Page 66 of No Surrender
Simon sighed. “That’s an understatement. But the boo hag was captured, so that’s one more piece of the puzzle laid to rest. Now we just have to find Judd and stop him from sending any more cursed objects.”
“Is Ross doing better?”
“He and Hargrove are going back to work, although I suspect they’re both moving faster than their doctors wanted,” Simon told him. “I just have the feeling that if we don’t get to Judd before the trial starts, he has something big planned to derail it.”
“Sounds logical. I hope the police appreciate you two.” Pete went to the break room and brought back cups of coffee for both of them.
Simon cradled his with both hands, soaking up the warmth and eager for the caffeine after a short night. “They do. Hargrove is a good guy. Although I don’t think the city fathers are wild about us. First the Slitter trial becomes a media circus, then we unearth another serial killer. Bad for tourism.”
“Getting killed isn’t good for business either,” Pete pointed out.
“Having a police department that’s on top of these things should help to restore confidence. The city fathers forget that no vacation spot is one hundred percent safe.”
“It’s all about image,” Pete replied. “The trial is big now, but once it’s over there’ll be the next headline, and people will forget. I doubt most tourists read the local news anyhow.”
“I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much as I should have been.” Simon paid Pete well, but he didn’t want to take advantage.
“You’ve been busting serial killers. I’ve got this handled.”
“Thank you,” Simon replied gratefully. “I hope you’re right about the media losing interest. I’m ready to get back to giving tours and doing séances without seeing reporters everywhere.”
The rest of the afternoon was a blissful slice of normal. Simon waited on clients, scheduled psychic readings, and enjoyed the break, knowing that there was still a storm in the offing.
His phone rang just after four. “We’ve got three possible locations for Judd,” Vic told him. “The information the IT guys turned up dovetailed with what Teag told me when he called. Ross is back, and we’re going to check them out. We’ve already gone by Judd’s apartment—he hasn’t been there in a while. Didn’t show up for work, doesn’t have any family. No friends that we could find.”
“Co-workers who might know his habits?” Simon asked, sure Vic had already thought of it.
“The people who remembered him said he was awkward and made people uneasy. That’s why he usually worked at night. Even with the janitorial company he owns, he dispatches teams to projects without interacting with them much personally. Everyone said the same thing—Judd’s an odd loner and gives people the creeps,” Vic replied.
“Not much to go on.”
“Maybe enough if one of these locations pans out,” Vic said. “With luck, I’ll be home for dinner. Let’s order pizza so we don’t have to worry if I run late.”
“Be safe.”
“You, too. Go straight home and stay inside,” Vic warned. “Until Judd is in custody, we don’t know where he’ll show up or what he’ll do.”
“I’ll meet you at home,” Simon promised. “Go get him.”
10
VIC
“We’ve struck out twice now—third time’s the charm?” Ross asked with a nervous laugh.
Vic shrugged, out of sorts. “Not surprised Judd wasn’t at his house or office. We knew that. But I thought the IT guys were onto something when they gave us the log-in locations, and their info matched what Teag found.”
“Judd seems to know how to play the game. If he realized he could be traced, he’d keep moving.” Ross was back at work—against doctor’s orders—and still looked too haggard for Vic’s liking. Ross and Hargrove had argued, but given the exceptional circumstances, Vic knew their boss gave in against his better judgment.
“We’ve got an alert out on his license plate. He’s invested in the Slitter case, so I don’t think he’s a flight risk. He’s going to be here to ‘protect’ his idol. So he has to be somewhere,” Vic countered.
“The IT hits are only part of the picture,” Ross reminded him. “I should hear back soon as well on the real estate search. Whatever leases or purchases he has, we’ll find them.”
“We’re running out of time,” Vic fretted. “The trial is only a week away, and I’m certain Judd has some big interruption planned.”
“Then we just have to stay one step ahead of him.”
The IT team had traced the posting locations of the various usernames Judd had adopted in the hobby groups frequented by his victims. They had narrowed it to three aside from his house and business—a coffee shop, a diner, and a vacation cabin Judd apparently liked to frequent.
