Page 56 of Nothing Hiding

And if Juliette could somehow pry the truth out of Doone, then they might be in time to save Louise Allday’s life.

She headed back into the interview room, knowing everything was now at stake.

"So, Mr. Doone," she began as she closed the door, "you mentioned you had like-minded friends, that there were other supporters of the stones. Tell me about that."

He'd been staring down at his hands intently, and his head jerked up when he saw her come back in.

"The stones?" A smile she didn't like spread across his face. "The stones? I could tell you a few secrets there. About the need to feed on the stones, to draw energy from them. Oh, yes, we feed them, but we also take from them."

"What do you mean by that?" Juliette asked. She thought she knew and thought the ugly truth was emerging, a shape she could faintly see.

"I can't say." Now, he smiled in an even more unpleasant way, glancing at her before returning his stare to his hands.

"You can't say? Why? Maybe the stones would want you to speak the truth," she said, wondering if she'd connect with him better if she used his own wavelength.

"The stones nourish us." His voice lowered, and he spoke in a confidential whisper. "Maybe the stones nourish him?"

"You mean he goes there?"

This was getting weirder and weirder, but she had the sense that truth, at last, was being spoken. Perhaps in a roundabout way in order to clear himself, Doone was finally capitulating and telling her what he knew.

"He has to draw strength from them before every kill. He goes there!"

Now, Juliette let out a shocked breath. Finally, she'd gotten the explanation she needed.

"You know this?"

"I guessed it from what I learned. It's where he draws his power." Doone gave a strange, inscrutable smile.

From what Doone was saying, this killer didn’t just have a strong emotional link to the stones. Doone was implying that this man went there periodically to “draw strength” from them before killing his victims. With her heart beating faster, she realized that now, it made sense why the bodies were dumped so long after being taken. Maybe it wasn’t just doing the intricate wax make-up, but also visiting the site itself?

There would have been enough time for this killer to have made a four-hour round trip to Stonehenge to draw strength from the stones before strangling his victims and then adorning their faces with that carefully applied wax.

And if she'd gotten it right, that was where he might be now. He'd taken this latest victim about an hour and a half ago. If this was his ritual, then he'd be on his way to the stones now.

Now in Basingstoke, she was an hour’s drive away. She could get there in time, she was sure. She could at least test this theory, as wild as it was, because it might allow her to find him.

It wouldn't do any harm for Doone to cool off in the holding cells for a couple of hours. Going to Stonehenge itself was the one thing they hadn't done yet.

But perhaps the killer had. And he might be there now, drawing strength for his next murder.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO

It was after dark by the time Juliette reached the entrance to Stonehenge itself, located in farmland on Salisbury Plain. Gripping the wheel, she followed the well signposted route that was quiet at this hour.

Stonehenge was closed now. To the public, at any rate, but she was sure it was open to the killer, and he could find a way in.

As she pulled up, she got on the phone to Wyatt to update him.

"I'm here," she told him briefly. He'd been surprised by her decision to come here but had agreed it was a good idea when she’d explained it.

"Any sign of him?" he asked.

"Not yet. I've got a flashlight with me, and I'm going to search the site. He may have parked elsewhere, walked down, and be waiting here." She paused. "I know it's long odds that he might have the victim with him, but maybe the local police could do a drive around the area and see if they can spot any vans parked up nearby?"

“I’ve already directed them to do that,” Wyatt said. “Police should be there now, patrolling the local roads and on the lookout.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep in touch.”

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