Page 55 of The Drowned Woman
Luka paced between the workstations, thinking about the text sent to Risa. The killer’s last message had been addressed to Risa but was meant for Luka—could this one be as well? If so, then Chaos had to be referencing the beginning of everything: Cherise’s death.
“Krichek, who have you been coordinating with in Lewisburg PD? We need them to send everyone they have to search along River Road, but focus on the area across from the sewer plant first. That’s where they found Cherise.”
“I’ve got the State Police Troop F’s commander on speed dial,” McKinley volunteered, dialing his own phone. Leaving Luka with nothing to do but watch and wait, trying to send telepathic messages of hope to the struggling, terrified man. His first impression of Dominic Massimo hadn’t been favorable, but that didn’t mean he deserved to die.
“Why Dom?” he wondered. His phone rang. Harper.
“Boss.” She sounded out of breath. “Massimo’s room shows signs of a struggle and his car is missing from the hotel garage.”
“Call in the crime scene techs and start reviewing any security footage they have.”
“Staties are mobilizing, but they’re at least fifteen out,” McKinley said. “Are we sure we’re sending them to the right place?”
“It’s where he killed Cherise,” Luka said through gritted teeth. “Why repeat his MO if not to send a message?”
“Except the message wasn’t to you, it was to Saliba.” Krichek nodded to the text. “Is there some place near here where she was a hero? Or maybe she should’ve been a hero but wasn’t? Something personal to her?”
Luka grimaced—he should have thought of that himself, but he’d been too caught up in memories of Cherise’s death. He raised his phone only to hear Leah repeating Krichek’s question to Risa. A few moments later she came back on the line. “Risa says no. She can’t think of anything that might fit. There’s also nothing to tie her to any specific location in Pennsylvania. She only moved here after she got sick, barely knows anyone here other than Jack and her neighbors and doctors.”
“Thanks,” Luka told her, grateful at how thorough she’d been. The countdown passed nineteen minutes. “Listen, if this gets close—”
“I’ve taken the phone from her so she can’t watch,” Leah assured him. “She didn’t like it—she’s a reporter, said she’s seen worse.”
“Not the same, believe me. Stay on the line.” He turned to Sanchez. “Can you tap into any traffic cameras over in Lewisburg? Especially along the river?” Luka doubted there were many. Outside of downtown and campus, the area around Lewisburg was rural, similar to Cambria City, with few homes and businesses. Plus, the riverbank was steep and forested—a car in the water could easily be missed from the road.
As he waited, the countdown continued. The water was now surging up to the man’s chest and Luka feared the time on the clock might be an overestimation of how long he had left. The man was thrashing, rocking his body side to side, obviously fighting to free his hands. But still the water kept coming and the seconds kept ticking away.
“Leah,” he said into his phone. “Who’s there with you?”
“Just Risa and Jack.”
“You were there with both of them when the video went live?”
“Yes.” Giving both Risa and Jack alibis. And Walt couldn’t have done it; he was still in the hospital’s locked neuro-psych ward. Which left Vogel as their main suspect. The man must be a brilliant actor, was all Luka could think. “Ask them if they ever saw Cliff and Dom interacting.”
Nothing about this case felt right. He was missing something. What had the message said?Endgame… hero… beginning.That all pointed to Cherise and how she died. Except Luka never really had a chance to be a hero for her, never had a chance to save her.
Leah eventually replied, “Jack says he saw Dom and Cliff arguing a few weeks ago. I guess Risa had given Dom a key to the Falconer so she wouldn’t need to buzz him up every time he visited and Cliff didn’t like the idea. Said keys were for residents and immediate family only. Jack didn’t catch it all, but he heard Dom threaten to get Cliff fired.” She lowered her voice. “Do you really think that’s Dom in the car?”
“His hotel room showed signs of a struggle and his car is gone.”
Her tone turned grim. “Luka, you need to tell the searchers, if he’s in the river, the water will be cold, might buy us some time. They can’t give up.”
Luka relayed the message to the others.
Sanchez and Krichek called out reports as they came in, but it was all bad news. The clock passed eleven minutes. Despite his best efforts, the water was up to the man’s shoulders. “Leah?”
“I’m here.”
“Any thoughts why this guy thinks Risa could save Dom? Beyond her knowing him? I mean, ‘be the hero I know you were,’ that sounds very personal and specific.”
Leah paused. “Maybe to torture her? He blames her that he has to change his plans because of the police investigation of Trudy’s death. Maybe he wants her to feel guilty if Dom dies?”
“If so, then—”
“It’s not just Risa he’s upset with. It’s you as well. He knew Risa’s electronics would be monitored, knew she’d call you right away even if they weren’t. I think it’s all a show. Designed to demonstrate his power over Risa but more importantly—”
“His power over me,” Luka said in a grim tone. “That message. It’s not just to me, it’s about me. Not Cherise. A hero in the beginning—Hang on…” He turned to McKinley. “Get everyone you can out to the wharf.”
