Page 53 of Knight's Fall

“Not that far,” Isobel said. “Owen and I believe the older composite is a disguise. The Delta guys are running down a hunch I have. I think the older man makes the contact with the victims, but the disguise is to hide his true age and identity. There are no prints or other physical evidence to connect the guy to the crimes, but the witness testimonies match enough to make me suspicious.”

“We’re also using the vacant properties as part of this guy’s MO,” Jay added. “There were two cases that the witness reported the stranger asking about rental properties in the area prior to the victim going missing.”

“But the house where we found Courtlyn’s phone wasn’t a rental property,” Wings pointed out.

“And there was no evidence of the properties in those other cases being rented either. He uses it as a ruse to talk to the victims, but also to reach out to local real estate agents to find out about the vacant properties in the area, both rental and sale,” Jay explained.

Zane leaned forward to get Wings’ attention. “I spoke to the agent who listed the house we searched. He remembers an older guy asking about it. He couldn’t positively identify him from the composite, but his description fit. The guy didn’t buy it, but the agent admitted telling the guy about the property owner’s circumstances. He’s relocated to another country with his job, and he left the sale of the property up to the agent. So the stranger knew the house was vacant. I’m not sure how he knew no one would buy it during the time he squatted there, but I feel like this is our guy. There are too many coincidences for it not to be.”

In their line of work, coincidences didn’t exist. They usually turned out to be leads that needed to be connected. In this case, the coincidences were vague and wouldn’t bring them closer to identifying the stranger or to finding Courtlyn. Hell, the coincidences hadn’t even connected enough to indicate the stranger did indeed take Courtlyn. Wings was thankful they had leads, but they were too weak. They needed something more definite if they hoped to find out what happened to her.

“What’s our next move?” Wings asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

“We look into the available properties in the area. We look into the other cases connected to the composites. We question everyone in Courtlyn’s life to see why she attracted the attention of a contract killer. The more we study the details, the more we can find connections that eluded law enforcement before. There’s a clue here. We just have to find it,” Jay said.

“And in the meantime, Courtlyn is at the mercy of a contract killer. We think. We don’t actually know for sure that any of this is connected to her.”

“It is,” Isobel said. “My gut is telling me we’re on the right track. Trust us, Wings. We’re not giving up on your girl, and neither should you. We’re going to find her if we have to call in every resource we have.”

Wings zeroed in on the composite of the Malcolm he’d seen at the diner. Courtlyn insisted the man was harmless, but Wings had been suspicious of him then. Malcolm had watched Courtlyn as if he owned her, as if she had no right to speak to anyone as long as he was there, demanding her attention. Even after she’d gone back to the kitchen, he’d felt the older man’s eyes on him as if assessing him. Anytime Wings looked his way, he simply smiled and gave a brief friendly wave.

Yeah, Malcolm was involved. Wings just had to figure out the how and the why.

∞∞∞

Courtlyn shivered enough for the wooden chair she sat on to rock on its uneven legs. The air conditioning had kicked on some time ago. She had no concept of how much time had passed, but the blast of cold air had been persistent. Still only wearing her underwear, she had nothing to protect her from the icy gust.

Her stomach growled an awful symphony, but her mouth was so dry, she didn’t think she could have eaten even if she had something. That along with the changing light outside the window told her she’d been here a while.

She’d needed to pee at some point, but that feeling had passed. Her back ached from being in the same position too long. She could no longer feel her arms, and she yearned to sleep. Her body needed rest, and just for a little bit, she needed to forget what was happening to her. But she couldn’t sleep. She hadn’t seen anyone, but she sensed she wasn’t alone. Someone had brought her here, but her memory was still too fuzzy to recall what happened.

Miserable and lonely, she started to think of Wings. She’d never been attracted to what she considered to be “hairy” men, but she loved Wings’ full beard and long hair. He had better hair than she did. It was silky and wavy. When he positioned his body over hers, his hair dropped in a curtain around them like it cocooned them in that space and that moment. The world was hidden from view, and she only focused on him. His strength, his warmth, his kindness. He made her feel special and worthy. She’d never known another like him, and she may never see him again.

She wanted to hope that Wings would bust through the cabin or house or whatever structure she was in. He would beat up the person holding her captive, and he would rescue her. He wouldn’t leave her side, and he would declare his devotion over and over until she heard the words in her dreams. Though she knew the scenario wouldn’t come true, the fantasy was her refuge. Even as the rope held her bound to that chair in that room, her thoughts of Wings carried her blissfully away from this place where she no longer had to imagine what fate laid before her.

∞∞∞

Jay hung up his office phone after talking with another police investigator about one of the cold cases linked to the contract killer. The investigator wasn’t much help and seemed content to let the FBI handle his case. Jay got the impression the investigator was just watching the clock until he could retire and draw his pension.

Leaning back against his desk chair, he stretched his back as he rubbed his hands over his face. He was tired of all of the dead ends and mismatched pieces of a puzzle he couldn’t figure out. He was more tired of having to tell his friend that he had no leads to the whereabouts of his girl. Each time he had to break the news, he saw a little more of Wings’ hope die away.

As much as Jay loathed to admit it, they may never find Courtlyn. This guy had years of practice at perfecting what he did. He left no leads or evidence behind, and even the best investigators with law enforcement, including the FBI, had come up empty.

His cell phone rang from where it rested on his desk, and he reached for it expecting it to be Payton calling to check on him. His eyes widened to see his buddy Judah Cavanaugh’s name flash across the screen. Judah operated a wilderness facility in the Rockies that KSI often used for training. Knowing his friend was calling to schedule their next training retreat, Jay almost declined the call. He finally decided to use Judah as a brief distraction, allowing his mind to reset.

“Hey, man. Now’s not the best time to talk, but I haven’t forgotten we need to set a date for the training retreat.”

“I was just calling to see if you wanted to grab a beer later. I’m in your neck of the woods.”

“What are you doing in Grayson Cove?”

“I’m staying up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I think I’m going to open a second wilderness facility here. Not as big as the one I have, but it’ll still be a good spot if you wanted to train your teams there. I’m looking at some potential property, so I’ll be in town for a couple of days,” Judah explained.

“Oh, man, I’d love to get together and shoot the shit, but we’re all hands on deck right now.”

“What’s wrong?”

Jay once worked with Judah when they both led Navy SEAL teams, and though the work done by KSI was off the record, he trusted Judah to keep their cases confidential. He explained about Courtlyn’s disappearance and her connection with Wings. Judah had seen how the others found their women through dangerous circumstances, so he understood how critical their work was now. The KSI family held nothing back when it came to one of their own.

---