I remained calm for a while, but my thoughts were running nonstop.
“The police have taken some pictures of your car, and the officer from earlier is heading our way,” Nathan informed me, causing me to turn in his arms and see Mr. Morgan stepping in front of us.
“More officers will be arriving shortly, and we’ve called a towing service; all the tires have been damaged, and we want to search the tracks. It’ll take them about a week to get your car back.”
I sighed softly and bit down hard on my lower lip—My poor car... But it needed to be done so we could catch the guy who had damaged it and, of course, who was behind the kidnappings and murders.
“We probably won’t find much, but we’ll try…” His statement gave me no real hope, and his following sentence almost made me furious again.
“Miss Carter, we read your newspaper report; I didn’t expect you to mention the letters. You may have now allowed people to present themselves as copycats. There's a chance you'll receive more letters.”
It took me a moment to let his answer run through my head, and when I realized it, my eyes darkened.
“Are you serious?” My voice started shaking. “What kind of person would write letters just to get attention when the police are looking for him? He’d risk ending up as a suspect for murder if they were caught.”
Mr. Morgan just shrugged his shoulders, his features still emotionless. “Do you have any enemies, Miss Carter?”
“Not that I know of,” I hissed.
“Then it could still be nothing. I’ve checked out all the poems; he’s comparing you to other women.”
Comparing? He wasn’t comparing me; he was describing works of so-called art!
“Well, he left another one.’’
Mr. Morgan shrugged his shoulders again, but I continued, “He seems upset about the article. Besides, he probably has a woman with green eyes—”
“Or he’s upset because you’re with someone,” he interrupted and then pointed at Nathan, which made me shake my head in bewilderment.
“Don’t worry, Miss Carter. We’ll take you seriously, and since your vehicle was damaged, we’ll file a report and check all the video cameras around here. We’ll track this person down.” He paused momentarily and added, “But you should talk to your insurance company.”
“Or maybe you should do your job properly so people stop getting hurt.” A shiver ran down my spine when I heard Nathan’s cold voice. I looked up at him and noticed his jaw was tense, and his eyes flashed angrily.
“Are you trying to tell me how to do my job?” Mr. Morgan also went into offensive behavior.
“Since it looks like you could use some direction. Yes.”
“What’s your name?”
“Nathan Blake.”
Mr. Morgan gave him a disparaging look. “I’ll remember that name. Miss Carter, I’ll give you some papers to sign soon.”
He gestured for me to follow him to the police van, and Nathan let go of me. I walked alongside Mr. Morgan. There, he processed a few forms and took my details.
When he was finished, I signed them, and he reminded me again that he would contact me when I was allowed to have my car back.
I pouted as I took one last look at my car, where several officers stood before it, some taking pictures, others making notes.
I was allowed to take my bag out and left standing there. Confused, scared, and stunned.
“What a shit…”
“Do you need a lift home?” Nathan stood next to me and put his hand on my shoulder. “Although… maybe it would be better if you weren’t alone.”
I didn't want to keep bothering Justin and Amara, and it wasn't like my parents lived close by. I didn't have a lot of options.
“Would… would you stay with me for a while if you took me home?” I asked him shyly.