Page 23 of Nothing Watching

After giving her the address, Juliette hung up, and then she turned back, quickly, to the room she’d just left. Rushing in, holding up a hand for Wyatt and Sierra to wait, she took down the login details and the password to access the criminal records system. Thanks to that list, she might need it later.

After doing that, she hurried downstairs.

She had a small lead on her father’s cold case and she couldn’t be more thankful. But as for the current case, the one that was now turning into an emergency, there were no leads.

“What are we going to do now?” Sierra asked, her voice forlorn, as they headed for their unmarked car.

Juliette sighed heavily, feeling the weight of the case bearing down on her. “We’ll keep searching. We won’t give up. There are things we can do tomorrow, like approach the university.” They were going to compile a list of everyone who’d been at the class that Iris Davies attended. “We could take that further, and ask for the names of all the professors and staff who work there.”

“We can do nothing more tonight?” Wyatt asked, and she could tell he was keen to work until the small hours. “No research?”

She shrugged. “What leads do we have? Businesses are closed. The university is closed. We can sit in front of a screen getting nowhere, or else we can start again in the morning.”

“I’m worried he kills again before the morning,” Wyatt grumbled, and her stomach clenched hard as she accepted that reality.

Despite the police warnings, what if there was that one person who didn’t listen or who simply hadn’t heard? Who headed out alone and found the killer waiting? Juliette shook her head, not wanting to think about it.

Much as she wanted to go out and prowl the streets herself, trying to protect everyone she saw, she knew it would do no good. Thanks to Fischer, the police had allocated every available resource, and if Juliette was an exhausted wreck tomorrow, it wouldn’t help her or the case.

“The police will patrol where they can. Let’s find a hotel,” she said firmly.

*

An hour later, they were checking into a hotel in central Berlin. There had been a problem finding accommodations, and Sierra, who’d taken on the job, had had to call around to several places. It was summer, and Berlin was bursting at the seams. Tourists were booked solidly into the first three hotels she tried. Eventually, they found a fourth that had just had a group cancellation, and hurried there.

The hotel proved to be much fancier than the first three. Standing on the opulent red carpet at the polished reception counter, Juliette inhaled delicious smells from the dining room.

Desperate their circumstances might be, but food was food, and they all needed to eat.

“I think we go straight inside there,” she said, checking the time. “Eat first, then get some rest?”

As the receptionist handed them their keys, she said, “There is a security advisory from police, that women should not go out on their own after dark tonight.” She looked sternly at both Juliette and Sierra.

Juliette felt very grateful that the police warning was being so widely publicized. If victims were scarcer, the killer might decide to delay his deadly spree by one more night. She could only hope.

They sat down in the dining room, with classical music playing softly in the background, picking up the chink of cutlery and murmur of voices from the other diners.

Wyatt was frowning as he looked at the menu.

“I’m not sure about all these sausages,” he said, in a voice where Juliette could detect real fear. “Seems like the Germans love them, but I don’t feel so confident.”

Juliette couldn’t help but smile at Wyatt’s apprehension. “The Germans make them very well,” she said, scanning the menu herself. “But if you’re nervous, you could always have the pork schnitzel. It comes with cabbage and potato salad on the side. That’s what I’m leaning toward.”

Sierra was scanning the menu with interest. “Would it be wrong of me to just have the chocolate torte?” she said.

Juliette grinned, feeling the tension within her diffuse just a little. Despite the circumstances, the company of her teammates was soothing and more than that, it was boosting her morale. “Well, let’s think about that,” she said. “I wouldn’t want you to be hungry tomorrow, and who knows what time we might have to make a start? I’d go for a two-course meal if I were you. Start with something that isn’t dessert, and you could always ask for the torte in a takeaway box.”

“Good idea.” Sierra brightened. “In that case, I’ll have the bratwurst also. You want a bite of it, Wyatt?”

Wyatt shook his head as if horrified she’d even made the offer. “All yours,” he said, as Sierra snorted.

Sierra got on her phone, taking a call that Juliette guessed was from back home in the States, and she used the opportunity to question Wyatt about the warning he’d given her earlier.

“You said you wouldn’t advise that Lucien and I tried the long-distance thing. I was wondering why?”

Wyatt shook his head, giving her a world-weary gaze.

Juliette knew she had the edge on Wyatt when it came to international experience, particularly in Europe. She had more direct experience in homicide investigation than Wyatt. She knew her European languages, and she hoped that her diplomatic skills were also as good as they could be.

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