Page 65 of In Her Shadow

“There's been a struggle here, for sure. I’m assuming whoever took them took the friend's car.” He looks back out the door to the empty garage.

“I could ask forensics to get down here and take some swabs, see if it’s a match for hers,” he suggests, and I crouch down and swipe my finger through it, studying it on the pad of my finger before I taste it on my tongue.

“It’s hers.” I look up at him with rage pulsing through my veins, feeding me with adrenaline.

“What kind of sick bastard are you?” He looks a little haunted as I stand back up.

“I’mhersick bastard, and I’m gonna kill whoever made her bleed,” I growl as I show him through to the living room.

“We should get the place dusted for prints.” He sighs as he follows me.

“I don’t want your police buddies involved; besides all that shit takes time, and this place will be covered in traces of men. Katelyn’s a serial dater.” I sit down on the couch and scrub my hand over my face.

“She’s three days off her due date. This can’t be happening.” I shake my head.

“Focus, Ren. Not on her, or what might be happening, but on the bigger picture. On the way over, you said a guy dropped off a note at her work, that he was inside her apartment, but took nothing. That means he was there looking for something specific.”

“You think I didn’t work that out for myself?” I look up at him blankly.

“I’m just trying to find an angle here. Why would this person take Eloiseandher friend? An extra hostage means more work. Maybe it wasn’t just Eloise he was watching. You said they’ve been friends since they were kids?”

The thought never crossed my mind, but it makes sense.

“If we look back into their past, we might find something. Does Katelyn have any family?”

“I know everything about Eloise’s past. I’ve been there for most of it. I’ve been following her since she was nine years old.” I see how shocked Lance is by that admission and choose to ignore it. “There’s nothing. Nothing that hasn’t been cleared up.” I feel so deflated, but I can’t give up, I have to use my head and start coming up with some fucking answers.

“The trunk.” I suddenly remember cleaning out her closet and seeing that trunk, which belonged to her father. It was locked, and from the way she was acting, I’d guess that she feared whatever was inside it.

“Trunk?” Lance waits for me to explain.

“There’s a trunk back at Eloise’s old apartment. What if there's something in there? What if it’s what the guy in the helmet was looking for?” I jump back up on my feet.

“You stay here, you try and find us a lead on Katelyn. I’m sure Eloise mentioned that her parents died in a road accident, but she’s gotta have some living relatives.”

“You got it.” Lance nods as I rush back out the door.

“Wait,” I quickly march back inside when I realize I forgot something. “Give me your phone.” I hold my hand, and when he reluctantly hands it over, I punch in my number. “Call me the second you get something.” I start heading back out.

“Wait, shouldn't you take mine?” he calls out after me.

“I already got it,” I holler back.

ELOISE

“Katelyn, please explain all this.” My mouth is so dry, and the thumping in my head is getting stronger.

“Where do you want me to start?” She sits on the bottom of the bed with her legs crossed, the way she used to when we hung out as teenagers.

“At the beginning, what happened to you?” I can tell that whatever it is, it’s painful. Has my friend been putting on a huge front for all these years?

“Well, for a start, when my parents died, I didn’t go to Florida to stay with my grandma.” She plays with the bottom of her jeans and laughs sadly.

“What?” I try sitting up straighter. “You were there for a whole year before you came back to New York for college.”

“Nope. I was right here.” She looks around the place and smiles sadly.

“Where ishere, Katelyn? What’s all this about?”

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