Page 23 of Let Her Live

"We're doing our best, sir," Jake said. "Is there anything I can help you with?"

"We've got some reports of a missing man from a campground, disappeared in the night," he said. "No body yet, but the MO matches our killer. You should get down there and ask some questions."

Jake nodded. With that information, he couldn't agree more. "I'm on it, Chief."

Jake hung up the phone and looked over at Fiona, who was rubbing her eye as she woke up. Jake hurried over to her.

"Red, come on, we've gotta move," he said.

Fiona jolted out of her sleepy state. "Hm? Is everything okay?"

Jake shook his head. "No, we've got another missing person case. The MO matches our killer."

Fiona jolted out of the bed faster than Jake thought was possible and started getting ready. He anxiously got dressed, his mind racing.

The person was reported missing, not dead.

Maybe, just maybe, he was somehow still alive.

***

Jake pulled his car up to the campground, which was a good forty minutes away from town—and from where the last body was found. But Jake knew that didn't mean this wasn't the same guy. They could be dealing with someone who was traveling around, and for all they knew, there were still more bodies out there in the Everglades' swamps, waiting to be discovered.

But a man missing from a campground—this gave him hope. Hope that maybe, somehow, they could actually save this victim before it was too late.

Fiona nervously bit her thumb in the passenger seat next to him as he pulled into the campground. It was grassy and overgrown, and the morning light was blaring down on them, making him too hot even with the car's AC on. He didn't look forward to another hot, damp day in the Everglades.

As they walked towards the camp office, Jake surveyed the area, taking note of the different campers and tents that were set up. He could hear the buzz of mosquitoes in his ear, and he swatted at them irritably. Fiona was swatting too, but she was also watching him with a concerned expression.

"Are you okay?" she asked, noting his tense posture.

Jake sighed. "I just hate this place. It's hot, it's sticky, it's buggy. And now we have another victim. I just want to catch this guy and get out of here."

Fiona nodded, but she also looked around with a growing sense of unease. "I don't like this place either. It's too quiet. It feels like someone's watching us."

Jake frowned, feeling a chill run down his spine. "Let's just get our questions answered and get out of here. Hopefully, we can find some leads."

A group of police officers was standing in the campground, and Jake gravitated toward them, Fiona behind him. He held up his badge as he approached the team.

"Morning, boys," Jake said. "What's going on here?"

"We have a distressed wife who claims her husband vanished in the night," one officer said. He pointed across the campground, where a woman was holding a little girl as another police officer spoke to her. Jake made his way over to the woman, his heart heavy with the knowledge that they may be too late to save her husband. Fiona followed closely behind, her eyes scanning their surroundings for any signs of danger.

"Ma'am, I'm Agent Tucker with the FBI," Jake said, introducing himself. "Can you tell me what happened?"

The woman had short blonde hair, and the little girl next to her looked confused as she glanced up at Jake. The girl must have been six or seven, old enough to have an idea of what was going on but not to fully process it.

The woman nodded. Tears streamed down her face as she took a deep breath before speaking: "We were camping here for the weekend, and last night my husband left the tent, probably to have a cigarette. He never came back."

Jake's mind raced as he thought about the killer's MO. It was clear this could be another victim, but they needed more information."Are you sure he didn't leave willingly?" Jake asked.

The woman shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not. Hank wasn't having the best time camping, but he wouldn't have just left us like this."

Jake nodded, feeling a sense of sadness wash over him. "Okay. And did you hear or see anything out of the ordinary?"

The woman thought for a moment before shaking her head. "No, nothing. It was quiet all night until I realized he was gone." She sucked in a breath. "We don't live far from here, you know. We're locals, more or less, but our daughter—she wanted to go camping."

The little girl looked up at her mom. "Mommy, what's going on?"

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