Page 10 of Catching Fire

“We don’t know. We can’t find Sanders and aren’t able to predict where he’ll turn up. But it’s a possibility that we must consider. We want to be sure you know everything to look for.”

Placing her now clammy palms on her knees, Seline sat very still and nodded.

“His name is William Treat Sanders. No one's seen him for over a month—not anyone who can identify him.”

Seline gulped.His victim had seen him …

“In fact, Maggie Willis was the last.” There was a pause and Seline wondered if they were waiting for something from her, but Watson pulled out a tablet and tapped it a few times. Holding up a picture, she said, “Let’s start with what he looks like. Have you seen him?”

She shook her head. The man in the photograph looked entirely unfamiliar.

“What about this?” Quickly, Watson turned the tablet to herself and clicked another picture, before flipping back to Seline.

“That's the same man,” Seline pointed out. They’d given him a different haircut and facial hair, different eye color, but it was clearly the same person.

“It is. But have you seen him?” Watson moved the tablet a little farther toward Seline as though the problem might be her eyesight.

Realizing they were trying to show her what he might look like now, she took a closer look, but ... “No.”

They went through three more versions of the photograph before Watson brought up the one with thinning white hair and pale, pasty skin.

Seline’s back straightened involuntarily. Watson and Decker didn't miss her reaction.

“You've seen him.” Decker stated. It wasn’t a question.

“Not only have I seen him …” Seline breathed the words out, fighting not to revert to French. “I just passed him on my walk about an hour ago.”

Chapter Seven

“Go!” Watson told Decker, and he was out the door before Seline could quite process what was going on.

Watson had her gun drawn, and had turned to look out the window, while Seline still hadn't managed to move from where she sat. Gripping her knees tightly with her fingers, she realized that Maggie was right. This wasreal.

Whether or not he was even after her, a serial killer was likely in her neighborhood.

“Maybe it wasn't him,” she squeaked the words out. Surely, she was wrong. Or all old men just looked alike? But that wasn’t true, and Watson wasn’t having any of her denial.

“It's far too coincidental. Do you know the man you saw? Do you know his name? Or where he lives?”

Dread filled her as she shook her headnoto all of it. “I'm new here.”

They would know that, too. Right?

Watson offered a short nod as she continued to scan the street. Her words carried over her shoulder. “Did you see anyone else who seemed to know who he was?”

Seline shook her head, unable to form words. Still stunned at how fast things had changed from ‘just a precaution’ to one of the agents running out the door with his gun drawn. She realized Watson couldn’t see her answer and she pushed the word out between her lips. “No.”

Again, she was granted a short nod as Watson stood to the side of the large pane of glass, her gaze still aimed outside. The street was now busy for Redemption, but not like a big city.

This weekend had gone to shit on all fronts. She was getting no work done. She’d decided to give things a try with dating Kalan even though she didn’t really have the time … and he’d walked away. He’d not messaged today or anything. And now, she was supposed to be working and catching up on what she’d missed and instead she was petrified in her own living room because she might have bumped into the most notorious serial killer in middle America less than an hour ago.

Mon dieu.

“Two of you might be able to look faster,” Seline offered.

“One of us has to stay here with you,” was all Watson said, but it was enough to make Seline’s already cold blood turn icy.

She hadn't thought of that, but she was grateful for the protection.

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