Page 95 of Last Seen
“Your sister.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
“Whoa whoa whoa. What?” Halley is dumbfounded.
“There were drops of your sister’s blood on both bodies. I’ve already told Brockton to have all the blood at the scene tested. And put into CODIS immediately.”
Good luck with that.
“So wait a sec. You’re telling me my sister murdered these women?”
“I didn’t say that. But the match is to your mother’s crime scene. Catriona’s blood was in the system, and CODIS popped a hit. There were several, in fact. Multistate hits.”
“Several murders? In addition to my mother’s? More than the three new ones that we know of?”
“Yes. It seems to be the signature of this killer. You know the limitations of the databases better than most. Without knowing what to look for, it’s hard to tie a bunch of extraneous cases together. Now that we have this, yes. The databases are talking.”
“How many murders?”
“I can’t say for sure. It’s still working, Halley.”
“Baird. How many so far?”
“Eighteen.”
Blood rushes to her head. Eighteen murders, and counting? Across multiple states?
“Run, Halley Bear. Run.”
“My God. All stabbed?”
“No. That’s the interesting part. Different CODs, different parts of the country. Different ages, different looks. There’s no clear victimology yet.”
“But my sister’s blood is at every scene. Baird. This is fucked up as hell. You can’t tell me that she’s not responsible.”
“It is fucked up, and now you can understand why I want you home, where I can keep an eye on you. I don’t know if it’s her or what, but you’re in real danger, Halley.”
The reality hits her, and she has to stiffen her spine simply to not collapse under the weight of it. “I don’t think it matters where I am. A traveling serial killer tied to my sister, who might be my sister, has killed the last three people I spoke to about the case? Whoever it is, they’re coming for me no matter where I am.”
Noah is watching her with horror. She can almost hear his thoughts.Leave. Leave now and take this curse with you.
Baird Early is having none of it. “I’m not joking. I will come and get you myself right now.”
Four hours, and she can be free of this place. Her mind says,Don’t be an idiot. Let him come get you. Her heart is still mired in doubt. She is still tied here with inexorable forces.
Noah stands, sighing. “I’ll drive you home.” He takes the phone. “There’s no need for you to come here, Chief. I’ve got her back. I can bring her home.”
“No offense, son. But I don’t know you from Adam’s house cat.”
“No, you don’t. I’m Noah Brockton, my father is Miles Brockton, and Halley is a grown woman who can make her own decisions.”
She smiles at this. Nice to have someone not treating her like a child.
“Baird, I’m going to stay for the time being, at least until the sheriff clears me to leave. No sense causing more trouble, and he has all my things.”
“Halley, I disagree with that decision. It would kill your father if something happened to you.”
With that, he’s gone, and she feels the weight of his judgment deeply. Staying here is like watching a tidal wave surge toward her, knowing it is too large and she will be knocked off her feet and dragged out to sea. Leaving feels as monumentally scary. Alone, out on the road, anything can happen. Even with escorts, if this killer wants her dead, he—she—is going to find a way.
