Page 53 of The Hanging Dolls
“He showed classic signs of deception. He’s hiding something. Check with the bank and see if they’re willing to cooperate and share KYC records. If not, then we’ll have to get a court order.” He opened the back door of the car, retrieved the umbrella and handed it to Zoe.
“Thanks.” She bit her lip.
“Why don’t you head to the station? I have an errand to run.”
“Errand?”
He tried to maintain his composure. “Between you and me, this case has been hard on Chief Hunter. He’s already been under a lot of pressure from Mayor Hicks and I think his teenage son has been playing up. I want to offer an ear.”
“Yeah. Of course. You take the car. I’ll call a cab.”
Zoe watched his car race away and cast her eyes on the lush, wet greenery surrounding her, the tip of a snow-capped mountain visible in the sky. Her chest tightened, thinking about the scars this case would leave on Harborwood.
When darkness falls…
Zoe went over and over the words, almost willing the letters to rearrange themselves to reveal a clue or the killer’s identity. There was an end to this. Three ropes, three nooses, and three victims. Why three? Whythem?
She clasped her fingers in front of her, stretching out each clue and potential lead in her mind.
The court order to obtain the list of children enrolled in the school system had come through. She was looking for girls under the age of twelve, assuming that the killer would continue his pattern of targeting prepubescent girls.
There were 475 girls under the age of twelve in Harborwood. Apart from the names Helena and Maia having something to do with light, Zoe had no idea how many other names meantlightor anything to do with light. She let out a growl and sat back on her chair. An ache began hammering at the side of her head, like a woodpecker.
Terri, a patrol officer, poked her head in. “There’s someone to see you, Agent Storm.”
Zoe followed her outside to find a tall, strapping woman with short hair and a power suit standing with her arms crossed. She recognized her from the billboards around the town.
“Regina Warner.”
“Agent Storm.” Regina gave her camera-ready smile, her pearly white teeth gleaming. “It’s good to finally meet you. Chief Hunter has told me good things about you.”
“Thanks.” She shook her hand.
Regina’s eyes did a full sweep of her. And Zoe couldn’t tell if she was being judged or sniffed. It was a thin line. “I know you have been updating Mayor Hicks on your progress. But I wanted to personally ask how everything’s going.”
“Two girls are dead, Ms. Warner. It’s not looking good.”
“Of course.” Her eyebrows dipped. “I have suggested to Mayor Hicks that he should impose a curfew and dispatch more police to the schools.”
“I can’t say that’s not unreasonable considering what’s going on.”
“Well, that’s if he agrees to it.” She rolled her eyes. “Do you have any solid leads?”
“We can’t discuss that with anyone.”
“Fair enough. What kind of sick bastard does this to children and leaves cryptic messages and empty nooses?” She shuddered. “Makes me sick to my stomach. I hope you catch him. And if there’s anything I can do to help then please let me know.”
“I will. Thanks.”
Regina turned around and walked away, her heels clanging on the floor and echoing in the empty hallway.
Something Regina had said snagged in her brain. How did she know about the messages and the ropes? As far as Zoe was aware, that information hadn’t been made public.
When she turned, she almost walked into a wall. It was Scott. “Was that Regina Warner?” he asked, looking over her head.
“How does she know details about the crime scene? Like the nooses and all?” She asked, hitching her thumb in Regina’s direction.
He shrugged. “It’s a small town, Zoe. Uniform, rangers, they’re probably discussing this case with their friends and family.”
