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Holly’s heart thudded against the floor as Jared’s shoes passed by her head. He must know from the news that she survived going over the bridge. Was he plotting to finish what he started?
“Let’s get out of here,” the other man said. “The cops could be watching this place.”
Holly stared at the other man’s faded Nikes. He had to be Tommy Reed, the ex-informant Jared was staying with.
“Hang on.” Jared’s feet moved to the back of the storage unit. “I still need my gun.”
He’s planning to shoot me,she thought as her sneeze threatened to erupt. She pinched her nose. Behind the car, she heard Jared rifle through a box. The tension in her upper body relaxed slightly as the urge to sneeze dissipated.
“Found it,” Jared said.
Holly remembered Jared had a personal revolver, aside from his duty weapon, when they were engaged. His parents had given it to him after he graduated from the police academy.
Holly’s gaze followed Jared’s feet as he moved toward the front of the car. “I’m going to need some ammo.”
Holly’s breath caught in her throat as she imagined Jared standing over her bed in the middle of the night, emptying every round from his revolver into her chest.
“Let’s go back to the office and buy another lock before we get ripped off,” he said before closing the storage unit door.
Holly lay still beneath the car, engulfed in darkness. After hearing the car pull away, she waited a few minutes before crawling out from beneath Jared’s sedan. She lifted the door slowly, making sure Jared wasn’t already on his way back from the front office with a new lock. The row was empty.
She ducked out of the unit, closing the door behind her before jogging toward her car in the row of units behind this one. Andy might already be on his way. But if he wasn’t, he needed to know what she’d found, even though he’d be furious to find out she’d come to Jared’s storage unit.
She had to get Andy to arrest Jared before Jared figured out where she was staying—before he could strike for the third time.
Chapter 39
HOLLY
Holly’s mind spun the entire drive back from Mike’s Storage Units, the suspicion that Clint had murdered his wife pushed aside by the lingering terror of nearly being caught by Jared snooping inside his unit. If Jaredhadbeen the one stalking her that night at Albertson’s, had he then picked up that woman and killed her?And how many others?She closed her eyes, envisioning the countless names that covered her upstairs wall. Ishe the Bus Stop Killer?
When she got home, Holly’s answering machine light flashed. She’d deleted the two messages Andy had left her yesterday while she’d been at the library, so this had to be new. Holly pressed play, and a computerized female voice came through the speaker.
“You have one new message from today at 4:16 p.m.”
That was less than an hour ago. Hopefully, it was Andy saying he was on his way to the storage unit with a search warrant.
“Hey, Hol. It’s Laurie. Just wanted to check in and make sure you’re doing okay. You’re probably upstairs writing, ignoring mycall. Anyway, call me back when you can and let me know you’re all right.”
Holly lifted the phone off the hook and dialed Andy. Once again, it went to his answering machine. Holly hung up and dialed the main number for Major Crimes.
“King County Major Crimes. How may I direct your call?”
“Hey, Tara. It’s Holly again. Has Andy come back from that crime scene yet? I really need to speak with him.”
“He did, but I’m afraid he just left. He was in a hurry to go conduct a search of some storage unit in Federal Way.”
Holly’s grip on the receiver loosened.Thank God.Andy will have a warrant out for Jared’s arrest as soon as he discovers the damage to Jared’s car.
“Did you want me to tell him anything when he gets back?” Tara asked.
“No, that’s okay. Thanks.” Holly was about to hang up but stopped short. Ever since leaving the storage unit, she couldn’t get the image of Jared as the Bus Stop Killer out of her mind. “Tara? Do you know what the crime scene was that Andy got called to this morning?”
“Well…” Tara’s breath blew into the line as if she’d pushed the mouthpiece closer to her lips. “I’m not sure if I’m supposed to say this, but I’m sure Detective Harris wouldn’t mind me telling you. Female remains were discovered last night along Highway 410. They haven’t identified her, but it might be another Green River Killer victim.”
Holly stiffened, picturing Jared picking up the woman who’d gone missing from Albertson’s after he’d stalked Holly to her car. “Do you know about how long ago she was killed?”
“I’m sorry, I don’t.”