Page 126 of Love Me Fearless

He grabs me in a tight hug. “Congrats, brother. That is awesome news.”

Gratitude washes through me. “Thanks. You want to join us?”

His face tenses. “I came to talk to you, actually, but—” From inside the house comes a muted shriek followed by cheers and more laughter “—it can wait.”

Luke wouldn’t come here if it wasn’t important. The fact that he didn’t call is also significant. “Is this about the case?”

“It’s about Jeremy Fisher.”

My chest pinches and a metallic taste tickles the back of my throat. “Okay.”

“We found these at the house,” he says, offering me the big envelope. “I think he intercepted them from Ava’s apartment.”

I peek inside, then glance at Luke. “Letters?”

“Ones Ava wrote to you. Looks like Jeremy didn’t want you to get them.”

A hard lump lodges in my throat. “I thought she stopped writing.”

His eyes fill with compassion. “Doesn’t look that way.”

“When her letters didn’t come, I quit writing her back.” I squeeze my eyes shut as the realization crystalizes in my mind. All this time, I thought I’d lost her. That the mistakes I’d made that night cost me the most precious relationship of my life.

Instead, someone stole that from me.

The tears come so fast I have to pinch the bridge of my nose to coax them back. Ava must have felt so betrayed when I didn’t reply.

If Jeremy wasn’t behind bars right now, he wouldn’t live to see another day.

“I think that was the outcome he was after,” Luke says. “I’ve covered a lot of ground since we brought him in. He’s been fixated on her since you all were in high school together. He’s photographed her, followed her, stolen her mail, invaded her privacy. When his attempts to entice her into a romantic relationship failed, he created that basement room and waited for an opportunity to apprehend her.”

“He tampered with her car,” I say, anger flaring hot inside me. How could I ever have thought of Jeremy as a friend?

Luke wipes down his chin, but it doesn’t change the sudden tension in his face. “I’m not sure that’s how it went down.”

“How else would her car mysteriously quit like that?”

He shakes his head. “I don’t know. There’s still plenty of questions I haven’t got answers to.” He widens his stance and crosses his arms. “I’m having forensics check Marin’s car for signs of tampering.”

The idea is like a spark inside my mind. “That would fit, wouldn’t it? He messes with their car, then he’s there to help when they’re stranded.” And if it works like it did with Ava, the killer is already someone they know and think they can trust.

How awful for those women who fell into that trap.

“It’s one possibility, yeah.”

I think back to that map Luke showed me. “Has he talked?”

His keen eyes seem to sharpen. “He’s cooperating, but a lot of what he’s saying isn’t matching up.”

“Matching up with what?”

“Murder. Especially when you think of that room down there. Why would he go to those lengths if he just planned to kill her?”

I shake my head because this is getting too close to a place I never want to revisit.

“Sorry,” he says in a soft tone, as if reading my mind, which he likely is, given his profession. “What I know about this serial murderer is he doesn’t keep his victims for long.”

“It doesn’t mean Jeremy isn’t your guy.” Maybe the other murders were his way of satisfying some sick urge until he could get Ava under his lock and key.

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