Page 60 of Preying Game

Chapter 18

Alice had come to see Frank because she’d wanted to convince him they could thwart a serial killer. The Decorah chief had outlined some of the obstacles they’d have to face—before dealing the ultimate soul-crushing blow.

Her happiness was at stake. And not just hers. She could see from Jonah’s face that the prospect of losing her was unthinkable.

Yet she could also see he was the kind of man who wasn’t going to let five women die—if he could help it.

He gave her a dark look. “I don’t know what chance we have of pulling it off, but this mission isn’t as easy as my homing in on your voice over the radio.”

She nodded, waiting for him to put up more obstacles.

“We don’t even know who these women are yet. But when we find out, we’ll have to go back to a specific day and time—and hope we have enough information to succeed.”

She could feel her throat closing, but she managed to say, “Then we’ll have to do a lot of research to figure out who they are and when they were taken.”

Jonah said, “I guess our first step is to see the office IT specialist, Teddy Granada. Don’t be put off by him. He looks like he’s been wearing the same clothes for weeks, but he knows his way around the Internet like a monkey in a banyan forest.”

Alice turned to Frank. “Thank you for agreeing to try.”

“I can agree, but it’s only gonna happen if Jonah can pull it off.”

She gave him an apologetic look. “I put a lot on you. In more ways than one.”

“And what if I disappoint you?”

“I’ll know that you tried your hardest.”

He answered with a tight nod before taking her down the hall to a room full of computers and other equipment and introduced Teddy.

They grabbed chairs and got into the facts of the case.

“We’re assuming the women all supposedly died in accidents, but really they were abducted and held by a serial killer before he forced them to participate in a game where he hunted and killed them.”

Teddy made a low noise. “Nice guy.”

“Our search should start with newspaper accounts of women who went missing and were never found,” Jonah said. “And presumed dead.”

“I guess it’s possible he could have skipped the accident part with some of them—if he thought he could get away with it,” Alice added.

“How many women?” Teddy asked.

“Five,” Alice answered.

The IT specialist picked at a hangnail. “That’s a lot of victims to locate from that long ago.”

“I know. Sorry.”

“Let me see what I can turn up.”

After the session, Jonah said, “We don’t have to work every minute.”

“I guess that’s right.”

“Let’s go out and have some fun.”

She blinked. “Just like that?”

“Right. You’re entitled.”

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