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John wasn’t sure. Maybe his dad wanted to go somewhere else so he could kill where the cops weren’t on to him. “Where would we go?”
His dad’s eyes brightened with excitement. “How about Alaska?”
***
John lay in the dark after his dad had left to watch TV. His father made Alaska sound like an incredible place: the Northern lights, polar bears, and snow.Everything is bigger in Alaska,his dad had said.The animals,the mountains, the hunting grounds.
John should have been excited. Parts ofThe Call of the WildandWhite Fangtook place in Alaska.Plus, John had never even been on a plane before.
But despite his dad’s assurance, his mind ran wild imagining his dad going to prison and John growing up in a skeezy foster home. He replayed the fierce determination in the stocky detective’s eyes today when he’d held out Sally’s photo.He knows what my dad did.John turned on his lamp and pluckedThe Call of the Wildoff the nightstand before his mind had a chance to dwell on it anymore.
Thirty pages later, John’s thoughts drifted to what his dad had promised. Detective Peretti might know his dad had killed Sally, but he had no proof. Otherwise, Peretti would’ve arrested him already.
John replaced the Jack London novel on the nightstand before turning off the lamp.
Down the hall, his dad sang to himself “Shout” by Tears for Fears in the kitchen. It reminded John of his mom—always humming to herself—making him wonder what life would be like if his mom were still here.
John turned on his side, staring at the line of toys on his dresser. His father wouldn’t take the chance of killing again. He couldn’t. Not after the cops brought him in for questioning today. And not after promising John he’d never leave him.
At least, John hoped not.
Chapter 10
HOLLY
The shrill ring of Holly’s phone cut through the otherwise quiet apartment as she unlocked the front door. She hurried to the kitchen.
“Hello?” She held her breath, imagining Andy on the other line, about to tell her they’d caught the Green River Killer, and that their suspect had confessed to killing dozens of women, including Meg.
“Hi, Holly. It’s Andy.”
Her heart rate spiked with anticipation as she pressed the phone to her ear.
“He passed,” Andy said.
Holly closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the ceiling. “You’re sure?”
“Yes, unfortunately. He’s not our guy.”
Holly’s throat swelled, making it difficult to swallow. She wanted to tell Andy there’d been a mistake. They should redo the test. But she was too overcome to speak.
“Sorry, Holly. And listen, we’re not releasing his name to the public. He cooperated with us and passed the lie detector test,and we don’t have any hard evidence linking him to the Green River Killings.”
“Can you at least tellmehis name?”
A pause. “His first name was Louie.”
“Lou was one of the names Meg’s roommate gave me for the older guy Meg was hanging out with before she was killed.” It had to be him. “Did you ask him about Meg?”
“I’m sorry. But it became clear after we questioned him regarding over a dozen murders that he wasn’t the Green River Killer. And we had no evidence linking him to Meg.”
“But Andy—”
“Holly, Meg’s roommate admitted to being on drugs while she lived at the group home with your sister. The three names she gave me didn’t sound anything alike. She couldn’t remember; she was grasping at straws. I know it’s disappointing. Hell, I wish he was our guy too. But he’s not.”
She heard voices in the background and was about to ask Andy if they asked him specifically about Sally Hickman when Andy added, “I’ve got to go. I’ll talk to you soon.”
He hung up before Holly could say goodbye. After replacing the receiver, she pressed her forehead against the wall.