Page 63

Ice skated over her skin. Her hand clenched the bottle. “That’s less than thirty miles from Tranquility Lakes.”
He nodded soberly. “They got an excellent description of the vehicle he was driving. A black Dodge Caravan. Possibly 2015 or 2016. They put out a BOLO on it. A CHP patrolman thinks he saw the vehicle with someone matching Thorne’s description in eastern Chula Vista a few hours ago. The task force is combing the area now.”
That meant Thorne was close by. A vise seemed to squeeze her from the inside out. After the homicide in San Pedro, he’d headed back this way because she was here. And he wasn’t done yet.
Hayes reached over and covered one of her hands with his. “The task force is closer than they’ve ever been. They’re pulling out all the stops. Air support, local police. It could be over by tomorrow.”
Over. Reese tried to wrap her head around the thought. There was more going on here than the Trifecta Killer intent on finishing his latest rampage. Greenley’s murder. McNulty’s assault. Today’s car bomb. Too many loose, seemingly disconnected threads that didn’t quite link. They made even less sense with Thorne in the center. She couldn’t let go of the conclusion she’d drawn about the predator’s abilities. His mind had been a vortex of random, disjointed thoughts. A car bomb would be far outside his skill level. His compulsion for savagery included violence by his own hand, according to the twisted dictates that his unfortunate childhood had forged inside him. The financial advisor’s death, too, was far too nuanced for the TK. How would the two men’s paths ever have crossed?
It would be a mistake to blame Greenley’s death, McNulty, and the car bomb on Thorne. The common denominator in all three events was Reese herself.
Who benefited? That was the question that kept knocking at the base of her skull. The answer had never seemed further away.
His thumb stroked her hand before he withdrew it. Resumed eating. “What’s bothering you?”
“Aside from being framed for murder, kidnapped, assaulted, and almost blown up?” She forced a light tone to alleviate his concern. “Everything else is peachy.”
“It’s hard to recall blue skies when you’re in the center of a storm. But things are starting to gel. The police have the pictures I was able to get of the navy sedan when it passed by the parking lot.”
“Do you think it’s the same one that was following us on the highway?”
“I never saw it again after we left the exit. But it’s definitely the one I noted earlier. I was too far away on foot to get a good photo of the plate. There are security cameras mounted outsidethe police station, though, so the police can match it with the footage. Hopefully, one of them also captures activity in the parking lot.”
His phone dinged then, and he took it out to read the message and texted a response. “It’s Jennings. He’s on his way home but wants to drop by and tell us about the search of the abandoned building McNulty drove you to.”
“That sounds intriguing. He wouldn’t stop by if he had nothing to report.”
“Hopefully.” Hayes took his plate to the kitchen and threw away the wrappings before, placing the dish in the sink. “There’s a small grocery area next to the deli in the motel here. I’m gonna go back and buy some beer.”
“As any good host would. Bring me a bottle of their finest Pinot Grigio.” He’d been wrong about the bottle of white in the refrigerator at home. She’d checked.
He crossed to the door. “I think their wine selection will more likely come in a box, but I’ll see what I can do.”
Hayes had barely gotten backand put away his purchases when Jennings knocked on the door. Ushering him inside, Reese reflected that the man appeared as if he’d aged since he’d come to the hospital yesterday. A sentiment he seemed to share about her after he carefully looked her over.
“You look more roughed up than the last time I saw you. You’re supposed to be healing.”
Without waiting for an invitation, he went to the table and pulled out a chair. Sank into it with a sound somewhere between a sigh and a grunt.
“A car bomb will do that to you.”
His jaw agape, he said, “What? That was you?” His gaze bounced from her to Hayes and back. “I heard about it over the radio.”
Hayes filled him in, and the man digested the news with silent wonderment. “You’ve been a target for bad luck lately. Can’t blame the bomb on McNulty, though. He’s still locked up. Hasn’t made bail. And after what we found today, I’m guessing the judge will rescind the bail option altogether.”
A buzz of adrenaline filled her. “That sounds like the best news we’ve had all day. Before you tell us about it, are you hungry?”
Jennings looked interested. “I could eat. What do you have?”
Hayes went to the refrigerator to snag two beers, and Reese busied herself warming up a couple of the sandwiches. The detective took a long pull from the bottle before shifting his attention to the plate she set before him. “Didn’t get lunch today. Appreciate this.” He wolfed down the first sandwich before starting on the next one. “Turns out, you have great instincts, Ms. Decody. It’s looking like you called it right with McNulty, straight down the line.”
She stilled. “That he’s a rapist?”
The detective chewed, swallowed, and then took another pull from the beer. “We’re not there yet. The building is nearly empty, but had a bunch of crap still stored in boxes. Nothing worth much. But we found an old backpack hidden behind one of the cartons. Inside was duct tape, condoms, rope, zip ties, and a knife. Got McNulty’s prints on the tape and knife.”
Reese tried to squash her rush of excitement. “A good defense attorney would explain that away by saying he found the bag in there and looked inside it. Touched some things, but never used them.”
“The knife had some dried flecks of blood on it. Not sure yet if it’ll be enough for testing. We also found a deflated air mattressand foot pump in one of the boxes. Guessing the mattress will prove to be a treasure trove of DNA, even if the knife isn’t.”