Finally, Emmer tore his attention from Josie to answer Noah with a long-suffering sigh. “I’m not proud of it but yes, I know where he lives. I may have driven past his building, but I know nothing about his wife or daughter.”
“How about Maxine and Haven Barnes?” said Josie. “Do you know them?”
“Who?”
Noah took his phone from his pocket and pulled up photos of the mother and daughter. “Maxine is on the right. That’s her daughter, Haven, on the left. Recognize them?”
Emmer stared at the photo entirely too long, as if he was trying to come up with a correct answer, rather than a truthful one. Then he shook his head again. “No. No, I don’t.”
Noah removed a business card from his pocket and set it onto the table. “Do me a favor and check your calendar for those dates we mentioned. Let us know where you were.”
“Right.” Emmer cleared his throat before leading them back toward the door. As they stepped onto the sidewalk, he called, “Detective Quinn.”
Josie paused. She felt Noah’s hand at her lower back.
Emmer stepped closer and held outThe Language of Flowers. “Would you like to borrow it?”
She hesitated for a few seconds before forcing a smile onto her face. “You don’t mind lending out a first edition?”
He shrugged before pressing the book into her hands. “Like I said, it’s not that valuable but you might find it interesting.”
“Thanks,” she said. The word was barely out of her mouth before Noah’s warm palm pressed more firmly against her lower back, pushing her toward his SUV.
Once inside, he said, “I see Professor Library Card didn’t waste any time making you his new potential obsession.”
Josie laughed. She’d dealt with her share of Dustin Emmers throughout her career. “I can handle him.”
“I know,” Noah said. “Too bad he didn’t gift you the book. We could get his DNA from it, get the lab to develop a profile. If Hummel gets anything from the crime scenes, we’d have it on hand to compare.”
“I’m not sure it would meet the criteria of an abandoned item,” Josie said.
In Pennsylvania, police could take DNA samples from items without a warrant or consent if a person gave up possession and control of the item and had no expectation of privacy. That meant things like discarded coffee cups, water bottles, or cigarettes. A gift was trickier. While they could make the case that it fit the definition of an abandoned item, a good defense attorney could still make sure it was deemed inadmissible at trial.
“True,” Noah conceded.
Josie popped open the glove compartment and slid the book carefully inside. “That’s okay. I bet if I drive all the way back here to return this book to the professor, I could convince him to voluntarily give us a DNA sample.”
TWENTY-SIX
As the hours wore on, she tried desperately to stay awake, to be vigilant and ready for whatever was to come, but it was no use. With her back against the stone wall, she drifted into an uneasy sleep. At some point, her mother settled next to her, pulling her into a warm embrace. Nightmares assailed her overworked brain, one after the other. Each one featured some variation of him hurting her, hurting her mother, ruining their lives. Even the gentle flutter of her mother’s fingertips through her hair couldn’t vanquish them.
The sound of the door creaking open woke her. Instantly, her mother’s arms tightened around her. It was almost painful and it made her wonder who was clinging to whom. Together, they watched as he stomped down the steps, his face a storm cloud, and his arms filled with provisions. He tossed them at their feet.
“Blankets, bottles of water, snacks.”
“You can’t just keep us in here,” said her mother.
“I can do whatever I want.” He looked pointedly at her, causing a shiver to run the length of her. If her mother noticed, she gave no indication.
“But we—” her mother started.
His voice boomed through the space, bouncing off the walls and hurting her ears. “You’re not going anywhere! Not after the way you ran from me. If you want to leave this room, you need to earn my trust again. I’ll think of some ways you can both do that and we’ll talk about it later. For now, keep your mouths shut and your asses parked right here.”
“It’s not going to work,” her mother called after him as he strode toward the door. “He’s going to find us, and when he does?—”
He spun around and the sinister smile on his face silenced her mother immediately. “He’ll do nothing because he’s useless. Always has been. I have my ways of making him pay, too. By the time I’m finished with him, he’ll wish he was dead.”
Just like her and her mother.
