Page 76 of The Hanging Dolls
“It’s okay,” she said softly, taking out her badge. “I’m Detective Taylor from the Chicago PD. You’re safe now.”
And Zoe did feel safe. She glanced at the revolting man who had tried to hurt her. He had already hurt someone else. That much blood on his shirt couldn’t have been his own if he was still able to walk around and attack her. But this woman had saved her. She had done something incredible, monumental, and she had probably done it so many times that she didn’t even realize the enormity of it.
Zoe stared at her in awe. And right then and there, she found her way to the truth. She knew what to do.
Zoe had driven like a maniac. It had taken her five hours. She wasn’t distracted by the scenic views of the Olympic National Park when driving on the 101 South or flustered by the traffic on WA-305. She had zipped through the unfamiliar roads in a frenzy, her blood pressure hovering at an all-time high.
She parked haphazardly and marched into the FBI’s Seattle office, past some familiar faces who tried greeting her and were surprised at her attitude. Zoe was rarely in a bad mood. She made it a point to smile, to joke like she had stepped straight out of a romantic comedy.
But today she wore her rage like a badge.
She climbed the stairs and found Simon in a conference room with one of the assistant directors. Two suited men engaged in a somber discussion with thick stacks of paper in front of them. Her hands fisted around the printouts she was carrying, and she burst into the room.
“Zoe!” Simon’s eyes widened in shock and he stammered for an introduction. “You know Campbell from counterintelligence. This is Special Agent Zoe Storm.”
“Of course I know her!” The stocky man shook Zoe’s sweaty hand but didn’t seem to mind. “She sends my family chocolates every Christmas.”
“Sorry, but do you mind if I have a moment with Simon?” Zoe asked Campbell nicely. “It’s an emergency.”
“Sure, no problem.” He stood up with his hands in the air. “I gotta take a leak and then a smoke.”
Once he left the room, Simon watched her like she had grown two heads. “What’s going on? How’s Wesley?”
“I need tech support.”
He rolled his eyes. “We’ve been over this, Z. You know my hands are tied?—”
She shoved the papers in his chest. “Ineedtech support, Simon. Read this and tell me you can’t help.”
Simon sighed in exasperation but once he began reading the printouts of all the posts made by John Doe that Zoe that consolidated, the color drained from his face. His nostrils flared and a muscle in his jaw ticked. “I see.”
“Campbell is here. He likes me. He’s counterintelligence. Convince him to loan you more resources or?—”
“The guys will work overtime on this tonight,” Simon said, his tone flipping suddenly from annoyed to purposeful. “You’re looking for an IP address, I’m assuming?”
“Y-yes.” Zoe crossed her arms, suddenly unsure of what to do. She had been preparing to make a whole speech and threatening to quit if needed. “I’ll send you the information. That’s it? You just agreed?”
He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth. “Is that how little you think of me? That I won’t help with something like this?”
For a moment, Zoe was catapulted back to her time at the academy. The first time she felt a little tug for Simon in her chest. He had given a passionate lecture on a case he had recently solved. She saw that same passion and fury now, not a man whose hands were tied by paperwork and corporate red tape.
“Thank you. I should head back.” The energy simmering inside her was finally settling down. “Can you get back in forty-eight hours?”
“I promise.”
She turned to leave and hesitated. A meandering thought suddenly crystallized. “Can you do me another favor? A personal one?”
“Depends on what it is.” His eyes narrowed.
“There’s no time limit on this. Can you look into the name Keith Gordon? He owns a bar in Harborwood.”
“Sure. Why?”
“A favor for a friend.” She gave a noncommittal shrug and walked away, her stomach in knots.
Scott reread Zoe’s message.
Z: Have a lead on creep who has been posting things about victims online. FBI is helping find the IP address.
