick."
"That's obvious."
Abe had texted words of encouragement but did let her know that the partners were not very pleased with her disappearance or her lack of focus that past few weeks.
Gerald reached for her hand. "What does that mean for you?"
She shrugged. "I've been having second thoughts about it. Honestly, even though I like to see justice, I like working on contracts and helping people with wills and planning. I don't want to keep fighting a man for more money for his spoiled ex-wife. That's not why I got into law."
"You've given this a lot of thought."
"Not enough. But it looks like I need to give it more."
When Gerald's phone rang, he pulled it from his pocket, keeping one hand on the steering wheel. "Yeah?"
She watched as he took in the information that was being spoken on the other end. Then he took a sharp right off the highway.
"Where are we going?"
"Back," he said as he tossed her his phone. "They found one of the women that were missing in Lydia's crawl space under her house."
Ella swallowed the fear that stuck in her throat? "Dead?"
As Gerald turned the car back toward the highway, he shook his head. "No. Beaten up. Dehydrated. In and out of consciousness, but they said she might be sleep deprived. They're taking her to the hospital and hoping she can give them some information."
"So why are we going back?"
"Phillip seems to think he kept all the girls local because his ex-wife just showed up in Macon at the police station."
"She knows something," Ella said. "Maybe he reached out to her, or most certainly is trying to get into her head."
Gerald nodded. "I can't believe I've talked to the man. I live in his property."
"Your property. You bought it."
"I'm never staying in it again. Wh
at if he did this to women in it? I might send it over a cliff."
Ella gripped the handle above the passenger door as Gerald weaved in and out of traffic. "You're not sending it over a cliff. If you get rid of it, where will you live?"
"I don't care. I'll pitch a tent. This is not important right now. What's important is Lydia."
But it was important. For the next half hour, keeping him somewhat focused so he didn't kill them racing back to Macon made it very important.
"Why don't you move in with me, until you get situated. We are engaged, after all." She felt the need to remind him as she glanced at her finger and the ring shimmered there.
Gerald let out a long breath, his shoulders eased, and so did the speed of the car. "We certainly are," he said reaching for her hand.
"She's going to be okay," Ella promised. "Lydia will be okay."
"In my heart, I know that. I just can't wrap my head around it."
* * *
Gerald sped through town, only this time he headed right to Lydia's house which was flocked with police.
Phillip swiftly moved from the front door when he saw them pull up, and headed right to them.
"You're no help here. Why don't you find something to do," Phillip suggested, his voice full of authority and not that of the whimpering man he'd been earlier that morning.
"Are you kidding me?" Gerald stepped forward. "I was halfway to Athens when I got your call. You fill me in, or I return the favor of the punch you gave me this morning."
Phillip placed his finger against the brim of his hat and tipped it back slightly. "Sylvia Martin walked into the station this morning and said she figured we’d be looking for her. She said her ex-husband had been calling her every day for the past few weeks, threatening her." Phillip took his cell phone out of his pocket, swiped his finger over the screen, and then held it up for Gerald and Ella to see the picture he'd pulled up.
"She looks just like his victims," Gerald pointed out.
Phillip nodded. "She freakishly looks like Lydia."
Ella gripped Gerald's arm. "Maybe he won't hurt her then. Maybe he's mixed up."
Gerald looked down at her. "You think? Serial killer. He's mixed up."
"I mean, if he kept reaching out to his ex-wife, then maybe he will hold on to Lydia."
Phillip tucked his phone back into his pocket. "Olivia Kent was the woman found in Lydia's crawl space. She didn't know how long she'd been there, but she figured at least overnight since it had gotten so dark."
"Could she identify Les Martin?"
"Certainly did. He hasn't done anything to conceal who he is. She was assaulted, sexually, and beaten. It seems as if he's swapping up. Each woman looks more like his ex."
Ella loosened the grip on Gerald's arm. "There were three trucks parked at three different houses?"
"Hannah Welch is still missing. Kane Evans' truck was parked there."
"Does he know Hannah Welch?"
Phillip shook his head. "Never met her before. Steven Cross' truck was found at Olivia's house," he offered the information just as another deputy moved in behind him and directed his attention away from Gerald and Ella.
A moment later he turned back, adjusting his hat low on his brow again. "I'm headed to Olivia Kent's house. They just found Hannah Welch."
Phillip started toward his car as Gerald grabbed his arm to stop him. "He's just moving them from one place to the next."
"Seems that way."
He let Phillip go and then hurried back to Ella's car. "Get in."
"Where are we going? Olivia Kent's house?"
He shook his head as he threw the car into reverse and sped away in the opposite direction. "He's moving these women from one house to the next. Lydia is in Athens."
"How do you know that?"
"He's taking her to Sylvia's house, but Sylvia is here."
"You're scaring me," she said with her voice jumping as she fought to get on her seatbelt.
"It's scaring me too, because the only reason you'd take a replacement back home was if you were going to replace someone, right?"
"You think he's taking Lydia to Sylvia's house, and then planned to kill Sylvia?"
