Page 38 of Outlaw Ridge: Reed
Reed wasn’t able to hear anything the dispatcher was saying, but whatever it was, it caused Jesse to squeeze his eyes shut a moment.
“Try to trace the call,” Jesse instructed, and he hung up to face them. “Dispatch just got an anonymous call. There’s been another murder.”
----- ? ----
Chapter Fifteen
----- ? ----
Hallie’s breath caught in her throat.No, no, no, her mind screamed.
Not another one.Please, not another one.
She forced herself not to give into the overwhelming dread, into the gut-twisting nightmare that just wouldn’t seem to end. She had a job to do, and to get it done, she needed whatever details Jesse had just been given.
“Where? Who?” she managed to ask.
Jesse looked as if he, too, was having to battle his own dread. “Four one two Dearborn Road.”
This time, her breath didn’t just catch. It completely vanished as the realization of that information sank in. The address was familiar because she’d been there just the day before when Corman had trespassed and been held at gunpoint.
By Helen Robey.
Oh, God. Helen lived alone so it had to be her. One look at Jesse’s face confirmed that it was.
No one said anything about the possibility of the anonymous call being a hoax. Because it almost certainly wasn’t. Hallie figured when they went to that small ranch house with the pristine front yard, that they’d find Helen’s body, and that it would be posed as one of her parents’ victims.
“Shit,” Reed said, scrubbing his hand over his face.
That expressed her sentiment to a tee. Jesse’s as well apparently because he repeated it.
“Yesterday when I was done taking her statement, I asked Mrs. Robey if she wanted a police patrol to check on her,” Jesse said, and Hallie could hear the guilt in his voice. “She refused. But I should have pushed. I should have driven back out there to check on her.”
“There’s no way you could have known this would happen,” Hallie tried to assure him, but she was sure she failed. Because the guilt was also eating away at her. Why hadn’t she even considered that the killer would go after the woman?
Because she’d gotten distracted with all the other stuff going on, that’s why.
And that meant she had allowed that distraction to lead to a fatal mistake. One that had cost Mrs. Robey her life.
“You think Corman could have killed her?” Shaw came out and asked. “He was just there yesterday, which means he knew the address. Probably knew that she lived alone and didn’t have a dog to alert her if he was breaking in.”
Hallie was giving all of that some thought. Corman had said the mysterious note left on his car had led him there. But he could have gone there to scope out the place. Or kill Mrs. Robey. And had instead gotten caught. Hard to kill a woman who was holding you at gunpoint.
“Corman could have gone back there after we released him,” Hallie admitted, and that brought on even more guilt.
Guilt that wasn’t going to help, she had to remind herself. Best not to focus on that but rather on finding the killer and getting Mrs. Robey some justice.
“I can drive you to the scene,” Reed said, and she got the feeling it wasn’t just a suggestion. One way or another, he was going with her.
“I want to go, too,” Jesse was quick to volunteer.
She’d expected that as well and nodded. “Shaw and you will go in one cruiser. Reed and I in the other.” Hallie looked at Griff. “Please let me know if you find out anything else about those photos or deep dives you’re doing.”
“Will do,” Griff replied. “Good luck,” he added as Reed, Jesse, Shaw, and she headed to the supply closet.
Even though she knew it would be painful with the extra weight pressing against her bruise, Hallie vested up anyway. So did the others. And she traded her raincoat for a heavy-duty one that stood at least a chance of keeping her dry. With the storm still raging, that was going to be a huge challenge. But worse, with every passing moment, every raindrop, that storm could be washing away any forensic evidence that the killer might have left behind.
Once everyone had on their gear and backup weapons, they headed to the exit. No one rushed out though. Because they all knew this murder could be a ploy to lure them out into the open.
