Tabitha didn’t look comforted.
“Have you been able to trace this Ghillie guy’s profile at all, like with facial recognition programs?” Kyle asked.
“I’ve set things up, but I haven’t had a hit. So, we still have no clue. His phone was in his house. We already know that if it’s him—which is looking more and more likely to me—that the method he’s using to contact us is highly encrypted so he can’t be tracked that way. He’s not using his one credit card, either.”
“His car?” Spencer probed.
Tex had that answer at his fingertips, too. “He doesn’t have one registered under his own name. Which means wherever he is, he either hoofed it, paid cash for a ride, or borrowed a car from a friend.” Tex sighed. “If he has Sheila, my money is on the last one, so I’m chasing down all his drinking buddies andcoworkers to question them. I’m sorry, but that’s all I’ve got so far.”
“It’s more than we had before,” Spencer assured him. “What do you suggest we do about the demand for money?”
“That’s easy. Just in case the perp has you under surveillance, you and Tabitha take the trip to the bank. Bring a large, empty bag, and put on some layers of clothing. When you go in, don’t make any withdrawals. Just waste a little time, then stuff all your extra clothes in the bag to make it appear full, just in case he’s watching. Head back home from there.
“In the meantime, the rest of you cut up enough paper to look like a thousand one-hundred-dollar bills, and you’ll eventually stuff it into the duffel. We’ll talk about your next step once this guy lets us know what he wants us to do.”
Spencer looked at Tabitha, who nodded.
“Thanks, Tex,” she choked out.
She stood up looking determined as she addressed Spencer.
“Let’s go to the bank.”
CHAPTER 28
It wasthe second morning Tabitha had woken up, no closer to having answers. She’d slept fitfully, but having Spencer beside her in bed, wrapping her in his arms where she’d listened to his strong, steady heartbeat, had at least sent her sporadically into slumber.
Right now, she was attempting to nibble on lunch, having skipped breakfast because her stomach was in revolt. It was a constant battle to get anything past her teeth.
Waiting was always hell. She felt that way during a lot of jobs. But the anxiety Tabitha was feeling now was unlike any she’d ever experienced.
She’d been devastated when her parents had been killed, but there had been nothing she could do about it. There’d been no ambiguity inthatsituation. She’d simply had to face the fact of their demise and step up for her sister.
This…
This was something else entirely. All Tabitha could think about was how Sheila would be dealing with whatever situation she was in. Was her trip something she’d done on her own? Something that would help with her autonomy? Or was she under someone’s control. Was she currently freaking out.
When—not if—she was back in Tabitha’s arms, would Sheila have suffered a setback that would cost her the hard-won peace she’d attained, or was her sister looking at whatever was happening to her in a scientific way; a bit detached from reality while focusing on the minutia, as was sometimes the method she used for coping?
Tabitha hoped it was the second…or maybe not.
If Ghillie was behind this debacle, Tabitha recalled that his whole schtick was about intimidation; fomenting insecurities and uncertainty in those around him. If Sheila wasn’t showing the proper amount of fear, he might escalate things.
Damn.Tabitha had to turn off her brain, or she’d make herself nuts.
Spencer’s phone rang, and Tabitha jumped. That’s how on edge she was. The threatening person—they were calling him Ghillie now, regardless—had already called twice this morning, both times just to taunt. She was sure this was going to be more of the same. It was a good thing the calls were being routed through Tex. If they’d been coming directly to her, she would have given the caller what he wanted, alternately begging, then screaming for Sheila’s release.
“Yeah, Tex?” Spencer asked.
When his face brightened, Tabitha felt something akin to hope rise in her chest.
“Okay. I’ll put you on speaker. Play it.”
At Mason’s questioning look, Spencer explained. “It’s not our suspect. It’s a woman in DC. She thinks she saw Sheila. Tex is cuing it up.”
A few seconds later a woman’s voice came over the phone. “Hi. My name is Dana, and I was traveling today from North Carolina to DC. I think I might have seen the woman you’re looking for.”
She sounded tentative, so that wasn’t promising. But still, Tabitha held her breath, hoping something positive came of this. The possibility that the nasty person who’d said he had Sheila was full of shit, buoyed her spirits.
