Page 112 of Before the Night Falls

He sprinted toward it and checked the doors.

The back driver’s side door was unlocked.

Quickly, he searched through it, trying to get a kind of idea as to who might have picked Olivia up.

That was when he saw it.

A rose petal halfway under the seat. That couldn’t be a coincidence.

That was all the evidence he needed.

Tyson grabbed his phone and called the local police, explaining the situation to them. Then he called Scarborough. As he spoke, he sprinted toward the docks, searching for anyone—or any signs of life.

There were none.

Until he heard someone say, “Where’s the fire?”

A man rose from the stern of a fishing vessel. If Tyson had to guess, the guy had been sleeping back there and enjoying the breeze. He must have heard Tyson’s frantic footsteps.

As his face came into the moonlight, Tyson quickly noted that man was probably in his thirties with a shaggy brown beard and a well-worn T-shirt and cutoff jeans.

No doubt a fisherman.

“I’m looking for a man and woman who might have been here within the past hour,” Tyson rushed. “Did you see anyone?”

The man nodded. “Sure did. They just left about fifteen minutes ago in a Sea Ray Cabin Cruiser.”

Tyson pulled out his wallet. “How much would you charge to take me out there?”

The man raised his eyebrows. “Right now?”

“Right now.”

He shrugged. “A hundred bucks to start with. A hundred bucks an hour afterward.”

“It’s a deal.” Tyson pressed some cash into his hands. “But I need to go now.”

He couldn’t wait for the Coast Guard or the marine police.

Every second that passed was another second that Olivia might slip away.

* * *

Olivia trembled. “Wes . . . did you kill those other women?”

He continued to gaze at her as if transfixed. “When I realized I couldn’t have you I tried to find someone who was as good as you. But there’s no one.”

“But . . . how did you get away with it?”

“No one ever thought to track where I worked my assignments. This job actually gives me quite a bit of flexibility when it comes to travel. I thought those other women would satisfy me. But they didn’t. Only you.”

She shuddered again but tried to hide it.

“Wes . . . if you love me, you can’t just decide to keep me.” Her voice cracked with every word. But maybe she could get through to him. She had to at least try.

He tilted his head, almost looking . . . innocent. “Will you stay with me on your own?”

Her mind raced. She hadn’t expected him to ask that. Nor was she sure how to answer exactly.