She gave me a sympathetic smile. “I’m not sure. I’m so sorry, Mallory. So…how did you learn your name? Were you a total Jane Doe until Liam’s cousin ran your prints?”
“He—the monster who kidnapped me—called me Mallory, and I had one small memory of an older woman calling me that, as well. I think it was my grandmother.”
“This is like a Lifetime movie,” Georgia stated with a still-stunned expression on her face. “I think we should order pizza and stay here, see if we can figure out where you were staying.”
“Pizza sounds good,” I said, placing a hand over my stomach. “Now that we’ve narrowed down the area, it should be easy to find it. At least, I hope it is!”
Liam crouched in front of me and smiled. “We’re getting closer and closer. We found out so much on this trip, Mallory. Don’t give up.”
“What I want to know is, if you aren’t going to the police, how in the world will you find this guy? What if he does this to another woman?” Sheila asked. “I totally understand you’re scared that he or someone he knows might work in law enforcement, Mallory…but wouldn’t you rather turn that fear into strength and stop this madman? It seems to me if you went to the police, they could help more than they’d hurt.”
My stomach roiled, and a wave of nausea hit me as her words sank in. She was right. I’d been letting my fear of that monster keep from doing what I should have done in the first place.
I exhaled a shaky breath. “She’s right. I’ve been so scared that he might find me, I never stopped to think of the next victim.”
Liam’s eyes watered, and I knew he was thinking of Emily.
“We’re pretty sure he’s taken other women…and I need to stop him.Weneed to stop him.”
“What can we do to help?” Georgia asked.
I looked at Liam, then back to Georgia and Sheila. “Say a few prayers we find out who he is before he finds out whereIam.”
They both gave me a soft smile.
“Who feels like taking a drive to find that hotel?”
After driving around the area near the deli, we finally gave up with no luck and took Georgia and Sheila back home since they had taken an Uber to the hotel for drinks. Liam and I said our goodbyes and headed back to the hotel where we both passed out from exhaustion.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Liam
“We’re home, finally,” I said as I placed my suitcase and Mallory’s down in the living room. She walked in and looked around as if she was lost.
“Hey, are you okay?” I asked as I took her hand and led her over to the sofa.
“I can’t stop thinking about what Sheila said. What if he’s taken another woman already—or worse, a young girl? And I’ve just been sitting here hiding out, afraid? I’d never forgive myself, Liam.”
“Don’t do that, Mallory. Don’t beat yourself up. You just weren’t ready to talk to the police.”
She stood and started to pace. “You told me, Randy told me, MaryAnne told me…everyonetold me I should go to the police, and I wouldn’t listen. If someone else is hurt because I was too afraid to face what happened, I’ll hate myself forever.”
“Mallory, take a deep breath, okay? I can call Randy, he’ll come over and take an official statement, report the kidnapping. You don’t have to go anywhere if you’re not ready to go into town.”
“What if he gets into trouble for not reporting it sooner?” she asked.
“First of all, he can’t force you to file a report. And…hedidalert his boss that there was a kidnapping, and that the victim was afraid to report it. They’ve been quietly searching the area where we think you might’ve been held.”
Her eyes went wide. “They have? Has anything been found yet?”
“According to Randy, when I spoke to him yesterday, nothing’s been found so far.”
She exhaled. “I don’t know if it will make a difference, filing a report.”
I shrugged. “If you want, I can call Randy and see if he can come over tonight. Unless you’re tired from traveling.”
“No, I’m not tired at all. I have to do something. I can’t sit here for another minute, but if we could still keep my whereabouts anonymous, that would be great.”
