“The fourth victim from the original murders,” she murmured. “He’s the only one who didn’t live in Mercy.”
“Is that important?”
“I don’t know.” Olivia frowned. “Maybe. I mean, I’m no cop, but I guess it could mean that the victims weren’t preselected by the killer. It could have just been a crime of opportunity.”
“What are you thinking?” He watched her closely.
“I was just wondering…” She trailed off.
“Wondering what?”
“He lived with his mother, and it gives their address.” She looked up at Theo. “I was just wondering if she still lives there.”
“You want to go and speak with her?”
“Yes, I do.” Olivia turned her attention to Theo. “Whoever sent me this file went out of their way to make sure I had this information without the cops knowing, and they seem to be very insistent that I look at this victim in particular. He’s the odd one out, and he’s important somehow. I just know it.”
“Olivia.” Theo frowned. “It could just as easily be some kind of trap. Have you thought that maybe this was the file that was stolen from Wallace Grady’s house?”
“Yes, I have,” she admitted. “It seems the most likely explanation at this point.”
“Then have you also considered that the pale-haired man working with your father was the one who probably sent you the file? It looks as if he’s the one who stole it. I’m sorry, but I just don’t trust his motives.”
“You might be right, but I have to know the truth. I can’t ignore it any longer.”
He studied her face for a moment before nodding grudgingly. “Alright, but you’re not going alone.”
“I didn’t intend to.” She stood and wandered back in the direction of the kitchen toward the laundry room.
Theo followed her. “You should call Jake.”
“I will.” She re-emerged from the laundry room with a clean pair of socks and grabbed her sneakers.
“You will?”
“Yes, of course.” She shrugged as she sat down and slipped her socks and sneakers on. “Just not yet.”
“Olivia.” Theo’s voice held a note of warning.
“Theo, I’ve caused him enough trouble, and his work’s become a nightmare because of Chief Walcott’s fixation on me. It will be too difficult for him to slip out unnoticed to speak with Mrs. Talbot. The second Walcott figures out we want to speak with James Talbot’s mother, he’ll know we have access to the original case files. It will raise too many questions and make me look guiltier than I already do. I also wouldn’t put it past the chief to suspend Jake, and right now we need him on the inside.”
“Alright,” he conceded to her reasoning, although he didn’t seem happy. “But how are we going to slip out unseen? In case you hadn’t noticed, you now seem to have a permanent police shadow sitting at the end of your drive.”
“Theo, go look in the top drawer of the left-hand cabinet in the kitchen and get me two bandages.”
Curiously he did as she asked while she pulled her phone out of her pocket and called for a cab.
“What are you up to?” He handed her the bandages.
“Like you said, we need to lose that tail. The second I drive out of here, they’ll be all over us, and the roads just aren’t busy enough to shake them off.” She pulled off one of her sneakers and began to wrap her ankle, making it look twice as big as it actually was. “When the cab turns up, I need you to carry me out to it. With any luck, the cops will see you do it and follow us to the hospital. We can lose them there.”
She looked up at him, holding out her hand so he could help her to her feet. Hobbling back into the library, she picked up the file and her spare sneaker and shoved them down into her backpack while Theo retrieved their jackets.
Theo waited out on the front porch for the cab and Olivia was grateful for a moment to herself. She had a heaviness in her chest, accompanied by an uncomfortable feeling she was about to find out something she really didn’t want to know, and not for the first time she cursed herself for ever having come back to Mercy. Unfortunately, there was no way out now; she didn’t have the luxury of running away this time. She had to see it through, even if it did mean finding out her father was a serial killer.
She wasn’t safe, she knew that much, and if the police weren’t going to do their job and find out what really happened, she would have to do it herself. Thank God she had Jake and Theo.
She was startled out of her reverie by her phone ringing. Pulling it out of her pocket, she glanced down at the screen and frowned. It was Mags calling again. She’d have to talk to her sooner or later, but the fact was, she didn’t want her getting caught up in this mess. There was no way she was going to put her in danger.
