Tracing a Killer, page 12
Shortly after Chase and Meadow left, Trevor and Hannah made the decision to retire. Isla stated that she still had some work to do.
When Hannah glanced at Isla’s screen just before she prepared to leave the sitting area, she noticed that she had pulled up the Caring Hearts Adoption Agency website, the agency Isla had been working with to foster Enzo. The look on Isla’s face was one of wistful longing.
Isla must have felt Hannah staring. She turned her chair toward where Hannah stood in the doorway.
“Still no word?” Hannah felt her own heart squeeze tight.
“Like looking at the website is going to give me answers.” Isla shook her head. “I just wish I could get this thing cleared up and have that little boy in my life.”
“I do, too. I’ve been praying for you. Let me know if there’s any way I can help.”
Hannah excused herself and headed toward the bunkhouse. Selena had already taken up her position with her K-9, Scout, sitting outside on a chair while Ian took a turn resting.
“Make sure you lock the door behind you,” Selena said. “Isla has a key. I checked the room a few minutes ago to make sure it was clear.”
Hannah watched as Trevor and Ian headed toward their room, closing the door behind them.
Selena gave a backward glance toward the men’s sleeping quarters. “He’s all right, Hannah.”
“Why are you telling me that?”
Selena shrugged. “Just saying. You seem a little guarded around him and then I see you looking at him like... I don’t know, there’s some kind of spark between the two of you.”
“No, that’s not what’s going on.” She sounded like she was trying to convince herself. “I’m here to do a job and that job is being Trevor’s protection.”
“If you say so.” Selena reached down to stroke her K-9’s ear. The Malinois tilted his head in response.
Hannah glanced up at the huge sky and twinkling stars before stepping into the dark room with Captain. She couldn’t get away from Selena’s probing stare soon enough.
After taking off her gun belt, she removed her shoes and threw back the covers. She pulled her hair free of the bun it had been in. She fluffed her pillow and lay down, staring at the ceiling. She could hear Captain breathing as he settled down beside her.
“Maybe I do have some feelings for Trevor.” She turned on her side, barely able to make out Captain’s brown head in the darkness. “What do you think?”
The dog emitted a sympathetic whine.
“Oh, what do you know about love, anyway?” She reached down to touch his head. What did she know about it? After her last boyfriend had cheated on her, she had simply closed the door on that possibility. She’d seen the worst side of men in her dating life.
She sighed and closed her eyes, slowly drifting off to sleep. She had the sensation of being pulled through the top of her bed, only it wasn’t her bed. Water covered her face. She couldn’t breathe. Air, she needed air. Above her was the soft-focus face of the man who had killed Jodie. His hand reached out toward her, slicing through the murky water.
She awoke with a start, her heart racing. The room was dark. Isla’s bed was still empty. Captain was lying beside her, snoring.
A knock on the door startled her. Still shaken by the dream, she glanced toward where she’d left her gun.
* * *
“Hannah, it’s me.” As he lifted his hand from the door, Trevor wasn’t sure what had happened. Selena and Scout were no longer posted outside. The chair was empty. The sound of Hannah’s screaming had awakened him. Worried that something bad had happened to her, he rushed over to her door.
He heard footsteps and the door swung open. She stood there barefoot but still in her uniform. Her long red hair flowed freely, framing her face.
He breathed a sigh of relief. She was all right. “I heard you scream. What happened?”
“I didn’t realize.” She stared at the floor. “I had a bad dream.” When she looked up at him, her eyes were glazed. “I saw him...in my dream.” Her voice faltered. “He was trying to—”
He gathered her into his arms. She was crying and shaking as he stroked her hair and held her close. He hugged her for a long moment, relishing the warmth of her and grateful that he could offer comfort.
She stepped free of the embrace and swiped at her eyes. “Thank you.” She shook her head. “The dream just seemed so real.” She noticed the empty chair. “Where’s Selena?”
“The chair was empty when I left my room to see what was going on with you.”
She stepped out onto the concrete pad and looked in both directions. “She must have seen something.”
“We shouldn’t be standing outside. I’ll wait with you in your room until she comes back. Ian is still asleep.”
She nodded and stepped aside. Captain stood wagging his tail. Hannah walked over to the window and peered out. “I wonder what it was that Selena saw.”
“I don’t know. I didn’t hear a gunshot.” He stood beside her, seeing nothing but the dark shadows of the trees. “You should probably stay away from the window.”
She sat down on the bed, and he settled into the only chair in the room. The embrace had seemed so genuine, he was having a hard time reconciling that with the words he had overheard her say to Selena. That she thought of him as just part of the job. She sent such mixed signals.
The doorknob shook and he realized he hadn’t locked it.
The door opened. Isla stood on the threshold. “What’s going on?”
Hannah answered. “Selena took off. We think she must have been after someone.”
“Oh, my. I hope it was nothing. I hate to think of either of those men being that close.”
Yet it was a possibility. The man after Hannah had already tried to lure her out.
“I thought I’d wait here with Hannah until Selena got back,” said Trevor.
