Page 40 of Among the Innocent

Leah ran back inside while Dalton shadowed her. Both had their weapons drawn.

“The male. There was something strange about him. He must have worn a disguise to make himself appear older.” Leah flew out the door and down the steps. The older woman stood near the building.

“Where’s your husband?” Leah demanded and grabbed hold of the woman’s arm.

The smile on the woman’s face disappeared. “He’s not my husband. He told me he wanted to play a joke on his girlfriend.” The woman glanced past Leah to Dalton, and her eyes shot open wide. “What’s going on? Am I in trouble?”

“Where did he go?” Dalton demanded.

“He ran that way.” Then she turned back toward Leah, looking contrite. “He said you would get a kick out of it.”

Leah released the woman and ran in the direction she’d pointed. The two tribal police officers guarding the back hurried their way. “Did you see anyone leave the church?” she asked the female officer.

“Sure, an older man,” Officer Rebecca Trahan responded. “He didn’t fit the description of the person we’re looking for.” She realized her mistake. “Was it him?”

“We think so. Which way did he go?”

Rebecca pointed.

“Stay with the woman. She’s a witness,” Dalton told Rebecca. “You come with us.” He motioned to the second officer.

With Dalton close at her side, they carefully moved away from the church, searching every possible hiding place.

“He’s gone,” she said in disbelief and did a 360-degree turnaround. How had he managed to slip away?

The tribal officer shook his head. “Nothing. I’ll radio my people and have them search the surrounding blocks.”

“Thank you.” Dalton’s attention shifted to Leah. “Let’s go speak to the woman again. Maybe she can remember something useful.”

Rebecca had moved the woman inside the mission. She sat near the front with Rebecca standing close.

Leah slipped into the pew beside the woman. “How did you meet this man?”

“At the coffee shop. I’m here visiting my sister. She wasn’t feeling well today so I thought I’d do a little sightseeing on my own.” She appeared embarrassed by what had happened. “He came over to me and seemed so nice. Though I think he was trying to make himself look older than he was.”

Leah looked at Dalton in surprise. “Why do you think that?”

The woman smiled. “It was his voice. He sounded much younger. I can’t believe I agreed to do this. It’s so unlike me, but he came across as harmless.” She glanced between Leah and Dalton. “Am I in trouble?”

Dalton shook his head. “No ma’am, but I will need you to give us a description of the man.”

She ran her hands down the front of her jeans. “Well, like I said, he appeared to want to look older. He wore a newsboy cap, but his hair was graying where I could see it.” She looked to Dalton. “He isn’t as tall as you, young man. He had a beard and mustache that were gray, and he wore those reflective sunglasses over his eyes.” She pointed to her face. “Other than that, he had on jeans and a dark T-shirt.”

Dalton finished writing down the description. “I’ll need your contact information and your sister’s name and her address.”

“Oh my. Well, of course.” The woman gave it to him.

“Thank you, ma’am. And in the future, don’t go along with any practical jokers.”

The woman jerkily rose. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Once is enough.”

“She has no idea she was in the presence of a serial killer,” Dalton said once the woman had left. “He could have ducked into one of the stores and disposed of the disguise. We’re spread thin as it is. Let’s check with some of the closest businesses. Maybe someone remembers this guy.”

She wondered how Dalton was functioning on virtually no sleep. “I can call Henry and have him help me with the search. You need some rest.”

Dalton shook his head. “As soon as we finish our canvass, I’ll go to your place and grab a shower and a few hours of sleep. I’ll be fine.” He was stubbornly putting her welfare ahead of his own. Dalton had all the attributes of a true hero and a heart of gold. She’d seen it many times already.

“We can get there faster by driving.”

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