Page 34 of The Hanging Dolls
“He didn’t hear anything?” Aiden’s eyes narrowed at the man.
“The storm was well underway and it was way past Tara’s bedtime. He went to check on her to see if the sound of thunder had woken her up and that’s when he realized she was missing and the window was open.”
Zoe’s jaw clenched, her mind racing. “She must have been taken while she was asleep. This can’t be a coincidence. She’s almost the same age as Lily. Did they know each other?”
Hicks rounded on her. “What have you been doing since you got here? I thought the FBI knew what they were doing!”
“Mayor Hicks, why don’t you worry about your elections and let us worry about saving a kid’s life?” she spat, instantly regretting it.
Hicks’s smile was almost cruel. “You don’t have an entire town relying on you, Special Agent Storm. Being politically correct is a luxury only those without power can afford.”
“Cut it!”
Their heads turned to Travis, his muddy boots squelching as he crossed the distance, leaving a trail behind. “Screw this rain. Now’s not the time.”
Zoe nodded, unflinching despite the pressure in his voice. “The CSU needs to head to Tara’s home.”
Scott stepped in. “I called but they can’t come in until tomorrow morning because of the storm. There are two patrol officers guarding the scene to ensure there is no contamination.”
“The storm’s going to wash away any tire tracks…” Zoe cursed.
Hicks scowled but didn’t push further, instead turning to one of the officers. “Make sure the media gets the right story on this. No need for any unnecessary details.”
Zoe ignored the mayor, but the thought of waiting until tomorrow morning seemed like an eternity. She grabbed a flashlight from the supply rack, her mind already mapping out the search. “I can’t sit here. I’m heading out to her place. I’ll coordinate with the units already there.”
“You two go ahead. I’ll speak to the father and see if I can get anything out of him,” Aiden said.
Scott nodded, grabbing his own gear.
As they moved toward the door, Hicks’s voice followed them, dripping with desperation. “Find her. And make sure this doesn’t turn into another disaster.”
Zoe didn’t look back as she pushed the door open and stepped out into the storm. The rain hammered down relentlessly as she and Scott jogged toward their cars. A realization crossed her mind—Tara meant ‘star’ in Sanskrit.
Their killer had succeeded in stealing a star. And they were unable to stop him.
NINETEEN
Zoe didn’t like unknowns. But her whole life was cluttered with questions. The wipers made a squeaking sound against the windshield. Fat drops of water fell on the car like bullets. There was no lightning or thunder; just a downpour in this pitch-black darkness that was making her skin crawl. It reminded her of those stormy nights she spent in tents, sleeping next to that man when she was undercover. How she would stay up all night because she was so afraidhewould wake up and touch her. How remote she felt from her regular life. He was of a medium build and no muscles. She was stronger and trained. But at nights he felt large, his presence looming. It was when he talked that she realized how dangerous he was, how he weaved magic with his words, and how often she had found herself on a slippery slope.
So she would just stare at the sky outside and wait for the black to turn golden.
“Still not used to the wilderness, huh?” Scott said from the passenger seat.
She knew he was making small talk to distract himself. “I was undercover, part of this man’s… cult for almost two years,” she recalled, her voice barely a whisper. “He was a sick man who hada fetish for impregnating women, and then have them and the kids basically work like slaves for his empire.”
Scott’s eyebrows dipped. “Did he…?”
“No, not with me. He tried at the beginning but I drugged his nighttime tea.”
“What happened to him? Is he in jail?” he asked, hopeful.
She shuddered. “He’s dead.”
“Dead?”
The car went over a pothole, spraying arcs of water on either side.
“He allegedly committed suicide.”
