Page 51 of For Rage

"I don't know, Cross, we've got all hands on deck."

She zoomed out slightly, and that was when she saw it: located nearby, on the outskirts of town, was an old cornfield.

A cornfield with a maze.

Not only that, but as Morgan took in the aerial view of it, something stood out. It was outside of town, near a forest with a river running through it. And the name of the river?

Doe River.

Little Doe.

The riddle … was it really this all along?

"What about the corn maze on the northern outskirts of town?" Morgan asked. “There’s a river near it called Doe River. That could be a reference to the note we received from the killer.”

Mueller went quiet for a moment. Then, he said, "It's not on our radar. We considered it out of bounds."

"Sir," Morgan said, heart in her throat, "if this Randall Fink is our guy, then that maze—it's right near his house."

Mueller cursed under his breath. "We've got teams searching all the other mazes. But I'll send a team to check it out."

"I'm heading there now," Morgan said firmly. "I'm not waiting for backup."

"Cross, you can't go in there alone," Mueller protested.

"I don't have a choice," Morgan said, her voice hard. "I'll call you with updates."

She hung up and took off running toward her car. She had to get to that corn maze, fast. She could feel her heart racing and her breath coming in quick gasps. She might be walking into a trap, but she had to take the risk. This was her job, and she was damn good at it.

She peeled out of the driveway and took off down the road toward the maze, the tires screeching as she slammed on the gas.

***

The traffic wouldn't let up as Derik made his way toward the outskirts of town, ripping up to the house Morgan had told him to go to. The old building had seen better days, which was the first thing he noticed.

The second was that Morgan's car wasn't there.

Frowning, he took out his phone and tried to call her, but she didn't pick up. Derik had a bad feeling inside him. Morgan had specifically given him this address, so where was she?

She was bolder, more reckless since she was released from prison, and part of him was terrified she'd do something even more reckless and get herself hurt. She'd already gotten shot in the leg the other day.

As Derik approached the house, he noticed it was quiet. Too quiet. He unsheathed his gun and cautiously made his way to the front door, which was slightly ajar. On the floor was a pool of food next to a casserole dish. What the hell happened here? Pushing it open, he stepped inside the dimly lit living room.

"Morgan?" he called out, his heart pounding in his chest.

No response.

He made his way through the house, checking each room as he went. It was silent, except for the creaking of the old house settling. Creepy photos of Randall and his dead aunt lined the walls, sending a chill up Derik's spine. But there was no sign of Morgan anywhere in this house.

Stepping over the food, he went back outside as a gust of wind burst through the air.

Derik jolted when he noticed a woman standing on the sidewalk, staring at him like something out of a horror movie.

"Are you looking for that woman?" the old woman asked.

Realizing she was just an old lady, not a threat, Derik cautiously approached her. "Yes, ma'am. She was here?"

"She was," the woman said. "She was looking for Randall here. She told me to go inside, then I saw her speed off in a hurry in her car."

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