"I think so. But Sylvia isn't there."
"He might turn that all around then."
"Yeah. See, I don't need a badge to figure this out. Phillip should be miles ahead of me, and he's dinking around in town."
"He's doing what he's trained to do."
Gerald picked up speed as he merged onto the highway. "And I'm doing what I'm trained to do—protect my family."
The flash of anger mixed with jealousy flashed across Ella's face. Gerald reached for her hand and squeezed it.
"I'm not in love with Lydia. I'm in love with you, but she’s family."
She nodded. "I know. It's all hard to take. She's my friend, and I don't want anything to happen to her."
"Exactly. We need her back in one piece so she can recover by kicking Phillip's ass since he won't be the one to find her."
Ella chuckled. "How do you know where we're going?"
"I don't. You need to get on the phone to your office and have them look up the records. You guys have that power, right?"
"It could be public record."
"Then it should be easy."
Chapter 25
Ella put in the call to Abe, who was willing to help and came back quickly with the information, but let her know that things in the office were tense in her absence.
"I will call them as soon as we get back to Macon. Right now I have to do this."
"I get it," Abe whispered into the phone. "If this doesn't work out, and you go to another firm, take me with you."
Ella wrote down the address and plugged it into the map app on her phone. They were set with directions.
"You're not going to help Lydia if you get pulled over and arrested for speeding," she warned Gerald as he darted in and out of traffic.
"We have a timeline."
"Don't you think they have police already mobilized?"
He clucked his tongue. "I'm still going to be there."
Ella tried to relax, but she found it hard to do going twenty miles an hour over the speed limit.
What would happen if they didn't get there in time? Or what if he hadn't taken Lydia to Sylvia's house? Serial killers liked to play mind games, and this could be just that kind of game.
She thought about the picture Phillip had shown them of Sylvia. She was a match for Lydia. Had Lydia only been on the radar since she'd gotten the tattoo? And what did the tattoo mean, she wondered as her phone gave the direction to exit the highway.
"What made Lydia hate Phillip so much?" she asked as Gerald rolled through a stop sign.
"I don't know. I never thought much of Phillip myself until the past few years. Perhaps it was because he's the law and I'm not."
"But you're not a trouble maker, so why worry about the law?"
"It just seems to get in our way, as Walkers. Never provoked, but for some reason trouble finds us."
"Is it the same for the Morgans too? I mean, your families were never friendly."
"That changed a lot when it came to light that Eric is a Morgan. Tyson's mom is Eric's mom. And now Tyson is married to a Walker too. Talk about weaving a new web."
Ella remembered hearing all of the gossip surrounding Eric's lineage and many of the run-ins the Walkers had where Phillip was involved. She supposed it was right that she returned to her hometown. The news always followed her, or she'd sought it out. She hadn't wanted to miss anything in Gerald's life, that was obvious.
Ella's phone gave another set of directions toward Sylvia's house. Twenty minutes later they pulled up in front of a small house, shutters falling away from the windows, the grass not green but brown, and paint chipping from the front door.
Police cars and an ambulance clogged the street. Gerald pushed open the car door, leaving the engine running, and ran toward the barricade of yellow tape.
Ella ran aft
er him, but two officers stepped in front of him, blocking his forward motion.
"This is a crime scene. No one goes in," the officer directed with his arms extended.
Ella heard the words, and nausea that rolled through her had her falling to her knees in the street. One of the officers ran to her.
"Let me get you some medical help," he offered.
"I'm fine. I'm fine," she said through tears that had rolled down her cheeks and clogged her throat. "I just need a minute."
Gerald's hand was on her back, and a moment later his arms were wrapped around her as he too knelt on the ground next to her.
Crime scene. The words were accentuated by the gurney that rolled from the front door, a black bag holding what she could only assume was a body.
Now, instead of kneeling, she sat flat on the ground and let the flood of tears loose. There was no reason to assume that the body they had just carried out of the house wasn't that of Lydia Morgan. The man was a killer, and he had taken their friend and disposed of her just as he had the others.
They were too late. They'd wasted too much time. That bastard had killed her.
"It's okay," Gerald whispered in her ear as she felt her body shake and she couldn't stop. "It's okay."
"It's not okay," she wept against him knowing his words were as much an automatic response as her tears, but she knew he didn't even believe them.
Sirens blared behind them and when she looked up another car had sped up, and Phillip jumped from the passenger seat and ran past them into the house.
Gerald stood. "He had to have been right behind us the entire way up here." He moved to one of the officers who had held him back. "I need to know what's going on."
"This is an investigation. You'll hear about it on the news."
Ella watched as his hands balled into fists at his side. Gathering all of her strength, she stood and moved to him now, hoping that her touch would calm him as his had calmed her.
"Gerald, back up. They have to do their job. Phillip will talk to us. Phillip will…"
She stopped. The whole world seemed to stop in that very moment as Phillip slowly stepped out of the house with his arm protectively wrapped around a bloody and beaten Lydia.
Walker Defense Page 11