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NINE

Adrian dropped Erin off at the cabin and headed to the station. He needed to concentrate on the case he’d just been handed. A murder. He needed to find the killer and bring justice to the poor woman whose body was probably on the way to the ME’s office by now. Hopefully, it wouldn’t take them long to find out who she was. Surely, someone was missing her.

His thoughts drifted to Erin Delaney. She was guarded. Private. He was usually pretty perceptive about people, but she wouldn’t allow him past the wall she’d erected around herself. He tried to shake off thoughts about her, but her wide green eyes kept popping into his mind. He’d seen the pain inside them, and he wanted to ease it. But why? She wasn’t his type.

He’d told the truth about her book. He’d enjoyed it. It was realistic. She’d captured the heart of law enforcement and those who carried ghosts inside them. Ghosts who whispered in their minds at night when they tried to sleep. Although the public didn’t realize it, they wept over victims and faced confusion when confronted with the evil that human beings could inflict on each other. Although her powerful story had held him in its thrall, it lacked redemption. Hope. He felt certain Erin Delaney didn’t know God. Adrian couldn’t be involved with someone who didn’t share his faith. Yet, he’d felt something. Something he couldn’t explain. She really was amazing. Naturally talented. She’d provided him with more information than Dr. Gibson ever could have. She clearly noticed things that others didn’t.

When he reached the station, he parked and went inside. Now began the search for the identity of the dead woman. Then, once they knew who she was, he’d have to locate her family. He’d had to notify family members in Sanctuary before, but this was different. This appeared to be a senseless death. Something that shouldn’t have happened. There was a very dangerous person in the area, near the town and the people he cared for. Did the killer pick his victim at random? Or was he hunting something specific? Erin hadn’t been sure. She’d said that the next victim or victims would tell them more. But there was no way Adrian could allow some maniac to add more bodies to his horrific count.

When he reached his office, his administrative assistant stopped him before he opened his door. Lisa Parrish wasn’t a police officer, but she knew as much or more than most of the officers under his command.

“Hey, got a call from Merle Hubbard over at the resort. Seems like some woman who’s been staying there didn’t check out this morning when she was supposed to. A Chloe Banner. She left last night to go to the Grits and Grains event. Should have been back by now. He went into her room. All her things are still there, and it appears that her bed wasn’t slept in. It’s possible this could be your victim.”

“Or some tourist who drank too much and didn’t make it back to her room.” Adrian sighed. “Call Merle and tell him...”

“Not to touch anything?” Lisa finished for him. She grinned. “We may not get much action here, but I watch CSI , Blue Bloods , and Law & Order . I know about preserving a crime scene.”

“Seems we need some training,” Adrian said. “Not sure watching TV is the proper way for my staff to learn about protecting evidence.”

Lisa laughed. “I’m just teasing you, boss. You’ve done a great job training your people. And Tim has been a real asset. I’m sure he’ll be careful with the scene. Hopefully, he’ll find something that will help. Although, I hear that author you took to look at our victim had some helpful insights.”

Adrian frowned at her. “I just left there. How can you possibly know what happened just...” He looked at his watch, “an hour ago? And don’t tell me that news travels fast in a small town. That may be true, but nothing moves this fast.”

Lisa’s face flushed and she began to fiddle with a file on her desk. Adrian didn’t move, just continued to watch her. Finally, she sighed loudly and looked up.

“Doc Gibson’s nurse and I are good friends. He called her from the scene to let her know when he’d get back to the office. Seems he wasn’t too thrilled about that Delaney woman being there.”

“You need to be careful listening to gossip. It’s usually not completely accurate. And Joyce isn’t the most reliable person. You know that, right?”

Lisa didn’t say anything. She just stared at the file in front of her as if it was the most interesting thing she’d ever seen.

“You’d get more out of that file if it wasn’t upside down.”

“Oh, for crying out loud,” Lisa said. “I need to know what’s going on in Sanctuary. I answer the phone. How would it look if all I ever said was ‘I have no information about that,’ the way you told me to?”

“They would probably think that you don’t have any information about whatever it is they want to know. They would also be glad to know that the Sanctuary PD doesn’t spread idle gossip.”

Lisa leaned back in her chair and pressed her lips together tightly, obviously trying to keep from smiling. Then she shook her head. “I hear you, boss. I’m sorry. I just get... curious, you know?”

He grinned at her. Time to let her off the hook. He honestly had no idea what he’d do without her. Lisa kept the station on track. She might be a little nosy, but she was outstanding at her job.

“Yes, I know. I’ll try to do better at keeping you updated. But I need you to try hard not to spread things that might not be true. Or information I don’t want out there yet.” He frowned and then glanced around him. There were several officers at their desks. To avoid being overheard, Adrian nodded toward his office door. “Let’s go into my office. I’ll fill you in on what I can, but it’s important you don’t share what I tell you. I’ll brief everyone else when I’m certain who our victim is. I’m only telling you this now because of the calls you might get this afternoon.” He lowered his voice. “We may have a very serious situation on our hands, and we need to keep it quiet. When we’re done, I’ve got to get over to the resort and check out the missing woman’s room.”

“You could send someone else,” Lisa said.

“I know, but just in case it’s the woman we found this morning, I want to be there.”

Lisa nodded and stood up. She followed him into his office and shut the door behind her. Adrian sat on the edge of his desk and motioned to Lisa to sit down in one of the nearby chairs. He quickly filled her in on the scene and what they’d learned.

“That Delaney woman thinks we have a serial killer?” Lisa’s mouth gaped open. “We’ve never had a serial killer in Sanctuary.”

“That may be true, “Adrian said, “but Sanctuary began with a death. Let’s hope its legacy isn’t continuing.” He pointed at her to emphasize his next words. “We’re still not sure someone else will die, so you absolutely cannot repeat what I told you. If you get any phone calls about this case, all you know is that we found a body in Watcher Woods. There’s no more information right now. When we identify her, we can share that, but only that. Do you understand?”

He realized his tone was firm, but he’d seen in Chicago what could happen when cases got out of hand and stories were spread that contained false information or half-truths. Convictions could be overturned and trials moved out of the area because of overblown media attention. He wasn’t going to let that happen. It would only impede the investigation. He trusted Lisa to keep a lid on things until more facts could be released.

If there really was a serial killer in Sanctuary, Adrian was determined to stop him and make sure he paid fully for the evil he’d brought here.