Page 78 of Call Back

“So you knew about the other women before Amy?”

“Yes and no. I knew about the murder in Clarksville. I remembered seeing the mark on her leg.”

“That case was ten years ago,” I said. “You didn’t graduate from the police academy until eight years ago. How could you have seen it?”

“It was a cold case kind of thing. Groups that try to solve unsolved mysteries.”

“You joined it as a cop?” I asked in disbelief.

The first hint of irritation filled his eyes. “I wasn’t a detective when I joined the force, and I told you that I like investigating. So yeah, I joined a few online groups. They had no idea I was a cop. It was with that group that I heard about another murder, the one from fourteen years ago. So I started looking into other cases and realized there must have been a serial killer.”

“Why haven’t you already contacted the FBI?”

“I did. A guy contacted me; he looked over the cases, then said it was nothing. But it doesn’t seem like nothing to me. So I contacted them yesterday, and they’re coming in to take a look.” His eyes searched mine. “Maggie, now that you’re involved, I’m more determined than ever to find the bastard.” He hesitated. “In all honesty, you shouldn’t have even looked at the files, and I definitely shouldn’t have shared what I did, but I thought you had a right to know.”

I remained silent, still seeing those dead women in my head. Even if I hadn’t seen her photo, Emily was one of them now. And even though I knew Brady was right—that the murderer had killed her, not me—I felt responsible.

Who would be next?

Brady moved in front of me and rested his hands on my shoulders. “You can’t tell anyone that you know about the cases. I put my job on the line by telling you what I did. If it got out that I shared confidential information, I would lose my job.”

“Okay,” I said, quieter than I’d intended, but the shock of the whole situation was hitting me hard. “It’s not like I’ve told anyone else about that night anyway.”

But that wasn’t true. I’d told my mother less than twenty-four hours ago. A decade-old secret treated like yesterday’s gossip. I couldn’t help wondering if I’d pay a price for that.

I noticed the clock on the stove read 6:45. “I have to get ready for work.”

“Right now?”

“I have to be at Ava’s early today.”

“Why?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Because she’s one of my bosses, and she told me to come in early.”

“She can’t make you work overtime to pay off the damage to the apartment. You were attacked, Maggie. If that’s what this is about, let me know, and I’ll see if I can do something before you have to resort to hiring an attorney.”

I shook my head. I wasn’t sure whether to feel grateful or annoyed. The last thing I needed was Brady butting in any more at Ava’s. I was a grown woman who didn’t need the guy she’d been staying with to stand up for her. “No. That’s not it. She knows I’m looking for some extra money, so she’s given me extra chores to do this morning,” I lied. “It was actually very sweet of her.”

“Ava Milton sweet?” he asked in disbelief. “That’s a first.”

“So you do know about her?”

“By reputation. Everyone in town knows she’s a busybody and a bully.”

I nearly protested the bully label, but I could see how she’d earned it. “I’ll admit that she’s difficult to work for, but I’ve worked with plenty of difficult people before. She’s more bark than bite.”

“Then you haven’t gotten to know the real Ava Milton yet.” He lifted his hand to my cheek. “Thank you for sharing your experience with me, but I need to ask something of you. Something that will be really hard.”

“I already told you I wouldn’t say anything about the other women.”

“That’s not it.” He paused. “I need you to take me to the house. The one you found before you came to the police station.”

I took a step back, bumping into the window. “The house where I was held hostage?”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t surprised by the request, but I started shaking anyway.

---