Page 32 of Just Now

“Look, I suspected he was selling drugs, but I had no proof of it. I didn’t ever see anything happening.”

Drugs? Cami was starting to make sense of where this was going.

Connor leaned in closer to Shores. “Did you see any of the deals taking place?”

The barman hesitated, his eyes darting around the room again. “I can’t say for sure,” he said finally. “There were a lot of people coming and going. But I did see him talking to a few people on a regular basis.”

“Did you ever see him talking to these two women?” Connor turned his phone so that the barman could see.

“No. He sold—he sells—to big groups, mostly. As soon as there’s a party atmosphere it’s like he knows it and he’s in, doing business. And then he doesn’t leave till the place closes.”

“Okay.” Connor checked his messages and she saw his face change. “You’re going to need to cooperate with the local police. Allowing a known drug dealer into your bar could get you in a lot of trouble. I understand you didn’t want to put yourself at risk, and this guy has a violent history. But if you cooperate, and agree that they can plant an officer there to catch him, you might be able to avoid it.”

“I’m sorry I deleted the footage,” the barman said. “I thought—I thought I was going to get in trouble.”

“Next time you try something like that, you will. And cooperating with police is something you’ll need to learn about now. Fast.”

Connor scowled at the man before getting up and walking out. Cami rushed to meet him, feeling heavy-hearted by how this had ended.

Shores had been guilty—of knowingly allowing a drug dealer to do business in his bar. He’d clearly dreaded the consequences of being found out by the police. But he wasn’t the killer, and this was not the hunting ground they needed.

“You sure about the footage?” Connor asked Cami.

She nodded disconsolately. “Yes. I’m very sure. I feel like I’ve failed, but there’s truly nothing to be found. I saw both the other women coming in and leaving. Nobody else left shortly afterward. Neither of the two were followed. And Kate definitely has not been there in the past four months.”

Connor sighed.

“We keep looking then,” he said. “There’s an office opposite the interview room where we can work. Set up there. I’m going to brief the local police on the drug dealer issue so that they can take over.”

“I’ll do that,” Cami said.

Connor turned away, and then turned back again. Now his face was even grimmer than it had been when confronting the barman.

“When I come back into that office, Cami, I’m warning you. I need answers about Ethan, and what you’ve been trying to find out. This is important. You’d better have them ready and give them to me. No evasion. And no lies.”

For a moment, his gaze pinned her, and she sensed that same feeling of distrust that she’d had when they had first started working together, and had been full of mutual loathing. It was as if the rapport between them, built up over months, had temporarily dissolved, and she was looking at a suspicious stranger.

Cami felt frantic with worry. Connor put the law first, always. If she told him, this would be out in the open. And then what?

Then she was scared to think what might happen.

She headed to the small office, feeling sick inside. In just a few minutes, the time of reckoning would come.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

He was nearly ready. This was his time to do it again, and how he loved to hunt at night. Of the victims he’d taken so far, the ones taken after dark were always the most exciting to him.

He could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he put on his gloves and grabbed his bag of tools. He had carefully selected his victim for tonight, watching her closely for a few days, getting to know her routine. She was beautiful, with long blonde hair and a slim figure.

In preparation for the moment of truth, he’d purchased a sleek gray wig for himself.

This woman worked in the corporate world, so again, mirroring her style had required some research. He had found the perfect jet-black business suit and a pair of shoes so shiny he could see his face in them. A dove-gray shirt and a crimson tie completed the ensemble. He looked ready for aForbesphoto shoot, he thought, feeling satisfied. The attention to detail was important to him; it made the hunt all the more satisfying.

The anticipation was making him giddy.It was at moments like this, when the voices of excitement and hope were so strong within him, that he didn’t hear his mother’s voice at all.

That harsh, mocking diatribe was totally silenced. How strange was it that only when he was standing inside someone else’s home, ready to pass his old life on to them, did he feel that he was truly himself?

“You have a neat home,” he said, looking around the living room in satisfaction. It had been easy to get inside. Most people’s homes were relatively easy. He had some basic experience with disabling alarms, thanks to a short-term job he’d held down a few years ago, working for a security company. It had given him the knowledge he needed.

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