She shakes her head. “Nope. Even he can’t get into those files, plus, Willow makes sure he stays far away from any current investigations we have going on.”
I feel my hands starting to sweat. Had Willow put two and two together about the possibility of the Rooftop Killer being her stalker? There have been absolutely no sightings of anyone following her anywhere. The prospects have had eyes on her since the word went out, and there’s been nothing. No attempts to break into her apartment — which is like Fort Knox — that right there makes me feel a whole lot better about things. Security is obviously my number one priority when it comes to my wife, but now I seriously have to consider her reaction could’ve been because of the similarities.
“So, what else makes you think this serial killer could also be the same person who’s threatening Willow?” My fury toward Sinclair is skyrocketing. He kept this from the team when in reality if he’d shared it with one of the detectives — like Hally — they would’ve noticed the comparison. It’s easy to blame him, but I was a culprit, too. I realize that.
I’m fucking mad at myself now more than ever. I squashed down every single gut instinct that told me to tell Willow sooner. And that’s on me. I also need to fucking get hold of Willownow.I bring her number up on the phone and it doesn’t ring — it goes straight to voicemail.
Goddamn it.
“Usually, I’d say it really isn’t enough to go on. There are all sorts of whacks out there, Haze, it’s a crazy world we live in,” she says. “But what’s even more crazy is there is a connection with the most recent murder and Willow’s case.”
“What is it?” I ask, redialing my wife and getting no luck. “The fuckin’ suspense is killin’ me.”
“The apartment where the woman lived? It’s Willow’s old address downtown.”
Ice cold runs through my veins. “What the fuck? And Willow knew this?”
“Well, the homicide was only a few days ago, and Willow didn’t go to the apartment because Luke and Carl are leading the investigation. We always have an urgent meeting once we get new information, and another victim. I would find it hard to believe she didn’t know, or didn’t connect the dots by now.”
So, it’s possible Willow knew something and said nothing? If she pieced it together, she would have known before we even had that fight, so this doesn’t make any sense. Is she also keeping things secret? Goddamn her.
“Fuck.”
My phone rings and my heart jolts, but when I glance down at my cell, it’s Rip. “What’s goin’ on?” I bark.
“It’s Willow,” he says. Instantly my blood runs cold. “We lost her.”
“What do you mean you fuckin’ lost her?” I demand. “From Bella’s?”
“She and another girl from class got in her car, and we followed them for a while.”
“Okay, and you lost her because you’re a dipshit?”
“Well, no,” he goes on, my mood plummeting even more. “She started driving erratically, ran a red light, it was seriously nuts. That’s how we lost her. Look, it could be just her mad at us because of you, so probably nothin’ to worry about.”
“You’re fuckin’ useless. Your head is gonna be on a motherfuckin’ platter,” I spit. “Who was the chick?”
“I don’t know,” Rip says, then quickly adds, “but she’s been here before, she had yoga gear on. Audrina was with her?—”
“What does she look like?”
“Blonde ponytail, she always wears a cap. Short. Cute. Unassumin’.”
That doesn’t fill my heart with joy. “Go into the studio and find out who she was. I’ll have Sawyer pull up the video surveillance.”
My heart races. If Willow had taken her own fucking car, I’d have a tracker on her right now. I guess it’s lucky I also slipped one in her purse. Willow doesn’t drive erratically. Ever.
I tell myself, this is nothing. It’s just Willow acting up, trying to lose the boys tailing her, but my gut is shaking its weary head.
“Okay, Haze, look, we’re sorr?—”
I hang up on him, then immediately check my phone for the tracking coordinates.
“What’s going on?” Hally asks.
“Somethin’s goin’ on with Willow. Some chick got into her car and now the prospects have lost her. I’ve got a tracking device in her purse, I’m pullin’ it up now to see where she is.”
“Holy shit.”
