“What the hell happened to you?” Parker said at the same time I asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m good. I can’t talk for long, there's somewhere I need to be.” He said as he started the car.
“Charles texted me again. He knows I’m with Parker.”
“And he knows I’m in Miami snooping around.”
Danny’s voice was casual, as if he were telling us about the lunch special for this afternoon.
“It sounds like you already know this, man. So why are we just hearing about it?” Parker was right. It sounded like Danny wasn’t surprised at all by this information.
“We already knew this guy had someone on the inside in the PD. It was only a matter of time before they put two and two together. The only other person that visited Evelyn in the hospital was you, and since someone tried to knife me in an alleyway, I have to assume he knows you’re not with me.”
Catching Parker’s eye, I shrug my shoulders in response. I couldn’t argue with that logic.
“Listen—he got someone to attack me last night because I’m getting close. I’ve been here for weeks now, that’s the only explanation I can think of. I’ve been following a few missing persons cases around the area where Charles works andpresumably lives. They all have something in common. There are inconsistencies in every case, so local PDs won’t label him a serial killer, but I see what they're missing.”
“What is it?” Parker seemed like he was at the end of his patience. His shoulders were tense, and his hands were balled up in fists.
“They all look like Celeste.”
He built an entire new life, and still he searched for her. He still chose violence.
When would he let us go?
One week. One week, I envisioned a different kind of future. I took the first steps out of the darkness that I was in. That was all the time it took for things to come crumbling down.
If Charles knew who Parker was, then it wasn't a matter of whether he was on his way here. It was a matter of when.
Now Parker was on his radar, and he would hurt him to get to me. He made it pretty clear back in New York that he was willing to harm the people around me.
My hands shook as I reached for the water bottle in my purse.
Parker reached for my hands and took the bottle, uncapping it before handing it back to me. Worry lined his face as he watched me.
“So you’re looking for evidence to connect him to their missing persons? You’re building a case.”
“That’s right. Everything I’ve found so far has exposed a network of shady police officers, judges, and other government officials. Charles has a connection to someone on the inside, whoever that is, they’re using their power to make things go away. Tampering with evidence, leaving details out of reports, and missing witnesses—all these women have gone missing from the same club strip, yet all the cases have gone cold for some reason.
“This is bigger than both of us thought, brother,” he said, dragging his hand down his beard.
“So much bigger. I need you to stay strapped and vigilant. He’s on his way there if he isn’t there already. If he’s taunting you, then he’s getting ready to make a move.”
“Thank you for being so committed to this case. Please take care of yourself.”
Parker switched the call from video and put the phone to his ear as he walked to the opposite end of my office.
I sat on the couch watching as he spoke to his best friend in a low whisper. Once he hung up, he came back to the couch and pulled me to him.
“I’m sorry you missed your big presentation. I know you were looking forward to sharing your ideas.”
He pushed a curl behind my ear, and I leaned closer to him.
“I knew the quiet wouldn’t last for long. I shouldn’t have gotten so comfortable.”
Pushing my chin up so I could meet his gaze, “You’re not alone in this. We’re going to tighten security—you might have to have two shadows now, Leon and William, but you’re going to be protected.”
“What about you, Parker? He’s going to use you to hurt me.” I pushed up from the couch and walked behind my desk, fiddling with the paperweight, feeling too vulnerable to be close to him.
