Page 27 of Justice for JoElla

“But as of three hours ago, she was still alive.” For the first time since it all started, JoElla felt a spark of hope. “That may not be much, but it’s something.”

* * *

They spentthe afternoon looking at maps, trying to figure out if there was somewhere the guy would go. They couldn’t find any known associate anywhere near there, with the operative word beingknown. He could’ve known just about anybody from his times in prison. From what they could tell, he was using a burner phone, and the gas station clerk said he’d paid in cash. This guy wasn’t stupid. He’d planned it all out very carefully?all except killing Derek. It was a pretty sure bet he’d thought the kid would be at school. Anton just got to the apartment a little too early, and then he had a problem he had to take care of.

They were almost finished for the afternoon when JoElla’s desk phone rang. “Tompkins.”

“DetectiveTompkins? This is LieutenantQuint Axton, SAPD. I understand you’re working on a case involving AntonWarmuth?”

“Yes! Thanks for calling me back, lieutenant! Just wanted to touch base with you. We got a hit on a surveillance video earlier this afternoon. Saw him in ShelbyCounty, which is not far from here. I just wondered if you could give me any particulars on your case with him.”

“We had him, but he slipped away. Been looking for him ever since. I have a feeling this guy has done this in a lot of places, but yours is the first time there’s been a ballistics hit that matched ours.”

“What can you tell me that might help me?”

LieutenantAxton launched into all the points on the case of TabbyMarks that might’ve been of help, but not many of them were that helpful. Except for Derek’s murder, it sounded similar to what they were dealing with on Josie’s disappearance. “Oh, and here’s something. It’s weird, but I dunno. Kind of interesting. They noticed him at a drive-thru of a fast food place because of the woman in the back seat. The worker at the window didn’t notice her until the vehicle drove away, but the woman was beaten and bloodied. Oh, and get this?she was naked.”

“Holy shit. Yeah. Same here.”

“I guess to make them feel more vulnerable and helpless?” Quint offered.

“Maybe. Was she sexually assaulted?”

“Yes. Violently, and the ME said it appeared to him to have been several times.”

“Any idea how long he drove around with her before he killed her?”

“That’s the worst part. Three weeks of starving her, beating her, and assaulting her. The back seat of the SUV was a mess before he killed her and worse afterward. And I’m not sure he would’ve killed her then except that his vehicle was spotted and law enforcement stopped him. Spike strips. He was running. Shot her just before the officers got to the SUV, bullet straight into the forehead. Shot himself too, but he survived. Got away from the officers while he was at the hospital.”

“Was this one of your officers?”

“No. Austin PD.”

“So he takes them and wanders the state?”

“It looks that way. No credit cards, debit cards, burner phone, almost impossible to track.”

JoElla nodded to herself. “Yep. We’re in the same position. And time’s running out.”

“Yeah. I looked up the crime when I got the message from the duty officer. You’ve got to find her.”

“Exactly. Thanks for your help.”

“We’ve still got an active warrant for his arrest. Would you mind if I came to Kentucky and helped you? I’d really like to see this guy off the streets. From what we can tell, he may have been the one who murdered two other women, one in Utah and the other in Oregon. He’s working his way across the country, apparently.”

Extra hands for free? JoElla didn’t even have to ask Roy?she knew what he’d say. “Of course. You’re welcome to come. We can use all the help we can get.”

“Great. I’ll email you with what I need and you can send me the info back. Hotels and such. And thanks, DetectiveTompkins.”

“That’s JoElla, and my partner is Mick. You’re quite welcome and thank you, Quint.”

“You’re very welcome. Talk to you soon.”

The sound of a chair rolling caught JoElla’s ear and she turned to find Mick plopping down at his desk. “You won’t believe what I just found out.”

By the time she finished telling him everything Quint had told her and letting Roy know that well-versed reinforcements were coming, it was time to go. She had a date to get ready for.

A date. Boy, if ever JoElla had made a mistake, that was definitely it.

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