Page 52 of Among the Innocent

He cleared his throat. “Could be he’s staying close by. We have to canvass the entire area. Show the sketch door to door. Maybe someone will recognize him.” Dalton spotted the flashing police lights and pulled up behind them. The officer he’d met before had begun searching the vehicle.

“Chief Cooper. Leah.” Officer Rebecca Trahan straightened and addressed them.

“Appreciate the call. Any identification in the truck?”

Officer Trahan shook her head. “Nothing so far. It’s kind of eerie, though. The glove box is empty. No plates on the vehicle. I’ve called in the crime scene unit, but I have a feeling we’ll discover it’s stolen.”

“I’m guessing the plates were removed recently.” Dalton observed the missing back plate. “Otherwise, someone would have stopped him by now.”

“For sure,” Officer Trahan responded.

Sam arrived on the scene and pulled in behind the SUV.

“This is a new twist,” Sam said while watching the activity around the truck. “Why would he leave the truck here?”

Had the killer deliberately removed the plates and left the truck for them to find?

“Looks like we’re going to be able to pull some viable fingerprints on the driver’s door,” Officer Trahan told them.

“That’s a little too convenient if you ask me,” Leah said. “Those are probably not his.”

Dalton glanced around the area.

“It’s a quiet neighborhood. Very little crime—” Leah suddenly stopped. “Wait, our second shift dispatcher Justine Raber’s family lives around here, don’t they, Sam?”

“They sure do. A couple of blocks over, I believe.”

“She could be in danger.” The urgency in Leah’s tone vaulted Dalton into action.

“Radio for assistance, Sam. We need to go door to door and see if anyone has seen the man in the sketch.”

They headed for the SUV. Dalton followed Leah’s directions. After several turns, they reached an older neighborhood, where Justine lived.

“This is it.” Leah pointed to the house at the end of the cul-de-sac. She barely waited until he’d stopped before jumping out. “I sure hope she’s okay.”

Dalton stepped up on the porch and knocked. “Why would he target Justine? So far, the other victims here were Amish.”

Leah reminded him that Justine’s family had once been Amish, then added, “Justine wants to join the force one day. I’m helping her prepare for the academy, and we’ve gotten pretty close.”

When his knock went unanswered, Dalton rang the bell multiple times. Each ring was met with silence.

A disturbing thought occurred to him. Had Justine been targeted because of her former Amish roots or because of her relationship with Leah?

Before he could voice his concern to Leah, Justine opened the door with an incredulous look. “Chief. Leah. What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”

How did he explain their suspicions? “Have you noticed anything unusual happening around the neighborhood last night or this morning?”

“Unusual? No. Why?”

Dalton explained about the abandoned truck. “We believe it may belong to the killer.”

“You think he’s coming after me?” Her hand flew to her chest.

“We don’t know for certain,” he assured her. “It could just be a strange coincidence. To be safe, keep the doors locked and we’ll have a patrol sit in front of your house.”

“Is that necessary?” She averted her gaze. A strange question considering the danger she might be facing.

“Yes, as a precaution.”

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