Page 81 of The Dollmaker

“Yeah. A few. I decided to lie low for a while. I figured today I was in the clear, so I decided to head west. Then a cop did a U-turn and came after me. I wasn’t speeding, so I knew they were after something else.”

“Terrance’s body wasn’t found in the city. It was dumped close to his home, which strikes me as a real coincidence. How could this buyer know where Terrance lived? He couldn’t have followed the kid home, because Terrance was counting on you to give him a ride back home.”

“Lucky guess?”

Sharp didn’t speak for a moment as fury surged in him. “Or maybe the kid said something that spooked the guy.”

“How would I know? I wasn’t there.”

“Anything about this buyer’s voice on the phone that reminded you of anyone you know?”

“How could I know him? I’ve been gone ten years.”

“Maybe it was someone from your past.”

“No, I didn’t recognize his voice. I just know I didn’t like the sound of it.” He barely spoke above a whisper. “Freaky.”

Time to find Frances. “What’s the address of the building where you picked up the bag?”

“I don’t know the exact address. It’s off Route 360 a couple of miles north of I-295. There’s a fast-food restaurant and a bike shop right by it.”

“Jimmy, I’ll be in touch. And if I find out you’re lying to me, you’re smart enough to know what I’ll do next.”

Dillon leaned forward, his fingers fisted. “I told you what I know.”

Sharp rose. “I believe you.”

“So that’s it? I’m off the hook.”

“No, you’re not.”

“You said you wouldn’t charge me.”

“The deputies in this county aren’t ready to let you go yet. Reckless driving is a parole violation. And I’m betting you don’t own the white Lexus you were driving.”

Sharp left, not bothering to look back. This wasn’t the first person he’d met who was willing to sacrifice his kid, but it never failed to piss him off.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Saturday, October 8, 11:00 a.m.

As Sharp slid behind the wheel of his car, he dug out his phone and called Dr.Kincaid. When he reached her office, the administrative assistant on the weekend crew said Kincaid wasn’t available, but Dr.McGowan could come to the phone. “Fine, put her on.”

Seconds ticked before he heard, “This is Dr.McGowan.”

“It’s Dakota,” he said quickly. “I need a favor from Dr.Kincaid, but she isn’t available.”

“I can help,” she offered. “What do you need?”

“This is regarding the Terrance Dillon case. You found trace hair fibers on his body.”

“Correct.”

“I need that DNA cross-checked against any foreign DNA found on Diane Richardson.”

“Dillon and Diane? How are the two cases related?”

“I’m still working on that. Can you check?”

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