Page 128 of Blood Moon

“You’re on.” John handed her the phone she had used for prior calls to Professor Wallace.

“Will Mitch be listening in?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe you should call.”

He shook his head. “You were the one who last spoke to him. You asked the favor, you’re following up.”

She took a deep breath, crossed her fingers, and placed the call. He answered on the third ring. “Professor, hi, it’s Beth Collins. It’s terribly early. Did I wake you up?”

“No worry. I had to get up soon anyway. Forgive me, but you sound on edge. Are you all right?”

“I’m in a time squeeze. I wondered if you’d had a chance to look over that list of social media handles we sent. I apologize for pressuring you about it, but I believe we’re on to something.”

“Oh?”

“Yes. That list, along with another lead, were sent to the detective in Jackson, Mississippi. It turns out that one of those handles is frequently used by a suspect that police had questioned about Anna’s disappearance. He provided an alibi and was dismissed. But because of this new information, he’s now in custody.”

“Do they have evidence of his involvement?”

“They’re working on it. He’s very much into the paranormal, but he’s no dabbler. His interest is obsessive and sinister. He goes to sites on the deep, dark web, the kind wherethey post photos of bondage and torture, ritualistic bloodletting, and there’s lots of chatter about human sacrifices.”

“Good lord.”

“Yes, it’s gruesome. It seems that poor girl might have fallen victim to someone who took his idol worship of Luna to the extreme. The blood moon is tonight, so there’s a sense of urgency.”

“But if this suspect is in custody, then—”

“That’s the other thing. John Bowie believes that there’s more than one individual who committed those abductions. That Crissy Mellin was taken by someone other than the man in Jackson.”

“How did he arrive at that?”

“He’s conjectured that there are like-minded members of a secret society who connect on the dark web.”

“Who take their idol worship of Luna to the extreme.”

“It’s only a theory, of course,” she said, intentionally making her tone defensive. “But the young women have nothing in common. He believes it’s the men abducting them who do. Which is why that list of handles has become vitally important, and why I felt I should check back with you right away.”

“Yes, I see now, and I hate to disappoint. I did give the list a once-over as soon as I received it.” He chuckled. “On that first pass, one of the handles did leap out at me. It’s one I use.”

She laughed lightly. “Oh, well, you did tell us that you lurk occasionally.”

“I didn’t recognize any of the other names at a glance,” he said. “After dinner, I watched a movie with my wifeand son. It got late, and I went to bed. All to say, I haven’t returned to it, but, in light of what you’ve told me, I’ll do so immediately.” He paused, then said, “It might help if I knew the source of this list.”

John gave a stern shake of his head. “I’m sorry, Professor, even I don’t know. John said it was classified.”

“Ah, the intrigue makes it even more enticing. I look forward to studying it in more detail.”

“Thank you so much. If one of those handles strikes you as even slightly familiar or curious in some way, please notify me.”

“Certainly. But before you go, Ms. Collins, you mentioned that you’d sent the police in Jackson another lead. What was that?”

John signaled for her to tell him, but she thought it would be effective to hedge. “That’s an active investigation now. I’m not sure I’m supposed to divulge any information.”

John gave her a thumbs-up.

“Of course, of course,” the professor said. “I was just curious. And possibly, if I knew what it was, I could provide some helpful insight. It is my field, after all.”