Page 36 of Echoes of Sin

Sylvie had touched base with the team earlier this morning after her father had broken the news to her. Her voice had been relatively flat as she’d shared the details with everyone, and it hadn’t been long afterward that she’d announced that she’d spent most of the night diving into the lists of volunteers provided by Erika.

Brook highly doubted that Sylvie had even left the prison this morning, which meant that she either hadn’t eaten or she’d hit up one of the vending machines. Either way, it was time for Sylvie to take care of herself.

“Give us a call if you need anything,” Brook said in a tone that would hopefully prevent Sylvie from putting up an argument. Brook then offered up a caveat so as to avoid any reluctance on Sylvie’s part. “Feel free to check up on Arden. He gets lonely when the rest of us are out in the field.”

“You could be there for another month or two,” Sylvie argued with a shake of her head. Bit’s eyes widened when Sylvie had completely ignored the subtle order. “I’ll be back in a couple of days.”

“No, Sylvie, you won’t.” Brook wasn’t just looking out for Sylvie, but the team. “There is a very likely chance this investigation could continue into next year. If that’s the case, we’ll all be back periodically. In the meantime, you’re to remain in the city unless something changes.”

“Brook, don’t treat me as if I—”

“I’m treating you no different than I would any other member of this team, Sylvie.” Brook stood with her coffee, but she had no intention of leaving the room. “And as your friend, I’m telling you that work doesn’t fix everything. Okay?”

Brook sensed the weight of Theo’s stare from across the room. He had somehow managed to carry a small table up the staircase and fit it through the doorframe. The additional piece of furniture cramped the room even more, but it had provided an additional workspace. He was no longer studying the screen of his laptop, but instead scrutinizing her after such a comment.

It had taken a lot for her to make that last statement.

Ever so slowly, she was finally allowing herself to have a life outside of Jacob. It sure as hell wasn’t easy, but it was long overdue.

“Okay,” Sylvie replied in such a way that it was the first time a hint of fear could be heard about the reality of losing her father. There was no denying that he’d hurt a lot of people by his terrible choices. Unfortunately, no one was able to choose their family. “Will you at least keep me posted?”

“Considering that you wouldn’t allow Bit to get one second of sleep otherwise, the answer is yes,” Brook said as she picked up her phone. “We’ll let you know of any new developments. Take care, Sylvie.”

Bit smiled and waved at the camera on the 4k monitor. The special feature had allowed Sylvie to see the entire room, so she no doubt had caught Theo’s wave, as well. He’d returned his attention to the information on his screen. They had all decided it was best to hold off with the interviews now that Darlene Hummel’s abduction had muddied the waters.

“Hiker’s Haven is still the only connection between all three women,” Bit said as he reached for one of the donuts that he’d brought back from the bakery this morning. “I ran their list of employees through our system, but none of them fit the profile.”

Brook had already accessed her voicemail to hear what Agent Houser had to say this morning. She lowered the bottom of her phone to speak with Bit.

“What about guests? Mauve gave us access to her guest list. Was there anyone who had a room booked on the same weekends as our victims?” Brook asked before sidestepping her chair. “I need to place a call. I’ll be right back.”

Brook took her coffee with her and enjoyed a sip while returning Agent Houser’s call. The tension in his voice when he’d answered had her squaring her shoulders for the upcoming announcement.

“I received a call from the U.S. Marshals Service this morning,” Russell said without a greeting. “Sarah Evanston has officially backed out of the program.”

Brook remained silent as she thought through her options. There really were none given the scope of the situation. Sarah Evanston had barely had any skin attached to her face when they’d found her lying in a pool of her own blood. The only reason that she’d lived after such a brutal attack was because Jacob hadn’t had time to slit her throat. Considering the numerous surgeries and the pain that Sarah must have endured since then, she had probably wished she had died several times over.

Jacob was going to finally get his wish.

Sarah Evanston was going to come out of hiding, though it wasn’t like she could return to her previous life as a reporter. Those days were long over.

“I want to speak with her.”

“Brook, you and I both know that’s not going to happen. Next to Jacob Walsh, you are the last person who she wants to speak to under the circumstances.”

“I don’t care. Make it happen.”

Brook disconnected the call. She had no idea what she would say to Sarah Evanston, but Brook needed to convince her to stay hidden. Word would eventually reach Jacob that the only woman to survive his attacks had dared to flaunt it by living her life while he sat to rot behind bars.

“Everything okay?” Theo asked with concern as she walked back into the room. He’d leaned back against the spindles of the chair that he’d also brought up from downstairs. “Erika texted a few seconds ago. She’s pulling up to the bar now. Her supervisor wasn’t happy that we requested she not join the search party for Darlene Hummel.”

“Considering this is a federal investigation, I’m sure he’ll get over it,” Brook murmured as she studied the portable monitor. Bit had pulled up the information that Sylvie had added to the files. The names of the male subjects that she’d highlighted definitely fit the profile, and each one of them would need to be interviewed at some point. “You should know that Sarah Evanston has decided to leave the witness protection program.”

Theo muttered some expletives while Bit readjusted his knit hat.

“I requested a sit down with her, though I’m not so sure that Agent Houser will be able to accommodate my request. Either way, I thought you should know in case I need to take an afternoon off,” Brook warned them as she reclaimed her seat. “Getting back to the business at hand, I think that—”

A knock came at the door. Theo called out for whoever it was to enter, and no one was surprised to find that Erika had arrived with several bags in hand. She juggled one until Theo was able to relieve her load.

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