Page 14 of Just Hide

Connor strode to the door, and Cami followed. She agreed speed was important here because they needed to speak to Roger before he was warned. She'd seen what happened when guilty people found out the police were looking for them.

They waited, Cami's heart thudding, her mouth suddenly dry. A few cars came and went. The parking lot was busy. Business, lots of it, was being done here. People were coming and going, and she stared around, trying to keep an eye out on who was where.

She didn't want to miss him. And she didn't want him to miss them.

Then a silver BMW pulled impatiently into the parking lot with a squeal of wheels. The driver, a man with dark hair, stepped out of the vehicle and walked toward the building. He was tall, Cami saw, wearing black pants, a collared shirt without a tie, and a leather jacket. He had a backpack slung over his shoulders.

"Let's go talk to Mr. Harwood," Connor muttered.

Cami followed close behind as Connor strode up to him, his badge in his hand.

"Roger Harwood?" he said. "FBI here. We need to ask you some questions."

The man stopped dead in his tracks, his face going pale. Cami saw a look of horror in his eyes.

"What's this about?" he asked warily.

"It's in connection with a serial murder case," Connor began.

But, to Cami's astonishment, Roger didn't even stick around long enough for him to complete his sentence.

He turned and ran, sprinting out of the parking lot, his backpack thudding as he fled.

"Hey!" Connor shouted. "Come back here! This is a police order!"

Roger wasn't listening to the police. He was hotfooting it out of the parking, across the road, and into the treed grounds of the office park.

Cami and Connor gave chase, but he was fast. He ducked in and out of the trees, sprinting for the other side of the park.

He had a heavy backpack on, presumably with a laptop inside, and Cami hoped that would slow him down, but the problem was it didn't seem to be slowing him enough. Or maybe it was the sheer rush of adrenaline-fueled terror that was causing this burst of speed.

Either way, it was clear that Roger was not going to give up easily, and he was getting away.

Cami felt a surge of frustration as she watched him go while fighting to keep pace. She was already falling behind him and Connor. This was their only lead so far, and he was a strong one, with links to both victims. If they lost him now, they'd have no way of finding out who the killer was.

Cami pushed herself further, her heart pounding and her breath ragged, as she ran after the fleeing Roger.

She had forgotten that the FBI involved so much running. No wonder agents had to go through such arduous physical training, she reminded herself, as she almost stumbled over a loose flagstone, saving herself just in time.

The park ahead was filled with trees, many already bare, and crisscrossed paths, all now wet with rain and slippery. Roger was heading for the exit, and although Cami and Connor were getting closer, it was clear they weren't going to catch him in time. And sadly for Cami, the park's exits had no remote controls. They were simply gaps in the fence, with gates that were clearly manually closed after hours. There was no way for her to use IT to help them at this time.

But perhaps she could still use her perception. It was all that could help her now because Connor was in full pursuit, and she was lagging badly behind.

What could she do?

Cami faltered to a stop, gasping. That run had taken everything out of her. She wasn't a runner. But now that she was looking at the park, she saw that the exit he was racing for led to a main road.

He could go right or left. If he went right, he'd end up literally running past the local police department, Cami saw, noticing the signage.

Would he really do such a thing?

But if he went left, he'd head along the main road, without any turnoffs, for a while. And there was another gate, farther along in the park, that led to that same street.

Cami had no idea what she would do if she used that gate, and he turned left, and she came face to face with him. But she might, at least, slow him down.

With wild hope and fear warring in her mind, she veered away and ran for the other exit.

CHAPTER EIGHT

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