He stepped inside, carefully closed the door behind him, and dug a flashlight from his pocket. He moved past the toppled table and Ann’s discarded phone. He lifted the phone, saw two missed calls from Bryce McCabe, and then replaced it where he had found it.
If Maura had killed Ann, he did not want Gideon Bailey getting custody of his son. Elijah had established a bank account under a different name, so it would be easy enough for him to disappear with Nate.
Quickly, he walked toward Nate’s bedroom. He moved to the boy’s closet, grabbed the backpack, and then crossed to the dresser and began to fill it with all his clothes. He lifted the copy of Huckleberry Finn from the nightstand and noted the bookmark was nearly at the end. Pride swelled as he laid the book on top of the clothes and zipped the pack closed.
He moved down the hall to Ann’s room. The bed was neatly made. At 1:00 a.m., when Maura had attacked, Ann would have been tired and her reaction time off. She would have been slow to realize Maura was lying and been easier to subdue.
He savored a selfish moment of pleasure, imagining a befuddled and then terrified Ann. She would have realized her mistakes when the Taser had sent electrical shock waves through her body.
However, when he pictured her begging for her son and terrified for his safety, his mood soured. He hoped for Maura’s sake she had not hurt the boy.
He located the two cameras on the bookshelf and tucked them in the bag. No need to connect him to Maura. As he moved to the back door, blue and white lights flashed in the front window. The cops were here faster than he’d anticipated. Had a neighbor seen what had happened? Or had Sergeant McCabe sounded the alarm because Ann had not answered her phone? Regardless, he needed to leave.
Elijah clicked off his flashlight and hurried to the sliding glass door. Carefully, he slid it open. As he stepped outside, the front door opened, and Bryce called out.
He closed the door but stopped short of shutting it all the way, fearing the noise would give him away. He picked up the backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and rushed through the adjoining backyard toward his car.
As he reached the street, he looked back. The lights were on in the house, and he could see Bryce McCabe moving from room to room, searching for two people who were not there. Elijah slipped into the shadows.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Missoula, Montana
Friday, August 27
1:45 a.m.
The instant Bryce arrived at Ann’s house, he hurried past her car and entered her unlocked front door. Immediately, he sensed something did not feel right. He reached for his weapon and called out her name. He stood in the silence and listened to what sounded like a door closing. Rushing to the back of the house, he tried the sliding door and discovered it, too, was not completely closed. Outside, he searched the backyard but saw no traces of movement.
Next came the search of the bedrooms. Nate’s bed was unmade but empty, whereas Ann’s remained untouched. “Damn it,” he muttered. “Where are you, Ann?”
Police car lights flashed in front of the house, and he went outside to meet them. He ordered the other two officers to search the property as well as the yards and properties behind the house.
As they began their search, he called Gideon. “Ann and Nate aren’t here. Do we know where Elijah Weston is?”
“He’s not at his house,” Gideon said.
Anger and worry tangled up in Bryce. “He has the resources to build himself a damn bunker or to hire a plane and take them anywhere he wants,” Gideon said.
“Ann would have had her guard up if Elijah was standing on her doorstep in the middle of the night,” Bryce said. “She’s worried he’ll take Nate away from her. If Judy Monroe is passing herself off as Maura Ralston, Ann would have opened her door to her.”
“Elijah uses her to get close to Ann and land the striking blow,” Gideon said. “She grabs Ann and Nate, and then he meets up with them.”
“If Elijah used Maura slash Judy to take out the other women, he never would have positioned her near Nate,” Gideon said.
“Perhaps it was a calculated risk. Ann dies, and he’s left to raise Nate.”
“If Ann is already dead, then Elijah would feel justified taking the boy.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
Missoula, Montana
Friday, August 27
2:00 a.m.
Ann used her words every day to teach her students and now needed to find the right ones that did not stoke Maura’s temper or challenge her.
“If you’re going to become me, then you should let me teach you a few things,” Ann said.
Maura dragged the blade along Ann’s jawline with enough pressure to incite fear but not draw blood. “What could you teach me? You aren’t that hard to mimic. You’re like everyone else. It’s easy to be anyone.”
“But I am different to Nate and Elijah. They don’t see me as the rest of the world does. And if you want to win them over and become me, you’ll need to know a few things.”
Maura pulled the blade from Ann’s skin, holding the bloodied tip close. “What kind of things?”
“Nate is very smart,” she said.
“Duh. I know that.”
“He has to be kept busy not only physically, but intellectually. He’s already auditing classes at the university.”
“I know that. Do you think I’ve not been paying attention?” Anger and impatience hummed under the words.
“What are his favorite classes?” Ann asked.
“Does it matter? Learning is learning.”
“He has favorites.”
“Like?”
Ann glanced toward the knife but subdued the instinct to flinch. Control over the situation mattered. She needed to buy time.
“Tell me,” Maura insisted as she again pressed the sharp edge into her skin.
“Pull the blade away,” Ann said carefully.
“Why?” Maura demanded.
“It’s hard to think. And if you want my help, I need to think.”
The pressure eased a fraction. “He loves math. And . . .”
“And what?”
“Geology. Nate likes nothing better than to go rock hunting. His dad used to bring him rocks home after his travels.”
Maura snorted. “Clarke was not his real dad.”
“Nate loved Clarke as his father.”
“But anyone can see that his real father is Elijah. Elijah loves that kid. He would do anything for him.”
Maura’s words emphasized the situation’s stark reality. Even if Maura and Elijah were working together, if Ann died here today and Maura took Nate away with Elijah, it would be up to Elijah to protect the boy. She had never thought she would ever trust Elijah with her child, but she now had to.
“It’s what Nate feels that matters. And Elijah understands this. Like me, he doesn’t want to hurt Nate.”
“This is stupid,” Maura growled as she grabbed a handful of Ann’s hair and pulled her head back. “You talk too much.”
Ann’s muscles were regaining mobility. Soon, she would have full use of her arms, and she could strike. What she needed was a distraction to grab Maura’s attention. The element of surprise could capture critical seconds so she could overtake Maura. “Nate likes Cheerios for breakfast. Just a little milk. He’s fussy when it’s too wet or dry.”