Isla nodded. “I just came to grab my pajamas and toiletries. I’m ready to call it a night.”
The old bunkhouse had no bathroom, so everyone had to use the one bathroom in the community room.
“You stayed up pretty late,” said Hannah.
“One thing leads to another. I keep thinking of angles I could be working to move the investigation forward. Since both of our suspects, Ryan and Evan, seem to have fallen off the map, I thought I’d put together a list of people who might know where they are or had seen them. I intend to call them tomorrow if I have any downtime.” Isla pulled pajamas, a robe and a bag from her open suitcase on the bed.
“Maybe one of the other team members staying in Salt Lake can assist with that,” said Hannah.
“I intend to enlist their help. We still have to track down an address for Ryan. I’d like to put some time into that.” Isla pulled pajamas, a robe and a bag from her open suitcase on the bed. She moved toward the door.
Trevor rose to his feet. “I’m going to lock the door behind you. Knock when you come back.”
“Got it.” Isla reached for the doorknob.
After she left, Trevor rose and pushed the knob in to lock it. Hardly high security.
He sat back down. Their eyes met. He longed to ask what she had meant by saying that she saw being with him as just part of her job, but he was afraid of the answer. Despite how guarded she could be, he was starting to have feelings for her. He couldn’t assume that the feelings flowed both ways.
She was a hard person to understand with all the layers of armor she seemed to wear.
Feeling awkward, he got up and peered out the window. Shadows moved by the trees. He took a step back.
“You saw something.” She half rose from the bed.
“Stay down.” His eyes went to her gun, which she had pulled from the holster and placed on her bedside table.
When he looked back out the window, he saw no more movement.
A pounding at the door caused both of them to jump.
Selena’s intense voice boomed through the closed door. “You all right in there, Hannah?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Where’s Trevor?”
“He’s in here with me.”
“Oh?” Selena sounded confused.
“When we saw you were gone, we figured something was up. I came in here to make sure she was safe.” Tired of talking to the door, Trevor unlocked it.
Dressed in her robe, Isla stood behind Selena.
Hannah spoke over Trevor’s shoulder. “Was somebody out there, Selena?”
Trevor turned slightly so Hannah would have a better view.
Scout panted and Selena appeared to be out of breath, as well.
“Scout got all restless and growly, started pulling on the leash. I commanded him to take off. We searched the whole area by the trees.”
“There’s a lot of wildlife around here,” said Trevor.
Selena shook her head. “I don’t think that’s what it was. Because he’s trained to track in all kinds of environments, Scout wouldn’t be distracted by other animals, and he was insistent that something was out there.”
Hannah came and stood closer to Trevor. He could feel her breath on his neck as she spoke over his shoulder. “At this point, it could have been the RMK or the man who is after me.”
Selena put her hands on her hips and let out an audible breath. “I don’t think he’s coming back tonight. If it was either man, Scout’s barking probably scared him away. It wouldn’t hurt to have another officer on duty, though. I might wake Ian in a bit.”
Trevor stepped out of the way. “Sorry, Isla, didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”
Selena moved toward her chair. “Why don’t you all try to get some sleep?” She commanded Scout to lie down.
“I should probably get some shut-eye, too,” said Trevor.
As he left the room, he noticed that Hannah had retreated back toward the nightstand, where she’d pulled out her phone. He wondered whom she would be calling at this time of night but knew that it would have to wait until morning.
He returned to his room. The RMK might have been watching them when they found the puppies. He could have followed them and discovered where they’d set up headquarters. Sleep came slowly. He tossed and turned at the thought that the RMK might be lurking around the ranch watching and waiting for his chance to move in to kill him.
TWELVE
When Hannah woke up, Isla was still asleep. Selena and Scout must have come in sometime in the night, as well. Meadow and Grace were sleeping, too. She grabbed her toiletries and a change of clothes with Captain trailing behind her. She greeted Ian, who sat on the chair outside. Lola was lying at his feet, head up, still alert.
“You couldn’t have gotten much sleep.”
“I’ll get more soon as Chase and Meadow wake up. They came in about two hours ago.”
Everyone but her had put in a long night. She felt guilty. She showered and changed. When she came out of the bathroom, Trevor stood by a griddle flipping pancakes. The room smelled like coffee. Scrambled eggs rested in a frying pan on the counter.
“There was a mix in there.” He pointed at the cupboard. “Thought I’d try to help out some way.”
She grabbed a cup of coffee. “Yeah, I know I feel like I’m not pulling my weight, but I have a plan.”
He lifted a pancake with his spatula and transferred it to the plate he’d set out. “Oh?”
She wandered over to the refrigerator and opened it. “I texted Chase last night and asked if I could go talk to the HR woman Isla contacted. Her office is in Syracuse.” She spotted some orange juice and pulled it out.
“I assume I’d be going with you?”
“Yes, of course, I still have to look out for your safety so the rest of the officers can concentrate on the investigation. The way I explained it to Chase was that the sooner we can get this man in custody, the sooner I can focus my full energy on helping catch the RMK.”
