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I jump and whirl around toward the voice. “Holy shit, you scared me.”
A female officer holds her hand out for me to shake. “I’m sorry I scared you. I’m Officer Kerry Moore.”
“Delaney.”
“You really should be more aware of your surroundings in light of what happened recently.”
“Normally, I am, but I have a lot on my mind.”
“I heard.”
“Figures. I shou?—”
Kerry shakes her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’d be pissed, too, if I was in your shoes.”
“Still, I don’t normally lose my cool like that.”
“Detective Jeffers is a good man. I promise he’s doing his best to find the sick son of a bitch.”
“That’s what they all say,” I huff. “Yet the asshole is still on the loose.”
“I probably shouldn’t be doing this. I could lose my job.”
My brows furrow. “Doing what?”
“I’m off at six,” she explains. “Can you meet me at the diner on the corner of Grand and Fifth? Betty’s Cafe.”
“Why?”
Kerry leans closer. “Could be nothing, but there was something at the crime scene they didn’t release to the press. I’ll bring a copy of it.”
Blood pumps in my ears. I dig my nails into my palms to keep focus and take several deep breaths.
This could be the break I’ve been waiting for.
“I’ll be there.”
I spend the afternoon at a local gym burning off some excess energy while I wait for time to slowly tick by. My mind wanders as to what the information could be. I don’t want to get my hopes up, but it’s hard not to get excited to have a lead for the first time in years.
At ten till six, I slide into a booth at the back of the diner, and I’m facing the front door so Kerry can easily spot me. I’m glad she suggested a public place because there’s no way I’d meet a stranger anywhere else, cop or not. The place seems pretty popular; within ten minutes, only a couple of tables are left near the front.
I wave to Kerry when she pushes through the door. She scoots into the seat across from me, and the waitress rushes over. I fidget with my hands as I wait for Kerry to finish ordering.
“Well?” I ask impatiently after the waitress finally leaves.
Kerry slides a piece of paper toward me. “Here. You didn’t get this from me. In fact, you never saw this.”
I grip the paper tightly and try to decipher what I’m looking at. “It’s a map of the United States.”
“Yep.”
“What do the red and green dots represent?”
“I don’t know, but it must be something significant because they aren’t releasing this information to the press. This was found near the victim.”
“Can I keep this?”
“Sure, but remember, you didn’t get it from me.”