“We did. That’s why we assigned an unmarked car to tail her for two weeks in an attempt to catch this perp, should he try again. We think that maybe the guy has moved on, or maybe he got scared off by the unit we had watching her and decided kidnapping her might not be as easy as he thought.”
We could only be so lucky. “You think he changed his mind.”
“We don’t know what to think.” Morrison cleared his throat. “The perp has a type, and she fits the pattern, but so do a lot of other women who didn’t have police protection.”
This was worse than I thought. Somehow, she’d gotten on the radar of a stalker that was kidnapping and probably killing his victims.
“Any ransom calls on the other women?”
“There was a ransom demand on the second victim, but the call was traced to some college boys. They had an air-tight alibi and couldn’t have been the ones to take her.”
“What was their alibi?”
Drunk as fleas trapped in a keg of beer.“They’d all been picked up on a drunk and disorderly and were sobering up in a cell. That’s how they knew about the abduction. They’d overheard a couple cops discussing the details, and they thought it would be an easy score.”
Idiots. “You got any other leads?”
“Not besides the suspect’s type. We haven’t found anything to link all those women together.”
“Can I get a copy of the files?”
“Sure, we could use a fresh pair of eyes on this case. Especially if it helps catch this scumbag.”
“Stella is like family. I’ll help in any way I can.” Anger in my gut simmered to a boil, mixing with worry about Stella’s safety. Maybe Grant was right. I should talk her into leaving town so I could figure this out. Convincing her it was in her best interest wouldn’t be easy.
“I’ll get some copies made and have the files delivered to your hotel room. Where are you staying?”
“I’m staying at Ms. Michaels’ for the time being.”
“No problem. I’ll have them delivered in the next couple of hours.”
I left the Clayton Police Department rubbing at the headache forming at my temples. I was going to have to keep my head in the game and be quicker at shielding thoughts when in public. I’d learned that nifty trick early on to keep my sister and brothers’ thoughts from giving me migraines.
In my profession, that skill saved me from places where despair lurked in everyone wearing handcuffs.
The drive back to Stella’s was quick. The curtains were closed in the room where she’d been painting earlier.
I pulled out my phone and dialed Grant’s number.
“What did you find?” Grant said by way of hello.
“Nothing good,” I said with a sigh. “Fingerprints on her door came back to three other cases of kidnapped women that look like her.”
“Are you kidding me?” Grant growled. “Tell her I’ll send the jet to get her. She needs to come home. I can protect her here.”
I cleared my throat and rubbed at the bridge of my nose. “You know that won’t go over well. Listen, I’ll stay in town and work the case from here, and after her gallery exhibit, then I’ll bring her to you even if she’s kicking and screaming.”
“Not a minute later, and you’ll keep me posted on what you find out?” Grant asked.
“Of course,” I answered. “So how are things on the home front?”
“You’re an asshole. Campbell told me everything, including how Jenny was paying him to keep quiet.”
“I’m sorry for that, Grant. Truly I am, but you deserved to know even if it wasn’t from me.”
“We had a heated argument, and I called off the engagement. I guess it’s a good thing she never moved completely out of her apartment.”
“I’m sorry, Grant. I know you’re ready to settle down and be happy.” He’d jumped into the relationship, and somewhere deep down, he knew he was running from what he wanted. We were both alike in that respect.
