Page 24 of Let Her Live

The young mother knelt down next to her daughter, smoothing tears away from her eyes. "It's okay, baby. Everything's okay."

Jake's heart hurt. Neither of them deserved to go through this, and he hoped—prayed—it was all a misunderstanding and had nothing to do with the serial killer.

"Do you know where he usually went to smoke?" Fiona asked the woman. "If he stepped off alone, then we might be able to pinpoint where to start looking."

"Yes," the woman said. She pointed toward the swampy field behind them. "He'd go that way, making sure to keep his distance from the tent so Junie wouldn't see him smoke."

Jake nodded. "Okay, thank you. We'll start looking there."

He motioned for the officers to start searching the area and turned to Fiona. "Let's go."

They walked towards the swampy field, which was overgrown with tall grass and weeds. The ground was muddy and uneven, and Jake knew it would be difficult to navigate without getting completely covered in mud. He could feel the sweat pooling under his shirt and hoped they would find something soon so they could get out of there.

As they searched the area, Fiona suddenly stopped and crouched down. She motioned for Jake to come over, and he did so, curious as to what she had found.

It was a cigarette butt stomped out in the mud.

Jake crouched next to Fiona and took a closer look at the cigarette butt. Considering it wasn't completely destroyed by the elements, it made sense that this could be the cigarette Hank had gone just before he disappeared.

He looked around, scanning the surroundings for any signs of the killer. But it was all quiet, too quiet.

"We need to get a team out here, start searching the area," Jake said, standing up.

Fiona nodded, "And we need to think like the killer. He might have taken him somewhere before killing him."

Jake nodded, "You're right.We need to be on the lookout for footprints or anything that could tell us if he left. But for now, we have every reason to believe that Hank could still be out there, in this swamp. Possibly alive."

Fiona swallowed, her face pale and nervous. "So we look for him," she said.

"Yeah," Jake replied. He shielded his eyes from the sun as he scanned the field. "We're gonna have to get our hands dirty too, Red. We're joining the hunt personally."

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

The morning sun beat down on Fiona, causing sweat to pool on her forehead and for her mind to feel swimmy. She trudged through the swamp, grateful she'd been given boots and a mosquito hat.

Jake walked ahead of her, his eyes scanning the ground for any signs of Hank or the killer. They had been searching for hours now, and Fiona was starting to feel hopeless. She didn't know how much longer she could keep looking, but she didn't want to give up. Not when Hank's wife and daughter were counting on them.

They had split up from the rest of the team to cover more ground, but still nothing. Fiona's feet felt heavy, and her spirits were sinking lower with each passing minute.

Suddenly, Fiona heard a twig snap behind her, and she spun around, her heart racing. But it was just a small lizard sunning itself on a log. She let out a shaky breath and turned back towards Jake.

"Anything?" she asked him, hoping for some good news.

Jake shook his head, his eyes still focused on the ground. "No, nothing yet. But we have to keep looking."

Fiona nodded, feeling a sense of determination wash over her. She couldn't let herself give up, not when someone's life was on the line. She trudged forward, her boots squelching in the mud.

Suddenly, Jake called out, "Over here!" Fiona hurried over to him, her heart racing. Had they found Hank?

Jake was pointing at some footprints in the mud. "These look fresh," he said.

Fiona studied the prints. They were definitely fresh, and they looked like they were made by a man's boots. "Do you think they could be Hank's?" she asked.

Jake shrugged. "I don't know. But they could be our best lead right now. Let's follow them."

They started following the footprints, moving deeper into the swamp. Fiona tried to keep her footing on the uneven ground, but it was difficult.

As they followed the footprints, Fiona couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching them. She kept glancing over her shoulder, but there was nothing there except for the tall grass and trees. They continued on, the footprints leading them deeper into the swamp. Fiona could feel her heart racing, and her palms were slick with sweat.

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