Page 20 of Whispers in the Dark
Olivia shifted in her seat. "You caught him, though."
Charlotte nodded. "I arrested him." Catching him? She wasn’t sure how much he let it happen. “He is currently serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole, though Bradtold me his attorney has petitioned for a compassionate release because he is dying.”
Isobel spoke next. "And now someone is bringing the case back."
Brad exhaled. "Someone who knows too much."
Ethan crossed his arms. "What do we know?"
Alex answered before Charlotte could. "Last night, someone broke into Charlotte’s house. They left a Polaroid of her interrogation with Ward on her nightstand. No sign of forced entry, no security footage, and no fingerprints. They drugged Bailey. They must have been inside before she locked up."
Ruth swore under her breath.
Olivia’s expression hardened. "Damn it, Mom. You lied to me about Bailey.”
“They were watching you?" Molly asked.
"I suppose." Charlotte felt Alex move closer to her.
Brad grimaced. "And then there was the registration card between her mattress and boxspring.”
Alex nodded. "Holloway Motel. Where Ward lived and kept his trophies."
"Jesus." Jackson exhaled. “Where was Bailey? You said he was drugged?”
Charlotte paled. “Asleep in his bed. The intruder left an empty vial of ketamine.” She took a breath. “The vet said he’s fine. Just has to sleep it off.”
“Charlotte, did you get your own blood drawn?” Tristan asked.
“I wasn’t drugged,” she insisted.
Alex and Brad glared at her.
Molly let go of Wyatt’s hand and left the room. She returned with an orange bag marked Medical Examiner. "Mom, if you inhaled something, it can make you sick. There are three doctors in this room. Pick one of us.”
Charlotte exhaled through gritted teeth and rolled up her sleeve. Molly, the county’s medical examiner, opened the bag and, after slipping on some gloves, drew four vials with different-colored tops. Additionally, Charlotte exhaled into a special plastic bag, and Molly sealed it.
Noah finally spoke. "They’re recreating the fear, but they didn’t want to physically harm you. They had that opportunity."
A chill ran down Charlotte’s spine. That was exactly what it was. This wasn’t about Ward. This was about what Ward did to his victims. And now, someone wanted to do it to her.
Sophie’s voice was quiet. "Are there any suspects?"
"Not yet," Brad admitted. “Forensics are being processed.”
"Are we sure it isn’t Ward?" Tristan asked.
"He’s locked up, and dying," Brad said. "He’s in the prison hospital, unable to get out of bed. We’re working on tracing his cellmate who was released six months ago.”
"That we know of," Olivia muttered.
“As of one p.m. today, no one but his legal counsel visited from the outside. His attorney was at Disney World with his grandkids at the time of the break-in,” Brad added.
Ethan’s jaw flexed. "We need to look deeper. See if there’s anything that suggests he’s been communicating through someone on the inside."
Brad nodded. "Already on it. We’re running down prison staff.”
Charlotte scanned the room, taking in the concern in their faces. She hated it. They shouldn’t be looking at her like this. Like she was a victim.
