Page 13 of Remember Her Name

Turner tugged at his sleeve, craning his neck to get a look at the paint left on his jacket. “How about Mr. Sunshine up there? He see anything?”

Charlotte shaded her eyes with her palm and looked up at her brother. Apparently not offended by Turner’s insult, she said, “No, he was in the house.”

“Any idea what kind of car?”

“A Hyundai, maybe? Or a Honda? I’m not really sure. Like I said, it was white. Four doors. I didn’t take notice of the license plate. I didn’t think it was important.”

Dougherty said, “One of the LPRs picked up a white Hyundai about three blocks from here. Registered to Sheila Hampton. She lives on the other side of town.”

LPRs, or license plate readers, had been installed on three of Denton PD’s patrol vehicles. They scanned the license plates of all moving and parked vehicles nearby and alerted on any thathad warrants out on them, had been stolen, or had expired tags. They were lucky that one of the LPR devices had been within the vicinity at the time that Cleo Tate was being abducted. They might have a viable lead.

Josie said, “Do you have units trying to find the car on cameras to see if we can follow it?”

“They’re already on it,” Dougherty said. “If we get something, you’ll be the first to know.”

“Guess we’re off to meet Sheila Hampton then,” Turner said.

SEVEN

She held her hair off her neck, fanning the damp skin with her hand. He sat in the driver’s seat, staring at her with dark, unblinking eyes. She’d forgotten how creepy he was, the weight of his unsettling stare making her skin crawl. She should never have let him force her inside, but she’d been too afraid to cause a scene. Now, the urge to fling open the door and throw herself out of the car was so strong that her legs trembled. He wouldn’t respond well to that, she was sure. He was, after all, a monster. Plus, they were alone. No one around for miles. Getting into the car with him had been a bad idea.

There was no turning back now.

“You’re afraid of me,” he said. His upper lip curled into a satisfied sneer.

She hoped he couldn’t see the shudder that worked its way through her body. “Why wouldn’t I be? We both know what—” The rest of the words died on her tongue as he leaned across the console.

He smelled like coffee and stale sweat. Like an old gym sock that hadn’t been washed in months. He must have been working outdoors all morning. It took effort not to gag. The door handle lodged under her rib cage as she backed away from him.

“I remember you,” he said.

Her stomach dropped. She didn’t think he would. Had counted on it, in fact.

A thick palm clamped down on her thigh. Slapping at his arm with both hands, she tried to twist away but his fingers dug into her flesh. A cry of pain tore from her throat. “Stop! Stop!”

The pressure eased as he loosened his grip, but he didn’t let go. Her heart galloped. Dizziness set the world around her spinning. Through heaving breaths, she said, “I don’t owe you anything. I’m getting out now. Let me go.”

A wolfish grin spread across his face. Releasing her leg, he slid his hand up her body until his fingers closed around her throat. Fear fisted her heart. The air in her lungs evaporated.

“You’re not going anywhere,” he said.

EIGHT

“That’s piss and paint in one day,” Turner complained as Josie pulled down the street that the Hamptons lived on. Their two-story rancher was located in a development north of Denton University’s campus. It was a quaint, peaceful neighborhood populated by working-class homeowners. Teachers, nurses, tradespeople. Many of the Denton PD’s patrol officers lived on its tree-lined streets. “I bet old Creepy Creeperson enjoyed watching his little sister get paint all over me.”

“I did.”

“Glad to be of service, Quinn.”

Josie glanced at him, feigning seriousness. “It doesn’t sound like you mean that. Moving on, did you get that photo over to Amber?”

“Oh, you mean the press liaison who never actually shows up at work?”

Josie sighed, slowing in front of the address Dougherty had given them. One car was parked in a driveway clearly meant to accommodate two. “You replaced the love of her life, Turner. You sit at his desk.”

“And I’m not as good as him,” he said.

“You said it, not me.”

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