“That’s great Spence.” G took the computer. “The floor is open for questioning.”
I felt sick, but I had to do this.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Jonah
She disappeared into the office, and moments later, another detective joined them. The blinds that were drawn fluttered occasionally when someone moved, but I couldn’t see inside. I slowly moved my squeaky bucket forward and continued to mop closer to the door. At times, I could hear voices, but they were too muted to make out. I wondered if I could just barge in by “accident” with headphones on so I could look at what they were doing, but I knew it would be risky. Especially after just running into Spencer. No, for now, I’d have to wait. Maybe later tonight I could sneak a peek.
Suddenly, the hairs on my neck stood on end when a voice echoed through the hallways, and I wanted to snap. Instead, I pulled my ball cap down hard and quickly slipped into the empty conference room.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Blake
I was torn as I listened to Spencer answer all the questions the lieutenant and other detectives asked. I knew they wanted her to step away from the case. No one without a badge should be allowed this close to the inside workings of any case. However, G came to her defense several times. I was surprised at that. I would have guessed he’d have wanted her removed. He gave me a side glance, and I knew he’d pull some strings to keep her in the loop as much as possible and most likely without many knowing about it.
The internal battle that raged inside me was wanting both to hold her and take her away from all this, yet wanting her to stand up and fight to help move this case forward in time to save the next person.
Spencer’s eyes went to mine when someone asked her a question.
“Ms. Peters,” the detective repeated, “I know you’ve answered this, but I want to hear it again. How could you not have known you were writing these murders?”
She blinked and slowly moistened her lips. “It’s, ah, the way it works,” she stumbled and cleared her throat. I knew she was tired. You would have thought she was on the witness stand. “He would give me a very general outline of what I needed to do, then each week, he sends me a little more. As you can see,” she pointed to the printouts G had just pulled from her computer moments ago, “he says here, two murders halfway through the book. And if you look at my manuscript and the printed copy of the book, he has gone ahead and changed the order and a few other things. The story is still the same, but how he kills them, where he leaves them, and who, is always changed.”
The detective nodded like he understood what she was saying.
“Look,” she scanned the room at everyone, “let me address the second elephant in the room. I don’t know why he picked me. I don’t know why he’s killing them, but what I do know is that he leaves me clues.” She fiddled with some of the paperwork and grabbed a highlighter. “They are always blonde, have light eyes, a small frame, and they all wear a size seven shoe. He mentioned in book one that he had a nasty breakup, and that the first victim caught his eye while he happened to be walking behind her. That she looked like his ex.” She looked up. “As a writer, that wouldn’t have raised any red flags with me. That’s considered back story and character development. However, now knowing what we know, these character traits fit across the board in all his victims.”
“They look the same.” He nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Any clue on who his ex is?”
“No. She could be real, or she could be fictional. He never elaborated.”
“How would I address the media with that info?” Bill, one of our media officers, cut in.
“I’ll step in here, Bill.” G took a step forward to address the veteran officer. “We are not taking this to anyone. This stays in this room.”
“I’m fine with that, Sarge.” He nodded but squinted at the paperwork. “What else can you tell us, Spencer?”
“He uses a steel rod to kill the victims in the book, and according to the reports, there were metal shards found inside one of the victims.” She held the paper up. “Krysta Black.”
The lieutenant rubbed his face like he was beyond stressed. “Spencer, you can stay on, but you will work from here. Blake, you’re lead on the case.” He addressed me. “Assign someone to watch over her to and from work. I don’t want this thing coming back to bite us in the ass.”
“Will do,” I said and avoided Spencer’s meaningful look. I knew she was nervous of losing her alone time to work.
“Spencer, when the author reaches out to you, you will alert one of us immediately. We will turn on a camera and record it all. We don’t want any mistakes.”
“I understand.” Spencer nodded.
“Good. Let’s get her set up and rolling within the next few hours. And, guys…” He paused. “Not a word to anyone.”
The entire room emptied into the hallway, and everyone dispersed in different directions.
Within thirty minutes, Spencer was set up in an empty conference room with a camera pointed at her computer.
“This will be pointed at your screen and will be on most of the time,” I explained and shifted my eyes up at the corner of the room. “That will be on all the time.” I wanted to warn her in case she said anything about us.
“I feel like a convict behind glass.” She laughed darkly, but I could tell she was far from all right. “On display for everyone.”
“Hey,” I pulled her attention from her growing anxiety, “let’s have dinner tonight. I want to talk to you about a few things.”
“Okay.” Her smile reached her eyes before they fell to my phone screen that lit up next to her.
“Oh, I need to take this.” I quickly exited the room before I answered it. “Hey, Bri, how are you?”
“Good, stranger. I won’t lie, you were the last person I thought I would get a voicemail from.”
I leaned against the wall. She must have caught the heaviness in my voice because her tone changed too.
“So, you want to tell me why you ditched us city folks for the country?”
“Needed a change.”
“You know her death was far from your fault.”
“I know that.” I felt like I got a punch to the stomach whenever I thought of that sweet little face I couldn’t keep safe.
“Well, if it isn’t that, then tell me it wasn’t because of the tramp.”
“No.” I shook my head to clear my ex’s face from my memory. “We have a situation here, and it just became personal.”
“The Whiskey Lake case?”
“Yeah.”
“Huh.” I could hear her interest. “You had me at Whiskey.”
I laughed and already felt my nerves settle. “Okay, meet me at the station, and I’ll get the place lined up for you.”
“Okay, but, Blake?”
“Yeah?”
“You all right?”
“I will be once we get him.” I glanced at Spencer through a slit in the blinds. “See you soon.