“And what did Chase say?”
“He said it would be all right. I’ll call the HR woman and let her know I’m coming in just a bit. I imagine she’s not in the office yet.”
They ate quickly and cleaned up. Trevor left a note letting the others know there were pancakes in the fridge that could be reheated.
They drove through the park and back over the causeway. Hannah checked the rearview mirror. Only two cars were behind her. Traffic was light this early in the day.
Syracuse was the last town before the island, a place where people picked up supplies or stayed if they wanted something nicer than a camper or tent.
Hannah turned off the main street and drove a few blocks to the park employment office. She unbuckled her seat belt. “Why don’t you come with me?”
She didn’t notice anyone following them, but she couldn’t take any chances.
Leaving Captain in his kennel, Hannah and Trevor stepped into an office where a blond woman wearing pink glasses who looked like she was barely out of her teens sat behind a desk. “Can I help you?”
“I’m Hannah Scott. We’re here to see Lydia Strobel.”
“You’re catching her early. I doubt that she’s busy yet.” The woman pushed a button on her phone. “Lydia, Hannah Scott and her partner are here.”
The assumption the receptionist had made caused Hannah to smile. To the world, she and Trevor came across as two officers working on a case.
Lydia’s voice came through the line. “Send them in.”
When they entered the office, Lydia Strobel stood by the water cooler filling a water bottle. “Hannah Scott?” Her forehead furrowed when she looked at Trevor.
“Yes, and this is Trevor Gage. He’s helping me out.”
“I’m not sure what more I can tell you that I didn’t already share with Isla,” said Lydia.
In Hannah’s experience, people were freer with giving information when questioned in person. But what she really hoped for by making the drive was to see if Lydia had pictures of any of the likely suspects.
“I am wondering if you can tell us about David Weller and Frank Stafford.”
“I’ve only been in this position for four years. David has worked seasonally for many years. I’d have to look up his employment record to tell you exactly how many. This is Frank’s third year with the park.”
“Are both men long-term residents of the area?”
“Yes, I believe so.” Lydia took a sip from her water bottle.
Both men must have been responsible enough workers to be hired year after year. “What can you tell me about the personalities of each man?”
“My interaction with both of them was pretty brief. You’d have to talk to some of their co-workers to get a more complete picture.”
“I don’t suppose you have a photograph of either of the men?”
Lydia took a sip of her water and set it on her desk. “Like I told Isla, we don’t usually take headshots for the seasonal workers.”
“Maybe something less formal,” said Hannah. “A picnic or a work project a bunch of people were on.”
Lydia sat down at her desk and put her hands on the keyboard. “Maybe something on our Facebook page.”
It seemed like Isla would have accessed something like that since it was available to the public.
Lydia scrolled through, shaking her head. “Neither David nor Frank do any educational programs. That’s mostly what we take pictures of.” She looked up and lifted her hands from the keyboard. “Wait.” She scooted her chair back and walked over to a file cabinet. “We do take a group picture at the end-of-the-season picnic. I don’t have the one from this year yet, but here is the one from last year.” She laid a photograph on her desk.
It was a posed photo, three lines of men and women in park uniforms. The front line was kneeling. Hannah scanned the sea of faces.
Lydia stood beside her. “There’s Frank Stafford.”
She pointed at a man in the middle row.
Hannah shook her head. The features were too sharp. The nose too big. Frank Stafford resembled an eagle.
Lydia continued to scan the picture. “I don’t remember if David Weller was in attendance or not.”
Hannah’s eyes fell on a man in the back row. He stood in such a way that his face was half-concealed by the person next to him. She recognized the brown curly hair. “That must be David Weller.”
“Oh, yes, there he is,” said Lydia.
A chill ran down her spine as her heart pounded. The man in the photo was the same man who had come after her. David Weller was Jodie’s killer.
* * *
Sensing a shift in mood, Trevor stepped closer to Hannah. Her face had drained of color.
“That’s him. That’s the man.” Her voice came out in a hoarse whisper.
Trevor looked at where Hannah was pointing. His face was only partially visible. “Are you sure?”
Hannah nodded. “Can you tell me who David primarily worked with?”
Lydia took the photograph and walked back over to the file cabinet. “I’d have to look up the shift assignments.” Her phone rang. She stepped toward her desk. “I can’t do that right now but maybe later, and I’ll send the information to Isla.”
“Thank you, I’d appreciate that.” Hannah spoke in a monotone.
Having looked at the face of a murderer, Trevor wondered if she wasn’t in a bit of shock.
“Thanks so much. You have been very helpful.” Resting his hand on Hannah’s upper arm, he guided her toward the door.
Lydia picked up the phone and waved at Trevor and Hannah as they stepped into the reception area.
Once outside, Trevor opened Hannah’s car door for her. He climbed into the passenger seat.
“You doing all right?”
She nodded. “I’ll be okay in a minute. It’s just seeing that man’s face kind of put me in a tailspin.”
