statement.”
Rilynne had been thinking the same thing. Anyone who had been watching the building would have known she was living there. The fact that it was the apartment directly above hers, which was the one apartment Rilynne was sure to hear any kind of struggle, meant it was not just a coincidence; it was a challenge. The only question was, who was the challenge for? The perpetrator was either challenging himself, proving he was good enough to get away with the abduction right under the police departments nose, or it was a direct challenge for the detectives.
“I think it was a challenge for me,” Rilynne found herself saying aloud. She had been thinking it since she discovered the address of the scene. After giving it quite a bit of thought, it was the only scenario that made any sense.
“Why would it have been a challenge directly for you?” Nicole asked as she shoved another chocolate bar in her mouth. She was peering over the binder, examining Rilynne’s face.
Rilynne was afraid to say it out loud. If she was right, it meant Derek Hartley was only taken because of his proximity to her. In a way, that would make her responsible for his fate. Although she did not know him, he had a life and people who loved him. She almost couldn’t bear the thought of him losing his life because of her.
“I found the last body, and much quicker than any of the other ones were found. He would have seen it not only as an accomplishment to get away with it right above me, but it’s his way for saying that no matter how close I am to it, I will never catch him. That was his big mistake, though,” Rilynne said, taking the binder back from Nicole.
Nicole seemed shocked by Rilynne’s cold tone. “What do you mean? How was it a mistake?”
“Because, now nothing will stop me from catching this guy.” If the killer had expected to rattle Rilynne’s nerves, it worked. But it was not going to lead to the outcome he was likely hoping for. She would not let anything stand in her way of finding Derek Hartley before he was killed, even if she had to allow her secret to be exposed.
Chapter Seven
R ilynne’s run to work seemed to take no time at all. It was just after seven when she walked out of the locker room and headed for the conference room.
Detective Wilcome was the only one to arrive before she did. He appeared to have just opened the boxes when she stepped through the door.
“What are these?” he asked, looking at the piles of binders. He picked the top one up and opened it to the middle.
“Ben Davis put them together for us. They have all of the photos from the scene, the reports from the crime scene investigators, a map of the victim’s route the abduction night, and…” she trailed off as she stared at the map over Wilcome’s shoulder. His gaze jumped from the page to her, and then followed her eyes back to the map in his hand.
He waited for a few moments for her to start talking again, before he finally spoke up. “What is it Evans?” He did not look back at her, but instead scanned the map trying to see what she had found.
“The grocery store-” she pointed to the store on the map that was directly across the street from her building, “-has an ATM. It is not against the wall like most are; it has a clear view of the street through the front window,” she stated looking up at Wilcome.
Wilcome dropped the binder in front of him and reached for the phone in the middle of the table. “Good work Evans,” he said as he started dialing.
Rilynne took a seat at the far end of the table, and closed her eyes. She could not help but feel a twinge of excitement. The location of the ATM in the grocery store placed it directly across from the front door of her building. The perpetrator may have been able to disable the cameras in the building, but it was not possible for him to have tampered with the ATM camera.
She let a grin sneak across
Rilynne had been thinking the same thing. Anyone who had been watching the building would have known she was living there. The fact that it was the apartment directly above hers, which was the one apartment Rilynne was sure to hear any kind of struggle, meant it was not just a coincidence; it was a challenge. The only question was, who was the challenge for? The perpetrator was either challenging himself, proving he was good enough to get away with the abduction right under the police departments nose, or it was a direct challenge for the detectives.
“I think it was a challenge for me,” Rilynne found herself saying aloud. She had been thinking it since she discovered the address of the scene. After giving it quite a bit of thought, it was the only scenario that made any sense.
“Why would it have been a challenge directly for you?” Nicole asked as she shoved another chocolate bar in her mouth. She was peering over the binder, examining Rilynne’s face.
Rilynne was afraid to say it out loud. If she was right, it meant Derek Hartley was only taken because of his proximity to her. In a way, that would make her responsible for his fate. Although she did not know him, he had a life and people who loved him. She almost couldn’t bear the thought of him losing his life because of her.
“I found the last body, and much quicker than any of the other ones were found. He would have seen it not only as an accomplishment to get away with it right above me, but it’s his way for saying that no matter how close I am to it, I will never catch him. That was his big mistake, though,” Rilynne said, taking the binder back from Nicole.
Nicole seemed shocked by Rilynne’s cold tone. “What do you mean? How was it a mistake?”
“Because, now nothing will stop me from catching this guy.” If the killer had expected to rattle Rilynne’s nerves, it worked. But it was not going to lead to the outcome he was likely hoping for. She would not let anything stand in her way of finding Derek Hartley before he was killed, even if she had to allow her secret to be exposed.
Chapter Seven
R ilynne’s run to work seemed to take no time at all. It was just after seven when she walked out of the locker room and headed for the conference room.
Detective Wilcome was the only one to arrive before she did. He appeared to have just opened the boxes when she stepped through the door.
“What are these?” he asked, looking at the piles of binders. He picked the top one up and opened it to the middle.
“Ben Davis put them together for us. They have all of the photos from the scene, the reports from the crime scene investigators, a map of the victim’s route the abduction night, and…” she trailed off as she stared at the map over Wilcome’s shoulder. His gaze jumped from the page to her, and then followed her eyes back to the map in his hand.
He waited for a few moments for her to start talking again, before he finally spoke up. “What is it Evans?” He did not look back at her, but instead scanned the map trying to see what she had found.
“The grocery store-” she pointed to the store on the map that was directly across the street from her building, “-has an ATM. It is not against the wall like most are; it has a clear view of the street through the front window,” she stated looking up at Wilcome.
Wilcome dropped the binder in front of him and reached for the phone in the middle of the table. “Good work Evans,” he said as he started dialing.
Rilynne took a seat at the far end of the table, and closed her eyes. She could not help but feel a twinge of excitement. The location of the ATM in the grocery store placed it directly across from the front door of her building. The perpetrator may have been able to disable the cameras in the building, but it was not possible for him to have tampered with the ATM camera.
She let a grin sneak across
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