A killer was on the loose, and he was sitting around drinking whiskey?
Fury made him clench his jaw as he strode into the crowded bar. Country music rocked the room while the scent of beer and fries permeated the air.
Even with the warning they’d issued to women in the area, a few had come to the cop bar, as if a ruthless serial killer wasn’t out there.
At the bar, Bryce was chowing down on a burger and flirting with a young brunette. Derrick tapped him on the back.
“Sheriff, we need to talk.”
Bryce looked annoyed.
“Where’s Ellie?” Derrick demanded.
At the mention of Ellie’s name, the woman seated next to him rose, carrying her drink to a table with two other women.
“I asked you a question, Sheriff. Where’s Ellie?”
“How should I know? She doesn’t exactly keep in touch or follow orders.”
“I got a message from her after she found the latest victim. She said she was coming back to Stony Gap to confront you.”
Bryce shoved his food away. “Confront me? Hell, I’m going to fire her ass for letting McClain out of jail against my orders.”
“Don’t fucking lie to me, Waters,” said Derrick, gripping his arm. “If you did something to Ellie, then you’d better fess up.”
“What does that mean? If I did something to Ellie?”
Derrick hated to play all his cards, but every minute counted. “She left me a message saying she liked you for the crimes. If you’re the Weekday Killer, saving Ellie and the deputy will go toward leniency.”
“Shit. You’re serious, aren’t you?” Bryce said, dropping his glass down so hard that beer sloshed over the sides.
“Dead serious,” Derrick said. “The last thing she told me was that she was going to talk to you and now she’s not answering her phone.”
Outrage darkened Bryce’s eyes. “That’s absurd. I’m going to call your superior and tell him––”
“Tell him what? That Ellie suspected you for some reason? That you were drinking on the job while the rest of us were hunting for a serial killer? That you had a vendetta against the deputy and Ellie because you have an aversion to strong women?”
“You’re way off base, Agent Fox. Way off.”
“Then prove it.”
“I don’t have to prove anything to you.”
“The hell you don’t. Either come with me or I’m going to arrest you.”
“You’ll be sorry you said that,” Bryce said.
“Come with me now or I’ll handcuff you right here in front of everyone in this bar you like so much.”
Bryce spit out another curse word, then tossed some cash on the bar and stood. He peeled Derrick’s fingers from around his arm and led the way back outside.
“Give me your weapon,” Derrick ordered when they reached the car.
“You’ll regret this,” Bryce snarled. But he lifted his service revolver, handing it over.
After checking the safety, Derrick gestured for Bryce to get in his car.
“Where are we going?” the sheriff snapped.
“To the hospital. Kennedy Sledge woke up.”
One Hundred Twenty-Nine
Bluff County Hospital
Derrick led the way into the hospital, a steaming Bryce by his side. On the way over, he’d asked the sheriff about the tension between him and Ellie, but Bryce had told him it was none of his business. Derrick had furtively recorded his voice to play to Kennedy Sledge, in case she could identify him.
As his mind churned over everything, Derrick thought about Ellie.
She’d damn well better be alive.
The doctor met them at Kennedy Sledge’s room. Another young woman, who looked so much like Kennedy that she had to be her sister, sat beside the bed, stroking Kennedy’s hand.
“How is she?” Derrick asked.
“Physically she’s going to be fine,” replied the doctor. “But she’s suffered severe emotional trauma.”
“Did she tell you what happened?”
The doctor shook her head. “Just that she was abducted, and she asked me to call the police.” Derrick started forward, but the doctor touched his arm. “Be gentle, Agent Fox. Try not to upset her or push her. Let her talk in her own time.”
Time was one thing they didn’t have.
“The sheriff will stay here with you.” He gestured to the guard they’d stationed at her door. There was no way he was taking him in if there was a chance that he was the abductor. “Don’t go anywhere.”
Bryce gave him a venomous look but leaned against the doorjamb as Derrick entered the room. At the sound of his footsteps, Kennedy opened her eyes, turning her head toward him.
Not wanting to frighten her, he approached slowly, stopping a few inches from her bedside and showing her his credentials.
“My name is Agent Derrick Fox. You’re Kennedy Sledge, right?”
Light brown hair framed her oval face, and her pale, bruised features grew pinched. Then she gave a little nod.
The woman beside her looked up at him with imploring eyes then introduced herself as Lara, Kennedy’s sister. “She’s been through a lot, Agent Fox.”
“I know, and I truly am sorry. But the man who hurt her may be holding at least one other woman now.”
“It’s okay,” Kennedy told her sister gently. “I need to do this. Why don’t you go get some coffee?”
“Are you sure?” her sister asked, looking skeptical.
“Yes.” Kennedy squeezed her sister’s hand. “I’ll be fine.”
Lara fidgeted with her purse and stood, but Derrick read the silent warning in her eyes. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she said before disappearing out the door.
“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” Derrick said, again. “Do you feel like talking?”
She squeezed her eyes shut for a second, then opened them and took a breath. “No, but I need to. I know you’re looking for the man who abducted me.”
Derrick nodded. “What can you tell me about him?”
“He… was sick. He took other women and killed one each day,” she said in a raw whisper. “He kept repeating this rhyme about Monday’s child…”
“We believe that after he took you, he hacked into your files and your group therapy forum, and then used another woman to pose as you. She took on new clients.”
Kennedy gasped. “And since I’m a solo practice, no one realized someone took over my office.”
“That’s how he chose his victims,” Derrick finished, hating the pain on her face. “He even changed the photograph of you and set up a fake profile for the impostor.”
Everything looked professional enough to fool even Ellie.
Her eyes widened in horror. “I can’t believe a woman helped him. Although…”
“Although what?”
“I knew there were other women there. I never saw them, but I heard them crying.”
“Do you recall when he first abducted you? What day it was?”
“What day is it today?”
Derrick glanced at his watch. Twelve thirty a.m. “Technically Sunday.”