Page 113 of Call Back

Chapter 23

Despite my exhaustion, sleep was elusive. After fifteen minutes, I got up and took one of the melatonin pills I’d seen in the bathroom. If I couldn’t sleep safely in Belinda’s fortress of security, I couldn’t sleep anywhere.

I passed out soon after I went to bed, and slept dreamlessly until my alarm went off at seven thirty. I felt like I’d been run over by a truck, and I was slow to move until the memories of the previous night hit me full force. I sat up in bed and covered my eyes.

I was still living in a nightmare.

If the killer had found my necklace in the basement, it made sense that he’d immediately destroyed the evidence there. Which made it all the more likely Bill James was the killer. And he probably assumed I knew a boatload more than I did.

Shit.

I needed to tell the police about what Belinda had found, and it made sense to tell Brady, even if I didn’t quite trust him. He was the only one who had realized we were dealing with a serial killer. The only one who had made the connection to my father’s mess. It felt like I had no other choice but to tell him.

As soon as I had a plan, I dialed his number. He answered on the first ring. “Maggie? Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” I said, running my hand through my hair. “Actually no. It’s not.”

“Tell me where you are; then hang up and call 911,” he said in a panic.

“No.” I shook my head, realizing I was handling this all wrong. “I’m fine. I just found out something shocking that I thought I should share with you.”

“Okay,” he said, sounding calmer. “I’m listening.”

I couldn’t tell him I’d found this out last night, or he’d justifiably wonder why I hadn’t told him sooner. “Belinda told me something concerning this morning at breakfast.”

“What’s your hesitation, Maggie?”

“What?” I asked in surprise.

“I can tell you’re hesitant to tell me. Is it Belinda? Are you still worried about her safety?”

The fact that he knew I was holding back spooked me. “Uh . . . yeah.”

“If you tell me, we can protect her, Maggie. And you too.”

But he’d told me he couldn’t protect her.

“Bill James,” I said, still not sure what to confess to him. “Belinda told me she saw files on his desk yesterday.”

“What kind of files?” he asked.

I stopped. “You can’t tell anyone this came from her. If my brother finds out, he might kill her. Literally, Brady. I know he’s hurt her before.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Maggie, you have to realize you’re hamstringing me. It’s not even my jurisdiction, and I have to have legitimate cause to get the Nashville police involved. What if she makes an anonymous tip like you did with Lopez’s disappearance?”

“Only a handful of people work in the office. It will be obvious it was one of them.”

“See?” he said, sounding more hopeful. “Then James won’t even suspect her. He’ll think it was one of his office staff.”

I wasn’t sure that was any better. If Bill had killed all those women, what was to stop him from killing one of the people in his office to keep them quiet? But I doubted that would happen. Bill knew Belinda had seen those files. He’d know it was her. Still, I’d initiated this call, and I had to tell Brady something.

“There were two files. One with Emily’s name. It was full of information about her, like her previous addresses and work and school history.”

“Like a background check?”

“Yeah.”

“Anything else?”

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