Page 83 of Three Girls Gone

“Let me get this straight. You think the killer crashed the Gilberts’ party twelve years ago?” Malone asked when she’d finished looping him in.

“That’s right. We need Katherine to reach out to everyone there that night that she knows about.”

“Including the potential of talking to the killer himself again.”

“But that’s the thing… I’m starting to think this person was on the periphery, which means Katherine’s calls since she’s been helping us didn’t trigger this guy to take Eloise,” Amanda explained.

“Yet, you’ve hinged everything on this guy getting spooked in the fall. He’s in touch with someone. And you do realize that Katherine was sent home? We can’t take the chance this guy will take another child,” Malone said.

“We need to focus on saving Eloise. Having Katherine helping us again can make that happen faster. And when time is…”

“Of the essence, I know.” Malone’s side of the line fell silent for a bit. “Fine. Rope Katherine in again. I’ll speak to the chief and let him know the latest development.”

“Thanks, Sarge.”

“You might be getting ahead of yourself.” With that, he was gone.

Next, Amanda called Katherine on hands-free. After explaining the situation, Katherine said, “And you cleared this past the chief?”

“Past Malone. He’s handling Buchanan.”

“Well, that’s just one aspect of the nightmare. How do you expect me to track an invisible man who turned up at a partytwelve years ago? It would be easier to pull a rabbit from my hat.”

“And you can do that, Kat.” She didn’t say it, but thought,For Julie, Hailey, and Eloise…“We’re likely looking for someone linked to a guest, who also had backstage access at the NYC venue for Julie’s last pageant.”

“Based on me spooking this guy in the fall.”

“Correct. He’s got brown eyes, brown hair, dimples, and a scar through his top lip. This person…” Amanda was going to sayoutgoing, but had another thought.

“Amanda?” Katherine prompted her.

“The profile noted the killer is likely socially awkward, likely quiet and reserved. I was thinking how he might want to play at being someone else. Say, the life of the party. Now I’m rethinking that. If he was there with people who knew him, he wouldn’t have been that way. He would have been a wallflower who disappeared.”

“Making my life harder. It’s hard to find someone who is invisible.”

“A little girl’s life is on the line. We need to ID this guy and find him fast.”

“I’ll do what I can. You know I will.”

“Good luck.”

“I’ll need it.”

Katherine clicked off, and Amanda turned to Trent. “Let’s get the apron to the lab, then head to Flanigan’s. Let’s see if we can get this guy’s face from security cameras.”

“You got it.”

As he drove, Amanda hoped they were on the right track with this. If they weren’t, she didn’t even want to think about all the lost time and what that might mean for Eloise.

THIRTY-THREE

The last time Amanda had been to an Irish pub was with Kevin when they were first married. Before Lindsey came along, they made a point of trying out different restaurants. Once they were parents, they stuck to their favorites on their rare nights away.

Malone called on their way to the pub with news of his own. Though for a few seconds, Amanda feared he was calling to say the chief vetoed his approval for Katherine to help again. Instead, he informed her that an officer canvassing the subdivision behind the Maynards’ house had an eyewitness who saw a gray Kia K5 pull away. A man was behind the wheel. This was the third mention of a gray car, and the second time for this make and model. It was hard to ignore the connection to Wilson. They had to figure out this guy’s real identity.

A young woman at the host stand smiled at Amanda and Trent when they entered the pub. “Bar or dining room?”

Amanda showed her badge. “A manager,” she said with a smile.