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But they didn’t have much in these parts besides suburbs and ranches and trailer parks. They were caught in a weird limbo between three big cities, their outskirts creating a Bermuda Triangle that seemed to transport those in it back at least a decade in time.
Shay didn’t bother to follow up on her curiosity. The less she knew the better.
And it was fun, so much fun. She liked laughing during sex, but he also had this uptight intensity that was kind of endearing. She half expected him to murmurI love you, but for once she didn’t find it cheesy when a man told her they wanted to watch her face.
He fell asleep after, as most of the guys she’d ever been with did. But Shay wasn’t about to be vulnerable with a stranger.
She went to the bathroom, collecting her clothes along the way. She shimmied back into her jeans and tank top, thinking about how she’d done so earlier only worrying about the tips the outfit would get her.
It had been a far more successful night than anticipated.
Shay smiled to herself as she crept through the darkened room. The curtain was open a sliver, and moonlight poured into the room. Something gold glinted on the dresser. His wallet.
But that didn’t make sense.
She shook her head. It was probably his watch—or a wedding ring, even. At that thought, she couldn’t help but take a step in that direction. Just out of curiosity, really.
Her head went light and the world tipped sideways as she realized what the gold actually was.
Not a watch. Not a ring.
Her heart pounded in her throat, in her wrists, in her teeth, as she reached out a shaky hand.
Before she could touch it, she snatched her fingers back, not wanting to leave prints behind.
Still, the thing was easy to see and understand.
Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision, but she concentrated on her breathing and it receded. The worst thing she could do was pass out right now.
Because the flash of gold? It was an FBI badge.
Oh no,she thought for the third time that night.
CHAPTER THREE
Raisa
Now
Raisa didn’t tell Kilkenny about her encounter with Kate Tashibi.
She wondered if Kate had gotten through to him, but of course she hadn’t. If Kate had been successful with Kilkenny, she wouldn’t have had to come after Raisa.
Kate had framed her interest in Raisa through the lens of Raisa’s expertise. She’d wanted a linguist to talk about the Alphabet Man’s letters, about what might have been done differently had there been someone like her on staff at the FBI at the time.
But Raisa knew what Kate was really after.
An interview with Callum Kilkenny. The man whose name would forever be tied to Nathaniel Conrad’s. The man who’d spent five years hunting the monster, only to lose his wife to the very killer he had been chasing.
What a coup that would be for Kate’s miniseries.
She must have thought she could get Raisa to talk about Kilkenny. That wouldn’t be nearly as powerful, but at some point, beggars couldn’t be choosers.
Raisa just hoped Kilkenny had completely blocked out the fact that the documentary existed in the first place.
They had other things to think about, after all.
Her shoulder ached, but she ignored it as she headed to the courthouse. Kilkenny would be waiting for her there, on the steps, so she wouldn’t have to go in alone.