Page 37 of Catching Fire

“I don't think that qualifies me.” Maggie set her own spoon down much more gently, though Seline noticed that her own bowl was still half full, too. Having their friend go missing at the hands of a serial killer wasn't doing anything for anyone's appetite.

For a moment, Seline reined in her thoughts.

The FBI had multiple sets of agents on the case. The Redemption PD was all over it. There was a serial killer Task Force that had assigned agents to the BRK long before they'd known his real name. What could she and Maggie possibly contribute?

But the fact was, she and Maggie were sitting in the epicenter of Geller and Sanders’ work. So maybe they could contribute.

“If I were a killer, I would go to where I was least expected. That would be where I previously was—where I’d almost been caught.”

Maggie tipped her head, acknowledging that she was thinking about the idea at least. “But I do think they're watching the cabin. Just in case.”

“I’m sure you’re right. But when Ivy showed us the records, even on the map you can see that there's a cluster of cabins up there. I got the impression that many of them are unused and in disrepair.” The ownership was grandfathered in, since the families owned them before the land became national park land. Ivy had told them that the cabins had water pumps and outhouses, but no plumbing or electricity. It was no wonder some families weren’t using them.

Seline pressed the idea a litter harder, unsure why she was so attached to it. “Could Sanders get to one of the other cabins and use it? Surely he's familiar with all of them.”

“That's an interesting idea,” Maggie said. “He’d have to know if he had neighbors nearby when he was bringing a victim up there.”

Though she said it with calm certainty, Maggie didn’t manage to hide a small shudder than ran up her spine. She’d been brought to the cabin by Gellar in hopes that Sanders would dispose of her.

“How would we even find out though?” Seline was musing through her problem again. She needed to do something to help find Marina. “I don't think it's wise to get in the car and go driving off to some cabins where there might be a serial killer.”

“Agreed.” Maggie reached for her phone. “However, there was a ranger who helped out when I was missing. Let me see if I can find him.”

Maggie stood up and walked through the living room, tapping out a message to someone—probably Sebastian—and leaving her food behind. Seline cleaned up for something to do.

But Maggie was back within just a few minutes, exclaiming, “His name is Leo Evans, and he's with the National Park Service.”

Seline emerged from the kitchen, finally excited. “Let’s call him now.”

Less than fifteen minutes later, they had the Park Ranger on the phone. “Yes, there are other cabins there,” he told them, “And yes, there's more than one route into the area. We'll check them out.”

“Wait,” Seline said, though she hadn't spoken while Maggie ran the phone call. She didn’t want to butt in, having not met Evans herself before. “Be aware. William Treat Sanders is possibly in one of the cabins and he may be there with the victim.”

“He has another one?” Evans asked, clearly startled by that information.

“A friend of ours … He took her almost thirty-six hours ago.” The words choked in Seline’s throat but she managed to get them out. She was grateful that he didn’t feel the need to tell her that her friend was most likely already dead.

“I'll go up there with the team myself. I was there when Geller went down. I'd love to see Sanders fry.” The conviction in his voice soothed her. “I may pick up on something having been there before.”

“Thank you.”

Seline felt much better as Maggie hung up the phone. But as soon as she did, Seline’s phone rang from the other room.

Her heart perked, her heart rate rising with hope as she ducked to grab the phone. “Hello?”

She hadn’t looked at the caller ID! What if it was Sanders?

“I’m looking for Dr. Seline Marchand.” The voice was feminine and friendly and immediately calmed her heart.

“This is Dr. Marchand.”

“You don’t know me, and I don’t know what this is about …” the wary tone in the voice seeped into Seline’s blood. She could feel it now. This was not going to be good.

She caught Maggie’s own worried glance but couldn’t offer her any reassurance.

The voice continued, “I’m supposed to tell youshe’s still alive.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

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