“Yes, I wasn’t home.”
“Did they take anything else?”
“Not that I could tell.”
“Did you contact the police?”
“No.”
“You’re not safe at home. Where will you be staying?”
“At Dakota’s.”
“Good. If you two don’t stay ahead of the police, Dakota will end up in jail. Maybe both of you.”
“We’re doing our best,” Dakota replied. “It’s hard to find someone who’s doing one helluva job staying hidden.”
“Dakota, I have something to discuss,” Luther said. “Call me back.” The line went dead and Providence headed for the door.
“Where are you going?”
“To make my bed so you can have your top-secret call.” Her phone rang. “It’s Stryker.” She tapped the speaker button. “Hey,” she answered. “Dakota’s with me.”
“A Detective Beeker stopped by the club last night with a warrant for rope,” Stryker said.
“Dammit,” Dakota bit out.
“I had to give him a bundle of black hemp,” Stryker said. “Sorry, guys.”
“Not your fault,” Providence replied.
“Making any headway?” Stryker asked.
“No,” Providence replied. “You?”
“Not yet,” Stryker said. “I’ll keep you posted.” He hung up.
“I’m failing you,” Providence said.
“Hey, don’t go there. We’re doing our best.”
She painted on a smile. “Let me know when it’s safe to come back in.” She shut the door behind her.
Dakota called Luther.
“We’ve located the Midnight Raper,” Luther said. “Local law enforcement has spoken to him, which means he’s getting ready to run again. As much as I want you and your team to carry out this assignment, you need to stay focused on your own case.”
“I can do it. Isn’t he the one who’s been arrested twice?”
“Three times,” Luther replied.
“Refresh me.”
“The assaults started over twenty years ago when he was a college student in Florida. He started helping coeds with their computer problems. He got to know them, then he targeted them, and assaulted them. Over the past two decades, he’s lived in more than thirty college towns. We estimate he’s assaulted over two hundred women. He rents a home and sets up his home-based computer repair business. It’s legit and he makes a good profit. But the business is a front so he can meet college girls. He gets their home address and phone number. His M.O. is always the same. He strikes right around midnight. After the authorities question him, he takes off, only to reemerge in a different college town under a new alias. He’s been arrested three times. Twice, he was released on bond and vanished. The third time, bond wasn’t set, but he managed to escape. His DNA is linked to over seventy-five women. Law enforcement is close to making another arrest.”
“I need to stop him before he vanishes.”
“You sure you want to do this?”
