Page 43 of Jina

“I can’t answer that.” The way the perp had shown up was cause for concern. Then a thought occurred to her. “Pull over. Maybe he put a GPS tracker on the car.”

“And when would he have done that?” Cole asked, as he pulled into the parking lot of a local business. “He found you at the American Lodge without the rental being there.”

“It was there earlier, though.” She jumped out of the back seat, then leaned in to ask, “Do you have a flashlight?”

“Only my phone.” He turned the flashlight app on, then handed it to her. “Do you know what you’re looking for?”

“I hope I’ll know it when I see it.” GPS trackers came in all shapes and sizes. Some were easier to detect than others, especially if the perp placed it somewhere well out of reach. She stared with the rear of the vehicle, deciding that was the most logical place to put it.

It only took five minutes to find it. She stared at it for a long moment, then decided to leave it. She took a picture with Cole’s phone and then returned to the front seat.

“This is it.” She showed him the picture, which wasn’t as clear as she’d have liked because of the darkness. “I left it there, though, so we can use it tomorrow.”

He frowned. “Why would we want this guy to find us tonight?”

“He won’t. We’ll park this at a motel, then get a ride to a different one. Then we can pick up the rental SUV prior to the sting operation.”

“The SUV will attract attention now that the rear window is broken,” he said with a frown.

“We’ll park it in the back, out of sight.” She glanced at him with exasperation. “Why are you being so stubborn? We can make this work for us. I’m sure this guy will come after me tomorrow at our designated place. Between my phone and the rental car, he’ll believe he has me cold.”

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m afraid of,” Cole argued dully. “Cold as death.”

She scowled. “I wish you had more faith in me and my team’s skills.”

“I have faith in God and in you and your tactical team.” He pulled back out into traffic. “But that doesn’t mean a plan can’t go sideways.”

“What’s the alternative?” She tried to swallow her anger. “Seriously, Cole, what other option do we have? This perp knows far more about me than I do about him. We’ve tried to narrow down his identity from a list of possible suspects without success. I’m open to your thoughts on a better way to find him.”

He was silent for a long minute. “I’ve spent these past five years as a Peabody detective tracking perps through solid police work. Digging into the victim’s backgrounds, interviewing those closest to the vic, and going through forensic evidence. I feel like this idea of setting yourself up as bait is premature.”

“I disagree. We’ve been playing defense for twenty-four hours without success. I’m ready to shake things up.” He may as well accept the fact she wasn’t changing her mind. “And as I said before, if you don’t want to participate, that’s fine. I’ll get my teammates to provide backup.”

“I’m in.” He didn’t sound happy about it, but that was too bad. “Where do you suggest we leave the SUV?”

“Good question.” She tried to remember what other motels were in the area. Back in July, Roscoe had stayed in the Red Mill Motel. “Head west on the interstate. I know of a place that should work.”

“I hope this guy doesn’t do something crazy to hurt innocent people,” Cole muttered.

“Me too. But keep in mind, he’s already putting innocent people into harm’s way by shooting at us. Not to mention setting Mr. Glen’s house on fire.”

“I know.” He didn’t look satisfied.

“Trust me, I don’t want anyone hurt either. Which is exactly why we’re going to set a trap for him tomorrow.” She smiled grimly in using his own argument against him. “The sooner we get him behind bars, the safer everyone will be.”

“I said I’d help.” He sounded testy. “Where’s this motel?”

She continued giving him directions to the Red Mill Motel. When they arrived, she was glad to see the red “No Vacancy” light was on. Having all the rooms full might give the perp pause since he wouldn’t know which was their room.

Cole drove around to the far side of the motel, then backed the SUV into a narrow opening so the broken back window wasn’t readily visible. Then they climbed out, grabbed their respective bags, and walked back out front.

“Call for a rideshare,” she suggested.

“They may not have anyone nearby,” he warned as he thumbed his phone screen.

“If not, I’ll call someone on the team.” Cassidy would likely volunteer to head out to pick them up.

“I found one.” He sounded surprised. “Although it appears the quickest arrival time is fifteen minutes.”

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