Page 119 of The Dollmaker

“We never found any phone. Do you still have the text?”

“Yes.” She dug the phone out of her purse and showed him the number.

Sharp wrote it down. “And he’s never used this number before?”

“No.” She lowered the phone back in her purse. “Terrance was a great guy. He wouldn’t have hurt anyone.”

Tessa handed her more tissues. “You did a great job, Stephanie.”

He handed her a card and a pen. “Write your number on the back. When I find this killer, you’ll be one of my first calls.”

With a trembling hand she wrote out her information and handed it back. He gave her a fresh business card. “Call me if you think of anything else?”

She studied his name, her shoulders straightening with resolve. “I will.”

Stephanie looked up at Tessa. “Thank you.”

“You also have my number. Call if you need me.”

Nodding, she walked toward the front door. When she was out of sight, Sharp said, “Thanks. I don’t think she would have talked to me if not for you.”

“Can you blame her?”

He glanced at her, not sure if she was annoyed or not. “I’ll admit I’m not the most approachable.”

Laughter sparked in her gaze, and then she sobered. “Given what you do on a day-to-day basis, it doesn’t surprise me that you’re so distant and angry. How do you do this year after year?”

“Someone has to give a shit. And I like what I do.”

She intertwined her fingers with his again, sending ripples of energy shooting through him. “I really get that now.”

“Do you?”

“Yeah.”

Saying she understood the demands of the job was far different from living with it. They’d tried that once and failed.

“The inventory reports I read stated there was no phone in Terrance’s belongings,” Tessa said.

“I think the killer took it.”

“You’ll trace the number?”

“Andrews can, and with any luck it’ll lead us to this guy.”

The Dollmaker stood outside the church, watching the swarm of mourners who piled into their cars and lined up behind the long black hearse for the short trip to the cemetery.

He was surprised to see Serenity here. She didn’t know Terrance, but when he saw her approach that cop, he knew she had come here for him. Tessa was a sweet, sweet woman and out of a deep sense of loyalty was trying to fix her life with this cop. But it wasn’t fixable. They didn’t belong together. She just didn’t know it yet.

She belonged with him.

“Damn you, Harmony. You shouldn’t have run. You shouldn’t have been afraid. If you’d been patient, Serenity would have joined us, and the three of us could have been a family.”

He blamed himself for Harmony’s escape. For Terrance’s death. Both deaths were examples of his overconfidence. He’d planned this all so well, but he’d not allowed for mistakes. And he’d made two serious ones.

But no more mistakes could be tolerated. With the cop asking questions about his dolls, he had no choice.

He had another doll to make.

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