Matthew was already typing, his expression sharp. “I’m pulling records now. Real name is Crystal Smith. Addresses. Employment history. Any sealed reports tied to the recovery.”
“She didn’t do this alone,” Ranger said. “Not with this level of coordination.”
“No,” Duke agreed. “She learned how the system failed her, but someone else is helping her exploit it.”
“What about that tour stop we talked about adding?” Andi asked.
“Rupert is working on it,” Mariella said.
“It’s our only play right now,” Andi said.
“She’s right,” Duke nodded. “We need to disrupt this guy and force him to adapt.”
“Mistakes happen when people adapt under pressure,” Andi added.
Mariella drew in a slow breath. “You think he’ll take the bait?”
Duke’s jaw tightened. “I think he won’t be able to help himself.”
The team exchanged looks—fear, determination, resolve weaving together.
They finally had a face.
A motive.
And now, a plan.
Duke scanned them all, then let his gaze settle briefly on Andi.
For the first time in a long while, the balance had shifted.
And whoever had been watching them so carefully?
Was about to realize they weren’t as invisible as they thought.
CHAPTER
FIFTY-SIX
Andi had barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, pieces slid back into place—dates, articles, fragments of stories she’d skimmed years ago without knowing what they would one day mean. Her discovery had ignited something in her mind that refused to dim, and sometime after three in the morning, she gave up pretending rest would come.
She opened her laptop again.
By dawn, she had more.
The original woman—the one who’d vanished six months ago—had lived alone. No signs of forced entry. No struggle. According to a single line buried deep in a police summary, her front door had been found cracked open.
Andi stared at the words, her chest tightening.
The same detail. Over and over again.
Different cities. Different women. Same staging.
It was as if the killer wanted the scene to suggest hesitation. Choice. A woman stepping away from her life on her own.
The realization settled deep, heavy and cold—and clarifying all at once.
