Page 104 of Love Me Fearless

“Come in,” Sheriff Olson calls.

When I step inside, Luke practically tackles me in a giant hug, his solid frame like a brick wall. “Damn, you’re a sight for sore eyes,” he says.

“Likewise,” I say, slapping him on the back.

Sheriff Olson gives an impatient grunt.

With a final grin at me, Luke gives the sheriff a nod, and his expression turns serious. “Take a seat. What I’m about to tell you is pretty intense.”

Nerves chew at my gut. I raise an eyebrow at the sheriff.

“This is an open investigation, Hutchins, but Luke needs your input, and I agree you have critical intel. However, there are things we cannot reveal. Understood?”

Meaning the information exchange may only move in one direction. I lower into the other chair opposite the sheriff’s desk. “Understood.”

Luke puts his hands on his hips. “We have the ID of the victim you found in that mine.”

“Shit, that was quick.”

“We had dental records from a missing person case that matched.”

I glance from his tense gaze to Sheriff Olson’s impassive frown. “There’s more to this, isn’t there? That’s why you got here so fast.”

The sheriff and Luke lock eyes for a moment, a look of understanding passing between them.

Luke crosses his arms. “We have strong evidence to believe we’re dealing with a serial killer.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Air leavesmy lungs in a whoosh. “My God. Here, in Finn River?”

Luke’s mouth crimps in a hard line, like he’s thinking. “There’s a lot we don’t yet understand, but I’m sure this guy at least has a connection to this region.”

My skin prickles with icy dread. “Like he lives here?”

Luke gives a subtle shrug of his shoulders. “Or did. Or he works here. Or travels through here.”

“That’s a lot of possibilities.” I eye the sheriff, but he’s focused on Luke.

“True. But his profile has some very unique aspects.”

This is psych stuff that sort of turns my gut, so I don’t ask for details. “The girl I found in the mine, who is she?”

“Her name is Michelle Swanson. She was twenty-three when she went missing from Cascade six years ago.”

I grimace. “Cascade’s just north of the lake.”

“There are two more. Jane Beasley, a waitress and college studentfrom Nevada, and Nichole-Renée Page, a?—”

I bolt to my feet. “No fucking way!” I shout over the sudden buzzing in my head.

Luke’s eyes widen in shock. “You know her?”

I scrub my face with my hands, but they’re shaking. “No,” I grit out. “But I know who she is.” I start to pace, needing to move so my rising terror doesn’t rip me to shreds.

Luke and the sheriff exchange another glance. “How would you know a pharmacy student at UCSF?”

Breathe, Rye. I force in a series of breaths, but my throat feels raw and I’m shaking like a leaf. “Because she lived near Ava. Went missing right around the same time Ava had a break-in at her apartment, and I was worried sick.”

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